Let It Snow-Part 2

Tuesday we were treated to snow here in Round Rock. Emma had experienced playing in the snow (lots of it) back in December but never got to see it coming down.  Before 8am we were bundled up & walking around as it came down.  I was so excited to have this day off & this experience with her. At first it was a light blanket of snow that would wax & wane throughout the day.  Everytime the snow would start back up, we had to go outside.  Emma got such a kick of watching the snowflakes fall on the doggies fur, her little giggle was infectious.  By noon there was enough in the backyard to play with. She started throwing snowballs at me & the dogs. There was snow all over her slide & she decided to go down both of them, once landing in the puddle at the bottom.  Wet pants, shoes, socks, runny nose, did not stop her from playing. I had to bribe her with popcorn & princess DVD to come inside. We went outside about 6 times that day & went through 3 pairs of pants. Around 3p the last of the major flakes came down & we went back out to "catch" them with our hands & on our tongues which really had emma giggling. My favorite was when I asked her to count the snowflakes as they came down. Once I took off her shoes & socks I realized just how wet & cold she really was. It amazes me how they totally get so excited by things that they forget how cold they are. Trust me I was thinking about it a lot more than her.

Emmaisms: "Mommy its snowing come on lets go!"  "Its snowing time, its winter time now"

Disney Feb 2010

At the request of my friend RZ I am getting this up quicker than usual! So our Disney 2010 trip was terrific & will be well worth the 8 extra shifts I must work.



This time we stayed at Pop Century Resort, one of the value ones. Not as swanky as AKL, but I'm paying for it this time. Whats cool is that there are sections that represent each decade from the 1950's-1990's. We stayed in the 70's section with giant mood rings, 8 tracks, & big wheels. The theming is terrific & they play music from that decade. There was a giant outdoor twister area too. The weather could not make up its mind. It was warm (70's-80's & rainy) or cool & sunny. Thursday was a perfect day.


We arrived tuesday & decided to head to downtown disney for Emma to run around after being on the plane all morning. Rather than wait for a table we headed to the fish & chip shop for dinner & THEN to the ghiradelli ice cream shop. Emma helped daddy eat a brownie sundae while mommy had a chocolate ice cream soda. We walked around the shops & Emma rode the carosel a FEW times. As it started to get dark & windy Emma discovered the dancing fountains & decided to play in them :)


WED: IT was a cold and cloudy morning but we were off the MK to ride Small World & have breakfast in the Castle with the princesses. We got there early & watched the opening ceremony which was fun. WE made a b-line for Small world & were the 3rd & 4th people on it. In 1 hour we managed to ride it twice, peter pan, & the carosel twice. Then we had a delicious breakfast with cinderella. After that it was time for pirates & winnie the pooh. Not so sure about dumbo & snow white at this time. The best part for mommy was when Emma decided to dance in front of Cinderella's castle in the street party. We did the twist, we like to move it, shake your tailfeather & other dances. Emma loved watching the dancers & imitating them. We then headed back to DT disney to see my long time friend Jennifer & her girls. They rode the carosel, train & enjoyed playing in the fountains. We ended our time together doing a little princess shopping :0. That afternoon we hit AK & watched the parade. We took the train to Rafiki's planet watch & went the petting zoo. I got to go on Expedition Everest!! Our day ended going to see Meme & Aunt Erica at their hotel.


THURS: It was a gorgeous day so we decided to head to Epcot. Right after it opened Ryan was going to take Emma to met ALL the characters while I went to get fast passes. As I was walking away it hit me that I did NOT want to miss seeing Emma with all her favorite characters. It made me realize that I would enjoy that so much more than going on some ride. As emma walked up to each character (Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald, & Goofy)  tears started welling up as she hugged & kissed each of them. My little girl is growing up & to think I almost bypassed doing that so I could ride soarin! In a matter of 5 minutes Emma had seen all the major characters & I had moments I will always remember. The people there I am sure thought I was crazy for crying!
We got to ride some grown up rides like Test Track (first time ryan & i went on a ride by ourselves in a while!!!) & I got to go on Mission Space. Mission Space is awesome because you feel like you are actually lifting off. Emma hung out with Meme. WE went over to the living seas to ride the new Nemo ride & look at fish. Emma was a little scared but enjoyed it. She was starting to get a little testy so it was time for a little Its a Small World bribery!!! We met Aunt Erica back at the MK for more fun in fantasyland that day. Emma saw ghosts at the Haunted Mansion, went on a jungle cruise & pirates in Adventureland. Meme & Emma watched a parade while mommy, daddy, & erica went on big thunder mountain. We ended our day early so that Meme & Erica could go to Cirque de Soleil that night.


FRI: We headed off to AK for a jungle adventure. We got to see the opening ceremony & we headed straight for the Safari ride. We LOVE the safari ride. Where else do you get to ride in an all terrain open vehicle & go through Africa. We saw all the animals, lions, elephants, zebras, giraffes, & even a gorilla at the end! Mommy & Erica rode Expedition everest twice!!! We went to dinoland so emma could run around & play. We rode the dino ride (like dumbo only dinos) & emma ran around in the boneyard. The boneyard is a big play area with giant sand pits. Its a GREAT place to let kids let out some energy which I think is essential to a Disney trip. After that it was back to MK because a GIANT rainstorm was coming. We got to ride a monorail which thrilled Emma. About the time we hit mainstreet the storms were heading in. We made it over to Tomorrowland. There we rode buzz lightyear, watched the monsters inc laugh floor, & the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Mommy & Erica rode space mountain. Emma saw the race cars & decided she wanted to go on them. So, Aunt Erica braved the rain for emma to have the chance & she LOVED it. We ended our night in Fantasyland going on Dumbo, the carosel, & Snow White. Emma has not been in the MK while it is dark & was fascinated with the lights. At night they light the outside of the castle with different colors. She loved watching the castle "change" colors, it is quite beautiful in the MK at dusk.
We ended our trip with dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern. It has always been one of our favorites but disney decided to stop the character dinner. BUT for 3 weeks only it was back & so we decided at the last minute to go. The rain had improved our chances so we were lucky to get seated within 20 minutes. There we saw minnie mouse, pluto, & chip/dale.