So I just went to check on the last update I had given on actual Waterstraut family events. As it turns out, it was way back in April. I need to get the blog up to speed on May before it isn't May anymore (is anyone else wondering where this month is going? Holy Moly!)
Before I begin, our title this blog is all due to the best dip kiss picture we've done in awhile. While my top two favorites are locked in, this for sure is a third. Thank you Peyton, and Art of Animation Resort for making it possible.
Two weekends ago, we went out to the Tampa Yankees game. It's like going to a Mud Hens game, except less popular. I had gotten a living social deal, but they also run pretty reasonably priced family packages (think $38 for a family four pack, hot dogs, drinks, popcorn, ice cream, 4 hats, and 2 tickets to the zoo) I opted for $30 on living social for 5 tickets, 5 hotdogs, and 5 drinks. We got there early hoping to have the boys run the bases, as they usually do on Saturdays. Unfortunatly, they were having some sort of softball awards night so we weren't able to do that. Getting there early did give us great seats though. We were in the second row behind the visitors dug out, just behind third base.
I had really wanted to go out to the minor league team to test the waters to see if it would be worth it for us all to go see the Rays. Calib and I have gone, but we haven't made it a family outing since we're not huge baseball fans and we weren't sure the kids would sit through a game. But, sit through a game they did. And, they loved it. Hayden was particularly thrilled with the peanuts.
Twice the third baseman threw a ball into the stands and Calib caught them both. He was so nice to give him to his brothers. Asa also had a foul ball, but he didn't have a glove or anything and tried to catch it with his bare hands, it bounced off of them and to the people a couple of rows behind us. He was none to happy his hand was now throbbing and he had no ball to show for it; but overall it was a nice night. It even ended with a fireworks show.
I wouldn't say our weeks have been boring, just not a lot to write about. Hayden missed a couple of days of school with a sore throat and a runny nose, Calib's pretty excited to get to 7th grade so he can play football and do other extra curricular Oh, and him and Peyton worked together on Calib's leaning tower of Pisa project, and then built a pretty cool model. Home school is going well, just winding down. We're stopping our time line in time for summer at the 1920's, we've made it to long division, which is a big deal for Peyton. And our latest 'project' was finding out everything we could about baby cardinals. Apparently, ones decided to make a nest in the bushes just outside our front window. I tried to snap some pictures but I couldn't get any too good through the screen, and I didn't want to get that close outside. But, we watched the birds for at least two weeks-- even seeing their first attempts to fly the nest. Oh, and Asa passed his other very difficult Database exam, so it was a rootbeer float night too!
Last weekend was really busy. It was my shopping and cooking weekend plus Mothers Day. But we also had been invited to our neighbors for a cookout Friday night. It's hard to find time until September to get together with people on the weekend, so we appreciated the fact that they worked around our schedule. It was also nice that after a whole day of shopping, I didn't have to cook. Jan bnhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh-made all kinds of side dishes, and Lonnie cooked some awesome burgers. So, thanks to them for having us over.
Saturday Asa worked, and I cooked while the boys helped me. I even let Calib use a can opener again! After a quick dinner we went out to Raymond James Stadium (Where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play). Asa works with a guy who gets tickets for the Symphony Under the Stars, where the Florida Orchestra comes out and plays on the field. Then you just bring blankets and chairs and listen. It's kind of awesome. They play a lot of John Williams Movie Themes, which I LOVE. No seriously, its like the one classical CD I had in high school. And they play the 1812 Overture complete with the cannons from the pirate ship.
Sunday was Mother's Day, and Asa had volunteered to work for awhile so he could take time off Friday for our mini-vacation. He squeezed in making me a brunch of eggs and toast. Meanwhile, to celebrate that nights Survivor finale (Yay Cochran totally won!) we had a food auction at lunch. If you've never seen the show, after people have been on an island eating nothing but rice for like 25 days they give them money and let them bid on mystery food items. Insanity ensues. The boys each had $300 in Monopoly money too bid on covered up items. It was one of the funnest things. They went crazy over it. Calib ended up with chips and cheese and a donut. Hayden got various fruits and an oatmeal cream pie, and Peyton got a pop with peanuts and cookies with chocolate milk.The funny part was them scarfing it all down like they had eaten nothing but rice for the last 25 days.
