Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Thomas turns 5: aka the Superhero Mickey party

Near the end of February, we celebrated Thomas' 5th birthday. He wanted a superhero themed party, which I was on board with. We invited over 5 preschool friends (plus some siblings) for "superhero in training" games and cake. 

Here's what TJ wore to the party. Because wouldn't you wear shorts on a 20 degree day in Michigan? 

We did things a little differently, and each kid got their goody bag at the beginning of the party. (Yes, I had fun with the theme!)

 Inside the goody bags were capes and masks, so everyone could be a superhero!

On the obstacle course:

The egg relay race. They were hard boiled, of course!


The punch box--found this idea online and used the box from our cross country ski poles to make my own.

What was behind each of the punch holes--superhero suckers!

The super heroes!

Thomas' cake. With the theme he wanted, I decided to make a "Super T" cake (just like on his cape from Aunt MB). After our trip to Disney, Thomas really wanted a Mickey superhero party, so I added Mickey's head into the cake.

Getting ready to blow!

The next day--wearing the birthday hat and eating his treat at preschool.

Birthday gift: a new (metal!) bat--he's ready for t-ball to start!

Love the look on Jojo's face as TJ looks at his birthday card.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Disney Fun

Our first stop at Disney was the Magic Kingdom. The morning started out cool and rainy, which meant that we were able to hop onto about 5 rides in the first hour--no lines! We started with It's A Small World--a classic, and a non-scary one to get the boys into the spirit. 

The photo everyone takes, in front of the Mickey head of flowers

Loved the Buzz Lightyear ride!

Dad and Ed took the boys on the Grand Prix. I thought TJ would love it since he got to drive, but he was upset that he "didn't do a good job" driving. Oh well...

I couldn't believe Jojo got to drive--figured he was too small! Pretty sure it was a bumpy ride for Ed. :)

Another classic Disney ride--Dumbo. They now have two Dumbo rides--one for Fastpass and one for a regular line (and the ride itself has moved to a different part of the park). 



After a successful Jungle Cruise voyage!

While Ed took TJ on the Teacups (ugh!), Jojo waited in line to meet Pooh and Tigger. I didn't realize he was such a fan (though maybe he would have felt this way about any character he saw?), but he absolutely melted into their arms. That little boy was in heaven!

While Ed and Jojo napped back in our room, Dad and TJ went on Thunder Mountain. This is the second trip where I've missed out on Thunder (and Space) Mountain because I was pregnant...
But TJ loved it!

We practically stumbled upon  a private audience with Mickey (dressed as a magician). Meeting the characters has changed--it's now something with scheduled times that you wait in line for. We happened to walk in with no line--possibly because it was hard to find in a fairly random back room. The boys were thrilled!

TJ was exhausted and fell asleep in Ed's arms while we were waiting for our table for dinner. Looks comfy, doesn't it?!

Front row seats for the Electric Parade, which hasn't changed much at all in 30 years!

Loving the monorail with Grammy and Buppa!

After a low-key day we went to a dinner show called the Hoop-Dee-Doo for the second night. All-you-can-eat food and entertainment--lots of fun!


The third day we went to Animal Kingdom. The weather was so much nicer--warm and sunny! 
The boys loved the aquarium.

Enjoying the bright sun and need for sunglasses! This was the second day we saw sun in Florida. 

Disney has capitalized on the Dumbo concept--there's a second version (flying carpets) at Magic Kingdom, and then this dino version at Animal Kingdom. We were happy to ride them all!

One of the highlights for the boys was a huge dinosaur-fossil-themed playground at Animal Kingdom. A bit ironic since you don't need to go to Florida to go to a playground, but this one was really cool. While the boys played, Ed took a short rest on a Tyrannosaurus head.

In front of the Tree of Life, again enjoying the sun!

Another napping photo--the boys fell asleep on the bus from Animal Kingdom to Magic Kingdom and didn't rouse when we transferred them into strollers. They were tired!

Probably Buppa's favorite--riding the WDW train with the boys.

In front of the castle

With Grammy & Buppa:

It was a great trip! 

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Navarre Beach Fun

We enjoyed four wonderful days at Navarre Beach with Tom, Alice, Aunt Mary Ann and Uncle Mickey. The last day was the nicest, weather-wise, but to an almost 5-year-old and a 2.5-year-old, warmth and sun are not prerequisites to beach fun! All they needed were a couple shovels and pails. The beach was relaxing--we hung out, played games, dug holes, and ate REALLY well. 


You can never dig too many holes!

I instigated this large hole so that we'd have a place to sit out of the wind on the chilliest day. :)



Look at that gorgeous water color behind the pier!


On the cloudy days especially, Jojo's red hair practically glowed.


The boys learned how to play Wii. They loved it!

A sand chair!

Watching Grandpa fish. The boys named one of the fish he (or Mickey?) caught Whitey (guess what color he was?) and happily didn't seem too fazed when Whitey became an appetizer one night. 

Photo bomb!

Running in the water

Three sand chairs!

Lots of football catch!



Hanging with Grandma and Grandpa

And with Aunt Mary Ann and Uncle Mickey