Disney on our own!

For our next adventure Katy and headed out for a Disney day with just the two of us. This photo was my safety check photo, but turned out cute (I'd wisely read somewhere to take a digital picture of your child as you enter a park so that you know exactly what they are wearing - a panicked parent might not remember something like that very well - and her sleeve is up because I was writing my phone number on her arm in case we got seperated).

We were excited to have a girls day out on our own.

Katy remembered the parade from the day before and wanted to go right there. We were in luck and arrived as it was in progress.


This time Katy was much more willing to dance.






After the parade we went on to ride It's a Small World again at Katy's insistence. Since she'd found the Winnie the Pooh ride frightening a few days earlier I assumed we would spend the day on It's a Small World and the carousel. Nope. At Katy's insistence we headed for the line for Dumbo.

Waiting....

And waiting some more.....

Finally we made it. She was giddy with excitement.

We had to head out of the park early because we had a date to visit with Ryan's Mom and Grandmother, but we caught sight of a performance in front of the castle and figured we could be just a few minutes later....

The show got a little too exciting and scary for Katy so I ended up carrying her out of the park sobbing. Not a great way to end the day. Especially because I hadn't allowed her to see Tinkerbell that day (we ran out of time).

A little bit of Disney loot later and all was right with the world.....

Disney, Day 2

The day after Katy's doctor's appointment we headed out, just three of us this time, for Disney, Day 2.

Meeting the Mayor of Disney World and showing him her monkey....


We stumbled onto a parade - where the kids were allowed to dance in the street with the characters! I didn't get any good shots of Katy dancing this time, but she certainly enjoyed it.

Look at that grin....

Katy insisted that she wanted to go on "the puppet ride" - also known as "It's a Small World" to the rest of us. On the way we ran across some live music. It took some encouragement for Katy, but we all got out and danced like maniacs.

Then Katy got into it and danced on her own.

It's a Small World doesn't photograph well, so trust me when I tell you that it was enjoyed. Afterwards we went to a gift shop to see what we could find. Katy was pretty sure she wanted these ears....


Then a stop at a vendor cart and a line to see Tigger and Pooh.

So close.... Waving at them.

At long last we made it. Katy was very excited.

Then off to the 100 Acre Woods to play some.



And to email Ryan pictures of Katy playing.....

She had such a good time.

We went over toward the Mickey side of the park in search of the splash pad we'd seen on the visit before. We found it....

We REALLY found it....

We found it so well that pieces of clothing had to be removed and wrung out before continuing.....

Then back for the afternoon parade.

Once again, Katy was in heaven. She thought that it was incredible getting to see her favorite characters up close and personal.



Another great Disney day all around!

May All Your Christmas Wishes Come True....













Merry Christmas!

The Day after Disney

What better way to follow up a trip to Disney World? A trip to the pediatric pulmonologist, you say? It wasn't intentional, just a matter of timing. Monday was the big appointment with Nemours Children's Hospital. it was a rough start. There was an accident that shut the Insterstate down in both directions so we had to turn around and find a new route. We were 30 minutes late - and considering we left with enough time to be 45 minutes early, it was BAD.

Katy was instantly smitten. They had a craft center set up with staff to help her make crafts. She didn't want to go in for her appointment....

The appointment went well. The unofficial answer is that we're probably just the victims of really bad luck and there's nothing seriously wrong with Katy. He can find nothing clinically that worries him about her. He IS running a few tests to rule out any nagging doubts (a CT scan and something called a "sweat test"). If those tests come back clear and she comes down with yet another case of pneumonia within the year he suggested we head onward to an immunologist for more tests, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

After the appointment we headed to the nicest mall in Orlando for a nice "girls lunch" at PF Changs.

Then onward to make a costume change. Can you guess where we're headed....





And yes, I'm keeping you hanging intentionally....

Disney!!!!!!

The excitement was palpable. We headed off on a fine Florida day to have Katy's first day of Disney World. We got our tickets and headed for the ferry to get across to the park. Katy was VERY excited.

At last we made it inside!

First order of business? Meet Donald (I didn't have the heart to tell her that it wasn't Donald - nor did she care - she was just too excited).

We stood in line to go on the Winnie the Pooh ride. It, unfortunately, had a frightening dream sequence in it and left Katy a little traumatized by the time we got off. We were attempting to meet up with Luanne and Bwana Roy, so while the logistics were handled, Katy and I played in the water of Ariel's Grotto.

We then headed for "It's a Small World." Katy was nervous after her experience with Winnie the Pooh and didn't believe me that the "puppets" wouldn't be scary. Luckily, with the fortification of 4 grandparents and Mom in tow, she was willing to give it a try. She LOVED it. In fact, over the 3 days she and I spent in the Magic Kingdom, we ended up on "the puppet ride" at least 6 times.....

We then hit the Carousel, because you just have to.....

All Katy talked about all day was the she wanted to meet Mickey. We had lunch and decided to head to the Mickey area of the park - the area geared towards the pre-school crowd. I was nervous that we wouldn't find Mickey so was loathe to promise anything. Luckily, out of the corner of my eye, just as we'd given up, I saw where to go. We stood in a ridiculously long line. It was worth it. Katy was so happy to have met Mickey at last

The adults needed to rest, so we took the train ride around the park then headed back to line up for the parade. As we waited, Katy was spoiled. Mamoo showed up with a princess hat for her while she was standing in line with Grandpa to get ice cream. Does it get any more magic than this?

Why yes, yes it does. The parade was an incredible experience. Katy was so excited and waving so hard it almost made me cry. I was so excited for her. I also thought her arm might fall off....

A quiet moment while we waited for the rest of the group to re-convene after a bathroom stop.

Even on the way out of the park life was magical.



A phenomenal Disney Day. We couldn't have asked for better.....

Funny Old Elf

I got Katy an "Elf on the Shelf" this year. We sat down and read the story and after quick consultation she decided that our elf was named "Funny Old." So, his full name is Funny Old Elf.



Funny Old goes home to visit Santa and report every night and lands in a new place every morning just to keep us all on our toes.

Christmas Caroling

We loaded up in the golf carts with the crowd and headed off to Christmas Carol. Here's the start (it was cold - even for Florida - glad we had our winter jackets from Germany).

It was quite a sight. Golf carts as far as the eye could see. Katy LOVED getting to sing.

Even more than getting to sing, she loved helping to ring the doorbells. So much so that she adopted Mr. Roy as her own and headed off with him in HIS golf cart. She could have cared less where I was. I'm glad that Roy was patient with little girls because she was certainly a handful - like a wiggly puppy - the entire time.....