Vacation Day 2: Epcot
We slept in a bit, had a quick bite to eat in the room, and headed off to Epcot. First stop, Soarin' fastpasses. The ride in Florida is the exact same ride that is in California Adventure: Soarin' over California. I don't understand why they don't have a Soarin' over Florida. I think that would be so great! But they don't. It doesn't matter too much. G loves that ride.

While we waited for our fastpass time to come around we checked out The Seas. G loves the little playground area and the Nemo ride. Another fave is the Turtle Talk with Crush. This is also offered at Calif Adventure. The only difference that I can see is that the CA location offers much comfier seating for the adults. There's a portion of the show where they have the kids (who sit on the floor in front) raise their hands and ask Crush questions. I was surprised to see that G's little hand shot up and, surprisingly, out of the 3 dozen kids who were there, she was chosen! When asked, she confidently gave her name but when it came to asking Crush a question, she couldn't think of one :-)  I'm sure it happens all the time because Crush then told her he would ask her a question and showed her a Buzz Lightyear toy and asked what it was. Luckily, providing answers about Disney toys was much easier than making up a question to ask an animated turtle :-) Afterward, she felt really happy to have participated. I was glad it was a positive experience. I think little things like that can have an overall big impact on a child's confidence level. Last stop in The Seas was the aquariums which are huge and have a lot of fish as well as some sharks and rays. We'd never taken the time to venture up to the second floor to look at the fish so I'm glad we did. It was a big hit with Georgie.

After cashing in on our fastpass for Soarin' we were off to the World Showcase to find some lunch. New to us this time is the Disney Dining Plan (DDP). Our vacation package includes "free dining". They should really call it "included" rather than "free" because you're paying for it one way or another but that's a discussion for another time. When you're doing DDP, a big consideration is making sure that you get a good value out of all your food purchases. It definitely requires a lot more thought and planning than it would if we just waited til we were hungry then ate. But, I like thinking about and planning our vacations so for me that's not a negative :-) We ended up having Shawarma plates in Morocco. Totally tasty and a great value! We were able to get two and split it among the three of us which is really saying something because usually G eats like a truck driver!

The next many hours were spent wandering around the pavillions of the World Showcase, seeing characters (Mary Poppins, Snow White, Jasmine/Alladin, Mulan, Belle/Beast) and trying to make sure that we located at least a few new-to-us things in each country. Some people really don't like Epcot. They just don't get the appeal of it. I have to say that it continues to grow on me but I do believe it can be an acquired taste.

Finally dinner arrived! Tonight that meant Akershus in Norway which is a princess meal. We've done this one before for breakfast and for lunch but never for dinner. Sadly, we both ordered the same wrong thing. It was some kind of tri tip and it really wasn't that good. Even G's pizza was kind of yuck. The two saving graces were the "cold bar" which is kind of a like a salad bar with some very upgraded choices including all you care to eat lox... YUM! and the dessert which was absolutely to die for. Of course, you don't really go to a princess meal for good food. You go for the princesses. As always, G loved the princesses. She had great fun, and they made a big deal about, finding their pix on G's skirt.

It had been a long day already but we decided to stay for the fireworks show. We had just enough time to go on Spaceship Earth (or as G calls it "the ball ride"), the two boat rides (Maelstrom- kind of a Norwegian Pirates and The Three Caballeros - kind of a Mexican Small World and hit the character spot for some one on one with the fab 5 (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto) before scoping out a viewing location for fireworks.

Finally, Illuminations. Although its done nightly, we'd never seen it. Why? One simple reason: it doesn't start until 9pm. G's sleeping schedule tends to be pretty regimented. Sleep is very important to her. I think its one of the reasons she tends to be in generally good spirits. If she misses her nap or has the odd late night, she doesn't get grouchy or anything but she always seems really, really tired. I feel sorry for her. Anyway, she's getting a little older and the girl LOVES fireworks so we went for it. Boy am I glad we did! What a great show! and, although G was really, really tired, she seemed ok.

After that we were DONE! It had been a long hot day of fun but it was definitely time to go. Can't wait til tomorrow

From the area between The Seas and The Land with the "big ball" in the background. Its one of my favorite views in Epcot.

from inside the shark's mouth. This is a photo must. I'm pretty sure that every single person who visits Epcot has one of these pix.

G loves the "fish are friends not food" shark from Nemo

G checking out the aquariums. In this particular shot she's pretending she's a fish. You can't see her face, of course, but be assured she's making fishy lips. What a goof!

First stop, the very proper Miss Poppins

I think Morocco is my favorite of the showcase pavillions. The tile work is beautiful there.

