Gone are the little kid animals. Now it's all monochromatic and sports on the walls.
Monday, December 30, 2013
Kate's updated room
Gone are the little kid animals. Now it's all monochromatic and sports on the walls.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Monday, December 2, 2013
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Drew's Second Writing Composition
To explain, his writing instruction has him taking a well known story, writing an outline of the major points, and then retelling the story on his own. This time, the story was, "The Ant and the Chrysalis".
The Ant and the Chrysalis November 27, 2013
By Drew Phelan
One day there was a chrysalis named Andrew and it was going to come out of its cocoon soon. There was a mean old ant who came along on a bridge at Tokyo Disney. The chrysalis was hanging onto that bridge with its silk. The ant was searching for lunch because it was a sunny day. And then the ant saw the chrysalis wiggling its tail.
The ant stated to tease the chrysalis. "You can't move. I can move anywhere I want," said the ant. "I can walk tall trees. All you are is just stuck in that thing." The chrysalis was silent.
The next day when the ant came along, he noticed that there was nothing in the cocoon. And then, he saw the butterfly soaring in the air. The butterfly said, "You're stuck on the ground. I can fly anywhere I want." And then when the butterfly went low, there was a big shadow of the butterfly above the ant. The butterfly flew away and he had the best day ever.
Drew's First Real Writing
The Hunter and the Three Crocodiles November 20, 2013
By Drew Phelan
Once upon a time there were three crocodiles living in a cabin in the swamp. Papa was big, Mama was medium, and baby was tiny. Mama likes to cook donuts. Papa and baby like to go out hunting mice for lunch. Then, once Mama is done cooking, she goes out with them and hunts some more.
Then the hunter came while they were away. He saw the house and peeked inside and saw the donuts. The hunter was super hungry, so he decided to go inside and try the donuts. First, he tried baby crocodile's donut and it was too cold. And then he tried Papa crocodile's and it was too hot. And then he tried Mama crocodile's donut and it was just right so he ate it all up. And then he was a little tired from his walk outside. And then he went into the living room and then he saw the chairs. He sat down in baby crocodile's chair. It was too fragile. And then he tried Papa crocodile's chair and it was too comfy. He decides to try Mama's chair and it was just right. And then, he was super tired, so he decided to go upstairs to find a bed where he could sleep. First he tried baby crocodile's bed, but it was too tiny. Then he tried Papa's bed, but it was too large. At last, he tried mama crocodile's bed and it was just right and he fell asleep.
And then the crocodiles came home from their hunting and Papa complained, "Someone has been eating my donuts!" Baby crocodile groaned, "Someone has been eating MY donuts!" And then Mama crocodile wept, "Someone has been eating my donuts and at them all up!" Next, they went into the living room. Papa crocodile chomped, "Someone has been using my chair!" Baby crocodile cried, "Someone has been sitting in my chair!" Mama crocodile moaned, "Someone has been sitting in my chair and broke it to pieces!" And then they heard a noise from above. The crocodiles decided to investigate. Papa crocodile stomped, "Someone has been sleeping in my bed!" Baby crocodile growled, "Someone has been sleeping in my bed!" Mama crocodile screamed, "Someone has been sleeping in my bed and he is still there!" The hunter woke up and gasped when he saw the crocodiles glaring at him. The hunter jumped up, ran down the stairs, and out the door. The crocodiles decided to chase him, but they tripped and fell into a heap because the stairs were too curvy and crocodiles can't run in curves. The hunter decided to never go deep into the swamp again.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Kate's first championship
So, Kate won her first competitive championship today, this one in soccer (as the earlier pictures show). Things to remember about this tourney...
1. It was played in deep November, so you can imagine just how warm it was. At this point, my family should be thanking me for gravitating towards indoor sports.
2. Kate's team had no subs. Thanks to sickness, the entire tourney was played and won with 6 girls, with none of them ever getting a break.
3. One of those 6 was playing on a foot injury and couldn't run, so she was the goalie.
4. Another had an ear infection and a 102 fever the whole time.
5. Kate was on the downslope of getting over a cold.
6. Part of one game was played a person down when one of them got lost on the way to the game.
But, they fought through it all, Kate played some stellar backline defense clearing out multiple goals, and they probably found what can work well as the main core of the team going forward.
1. It was played in deep November, so you can imagine just how warm it was. At this point, my family should be thanking me for gravitating towards indoor sports.
