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Another Big Bite

Another Big Bite

Tag Archives: vacation

Faith, Trust, (a reasonably large sum of money) and Pixie Dust – Disneyland Part 2

27 Friday Jun 2014

Posted by anotherbigbite in Nerd Alert, On the Road Again, The "Joy" of Parenting

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Tags

california adventure, disneyland, parenting, tower of terror, Travel, traveling with kids, vacation

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Our second day at Disneyland was a bit of a rough start.  Little people didn’t get quite enough sleep.  Coffee was not consumed early enough.  Hoards of people flocked to the gates an hour early for Disneyland’s early opening.  We were among them.  We were dragging… Quite a bit.

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Alice (very appropriately) snatched up a shiny red apple from the breakfast spread at the hotel.  Today was a day that I had been looking forward to for weeks; we had reservations to dine with the princesses at Ariel’s Grotto.  I brought along Alice’s Snow White dress for the occasion.  About two weeks before we left, I had a moment of extreme, dorkheimer clarity where I resolved to match the little lady.  No, I wasn’t going to wear the same dress…  I was just going to be “inspired” by Alice’s outfit.  Brace yourselves for the onslaught of nerdyness…

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Seriously, if a grown woman can’t dress up as Snow White at Disneyland, the world is a very unfair place.  I was later asked by a perky girl in her early twenties if I was “Disneybounding as Snow White, cause that is, like, so. SO. CUTE.”  Now I know that dressing in a regular outfit “inspired” by a Disney character isn’t just, like, a thing, and, like, so. SO. CUTE, but it has a name; Disneybounding.  And after it was brought to my attention, I realized there were scads of people doing the very same type of thing I was.  And all of them were a decade younger than me.  Even when I don’t even know it, I’m trying too hard.

Not pictured: Finn... Who was pouting in the corner, refusing to take a pic with Mickey.  Again.

Not pictured: Finn… Who was pouting in the corner, refusing to take a pic with Mickey. Again.

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Before we got around to having breakfast (at 9:30, which is damn near lunch time when you wake up at the ass crack of dawn to dress as Disney characters), we caved to Finn’s ever-increasing insistence that he go on The Tower of Terror.  It is aptly named; you get on an elevator in a run-down, haunted, cursed hotel only to shot up 130 feet and shot back down.  Again.  And again.  And again.  Normally, this kinda thing is my jam, but when you involve your naive five-year-old, the momma bear instict kicks in.

We tried talking him out of it.  I made him watch a Youtube video of the ride (which only made him more intent on going).  We resorted to begging, pleading and swearing that it was the scariest ride in the park (it is).  At the end of it all, we decided that the only way to get him to understand how scary it really is was to let him have his way and go on the ride.  He’d learn the hard way.

I gave him every opportunity to back out; all the way up to getting in the actual elevator.  He insisted.  And after buckling in, I realized all this time I had worried about it FOR HIM, I had forgotten just how scary it was going to be FOR ME.  We got in, I got the camera rolling, wrapped my arm around Finny and then started to panic.  But only on the inside.  A few seconds later, I was panicking on the outside, too.

And it was ugly.  Like, nostril-flaring, chin-quivering, ugly-faced crying UGLY.  Wanna see?  Yes.  Yes, you do.

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And it only got worse…

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All the while, Finn never made a peep.  Big eyes, one hand clutched to me and the other one in his mouth.  He was braver than I.  And when we got off, he was peachy.  My leg was shaking like a Nokia on vibrate.  Finn wanted to go again.

“Mom.  MOM.  I forgot to scream!  I was so brave that I didn’t even scream.  We have to go on it again! ”

Just in case you want to listen to me completely lose my shit, here is a minute of video.  Of me screaming.  And Finn’s eyes as big as saucers.  My dad will totally watch it.  And that’s probably all.  Sidebar; this is the worst I have ever looked on camera.  And the one screaming the loudest and the longest?  Yeah… That’d be me.

Right after Tower of Terror, we headed over to breakfast.  Where Alice was decidedly in hog heaven.

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Princess after princess came and went.  Alice was too excited to care much about her food.  I was too excited to care about how much it was costing us since we were saving hours of waiting in line to get autographs and pictures with Alice’s celebrities.