When Asa was done with work, he gave me my present-- which I was not expecting at all. He had gotten me an old sewing machine. Our neighbors apparently know a guy who repairs old sewing machines and then sells them inexpensively. And Asa knows how much I sew and how much trouble I've had with my machine, and how I constantly complain about how they don't make machines like they used to. So he got me this really old school awesome one. I'm pretty excited about it. Plus, I really had NO idea it was coming. He had hidden it over at the neighbors house even. Crazy. But an awesome surprise.
My request for mothers day was to play all the games that have been "retired", aka Asa lost them too much consistently that he refused to play them anymore. We played: Catan, Bananagrams, Blokus and Rummy but my big hope was for a game of Lifeboats. It's more fun with more people, so we invited Justin over. He's working overnights for awhile to help out so he said he'd be over later after he had slept. Asa made a low country boil for dinner that we ate outside on the patio. And JUST when I was talking about wanting desert, Justin showed up with a freshly baked (still warm!) Blueberry pie. He had made it from the Blueberries we picked and gave to him, and it was SOO good. Seriously, Justin can bake. So yummy.
After that we all played Lifeboats. It's basically a game where you vote to kick other people overboard. You can lie right to someones face if you want. And playing it with Hayden is HI-LAR-I-OUS. You have no idea if he's going to do what he says or not. There's like zero strategy involved with Hayden's decisions, which makes it even more challenging. So much fun. After that we all watched The Survivor Finale. Sometimes, seasons end and you're just like 'ehh, that was ok', but this one was a goodie. It even sucked Justin in and he'd never seen an episode before. It was a fabulous mother's day so thanks to everyone who made it so nice for me!
This Thursday was The Office Series Finale, which was so sad. I LOVE the Office. Asa and I only started watching it 3 or 4 years ago when we caught up on all the episodes in the summer, but it's been one of my favorite shows since. Calib watched them all too, catching up just in time for the last two episodes, so he stayed up to watch the finale with us. I equated the Office ending for me, to when Cheers went off the air for my dad. The void is terrible, but luckily we had a Disney Weekend planned to help ease the pain.
So, normally mid-June we have a 'Celebration Weekend'. It's usually fathers day and our anniversary, plus two weeks after Calib's birthday and two weeks before Peytons. So, we take all those awesome events and roll them into one. Only this June, we don't have a free weekend with visitors coming, so we planned it for this weekend instead. The kids got to skip school on Friday and we got up had breakfast, finished packing the car, and headed out. Our first stop: Epcot. It was the last weekend for the Flower and Garden Festival, which this year for the first time came complete with food booths. This is awesome, but it really added to the crowds. I knew if we could get there early enough in the day we could walk the world showcase and not have to wait too long for the food booths. It actually worked out really well. Plus we got yummy, yummy food. We always just get one dish and split it, so you're often just getting a couple bites of something. So I had packed uncrustables for the kids, and to supplement.
Our first stop we got a Crab tostada served with Chipotle Mayo and Valentina Salsa which had some spice to it. I liked it as long as I could avoid the red sauce. Asa and Calib gave it two thumbs up though.
We also had to stop in Norway (Funny side note: Peyton likes to tote his knowledge of country capitals out to everyone who will listen and the world showcase is a prime time to do this) to get some school bread. It's always there, not just part of the Flower and Garden festival so you should totally try it. Asa even likes it and it has coconut on it!
We tried the Potato Pancakes with house made Apple Sauce, Calib and I thought it was awesome. Peyton and Asa only had a bite and they were all done. Hayden didn't even attempt it. I get it, its a weird combo. But I thought it totally worked.
