Christmas 2018

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2018!

December has been busy, but we saw Santa (with only 50% of kids getting a stomach bug that same day), celebrated Christmas Eve (where the kids were overtired, over-sugared demon children), and then had a wonderful Christmas Day. The kids loved their gifts, played nicely all day, and generally made the holiday wonderful (and I say that as a mostly Grinch-like person). Hope everyone else had a good day too.

Girls on the Run

My life today would look very different if it wasn't for running. If I hadn't gotten involved with Team in Training back in 2001 when I got to DC, I wouldn't have run my first marathon. If I hadn't run that marathon, I wouldn't have found DCFit in 2002. If I hadn't found DCFit, I wouldn't have met Eric and started dating in 2003. If I hadn't met Eric, life wouldn't be nearly as full and amazing as it is today.

This morning was sort of the culmination of all that. A few months ago, Piper joined the Girls on the Run team at her school, and we ran the GOTR 5K together this morning. It was such a wonderful thing to do with her although while she had fun, I'm not sure she's caught the running bug quiet yet. I had to literally pull her through a lot of it, we walked much of the course, etc. But, in the end, she finished, and I was so proud of her for persevering.

Here we are before the run.

It was pretty cold out this morning, so we were bundled up. The course for the race was pretty flat and it was cool seeing so many girls out there. Because our only goal was to finish, I have no idea how long it took us. But, here we are with our new, shiny medals at the finish line.

The funny part was that at the finish line, I saw my coach from Team in Training handing out medals. Weird. 

Anyway, I'm hoping Piper will sign up again in the spring. While she may not have liked the actual running part, I know she was proud of herself, loved our time together today, and keeps talking about how she'll get to be on the school news on Monday, so hopefully that will inspire her to become a runnergirl too.

2018 School Pictures

School pics are in. Here are my handsome boys and beautiful girl in kindergarten and third grade.

Columbus Day and Halloween 2019

We did our Columbus Day pumpkin tradition again this year and Halloween a few weeks later. I'm holding a fussy baby right now and I'm desperate to catch up on this blog so here are the pics. That's all you get.

Piper and Fletch: 8 Years Old

Okay this is terribly late, but I at least have to acknowledge that Piper and Fletch turned 8 years old over 2 months ago. I don't have time to go into details but I'll just say this: they are two of the most awesome people I've ever met. Piper is my ride or die--as the other girl in the house, we're a team. I just love hanging out with her. Fletch is just so authentic and uniquely terrific and so smart, and constantly amazes me. I just love hearing all of the ideas he comes up with and the thoughts he has in his head.

Maybe next year, I'll have it more together to post this closer to their birthday. At least I'm still keeping their height and weight info (when do I stop having to do this?! Maybe they're getting too old for this. Oh well):

Fletcher: 

6 months: 27 inches (66%), 18lbs 12oz (68%)
9 months: 28.5 inches (59.9%), 22lbs 7.7oz (79.4%)
12 months: 30.5 inches (74%), 24 lbs 10 oz (76%)
15 months: 31.5 inches (64%), 27 lbs 8.5 oz (86%)
18 months: 34 inches (93%), 29 lbs (95%)
21 months: 34 inches (although measured at home so maybe not accurate), 32 lbs (93%)
24 months: 35.75 inches (71%), 33.4 lbs (97%)
30 months: 37 inches (85%), 37 lbs (97%)

36 months: 40 inches (95%), 40 lbs (97%)

48 months: 43.5 inches (97%), 46.3 lbs (97%)

60 months: 46.5 inches (97%), 54lbs (97%)

72 months: 49.6 inches (98%), 58.9lbs (94%)

84 months: 52 inches (97%), 60lbs (84%)

8 years old: 54.5 inches (96%), 70.2lbs (89%)

Piper: 
6 months: 25 inches (19%), 15lbs 11oz (39%)
9 months: 27.75 inches (57.9%), 17lbs 13.7oz (32.5%)
12 months: 30 inches (79%), 20 lbs 1.9 oz (34%)
15 months: 31.25 (76%), 23 lbs 1 oz (55%) 
18 months: 32.5 inches (73%), 24 lbs (87%)
21 months: 32.5 inches (again, measured at home), 26.4 lbs (63%)
24 months: 34.75 inches (71%), 27.6 lbs (75%)
30 months: 37 inches (85%), 30 lbs (66%)

36 months: 38 inches (74%), 33.5 lbs (76%)

48 months: 41.5 inches (85%), 38.4 lbs (75%)

60 months:  45 inches (92%), 43lbs (71%)

72 months:  48.03 inches (91%), 49.6lbs (74%)

84 months: 51.25 inches (93%), 58lbs (79%)

8 years old: 54.5 inches (96%), 73lbs (90%)

Disney 2018--Summary

Here are some quick links to my trip report from Disney. Since it's been 2 months since our trip and I have fallen behind, I just did my report in bullet point form, with pics of each day at the end of the post. Sorry it's not fancier.

