Katie's camping blog post

Katie's camping blog post is up over at AResourcefulHome.com...

http://www.aresourcefulhome.com/2010/08/camping-urprises-ouch.html

She's got pictures like this one and a lot more details than my post. Why is it over there? Is that what you're asking? Okay, just checking what you were asking. =^)



Thanks for reading!

Ed

Survived a week of camping!

Wow, that was a long week last week, but we had a lot of fun!

A few firsts for me...

(1) First time on the Gaudette and Friends annual camping trip.

(2) First time to Detroit Lake, Oregon (it's east of Salem).

(3) First time going to a Ranger/Naturalist presentation on skat (included the Skat Rap and a nature hike where we found a lot of skat that the Ranger had planted).

(4) First time going on a walk while the girls rode their bikes with me. I can't believe I hadn't done that yet, so I did it earlier tonight again.

(5) First time I slept in a tent with three rooms in it! It's funny that we leave our homes to go out into the wild and... try to recreate the home experience. Hmmm. That's fairly ironic.

==========================

A couple other adventures...

(1) We blew out a tire on the way there. AAA to the rescue! =^)

(2) Once we were dead, our car battery died. Dan was kind enough to switch out the battery in Mike's Suburban. That got me to the Les Schwab's to get a new battery and new tires. That purchase slowed down our attempt to pay off our debt (down to just our Time Share and my BS loan), but it was a necessary bump in life, and feels good to be prepared and ready for financial bumps in life like that.

(3) Naomi got dirty with the boys. We eventually had to put our feet down and lay down some ground rules to keep her from getting too dirty.


Hmm. Am I forgetting anything? It was fun-filled trip, and we wouldn't have survived three girls (four including the one in Katie) if we didn't have help and pace ourselves, rotating the responsibilities. So thanks to the family for helping!

- Ed

Naomi met Lightening McQueen

On Saturday of our January Disneyland trip, I was taking the girls back and Eve wanted to go with Mommy. Naomi wanted to stay and get a picture taken with the Cars star.

Lightening McQueen or "Cars" as she calls him, is her favorite character to have on a pull-up. =^)


Ed

Eve and Naomi meet some fairies (Tinker Bell)

We went to Pixie Hollow on Friday of our trip with the PAs. First the girls met Silvermist (above).

Then they met Tinker Bell...

Tinker Bell was nice, but not as stellar as the one Katie and I met two years ago (yes, Katie and I waited in line to meet Tinker Bell, and we had no kids with us). That Tinker Bell was shorter, looked more like her, and spoke in this perfect squeaky voice. This one was still good though. =^)

Also, when Katie and I went, the second fairy was Iradessa. I assume they rotate out the non-Tinker Bell. I wonder if they swap out Tink for a new actress. I bet they do. Otherwise, she'd be doing that all day and that would wear her out too much.

Ed

Eve and Naomi visit Belle

Part 3 of 3 of the princess garden. The final princess (and the nicest) was Belle.

The girls' friends Lauren and Sydney also visit Belle.

This Belle was the nicest of the princesses here. I think perhaps its because her character is the kindest and so the actresses who want the character probably want to do the character justice. Just a theory. We also ran into a super nice Snow White, Belle, and Pocahontas. Katie and I also met a perfect Tinker Bell two years ago (much better than the one this year). It's like maybe 20% of the face actors are amazing, 40% are good, 30% seem miscast, and the remaining 10% seem bored or impatient. =^)

Ed

Eve and Naomi pose with Ariel

Continuation of the princess garden (part 1 was with Jasmine). Ariel dons the post-human dress here (and also thankfully is covered up).

This was their first visit.

Aw, how sweet! A hug!

Escape Naomi! Escape!

I like how her signature includes bubbles. Nice!

Ed

Naomi and Daddy on the Buzz Lightyear ride

Here is a photo of me on the Buzz Lightyear ride with little Naomi. Fun! I think Naomi only hit a few targets, but I was still very impressed! =^)

Ed

Naomi met Jessie from Toy Story 2 and 3

On Thursday, we were back at the petting zoo, and this time instead of Pocahontas, we ran into Jessie from Toy Story 2 and 3. Naomi was the only one of the girls interested in meeting her.