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The only one she couldn’t quite warm up to was Belle (I think it was the giant dress), but Finn was quite smitten.  Cue the blushing.

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Sadly, Tiana was nowhere to be found.  Alice was pretty let down about that, but when we told her we’d get to meet Rapunzel the next day, she leveled off.

And finally; mercifully, Nathan got some coffee in his system.

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It’s good to be king.

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We headed to Cars Land to use our passes at the Radiator Springs Racers.  This is the newest and (what seems to be) the most popular attraction in the whole park.  Since Alice was too small to ride, Nathan and Finn went first, followed by me flying solo.  Trying to explain the Fastpass system, baby swap and wait times to a five-year-old that so desperately wants to ride again sent Finny into a frenzy…  He threw a monumental tantrum.  Nathan ushered me on my way and Finn booked after me, darting through the crowds faster than a dad with a toddler could chase after him.  By the time I met back up with them, Finn and Alice were both (still) bawling and we beelined it for the park’s exit.

Once the kids had napped, they were in much better spirits.  By that time, it was Nathan and I’s turn to have our own tantrums.  It came to a head on our walk to McDonald’s.  Nathan resolved to take Alice in one direction while Finn and I went in another.  We managed to hold it together for a meal.  After Finn remarked that “Daddy isn’t going to leave with Alice; it’s all just a joke,” we both had calmed down, parental guilt weighing on our shoulders.  Honestly, there really isn’t much a handful of carbs and a box of McNuggets can’t fix when you’re on vacation.

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Poof.  Everything was perfect again.

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We took in Mickey and Minnie’s houses over at Toon Town…

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And I managed to snap two of the most adorable pics of Nathan and the kids that night.  Sure, they might not be in focus, but to me; they’re perfect.

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Knowing we still had a third day to conquer, we headed back to the hotel around ten and hoped for a better start the following day.

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After riding everything we’d missed in Fantasyland, Adventureland and taking in Big Thunder Mountain, we rafted over to The Pirate’s Lair.  To me, it will always be Tom Sawyer Island.  There weren’t many people over there; we explored the caves, bridges and the island’s bathrooms in relative peace.

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Just before we made our final stop of the day, we scarfed down Dole Whips outside the Tiki Room.  Then we settled in to watch the story of Tangled at The Royal Theatre.  Man, Disney puts the Renaissance Fairs to shame.  It was hilarious and the kids both enjoyed themselves.

After the show, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider came out to meet us.  Alice was shy.  And hey; Flynn Rider made me blush, too.

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And that's not even him doing "the smolder."

And that’s not even him doing “the smolder.”

The kids were tiring out and we made the wise choice to head on out before things got ugly.  Sadly (though not as sadly as when I leave Disney World), we bid Disneyland adieu.  And made it our life’s mission to make it to Vegas before nightfall.

Success?  Yes.  Two happy kids.  Two exhausted but happy parents.  And totally worth that reasonably large sum of money.

And for those of you still standing, please hold on to the handrails throughout our journey and check out Part 1 of our Disneyland adventure.  And please stand clear of the doors.

 

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Congress Blows Goats. So Let’s Go on Vacation! (Part 1)

08 Tuesday Oct 2013

Posted by anotherbigbite in On the Road Again, Out of Doors, The "Joy" of Parenting

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Tags

black canyon, camping, colorado, family, government shutdown, gunnison, monarch pass, nature, ouray, outdoors, park, road trip, rv, rving, Travel, traveling with kids, vacation

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Like nearly a million other people, we found ourselves with some extra time off last week.  Never one to pass up the opportunity to hit the road, we decided to get out of Dodge again.

After toying with (and sadly abandoning) the idea to truck out to Arizona to see my dad, we decided to stay a little closer to home and check out Ouray, Colorado.  Ouray is the ice climbing capital of the world, apparently.  Since it is past Labor Day, and nowhere near ice climbing season, we figured it would be a good time to visit.  And whoo-hoo, we were not disappointed at all.

