Princesses on Ice

This past weekend, my mom, Haley and I packed up the overnight bag for the ultimate girls weekend. Not the kind of days past where you and your girlfriends would have a weekend of drinking and talking smack about boys....this was a girls weekend designed for a princess.

We arrived in Tampa Friday afternoon and checked into the Embassy Suites Downtown. It was a really beautiful hotel, Haley was impressed. After relaxing for a bit, we checked out the hotel and went on an adventure....well, for a 4 year old, it was an adventure.

Our room was on the 3rd floor, so Haley and I got into the glass elevator and went all the way to the top (20 floors). Mom stayed on our floor and watched (can we say chicken?) Haley thought it was so cool/scary/exciting that I couldn't help but laugh with her. It may not sound so exciting to grownups, but she really got a kick out of it. She wasn't going to close to the railing, was in a bit of a hurry to get back down, but I think she felt accomplished by way of taking a risk. When we got back down tot he 3rd floor, she ran to my mom full of giddiness, exclaiming that she liked it but was NEVER going to do that again. I need to tell you though that the picture below is from the next day, when she wanted to do it again. I think she likes adrenaline!

A bit later we went to dinner at the hotel and then got ready for the big night out. Haley put her fancy dress on and was ready to go in no time flat, but the floor length mirror in the corner of the room got her attention. She put on quite the show in her own little world! I did get it on video, I will post later (takes forever for me to upload video on this). After figuring out transportation, we arrived....Disney Princesses on Ice.

As with all things Disney, there were stands selling really overpriced stuff every 5 feet. (When I say overpriced, I mean $10 for lemonade. Seriously) We had time to kill so I figured we could walk around a little bit but nooooo. I've never seen this child be in such a hurry. Get to our seats, get to our seats, it was like the world would end if we didn't get to our seats.

As you may know, I'm not a Disney person, esp the Princesses. In my non-girly opinion though, WOW what a show! It was awesome! Haley had her jaw dropped through most of it and was having the time of her life. The first half was Belle (Beauty and the Beast), Mulan, Ariel (Little Mermaid), Jasmine (Aladdin), Princess Aura (Snow White) and whatever else I'm missing. Then it was intermission before Cinderella.

Yes, it occurred to me when the lights came on for intermission and everyone got up for a bathroom break that I should have forewarned my little lady what would happen. Talk about sheer panic and heartbreak! She thought it was over with no Cinderella. Mom and I were trying to convince her that it wasn't over, but she was really upset, poor little thing. Finally it started again and she was more relaxed. They really went all out for Cinderella and she loved every second of it-and I think Mom and I did as well.

The next morning was breakfast and putzing around, couldn't do what we planned because of the rain. It didn't matter to her though-she was in 7th heaven. When we arrived back in Orlando, it was birthday party for a friend of her and Megan's, so it just kept getting better and better.

I love this picture. They adore each other and it is a great picture of both.

Check out her feet. I have no idea how she did that without falling over!

Haley is in Pre-K!

Haley, my little baby, is now in Pre-K. ARGH! That is so hard to say, I feel like it was just yesterday I was pregnant with her. She is loving school, happy to be around more kids her own age, but missing being at Griselda's with Megan. Of course I'm being filled in every day on the drama of who was sent to the office, who was her best friend that day and who wasn't in class.

She is doing really well, learning like a sponge. She was already reading some before it started, so she is a bit ahead, but that's ok. The teachers get a kick out of her and of course all staff know her. How can you not remember her name when EVERY morning she has to greet EVERYBODY with a hug? I feel like I'm taking Ms. America to class somedays. And in case you were wondering, yes, she is the tallest in her class.

Back from Summer Vacation...

We've been on vacation all summer. Really? No. But I figured it was a good excuse for my lack of updates! There is so much to catch up on and so many pictures to post, but for now I'm going to focus on a little at a time.

The biggest thing that I can't believe I didn't "blog" about yet was Megan's first birthday. Don't tell her when she is older, ok? We'll just keep that between me and the general population. If you remember from my past posts, her favorite song as a little baby was "Mr. Golden Sun", so it was only fitting that we had a Mr Golden Sun Party. I have to toot my own horn here and say that it was really cute. We even had a giant sun pinata ...that would not break. Seriously, Bruce had to put it on the ground and smash it with all his might. Megan isn't one to stand still for long, so we couldn't get a good picture of her in her little birthday tshirt, but here is our best effort

She had lots of friends and family join her for the celebration and had a great time. She wasn't too sure about the cake at first, but then she got into the texture of it. What a mess to clean up but so much fun to watch!

Afterwards, she was exhausted. She curled up in her crib as the party was winding down and after 3 hours, we had to wake her up for her cousin Lucy's party. She was ready to party again!

Random Pics from the last few weeks..

Our day at the park

I love this picture. Big sister helping little sister...

Dare I say the funk is gone? It didn't leave very nicely, we had to kick it out with a super strong antibiotic, steroids and a nebulizer. My poor baby! Megan sure has had a rough year, with the colic start, the sleep issues, the sickness...but damn is she cute! She now has learned to use her hands while playing peek-a-boo. These chubby little hands cover her face and the big toothy grin starts. If you have spent anytime with Megan recently, you know that she will turn anything into a game of peek a boo....hiding behind a door, looking at you over the table then squatting down under the table...you name it, she'll figure out a way.

The biggest news with Megan is that she has learned to walk! She has been taking a few steps at a time but likes to crawl because it's faster. Actually, she has learned to get on her knees and walk that way rather than walk or crawl. It's one of those things that doesn't bother her, but looks so unnatural that you just don't want to watch. Everytime I see her doing it I look the other way. I don't know why, it just bugs me!

