Not to be Left Out

Disneyland was magical, but so was the ocean.

 

The waves made her just nervous enough that she loved the "baby ocean" her Daddy made for her.

He opted for a long, loud Halloweenie "Booooooo!" over the bird screeching Andy initially suggested he use to scare off the gulls,  

Totally worth the McDonalds Thanksgiving dinner to which I conceded when the kiddies were sandblasted and too tired to sit through a real meal once we had hunted down an open restaurant.

A Scientist?

I got to help the husband with a project not directly related to family life. It was fun to show off my mad nerdy research and writing skills, but it was even more fun to feel like the husband still appreciates something that is just me without all the bells and whistles of motherhood and marriage. Because, let's be honest, sometimes the everyday runaround eats up any spousal conversation that is not directly related to the kids, the bills, the calendar or the to-dos.

So I helped the husband with a writing project, and I got to thinking about how it is I came to enjoy writing and reading and, yes, grammar and punctuation. And I traced it all back to my first book report in second grade. I can't remember the book, though I believe it had a blue cover. But I remember the report was due on a Monday and that my bestie, Adrian, had a birthday party at Classic Skating on Saturday, which meant my big bad parents wanted me to do it on Friday. So while my brother and sisters played with my cousins and our parents played cards, I sat secluded with my no. 2 and wide-rule notebook.

The thing is, I really wanted to play with the rest of the gang. So I flipped the book over (which I did read, just for the record) and tried to figure out a new way to rewrite every single sentence in the synopsis and added an "I really liked this book" onto the end. That's right, I cheated (Sorry, Mrs. Meano Reno). And it worked. And everyone told me how well I had done on my five-sentence book report. And I got the Excellent! worm-in-the-apple stamp in happy red ink next to my name at the top of the page. And right then and there, I was pretty sure I was a better writer than anyone else in the second grade. And I liked that feeling a whole lot, so I kept writing (though I did, eventually, stop plagiarizing). And I got more happy-worm excellents. And then a bunch of straight A's. And then a scholarship. And then a boyfriend who I would not have met had said scholarship not brought me to his sleepy college town. And the boyfriend became a husband who saw more promise in what I could do than I did myself. And because we were newly married, I listened. And I got another degree. And then a job. And then a great job. And here I am, all grown up and amazed to think of the first book report that changed my life.

My musings on the book report that led to everything else turned to my kiddos, wondering about the little things now that may become everything down the road. And while I'm pretty sure my girlie will never be an actual princess, I suspect the boy may be a scientist in the making...

Or an artist.
But my fingers are crossed for a scientist, by day at least.

The solar system is his very favorite, followed closely by volcanos.

And trucks, of course. But I'm holding my breath for a scientist.

 

Speaking of Happy...

We went to the Happiest Place on Earth, and it did not disappoint.

There were mouse ears and teacups and princesses and the Matterhorn. Christmas lights and on-demand caroling, Mickey in a snowflake sweater, an It's a Small World holiday mash-up, and one teary-eyed mama as we walked down Main Street for the first time as parents.

It could not have been more magical.

Really. And I would not normally fancy myself a huge Disney fan. But, oh, the magic!

When you plan a trip to Disneyland with kids, the advice comes at you much the same as it does in those first few months as a first-time mom. Everyone has a plan, the plan to make the experience more magical, less stressful, more affordable and efficient. But what they don't tell you is that all that research and planning will be in one ear and out the other as soon as you walk through the gates with a five-year-old who is rushing to learn to read his first map and an almost-three-year-old who cannot get to the princess castle fast enough. And you wont care, because you'll be just as geeked. Literally, openly crying with a goofy grin on my face as we walked down Main Street.


A quick recap:
Nora adored the teacups. Asked for them again and again and again. And we conceded—this was one day when I was happy to let the kids run the show.

 

Porter surprised both Andy and I when the Matterhorn was deemed his very favorite. I was sure they'd wait in line only to turn around at the very last second, but he loved it and spent the rest of the day talking about it.

And while Andy took the boy on his first "big kid" ride, Nora and I headed for the princesses. We lucked out times two when, first, the line took just a few minutes longer than it took Porter and Andy to make it through the Matterhorn and, second, the princesses changed post just three minutes before we reached the front of the line, bringing in my girlie's very favorites: Ariel and Belle.

That's right. I ok'd an hour-plus wait for the princesses even though I initially swore I wouldn't. Disney will do that to you. And it was so sweet (complete with a lesson on blowing kisses from Belle) and surprisingly simple—just a girl and her imaginary BFFs brought to life.

Me thinks there is no better cure for heartache than granting a wish.

As fate would have it, we also lucked into a very manageable Mickey sighting just as the line started to form. So after only a  five-minute wait, Porter slowly inched forward with a shy smile and then suddenly gave Mickey a big hug after the initial high five icebreaker.

It was the perfect day.

I didn't realize I had switched the camera to black & white mode—very unfitting for one very colorful day.

Hearts were light. And though there was likely a bit more gratitude, given that on top of the fairy tale hoopla, we were also quietly noting how nice it was to smile and mean it, we felt like a normal family—our happy little family.

The only drawback? Now that Porter has seen how Disney does  Christmas, our single-strand lights along the roofline do not seem to measure up.

The boys are now on the hunt for, among other things, a big plastic rooftop Santa...