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We took our time getting things together on THursday, and consequently only made it two hours to Buena Vista.  Since we had such a great time when we went there a few months ago, we decided to check out the same “free” campsite we had found.  Not surprisingly, there wasn’t a soul around for miles and we backed in around midnight.  When we woke up the next morning, the rain I thought I had heard was actually snow…  Finn was mighty pleased and was thrilled to be back at the same campsite.  Writing your name in the snow with your own pee may have had something to do with his excitement.

After breakfast at the Brown Dog Coffee Company in Buena Vista (seriously the best raspberry scone I had ever had), we pressed on to Gunnison.  We passed this amazing display of playground awesomeness; holy crap!  How could we not stop?  Three story tube slide?  Don’t mind if I do.

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The slide was awesome; and even Nathan and I were grinning ear-to-ear and racing back up to the top for more.  It was FAST… Alice could have done it all day, but one trip for Finn was enough.  He had his eyes on the rock wall.  And loved going down the swirly slide…. Which knocked him on his ass more than a few times.

Wipeout in 3.... 2..... 1....

Wipeout in 3…. 2….. 1….

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After a disappointing lunch at Pizza Hut (shock; I know) and hitting three separate Walmarts in 24 hours, we finally managed to inch our way up Monarch Pass.  A temporary road sign alerted us to the icy conditions ahead.  No more than three minutes later, we were driving through a decent snow…  And when we saw a bunch of cars and a crew of people milling about the pull out just shy of the pass, I thought of one thing.

Shit.  We didn’t bring chains.  It is barely even October.

Nathan must have been thinking the same thing; he pulled over to get the latest from the folks coming the opposite direction.  They all looked pretty grumpy and were furiously brushing off the snow from their vehicles.  When we got a little closer, and I started rolling down my window to talk to the nearest guy, I got that feeling that something was a little off…

All the cars were blacked out; Mercedes and tank-like trucks were surrounded by a clan of guys decked out in tactical gear; fatigues, guns, knives, bullet-proof vests.  Holy shit.  What had we just rolled up on?

“Uh… Is it really bad?  You guys needed chains?”  I sorta muttered to this guy who was obviously NOT in the military but had enough weapons to make it through the third round of the zombie apocalypse.  I start to notice the truck behind him is armoured and clearly ready to plow through a shower of bullets, machetes or anyone else, alive or dead, that stands in its path.

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“Nah..  Just a little slippery,” he tells us with a ridiculous level of nonchalance considering all the heat he is packing.

Nathan chimes in (in his “I’m an official bad-ass, and I know something is amiss” voice), “Are you a cop?  That pattern on your uniform is the new Special Forces stuff.”

A few more seconds into the conversation, and we’re told that they are in Monarch Pass filming The Fast and the Furious 7 (Whaaaaat?  THE SEVENTH MOVIE?  I must be living under a rock, and not following Vin Diesel’s career as closely as I could be.).  The snow has made it impossible to film.  After Nathan and I breathe a sigh of relief,  Nae asks him about the knife holstered in the front of his vest.

“Nah, man.  Just rubber, he bends the handle in half and I am amazed at how real it looks.  And how bizarre it is that this guy just “bent” his knife in half.  “Guns, knives, all of it is just rubber.”

“Are those trucks the real deal, too?” I ask.

“Nah, they’re empty.  No heaters, no radios, just shells.  Sucks, man.”  He smiles.

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When he asks where we’re headed, and we tell him we’re really not sure, he wishes us well, and tells us it isn’t too slippery up ahead, but we’re gonna get pretty dirty.  Of course, they’re worried about getting dirty.  We didn’t care.  He wishes us well and gives us a very cliché thumbs-up.  We wish him luck for the movie and drive off.  Over the next half hour, we pass three or four sets of identical black cars in triplicate – bigger trucks, and THE Vin Diesel car (or so I think, I’ve stopped caring about Fast and the Furious since I’ve had kids).

“If I cared about Facebook, I would totally put this up there,” Nae tells me.  I totally agree.

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Alice drifted off to sleep, and we got to see evidence of Congress’ work ethic.  Every pull-off for the recreation areas, and Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, was shuttered up.

Fuck you very much, Congress.  Three cheers for our Nation’s leaders.

