Three Generations going to the World!

[PracPerfPatricia]

Jeckle is certainly a young lady who knows her mind......while possibly frustrating for you now it should serve her well in the future...

(Actually Heckle seems to know her own mind-you are raising young ladies with their own opinions of things...I think that's great...

BTW-the haircut is very, very cute-I love that look on little girls-in fact I always wanted it-but with curly hair it never worked out...

I struggle with the taking out of school issue also...sigh...since my children have a large age spead-7 years-I tend to take my little guy out since every day DD misses (she's going into 9th grade this year...) they cover a more significant amt of material...last year in 1st grade I took him out for a week but I still felt guilty...we were in California and I took some work and tried to build in educational lessons-like when we were in San Fran-we talked about how SF was built during the gold rush and all the different people who came...you get the idea...it's a struggle...(our principal also seemed nonplussed by it...I think I was more bothered by doing it...)

I'm so with you on Splash Mountain-I really dislike that drop-I feel like I'm going to fall out-but I go because I don't want them to remember me as the cranky mommy who didn't go on rides with them...(Personally I think Splash has a multiple personality disorder-all cute and sweet at the beginning-it could be a kiddie ride in Fantasy land...until the "drop" when you're heading up that hill with the vultures cackling and then-POW...obviously this is still fresh in my mind and I'm still recovering...)

On the other hand-EE is really fun-it is intense but smooth-I don't think it really rough...just very fast and possibly a little disorienting...but it really is amazingly themed...

I'm so glad you're going to try Sanaa-I think you'll really like it...

 

[disneygirlinnj]

hahaha I had the Dorothy Hammil haircut too after my grandmother attempted to cut my hair. My parents flipped and immediately brought me to the hair salon Cute!

 

[pilferk]

We had 1st grade orientation earlier this week. The policy for vacations is 5 days a year and there is supposed to be an "educational component." Hmm. Not sure about that part. We're doing at least one day at AK and probably two at Epcot. We're not going to be commando at the parks, but will take our time to see things and appreciate them. AK can definitely be educational and Epcot as well. Not sure we can make an argument for MK. The principal didn't seem really fussed about it one way or another.
Flossbolna - I used to get tonsillitis a lot as a kid, but not often enough that they'd take them out. That sort of annoyed me as a kid.

We went to our son's kindergarten orientation last night.

My wife talked to the teacher about our trip (which starts exactly 10 school days into the year) who said something like this:

"REALLY??? He's so LUCKY! September is the PERFECT time to go! Have fun and I can't WAIT to hear about the trip! Can you send some pictures in with him so we can talk about the trip in class?"

On Monday, we have an "open house" for my eldest daughter's 2nd grade class. We'll broach the subject with her teacher then but....I don't anticipate any objections. MOSTLY because her 2nd grade teacher WAS her kindergarten teacher (she changed classes last year), and we did something similar back then. Her reaction was pretty close to the one I accounted above.

This will probably be the LAST time we take the kids out of school for trips, at least for awhile. Next time we're going to schedule during Feb vacation, I think.

 

[pilferk]

I think the haircut is adorable!

We have a strict "no cut" policy on the girls...bangs get trimmed every so often, but that's it. My mom once made a comment about how much easier it would be if their hair was short. My WIFE stepped up and said "I take care of it 99% of the time...and I don't need it to be "easier". It stays long!". End of discussion.

My son just went to get his cut on Wednesday. His cuts always need a few weeks to "mellow" before they're photo-ready.

Mine's going to get cut next weekend...appointment already made!

 

[tarak]

I think the haircut is adorable!

We have a strict "no cut" policy on the girls...bangs get trimmed every so often, but that's it. My mom once made a comment about how much easier it would be if their hair was short. My WIFE stepped up and said "I take care of it 99% of the time...and I don't need it to be "easier". It stays long!". End of discussion.

My son just went to get his cut on Wednesday. His cuts always need a few weeks to "mellow" before they're photo-ready.

Mine's going to get cut next weekend...appointment already made!

Good for your wife!