Monday--Travel Day

Tuesday--Magic Kingdom

Wednesday--Epcot

Thursday--Hollywood Studios

Friday--Animal Kingdom

Saturday--Magic Kingdom

Sunday--Disney Springs

The number one thing that we did right on this trip and my biggest advice for going in the summer is to make table service reservations for lunch. This gave us a much needed break from the heat and made life so much easier for Eric and me. We would have been miserable trying to find a table big enough for our large family at a quick service restaurant at mid-day, ordering food, carrying trays, getting condiments, etc. I shudder at the thought of doing that with hungry, hot kids. When did it on our January trip, quick service was fine for lunch but in the heat, this decision was the best one we made.

Overall, our trip to Disney was so much fun. While having a baby at Disney and going in the late August heat isn't easy, it was our third trip so we didn't feel the need to see and do everything. On top of that, the kids weren't as interested in meeting most characters other than the ones we saw at meals, so we didn't have to waste time doing that. So, all of that combined in some ways made the trip a bit easier.

So what's next?! We have a big family trip coming up in January. Not telling where just yet because I don't want anyone to spoil it for the kids. It's a Christmas surprise, and I cannot wait. Just a hint: it will involve lots of pics of me in a lounge chair enjoying pina coladas and iced coffees. :)

Disney 2018--Sunday (Disney Springs)

• Sunday was our last day of vacation and oh so sad. Our flight wasn't until 9pm, and we originally thought we'd go back to one of the parks, but instead decided to take it easy and head to Disney Springs.
• Wow, Disney Springs has changed a lot since we were there 2.5 years ago. I couldn't believe it. So many new stores and restaurants. Unfortunately, it was blazing hot, so we just did a few of them. The first stop, of course, was the lego store, the big kids' favorite.
• The kids had fun doing that, although Deke had a major tantrum because I couldn't build his race car exactly the way he wanted since I'm not a mindreader. Fun times. After hanging out there a bit, we went to a few of the Disney stores, and bought some souvenirs that we didn't need but couldn't resist. 
• The cutest thing was that Fletch desperately wanted the Snow Monster from Frozen stuffed animal. He was sheepish about it at first because it was from "a princess movie" but quickly got over it when I said he could get it. He's in love with that toy, and I love that he got it. He may be 8 but he's still got so much of that little kid in him, and I hope it never goes away.
• At lunch time, we ate at Wolfgang Puck's, which was delicious, and then went to the pin trading and Star Wars stores and bought a few more unnecessary but fun items.
• It was about 1pm then and it was super hot with zero shade, so we went back to the bus. It was a LONG walk to the bus--another death march where we were practically dragging the kids, but we made it.
• At the hotel, we had about 3 hours to kill (and we'd checked out of our room already and put our luggage in storage), so Eric and the big kids played in the arcade, while I sat with Jasper as he napped in the stroller. Piper and Deke also did a animation class in the lobby, which also resulted in a major fit from Deke, since he couldn't draw quite like all the big kids and adults taking the class. Ugh. It was good that we were heading home because Deke was falling apart.
• Eventually, it was time to board the Magic (or Tragic since it's so sad to elave) Express to the airport. Getting to the airport and on the plane was relatively uneventful. We got home around 11pm, and all crashed into bed, with amazing family memories dancing in our heads.

Disney 2018--Saturday (Magic Kingdom)

• If I had to pick, this was my favorite day of vacation. We just did so much and had so much fun. 
• We rope dropped Magic Kingdom, and thought for sure there were going to be huge crowds for rides. As it turns out, all the people ahead of us were going to 7 Dwarfs, so we were the first people over to Dumbo. We literally walked on and had the ride to ourselves. Deke and I rode it twice in a row, and it was so fun.
• When Deke and I were on our second Dumbo ride, Eric took Piper to Barnstormer, where she is old enough to go on alone. She rode that, and then I came and took Jasper, and Eric, Deke, and Piper rode Barnstormer twice. Then Deke got off since he'd had enough so he played with Fletch at Casey's spray area, while Piper and Eric rode Barnstormer five more times in a row. They didn't even have to get off. It was just that empty in that part of the park. We had so much fun! 
• It was about 10am when we finished at that side of the park, so we headed out and made stops at the Tea Cups, Buzz Lightyear, and Monsters, Inc. I love all those rides. Deke especially loved the tea cups, and was so mad that we couldn't ride again, but we had to get to our FP for Peter Pan.
• I know people are divided on Peter Pan, but I love it even though it still has the very politcally incorrect Native American part. Will they ever change that?! It's a little unbelievable.
• Anyway, after Peter Pan, we walked onto Small World, which is a family favorite. Eric just loves it, and I love hearing the kids talk about all the different displays. And, seeing our families' names at the end on the display is really cool.
• Once we got off there, it was time for our morning snack, so Mickey Bars at 10am! Yum! 
• The Mickey Bars refueled us, and we made the trek to Pirates of the Caribbean. I totally forgot that there is small, dark, wet drop in this ride. It totally freaked me out. I'm not made for thrill rides. Other than that though, totally fun. 
• After Pirates, Deke and Fletch wanted to play in the pirate store, so I stayed with them and fed Jasper, while Eric and Piper rode 7 Dwarfs with our FP. They loved it, and I loved that now roller coasters are their thing together. It's a great memory for them both.
• We played for about 30 minutes, and then it was time for our lunch reservation at Tony's. The food here was really good (but so much food--we couldn't even eat dessert because it was so much food!), and it was nice and cool and relatively calm, which was much needed. 
• During lunch, I was able to score FP for Jungle Cruise, so we went there right after lunch, and did that, and then the kids played in the tiny sprinkler area near Jungle Cruise for a while.
• Thankfully, that cooled them down because then it was time for the parade, and we had FP tickets for it that came with our lunch at Tony's. The only problem was that the viewing area was in the sunniest part of Main Street, and it was the hottest moment of the week. The kids were melting, and Eric and I were trying to play like it wasn't that bad--but it was. It was pretty miserable.
• The parade was fun but we were all really too hot to enjoy it. We couldn't even sit down because even though a few layers of towels and fabric, the ground burned your backside. Next time, we'd either skip the parade or make a point to find more shaded seats.
• We desperately needed to cool down after the parade, so we hung out in the store that has the photopass photos so I could get our Jedi Academy pictures. Air conditioning never felt so good.
• The kids at that point were begging to go back to the hotel and get out of the heat, so rather than push things (to be honest, the parade had already been pushing things), we did go back. We rested for a bit in the room and then had dinner.
• After dinner, I took the big kids night swimming. This was probably their favorite part of the whole week. They swam from 6-10pm, and just had a great time. And, the movie on the pool screen was Lion King, so what could be better!? It was a great time and memory.
• It was late when we got back to the room, and we all fell asleep fast. Another great day.