2. Kate's team had no subs. Thanks to sickness, the entire tourney was played and won with 6 girls, with none of them ever getting a break.
3. One of those 6 was playing on a foot injury and couldn't run, so she was the goalie.
4. Another had an ear infection and a 102 fever the whole time.
5. Kate was on the downslope of getting over a cold.
6. Part of one game was played a person down when one of them got lost on the way to the game.
But, they fought through it all, Kate played some stellar backline defense clearing out multiple goals, and they probably found what can work well as the main core of the team going forward.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Basketball Obsessed
We are studying birds in science this year, so when three crows were within sight, I said, "Look - three crows!" Drew was doing a chore in the other room and when he was finished, he came in and said, "Did you say something about free throws?"
Monday, November 18, 2013
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Flag Football Video Links
I hope these links work for everyone!
http://youtu.be/pclTeTOMJuc (notice Drew dancing before the play starts)
http://youtu.be/hKeNmhzuQO8 (Kate's throw-in assist in soccer)
Monday, November 4, 2013
Look what Ben did tonight!
Check out the words he wrote all by himself at the top. He did this in a room by himself with no outside assistance! Little smarty!
Monday, October 28, 2013
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Friday, October 18, 2013
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
3v3 Tourney
Played at Creekside yesterday. This was Kate's first with a team of her making (Dylan and Bekah). They were Team 22 for Amanda and played fantastically well. Probably ended up something like 15-1 and showed great growth in their ability to talk, use space, and make good decisions with the ball.
Drew played in it for the first time ever. His team had to play in the older age group, including going against Kate's team. Wins were scarce, but they got great competition and showed some great improvements over the course of the day. They tied at least one match and Drew had some really nice goals/plays. It's really impressive when you consider the average team was 2-3 years older. His teammates were Emmie, Laura, Ever, and a random girl that needed another team.
Drew played in it for the first time ever. His team had to play in the older age group, including going against Kate's team. Wins were scarce, but they got great competition and showed some great improvements over the course of the day. They tied at least one match and Drew had some really nice goals/plays. It's really impressive when you consider the average team was 2-3 years older. His teammates were Emmie, Laura, Ever, and a random girl that needed another team.
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Phelan/Niemann Vacationfest 2013 in retrospect - Day 8
Otherwise known as getaway day. The Niemanns took off early for Tampa to see David's family for a day prior to turning around and driving home on Sunday.
We stayed around longer. We spent time exploring the entirety of the resort grounds which are pretty immense. Ate beignets for breakfast. The powdered sugar led to the exact level of clean eating you can imagine with three kids under 10.
After that, we checked out and headed to Downtown Disney. Drew and dad spent a bundle of hours at Disneyquest. About 95% of our time there was spent on two games. - NBA Jam and pop a shot. The hundreds of other video games and activities held little interest, but the two main basketball games were all Drew wanted. And, me too. It was a blast.
Kate, Ben, and Sherri went to the mini-golf course and Kate even got a hole in one. They then went to the shopping half of downtown Disney and started honing in on souvenirs. We all ate lunch together at Wolfgang Pucks.
After that, it was off to Goofy's Candy Company to get giant rice krispie treat Mickey heads covered in more sugary goodness than should be allowed, buy final souvenirs (lot of potato head paraphenalia, toy cars, balls, etc). Then, time for the long drive home since every kid had soccer the next morning.
The drive was pleasant and uneventful which is all you want out of a 7 hour car trip. Normal stops for the necessities with all of the kids falling asleep by Macon. Got home around midnight to some fun Reagan fanfare.
Final steps - 15,847.
We stayed around longer. We spent time exploring the entirety of the resort grounds which are pretty immense. Ate beignets for breakfast. The powdered sugar led to the exact level of clean eating you can imagine with three kids under 10.
After that, we checked out and headed to Downtown Disney. Drew and dad spent a bundle of hours at Disneyquest. About 95% of our time there was spent on two games. - NBA Jam and pop a shot. The hundreds of other video games and activities held little interest, but the two main basketball games were all Drew wanted. And, me too. It was a blast.
Kate, Ben, and Sherri went to the mini-golf course and Kate even got a hole in one. They then went to the shopping half of downtown Disney and started honing in on souvenirs. We all ate lunch together at Wolfgang Pucks.
After that, it was off to Goofy's Candy Company to get giant rice krispie treat Mickey heads covered in more sugary goodness than should be allowed, buy final souvenirs (lot of potato head paraphenalia, toy cars, balls, etc). Then, time for the long drive home since every kid had soccer the next morning.