Haley has been great, but a few behavior issues here and there. She is in this "nobody is giving me undivided attention 24 hours a day" phase that is driving me nuts, topped with the whole not sure where she falls in the whole big girl/little girl realm of life. Attitude, independence and a little obnoxiousness mixed with clingy, non stop "look at me's" and a little rule bending. She is lucky that she cracks me up with her imagination.

Her two imaginary friends are to blame for a lot is what I'm told. If you ask her where she learned something, good or bad, her answer is always "Zena and Cannada". It's not Canada, like the country, but like Ca Nada. I will never understand where she gets these names from. Remember when she wanted to name Megan Inga? Anyhow, her friends are NOT imaginary she says, but they live in NY so we don' see them.

Ok, it's late, I'm tired, I'm going to bed!

Curly Girly

Post bath, hair still wet. See how long it is getting? (I have never seen her smile like this until tonight, I think it's cute!)
This is about 10 minutes later!This past month or 2 as been fun watching her hair go crazy. Haley's hair is stick straight, won't even hold a curl from a curling iron. I think these two are going to want each other's hair.

Megan can wash her belly!

She is terrified of the bathtub, so we still wash her in her little tub. (Found out this weekend that she is also terrified of the garden hose!) When bathing, she washes her tummy, her arms and her legs. It's so cute! This is her just doing her belly.

Pictures Pictures and More Pictures

In addition...

How could I forget to add these two gems?

Megan also has a rash covering the majority of her body, and no it is not Roselia. That would be too easy.

Haley, gotta love Haley. A few weeks ago I cleaned her room and we had a long talk about putting toys away when done. She has been very good about it, more so than I imagined. We read a book last night when she went to bed and when finished, I put it on her chair. After her little vomiting episode last night, I get her cleaned up in the tub, take her in her room, she is shaking and going through the after effects of what just happened. She stops in the middle of all the drama and looks at me and says "Mom! You didn't put the book away when you were done!"

The fun never stops

Haley and Megan both had the "funk" and passed it on to me. We were knee deep in tissues, nose spray, throat drops and Tylenol. Haley started to lose her voice, but do you really think that stopped her? No, she just talked more because she liked hearing her voice sound funny. After we started getting better, I sent the kids to my mom's for a few hours while Bruce and I deep cleaned this pit of germs we call a house. Finally, I could walk in my house and not feel grossed out by the invisible germs that were covering every inch of every surface...

Of course that only lasted a few days when Bruce started complaining about his throat, then was up half the night coughing so bad that I thought for sure a lung was going to smack the wall. Still determined that this wasn't so bad, we settled in on the couch Tuesday night for some cuddling and tv. Bring on the sweet sound of your baby throwing up all over the crib. Argh! We got her cleaned up, sheets in the washer, and bam she does it again. Poor little baby! Then the diarrhea starts....

Megan is now doing better, Bruce is feeling better, and I've come to the conclusion my sinuses hate me. So does the fun stop? Not in our house! Haley wakes up last night, writhering in pain because her stomach hurts. I felt so bad for her but didn't know what to do. I knew she wasn't faking because she didn't want to be held, I couldn't touch her stomach, etc. So I ask her to try going to the bathroom. She tries, gives up, and then puked all over the bathroom. Well atleast I know now why her belly hurt! There is nothing that pulls at your heartstrings more than when your children are sick, no matter how much vomit they have spewed all over you.

She seems to be feeling better today, determined to go buy the new doll she has been saving up for. She has saved up all her money from the Holidays, chores, etc to buy this annoying doll that comes with a toilet and sings "pee pee in the potty" over and over. (Yeah, I can't wait. She has been so serious about saving for this though that although I am not thrilled with this, it is an important lesson).

I am anxious about the rest of the weekend. It's been a crazy week and I beg to relax, but as in any household with children, life is never boring!

Wishing you a wonderful 2009!!

Christmas

***For some reason, the space between paragraphs will not stay in place. You will need to deal with this.
Alright, alright, you've been so patient waiting for the stories of the Davis Christmas. Ahh, let the warm fuzzy memories begin...

It was a beautiful day here in Orlando when Bruce got the decorations down from the attic. We opened the windows to let the fresh, warm breeze in and I stated that I would clean before we decorated. I made it very clear to the family that I needed time to clean without everyone bugging me.

After about 2 hours of trying and not getting much accomplished, I finally lost it and said that if I didn't get to finish, I would not decorate and I would cancel Christmas. (I remember it as saying it, Bruce would tell you that I yelled it...who cares about minor details??) Haley starts crying and runs to the couch, only to ask a minute later "what does cancel mean?" By then I'm feeling pretty crummy about the situation and I sit down and talk to her and explain what cancel means and that my freaking out was wrong (as was her behavior). So for the next 2 weeks, every time she did anything remotely wrong, I was asked "are you going to cancel Christmas?" That was my punishment I guess.

The other highlight was my bright idea of reminding her that the elves were watching her and reporting back to Santa. For the record, I never said this in a mean or threatening way. I was simply telling her what other parents tell their kids. I started realizing after awhile that she was asking a little too much about these elves. Then I started realizing she was becoming paranoid of the elves watching her. Seriously. Plan backfired, kid needs therapy. I'm sure it will be one of many sessions!

We made a pathetic gingerbread house (thanks Mom for the kit, next year we'll do it at your house!) but Haley loved it. We made lots of crafts, wrapped presents and finally found the perfect "baby's first Christmas" ornament for Megan. Haley picked out Megan's Christmas dress and her own, I was shocked that she picked pretty common ones. When we got the kids dressed for a visit with Santa, I realized Haley looked straight out of a Charles Dickens book and Megan looked like a Chef at the North Pole. Cute though.

The family was great, the presents flowed, and the weather was warm. I'm sure the memories are merry for the children and next year will be the even more interesting!