Our latest addition

Well, we finally broke down and bought a pool. They came today and installed it. I LOVE IT! After the second water truck came and finished filling it, I went on in. It was a bit cool, but it felt good!! Bryce is on restrictions until tomorrow--because of his heart cath---but he got his feet wet.
Of course, it threatened to rain all day, and tonight it really let lose. At least the pool was up and full before it rained. However, we now have a moat of MUD! It is so disgusting. I told Jason that he needs to get that filled in ASAP!!! The pics were taken before it rained.

Bryce's Heart Cath

Bryce had his follow up heart cath yesterday. When they did his final surgery last May, they left a small hole (fenestration) in case the heart encountered some "high pressures". It was kind of like a built-in release valve. The cath was to check the hole and if it needed closing, to close it. Everything went GREAT. The hole was too small to close. It was so small that the doctor feels it will continue to close on it's own, and I couldn't be happier that he won't have something else foreign (there were going to patch it)in his body.
Here is a random picture of Bryce. I know most parents would cringe at this, but I swear they were only in for a minute--long enough to take a picture. He is a creative boy though!!!

Bryce learns to ride a bike

Yesterday, Jason, Bryce, my mom, dad, and I went to a local flea market. It used to be an old amusement park, and they sold it. The new owner will eventually restore some of the rides to working order, but for now it is only a flea market. They do have the full size train running though and of course we had to go for a ride on that. While there, we found a barely used bicycle with training wheels that was perfect for Bryce. He tried it out last night and didn't do to badly. He looks so darn cute on it. It is hard for me to believe that he is old enough to use a pedal bike, but he is 4. I am sure he will not need the training wheels in a short amount of time!! We'll see.......

The Circus

We went the end of May--I know I'm really far behind in my posts--to see the circus. Bryce loved it and I really like it. It has been a few years since I went, and I was very impressed by the acts and the performers
We went early, and you could walk around behind the Giant Center and see the animals up close--but not too personal.

Here's one of the elephants before the show

Bryce's huge smile. He LOVED the acrobats.

Here's Bryce wearing the hat that came with his cotton candy at home.

Labor Day Party Cancelled

Sorry to disappoint everyone, but we have decided to cancel our Labor Day party. Jason and I have made the final decision that we are not having any more children, so I am taking Bryce to WDW again this year. We are only going for a few days--we leave August 27 and come back August 30. Jason is not going, but my Mom agreed to go along with us on this trip. I am going to enjoy each age of Bryce and enjoy it to it's fullest!!! Bryce will make out on the deal, but I don't think he will care. Because we will be getting back so close to the party date, I won't have enough preparation time. SORRY EVERYONE!!

Labor Day Party

Just wanted to let you all know---not sure exactly which family/friends read this site frequently---but you are all invited to our yearly Labor Day cookout. It will be held Sunday Sept 2nd this year. All are invited and more details are to come, but just wanted to get the date out there so we could be penciled into calendars!!

WDW Day #7--Saturday April 21st

Today was bitter sweet. I was ready for the stress of vacation to end, but I always hate leaving WDW. Most of all, I hate the stress of the airports. We did get a full day at the Magic Kingdom in before we had to leave though. We started off the day by having brunch at the Crystal Palace with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet. Bryce loved it, and by then he was used to seeing larger than life characters. We got a few really nice pictures of him with the characters--see below. This was my favorite meal, and the food was FANTASTIC.




Bryce's final birthday celebration (cupcake) at WDW

After that, we again rode Peter Pan. Then we did the Jungle Cruise--my first time as well--and it was really cute. Afterwards, I got a pineapple float at the stand nearby and it was the best float I have ever had. I WILL DEFINITELY STOP THERE AGAIN!!!! We had some pictures taken in front of the castle, and Bryce got to hold Tinkerbell---check out the photos below. It is really her.


We took a train ride around the whole park, did a few more rides, bought a few more things, and then headed back to the hotel to get the Disney Magical Express bus back to the airport. Our flight left at 2100 and we got back to HIA around 2305. It was a great flight, and great vacation, but I was glad to be home.
Now Bryce just asks, "Mom, when are we going back to WDW?"
My reply, "Soon, Bryce, soon!"

