Magical Vacation (Part 2)

On Monday, we started off our day with a 6:30 am wake-up call from Mickey Mouse. We had reservations at 'Ohana for a character breakfast at 7:50, so we didn't have to rush around to get there. The food itself was okay, but being right beside the entrance to where the characters come out was what made it awesome. We met Stitch, Lilo (who Ronan did not like one bit!), Mickey and Pluto. We got their autographs and some great pictures.

You can see from Ronan's face how he felt about Lilo. He did really well with all the other characters, but he let out a huge scream of terror when he saw her. Scary for him, funny for us. Afterwards, we went back to Magic Kingdom and rode the Buzz Lightyear ride (which the kids LOVED) and the Indy Racetrack ride (which Ronan had a freakout at, so he couldn't ride; and Riley got upset at because she had too hard of a time controlling the car). That was our indication to go back to the hotel and try out the Volcano Pool. That, and the fact that he passed out while eating french fries.
The pool has something they call "zero entry" which basically means you can gradually walk into the pool. It's pretty neat because it doesn't require that you shock your body by jumping in, to catch your kid who has no fear of the water. They claim the pool is heated, but according to the goose bumps all over my body, it didn't feel that way.

After the pool, we got ready for dinner at Boma, which was at the Animal Kingdom lodge. For a buffet, the food was pretty good -- even though some of the names of the food scared me a bit! We decided after Boma to head over to Disney Hollywood Studios and like the true tourists we are, we had to buy something...so we spent $40 on Mr. Potato Head and the parts. (You got to shove a box filled with all the pieces for $19 each and of course, you can't buy for one without buying for the other.) I wasn't completely impressed with Hollywood Studios. Maybe it was because it's more shows than small rides and Ronan isn't at a time in his life where he will just sit still and watch something (unless it's the Wiggles). So, we walked around for about an hour and ran to the car when it started raining.

But even rain couldn't put a damper on the second day of our vacation!

Our Magical Vacation to Walt Disney World (Part 1)

We arrived at the Polynesian Resort a little after 9 am on Sunday the 27th and instantly felt that magical excitement people talk about when you are anywhere near Disney. I went to the reservation desk to check-in (knowing that we probably wouldn't get our room until late that afternoon -- but we needed our keys to the world for our meal plan...) and was completely shocked to find out that our room was ready! But it wasn't just any room. It was room 2502 in the Hawaii building, complete with concierge service and I joke you not -- a room with the perfect view of Cinderella's Castle at Magic Kingdom. When the lady at the desk told me where we were staying, I started crying. I couldn't believe how hooked up we got. The pixie dust was definitely sprinkled around our family that day. The concierge service came complete with "continental" type breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with as much beer and wine you could possibly handle. I had us all set-up with the Deluxe Dining Plan (which basically gives you 3 meals a day plus 2 snacks a day!) and then to top it off with all the food at the hotel, I was prepared to leave Disney weighing 15 pounds heavier than the day we checked in.
We were all super excited to get into our room and get settled...but I couldn't contain myself knowing what we were given that day. The view was amazing. (I guess it was worth the $700 a night we weren't paying!)
So...our first day there, we had breakfast at the hotel and headed off to Magic Kingdom! If you have never been there, to see the Castle in person is breathtaking and the energy in that place is contagious. I was probably more excited than the kids to be there! We ate lunch right across the way from Pirates of the Caribbean at a place called El Pirata y El Perico (pretty good tacos!) We then stood in line for Pirates for 20 minutes before being told that the ride was closed for repairs. Major bummer, but it didn't bring us down. We left Magic Kingdom shortly after and headed back to the Polynesian to relax until dinner. Riley was sick before we left and still sick when we got there, so we stayed in the room to rest while Ryan and Ronan took a little speed boat out for a spin around the Seven Seas Lagoon. They loved it and even though I wished Riley and I could have gone, it was good she got some sleep.
We had dinner at the Whispering Canyon Cafe (in the Wilderness Lodge) and personally, I loved the food. We had this "All You Care to Eat" Skillet that came complete with ribs, corn, pork, chicken and all the barbecue fixins which was delicious and extremely filling. Riley had the macaroni and cheese -- which she didn't finish -- and Gino Casino, our server, called her out to the entire restaurant telling everyone she didn't eat her meal. The restaurant is known for their silly antics like that, but Riley didn't think it was funny at all. She got really embarrassed and upset so dinner was pretty much over at that point.

