The Magic Kingdom

On our second day in FL we took a trip to the good 'ol Magic Kingdom! After you park you get an option of how to get to the park itself...either by Monorail or Ferry boat. We chose to take the Ferry boat over and the Monorail back....BAD decision, but more on that later...

The Magic Kingdom is the classic Disney Theme Park. You can't miss it when you go...it's just the best!

The boys were finally tall enough to ride Splash Mountain! Titus and I got to sit in the front row, which is where you get extremely wet...and we did! As soon as we did the big 50 foot drop Titus screamed, "That was SWEET!" It was by far, his favorite ride! Max wasn't too sure what to think. At first he said it was the scariest thing he's ever done and he didn't know if he liked that or not, then later decided that he liked it. What can I say, he's a cautious kid.

Both boys couldn't wait to drive their own cars on the speedway. Scott took video, which includes Max running into Titus and all of us screaming....it was so much fun. After the ride Max said, "I'm the worst driver ever and I can't believe that Titus is better than me at driving!" I'm thinking they were equally bad! LOL! But boy was it fun!

We did lots more rides that day but those were definitely their favorites. Just before it was getting time to leave a storm started to move in....like fast! We decided to head to car hearing the thunder coming. Max was already getting a little twitchy knowing it was coming. By the time we got close to the entrance the lighting started and big drops started to fall. The lighting was really close so I knew Max was nervous. We ran as fast as we could to catch the Monorail back to our car but we were about 5 minutes too late. Because of the lighting they "temporarily" closed the Monorail. 

So there we were stuck under this little metal covering with about 100 people waiting for the Monorail to start back up again. It then began to rain REALLY hard. Like torrential downpour with sideways rain along with massive thunder and lightning! It sounded like it was directly above us. It was really scary. Every time lighting would crash, it actually sounded like it was hitting right next to us, or going to hit us, and everyone in line would scream really loud. This of course was NOT helping our kids at all! Max was clinging to his dad for dear life, shaking and crying, thinking he was gonna die! We ended up stranded there for over 2 hours!!! The Monorail never even opened back up. They finally started the Ferry boats running again so we had to run through the rain to get to them. It took us a total of two and a half hours to get from the park to our car. It had to be THE WORST park exit of all time! It was epically bad! (To say the very least!)

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Hollywood Studios

....So, we left the Animal Kingdom and headed over to Hollywood Studios that same day. Two parks in one day...are we insane? That's debatable I guess....

As soon as we got there we ate at the Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater. It's a really cool restaurant where your table is a car and you sit and watch old Sci-Fi B movies and cartoons. It's like an indoor drive-in theater. The kids will tell you that, hands down, the coolest ride at the Studios is STAR TOURS! They gushed about getting to see the "real" R2-D2 and C3PO and fly in a "real" spaceship with a robot driver! It really doesn't get any better than that for a 6 & 7 year old boy now does it? ; )

We also got to tour Scott's old stomping ground....the Animation building. It's totally unrecognizable now. They have completely changed it around. So many memories from that place....makes you miss it...but not in June, July or August! : )

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The Animal Kingdon

The first park we hit was the Animal Kingdom. Our good friend, Lon, got us into the parks, for which we are forever grateful! He was able to get three of us in for free so we only had to buy one park ticket. We chose to buy a child's ticket to save a little money, but for one kid to get a two-day park hopper pass it was $200!!! It was insane! The park ticket prices have gone up SO much it's unbelievable! We are so thankful for Lon. He literally saved us about $700!

The boys just couldn't get over how hot it was. I'm not joking when I say that it was melt-your-soul-out HOT! Max asked us, "Why is the air so FAT? It's hard to breathe!" So we bought each of them a fan/squirt bottle so they could keep themselves cool. They managed to stay in a constant state of warm wetness.

We were also able to stay cool by eating lots of cold food. I think we discovered Max's favorite food (if you can call it food) on the planet: Nestle Frozen Lemonade Cups! The kid (OK...and Scott and I) ate a ton of them. They really are cold bliss in a cup! Titus, on the other hand stuck with old faithful: ice cream (in the shape of a Mickey head)

We didn't do a lot of stuff at that park because we actually hit two parks that day. We did manage to do the Safari tour. You get on a really cool Jeep thing and drive around on an animal reserve. It's kind of like a zoo that you're inside of. The dangerous animals are kept in safe areas but they keep it really hidden how they "cage them in" so to speak. Some animals however can (and do) come right up to your Jeep and hang out. We got really close to this giraffe licking a tree.

The kids were fascinated by his tongue! Next stop was the tree of life. Its really cool! It's a "fake" tree but they have all these animals carved into the trunk and branches. I took a ton of pics but here's just a few...

It was totally awesome! We had a great time and then headed off to Hollywood Studios. More on that park in the next post....

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Florida or Bust!