Disney 2018--Friday (Animal Kingdom)

• Friday was Animal Kingdom Day. We woke up early and did our usual thing of breakfast in the room and then getting to the park by rope drop.
• As we walked in, we knew that we'd never get to Flights of Passage faster than all of the other people who were running, so we meandered around a bit at the front to look at the Tree of Life and some of the animal areas near the entry.
• We slowly made our way over to Pandora, which was super cool (especially the water spray area because it was so hot out) and the area to play on the drums.
• Around 9:30am, we did our Fast Pass for Navi River Journey, which was so cool, although I am glad we had a FP and didn't wait a long time because it really freaked out the kids.
• Once we left there, Jasper was getting hungry so Eric fed him while the big kids looked around. We eventually bought stuffed Banshees, which I think were the coolest souvenirs we got. They're just so fun. The kids also had fun dressing in the various Avatar accessories.
• After exploring Pandora, we headed out to do to our Fast Pass for the safari. Along the way, we stopped to meet Timon. I thought Deke would be over the moon to see him since he's such a huge Lion King fan, but he was pretty meh on it. Oh well.
• We still had time to kill before our safari FP so I enjoyed a Dole Whip while everyone else had a huge ice cream sandwich. Seriously huge--like the size of a dinner plate. So yummy and great use of a snack credit.
• Finally, it was time for our safari FP, and we all really loved it. Jasper loved it so much that he had a huge, near blowout poop on the ride. Thankfully, by your fourth kid, you're used to random crazy diaper changes, so we changed him on Eric's lap in the back of the safari vehicle, and no one was the wiser. #ninjaparents
• The safari ended at the perfect time because it was time for our Tusker House reservation. The food here was so good, and the characters were fun. I'm still dreaming about the bread pudding and POG (pineapple-orange-guava) juice that was bottomless. Oh take me back!
• Immediately after Tusker House, it was time for our FP for Lion King. This was perfect timing because it was starting to rain and as we went into the building, it started to pour.
• The Lion King show was another thing that I thought Deke would just go crazy over, and he did at some parts, and seeing him watch his favorite movie on stage was awesome. I was bummed at the end though because they no longer keep the floats out on in the stage area at the end to take pictures--that was one of the best parts. 
• When we came out of Lion King, it was about 2pm and it was still pouring out, so we broke out the ponchos and decided our day at Animal Kingdom was done. I would have liked to go over to Dinoland and see the Nemo show, but not enough to do it in the rain and thunder. That's the beauty of going to Disney more than once--you don't have to do every single thing every time.
• We made our way back to the hotel, bought some things in the gift shop, and then the rain stopped so I took the big kids swimming.
• Around 6pm, the kids got out of the pool, and we all ate in the food court. 
• Now is a good time to mention that in addition to still dreaming about the POG juice, I'm also still thinking everyday about the s'mores pies that I enjoyed daily as a dessert on the dining plan. Oh my goodness--so good. 
• By the time we were done with dinner, the kids were pooped and it was raining again, so we just headed back to the hotel for TV and bed time.
• While we had fun, Animal Kingdom still remains our least favorite park. It's hot, it's hard to find your way, and we're not really interested in going to the zoo part since we have such a great zoo here in DC. I think now that we've done the Lion King stuff for Deke, we'd skip it next time (and yes, there will be a next time because hello--Star Wars Land!).