Orlando Holidays

So it wasn't very long ago we were off in Orlando, but really I can say it was 'last year' since it was, after all, still in 2008. The Leonards were there with their party of six (all seven of them!), as well as Grandma Suzanne and Grandpa Dale, not surprising since we were at their house and all... It was so good to see the twins. I mean really, LOOK at this 'little' cousin of yours (and click on it to see the whole album online...)!

From Orlando Holidays

While running around outside, you picked some thick-bladed grass, and amazingly you yelled "WATCH DAD! I'm gonna make a leaf whistle!!" I say amazingly because you saw this done exactly once, by Grandma Suzanne, about 6 months ago. And, as I recall, at the time you weren't paying a bit of attention to her! Well, I guess you were, because suddenly there was a (nonworking) leaf whistle to be shared.

We had so much fun with the cousins. Emma and Owen went with us to Downtown Disney, and we did the Lego store in grand fashion. Before we got there, you guys had to pretend to be gophers or beavers for a while.

We made it to the Legoland store, where there were several new items since I'd been there last, pretty cool place but always busy!

It should go without saying, there was ice cream involved.

You and the cousins spent a lot of time outside, and a lot of that down by the dock. Fish to feed, fish to catch, boats to climb on, people to boss around. You were in heaven.

Emma caught a fish, and with nobody around to sweet-talk into taking it off for her, had to fend for herself. Eeeew!

I call this your Hunter S. Thompson look. Owen should be terrified to be anywhere near this boat - look at him backing away. Maya is taking charge.

With so many fish to feed and to catch, at some point you put the ones you catch in a bucket, and try to feed them. And let the little ones in on the fun. Here are Emma and Owen's catch serving as aquarium for the twinnies.

Of course back in the day you used to love collecting rocks. We had so many in California, mostly landscaping pebbles from walks around the block. At some point, after walking up and down that pier so many times, you stopped dead in your tracks and proclaimed "Hey, Grandma Suzanne has a bunch of rocks laying around out here!!!!" And then I knew it would be several more minutes before we were able to head back inside.

The next day we went to a water park, not an Orlando-esque exhibition of over the top-ness, but a YMCA with a few different pools and a small play area for little ones. It was awesome. You got to play with Owen and Emma and Lucy and Jack and me and mom all day, or at least until we had to leave.

Check out Lucy and Jack and Uncle Sean, teaching them how to blow bubbles.

And then check out Maya, set to go in her goggles and forgetting all about the snow and ice in Chicago.

Lucy is such a sweetheart, but when it comes to taking great pictures there's nobody quite like your cousin Jack. How is it possible to be even more Owen than Owen is?

Not to say Owen doesn't have his own moments, there are no shortage of those.

But seriously, look at this little guy! He'd only learned to roll his tongue the day before, and that morning he found out I couldn't. I swear he was ridiculing me all day long, rolling his tongue whenever he saw me...

I think I'm going to (ahem) start cutting this post short, I have a flight to California tomorrow morning and a crazy week ahead. Go look at the album by clicking on the first picture in the post if you want to see more of the great moments. But you finally got to ride a bike, and in addition to meeting Mickey (and fishing, and the water park, and on and on and on) this was probably the biggest moment for you outside of the Christmas stuff. And we were so proud. The smallest bike over there is still just a LITTLE big for you, I bet you'll fit on it just right by the next time you get to ride it.

Oh jeez, I want you to like bikes so much, but it looks like I have nothing to worry about - you are totally into them.

But that wasn't what made me the most proud. That would be, after having to stop riding the bike momentarily for some mechanical adjustments, you taking charge and wrenching the entire bike, and snapping at me to get bigger or smaller wrenches when you encountered a bolt you had no wrench for.

It was too much for me. While nowhere near as dramatic as meeting Minnie and Mickey, this was the shining moment for me - my little girl climbing all over a bike for the first time, making sure everything was properly tightened and adjusted. You have no idea how proud I am... :)

It was much fun. I'd ask if you had a good time, but I know we all had a great time.