I don't even know how to write about our experience at Disney World except to say that it truly was magical. It was one of the best weeks of my life. I had never been to Disney World, or even to Florida for that matter, so I had no idea when we booked the trip exactly what to expect. I cannot stop thinking about how incredible it was.
I was sold on Disney right away. The first time we walked through the gates at the Magic Kingdom and saw Cinderella's Castle in the distance, I literally got goosebumps. There were many times during the trip that tears came to my eyes simply because of our amazing surroundings.
It was so much fun to see how much Hannah loved everything. I really had no idea how much she would take in. I thought that she would be along for the ride and maybe have a little fun. Boy, was I wrong! She had the time of her life! She was constantly clapping and pointing and dancing and smiling and laughing. That made it so much better for Josh and I just to see how happy she was. She loved the music, lights, characters, fireworks, rides,... basically everything! Her favorite ride was It's A Small World. Josh said we weren't going to go on that ride because it is "annoying," but we ended up riding it 3 times because Hannah loved it so much. Josh even offered to ride it a 4th time just to see Hannah so excited!
The last night we were at Magic Kingdom, I really did not want to leave. Josh & Hannah had gone ahead to the bus stop while I was buying some candies to take home. I was trying not to cry as I walked to the bus stop to meet them. Later in our room, Josh told me that he was really sad pushing Hannah out in her stroller. He said he loved seeing her so happy and did not want to go home. That did make me cry. Seven days was enough time, but it was still hard to go. There is no question that we will be going back someday... I can't wait!
September 30, 2009
Disney World
I don't even know how to write about our experience at Disney World except to say that it truly was magical. It was one of the best weeks of my life. I had never been to Disney World, or even to Florida for that matter, so I had no idea when we booked the trip exactly what to expect. I cannot stop thinking about how incredible it was.
I was sold on Disney right away. The first time we walked through the gates at the Magic Kingdom and saw Cinderella's Castle in the distance, I literally got goosebumps. There were many times during the trip that tears came to my eyes simply because of our amazing surroundings.
It was so much fun to see how much Hannah loved everything. I really had no idea how much she would take in. I thought that she would be along for the ride and maybe have a little fun. Boy, was I wrong! She had the time of her life! She was constantly clapping and pointing and dancing and smiling and laughing. That made it so much better for Josh and I just to see how happy she was. She loved the music, lights, characters, fireworks, rides,... basically everything! Her favorite ride was It's A Small World. Josh said we weren't going to go on that ride because it is "annoying," but we ended up riding it 3 times because Hannah loved it so much. Josh even offered to ride it a 4th time just to see Hannah so excited!
The last night we were at Magic Kingdom, I really did not want to leave. Josh & Hannah had gone ahead to the bus stop while I was buying some candies to take home. I was trying not to cry as I walked to the bus stop to meet them. Later in our room, Josh told me that he was really sad pushing Hannah out in her stroller. He said he loved seeing her so happy and did not want to go home. That did make me cry. Seven days was enough time, but it was still hard to go. There is no question that we will be going back someday... I can't wait!
I'm No Expert... But Here's My Disney Advice
Everyone who has been to Disney seems to be an expert. I definitely am not, but based on my experiences, here is my advice:
- Fly
- Go for 6-7 days
- Go when school is back in session
- Go when the meal plan is included (we had hundreds of dollars worth of food for FREE!)
- Stay at a Disney World resort
- Don't feed your baby a bowl of baked beans and expect her to sleep well
- Don't go to the parks on the days that they have Extra Magic Hours
- Book your dinner reservations at 6 am on the first day you can...really
- Research... or go with someone who has (thanks Josh :)
- Have an itinerary (parks, rides, and restaurants)
- Go back to your room every day for a nap/rest
- Allow plenty of travel time from the resort to the park
- Buy the Park Hopper Tickets. It's worth it!
- Fast Passes & Rider Swap-enough said!
- Take COMFORTABLE shoes
- Get ready for the time of your life!