We stopped by the Dillon Pinnacles…

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And the Blue Mesa Dam.

And took in the sights of the Black Canyon.  From the road.  Since that is the closest we could get.

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By late afternoon, we pulled into Ouray and were taken aback at how picturesque it was…  It was like living in a movie.  Only not The Fast and the Furious.

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We took a quick tour around town and decided we would come back the next morning when everything was open.

Stay tuned for more!

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The Disney Diaries; Part 3

24 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by anotherbigbite in On the Road Again, The "Joy" of Parenting

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Tags

animal kingdom, disney, disney world, dumbo, family, fireworks, florida, mickey mouse, parenting, Travel, traveling with kids, vacation

Our third day at the park was a mixed bag. We had done most of what we hoped to at Magic Kingdom, and lots at Epcot, but hadn’t made it to Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios yet.

For the record – we still call “The Studios” by its real name; MGM. That is what it is and what it forever shall be to me; though in a few years, when I call it MGM, the kids will probably give me the same perplexed look that I get from the Sandwich Artists at Subway when I ask them to cut the bread “the old way.”  Those high school kids didn’t have enough teeth to eat a Spicy Italian when Subway cut their bread like a boat, and my kids hadn’t been born when Disney’s Hollywood Studios was MGM Studios. What can I say?  I’m getting to be quite the old stick in the mud, eh?

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The last time we had been to Animal Kingdom, Finny had just turned two and he LOVED it.  Thinking back on it, I have no idea why it was such a wonderful experience for the three of us.  Without asking ourselves this question before we left the hotel room, we blindly boarded the bus to AK assuming the same magic would be in store for us on this trip.

Notsomuch.

It was hot.  Really hot.  While most of the cool stuff to see at Magic Kingdom and Epcot is showcased within glorious, air-conditioned splendor, almost everything at AK is outside.  It is also the biggest park; all three other theme parks could fit comfortably inside it’s walls with room to spare, and its biggest attraction, Kilimanjaro Safaris, is as big as the entire Magic Kingdom.  Oh, it is awesome, and worth the wait but it, too, is also outside.

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Our first stop was to meet Mickey & Minnie Mouse.  Over the course of our five-minute wait in line, Finny went from an excited little human to a bona fide, tyrannical monster.  He refused to even look at Mickey, have him sign his autograph book or face the camera for a picture.  Knowing Alice was a little out of sorts with the characters in general, we knew she wasn’t going to be thrilled, either.  She warmed up to Minnie just a smidge, but still clung to Nathan like a baby gorilla.  And of course Finny burst into another round of hysterics the second after we walked out of the room, wailing “I wanna go back in there and see Mickey!!  Pleeaaaase, puhlease!”

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We figured his blood sugar could use a boost; how about some ice cream?  While we waited in line, he decided to put himself in a time-out.  He marched off to the adjacent tables, whipped off his hat, popped on a chair, spun around, crossed his arms and hurumph-ed.  He sat there, ignoring us, for four or five minutes.  My brother Mike was there, and I think we may have made enough of an impression that Finny and Alice should not hold their breath for any cousins from Uncle Mike.

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We swam through the sea of sweaty bodies to see some of the animals, tried our luck with Tigger and Pooh, but ultimately decided to cut our losses and head to Rainforest Cafe for lunch on our way out of the park.  The air-conditioning and fake animals proved to be more of a crowd-pleaser than the natural climate and real animals, but I was far beyond caring.  We slunk back to the hotel, way overdue for naps.

While the kids snoozed, Mike and Jeremy indulged one of my newest forms of geekery; Disney pin trading (click on it if you are scratching your head).  In my defense, I plead temporary Disney-Insanity and I could not care less for the whole thing now that I am home…  I bought pins on Ebay for Finny to trade with the cast members, but once I realized he was not half as into it as I had hoped he would be, someone had to pick up the slack.

Before we left, I scoffed at the lah-hoose-a-hers who were so enamored with swapping enameled pins bearing Mickey’s likeness.  “Don’t be overwhelmed if you haven’t traded before,” one of the blog posts I read about it encouraged.  “Just pick a particular character or series of pins that you would like to collect.  Happy hunting!!”  I mentally rolled my eyes.  But then we got there – shit, I was a woman with purpose.