Of course, we had to stop in Germany for a Bratwurst for Asa. It's a must do every Epcot trip. The boys waited patiently and fed the ducks who were happy to eat some of the bun.
After that we had the Spiced Lamb Kebab with Vegetable Couscous Salad. Everyone liked the lamb, but we were pretty split on the cold cous-cous.
The pulled pig slider with coleslaw was a huge hit, but very similar to something I make at home. It wasn't special, but it was delicious.
We got more adventurous and decided to order the Frushi (Fresh strawberries, pineapple and cantaloupe rolled with coconut rice, atop a raspberry sauce sprinkled with toasted coconut and whipped cream). Again, a weird combo. The kids LOVED it. Asa and I thought the combination was weird
We were all pretty full, but Asa and I are huge Brie fans, and couldn't pass up the Baked Goat’s Brie with Kumquat Chutney. Hayden even tried it and liked it. I enjoyed it but the kumquat chutney was really sweet! Fun side note: ASA took this self taken picture. (He never does that! Way to go, babe, nice one!)
And of course, we stopped to enjoy all the topiaries. My favorite is the Lady and the Tramp ones in Italy. After a quick trip to the playground and space ship earth (Oh! And getting our passes changed to the cool new tap and go cards!) it was almost check in time so we headed over to the hotel.
We were staying at the Pop Century Resort. They have different sections, each dedicated to a decade (50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's) We got a nice room on the 4th floor overlooking the pool in the 80's. It was right next to the giant Roger Rabbit! We spent the afternoon in the pool and then I made quesadillas in the hotel room before we headed out to Downtown Disney and Disney Quest.
The weather during the day was hot, I even cashed an entire bottle of sunscreen this weekend. But at night you could not have asked for better. It was comfortable with a breeze. Just awesome, so after our time in the arcade we walked around downtown Disney a little bit taking in the scene before we decided to make a go of a late night Magic Kingdom trip.
So do you remember awhile back when I talked about how sad it was that Hayden was growing up, and new the 'snow' was just bubbles? This trip the opposite happened. Hayden decided he was big enough and brave enough to tackle Space Mountain for the very first time. So after riding various rides we ran over to Space Mountain and waited in a very short line. I was SURE he was going to chicken out. But he didn't. He climbed into the car and held on for dear life. He looked like he was about to throw up and cry in his picture but he said he loved it. So now here we are with all the big kid things we can do as a whole family now! It made me really happy.
Also, good news he's getting SO much better at driving the cars. I still won't go with him after the incidents he had with me and my mom, so Asa took one for the team and said Hayden actually did a really good job, so kudos. Also becoming a Waterstraut tradition: riding the cars while the fireworks go off. Love it, EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. Theres not really a feeling to describe driving around at night out away from the hustle and bustle with the fireworks and the castle in the distance, except just happy. I know it's not a good picture, but you get the idea.
Plus, I know were hitting the parks at the right time and doing things perfectly when the longest line you wait in all day is for the monorail back to your car. We skipped the Electrical Light Parade hoping to get back to the hotel early enough to get up for rope drop the next day, but that didn't really happen. We got back around midnight and everyone decided just to sleep in on Saturday.
Saturday morning after breakfast, we went over to the other side of Downtown Disney to do (a little!) shopping. We gave the boys each $10 to get a little something. Hayden spent his on a Donald Duck Storm Trooper Action figure at the World of Disney. Peyton and Calib pooled their money in favor of a small football and some treats at Goofy's Candy Store. I was so proud of them for not whining or complaining and being very decisive with their money. We had fun trying on hats and we got an ice cream sundae to split. It was nice being able to window shop without kids wanting anything else.
We checked wait times at other parks and decided to go back to the hotel for a pool trip, and a walk along the water to see the rest of the hotel. We even crossed the bridge to check out the new Art of Animation resort, which is very cool. I wanted to swim in their Nemo themed pool, but it is gated off and you have to use your room key to get in. But it is a very cool resort. Maybe sometime we'll stay there.