We headed back over to the Magic Kingdom for their Extra Magic Hours and we were able to ride 5 rides that night, in less than 3 hours! We finally were able to get on Pirates, Peter Pan, "it's a small world," Aladdin and Winnie the Pooh.

It was truly a magical start to the best family vacation (and only family vacation so far) we have ever had!

Oh Baby

Becktor brought their new baby, Thalia, over the other night for a visit and I had to share a cute picture of this beautiful little princess. She's got a full head of this soft, jet-black hair and her nails are so long and perfect that it looked like she had just gotten a French manicure before they came over. Ryan was looking forward to holding her from the time we saw them at the hospital and he couldn't because she was sleeping in the nursery tanning bed (or warming bed or whatever they call it!) Ryan is such a natural with babies...such a great dad...

When it came time for me to hold her, I found myself getting really nervous and scared. It is so different to hold a little 8 pound baby, as opposed to my 24 pound buddha or this long and lanky kindergartner. Totally strange. She is so tiny. All her features are just perfect, she's got gorgeous coloring and the best part is that she has the coolest neighbors anyone could ask for!

After oooh-ing and ahhh-ing over her, I started to reminisce about my own little babies and how crazy it is that they are as big as they are. Time truly goes by so fast. It feels like yesterday that I was a first-time mom bringing home this sweet little girl -- wondering what I was supposed to do with her and questioning whether or not the hospital should have let her come home with parents who had no clue what parenting was all about. We've learned, that's for sure. Nothing has been without trial and error, but I tell you what...we couldn't have asked for anything better in this world.

And then there were two....

3 1/2 years into Riley's life, we started to wonder whether her life as an only child would be good enough. Ryan and I were adamant about just having one. Ask anyone we knew at the time and even they would tell you, "there is no way Ryan and Maria will have another baby!" But then the holidays came and went and here I was, thinking about what Riley would do if something were to happen to Ryan and I...and how we would never want her to be alone in this world if we weren't there to take care of her. (So morbid, I know...)

But those scary thoughts brought us to a wonderful decision to go ahead and try and have another one and within a month of dreaming it, Ronan was in my uterus (pretty picture...think about it...) and 39 weeks later, little short dude came into our lives.

It's been such a crazy ride. And I know there are lots of twists and turns yet to come (let's get real -- Riley has yet to be a teenager!) But we feel so lucky to have them.

Does all this baby talk mean anything? Absolutely not! For those of you that think I might want another one...no way, Jose! We'll stick with the two healthy ones we have...but we will be glad to babysit Thalia anytime!

Our Very Own Hannibal Ronan

Don't let anyone tell you that 12 tiny teeth aren't capable of doing damage. Ronan is quite the biter these days and it's not me he is biting...it's his sister!

Last night, Riley was standing next to the couch and next thing you hear is this piercing scream followed by the most painful cry you have ever seen and heard coming out of a 33 pound little girl. She fell to the ground in pain and stood up, only to have Ronan charge at her again with is mouth wide open. I grabbed him quickly, yelled at him to not bite his sister and into our room he went with the door shut.

I couldn't take a picture of the bite (not appropriate location), but her butt has a welt where Ronan was one second short of breaking skin. There is a blood blister there today. Poor thing.

What are we supposed to do about it? Riley was never a biter so I didn't have to deal with it. But Ronan is so violent. He is really jealous of any attention we give Riley (even though she came first!) and we try to direct his attention to something else when he starts hitting or biting -- but nothing is working.

