This past week was my first real trip to Disney World. I went for a day and a half about five years ago but that trip was organized by someone else and I didn’t even realize Disney World wasn’t just ONE PARK until I walked into Magic Kingdom for the first time. I spent half a day there, half a day and MGM (Now Hollywood) Studios, and half a day at Animal Kingdom. It was a whirlwind and we didn’t do a whole lot since we had so little time in each park. So…I call this past week my FIRST trip to Disney World. EVER. And let me tell you, there were definitely times where my enthusiasm and my excitement rivaled NikkiZ’s.

First off…NikkiZ is the perfect age for Disney. She’s old enough to understand lines and why they’re annoying. She can decide whether something or someONE is worth the long wait. She does fine without her nap and her schedule can be disrupted without total meltdowns. However, she’s also young enough to believe in the magic of it all. She didn’t question (too much) the fact that we saw Mickey in a parade about five minutes after this picture was taken. And he was in a different outfit.

But for every princess she met? My heart fluttered a bit too. I’m old enough to understand that yes – those two Ariel’s we met? Were not the same person. Yet I got totally thrilled meeting both of them. And I referred to them as Ariel and made sure NikkiZ got BOTH of their autographs. I also wished I had my own autograph book. I didn’t get to meet my two favorites (Eeyore and Pocahontas) – but if I had? I might have just had them sign my shirt or something.

After NikkiZ got her face painted I decided I wanted it done too. I wasn’t going to let her have ALL the fun. I rode roller coasters with MrZ even though I hate them. I even kinda liked Space Mountain. But Everest at Animal Kingdom? No thank you. I kept my eyes closed the entire time. We saw amazing 3D shows that had me laughing and great stage shows that had me Ooooh’ing and Aaaah’ing. While NikkiZ is definitely the perfect age for Disney, there’s something to be said about going for the first time as an adult. We can’t afford to go every year. And it’s not much of a vacation since you come back feeling like you’ve been run over by a heard of elephants for 3 months straight. (I’m sure the 13.1 miles didn’t help.) But we WILL go again. As soon as AndyZ hits that magical age. I may not be a as swept away the next time, but I will meet Eeyore and Pocahontas and will surely giggle a bit when that happens.

First and foremost – I finished the race! It wasn’t entirely perfect as I was battling a nasty shin splint from the day before at the Magic Kingdom. I ran the first 8 miles no problem and then walked about 25% of miles 9-12 and then ran most of the last mile. I’m proud of myself considering my training was HORRIBLE. I’ll give your more details later. But for now…here’s a cell phone picture from the finish.

We haven’t gone through all of our pictures since we’re still here but I wanted to show you all a few so far. I have a lot to say about the race, my Dad and this trip. But for now? Adorable pictures.

Well, let me start by saying Friday’s experiment did not go well. It turns out I can not STAND too much uncontrolled chaos. I’m great for controlled chaos; but the toys in every room, dogs eating crayons left out during art projects and kids building forts out of blankets and furniture is not my kind of chaos. Give me fingerpainting on the table or sidewalk chalk on the driveway – small portions of controlled chaos – any day of the week. Full-reign insanity? No, thank you. Some of the toughest trials in motherhood is finding out that just because another Mother does it, and does it well? Doesn’t necessarily mean it’s for you. AND THAT’S OKAY.

Now…onto the weekend from hell. When my in-laws came over for dinner last night, we spent the first 30 minutes discussing the long list of injuries our children had sustained in the last 48 hours. It was one of those weekends. This was how adorable my son was Sunday morning. And by “adorable” I mean “so pitiful it will break your heart.”

But that? Was a HUGE improvement to Saturday when he wouldn’t walk at all and opted instead to scoot/crawl anywhere he needed to go.

See…on Friday night (while I was picking up LilZ from the mall) AndyZ evidently decided to jump off the coffee table. MrZ says he landed flat on his feet but that he immediately grabbed his right leg and was all, “OOOOOOWWWWW!” I got home a short while later and he was still in a bit of pain. No swelling, no bruising, but he wouldn’t put any weight on it. He eventually fell asleep and we decided if he was hurt too bad he wouldn’t be able to sleep. The next morning when he woke up? He still wouldn’t put weight on it. And when I did the Smoosh Parts Of The Leg test where you try to find exactly where it hurts? He screamed bloody murder when I touched his shin. I decided we should head to the ER.

After two sets of X-Rays it was decided he hadn’t broken anything and that he had a hefty sprain. Where? They don’t know. Without swelling, bruising, or consistent responses to pain in a specific area – impossible to tell. But, we were supposed to keep giving him ibuprofen and to encourage, but not FORCE him to walk. Saturday? There was no walking because the only way we could get him to take any steps was to hold his hand and…well…force him to walk. So, he whined/fussed/moaned a lot and was carried a lot. It was so sad.