Alicia, my sister-in-law, apparently got caught up in the hype, too.  By the second or third day, her and Rick had bought enough pins that made them look like Mr. T out to pin-trade the shit out of Disney World.  Alicia and I spotted a super cute pin with a Royal Guardsman on it, and traded for it.  (They used to live in England, and she pines for it now.)  Upon toting our lanyards burdened with pins on our adults-only jaunt to Downtown Disney’s bars, it was promptly lost.  All of us kept our eyes out for another one – but since they are out of production, there was little hope of finding a replacement.

That is where The King Pin came into play.  This guy, a Disney employee, sounded like a sure thing.  I thought he’d be a nerdy guy sitting behind a folding table covered with books and books of pins…  Not quite.  He was a tall African-American gentleman with a warm smile and a little messenger bag covered in pins.  His smaller-than-planned collection didn’t matter, though.  He had it.  The Royal Guardsman pin.  And yes, I actually squealed.

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I texted Rick.  I found it.  Within a few seconds, he texted back.  Alicia is freaking out.  Is it her pin?

Turns out, Alicia had actually retraced her steps at Downtown Disney from the night before.  She suspiciously eyed every cast member’s pin lanyard in hopes they had found it lying on the ground from the night before.  Do I need to point out that she fits into our family perfectly?

That night, Alicia and were super excited.  We had pulled out some major flirtage with the concierge at the hotel to secure a spot in the highly coveted VIP fireworks viewing patio at Magic Kingdom.  We wanted to thank my parents for springing for an amazing room, and a stupid picture frame was not going to cover it.  The ‘Rents weren’t planning on visiting the parks that day; they have friends in Florida who they were meeting for dinner.  We sprung for tickets for the four of them to join us at Magic Kingdom for this mysterious, undisclosed activity.

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I am cursed by this camera. Every damn time we take an important picture, it decides it needs a coffee break. Now I will have to buy the photo that Disney took. Sigh.

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While we waited for my parents and company to meet us, we took another crack at meeting Mickey mouse.  This time, the kids were on their A game and it was a tidy little memory to tuck into our back pockets.  All of us were riding high on the successful meet and greet, and upon exiting through the gift shop (obviously…), Finny picked out a sorcerer Mickey hat (his “sorcering hat,” I’ll have you know) and Alice snatched up a stuffed Minnie.  Never in my life have I been to a place where you are happier to part with your money.

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After Mickey, we took the kids to the new Dumbo ride.  It is the same ride it has always been – a fleet of flying pachyderms rotating around an axis, but Disney proved exactly why they are as fantastic as they are with its refurbishment.  Now there are two Dumbo rides – so your time waiting should theoretically be cut in half, but it is even better than that.  Instead of waiting in line in the hot sun, they hand you a pager, you park your sweaty ass in an air-conditioned circus tent, and watch your little minions play in an indoor playground that makes McDonalds’ Playplaces look like a puke-encrusted frat house basement.  When it is your turn, they page you, and poof!  It is your turn to yank your children away from this…

1 disney 15To go for a spin on this…

Alice was so completely enamored with the ride that she would grunt and reach for anything else with Dumbo on it for the rest of the trip.  I can’t really blame her.  Yes, you just sit in a little car shaped like an elephant and spin around in a circle, but the whole setup is jaw-droppingly beautiful with the fountains, two fleets of circling, candy-colored Dumbos and happy, happy kids…

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Photobomb success.  Finally.

Photobomb success. Finally.

We met up with our parents during the Main Street Electrical Parade.  Alice and Finny had excellent views atop our shoulders.  Alice waved to everyone and everything in the parade.  My threshold for pain has skyrocketed since having the kids.  I might be super uncomfortable, but when you have a toddler who cannot contain her excitement for ladybugs, Cinderella and dragons covered in twinkling lights, you bet your sweet pippy I’ll ignore the burning pain in my shoulders from her shimmying tushie until the last float passes.