The proof was in the pudding today, when I made chicken fries for both the kids at lunch (Riley is home sick) and of the 10 chicken fries I made, Ronan took 6 of them immediately and bit the tips off, as if to claim that they were his. He was basically marking them and honestly, I'm surprised he didn't stand above them and pee on them! Every chicken fry that Riley grabbed, he would walk over to her, stare her down and wait for her to set it on the plate so he could take it and bite it. Is he whacked or what?

No More Crying...Please!

I had a nervous breakdown yesterday. Whoever said that being the mom of a boy was easy LIED! I either don't remember Riley freaking out like Ronan does, or, she never freaked out.

The day started off just like any other day, except for the fact that I wasn't feeling too great and probably just needed some more sleep. But, since I had to get Riley to school by 7:25 am (so she can socialize at breakfast), we were all up and getting ready for the day. Riley made it to school on time and Ronan and I were back in the house by 7:30 am and here we were, looking at each other, wondering what we were going to do for the rest of the day.

I sat with him on the couch for a little bit while he watched The Wiggles and that gave me a good 25 minutes of quiet. Then, it was over. Somehow, this creature invaded Ronan's body and took over and for the next 2 hours, it was nothing but crazy insane. Crying and screaming. Nothing I did made him happy. I filled up his water toy in the lanai. Not happy. I got him a cookie. Not happy. I took him for a walk (he was happy during the walk and then freaked out when the walk was over.) Happy for a mile and then not happy.

I was at the end of my rope. I walked into my bathroom and just started bawling. (It was a combination of not feeling good, being tired and not being able to hear myself think...) But as soon as he saw me crying, he stopped! I couldn't believe it. Then we walked outside and this is the face I saw for an hour: His little feet were soaked because he would keep dumping water onto the ground -- can you see all the bruises on his little legs?
He was laughing at himself so hard -- throwing water over his shoulder and getting it everywhere. I let him do whatever he wanted because he was finally smiling and not flipping out at me.
I don't know how some people do it. I feel like my patience level is definitely tested with having just two kids, so people that have more than that must be able to handle a lot more than I could! Ronan is such a handful. He's into everything, he has no fear, and when he laughs -- all the stress of being the momma to a crazy little short man goes away (at least for a little bit!)

Penny UPDATE!

For those of you who care, or maybe don't care but like living my mental drama, I have made a decision.

I am going with my original plan to stick with the OLD pennies which have been cleaned and polished and although they don't look *new* they will suffice.

I'm sure those of you who were rooting for me to bring the new pennies are probably disappointed, but I assure you, this penny nightmare has gone on for long enough and I've been instructed to go with my gut.

There you have it.

Warning: For Mature Eyes Only

I kid you not, this is really the name of a restaurant in the area. Ryan, the kids and I were driving around the other day when Ryan happily announced the name and because I didn't believe him, I made him drive back around the parking lot so I could see it for myself. Sure enough, there it was, One Ho. Honestly, who let those people name their restaurant that?! You know that when they applied for their business license, those people behind the desk were laughing.

I could probably post more inappropriate comments, but because this is a family blog, I'll leave it at that.

It's not just ANY penny....

Let me preface this by asking anyone who reads this to not roll their eyes or laugh at me for what I'm about to address...

Thank you.

Okay, we all know this Disney trip is quickly approaching (it's in 9 days, but I'm really not counting). I am making lists about what to pack, starting mental check lists about the priceless tips I've read and of course, getting these darn pennies ready for the Pressed Penny machines.

You might be thinking that this isn't a big deal. You're probably right. While all this worldly stuff is happening around me (an upcoming election, the chaos about the Polygamist, and whether or not Ashlee Simpson is pregnant...), here I am debating in my mind whether or not it was the right decision to go with Pre-1982 pennies or brand new shiny pennies. I'm not kidding. I've been researching it for 20 minutes now.

The mental argument I'm having is whether or not they will turn out okay if I stick to my old pennies that I've cleaned and polished, or if I should just break down and get a roll of new pennies and deal with the fact that they could corrode due to the exposed zinc (since they are made mostly now of zinc -- they are, I swear).