The drive was pleasant and uneventful which is all you want out of a 7 hour car trip. Normal stops for the necessities with all of the kids falling asleep by Macon. Got home around midnight to some fun Reagan fanfare.
Final steps - 15,847.
Phelan/Niemann Vacationfest 2013 in retrospect - Day 7
The last park day. Epcot, here we come.
This was laid out early as more of a "Parents drive the direction we go, not the kids". So, we hit all the needed rides, but we spent a ton of time in the World Showcase exploring, etc. We had each kid pick a spot in each country where they wanted their picture taken which was fun. All sorts of funny and interesting poses and spots.
The kids got stamps/signatures from each country which was fun. Did some hidden Mickey searching as well.
To be honest, I think I remember this day the least. There wasn't a ton of new stuff, just a lot of hanging out.
Split families for dinner. We hit O'Hana which is our favorite and it was just as awesome as expected.
Total steps - 26,300. It really says something when nearly 15 miles of walking qualifies as a light day.
This was laid out early as more of a "Parents drive the direction we go, not the kids". So, we hit all the needed rides, but we spent a ton of time in the World Showcase exploring, etc. We had each kid pick a spot in each country where they wanted their picture taken which was fun. All sorts of funny and interesting poses and spots.
The kids got stamps/signatures from each country which was fun. Did some hidden Mickey searching as well.
To be honest, I think I remember this day the least. There wasn't a ton of new stuff, just a lot of hanging out.
Split families for dinner. We hit O'Hana which is our favorite and it was just as awesome as expected.
Total steps - 26,300. It really says something when nearly 15 miles of walking qualifies as a light day.
Phelan/Niemann Vacationfest 2013 in retrospect - Day 6
Hollywood Studios.
During the day, this day was generally summarized as the one day of the vacation that fought us a bit. Why? 1. We spent most of the day in a misty rain. This isn't really bad since rain doesn't slow us down, but Hollywood Studios is the toughest to navigate in general and rain clogs up our pathways with weaker people seeking shelter.
2. Our timing was a bit off in getting to things. We got hemmed in at one thing and arrived late to the stunt show. We were probably 10 minutes later than hoped for to Indiana Jones and missed a chance to volunteer (which the kids were hugely hoping for).
3. Toy Story Mania was busier than ever (probably due to rain), so the ability to pile fastpasses on top of each other was minimized.
4. The Jedi training was abbreviated. All the kids got to train, but when it came time to fight Darth Vader, Drew and Kate had their fights. But, a light and brief mist (those words even overstate it) started, the people on stage called it off, and that left about 5 kids including Andrew and Ben hanging without a fight. Ben didn't care, felt bad for Andrew though. They did get their pic with Darth, just not the same though.
5. The bakery with awesome snacks was continually closed. It was always open whenever we jetted past it going from ride to ride. But, the two times we wanted to stop and grab something, it was closed.
So, don't get me wrong. We had a fun day, it was just a bigger struggle than the other days.
We did find a good lunch spot at the Backlot Express.
Ben did not enjoy Tower of Terror. Drew was able to squeak into the Rock N Roller Coaster and loved it.
We ate dinner at Whispering Canyons (first time ever). It was good, not great. The kids had fun delivering ketchup to other tables.
Total steps - 25,331. Smaller park, more shows, less walking.
During the day, this day was generally summarized as the one day of the vacation that fought us a bit. Why? 1. We spent most of the day in a misty rain. This isn't really bad since rain doesn't slow us down, but Hollywood Studios is the toughest to navigate in general and rain clogs up our pathways with weaker people seeking shelter.
2. Our timing was a bit off in getting to things. We got hemmed in at one thing and arrived late to the stunt show. We were probably 10 minutes later than hoped for to Indiana Jones and missed a chance to volunteer (which the kids were hugely hoping for).
3. Toy Story Mania was busier than ever (probably due to rain), so the ability to pile fastpasses on top of each other was minimized.
4. The Jedi training was abbreviated. All the kids got to train, but when it came time to fight Darth Vader, Drew and Kate had their fights. But, a light and brief mist (those words even overstate it) started, the people on stage called it off, and that left about 5 kids including Andrew and Ben hanging without a fight. Ben didn't care, felt bad for Andrew though. They did get their pic with Darth, just not the same though.