I'm going to post about our trip to Florida in "chunks"....there's WAY too much to post in one day. I have to say, that this trip with the boys was our best and funnest trip yet. They are finally at the age where meltdowns are at a minimum (though they still happen) and they can actually remember what what we do. We had so much fun!

As soon as we got off the plane we headed straight to Downtown Disney to hit the LEGO Store. This is Max's favorite place on the planet. He's so funny to watch in there....he goes into full-on sensory overload and almost has a catatonic look to him because he has no idea where to even begin. Titus was diggin' it also, but nowhere near the excitement as Max. Max had such a hard time deciding what to get but he finally, after much deliberation, landed on this Star Wars ship....

Titus got a small LEGO set and then we headed to the big Disney store for him. He found some action figures that he fell in love with and then we got some pictures in front of the store with the skeleton pirate...

By this time we were starving so we headed over to the Rain Forest Cafe for some dinner. The boys absolutely LOVED that place. All-in-all it was a great first day in FL. More to come on the trip later.....

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Titus is 6!

OK.....so I am REALLY behind on blogging! We've done two trips back-to-back so I have a lot to update you on! .....More posts to follow!

For starters, my little dude turned 6! I can't believe that Titus is really 6 years old.....where does the time go?  His Birthday was back on June 15th (did I mention I was behind a little? ) He wanted a "Rock Star" birthday so everyone dressed up and partied down!

Here he is playin' all tough with his daddy

I went old school "Madonna" for the occasion

The Smith kids came as Kiss....and they looked AWESOME!

The Clayton's were rockin' it hardcore

 Nana and Papa Leo even got in on the action

Here's Titus rockin with his "first love"....Brooke

It was an awesome day! Thanks to everybody for dressing up....it really meant the world to Titus. So, happy Birthday T-Bird! We love you!

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Little Gnome

This past weekend our friend told us a story and I just have to share it with you. Some of you may find this story horrific. Some of you may find this story absolutely funny. I'll admit, I find it both horrific and funny. Honestly, I'm still just in shock, and not quite sure if I should laugh or not???  I actually *gasped* and covered my my mouth when he told it to me! You may even wonder if this story is true? I assure you that this is, in fact, TRUE. 

So my friend, has a friend....sorry, I know that's annoying to start the story like that but that's the best way to say it. Let's say this friend of a friends name is....Betty. (I'll try to protect the innocent...and not so innocent here) Betty lives north of Denver....like REALLY north. Betty also has an, extremely autistic son we'll call Bob. Bob is 15 years old but he's big. I mean like 6 foot tall, 250 lbs BIG and he has a lot of mental issues. 

Betty needed to go to the store to buy some food and she never leaves Bob alone so she was trying to convince him to go with her. Bob was adamantly refusing to go and after a a while of going round and around she decided to let him stay home while she went alone. She told Bob that she would only be gone 10-15 minutes and she gave him explicit instructions to stay in the house and just watch T.V.

So, off Betty went to the store and she returned 15 minutes later as planned. All seemed well. Nothing was out of place. Betty asked Bob how it went and if anything had happened while she was gone. Bob said everything was fine. However, a few minutes passed and Bob said, "Actually, one thing happened while you were gone." Betty replied, "Oh yeah? What?" Bob said, "I caught a little gnome!" "You what?" asked Betty. "I caught a little gnome!" said Bob again. As Betty was trying to figure out in her mind what in the world Bob could be talking about, Bob asked, "Do you want to see him?" "Sure?" Betty said.

Bob then proceeded to take Betty downstairs to the basement and unlock the closet door to find an actual, real "little person" inside! He was a government census worker who had come to the door and Bob thought he was a "little gnome" so he scooped him up, took him down into the basement and locked him in the closet!!! 

Can you say Silence of The Lambs!?!? I'm sure this guy was thinking, "I've come to Hannibal Lecter's house!"  I know I would be thinking that I was gonna die in that basement! Of course the mother was absolutely mortified and extremely apologetic. And the census worker was beyond angry (to say the least!) Bob was such a big kid that he didn't have a chance. I know that the mom tried to explain her sons condition to the man and that he was really mad but, I'm sorry to say, that I have no idea what happened next. I don't know if the census guy pressed charges or if the police were called. That's all our friend knew at the time. I hope the little person was able to forgive the 15 year old kid. Who knows....I just had to share the crazy with you!

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Last Day Of School!

I cannot believe this school year is over and that Max will be in second grade and Titus will be a first grader next year!!! Where does the time go??? Wednesday was their last day and I got to go to the school for Titus Kindergarten graduation ceremony. They make a really big deal out of it for the Kinders. It's so cute. On my way to the school Max's class was outside playing with a giant parachute. I was glad I got to see him too (especially after the debacle of missing his ceremony the day before) and took a few pics of the fun....

When I got there the kids were playing outside on the playground so I took a couple shots of Titus. He's my cute little Birdie!