I won't have this conversation with Ryan because I know for a fact he will check me into some institution before this trip and I need to go on vacation. And even as I typed this out, I just know it sounds absolutely insane, but this is what my brain does to me on a daily basis.

New penny, old penny? What's it gonna be? I don't know.

(I know someone who is reading this is laughing right now. And remember you promised to not laugh. Ginger, are you laughing?)

New Arrival!

Congratulations to our neighbors, Becky and Vic, (aka Becktor) on their precious new arrival. Thalia Siena was born yesterday, weighing 8 pounds, 1 ounce and 21 inches long. Both parents and baby are doing great. We can't wait for them to come home so we can hold her and play with her and give her back to her momma and daddy when she starts crying! Talk about precious! Look at that face!!!

Had to share...

A loving moment between two siblings who fight a lot: Riley "posing" for the camera (everytime I tell her to smile, she instantly brings her hand up to her face as if she's in some sort of Glamour Shot):
And Riley outside of our house yesterday:

It's Not FAIR!

I've taken Ronan to a total of 3 haircuts. The first haircut, he cried. The second one, he cried (and left the salon with finger marks on his head from the stylist squeezing his head too hard!). And the third one, uh, he cried! So the other day when it was decided that Buddha needed a haircut, I had a little anxiety about all his screaming and me having to apologize to all the other customers in the salon. I had even contemplated doing it myself, but I decided against it.

Luckily yesterday, Ryan had the day off and offered to take Ronan into Sports Clips (the place where he gets his hair cut) and see how he would do. Wouldn't you know that the little guy was AWESOME and didn't shed one tear. Of course, I wasn't there (I was relaxing at home, doing laundry, cleaning the house, picking up Riley's room, wiping down the bathroom, putting away toys, vacuuming, and bringing some garbage outside.) I digress...

Ryan said that he sat in the chair and Angela, the stylist, put the apron on him and then on Ronan. I guess Ronan was a little nervous, but once he got a hold of a lollipop -- which he did not eat -- he sat the entire time and watched as she formed his coif into the faux hawk we see today. We really wanted a true mohawk, but I guess Angela talked Ryan out of it. Next time. Next time. Here are my two favorite guys. So adorable.

I'm not lying!

When I talk to my sister-in-law, Courtney, I will generally vent about how Ronan cries all the time and wants to be held. She said that she doesn't believe me because she only gets to see his smiling face in pictures. I know she can hear him in the background, but it is hard to prove without pictures...so here it is: This would be a picture of Ronan trying to get up on my lap. (Is it scary that I can *hear* him crying when I look at this picture?)

"You Hurt My Feelings..."

I have a sensitive child. Riley has always been very emotional and empathetic...much like her momma, I guess! Well, today, I basically put her on the verge of tears -- and the worst part was that I couldn't stop laughing....bad momma, bad.

Riley had asked me to write her a bunch of sentences on a piece of paper for her to read, so I did. This is what I wrote:

I love to go shopping with my momma.

When we go out, Ronan and I are spoiled.

My mom and dad love us.

We are lucky to have them.

I have a stinky butt.

Well, that last one just about made her flip a lid. She had this look of disgust in her face and then immediately yelled at me for making fun of her. Because I was laughing, I couldn't respond and comfort her by saying it was a joke...it was supposed to be funny. Apparently it wasn't funny to Riley at all. She said I was being mean and I hurt her feelings. (Way to go, I know. I guess I'll be paying for that joke in therapy sessions.)

So after hugs and kisses and apologies, Riley went on to say that she is tired of people being mean to her. So of course, I tell her I was kidding (thinking she was spreading on the guilt trip even thicker) only to find out that........

She said it wasn't me, that it was a classmate in school that wasn't being nice to her and then the kicker:

"I guess I'm just a loser."