5. The bakery with awesome snacks was continually closed. It was always open whenever we jetted past it going from ride to ride. But, the two times we wanted to stop and grab something, it was closed.
So, don't get me wrong. We had a fun day, it was just a bigger struggle than the other days.
We did find a good lunch spot at the Backlot Express.
Ben did not enjoy Tower of Terror. Drew was able to squeak into the Rock N Roller Coaster and loved it.
We ate dinner at Whispering Canyons (first time ever). It was good, not great. The kids had fun delivering ketchup to other tables.
Total steps - 25,331. Smaller park, more shows, less walking.
Phelan/Niemann Vacationfest 2013 in retrospect - Day 5
Day 5, and back to the Magic Kingdom for a second day. The weather was great again. We spent a little less time hitting the big rides (though we rode them plenty due to our fast walking and efficient navigation), and hit a lot of the secondary rides that we missed on day 1.
The kids really enjoyed It's a Small World. This had nothing to do with the ride itself, it was more due to the rain poncho floating in the water ahead of our boat and whether we would catch up to it and run over it. Hey, whatever makes things fun.
Ate lunch at Cosmic Ray's. This place is actually really good. It's hard to say a place that has hundreds of people eating there is overlooked, but the food is good, plentiful, and is pretty healthy fuel to make it through the day.
The Phelan/Niemann group spent most of the afternoon split up to hit the various highlights each family was aiming for. Our group did the sorceror's quest some more. Ben fell into a deep sleep at the Hall of Presidents. Vegas couldn't have put high enough odds on that happening.
Ate dinner at Crystal Palace with Pooh and friends. There was much picture taking, child marching, and food eating. The park was closed by the time we got done. The Disney Halloween fest thing was going on, so we got to leave the park somewhat gawking at the weird (and often inappropriate) costumes people were wearing.
Total steps - 33,415.
The kids really enjoyed It's a Small World. This had nothing to do with the ride itself, it was more due to the rain poncho floating in the water ahead of our boat and whether we would catch up to it and run over it. Hey, whatever makes things fun.
Ate lunch at Cosmic Ray's. This place is actually really good. It's hard to say a place that has hundreds of people eating there is overlooked, but the food is good, plentiful, and is pretty healthy fuel to make it through the day.
The Phelan/Niemann group spent most of the afternoon split up to hit the various highlights each family was aiming for. Our group did the sorceror's quest some more. Ben fell into a deep sleep at the Hall of Presidents. Vegas couldn't have put high enough odds on that happening.
Ate dinner at Crystal Palace with Pooh and friends. There was much picture taking, child marching, and food eating. The park was closed by the time we got done. The Disney Halloween fest thing was going on, so we got to leave the park somewhat gawking at the weird (and often inappropriate) costumes people were wearing.
Total steps - 33,415.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Ben's 4 Year Checkup
Poor buddy had to deal with a finger prick and four shots after spending the morning at the dentist getting his 6 month cleaning. He was pretty resilient for all that happened to him and I offered to buy him a matchbox car at the store, but when we got to the store, he insisted that we buy a giant red ball instead. I would say another ball is the last thing we need, but who am I to refuse a boy who just went through all of that?
Anyway, here are his stats (9/25/13):
Weight: 41.5 (87%)
Height: 43.5" (97%) and we think he's actually 44"
BP: 92/68
Heart rate: 98
BMI: 15.42 (42%)
Monday, September 23, 2013
Drew's 6 Year Checkup
Here are Drew's stats from his 6 year checkup today:
Weight: 48.5 (46%)
Height: 47.5" (82%)
BMI: 14.1 (12%)
Blood Pressure: 108/60
Heart Rate: 94
We talked with the doctor about all the sports he likes to play and his obsession with basketball. He did a great job!
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Phelan/Niemann Vacationfest 2013 in retrospect - Day 4
Hello Epcot!
This is the point of the trip that evens somewhat run together. Also, kids, you'll thank us one day for the maniacal pace you face on vacations. Makes you stronger and it's a good challenge to try and outpace everyone else around you. And, you'll soon develop a deep dislike for slow walking people.
So, Epcot. This day flew by, so much so that we missed about half of what we wanted to do. Not sure if it was the company or the events, but time was flying by on us. Which was fine, we'll be back in Epcot again later in the week. We spent a large portion of the day pinging back and forth between Soarin', Test Track, and Mission Space. Soarin' and Test Track win the fave of the day award from all three kids which was expected.