With Belle and the Beast. The beast bowed...

and then in response Belle and Georgie curtsied. None of them seemed to plan it, it just sort of happened :-)

The official snap

My cutie

G really wanted to see Jasmine with Aladdin. They appear separately more often than together so we waited and were first in line for the combined meet. While we were waiting the photopass guy came over and asked Georgie if she'd do him a favor then had her go and knock on the door. She had to knock a couple times and really hard. She seemed really surprised when...

the door was answered by none other than Jasmine and Aladdin themselves!!!

Aladdin suggested a game of tag to see who could reach Jasmine (who had walked ahead) first... G's pretty sure she won!

G was so excited about the whole exchange. Its just one of those neat things that happen sometimes.

G's never been able to pass a drum without whacking on it for awhile. During the 10 mins or so that we stood here I watched and it seems that there are many, many adults who feel the same way.

I knew it was going to be hot and humid for our trip so instead of doing traditional princess dresses I opted for something princessy but still as cool and comfy as possible. This skirt and tank combo from the facebook seller Scraps of Heaven was perfect and a big hit with the characters. We'd twist it around so that the correct princess was in front while we were visiting. Super fun and a good conversation piece to stretch out the visit a bit.

See? there's Snowy right in front!

With Mulan practicing her warrior pose

Unsurprisingly Georgie loves Mulan

Finally, dinner at Akershus the Royal Banquet Hall! For the event the hair went up and G donned a tiara!

Its amazing to me how much joy G gets out of parading around the restaurant behind the princesses.

twist the skirt

twist the skirt

no twisting necessary for Ariel who, as G's favorite princess, held the place of importance on G's top!

I'm pretty sure G was afraid of this guy last time. Not anymore! We always grab props from inside the stores to add fun to our photos :-)



On our way out we grabbed one last photo of the "big ball"

Vacation Day 1: Travel day
For me, 4:00am came super early. For Bobby, who normally gets up at 2am for work, it meant sleeping in a few hours ;-) and don't think he didn't mention that to me at least a couple of times.

We were at the airport a little after 5am for our 6:35 flight. Initially I felt good about our timing but when we checked in, I learned that our flight was actually scheduled for 6am. I truly have no idea when that changed... aren't they supposed to email you or something? Anyway, it worked out for the best because we were there and ready to go and all but still... geez.

The balance of the day was pleasantly uneventful... flights were on time, planes were uncrowded, all luggage arrived at destination, no troubles picking up rental car... yay!

Once in Orlando, we made a quick stop at the Super Walmart for supplies (Seriously, that thing really is "super" its freaking HUGE!!) and drove through McD's for dinner. I know, I know, crappy food but I must admit that I love, love, love their fries :-) Finally, we checked into our home-away-from-home for the next 13 nights, the All Star Movies Resort. We're really trying to do this trip as inexpensively as possible so we went with an budget resort. We've never stayed at a Disney property. In the past we've always done condos through VRBO so this is our first foray into the "full Disney experience". The hotel is fine. Its budget for sure: two double beds in a Motel 6 style building. If it wasn't for the giant Buzz and Woody outside, it woudn't be too fun. But, there is a giant Buzz and Woody outside so G is thrilled! I'll let you know in about 14 days if I think staying in a cheap Disney resort and getting "the Disney experience" is better or worse than staying at a really nice 3 bd, 2 bath fully equipped condo off property.

On the plane:

we always bring crafts on the plane. G completed this sequin art thing on the first leg. I'm sure that someone loved cleaning up the hundreds of little tiny pieces of paper sticker backing we left on the floor ;-)

G is a great traveler. She's flown many, many times and is actually quite helpful getting through security and handling our carry ons during lay overs. She moves through the airport with a confidence I'm not sure I have looking for the next gate and baggage claim. Its really cute!

Finally in our room and greeted by a mickey head towel!

The theming in the public areas of the hotel were super fun!

Back to School!!
We were on vacation (14 blog posts with pix galore in progress!!) so Georgie didn't start back to preschool on 9/5 with her class. No matter! she still wore her special Back to School dress for her first day  :-)

G was really excited about being in Room 5 with Mrs Martino and getting the chance to see her friends again. She loves school! We arrived a bit early so she could find her cubby and look around at her new room. The room itself is kind of unusual in that it has a reading loft that's accessed by a spiral staircase. I think I would have loved that when I was four... I think I love it right now :-)

The actual day was a big success. All the kids greeted Georgie with lots of enthusiasm which made her feel welcome. Georgie was happy they got to go to "the big kids' school" and play on the playground. I guess they start doing that once a week or so when there are no other children there so the kids can get acquainted with the much larger playground. I think this is such a great idea! I'm sure for some kids the big playground could be pretty intimidating.