He was VERY excited to graduate....and to have his mama there! : ) They began by singing through three songs. They did my favorite song. It's called "Tony Chestnut." It's absolutely hilarious! I call it the "soap opera song" for Kindergarten. If you ever feel the need to listen to a funny kids song, be sure to look it up! I'll have to see if they even sell it on iTunes or something?? Anyhoo...back to Titus! Here he is in his little paper hat.

And then receiving his "Certificate" from his teacher Mrs. Geise.

She is the greatest teacher! I tried to convince her to teach first grade next year so Titus could stay with her, but no such luck! She took such a personal interest in Titus and worked so hard with him....we just love her!

And now....Summer begins! Today was day one...and the kids were complaining that they were bored by 9 a.m.! Don't get me wrong, I have some stuff planned. All I'm sayin' is....It's gonna be a long summer!

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*Hermit Crab Update*

Surprisingly...they are still ALIVE! It's been 2 days and no deaths....that could be a personal record!

I'd also like to inform you that Max has decided on a name for his crab. He will be called: PP Sherman. Yes, that is the actual name he came up with. He said, "It reminded him of a worm he knew that peed himself all day." When I asked him, "What worm?" He replied, "The worm I made up in my head mom!"

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Big FAT Cupcake!

This is my newest favorite place in Denver! In Cherry Creek is the most fabulous cupcake shop called Big FAT Cupcake and let me tell you....their cupcakes are AHH-MAY-ZING!!! (I actually "sang" that when I wrote it. These cupcakes are so good that they're literal music to my ears!) Next time you're in the Cherry Creek area check em' out!

 I had to take my mom to get cataract surgery on her other eye today and we drove by this place. I immediately thought, "Oh, no way! Fat cupcakes? I'm so going in there!" Some of you reading this may have already tasted the sweet deliciousness of this place but today was my first time. But I can honestly guarantee that it won't be the last! They have so many amazing flavors to choose from like, Creamsicle, Boston Cream Pie, Heath Bar, Lemonade, Twinkie, Red Velvet, Strawberry, M&M, Salty Caramel....the list goes on!

I ended up getting a Twinkie and a Strawberry for myself and a Red Velvet and a Strawberry for my mom. I already can't wait to go back and try more flavors! 

I also have a funny story...On my way back to the doctors office Scott called me. I was holding the cupcakes and a water bottle. I had my purse, which was all heavy, and I was holding the phone to my ear. As soon as I crossed the street, I tripped on an uneven spot in the side walk and I screamed in Scott's ear as the cupcakes went-a-flyin'! Thank the Lord for the hard plastic case they put them in or those things would have been road kill. The frosting schmeared all over the inside of the case but they were in tact and they still tasted amazing. Only some frosting exploded out the side...and, I'll admit, some grass was stuck to it....but I didn't care! Don't judge people! Did you see those cupcakes!?!?

p.s. Katie...I know you're drooling! This place had your name all over it! : )

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Imminent Death

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you are fully aware that pets don't last long in our house. It's not that we purposely kill them....they just die! ....Well, OK Titus fondling a fish could count as "purposely" but he didn't know that would kill him....so we'll say that doesn't count. : ) 

After yesterday's award ceremony, we decided that a reward was in order for the kids for doing such a good job in school. (I must add that Titus ended up winning an award also for "Attendance" but we only found out about that today. And yes, I actually made it to his ceremony!) 

So....back to the reward....I offered to take the kids out to McDonald's and ice cream but Max quickly told me that "he didn't want to be rewarded with food." Is he even my child? I'd take a food reward any day! He then asked me if he could get another snail. I reminded him of the "luck" we've had with snails and asked if maybe a Hermit Crab would do? He excitedly yelled "Yes!" and Titus quickly jumped on the crab band wagon also. So...off to Pet Smart we went!

We used the tank that Max already had from his fish. He hasn't named his yet (which in all honesty may not be a bad idea....if it doesn't have a name he may not mourn it's untimely death as much right??? Sorry....I'm just voicing the inevitable! He's in the white shell on the bottom right of the tank.

Titus has lovingly named his "Rocky." I honestly don't mean to be all "doom & gloom" I'm just being realistic. You should hear what the lady at the pet store told us about the care these things need. We have to spray water on their dirt twice a day to keep it moist. Preferably, 72-80 degrees. We have to feed them twice a day these little pellets and then they like cut up fruit. You have to always have an extra shell in there so they can molt into a bigger one at any given time. She also told us about some special salt you have to buy for a "salt water bath" they should get once a month....are you getting that these things don't have a chance yet? With each requirement she was listing off, those poor crabs' life expectancy dropped a few percents!

As we were driving home Scott turns to me and says, "Yeah....those things won't ever live long enough to see that salt bath. We won't ever crack that little salt container open. That was $1.99 well spent!"

Any bets on their life span? I'll be sure to keep you updated! : )

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