I’m supposed to get mine cut right before we leave. When it comes to hair, I am very lazy – I like to be able to pull it back and go. However, every few years, I get it into my head that styling hair is fun and I get it cut short because I think it will be nice. Then I remember how lazy I am and grow it right back out. It’s been short now for about three weeks. Consequently, I have been growing it out for 2 weeks and 6 days. I’m of the opinion that three weeks from now is not enough time for it to grow and a reschedule is in order.

We went to our son's kindergarten orientation last night.

My wife talked to the teacher about our trip (which starts exactly 10 school days into the year) who said something like this:

"REALLY??? He's so LUCKY! September is the PERFECT time to go! Have fun and I can't WAIT to hear about the trip! Can you send some pictures in with him so we can talk about the trip in class?"

On Monday, we have an "open house" for my eldest daughter's 2nd grade class. We'll broach the subject with her teacher then but....I don't anticipate any objections. MOSTLY because her 2nd grade teacher WAS her kindergarten teacher (she changed classes last year), and we did something similar back then. Her reaction was pretty close to the one I accounted above.

This will probably be the LAST time we take the kids out of school for trips, at least for awhile. Next time we're going to schedule during Feb vacation, I think.

What a great reaction from your son’s teacher! It’s funny – my next door neighbor is taking her son to WDW in November and he’s just started kindergarten. She was told that they should just start planning to take trips in the summer because they have school to think about now. And her son goes to the same school as Heckle, so the difference in opinions was a bit odd.

The next time we take them out of school will be next December when we’re planning a Grand Gathering with my sister and her husband and some friends. I imagine that will be the last time we take them out of school. There are a lot of trips I’d love to take when they are older (Yellowstone being high on the list), but for me those don’t have the timing issues that Disney has for me (combination of huge crowds and horrible heat and humidity). I will probably take our son on a trip by himself at some point before he starts school – I’ll have to figure out how to make it up to the girls – it will have to be big, I know that.

Jeckle is certainly a young lady who knows her mind......while possibly frustrating for you now it should serve her well in the future...

(Actually Heckle seems to know her own mind-you are raising young ladies with their own opinions of things...I think that's great...

You are so right about this. They are both very independent in many ways and most of the time it’s wonderful. I’m sure it will cause some angst and grey hairs in the future. Maybe sooner rather than later. I’m enjoying the fact that they like to spend time with us, since I imagine that won’t last.

I also have curly hair. It’s odd because growing up, it was always straight. Since having kids, it’s gotten curlier and curlier. I have now gotten to live on both sides of the fence as far as hair is concerned. I wanted it curlier when I was younger. Now that it is I realize I didn’t appreciate it nearly enough when it was straight.

hahaha I had the Dorothy Hammil haircut too after my grandmother attempted to cut my hair. My parents flipped and immediately brought me to the hair salon Cute!

My grandparents lived far away, so fortunately my mom never had to deal with the “haircut by grandma.” Even my husband recognizes that his mom is a “freak” about hair (his word, not mine, although I don’t argue the point). I remember getting shampoo with Dorothy’s picture on it – Breck, maybe (was there any other shampoo sold in 1979?). The cut worked better on my sister than on me, I think.

 

[tarak]

Wow – just four weeks to go. This last weekend was the last free weekend for a good while. It was spent doing laundry, cleaning out the garage and trying to get a handle on the weeds around the house. So I guess it wasn’t so free after all. I picked up some disposable waterproof cameras (thanks Flossbolna for the idea!) for the pool as well as any rides where they might get wet (assuming Splash Mountain and maybe Kali River Rapids - I don't know that my mom will want to go on that one, but I think both girls might).

It started out a bit rough when Heckle decided to put her brother in the toy grocery cart and wheel him into the foyer. The ride lasted about 3 seconds and ended with a bloody nose (his), a “what were you thinking, he’s not a doll” (mine), hysterical crying (all three kids but particularly Heckle who was very upset that her brother was hurt) and a near trip to the ER when the Dude’s nose stopped bleeding just in time for him to throw up all the blood he’d swallowed. Nothing works quite like the sight of your child vomiting blood to clear out the cobwebs of your brain that have formed overnight. Later that night, I was at the store with Heckle and got a phone call from DH asking me to pick up some new tub toys since the Dude decided to take his BM of the day while in the tub with his sister (who was remarkably calm about the whole thing and just jumped in the shower to get cleaned off a second time) and DH was tossing anything that looked absorbent.