We inched along Main Street to get to the VIP area at a snail’s pace.  There were thousands of people trying to exit the park and even more vying for a good spot to watch the fireworks.  I am ashamed to say I got into a bit of a tiff with a very unhappy gentleman who decided to scream at me to get out of his way.  But it was nothing that a healthy jab to his shins with the stroller didn’t remedy (that fucker… do NOT, under any circumstances, get on the bad side of a mother with a stroller at her disposal).

When we finally got there, there was some confusion to our reservation.  Apparently we were on a special list, and not the regular one.  I was thisclose to losing it, especially after the dude who accidentally got ran over by my stroller, but it was fine in the end.  As they pulled the velvet braided nylon rope aside, I got a major feeling of superiority.  We left the riff-raff behind and had an enormous expanse of concrete with tables, chairs and a perfect view of the castle to share with about thirty other people.  Every time I have seen the fireworks at Magic Kingdom, it was always while straining my neck and pressed up against more than one sweaty body that I didn’t know.  The kids had room to run around and expel some energy this time.

What it really looked like beyond rope...

What it really looked like beyond rope…

Finny's very accurate rendition

Finny’s very accurate rendition

This was the life.

After the unequaled view of the fireworks (shoutout to you, Ryan from Escondido, CA, for scoring us the seats!!), Alice fell asleep and we took Finn on the Astro Orbiter (another Dumbo-esqe ride).

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Then he got to drive one of the go-carts at the Tomorrowland Speedway.

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Never drink [apple juice] and drive, boys and girls.

Never drink [apple juice] and drive, boys and girls.

“When we get home, Dad, I can drive your car.  See?  I’m doing a good job!”  Finny proclaimed as he swerved around the track.

It was an excellent end to our last day in Magic Kingdom.  We grabbed one of the legendary caramel apples on our way out of the park and started to mentally prepare for the next day – our last official day of vacation, and the LONG trip home the day after that.

Even though I totally thought I would rip through The Disney Diaries in three installments, it looks like there is still one more in store.  (Lucky you.)  If you are getting sick of the second consecutive week of Disney memories, pipe down and let me ride out what remains of my post-Disney World glow.

Glow?  Who am I kidding?  It’s a sunburn; with just a teeny side of exhaustion.

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Chatting About Poop with a Pastor

05 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by anotherbigbite in From the Kitchen, Party Hearty, The "Joy" of Parenting

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

cake, kids, parenting, party, vacation, wrigley field

We are finally back from Chicago…  The Alice Elizabeth North American Tour has completed its Midwest leg.  The christening was a success, she looked great in her dress, the cake was delicious (and quite cute), and nobody tripped and fell while walking up the pulpit steps (or whatever you call it) in front of the entire congregation.

Saturday night was spent ironing table cloths, poufing tissue paper pom poms and finishing the cake.  So, after a LOOONG day at the Cubs game, I came back home, only to get everything ready for the party the next morning.  Which was only slightly impeded by an exploding condiment cup of bleu cheese dressing.  For those of you who really know me, the real insult was being covered literally from head to toe (Alice, too!) in fucking BLEU CHEESE.  I hate moldy cheese.  That shit smells like Pirates of the Caribbean; and I’ll pass on dipping my chicken wings in Liquid Jack Sparrow, thank you very much.

The day started out like this:

How on earth Gwen, Alice’s Godmother, still likes me after all my high school douchy-ness, I’ll never know. But I’m glad she does, especially for Alice’s sake.

Ah, The Friendly Confines… I love Wrigley Field.

And ended with this, thank god.

Sunday morning was a blur; after all twenty-seven of us got through the shower at my mom’s, we changed into our Sunday best and headed to church.  Everyone save Alice.  I was not about ready to have her puke on her dress in the car.  She left the house looking like a total Guido from Jersey Shore.  She rocks a mean bare chest, that girl.

We changed her into her dress in the parking lot, and it was as if all the stars aligned the second we stepped out of the car.  Oh my goodness, it was the cutest she has EVER looked.  Wouldn’t you know… I didn’t get a single picture of just her in her dress.