WHAT!?! It made me feel awful to hear that...and after having a little talk with her, she is fine now and I'm going to be speaking to the teacher tomorrow!...but it was just so sad to hear her say that. Who says that when they are in Kindergarten?

Yoda Strikes Back

These pictures are from Halloween 2007, so not too long ago...but the reason I am even posting these pictures is because Riley and Ryan are watching Star Wars on Spike TV and it made me think about Ronan in his Yoda costume. Too cute.

It's funny to watch Riley WATCH this movie with Ryan. I'm not kidding you, this child has asked a question every minute and Ryan will explain what is happening so patiently. If she would be asking me, I'd be going through some sort of anxiety attack, begging her to wait until the end of the movie to ask questions (like they do for presentations). "Please wait until the movie ends before asking questions. Thank you."

Riley also laughs at every little part and thinks "Yoda is so cute. Awh, he's soooo cute!"

As I typed this post, Riley asked Ryan a ton of questions. "Who is that? Is that Darth Vader? Is that Luke Skywalker? Who is that? What did he say? Does he tell them what to do?" (She did that all in one breath.) And, I have yet to hear Ryan answer her. Haha. Kids and movies. Gotta love it.

Friends are Forever Book

My most favorite in the world sister-in-law, Courtney, asked me to make her friend Annie a little memory album for her 30th birthday. Since I love to have a reason to use all my scrapbooking supplies, I jumped on this project and was able to finally finish it today! The paper is by Close to My Heart, the words on the cover were done with the Cuttlebug, scallop punch by Stampin' Up! and the square scallop is the Marvy punch. I love black and white photos because it's so classic and it matches any color scheme. The album is a 6X6 accordian by Close to My Heart. I used some round brown brads and the "memories" stamp (Define Your Life set, SU!). The third 'page' I used some prima flowers and baubles for the center. The last part of the accordian has some ribbon on the top, chipboard for the "f" and rub-ons for the "riends" part of 'friends.' I'm a big fan of the scallop punch. Seems to fancy everything up a little bit. I also love this color combination (brown, tan, blue, green and yellow).

The back side of the accordian has a spot where Annie can put a picture of the three of them at the birthday party and the tags you see on the third part are for Courtney and her friend, Jenn, to write a little something special to Annie.
I loved making this album. Not just because Courtney asked me to, but because I got to see pictures of Courtney, Jenn and Annie with the 90's bangs they probably hoped that noone would ever see again. How wonderful for the three of them, though, to have maintained an amazing friendship all these years!

Hope you like it Courtney!

Ahhhhh, the sound of....

SLEEP! Ryan had to work last night and when he has those nights, I end up with both kids in my bed. No more than 15 minutes of being in the bed did I hear the serene sounds of regulated breathing intermingled with a little congested snoring...but what a sight... These two have the most peaceful looks on their faces when they sleep...angelic...it's only when they are awake does the peace fade away and the screams, chasing and laughter begin. Onto another day......

Wuuuuuzzzzzuuuuuuppppp?

Ronan was completely in his element this past weekend when we were at a friend's birthday party. He had free reign of the backyard, going in and out of the backdoor as he pleased. Because he is a human oven, he started sweating immediately and we had to strip him down to his onesie and shorts. Check out those guns. This is the face of happy.

Never Missing A Beat

It isn't everyday that you make friends in your life that you know you will be friends with forever. I can say that from personal experience, I have been lucky to have small handful of friends that I keep in touch with who have become our family. We have been so fortunate to have made these amazing relationships, not only in Pittsburgh (miss you Julie and Rochelle!), but in San Diego, too (you know who you are!)

And it's not often that your child gets to experience that same feeling of genuine friendship, so of course, we all feel blessed that our families have been remained friends 2400 miles away.



You can only imagine our excitement when the Trecker's told us last year when we moved from San Diego, yeah, on March 25th, 2007 -- that they had purchased a timeshare in Orlando and would come to see us when they were in Florida! Well, a year went by pretty fast and it wouldn't be long before the trio of Ryan, Riley T. and Riley E. would be back together again for another hurrah.