I have tie dye supplies on the way. Enough to tie dye an army. This will be a craft for our upcoming camping trip the weekend before we go to WDW. DH says he likes tie dye but he’s not so sure about a tie dyed Mickey head t-shirt. We shall see. DH hasn’t been the same since he threw out his old tie dyed Robert Plant shirt, which he swore cost enough back in 1989 he would keep until it fell off his body. He was true to his word, to my everlasting shame. I have no problem throwing out the embarrassing underwear or socks. But I didn’t have the heart to dispose of the Robert Plant shirt, so I was grateful when he finally recognized it was time to let go. We saw Jesus Christ Superstar last summer and they had some pretty nifty shirts on sale in the lobby (tie-dyed, no less). I would have gotten one, but didn’t want to see him wear it until we could start collecting social security.

Camping. My husband is not a fan of camping. Neither is the husband of my dear friend who is coming with us. BTW – this is “camping” only in the sense that there is a fire pit and a grill outside the cabin and there are trees nearby. The cabin itself is a loft cottage complete with hot and cold running water, a flush toilet, cable TV and a kitchenette. It’s pretty much the cabins at Fort Wilderness, except it’s in Gettysburg, PA. This is the closest to camping we will ever come with our spouses. They will be bringing along board games to play in case it is too hot to go outside or raining or in case they just hate the woods so much they have to stay inside and complain about their wives who will be toiling away outside making s’mores. And tie dyed Mickey head t-shirts.

At the very least, the kids will have fun. Our sons are only about a year apart in age and go to the same day care. One day, Jeckle said she wanted to bring the other baby home instead of her brother. I don’t know if it’s because she’s tired of him or he’s too old to be cute. She’s asked to bring home other babies – when I told her that one little girl’s parents would be very sad and would miss her, she said “but if they died, she wouldn’t have anywhere else to go.” I immediately asked her what she wanted to have for dinner, successfully putting an end that rather morbid train of thought.

Now that I think of it, Heckle had her own moment of morbidity one day when at the park several years ago. A little girl had fallen and started to cry and Heckle immediately ran over and yelled “What happened, did your mommy and daddy die?” Mortified, I said, “no, I think she just bumped her knee. What’s say we go and get some ice cream…”

I’d like to believe my children just think of the worst case scenario and because they love us so very much they can’t think of anything more horrible than our deaths. But in reality I think they are just strange.

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

It started out a bit rough when Heckle decided to put her brother in the toy grocery cart and wheel him into the foyer. The ride lasted about 3 seconds and ended with a bloody nose (his), a “what were you thinking, he’s not a doll” (mine), hysterical crying (all three kids but particularly Heckle who was very upset that her brother was hurt) and a near trip to the ER when the Dude’s nose stopped bleeding just in time for him to throw up all the blood he’d swallowed. Nothing works quite like the sight of your child vomiting blood to clear out the cobwebs of your brain that have formed overnight. Later that night, I was at the store with Heckle and got a phone call from DH asking me to pick up some new tub toys since the Dude decided to take his BM of the day while in the tub with his sister (who was remarkably calm about the whole thing and just jumped in the shower to get cleaned off a second time) and DH was tossing anything that looked absorbent. ....

Well now that sounds like a good time...(Actually it sounds pretty frightening and I am so glad that everything turned out well)...don't you sometimes just have to shake your head at some of the things that you manage to deal with that before you had kids you could never have dreamed of...

Has anyone told you that you have an absolutely great dry sense of humor...your timing is just deadpan on...(I love dry humor and God knows a sense of humor will get you through a lot of stuff...)