When I asked G to give the day a thumb's up or thumb's down she gave a big thumb's up and said "all the way to outer space!" I don't think it could have gone much better.

Georgie loved this dress. When I picked her up the office assistant told me that every time she saw G that day she was twirling!!! I liked that the little school house on the bodice matches her school.

Mrs Martino is a wonderful person. Very kind and calm. I think she will be a great teacher for G this year.

G in her classroom. See the little reading loft? I love that. All the kids and parents had to sign a contract stating that they understood the rules of using it.

We're looking forward to a fun year of progress :-)

A-freaking-dorable!!!
Lisa at Heavenly Things for Angels on Earth needed a model for one of her sets. All we knew was it was going to involve purple rain boots and tutu and a corset... uh, yeah, you pretty much had us at purple :-)

We've gotten lots of things from Lisa over the years and have never been disappointed. Her stuff is super cute, always stretchy and comfy and very reasonably priced in my opinion. I gathered together some props: colorful umbrella, watering can, fake flowers, a spare fairy wand, and added a bit of jewelry and we were set! G originally wanted her hair down but, because its been so hot here, ended up really liking the way it looked and felt pulled up. I know I'm biased but I just don't think she could be any cuter!

This was G's "sassy" pose :-)

This is probably my favorite picture of G in the group! Gotta love that smile!

This is my favorite for showing off the set... great smile too!

Most importantly, G had lots of fun. She's now wondering when it will rain so she can wear her boots!

Pixie Party
So what would you do if you had less than 24 hrs to pack and get ready for a 2 week trip?? Would you blow a whole day driving to Hollywood to see a movie??? Maybe not but, alas, that is exactly what we did :-)

In my defense it was the only day that we were going to have available to go see the movie and it was about FAIRIES!!!! Secret of the Wings is the newest Disney Fairies movie. I read that it was supposed to be released in theaters last year but, for some reason, it wasn't. Instead it went straight to video. El Capitan screened it for the video release. I didn't have super high hopes for this "straight to video" movie but the theater was offering a special event, a Pixie Party with Tink and her new sister Periwinkle, that sounded too cute to miss. So, off we went!

As luck would have it, G already had a gorgeous fairy outfit to wear. I bought it last year, I think... for some reason that has not escaped me... maybe Halloween??? Anyway, it was brand new, super poufy and just perfect for a pixie party.

Bobby ended up having the day off so as a last minute thing he went with us. The movie was super cute! Much better than I expected considering it was never released in the theaters. As always, going to a movie with G is super fun. She gets really into the story with her little gasps and shrieks all the while her hand in constant motion stuffing popcorn into her mouth. Adorable!

The pixie party that followed was a fun little event. They had the basement room decorated all wintery to commemorate the newest fairy Periwinkle who hails from the "winter forest". G loved getting to meet the fairies! I believe we might be some of the very first people to meet Peri. I read on the disboards that she's supposed to be showing up in the parks in the next few weeks so that was kind of fun.

After that we met Bobby (poor thing had to miss out on the pixie party due to it being sold out) in the soda fountain for a quick lunch and then made our way home so we could start packing. It was a busy but fun day!

Our traditional shot in front of the marquee

Tink and Periwinkle did a quick pre-movie dance for the stage show

Off to the party!!

G enjoyed crudites and coloring while waiting for the fairies :-)

Finally! I like this pic because it shows the back of G's fairy set. The wings were soooo pretty!

Pixie power!

I got in on the pix too. G told me I should pose "sassy"

These carrot cake snowflakes were to die for. Seriously, yum!

On our way out Bobby noticed we were walking past Tink's star. An obvious photo op!

Super fun day!

Miss Saigon with MOM!!
Yay!! She's still a little under the weather and having to use the portable oxygen but there has been massive improvement. Good thing too because we had tickets for our latest show Miss Saigon at the Candlelight. I was familiar with the story but I'd never seen the play. My mom saw it years ago when it was on Broadway. Wow, what  a sad story. Even though I thought the performance was really well done, it sometimes felt awkward to applaud such horrific events. Having said that, I enjoyed the play very much, the food was its normal yummy and, most importantly, I had my theater buddy back!!!

Woot, woot!!!

Taking a crack at the Putunghua
"Potunghua" is literally "common language" or what we call Mandarin Chinese. I took a semester of Mandarin at a local community college back in 2006. The speaking part was not too hard but after about 100 characters my brain stopped processing them. I would have loved to go on to the second class but they only offered it during the day and that just wasn't going to happen with my work schedule.