If you would have seen the happiness in Riley's eyes when she saw them standing at the door, you would've cried. It was even cooler to see Ronan as excited as he was, considering the last time he saw them, he was only 5 months. But, he jumped into the playtime as if he had always been a part of it and it was true utopia in our house for a short 3 hours.


Ronan barely cried for us all night -- like he usually does! He was so enamored by all three kids wanting to play with him and do things with him, that all we saw him do was run right along with them wherever they were going.



The highlight of the night must have been when Riley T. came out and said, "Maria, can you come here for a minute?" I followed her into Ronan's room (aka the play room) and no joke, that room was spotless. Toys were put away, blankets folded, everything was in its place. Ten minutes later, we were all called into Riley's bedroom where the four of them "played" and I swear, Riley's room was cleaner than when we had moved in. (Yes, after the Trecker's left, Ryan and I looked at each other and said their house must be immaculate due to the 'Santa's Elves' magic those twins pulled in our house.) Hey Jill, what do you make those kids do at home!?! Please share.

Jill and I had such a nice time catching up... I miss my friend already! Hopefully we'll get to meet up again (in the middle somewhere, like Minnesota?) for a scrapbooking expo or weekend retreat. And yes, Kurt was here, too. He and Ryan were discussing what rationale and argument he needs to have in trying to convince Jill to obtain a flatscreen HDTV, Bose surround sound system and XBox360. I'm thinking that when Uncle George sends him his rebate in May, those Trecker's will have a new media center in that house of theirs. Either that, or Jill is going to grab that money and get herself another new camera. What do you think?

What I do know is that we're hoping those Trecker's use that timeshare of theirs again in Orlando so we can get a four R's (Riley, Ronan, Ryan and Riley) back together again... Miss you!

The Mouse and the Duck

The kids just HAD TO HAVE a mini version of Mickey and Daisy before the big trip, so here they are playing (nicely for only about 2 minutes before Ronan decided he wanted to have both and Riley claimed that Ronan doesn't let her have anything...)

To Harness Or Not To Harness...

I can't believe how much debate I've read over this subject of child harnesses and was it not for me contemplating it for our upcoming trip, I probably would have not even known about it. I think back in the day pre-Riley/Ronan, I was the person that swore they would never ever "leash" their child out in public. I know I never snickered about it, but I'm sure I thought it looked pretty strange.

Things have changed dramatically, though, since Ronan came into our lives. The boy is fast, he's sly and surprisingly strong for just 16 months and could easily be out of our grasps if we let him for a second. So, being that I am over-protective and "neurotic" (as Ryan describes me), I researched these harnesses to see if they would work for us.

This subject could not have been more stressful. Discussion forums I found either praised the harness or made you feel like you were abusing your child if you even thought about having them wear it. Honestly, I can see how some parents could become complacent about it, feeling that it would take the place of truly having to keep an eye on their kid the entire time -- but NOT ME! So after much thought and internalized debate, I decided that the safety of our son outweighed the possibility of looking like cruel parents that have to "walk their kid on a leash" in the eyes of people that don't know any better. I'm not saying that if you choose not to harness your kid, you aren't a good parent, I just know that for US, this is an option we need to have available for us, if we don't want to constrain Ronan to the stroller all day at WDW.

So, I went out the other night and picked up a doggy backpack harness from good ol' Walmart and although it took the little man a few minutes to warm up to the idea, he finally gave it a go and let Riley "walk" him around the house. He looks pretty cute with it on and hopefully will be okay with it when we go on vacation.

This child harness clips in the front with two buckles and what we would hold onto would be the tail of the dog. It even has a little pocket on it to store goodies...

I do hope that we won't need to use it all the time, but realistically, I know that Ronan will run toward any shiny object he sees or bodies of water he spots. I think that this will at least give me the peace of mind that I won't lose grasp of him and it'll also give him a couple feet of freedom from having to be held in momma or daddy's sweaty arms.