Build A Bear

Breakfast at McDonald's.

Daddy kissing the heart for Gabby's bear.

Gabby, Pretty, Daddy, Sam and Baby

Sam and his Baby

We made the required trip to Build A Bear to let Daddy help the kids pick out a bear to keep them company while he is gone. At first I only intended to get one for Gabby, thinking Sam wouldn't be interested but after we got in there, Robert picked one out for Sam. After the choosing, stuffing, heart-ing, bathing, clothing, accessorizing, dressing, naming and paying, we had two very cute new bears in the family - Pretty and Baby. And I was wrong about Sam. He loves his Baby. Carries him around the house. Loves on him during the day. Takes him to bed at night. Gabby made a bed for hers and now wants some jammies for her. Took her to church. She discovered the hands have magnets in them so Pretty can hold the smaller bear Daddy gave her for Valentine's Day. Bears are good.

Skiing Video

Here's some video of Gabby skiing today.

Skiing

It's a good day when the mountain is out.

Geared up and ready to go.

Riding the ski lift.

Skiing like a pro.

Robert took Gabby skiing today. We had tried to plan this day a couple of other times to be thwarted by weather and other things. Gabby was out of school today, Robert had a day off and Crystal Mountain had Military Appreciation Day. Oh, and the weather was perfect - sunny and warm.

Gabby went to ski school for most of the day so she could learn and Robert could get some skiing in. About mid-afternoon he picked her up and they went up and down a few times together before coming home. She had a blast and I think Daddy had a pretty good time too.

Disneyland, Day Four

"Muck Mouse" (Sam's vernacular)

Sam's first Mickey bar

Beauty and the Beast

Fantasmic!

The Carnage

Last day at Disneyland - boo! We always want just one more day. We got there at opening and headed to finish up the rides we were missing. We had seen Mickey Mouse at the birthday celebration but they wouldn't do autographs there and Gabby wanted to see him at his house so we headed back to Toontown as soon as it opened to see Mickey, Minnie and their houses. A few more rides back there and then we had an early lunch/snack before hitting California Adventure as soon as it opened to ride Toy Story Mania. Very fun ride - you compete like on Buzz Lightyear but it's more like carnival games. Would have loved to ride it again but the line was huge, which is why we hit it early. Something to do next time. We also rode the last CA rides we missed. After WDW in 2007, I thought I would never get Gabby back on Tower of Terror (she rode it then) but when I mentioned it one last time, she said yes so we rode it. It was a little different from WDW and she liked it better.

We went back to the Magic Kingdom and there they were - Belle and the Beast! I have wanted to see the Beast in the worst way since the summer I worked at WDW. I left Robert and Gabby behind, heading straight for them to get in so we could see them! Of course, I didn't get my picture made but I got my babies and that was good enough and just about made my trip. We finished up our riding at the Magic Kingdom and were going to stay for the fireworks and then skip Fantasmic since we'd already seen it. The fireworks were great but no Tinkerbell :( Gabby still loved them, except for the fact that they made us all stand up to fit more people in. I have never been made to stand during the fireworks. We always grab a spot in front of the castle and sit there throughout. But anyway, they were nice.

And then Gabby realized we weren't going to see Fantasmic. That was a no go for her - she wanted to see it again. So we sped over there and grabbed a spot, off to one side almost behind a light pole about where we had seen it the first night. I got everyone some popcorn b/c we were all getting tired and a little grumpy. As we were sharing our bucket of popcorn, a gentleman came over and asked how many we had and if we would like to see the show from down in front. Not a cast member, just another guest. So we followed him over and sure enough, he had a blanket spread out dead center, right in front of the action next to the fence right next to the water. Another lady and her daughter were there and said he invited them randomly too. He said he lived there and does that when he comes to the park since he has time to stake out his spot very early and then invite folks to sit with him. It was so nice and we totally enjoyed being able to see the whole show. The kids could see without being held and we got to sit and just enjoy - no one crowding us out, no one standing in front of the kids, nothing blocking our view, just enjoying the whole show. It was so much fun! We thanked him profusely, of course and headed out, surprised and happy and knowing we had the best time we could. Until next time.