I think that kids have there own way of making sense of death...and they do it in stages...I think your girls are just very bright and are making sense of it...they also know on some level that they are vulnerable and need someone to take care of them if they are to survive...(Adults have those instincts but have been socialized to say the appropriate thing as well as hopefully gaining more and more altruistic sentiments as we mature and become emotionally stronger...) I don't think your children are strange at all-I think they'd be a great deal of fun to hang out with...

I haven't been to Gettysburg in years---Lovely, poignant place...

 

[tarak]

Well now that sounds like a good time...(Actually it sounds pretty frightening and I am so glad that everything turned out well)...don't you sometimes just have to shake your head at some of the things that you manage to deal with that before you had kids you could never have dreamed of...

Has anyone told you that you have an absolutely great dry sense of humor...your timing is just deadpan on...(I love dry humor and God knows a sense of humor will get you through a lot of stuff...)

I think that kids have there own way of making sense of death...and they do it in stages...I think your girls are just very bright and are making sense of it...they also know on some level that they are vulnerable and need someone to take care of them if they are to survive...(Adults have those instincts but have been socialized to say the appropriate thing as well as hopefully gaining more and more altruistic sentiments as we mature and become emotionally stronger...) I don't think your children are strange at all-I think they'd be a great deal of fun to hang out with...

I haven't been to Gettysburg in years---Lovely, poignant place...

I'm just grateful we didn't have to take another trip to the ER - that would have been the second time in one month, which is sort of a record for us. I remember before I had kids, I thought the hardest part would be changing diapers. And never did I imagine I could love someone so much.

And thank you for the complements - I agree humor helps. We laugh so we don't cry.

A few years ago, one of my DH's aunts died and Heckle was very, very fond of her. She asked us if she was going to see Thea Pope (her name was Calliope, but her nickname was Pope) again soon and we told her no. She started to cry and said it wasn’t fair and it just about broke my heart. We’ve had a few pets die in the last few years, and they’re starting to understand what it means.

Heckle is also starting to become interested in what happens to the body after one dies – she asked my husband a few weeks ago if his shoulder was feeling better (he had surgery on it a few years back and it still gives him trouble on occasion). He said it was fine and thanked her for asking. She said “good, can we go out and dig up Bongie (dead pet rat) so I can look at her bones?”

On the planning front, I decided to try and switch our reservation for the Princess Storybook dining to the 30th, since we’ll be at Epcot that day. No luck. We have a ressie for the 2nd, but I honestly don’t know if I’ll be able to convince the girls to spend two days at Epcot. OTOH, it’s lunch and we’re supposed to go to MNSSHP that night. We can always get there early and just wander a bit (maybe do the kidcot stations – Heckle seems interested in the Kim Possible game as well), have lunch and go back to the resort to rest and relax before hitting MK for the Halloween party. Or sleep in (which for my kids is 7 am instead of 6), hang out at the resort, go to lunch, wander. I'm really starting to get into a "less is more" attitude about this trip. We may end up just cancelling the ADR altogether if the girls don't care to go.

 

[tarak]

When I first moved to the east coast with my mom years ago, we spent the day touring the battlefields of Gettysburg. We were walking on Little Round Top and I looked down and saw a plaque that noted someone had "fallen" there on a specific day during the battle. I'm not sure why, knowing how many people died throughout the battlefield, but it was particularly sobering to realize that someone had died at that exact spot, even though it had happened well over a century ago.

 

[Flossbolna]

I think your kids sound really sweet and I agree with Patricia, you have a wonderful sense of humor!

I am excited to see what you with the tie dye! I was thinking about doing that once, but then realized that I am not someone who would wear the shirt...

I did the Kim Possible thing in January and really enjoyed it. It is truly fun for the whole family! So this might work out like a good incetive for your kids to return to Epcot...

 

[tarak]

I think your kids sound really sweet and I agree with Patricia, you have a wonderful sense of humor!

I am excited to see what you with the tie dye! I was thinking about doing that once, but then realized that I am not someone who would wear the shirt...

I did the Kim Possible thing in January and really enjoyed it. It is truly fun for the whole family! So this might work out like a good incetive for your kids to return to Epcot...

Thanks, Flossbolna!