Ben matured enough to not needing anyone to cover his ears on Soarin'. Sherri nearly hyperventilated on Mission Space by psyching herself out.
Went to Turtle Talk with Crush. Ben got interviewed and did great. When Crush asked him to say "Totally" in a surfer voice, Ben told him "I can't say that".
Kate also got interviewed.
Crush: What's your name
Kate: Kate
C: Where are you from?
K: (10 seconds of dead air) I don't know.
C: OK, who did you come with today
K: (hesitantly) No one
Yup, she really held up well in the spotlight.
We spent minimal time in the World Showcase, though we did eat lunch at Japan which was awesome as always. And, we did the pastry thing in France which is a long standing must. Germany and France have the biggest gap between main dish dislike and dessert love.
We did find a scale model of the terra cotta army in China, never knew about that before.
We spent some time doing the Perry (Phineas and Ferb) secret agent challenge, though it didn't hold the attention quite like last time.
We ate dinner at Boma, an easy favorite. We spent a lot of mealtime haranguing Andrew into trying new things, he's a creature of fairly staid eating habits. Our kids, not so much. Fufu, bobotl, and all sorts of other odd African dishes hit the palates nicely. This is where we learned that Ben is a huge fan of hummus.
We got to use nightvision goggles outside of the Animal Kingdom lodge and see some really close up animals at night. Very cool.
Drew spent the night in the Niemann's room. In the middle of the night, he went up to use the bathroom, couldn't find it, then couldn't find his bed and ultimately feel back asleep in the corner of the room. Thankfully his movement woke up Shari, so she found him quickly and helped him out. He is not thrilled with this story.
Steps - 28,055
This is the point of the trip that evens somewhat run together. Also, kids, you'll thank us one day for the maniacal pace you face on vacations. Makes you stronger and it's a good challenge to try and outpace everyone else around you. And, you'll soon develop a deep dislike for slow walking people.
So, Epcot. This day flew by, so much so that we missed about half of what we wanted to do. Not sure if it was the company or the events, but time was flying by on us. Which was fine, we'll be back in Epcot again later in the week. We spent a large portion of the day pinging back and forth between Soarin', Test Track, and Mission Space. Soarin' and Test Track win the fave of the day award from all three kids which was expected.
Ben matured enough to not needing anyone to cover his ears on Soarin'. Sherri nearly hyperventilated on Mission Space by psyching herself out.
Went to Turtle Talk with Crush. Ben got interviewed and did great. When Crush asked him to say "Totally" in a surfer voice, Ben told him "I can't say that".
Kate also got interviewed.
Crush: What's your name
Kate: Kate
C: Where are you from?
K: (10 seconds of dead air) I don't know.
C: OK, who did you come with today
K: (hesitantly) No one
Yup, she really held up well in the spotlight.
We spent minimal time in the World Showcase, though we did eat lunch at Japan which was awesome as always. And, we did the pastry thing in France which is a long standing must. Germany and France have the biggest gap between main dish dislike and dessert love.
We did find a scale model of the terra cotta army in China, never knew about that before.
We spent some time doing the Perry (Phineas and Ferb) secret agent challenge, though it didn't hold the attention quite like last time.
We ate dinner at Boma, an easy favorite. We spent a lot of mealtime haranguing Andrew into trying new things, he's a creature of fairly staid eating habits. Our kids, not so much. Fufu, bobotl, and all sorts of other odd African dishes hit the palates nicely. This is where we learned that Ben is a huge fan of hummus.
We got to use nightvision goggles outside of the Animal Kingdom lodge and see some really close up animals at night. Very cool.
Drew spent the night in the Niemann's room. In the middle of the night, he went up to use the bathroom, couldn't find it, then couldn't find his bed and ultimately feel back asleep in the corner of the room. Thankfully his movement woke up Shari, so she found him quickly and helped him out. He is not thrilled with this story.
Steps - 28,055
Phelan/Niemann Vacationfest 2013 in retrospect - Day 3
Animal Kingdom today.
We started off with a bang by hitting the Safari ride. This is a great early morning event because the animals are hugely active. We weren't disappointed. Elephants, rhinos, lions, and any other animal in the park were up and moving around. The giraffes were only about 20 feet from our car. which was pretty awesome.
We spent a lot of time criss crossing the park to hit Everest. This was the favorite ride for Drew and Kate, Ben was tall enough but we decided he wasn't ready to meet a Yeti or go on a rollercoaster backwards in the dark. This seemed to be an easy call.