Disneyland Day Three

Heimlich's Chew Chew Train

Meeting "Queen!"

Dancing with Minnie

Loving Eeyore's nose

Day three of our Disney trip. We had some ground to cover after doing all the birthday activities the day before. We made sure we were there when the park opened and hit it hard, going straight for the Nemo Submarine ride to get the shortest line possible. After a few quick rides, we went to a late breakfast with Minnie and friends at the Plaza Inn. We saw Minnie, Chip, Dale, Eeyore, Pooh, Tigger, Captain Hook, and the Fairy Godmother. Sam was finally getting into the characters and having a great time. It wasn't very crowded so we got lots of time with each of them. Tigger stole Robert's hat, Gabby danced with Minnie and Sam spent forever rubbing Eeyore's nose. When Eeyore walked away, Sam said, "Don't go, E." So cute. We spent some time over at California Adventure, seeing McQueen and Mater and riding most of the rides we wanted over there before the Pixar Play Parade started. Everyone loved the parade.

We headed back to the Magic Kingdom as CA closed down. Robert and Sam went back to the hotel to grab some Tylenol (Robert had a headache) while Gabby and I went back to ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Gabby's new favorite ride. We hopped in line and got on and as we started up the second climb, it stopped. And we sat there. Finally, the announcement said the ride was closed and they would send someone to get us. After about 15 minutes, two cast members came along and helped us all out of the cars, down the steps, across the tracks, through the mechanical house and out of the ride. That is the first time I have ever gotten stuck on a ride. It was a little crazy to be leaning back looking uphill but it would have been worse if we had been on a leaning curve. I tried to make Gabby see it as an adventure, but to a 6 year old, everything is good or bad and this was bad. But not too bad!

We played a little longer and left the park as it closed down. One more day to go.

Look how they grow, part two

March 2006, Disneyland

January 2009, Disneyland

Disneyland Day Two - Happy Birthday Gabby!

Gabby's Birthday Dinner at Ariel's Grotto.

Snow White was Sam's favorite princess. He acted very shy with all of them. I think she was the only one he interacted with.

The family at the Birthday Celebration.

Gabby meeting Tinkerbell.

Sam enjoying his first ride at Disneyland - Alice in Wonderland. (It's one of Gabby's favorites and only at Disneyland, not Disney World.)

Day Two at Disneyland was big fun. It was Gabby's 6th birthday so she got to lead the way that day. We rode her favorites first: Alice, Teacups, Dumbo. Then we went to Pixie Hollow where we met Fawn and Tinkerbell. Sam fell asleep while they were waiting on us to finish Pixie Hollow (the longest line we waited in) so we ate lunch and then switched off riding Space Mountain with Gabby while he slept on the booth seat in Pizza Port. Space Mountain at DL is SO MUCH BETTER than at WDW! In case anyone was wondering. We rode a couple more things and walked through the castle to see the Sleeping Beauty display (also only at DL - it was an original attraction that was closed down for years. They reopened it in Dec.) Then it was time for the Birthday Celebration at the Plaza Inn. It was very warm and sunny but also very windy so we were sitting outside but they wouldn't let us open the umbrellas for shade due to the wind. So everyone got a little hot and cranky. It doesn't help that it takes place at 2:30 in the afternoon. But they perked up a little when they brought us cakes to decorate and when Minnie and Mickey showed up. It was a fun way to celebrate, even if we were hot and tired.

We had time for a few more rides and then had to hit our dinner reservations at Ariel's Grotto. Being off-season, California Adventure closed early so we had to eat dinner early if we were going to eat there. We saw Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Snow White and Aurora. Gabby loved the attention and got a little birthday cake in a treasure box. We were so stuffed from the good supper and awesome desserts they serve there to eat it but she had fun with it anyway. We walked on to a couple of rides right before CA closed and then headed back to the Magic Kingdom for Fantasmic!, which is one of my favorite shows. They say it is better than the one at Hollywood Studios, which I have never seen. It is on the Rivers of America at DL and they use the riverboat and pirate ship and river rafts for the show. It's very neat. After that, it was time to head out and rest up for another day. Sam fell asleep in his stroller on the walk back to the hotel.