I've also listened, off and on, to the Pimsleur Mandarin CDs. As a result of my meager attempts, which includes watching several episodes of the children's cartoon Ni Hao Kai Lan ;-) I can say a few phrases. I've shared these with Georgie on occasion and she will often ask me how to say things in Chinese and I have to constantly tell her that I just don't know. One of her little friends at preschool is a Chinese girl who primarily speaks Mandarin in her home and she is therefore fluent. Several months back, after I told Georgie that I didn't know the Chinese word for something, she told me that she wanted "to learn to speak Chinese so she could be Chinese like her friend." I explained to Georgie that she absolutely was Chinese and would always be so, no matter what languages she spoke. Georgie had told me in the past that she wanted to go to Chinese school but after that exchange it ramped up.

Chinese school is not a little thing. Its a huge committment of time. Every Saturday morning from late August until early June for 3.5 hours. Due to work we are weekend warriors and normally try to do fun activities plus shop, clean etc so devoting what turns out to be about 25% of that useable time is a big deal. Plus, after the first year there is homework to be done. Of course, the positives are huge. Learning any language is important but for a person of Chinese descent obviously a bigger issue.

I have a friend, a highly educated Chinese woman, who speaks almost no Chinese at all. She's explained to me, somewhat apologetically, that she was second generation ABC and so grew up speaking only English in the home. Apparantly it didn't become much of an issue for her until she reached middle school. It was then that she first felt disconnected from the Chinese kids she encountered and the primary reason was inability to speak any Chinese. She then made an attempt at Chinese language but she said the Chinese schools were too advanced for her by that point in time and they weren't really offering Mandarin classes in the public schools in those days.

Its odd really. My descendants are from Holland. In fact, I am the second generation born in the US --the same as my Chinese friend. But, I feel no concern or embarrassment whatsoever about the fact that I speak only about 3 words of Dutch. But, I think for Chinese people this is different. Their communities tend to be more pocketed, more like "communities" in a way that certainly doesn't exist for Dutch people (and those of other ethnicities) at least as far as I know.

So there you go, it seemed important :-)

I started looking around at our options. We have a couple schools that are within a reasonable distance and they each have their advantages. I finally chose a particular school mainly because they offer an adult program. I knew G would be excited at the prospect of us both learning and she was. Once I told G that we were going to go she began doing a morning countdown of the days before school would begin. It went something like this:

G: Good morning mama
Me: Good morning baby
G: (big smile) What are we doing today? are we going to Chinese school?
Me: No, not today honey. We're going to Chinese school on Saturday. Today is Tuesday.
G: Ok so Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday... then I go to Chinese school??
Me: Yes dear.
G: (huge smile) I'm so excited to go to Chinese school mommy!

Anyway, Saturday finally arrived, yay! Georgie was incredibly excited. I'm not exactly sure what she was expecting actually. I mean, let's face it, she'd never been to chinese school but obviously had an image in her mind of what it would be like.

We got there a bit early so we could find our way around. Its done on a high school campus so its big. After a bit of initial confusion-- they had her down as a boy "Georg Lana" --it was all sorted out. We (well actually "I") got a lot of looks. I was the only caucasian person there. One man kindly asked if I was lost :-)  I was a bit lost though so his help was appreciated!

Her teacher, who is very sweet, assured me that everything would be just fine and that there would be at least a few other children in the class who had zero to extremely limited chinese language experience. She seemed to be more worried that G was going to cry when I left. Uh, not a chance. G sat down and happily began coloring!!! The class is a conversational one but I guess they use a book also. Its for 4-6 yr olds but from the looks of the kids and a bit of info from some of the other parents, it seems that most of them started kinder and 1st grade this year. G won't start kinder for another year. I think its good we're getting a bit of  a jump on it.
I spent the next couple hours in my own Chinese class going over tones and such. Its also conversational and there are just 4 students. Then it was time to pick G up and see how it had gone...

She was thrilled! She seemed more interested in finding out what I'd learned in my class than in sharing what had happened in her own which I thought was cute. She did finally share with me that they'd sung songs, colored, and learned some Chinese but she couldn't remember any of it. That's ok sweetie, no great rush.

Overall, I'd give the initial experience an A for both of us. Sadly, we'll be missing the next 3 weeks due to other committments and vacation. After that though, we're going to be diehards!

Bro/Sis Outing
Brett and his girlfriend, Talin, decided that they'd like to take G on an outing. Brett suggested to Georgie that they go to the Page Museum where the La Brea Tar Pits. Of course, G the adventurer was thrilled!! I forced Brett to take my camera and made him promise to take pictures. He begrudgingly agreed and then took exactly one picture (well actually two of the exact same pic). I guess beggars can't be choosers. At least its a super cute pic of G!!!

Georgie LOVES spending time with her big brother and she adores Talin. She can't wait until her next bro/sis outing I'm sure!