So far we were loving Animal Kingdom!! The kids were giddy with excitement! This is SUCH a huge park. As I've mentioned before, the only drawback that day was the HEAT! Ickity ick ick!
After we took our Spin on the Triceratops we decided to head to the Boneyard!!
Jay and I had bypassed this last year, but we had talked about how much Teddy and Sally would enjoy it!
We were right! They were psyched!!
We made our way inside and set the kiddos free. Teddy headed toward the "COOL HUGE SLIDE!!!" And Sally headed in the opposite direction!
Teddy loves to climb things, so he was in heaven climbing the steps to the top! It wasn't but a few seconds before he came flying out the bottom of the slide, squealing all the way!
Teddy is the one in the blue
crocs!
Jay was looking around while keeping an eye on Teddy.
I think this is supposed to be something kids can explore, but it was closed that day...bummer. It looked like it might be fun though!
I was working on a wicked head ache. Sometimes my asthma weezer meds do this to me. So I found a place to perch. I was immediately aware of the fact that several small children were scampering about in their bathing suits...which I didn't understand...this wasn't a pool was it?! I mean seriously, one little girl had an entire bum cheek exposed...and it remained exposed the ENTIRE time we were there!
Does this bug anyone else?
I know, I have issues.
But after the nekkid baby on the bus and the headache that was blooming in my head...I was feeling a little over sensitive to nekkid bum cheeks in public.
know what I mean?!
But I didn't say a word about it. I butted out...no pun intended. I sat quietly. I behaved. I only mentally parented children that are not mine.
It was around that moment that I happen to look up. I saw Sally walking towards me with a determined look on her face.
Why the determined look?
Well because the child had taken off her quick dry shorts and was truckin around in just her bathing suit bottoms...and she KNEW I was going to have a QUACK about that!
She was also well aware that there were lots of other children running around in bathing suits...and it appears Sally found water b/c she was soaked.
She approached me with a wary look in her eyes but with a very sweet smile on her face.
"Hi MissCammie. I'm wet see..."
What she was REALLY saying was: I'm ALLOWED to be in just my bathing suit bottoms (with her rashguard still on...she's not totally insane!) b/c I found a pool of water somewhere therefore the no bathing suits in public unless we are at a pool rule is NOT being broken.
I slapped her around with her my most wicked eyebrow arch. The one I reserve for deliberate rule breaking. Sally KNEW full well that this was NOT a pool. And she KNEW full well that I was going to be annoyed. The child was button pushing. That's what she was doing.
And too bad for her b/c I was already having anxiety about all the children I couldn't control that were running around in a non pool area with their bums exposed to the world.
THIS child I could boss around.
"Sally, put those shorts on. RIGHT NOW."
I was NOT playing.
Sally, however, seemed in the mood for some battle.
"MissCammie, there is a waterfall over there...and it's wet. I got wet in it. It's hot...and..." she looked around her rather deliberately..."lots of other kids are wearing THEIR bathing suits..."
I could hear my inner Donald having a fit. Sally knows that I just loathe the argument "OTHER KIDS ARE DOING IT..." It irks me to death. I also don't like it when the kids don't hop to it when a direction has been given in my most serious voice...I mean do I SOUND like I'm in the mood to negotiate?
yeah...not so much.
Which is why I said nothing. I let the eyebrow speak for me.
"But MissCAMMIE...it's...it's hot...and the other kids..."
her voice trailed off.
But still she stood, shorts in hand. This child was defying me. At DISNEY.
And she KNOWS I am not going to argue with her. I am not going to speak until she follows the direction she has been given. For some reason though, she FIGHTS me on the issue of bathing suits in public. She's willing to do battle...with ME...her control freak step mama who does NOT take kindly to defiant ANYBODY...let alone CHILDREN...especially children I am DUTY BOUND to boss around and bend to my will...
*ahem*
QUACK! Don't DO THAT!
Silly child. Does she know me at ALL?!
Part of the reason this annoys me so is because Sally KNOWS how I feel about this particular issue. I feel strongly. She knows that I am not going to bend on this one or even discuss it. I'm not going to be engaged in a power struggle. Sally knows why.
BECAUSE I SAID SO. THAT'S WHY!
*ahem*
Sally tried once more...goodness she was just FULL of wrangle today! I was secretly rather proud of her for attempting to assert herself...too bad she picked a situation she had NO HOPE of winning...but still...it's the effort!
"MissCammie...there's WATER over there...that people are getting WET in..."
The eyebrow remained arched and intimidating in its wickedness...it clearly said, "You. Heard. Me."
Sally knew she didn't have a prayer on this one and was working on a TIME OUT...which would not have done at all. She's a smart girl. She knows when to fold em...when to walk away...and when to run...
if she didn't get those shorts back on NOW she was going to have to RUN!