WDW Day #6--Friday April 20th

Today, Bryce and I slept in and Jason went to Epcot to ride all the adult rides. He had a blast on Test Track, Mission Space, Soarin', and what ever else he did---probably accosted several cast members to see their pins to decide if he wanted to trade with them or not....... Bryce and I rode the ferry to the Wilderness Lodge and met Jason there to feed the fish some popcorn.
The view from the boat of the landing dock at the Wilderness Lodge

We checked out the lobby, and then headed over to Epcot. We had dinner at the Garden Grill. This is a really cool restaurant because it slowly rotates and you get to see different parts of the Living Land pavilion. Bryce also met Chip, Dale, Pluto, and Mickey in farmer attire.
Bryce and I with farmer Mickey

He also received a special birthday cake because he was still wearing his button.
Bryce was sitting so nicely during dinner and being a well behaved gentleman. THEN Pluto comes along and gets him all revved up. Pluto was a lot of fun, but Bryce was hard to get to sit still after Pluto went on his merry way!!

The infamous Pluto
The only family shot I have on my own camera--we did get a few professional ones.

After dinner, we went to Mouse gear--a huge store in Epcot--and got the remainder of the souvenirs we wanted. Then we trudged back to the hotel to call it a night. Bryce and I went for a little swim again, but his teeth were chattering and turning blue within 10 minutes, so that was cut short!!

WDW Day # 5--Thursday April 19th

This am we shopped until we dropped--Bryce literally fell asleep in his stroller after only being awake a few hours.

We got on the bus and traveled to Downtown Disney. They have so many cool little shops there. I missed out on the Candy Cauldron, but it was so far away by the time I realized it was in the opposite direction, I gave up!! I'll save it for next time I go to WDW. I did, however, get to go to the Christmas Store. I have some great new ornaments for my tree this year.

After shopping, we went back to the hotel and took a nap. We then ventured over to our dinner reservtions.
We ate dinner tonight at the Concourse Steak House inside the Contemporary. They seated us with a great view of the monorail coming into the building. Bryce loved it. It was really cool to look up and see the monorails moving above you.


Bryce enjoys his birthday sundae.

Afterwards, we went to the Magic Kingdom. SURPRISE??!! I finally talked Bryce into riding Peter Pan and he loved it. We ended up riding it 3 times before we left for the week. He still talks about it too. He also rode Snow White Adventures.

WDW Day #4--Wed April 18th--BRYCE'S 4th B-DAY

This day we celebrated Bryce's 4th birthday. We went to MGM studios and had brunch at Hollywood and Vine--PLAY N DINE. Bryce met Jojo & Goliath(from Jojo's Circus), & June and Leo (from The Little Einsteins). He'll tell you he didn't like Leo or Jojo--Bryce hid under the table. He loved Goliath though.
Here's Bryce enjoying a hashbrown at the Hollywood and Vine

Bryce, Me, and Goliath the Lion

We called a few days in advance and had ordered a birthday cake for Bryce. It was delicious, but because we couldn't take it with us--we were going to the Animal Kingdom--we shared the rest of it with the family sitting behind us. They sang "Happy Birthday" to Bryce. It was a really special meal.
Here's the birthday cake

We went to Animal Kingdom, and even though we had fun, I was disappointed. We did not get a chance to do the safari. The stand-by line was like 60 minutes long and all the fast passes were sold out. The same was true for the Kali River Rapids and Expedition Everest. There were soooo many people here, it was hard to maneuver. We did do Rafiki's planet trek and Bryce got to see some spider and snakes. He also petted some goats.
It was a hot day at the Animal Kingdom, so I let Bryce get a squirt bottle with a fan attached. He's shooting the camera in this picture
Bryce digging for dinosaur bones in the dino section at Animal Kingdom

We called it a day, went back to the hotel, and Bryce and I went swimming for a short time. We ordered pizza to the room, and just took a middle of the week break!! Bryce choose some birthday presents at the hotel shop, so he was having a great time playing with those.

I've been a bad blogger.....