We ate at Restaurantosaurus. Like all places, we choose the place based on volume (thanks non-stop growing children) and ability to fit into our whirlwind.
Ben's favorite ride might have been the Lion King show which continues to be awesome. Least favorite ride had to be Dinosaur, or as Drew summed it up "I am NOT riding that one again." It's a little intense for an adult, so I think a 6 year old probably has no chance to enjoy it.
We saw bird shows, avoided boring stuff, got to ride stuff for all ages, and got out of the park early since it closes earlier than the rest. We hit the hotel pool for some frolic time for the kids. The adults mainly just watched. We did get to see all sorts of foreign ideas of what an appropriate bathing suit is so that was quite the eyeful. Also, some lady changed her swimsuit top without really bothering to have any semblance of modesty. How European. And awful. Did I mention awful?
Dinner at Cape May Cafe, which probably won't make the cut next time. The food is fine, but seemed to have less than last time and a lot of it (crab legs and unpeeled shrimp) is high effort, low payoff food. I wouldn't say we were underwhelmed, more like we were just plain whelmed.
We walked around the Boardwalk afterwards late at night. Great weather, no slow walking people, saw some good lights and sights.
30,490 steps today.
We started off with a bang by hitting the Safari ride. This is a great early morning event because the animals are hugely active. We weren't disappointed. Elephants, rhinos, lions, and any other animal in the park were up and moving around. The giraffes were only about 20 feet from our car. which was pretty awesome.
We spent a lot of time criss crossing the park to hit Everest. This was the favorite ride for Drew and Kate, Ben was tall enough but we decided he wasn't ready to meet a Yeti or go on a rollercoaster backwards in the dark. This seemed to be an easy call.
We ate at Restaurantosaurus. Like all places, we choose the place based on volume (thanks non-stop growing children) and ability to fit into our whirlwind.
Ben's favorite ride might have been the Lion King show which continues to be awesome. Least favorite ride had to be Dinosaur, or as Drew summed it up "I am NOT riding that one again." It's a little intense for an adult, so I think a 6 year old probably has no chance to enjoy it.
We saw bird shows, avoided boring stuff, got to ride stuff for all ages, and got out of the park early since it closes earlier than the rest. We hit the hotel pool for some frolic time for the kids. The adults mainly just watched. We did get to see all sorts of foreign ideas of what an appropriate bathing suit is so that was quite the eyeful. Also, some lady changed her swimsuit top without really bothering to have any semblance of modesty. How European. And awful. Did I mention awful?
Dinner at Cape May Cafe, which probably won't make the cut next time. The food is fine, but seemed to have less than last time and a lot of it (crab legs and unpeeled shrimp) is high effort, low payoff food. I wouldn't say we were underwhelmed, more like we were just plain whelmed.
We walked around the Boardwalk afterwards late at night. Great weather, no slow walking people, saw some good lights and sights.
30,490 steps today.
Phelan/Niemann Vacationfest 2013 in retrospect - Day 2
sorceror thing
chef mickey
And we are off to Disneyworld. Early morning wake up so we could drive 90 minutes to Disneyworld to get there in time for the park to open. This was also our first day to meet David, Andrew, and Shari, maybe the only 3 people we know brave enough to try and keep up with us.
Day 1 is a Magic Kingdom day and it was a blast. We all met up outside the gate 10 minutes before park opening to begin a madcap day of pinging around the park to hit every big ride multiple times with minimal waiting. This is when it greatly pays off to homeschool (and hit the low attendance times in the park) and to know the park ins and outs thanks to previous employment. No waits, no lines, maximal riding.
Favorite rides? Kate and Drew were Space Mountain. Ben was Big Thunder Mountain. And, thanks to ever growing children, they all get to ride things before their peers. By the time we go again, it's a good bet they will all be tall enough for everything.
Ben's first ride was Big Thunder Mountain and he freaked out on the way up to it from fear. But, we got him through that and he was great the rest of the week. He just needed the first speed ride out of the way. We call it "Beast Mode", basically when he outdoes his age and does awesome things.
Met a few characters. Dale acted like he licked their pens and then gave them back. Ben picked up multiple scraped news trying to pick flowers for Sherri on Main St. The entire day was viewed as Drew's birthday day so he wore his special pen, got lots of birthday wishes and had a grand old time. We also spent some time on Sorceror's Quest, sort of a technological treasure hunt throughout the park.