We had an early dinner, Asa made fun of me for bringing my slow cooker to Disney but it worked out so well. Eating meals out as a family of 5 is very, very expensive. So we decided early on I would pack every meal and we would split snacks along the way. After dinner, it was starting to cool off and wait times at the Animal Kingdom were dying down since the park was only open a couple more hours. We almost never make it to the Animal Kingdom and the boys all wanted to ride Expedition Everest.
When we got there tons of people were just pouring out of the park, we knew that was a good sign. After grabbing some fast passes for Everest (which is a large roller coaster I was sure Hayden wouldn't actually go on), we took a spin on Kilimanjaro Safaris. Usually you see a lot of animals on jeep ride through the animal habitats in the morning, so I was a little hesitant on going on it so late in the day, but we really did see a lot of animals.
Then, it was time for our fast passes. By the time we got over there, the regular line was only 5 minutes, so getting the passes was sort of a waste, but we did get to skip in front of a few people. I was SURE (like 1000 percent sure) Hayden was going to back out, but he didn't. He got on happily, and though TERRIFIED during the whole ride, he has said he's going to do it again. Calib and Peyton were great cheerleaders for him, they were SO happy Hayden was finally going on big kid rides.
We didn't really have to wait for anything else, it was walk on Prime-eval Whirl, It's a Bugs Life, and Dinosaur. By the time we headed out it was just after 7:30 and the weather had gone for hot to comfortable.
Our next stop was something we only do during Celebration Weekend: Disney Putt Putt. While Annual Passholders get 50% off it's still pretty expensive. Hayden pretty much ended up with a 6 on every hole. He did do better on a few though, and squeaked in under 100. The Fantasia course is super fun though, and I highly recommend it. Although, careful at the end, the brooms spray buckets of water.
We headed back to the hotel for a night time swim. I love swimming at night!
And then, Asa and I got the kids all ready for bed, put on a movie for them, and left Calib the cell phone, and we .. *gasp* wait for it... WENT OUT. I was afraid it would turn out poorly, but they were fine. We didn't leave the area, we just went out and got drinks at the pool bar (thanks to my mom for sending me $20 for Mother's Day.. it burned a hole in my pocket for a whole week!) and snacks at the food court (YUMMY cheesy pesto bread!) We weren't gone very long, but it was a nice little outing I did have thoughts about when Cort watched me and Clint at Disney when we were about the same ages as my kids, and my parents came back to fall Cort a sleep. Well, Cort, Calib has bested you in baby sitting at Disney. He was still awake when we got back.
We did get a late check out, and after a brunch of peanut butter, granola, and fruit wraps we ventured over to the bowling pin pool in the 50s (instead of the 80's computer pool). Plus, I got to see the giant Lady and the Tramp. Yay! My favorites!
We checked out, but stopped by the food court for some nachos, and drinks. We sat out by the pool bar and had some baby duck visitors. It was a nice way to end a super fun weekend. I'm bummed it's over.
Thanks to Justin for watching the dogs for us. And now its back to work and school. Asa is working tonight to avoid going in this week, and the boys are down to only 11 days of school left. Yes, 11 can you believe it? I have to get started on my summer plans. And thats it, I've had every member of the family in here looking for dinner since I started blogging, so it's time to get off the computer already to heat it up. But come on, give me a break, it's been a busy three weeks!
Funny things to leave you with:
Hayden: 'This is one of my three favorite weekends'
Asa: 'What are the other two?'
Hayden: 'Well, I'm not really sure. But this is three.'
Peyton: 'It's getting hot in here'
Asa: Plays Nelly, 'It's getting hot in here' on his Nexus.
Peyton: Not amused
Next Up: It's a Surprise. If I told you, I'd have to kill you. Or something.