With a long suffering sigh she got back into her shorts.
When she was fully dressed and once again the rule following child I know and adore...I was able to speak.
"Listen kiddo, I'm aware that there are other kids in this area who are not wearing clothes. That is a choice that their parents made for them. Rest assured that if these were MY children they would ALL be wearing quick dry shorts and Rash guards...JUST LIKE YOU. I do NOT want to have this conversation ever again. I do not like to repeat myself. You know how I feel about this issue...You know how Daddy feels about this issue...we will ALWAYS feel this way about it...even when you are 85 years old you will have to wear a cover up in non pool places. Am I quite clear?"
*giant-put-upon-sigh*
"Yes ma'am."
THAT'S BETTER!
oooh I am just TOO wicked for words aren't I?!
Sally knew better than to pout about it. She tried. She lost. Let's move on shall we?
And we did.
I gave her a hug and a love swat and told her to show me the waterfall.
Here she is...little pootsnorkel! IN HER SHORTS!
She went down a slide...
After that we decided to climb. There is a HUGE climbing structure in the Bone Yard. You get some pretty cool views from the top!
There's Daddy and Teddy!!
Sally and I romped around, ran over bridges, crawled through tunnels, ran up and down stairs.
Dang if those shorts weren't DRY AS A BONE inside 15 minutes! Sally was thrilled! Land's End wasn't kidding when they called these shorts "Quick Dry!"
We finally met up with Teddy and Jay at the bottom. We decided it was time to head out.
The kiddos climbed into the Kid Transporter and we headed out in search of more adventure!!
Of course our first stop was a Diet Coke cart!
I snapped this picture when we stopped! I cut off Sally's foot...a photographer I am NOT, but I love this picture anyway! Crocs and tan legs!! The socks and sneakers combo is NOT Jay! He's a Keens man on *possibly* wet days!
It was getting on towards lunch time. The kiddos were hungry and I know Jay was ready to eat...he was getting a wee bit grouchy. I was afraid he was going to develop the Disney version of "road rage"! People kept stopping dead in their tracks in front of us, causing Jay to have to pull up short, which jostled the kids (much to their amusement!)...and nearly knocked me down once.
I don't know about y'all but when I'm fixin to stop, I usually look behind me to be sure that I'm not going to trip anybody up.
Perhaps I'm just paranoid...
*ahem*
Either way, Jay was ready to start plowing people over. It was time to find FOOD, and FAST!
We had discussed WHERE to get some grub earlier.
While Jay and I had LOVED Flame Tree BBQ last year, especially since we were STARVING pert near to death by the time we actually found it AND had JUST had our very first "married fight"...
...we didn't think the kids would be over fond of the food...which meant that the gang of stalker ducks who lurk around with zero shame waiting for bits of food...would get most of the kids lunch. Not so much gonna work for MissCammie. Those ducks didn't play around either...last year one of them waddled over to my table and plunked his feathery rump right down on my FOOT. Seriously. Just parked it...didn't even move when I wiggled my toes and tried to gently nudge him off...he stayed put and proceeded to ram my leg with his beak every so often. The funniest part of that situation was Jay's response! He had been getting napkins and such and when he walked up to the table he said very casually,
"Babe, you've got a duck on your foot..."
like I had some fuzz in my hair...it was *just* a duck on my foot. Like I hadn't noticed.
oh goodness...gotta love a man like that!
Anyhow...digression over...we decided against Flame Tree BBQ...it was too hot for outdoor seating!
Of course, I had done a little research before we came to Disney. Which was why we found ourselves in front of Pizzafari!!! I seriously had no idea this place was an eat in, AIR CONDITIONED establishment. We had passed it 84,000 times last year on our desperate search for food! Who knew?!
We parked the Kid Transporter and prepared to head inside.
Then Jay's cell started buzzing.
He looked at his phone...then looked at me...then looked at his phone again.
I slapped him around with an eyebrow arch.
He USED his one phone call already.
He gave me an imploring look.
"Cam, I need to take this. Seriously."
"Jay you need to be on vacation...Seriously."
QUACK!
I do NOT like that phone.
I do NOT like that Jay's office KNOWS that he is on his pathetically short vacation and they STILL put calls through.
I do NOT like being defied.
What is WITH my family today?! Have they lost their dang minds?! Have they forgotten I am the boss of everyone?! First Sally, now Jay...I was afraid Teddy was fixin to spit on my eye, stomp on my foot AND chew with his mouth open!
Jay was getting anxious. He didn't want to upset his wife, but he wanted to answer that phone.
I took pity. I'm not a complete meanie...just partial.