Ed

Meeting Aladdin and Jasmine

Also on Monday, Eve and Naomi met Aladdin and Jasmine after visiting Tarzan's Treehouse. Jasmine wasn't in Ariel's Grotto (on Tuesday) with the other princesses, so fortunately they saw Jasmine first (their first princess; Yay).

Ed

53 characters and 57 attractions

Daddy's a Disney dork. Here's proof.

At the girls' 6 days at the Disney parks, Eve and Naomi saw 53 different characters and did 57 different attractions. Here they are...

Characters the girls saw:

Day 1 – DL
1. Alice
2. Mad Hatter
3. Queen of Hearts
4. Cruella Deville
5. Mary Poppins
6. Bert
7. Goofy
8. Pluto
9. Minnie
10. Mickey
11. Winnie the Pooh
12. Tigger
13. Eeyore (Naomi only)
14. Aladdin
15. Princess Jasmine
16. Fairy Godmother

Day 2 – DCA
17. Stitch
18. Army Men
19. Ariel
20. Snow White
21. Belle
22. Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)
23. Cinderella
24. Koda
25. Kenai
26. Chip
27. Dale
28. Donald Duck
29. Jessie (Toy Story)

Day 3 – DL
30. Storm Troopers
31. Darth Vader
32. Darth Maul
33. Pocahontas
34. 2 female mice from Cinderella

Day 4 – DL
35. Genie

Day 5 – DL
36. Silvermist
37. Tinker Bell
38. Clarabelle Cow
39. Female Chipmunk
40. Pinocchio
41. Gepetto
42. Daisy Duck
43. Peter Pan
44. Wendy
45. Lilo

Day 6 – DCA
46. Max (Goofy’s son)
47. 2 Monsters Inc. teenage monsters
48. Boo from Monsters Inc.
49. Sully
50. Buzz Lightyear
51. Flik (Bug’s Life)
52. Female Ant (Bug’s Life)
53. Slim (Bug’s Life)

I didn't list the duplicate characters (like when they saw a character again after the original time), because that would be too painful. But for the attractions, I listed out the repeats. I just didn't count them more than once...

Attractions the girls were on:

Day 1 – DL
1. Peter Pan’s Flight
2. King Arthur’s Carousel
3. Sword in the Stone
4. Dumbo
5. Gadget’s Go-Coaster
6. Minnie’s House
7. Mickey’s House
8. Chip N Dale’s Treehouse
9. Donald’s Boat
10. Goofy’s House
11. Disneyland Train
12. Splash Mountain
13. Winnie the Pooh (Joanna also went on this)
14. Tarzan’s Treehouse (Eve only)
15. Inside Sleeping Beauty Castle

Day 2 – DCA
16. Parking Tram
17. King Triton’s Carousel
18. Mickey’s Fun Wheel
19. Toy Story Midway Mania
20. Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train
21. Tuck & Roll’s Drive Em Buggies
22. Muppets 3D
23. Playhouse Disney (show)
24. Turtle Talk with Crush
25. Sorcerer’s Workshop

On Day 3, my dad joined us.

Day 3 – DL
26. Autopia
27. Finding Nemo Submarines
28. Buzz Lightyear
29. Astro Orbitor
30. Alice in Wonderland
31. Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
32. Snow White’s Scary Adventure
33. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
34. Teacups
35. Storybook Land Canal Boats (Joanna went on this)
36. Casey Jr. Train
37. Tiki Room
38. Jungle Cruise
39. Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin

Starting on Day 4, our friends the PAs joined us, so the girls did some repeat rides that the PAs wanted to go on.