I asked my mom if she'd be willing to wear a tie dyed Mickey shirt and she said "if it makes the kids happy." We'll see how she feels when she sees my creation - she's the crafty one in the family.

I think the Kim Possible adventure looks like a lot of fun. And a perfect way to spend a few hours at Epcot. I'm guessing that they're going to want to stay late at MK for the Halloween party, so I don't want them run too ragged that day.

 

[tarak]

I don’t generally remember dreams that I’ve had, but when I do, it’s because they were very vivid and I tend to remember all the details. Last night I had the first Disney vacation related dream that I can recall. I had corn and roasted turkey for dinner last night, so I can’t really blame the food. It was a wacky dream, that’s for sure.

Instead of travelling with my mom and the girls, DH was along for the trip. No idea where the Dude was. DH had checked into the AKL earlier with the girls and I arrived about an hour later. The resort resembled a mall more than anything else, which was fairly disappointing. There was a Radio Shack across from the front desk and the only restaurant I saw was a Chi Chi’s. Also, Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven was blaring over the speakers. And not the somewhat gentle beginning part of the song. No, it’s about 5 minutes into the song and we have Robert Plant shrieking, “And as we wind on down the road, our shadows taller than our soul...” over the PA system. Not the relaxing beginning to the vacation that I had hoped for. And for what it’s worth, I didn’t understand the lyrics to that song when I was nine and I don’t understand them now. *

Anyway, I meet up with DH and he tells me that our room view is an empty dirt lot with a blue tent in it. I promptly go the front desk and state that I didn’t pay for a savannah view that looks over a tent (really, a blue tarp attached to some sticks). The CM behind the counter rolls her eyes at me, says that what all savannah views are like, but she’ll see what she can do. A few minutes later, she gives me a new room key and it’s for room #2011. I wander about the 2nd floor for ages before I realize the room is in Rarotonga. So we’ve been moved to the Poly. Not that I don’t love the Poly. But I wanted to stay at AKL, and I really don’t want to pack up and move. So I go back to the front desk and ask again to be moved to a room that is actually at my current location. Someone else comes over to help me. At that point, Heckle and Jeckle are escorted over to me, having been kicked out of Simba’s Cubhouse for nattering at each other. At that point I woke up. I tried to explain it to my husband this morning and he just shrugged at me and said “I like the Poly.”

That dream seriously harshed my pre-vacation mellow…

* A small disclaimer – I am a fan of Led Zeppelin, despite the above post and my previous complaints about the state of DH’s old Robert Plant concert t-shirt. Led Zeppelin II is probably my favorite album of theirs, although I have a sentimental attachment to Led Zeppelin IV because of the Tolkien references in Misty Mountain Hop and I’m a geek. Also fond of Kashmir because I saw Fast Times at Ridgemont High several times during my formative years. Make of that what you will…

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

When I first moved to the east coast with my mom years ago, we spent the day touring the battlefields of Gettysburg. We were walking on Little Round Top and I looked down and saw a plaque that noted someone had "fallen" there on a specific day during the battle. I'm not sure why, knowing how many people died throughout the battlefield, but it was particularly sobering to realize that someone had died at that exact spot, even though it had happened well over a century ago.

"...But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced..." Abraham Lincoln...


It is truly mind boggling when you stop to think about it...

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

On a lighter note...

What a deeply disconcerting dream...I don't know what would have disturbed me more...

the AKL having turned into a mall complete with a RS and Chi Chi's or the the fact that you had transformed over to the Poly somehow... (not that the Poly is bad or anything...) btw...My Dh would have said something like"I like the Poly" too...his dreams are never anywhere as weird as mine...

...that was one disturbing dream...you must have a lot going on in your subconscious that you are trying to resolve right now...

 

[Flossbolna]

What a dream!! I know those type of dreams, too. I am at a place that I know that is a certain place, but it looks really different in my dream... I guess dreams just don't follow any logic. I am certain that it is not a bad sign at all, technically you were dreaming about an upgrade (the Poly being the more expensive deluxe hotel), so I am sure if it has any meaning it would be a sign that you will get an upgrade to CL like Patricia!