We ate dinner at Chef Mickey's and, thanks to the early start, the kids were out like lights by the time we got back to the hotel at 11PM.
We spent this vacation at Port Orleans Riverside in adjoining rooms with the Niemann clan. The kids had a blast with this.
Todays steps were 42,542 or somewhere in the range of 25 miles. Relaxing!
Phelan/Niemann Vacationfest 2013 in retrospect - Day 1
And we are off on the mega vacation for the year. All of these are being written after the fact so it's up to you to decide if I am telling everything in the correct order. Sleep deprivation and time have probably muddled things up a bit. As an added bonus, Sherri used a pedometer to track her steps so you can be amazed at the distance covered on our relaxing vacation.
Things started off with a bang for our 5 AM departure. If there are two things we have learned with little kids and driving trips, it is that stops every few hours make a huge difference and early/late driving in time with kids sleeping is great planning. Stage 1 of the drive took us from home to Savannah via mostly non-highway methods. We were pleased to see that I-16 is still the most boring stretch of road around. At least western Kansas has the world's largest groundhog.
We went to Savannah to see The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist because it is described as being as close to old European style as can be found in America. And, it is majorly so. Huge, ornate, and pretty cool to see. Tons of colors, art, big design. The only negative is that the entire facade is being updated so that part was all scaffolding. The inside was great. And, unlike any past cathedral adventures, Chris didn't do any against the rules exploring. As an added bonus, second cousin James Woods was in town so we met up and toured it with him and spent about half an hour in the old town area.
After splitting up, we walked onward to Lafayette Park. On the way, we passed a bomb disposal unit. We hope it was a practice scenario, but there was activity. At the park, we looked at a few statues and made our way to the playground (gotta burn off that kid energy.) We managed to intersect a batch of moms racing their kids in strollers through the park. It was some sort of Mommy and Me exercise class, but it was an odd sight nonetheless. And, we are done with Savannah.
Back into the car and off to Ormond Beach for the night. We stayed at some random hotel and found a really good, fairly unpopulated beach area to hang out. Our famous dislike of the beach was ignored while we spent 3 hours there. Our assumption was the kids would go nuts building sandcastles. In reality, they wanted to mainly go knee deep in the water with Dad then run out when it got too high. Ben continually ran into the very edge of the water than nervously darted back out when it got close. We say tons of crabs, got some shells and a starfish, and even got to see a sea turtle nest.
And, sand everywhere. Ugh. There's a reason our golden years won't be spent touring America's beaches.
Total steps, around 24,000 or 13.5 miles.
Things started off with a bang for our 5 AM departure. If there are two things we have learned with little kids and driving trips, it is that stops every few hours make a huge difference and early/late driving in time with kids sleeping is great planning. Stage 1 of the drive took us from home to Savannah via mostly non-highway methods. We were pleased to see that I-16 is still the most boring stretch of road around. At least western Kansas has the world's largest groundhog.
We went to Savannah to see The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist because it is described as being as close to old European style as can be found in America. And, it is majorly so. Huge, ornate, and pretty cool to see. Tons of colors, art, big design. The only negative is that the entire facade is being updated so that part was all scaffolding. The inside was great. And, unlike any past cathedral adventures, Chris didn't do any against the rules exploring. As an added bonus, second cousin James Woods was in town so we met up and toured it with him and spent about half an hour in the old town area.
After splitting up, we walked onward to Lafayette Park. On the way, we passed a bomb disposal unit. We hope it was a practice scenario, but there was activity. At the park, we looked at a few statues and made our way to the playground (gotta burn off that kid energy.) We managed to intersect a batch of moms racing their kids in strollers through the park. It was some sort of Mommy and Me exercise class, but it was an odd sight nonetheless. And, we are done with Savannah.
Back into the car and off to Ormond Beach for the night. We stayed at some random hotel and found a really good, fairly unpopulated beach area to hang out. Our famous dislike of the beach was ignored while we spent 3 hours there. Our assumption was the kids would go nuts building sandcastles. In reality, they wanted to mainly go knee deep in the water with Dad then run out when it got too high. Ben continually ran into the very edge of the water than nervously darted back out when it got close. We say tons of crabs, got some shells and a starfish, and even got to see a sea turtle nest.
And, sand everywhere. Ugh. There's a reason our golden years won't be spent touring America's beaches.
Total steps, around 24,000 or 13.5 miles.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
Sunday, September 15, 2013
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