Day 4 – DL
40. Princess Faire
- Alice in Wonderland (Joanna went on this)
- Teacups
41. Matterhorn
42. Space Mountain (Eve only)
- Buzz Lightyear
- Dumbo
- King Arthur’s Carousel
43. Big Thunder Ranch Petting Zoo
- Splash Mountain (Eve only)
44. Aladdin Musical (in Disney's California Adventure)

Day 5 – DL
45. Pixie Hallow
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- King Arthur’s Carousel
- Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
- Gadget’s Go Coaster
46. It’s a Small World (on the ride, I spotted characters from Aladdin, Lilo & Stitch, Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo, Lion King, Mulan, Peter Pan, Woody/Toy Story, Alice in Wonderland, & Pinocchio)
- Jungle Cruise
- Tarzan's Treehouse
- Splash Mountain (Eve only)
- Winnie the Pooh (Naomi only)
47. Celebration Parade
48. Star Tours

Day 6 – DCA
49. Mulholland Madness (Eve only)
50. Jumpin Jellyfish
51. RS Rustworthy
52. Soarin Over California
53. High School Musical 3 show
54. Brother Bear Tree House (Eve only on the zip line)
- Mickey’s Fun Wheel
- King Triton’s Carousel
55. Flik’s Flyers
56. Monsters Inc.
57. Pixar Parade


Yup, I'm a Disney dork. =^)

Ed

Eve and Naomi visit Winnie the Pooh

Also on Monday (1/25/10), we went over to Splash Mountain. I took Eve on Splash Mountain first and came back for Naomi. (Later I found out that I could ride with both by sitting in the very back.)

When Eve and I came back, Naomi (with Katie and Joanna) was in line to see Winnie the Pooh and Tigger (Naomi also saw Eeyore).

So we had Eve join Naomi, and they got this picture taken.

This was in January 2010. The 2010 border wasn't available yet. =^)


- Ed

Eve and Naomi meet Minnie and Mickey

Also on Monday, we went to Toon Town and Minnie Mouse and Mickey Mouse. After waiting in line for Minnie, we got to tour Minnie's house, Mickey's house, and then get a picture with Mickey as well.

- Ed

Cruella and Eve

When we first entered Disneyland on Monday, Eve wanted to meet Cruella, so we had Katie and Naomi wait in the longer line for Mary Poppins.

Eve is holding her binoculars. I think she wanted to bring them to Disneyland so that she could "spot all the fairies." =^)

- Ed

Our anniversary celebration at Disneyland

So Katie and I like to spend a day at Disneyland with just each other and without the kids, in order to celebrate our anniversary.

We pick up free anniversary buttons at City Hall and enjoy the cast members wishing us a happy anniversary.

Our highlights were the Toy Story Midway Mania ride, the Buzz Lightyear ride, and we had a great skipper on Jungle Cruise (he really went all out to sell his jokes).

We also went on Pirates, because we knew the girls weren't ready for that. And we went on Splash Mountain. Katie got her legs wet, but I managed to get through unscathed. =^)

Katie and I ran into Jasmine and Aladdin after we went on Jungle Cruise:

We also pick out a memento each year to celebrate, and this year it was a Woody snowglobe because we went on Midway Mania and enjoyed that.

I'm sure you care more about photos of the girls, so I'll work on those next. But we started with our anniversary celebration on Sunday, 1/24/10, while my parents spent the day with the girls, visiting the ducks at Pearson Park and visiting George Washington Park, where Katie and I got married.

- Ed

We're at Disneyland! - Buzz Lightyear ride with Katie

So we're at Disneyland this week (or just finished it, actually). And I'm finally back on the Internet...

This was last Sunday, 1/24/10. My parents watched the girls while Katie and I stole away to celebrate our anniversary and spend a day in Disneyland!

Click the image to see it better. By the way, we're not the best at this game/ride. =^)

- Ed

We're going to Disneyland!

We're leaving on Saturday for Disneyland! This will be the first time we're taking the girls (Katie and I go for our anniversary each year).

So we've been telling the girls about Disneyland and watching movies that are represented at the parks. It's almost like torture for them. =^)

Fortunately, we know it's unrealistic to spend a day with kiddos in Disneyland, so we're spreading it out over a week.

I foresee a lot of waiting in lines to talk to fairies and princesses. =^o

- Ed