 

[tarak]

"...But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced..." Abraham Lincoln...


It is truly mind boggling when you stop to think about it...

I had to memorize the Gettysburg Address at far too young an age to really appreciate the words. It gives me chills when I read it.

I think the only battlefield that affected me more was Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland. My mom and I packed a picnic lunch and walked the battlefield. A beautiful place, but very sad. I couldn’t remember the exact number but knew that more soldiers died there in a single day than in any other conflict in US military history.

 

[tarak]

On a lighter note...

What a deeply disconcerting dream...I don't know what would have disturbed me more...

the AKL having turned into a mall complete with a RS and Chi Chi's or the the fact that you had transformed over to the Poly somehow... (not that the Poly is bad or anything...) btw...My Dh would have said something like"I like the Poly" too...his dreams are never anywhere as weird as mine...

...that was one disturbing dream...you must have a lot going on in your subconscious that you are trying to resolve right now...

What a dream!! I know those type of dreams, too. I am at a place that I know that is a certain place, but it looks really different in my dream... I guess dreams just don't follow any logic. I am certain that it is not a bad sign at all, technically you were dreaming about an upgrade (the Poly being the more expensive deluxe hotel), so I am sure if it has any meaning it would be a sign that you will get an upgrade to CL like Patricia!

I think if I had to ascribe any meaning to it, it would have to be to not get so excited about the trip that I end up disappointing myself by making my expectations too high. Of course, if I go into it remembering the Radio Shack and the Chi Chi’s, I can’t help but be more than satisfied, right? When we went last December, I talked my husband into staying at the WL because it was so much less than the Poly. He really preferred the Poly and even though he’s never said as much, I think he regrets not staying there. So maybe it’s my subconscious thinking that I won’t like the AKL as much as the Poly, either.

Of course, it could also have been triggered by my son waking up at midnight with a nightmare as well as the skunk roaming around our house last night spraying up the bushes (of course the first night we open up the house to get fresh air because it’s so nice outside).

I'd take Patricia's upgrade, though That would be pretty nifty!

 

[tarak]

We went to the Jershey shore for the Labor Day weekend. It's been really beautiful here. My SIL and her kids and some friends were here with there children, so it's been sort of chaotic, but fun. Lots of time at the beach, playing in the water and swimming in the pool. Ate too much. Food is crazy expensive. Almost disney expensive.

Heckle overheard me reading some of the PTR to DH and she wanted to know what it was about. I told her our Disney trip, so she wanted me to post something on it for her. I asked her what she wanted me to post - she said I should tell the story about the time that Jeckle ran away without a parent around.

I wasn't sure if it would interest anyone, but Heckle thinks it's important that everyone know not to leave the house without telling your parents.

She also asked me to post some emoticons, so here they are:

 

[PracPerfPatricia]

At this point in time, I'm not sure a week down the shore is any cheaper than a trip to DW (excluding the plane fair...)

I imagine your weather is lovely...it is lovely here so you must be getting some glorious breezes and clear sunny days...

As I mentioned before I think that Heckle is a cool and very wise girl...

Heckle thinks it's important that everyone know not to leave the house without telling your parents.

This is excellent advice-good words to live by...and I will be sure to pass it along to DS in the morning...

 

[tarak]

At this point in time, I'm not sure a week down the shore is any cheaper than a trip to DW (excluding the plane fair...)

I imagine your weather is lovely...it is lovely here so you must be getting some glorious breezes and clear sunny days...

As I mentioned before I think that Heckle is a cool and very wise girl...

Heckle thinks it's important that everyone know not to leave the house without telling your parents.

This is excellent advice-good words to live by...and I will be sure to pass it along to DS in the morning...

I think it's good advice at any age, really!

Fortunately, we have friends with a place here, so we only had to pay for the food and tolls and gas. Which is plenty. The only bonus is that many of the shops have fire sales because they close after labor day.

The Dude thought 5:30 was a fine time to get up. He is wrong, of course, but it's hard to reason with an almost two year old. If it weren't raining, I'd stick him in the stroller and go for coffee.