The service starts, everything is going well.  Then the pastor asks the little kids up to the front of the church for the Children’s Sermon.  It’s all about Labor Day, and doing work, yada yada.  Then the pastor says something about how you feel in your heart…  Finn just plows into human anatomy with her, in the front of the whole church; in front of 100+ people.

“Yes, I have a heart, and this is where my brain is.”  He points to his head.  “And then, when you eat, you swallow your food, it goes down your drain, down your esophagus, into your stomach, gets smushed up, then it goes into your little tubes…”

At this point he is pointing to his intestines.  He has the whole church politely smiling now.  Nathan and I have heard this rant before, and we so know what is coming next.  It is like an accident happening in slow-mo.

“And then it goes into your big tubes.”  He lifts his tush off the step, tilts his hips so they are facing the parishioners.  Nathan and I are now both shushing as fast and loud as we can.  But, it is no use.  He points to his butthole.

“And then it comes out as poop.”

And the crowd goes wild!!  All while Nae and I are red-cheeked and silently cursing my brilliant idea to check out the human anatomy book from the library.  The pastor handled it gracefully and without a blink; thank goodness.

When she asked all the kids to pray, Finn’s eyes lit up and he exclaimed, “I can play now?!?”

Yeah…  We don’t get to church too often, can you tell?

After the little sugarplum was drenched in holy water, we raced home to see if we could beat the crowd back to my mom’s for lunch.  I just barely got all the food on the table and snapped a pic before everyone dug in.  In fifteen minutes, the food was gone.  Okay, I’m exaggerating, but it went fast.  So fast that I never got to take a picture of the inside of the cake.  I turned around for two minutes and the whole thing was reduced to a pile of pink crumbs.

After everyone left, we plopped down in the grass, let Finn and Alice get good and covered in grass stains and indulged in WAY too much Chinese food, thanks to Mr. T.  It was a smashing success.  Our Kung Pow Chicken went down our drains, down the esophagus, into our stomachs, got smushed up, then it went into our little tubes, through the big tubes…

I’ll leave it at that, ‘kay?

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It was up to you, New York.

23 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by anotherbigbite in On the Road Again

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Tags

niagara falls, Travel, vacation

Oh, New York…  You were the last stop on our vacation, and I must say that you were a bit of a disappointment.  Not that it was entirely your fault.  We had every intention of exploring your famed “Upstate,” but alas, you were just a little too big, and we were a little too wary.  We skipped Lake Placid.  Maybe another time.

Instead, we made a beeline for Niagara Falls.  If ever there was a place to show how you really shine, this was it.  And I’m sorry, but Canada outdid you.  All those awesome pics of the falls you’ve seen?  Yeah… We didn’t see any of that.  Those views aren’t free, anyway.  Think helicopter tour or waiting in line for two hours to take an elevator down to the Cave of Winds.

I was really expecting to be blown away; totally in awe, and it was just… Meh.  Nice.  With a lot of people.  Most of them foreign, proving once again that many Americans have a lacking appreciation for the wonders of nature.  Or maybe all the Americans visiting must have been doing it from the Canadian side, I dunno.  While we didn’t have passports to get to the other side, I totally felt like I was sitting just behind a post at a Led Zeppelin concert.  Obstructed view, you know?  We just stood there, and all I could think was, god, I really bet this looks cool from over there...  Well, that and This. Is. Lame.

Once the kids get a little older, I think we’ll go back, passports in hand.  I think Alice is a little tiny to don a plastic blue garbage bag poncho and hit the Hurricane Deck or the Maid of the Mist.  Come to think of it, I’m not sure Finn is ready for that, either.

But, we got a couple of pictures of our lack of view, stood at the edge of the deck and felt the spray on our faces (and entire bodies, really).  Then we packed up, piled in the car, and tucked in for the very last leg of our vacation.  The longest one, even though it was only a few hours.  Those last few hours are the worst…  They just drag on and on.

Now we are finally back home, and this is what I got to enjoy yesterday…  Scaling Mt. Laundry.  In case you were wondering, this is what a week’s worth of vacation laundry looks like for a family of four.  And we did two loads of laundry in the middle of the week.  Yikes.

I am exhausted, but there is a little part of me that is all “Ermygorsh, gyes….  Where er we off to nerxt??”

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