Sorry for those of you that are waiting patiently for the remainder of our WDW adventure. This past week has been busy to say the least.
First, Bryce had a major meltdown in preschool so I decided to take him out and start fresh in the fall. The other kids in his class are 5 months ahead and he just couldn't seem to adjust back to going to school. I am working with him at home doing letters and numbers. It is a struggle---he is not always a prize pupil and my patience is definitely lacking at times---but we are muddling through. I started a REWARD chart so that seems to be working a little better. I also signed him up for a gymnastics/tumbling class that is for 1 hour once a week. I really think that he will like it. I also want to sign him up for a swim class this summer---for fun and to have him around other children.

Next, I got a tattoo. YES, you read correctly, a tattoo. If interested, let me know and I will describe it. It hurt NO WHERE NEAR as much as I thought it would, and 2 days later it doesn't really hurt at all. Just a little itchy now and again--as yes, it is in a place that I can show anyone--above my left ankle.

Now, Bryce and I have this cold that we can't seem to shake. It started as a head cold and has now migrated to our chests. My allergies were AWFUL this week, so I am hoping that this cold resolves quickly!!!!

So needless to say, with all of these happenings, WDW was put on the back burner. Once I get some free time next week, I will post our final days at WDW. It will most likely be a all encompassing post.

Eva Marie Winters

Here are 2 pictures of Eva--or Evie as her Mommy calls her. She is so cute!! She was wide awake shortly before these pictures, but she had a snack and fell right back to sleep.

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!

No, we are not expecting---yet.
I just wanted to post that my best friend, Shannon Winters and her husband Harry, welcomed Eva Marie Winters into the world Sat April 28 at 15:37. Eva weighed in at 8 pounds 13.2 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches long. Mom and baby are doing well. They should be coming home Monday. I will post pics as soon as they are available, but Shannon says Eva looks exactly like her Daddy.

WDW Day #3--Tuesday April 17th

Today was started off at Epcot. It was awfully warm and sunny this day and I got burnt like a lobster on the neck, nose, and arms. Jason and Bryce did much better though, as I had made sure that they were covered in sunscreen. We strolled through Epcot and then made our way over to the World Showcase. We picked up a quick lunch in Mexico at the San Angel Cantina, strolled on over to Norway and rode a viking ship after getting our picture taken with a troll, and then made our way to Germany to see the outdoor train exhibit. Later that night, we went back once again to Magic Kingdom.
We ate dinner that night at the Coral Reef restaurant. They have huge windows into an aquarium where you can watch the fish and divers swim around. Our dining experience was ruined though by a mid 50s couple who obviously never had children. Bryce was acting ok, but was really excited by the fish and talking loudly. They kept shooting us dirty looks, and I could just tell they were complaining about being seated near our table to the waiter. HELLO---you are at WDW--did you not expect children to be present???? Anyway the food was great and the view was awesome, so I highly recommend this restaurant if you get down Disney way!
Bryce goofing around on the little dalmatian Lucky they had on the way to our room
Bryce playing drums at one of the pavilions in the World Showcase
Here's Bryce in the Canada pavilion after he decided that his chocolate round circles made good sunglasses---I did mention the heat that day didn't I?? ie: melted chocolate sunglasses!!
Bryce staying cool and playing in the water. Each hole would randomly sprout up water--he had fun trying to avoid getting hit with the initial blast of cool water.
Fountains are Bryce's thing---we had to visit every one that we saw on vacation. Here he is posing w/one of his favorites.

Here's another topiary. This one is a ship with Peter Pan at the front, and Captain Hook in the back
The huge Norwegian troll
We got to meet Snow White that day also and she signed Bryce's autograph book

WDW Day #2--Monday April 16th

Monday started us off at MGM-Studios. It was kind of a let down though---when we tried to get Bryce on to Star Tours we learned that he was 1/2 an inch too short to ride. That also then meant that he was too short to ride Splash Mountain and the Big Thunder Mtn at Magic Kingdom. BUT we had fun anyway. We went to Toy Story Pizza planet and had pizza for lunch. We then went and saw Lights, Action, Motors.... a new stunt show brought over from Paris WDW last year. To say the least, it was AWESOME. Bryce was a little scared of the bangs, motors, and fire but he liked most of the show. He'll tell you when there was a big fire and explosion at the end, he hid under the bleacher seat!!!!
We ate dinner that night at the 50's Prime Time cafe and everyone did great. We ate all our vegetables and the waitress didn't have to play airplane w/anyone at our table to eat more of their dinners.
After that we headed over to Magic Kingdom once again for Bryce to ride the Indy cars, carousel, and a few others.