Sunday morning he did better, which was what I recorded above. He started walking holding on to walls and furniture, and by the end of the day it was just a wobble/limp slowing him down. I’m expecting him to be 100% by the time we leave for the half-marathon in Orlando on Thursday night. (He’s staying here since a 10 minute car ride makes him miserable – so an 11-hour one was out of the question.)

NikkiZ had her own set of issues with an gingivital abscess erupting in her mouth. Supposedly they grow from some sort of trauma (scratch, cut, etc) but we can’t pinpoint any one incident recently that could have started it. She falls down a lot. Not necessarily because she’s clumsy, but because she’s insane. She’s constantly doing some sort of crazy run/dance/flip routine that has her crashing into people, animals and furniture. Who knows. And the other injury? When she survived the attack from Lord Voldemort, of course.

She tells the story like this, “I was riding on brother’s shoulders and I couldn’t say, ‘red light!’ so I ran into a tree.” Hee. She was on his shoulders and a freaky stray branch from a very small tree got her in the face. He felt awful, especially when she came out wearing a huge bandaid over the scratch.

It’s been a rough weekend. I just paused writing this entry as AndyZ woke up (it’s 4:50 am) so I did the thing I always do. I made him some yogurt and we sat on the couch to cuddle and eat. WE DO THIS EVERY MORNING. Maybe it’s his leg, maybe it’s a case of the Mondays – but he is cranky and is starting the week/day off great by screaming for yogurt, “MORE YOGURT!” but then when I go to feed him he says, “NO YOGURT!” and shakes his head. Over and over and over again. AND OVER AGAIN SOME MORE. When I threaten to throw it away he says, “No, Mommy! More yogurt!” Wash. Rinse. Repeat. TIMES 90 MILLION. Fast-forward 45 minutes (or has it been 23 years?) and the cycle is still going.

It’s going to be a long day. But I guess as long as we make it through without any more injuries? Then it’s better than the weekend. Right?

Injuries to my own sanity of course, don’t count.

This winter has been rough on a lot of people for serious reasons: Feet of snow, lack of power, sickness from being trapped inside with looming treacherous weather outdoors. We’ve had none of those things here. However, that’s why I like to live in the South. I can NOT handle extreme cold or clouds or snow. I like my winters mild and dry. And that’s usually how they are. But this winter? Has been rough for Alabama. While we’ve not had the feet of snow, we’ve had enough cold and ice that our state has been shut down on several occasions. Our kids have already missed so much school that the big talk around town is how far the year will now have to be extended to make up for it. And the extended school year aside? My mood has been CRAPPY. I hate gray skies and I hate jackets. I hate cold muddy ground or frozen pavement. It all makes me beyond grumpy as I’ll take the hot, humid summers of Alabama and day of the week over any sort of cold or snow. MISERABLE. That has been me. With a capital MISERABLE.

(Yes. I know. You with the real winters are rolling your eyes. Just like I do when you say that 85 degrees is hot.)

This weekend, however, was BEAUTIFUL. With a capital BEAUTIFUL. Sunny and 70. I did as much outside between Friday morning and Sunday afternoon as humanly possible. We went to parks, we played with chalk, we dug in the dirt and we hung out at the Botanical Gardens. I feel rejuvenated. I feel like I can handle weeks of gray and cold now. Which is a good thing because the forecast for this week? GRAY AND COLD.

How about you? What type of climate is the best for your emotional state? The South is really great for me, but Tucson would probably be perfect. I love being hot and sweaty. I love the sun. I hate the rain and the clouds. And the winter? Can totally kiss my booty. What about you? What’s your perfect climate? Are you living in it? If you’re not…how much does this affect your mood?

There’s a small “park” next to the Publix we shop at. It has a nice covered picnic area, some outdoor exercise equipment, a big open field, and one small play structure with one tallish curly slide. We go there a lot. It’s an easy park to play at because there’s shade, space, and non-lethal play equipment. It is the first slide NikkiZ did by herself – and as of this weekend? The first slide AndyZ did alone.

Giving a child freedom on a play structure is a very hard thing to do. They always have openings that lead to poles to slide down, or ladders that are not suitable for small children. However, no child wants their parent going down the slide with them once they feel brave enough to do it alone. After one or two nail-biting moments (for me) AndyZ got the hang of doing the entire journey, from steps to slide, by himself. I stood near the one dangerous opening – either on top or at the bottom – just in case he decided to try to escape that way. But for the most part? I just watched and took pictures of my big boy. With his new big boy haircut. And his big boy shoes. And – OH MY GOD, WHERE IS MY BABY?

He is not brave enough to walk on the top level, but he’ll crawl!

Sure you’re gonna be okay, Mom? You don’t look so good.


Do I have the all clear down there?


Moe Side! Moe Side!

Repeat this cycle of photos 19 million times and you have our park outing Friday afternoon. Loads of fun even if it was a bit repetitive. NikkiZ thinks the play structure is a bit boring but she loves the outdoor exercise equipment. At one point she said, “Mom. This is way more fun than home.”

I know, kid. I know.