"FINE...answer the wretched phone...just keep it short okay...you're on vaca..."
But he was already gone. Vacation Jay was replaced with business Jay. His voice totally changed. It got very clear and polished. Jay has a loud-ish speaking voice as it is...when he's on the phone his voice gets very...resonant.
*sigh*
Being that Jay has manners he went to talk in an out of the way spot. He's not one of those people who will gab on the phone in the middle of a crowd.
I huffed a bit and sat down on the kid transporter.
The kids were "looking at stuff". Disney is a GREAT location for such an activity!
Teddy gave a sudden shout.
"MissCAMMIE!!! It's a blue BUG!!!"
I looked and saw Flik walking towards us. He was with a handler. They stopped at a place not far from where we were sitting.
Sally didn't waste a second. She grabbed her autograph book and Teddy's, took her brother's hand and ran towards Flik!
she's a quick study our Sally. She knows how quickly those character lines fill up!
It was great. Sally and Teddy got Flik all to themselves for a bit. They were THRILLED!!
I once again marveled at the unbridled willingness of Sally to hug these characters. She was so open, so willing to get close...to be hugged and held. It touched me every single time. Sally is not a child who gets close easily. To anyone. I knew how precious it was to see Sally so relaxed. I was so thankful for those moments that seemed to come so often under the magic blanket of Disney.
This magical moment had also served to see me out of my huff...mostly.
It's tough for Jay. He is a workaholic...and a half. He trusts his staff, but feels terribly out of control when he's gone for even one day...which is why we will NEVER take vacations during any time of the year besides August...which is his only "slow" ish...time. So poor me will never see the Food and Wine Festival...or the not so scary halloween party...probably never the Christmas party.
*sniffle*
I'm SO calling the kettle black!
Jay and I are a match made in Type A heaven!!!
FINALLY Jay rejoined us. He didn't look too disgruntled. I think he took the chance on having a longer phone call and dealt with a whole bunch of things after the reason for the initial call was dealt with.
sneaky little pootsnorkel!
Either way, it was time to EAT!!!
We headed inside for our grub!
This place was really rather large!! I was very happy to see tons of tables wide open and ready for sitting!! I'm sure it won't be a shock to anyone that I have massive "table finding" anxiety...y'know...you're in line...about to get your food, you are looking around and not seeing a SINGLE table available...and there are OTHER families stalking around already with their food, ready to pounce on the next open table...so it becomes a game of chance...depending on who is closest to the next table that opens up...
Plus I feel badly for the people who are trying eat while their table is clearly being stalked...and I know that I have a hard time eating when my table is being stalked...which is why I would rather go hungry than eat in an overly crowded restaurant! Plus I have that thing about being slightly paranoid about people sitting behind me...
I KNOW...I'm in therapy already.
*ahem*
luckily we were not in such a situation. There was plenty of room to eat, without being stalked...
As I was reading the kid options to Teddy, Sally eagle eyed the pizza selection on the adult menu. She announced that she would really love a CHEESE pizza please. I explained to her that pizza was not a children's option. I was about to tell her that I would order the pizza for myself and and just switch with her, when the CM said if we wanted to get pizza for the kids that would be fine. I reminded her we were on the dining plan. She said it was no problem. I really appreciated this. The kids are not PB&J eaters at all. Teddy will eat it from time to time, but SallyRally won't TOUCH it. She loves pasta with red sauce, but only her daddy's. Y'all know by now that normally I wouldn't put up with such picky eating, but y'all also know Sally's history with food. I was very glad that there was a food offering she was excited about and I was very grateful that the CM running the register allowed us to get it for her! Especially since neither of the children's options were terribly appealing to me either! SO Sally and Teddy got the pizza...I think Jay did too. I got the Hot Italian Sandwich...which was FABULOUS. I love me some Hot Italians!!
how I do amuse myself...
sorry, bad joke.
anyhow...here's a picture
his name is Fabio...
Lunch was good. Sally ate almost every bit of her pizza. She declared it DELICIOUS! I could tell she was relaxed and happy. I found myself wishing once again, that we could bottle the Disney magic and take it home with us!
We finished up and felt revived and ready to roam!
Jay took Teddy to the bathroom and Sally and I waited outside. My mom called and we chitty chatted...then I called the pet hotel and talked to my puppy...they bring your pets to the...get this...BONE BOOTH!! He was doing well and making friends.
*ahem*
Finally the boys joined us and we were on our way!!
Up Next: Zebra Eggs and Kali River Rapids!!!
I just stood there watching her rock from one foot to the other with her tongue flat against the pane. Sort of that "Train Wreck" thing where you can't look away and you can't even think what else to do because it's just so bizarre. It was really wierd then, but now I can't help laughing. 
I promise!