Since Bryce was too small to ride Splash Mountain, Jason and I took turns waiting in line(actually it was 10pm and you could just walk right onto the ride) and riding. They had a small play area for the kids. This is Bryce's "cave" as he calls it!!

Bryce and Jason meeting Sorcerer Mickey at MGM

Bryce at the back of Mater from the Cars movie

Bryce is getting to know Herbie the Love Bug outside of the entrance for Lights, Action, Motors stunt show.

How Bryce looked at the end of most of our fun filled days

WDW--Day #1 Sunday April 15th

Please before I begin, I set the date incorrectly on my camera and just now realized it. Add a day to all the dates you see on the pictures!!
We had to get up at 0300--3:00 AM-- in order to be at the airport on time for our 6:00 am flight. It was a struggle, but we were all so excited we didn't mind it. What we did mind, was the torrential down pours we encountered on our way driving to the airport. I'm glad I know my way to HIA because it was soooo hard to read all the exit signs on the turnpike and then on 322.
We did everything we had to do, and then boarded the airplane. The pilot was expecting a "VERY BUMPY RIDE" but it turned out to be a smooth flight once we were able to get above the storm clouds. It was actually sunny way up there!!! Bryce loved the airplane ride and we had no problems.
We arrived in Orlando and then with the Disney Magical Express(the best service in the world---they transport your checked luggage right to your hotel room and you skip baggage claim), we were transported to our resort--All-Star Movies. It was also raining in Florida, but after we checked in and fought for a table to eat lunch at--everyone was inside b/c of the rain, the sun came out. Our room wasn't yet ready, so we ventured to Epcot for the afternoon. YES, we were all tired and I was most cranky, but we had fun.
Here's Bryce and I outside of his first ride at WDW--Finding Nemo: The Sea and Friends. We rode clam mobiles through the attraction!!
Jason and Bryce are sitting on the other side of the attraction where they have all the fish hiding in a seascape.

After we rode/looked at a few more things, we went back to our room and napped. We ate at Ohana that night. It was a Hawaiian inspired family style dinner at the Polynesian. The food was excellent and you could see the huge pit where they were grilling all of the meats in front of you. After we ate, we rode the monorail to Magic Kingdom--they had extra PM magic hours and it was open until 2 AM.

Here's Bryce with his first ride on Cinderella's Carousel--he rode it a total of 5 times during our trip.
Here is Jason and Bryce on the Indy car speedway. He also rode this ride 5 times during our stay. He got to drive 2 times, but Mom had to help.


Finally, here is a great example of a topiary; WDW is famous for them. It is of Cinderella and her prince dancing, and it rotated in circles. We saw it at Epcot that afternoon.

WDW #1

Hello all!!
We are home and had a WONDERFUL time at WDW. We did so many things, and once I wade throught the 200+ photos I took, I will post more and describe a little of what we did each day. I am still trying to unpack, do laundry, and just get settled. Bryce also started back to preschool today, so our lives are much busier.

P.S. Andy and Andrea, you must visit WDW. They have a create your own STAR WARS light saber set-up!! You can choose the color, handle grip etc...

Happy Easter--belatedly

We had a great easter this year. I was supposed to work 3 twelve hour shifts, but they discharged A LOT of patients, so I got off Saturday into Sunday. Hence, I was able to participate in the easter activities. Jason went fishing early in the AM while Bryce and I were still sleeping. Then Bryce groggily woke up, and went to see what the easter bunny had brought him and to find the eggs he hid for Bryce. He was really excited about his new Cars flashlight--he broke the other one and it had to be thrown away. He also liked his tumbling Curious George.
Then, it was off to my parents. We had a DELICIOUS dinner, my mom and Jason got along the entire day, and to top it all off, Bryce got to hunt eggs in their back yard. These eggs, however, had cold hard cash in them--for Bryce to spend at WDW. What a great Easter Bunny!!! Bryce learned through 2 previous egg hunts this season, that the plastic ones are hard to open, so below is a picture of how he manages this problem--He just stomps them open!!

Yes, it was freezing that day---notice Bryce wearing his winter jacket, not his spring one.