M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

So, I have about 200 pictures from our Disney World vacation...I know, I know that is way less than anyone would have thought I would take (come on. . when working I take more than that in a couple of hours), but I made the decision not to stay behind the camera our entire vacation and REALLY be part of every awesome moment instead of the "fly on the wall" I try to usually be. So, the end result is less pictures, but I still have tons of stories to tell (and more pictures than I would have had in the good ole film days). Here are just a few... (I know I need to set up a picasa or something so I can share ALL of the pix)

Ruby waiting for us to leave Saturday night.

Ruby and Elvis's first glimpse of the Mouse himself!

(at the Garden Grill in Epcot...it rotates & totally makes you feel a little tipsy)

Elvis REALLY liked the characters! 

Elvis's first ever taste of chocolate (in the form of "dirt & worms", otherwise known as chocolate pudding, cookie crumbs, and gummie worms)

Waiting for our bus on our very first night. . .we had only been in the park since maybe 4pm...we had a LONG week ahead of us!

Ruby wasn't sure about the characters at first, but when it was a dining setting where we actually got to spend a little time with them she totally warmed up to them and enjoyed herself! 

Ruby and Elvis's first bath together. E just stared sitting up on his own really well & we didn't have his baby tub so we had to make due. 

Ruby was so insanely excited to go to PIZZA PLANET from the Toy Story movies. She had been talking about it for at least a month before our trip and has asked to go back a few times since we have been back home! 

Ruby at Minnie Mouse's sewing machine ... hello ? AT MINNIE'S HOUSE!!! In Toon Town they have Minnie's house, Mickey's house,and...

YOU CAN MEET TINKERBELL!!!!! This is a Disney FIRST. Never before have you been able to meet her. . .the line was long (though not as long if it had been the middle of summer), about an hour, but we MET TINK!!! I think I may have been just as excited as Ruby was. Oh yes! We "flew" to Pixie Hollow while being "shrunk"  down to fairy size with pixie dust! It was so COOL! Incidentally, Tinkerbell was the ONLY character that Ruby IMMEDIATELY took to. They had a conversation, hugged, and posed like super models! FABULOUS!

Those are only the pix from the first half of our Disney Adventure...and I have a few funny little stories to share, but I'll post again later! 

xoxo

We're Baa-aak!

I have SOOO much to tell about our AMAZING vacation to the happiest place on earth where we learned to "celebrate" ourselves every day....but, I'm just wiped out from all of our relaxation! Look back in the next few days for some fun stories and pictures! 

xoxo

Disney World Here We Come!

Ruby on It's A Small World at Disney World in July of 2007, 8 months old

 Alex and Me at Disneyland in front of Sleeping Beauty's Castle 

(We had SEASON PASSES when we lived in LA. . we were there AT LEAST every 2 weeks)

Well, our countdown calendar is down to one ring! We leave for Walt Disney World tomorrow night after the babies' bed time ritual! I've slept for a total of 2 night's sleep in the past 7 days, so this couldn't come too soon (last night I fell asleep AT the dinner table and Alex took care of Ruby & Elvis all night and woke me up at 4.30 this morning so I could get something, anything, done before they wake up...hince the 5 am post). I WILL NOT be blogging while on vacation because I will be reveling in 24/7 (yes, 7 whole days...actually 9 if you count travel time) time with my family! No blogging, no laundry, no cooking, no cleaning (though I'm usually really anal about keeping hotel rooms clean)...the most strenuous activity that I plan on doing is nursing baby Elvis! I'm not even going to drive. That is my and Alex's trade off. I've been staying up until he wakes up (4.30 am) every night preparing, so he drives to and from Orlando!  I'm feeling so good right now, I think I'll even take the kids to the spraypark to see their friends today before we go! YAY! 

xoxo

Ruby's New Shoes

Tuesday night my Mom, Honey as Ruby calls her, picked up Ruby and took her to my sister Becca's softball practice so I could go get my hair cut before our vacation. What a blessing it is to have loving family so close by! Of course, Honey cannot resist Ruby and her 2 year old mind control, especially when it is something so insanely cute she is asking for (sometimes it is more like telling, I have to admit). Ruby had been on a tear for weeks about wanting cleats, knee pads and a softball uniform like her Nana Becca's. Well, the knee pads and uniform were taken care of a few weekends ago while at a tournament...what's left? CLEATS! Can you believe they make cleats that little? I guess she is almost 3 (not until October) and the little ones can start playing cleat requiring sports at 3. At 3, really? NO NO NO! This is going too fast! I read once that it is actually a physical inevitability having something to do with the brains firing speed or something that causes the perception of time to speed up rapidly over the years! OH this is horrible! I want my week to feel like a week felt in 2nd grade, like an ETERNITY. I swear I'm going to lose it when Ruby makes it to the age I can actually remember, that is getting way too close! Enough of my freak out, back to the cleats. When Alex got home yesterday evening we played outside to let Ruby break in her new shoes. They actually do make her faster. In regular shoes her run is a funny little girl run, but in those cleats it looks like a real run! The only thing we are going to have to work on is that she wants to WASH her cleats the MOMENT they get dirty...in my opinon cleats are better dirty...that's why we have a special bag for them that is water, dirt, and foot odor proof! 

Three cheers for Ruby and her new shoes...her first pair of cleats!

xoxo 

My Cup Overfloweth...with CUTENESS

I came downstairs Monday morning to find this, the most adorable thing I've ever seen! Alex had them watching BOLT (for the hundredth time before we mailed it back to Netflix). Sometimes I just don't know what to do. . melt, coo, cry, laugh. . .so I just grab my camera. You KNOW I took about 100 frames of this from EVERY angle! 

Big Sister + Baby Brother = LOVE

This week I had a lot to deal with sitting at my desk on my computer. As if getting ready for our FIRST vacation as a family isn't enough work, I had a slight hiccup with my photography business that became far too personal (long story that I may never have the energy to tell). A few mornings ago while I was making a quick trip online, Ruby decided to feed Elvis. She did such a good job I just let her help him finish his breakfast. She is such a wonderful big sister and there is a most amazing love in his eyes for her! Ruby's first name to call (other than Mama and Dada) was Becca...I just know Elvis's will be RUBY (he's already trying to make the R sound). Love to my little loves! xoxo

Ruby is SILLY!

Ruby feels right at home with our new furniture. 

Our new couch is SOOOOO much more comfortable (and bouncier) than our old yucky futon!

Here is the full view just in case  you are interested. 

Ruby put on one leg of my PJ pants as if it were an evening gown.

She used the hanger string as "straps".

I recently overheard Ruby "reading" the bible: "Jesus went to the market and he bought some cheese to bring home to Mary."

A few days ago Ruby got stuck taking off her shirt: "I'm a chicken! HELP, I'm a chicken!" (her arms were stuck in a chicken wing inside her sleeves)

Anytime Ruby is at a loss for words she goes to these: "I've got a bobo. It's right here. Look at my bobo. I think I need a bandaid."

Ruby and I had a pretty rough day today, neither of us had any patience with the other. As the Mommy, I should have kept my cool & set the example, but didn't. It didn't bother Elvis one bit, he just sat back and watched (& laughed at) "the Ruby & Mommy Show".  It is days like this one, where I wasn't the mom I could be, that make me realize just how good the good days are. I need to sit down and count my blessings one by one! Ruby being silly is one of many!

xoxo