Mickey THE Mouse

March 11, 2011 - Day 2

The Big Birthday Trip would just not be complete without a trip to DisneyLand, so to DisneyLand we went! The best thing about going to Disney (save it being FREE thanks to my very cool Cousins) was spending time with my favorite cousin, her super cute son (see what I mean?), my best friend, my amazing children and Papa Bear.

Cousin R - The Super Cute :)

So we had been prepping the kids about Disney.  We let them watch the Mickey Mouse Club and everything - and they were pretty excited!  The big attraction this go round was the characters - and it was pretty awesome that almost as soon as we got off the Train (yes, Master Cookie was in heaven!) we ran into Pluto!

The Disney Train. Cookie LOVES trains..this was a great way to begin the day!

He loves Pluto too!  The characters were AMAZING! 

Disney was wonderful.  It was really interesting for me because I had just spent the previous week at the Disney Academy learning about what makes Disney  "magical". Not so surprisingly, it's a lot of behind the scenes hard work and dedication to perfection.... I had never noticed the "little things" before, but this time they really made me take notice.  It was a good metaphor for parenting!  It's the behind the scenes hard work and dedication (but maybe not to perfection..) that makes it magical!

Speaking of magical!  It was a great trip.  The kids had an awesome time playing...

 Checking out the attractions....

 See that?!  See that?!  See that!?

 Being amazed (It's a Small World was a BIG hit! and really brought back memories)

 Sharing (including with Auntie N....Cookie left some of his chocolate bar in her purse...)

 Riding around, and around, and around, and around...

 with Daddy

 and Mommy

 We got to meet Mini and compare "matching" dresses

 and give Mickey a big hug!

 Mostly, we got to splash and play and have fun with Auntie N & E and Cousin R.  It was a GREAT day....

And then it was time to LEAVE!!! Whew!  What a fun & exhausting day!

See ya next year Mini the Mouse......

After all.  It IS a Small World.


For your FULL viewing pleasure see the post, "Disneyland. The Complete Collection." There are some great photos, complements of Auntie N.

Ps. Mickey, Mini, Pluto, Auntie N, Cousin R and Auntie/Cousin E - thanks for a wonderful time. We had a blast!!

Disneyland 2011. The Complete Collection.

SFLP Rodeo Day, 2011. YeeHaw!

One of the grand events at SFLP (School for little people) is Rodeo Day (hey, we do live in Texas!!). Rodeo day happened to be on the day that we left for L.A. so just keep in mind, as you view the pictures, this is what we then wore on the plane to California.... I bet nobody guessed we lived in Texas!

If I were to be a Cowgirl, I would be a Rhinestone Cowgirl and rock it out Dolly Style. Sequins, bling, PINK, and frills to kill.  I set out to find the perfect outfit for my own little cowgirl....only to discover that perhaps the only place that Dolly style outfits exist are in costume and concert stage dressing rooms!  Never fear!!  I decided that since I had a whole day before the Rodeo - I would create the "look" myself.  It took a bit of imagination, some supplies from Hobby Lobby, a couple good scores at TJ Maxx and a stop to Cavander's (the local cowboy apparel shop...yes, they have several here), but here is my final "Rhinestone Cowgirl" creation.

No cowgirl is complete without her pink, blinged out hat....with her initial on it!

Yes, yes they do ROCK!! in their hot pink zebra print!!

What Angel is complete without her wings? 

 Not mine!!  These are velvet with rhinestone detail and glitter...what else???

The pinwheel, boots, Levi jeggings and authentic cowgirl belt added just the right finishing touches!

 Yeah, she rocked it!!

Not to be out done...Master Cookie adds his own finishing touches to his outfit!

Isn't he he handsomest cowboy you've ever seen??  

Hang on to yer' hats!   It's windy in these here parts!

Pensive Cowboy

Not gonna be a cowboy, Cowboy!!!

Cheese!!! This cowgirl is ready for the bright lights!!

The Family, Texas Style!  

When do I get to ride a pony???

Yee Haw!! 

 I wanna be a cowboy, Cowboy!  ...and so the fascination begins......

Watch out L.A. , here we come! 

Rodeo day at SFLP was a blast. We were sorry that we weren't able to stay and play all the games and participate in all the activities, but Disney beckoned!!

The kids had such a fun time that maybe next year we will attend the real rodeo in Houston....not sure if I'm quite THAT Texas yet...but maybe!!!

J*U*M*P for Joy! FAQ are 3

What a fun year two was!  It was a year of many new adventures (like starting preschool) and making new friends.  The third year of life for FAQ began with discovering how awesome cake is (thanks Auntie N!) and progressed to finding out how much fun presents are (Christmas). Blowing out candles was soon found to be a great activity and signing "Happy Birthday to You" a favorite pastime!  Yes, the third year was terrific and it definitely called for a party to celebrate.

Miss Kiss was ALL about a birthday party!  There have been many little birthday celebrations at school and we have attended several birthday parties for school friends. There was no getting around a P*A*R*T*Y for this little girl!  She began preparing for this event in mid-January and was very excited to get her OWN cake!

Master Cookie, although a fan of singing"happy birthday", was not quite as over the top about having his own party.  He was, however, pretty excited to to have cake too!

We decided to celebrate the big 3! with a Gymnastics Party at PowerSports (where they have attended gymnastics lessons since they were wee babes of 18 months) with 20 of their closest preschool friends. It was a fantastic time (although much more work than I had anticipated!!).

Cookie was a little overwhelmed at first.  The BIG gym at PowerSports filled with lots of kids!

 Didn't take him long to grab a ball (kid is ball fanatic!) and have a great time.

 Kiss jumps for joy on her favorite - the trampoline. BOING!!!

(It's hard to see, but her leotard is personalized in silver script AND has a tutu. Of course, it's PINK!)

 Daddy joins the fun in the big maze.......

 My beautiful birthday boy.  He is SOO big.  (sigh)

CAKE!!!!!

 Friends

 Singing "Happy Birthday to You..."

 Candles

 Laughter and Fun!!

 Miss Kiss! She is such a funny girl.

The party was a wonderful success and so much fun.  The Birthday kids had a great time playing with Daddy and their friends, eating cake, blowing out candles and singing.  

Cookie digs into his massive pile o' presents!  Sheer delight for a 3 year old!!

I was pleasantly surprised by how smoothly things went....that is, until we got home!  Really! Why don't we feed them sugar, treats & cake and THEN let them play for an hour in the gym?  Instead, we get them all tired and hungry, feed them cake and juice and then we take them home in an over-tired sugar high....with a car FILLED with presents.  It was all okay until we unloaded the gifts....then chaos reigned!  But that's okay, it was a delight to see them rip through their mounds of gifts and exclaim in delight over each new toy!  Three is an amazing good time! And this party was a stupendous success! Two more parties to go.....stay tuned!

What? It's 2011? Where did the time go?

Howdy,
I am not even going to try to backblog (I made that up...but I think it should be a real word!) 2011.  I am, however, going to try & capture the very exciting month of March (and the BIRTHDAY month).  SO much happened......