Disney World: Our Itinerary
Day One:
Our first night at Disney was perfect. We went to The Magic Kingdom, and we were only there about 4 hours, but we rode 9 rides, ate dinner, and watched fireworks. There were hardly any lines anywhere which was great. I was amazed to find out that there were very few rides that Hannah could not ride. In fact, she went on all of the rides our first night. First we ate a quick dinner at Cosmic Ray's. Hannah enjoyed the entertainment there and the food wasn't bad. The first ride we rode was Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. This ride is a competition between riders to see who can hit the most targets with their laser guns. We rode it twice because there was no line, and I beat Josh both times. Hannah loved the large, talking Buzz Lightyear! Next, we hit Fantasyland and rode It's a Small World, Peter Pan's Flight, Mickey's PhilharMagic, Snow White's Scary Adventures, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. These are all original, classic Disney rides. Hannah liked them all, and I enjoyed getting to see them. My favorite was probably Mickey's PhilharMagic, which was a 3D show with lots of neat effects. Hannah really liked Dumbo, and she LOVED It's a Small World. She was mesmerized by all of the dancing dolls, and she was dancing and clapping along to the music. It was so much fun! Our last ride that night was in Liberty Square. We went through The Haunted Mansion. The good thing about Hannah's age is that she has no concept of what's scary, so she clapped and waved at everything. There were lots of 2,3,4 year olds who would not go on this, or several of the Fantasyland rides for that matter, but she loved them all. We finished the night by watching the Wishes fireworks over Cinderella's Castle. Hannah had about had it by that point. It had been a long day of traveling so we headed back to our resort to rest.
Day Two:
On our second day, we headed to Animal Kingdom first. We started the day by riding Expedition Everest, one of the biggest roller coasters at Disney. Josh & I took turns riding this one, since Hannah obviously could not ride it. It was a pretty good ride with a few decent drops and even went backwards in the dark. Next, we went on the Kilimanjaro Safari. We went through an "African savanna" and saw giraffes, elephants, rhinos, hippos, lions, cheetahs, etc. It was pretty fun, but a lot like going to the zoo. Then we went to see a show, Festival of the Lion King. It was a good show, and it was nice to sit inside and cool down. It was so hot that day, and they say that The Animal Kingdom is the hottest park because of all of the foliage. The music in the show was really good, and Hannah loved the giant elephant. We then ate lunch at the Flame Tree Barbecue, which was good. However, they did not have many options for kids. Hannah ate a bowl of baked beans which I think caused us some problems later. At this point, we were hot and tired and decided to head back to the room for a nap.
That evening, we went to Hollywood Studios first for dinner at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater. This is one of Josh's favorite restaurants. The atmosphere was really neat, but it wasn't very conducive to small children, in particular, a baby. It was dark, and we were watching a movie sitting in a car (like a Drive-In Movie). The cars were the size of real cars, and there were three couples, plus Hannah in our car. I felt like we were disturbing the others. Josh and I took turns taking Hannah out. It was not a good choice for her, but it was a neat place, and I would recommend it to families with older kids. Next, we went and watched some of the Beauty and the Beast show and rode The Great Movie Ride. Both were ok, but we were all having a bit of an off night. I think we were all just hot and tired. We decided to hop on the Monorail and head to The Magic Kingdom to see the SpectroMagic parade. This was a good parade, but again, we were all tired. We rode Pirates of the Caribbean and headed back to our room. We had a rough night that night. I think the baked beans from earlier in the day were haunting us in the middle of the night (AKA-Hannah was screaming). She was also cutting her molars. At this point, I was afraid we might be in for a rough week, but luckily that was our only tough night.
Day Three:
On the third day, we headed back to The Magic Kingdom right away. Josh and I took turns riding Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Both were good rides that Hannah could not go on. We got Rider Swaps so that the second person got to go to the front of the line. I love whoever thought of this. Next we rode The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, which is similar to Dumbo, but better. Hannah loved moving the lever to make us go up and down. She was waving her hands and clapping. We ate lunch at Pecos Bill which was pretty good. Then we rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Hannah conked out on this and we stayed on for three trips around so she could sleep. Next we rode Buzz Lightyear for a third time (Josh beat me). We finished by going to the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. This was a really good, live interactive show. We thought it was hilarious.
That night, we headed to Epcot for the first time. We ate dinner at Teppan Edo which was an awesome Japanese Hibachi Grill. I have always wanted to go to one, but never have had the chance. I loved it. Hannah did great too. I actually fed her entire meal to her on chopsticks. I was impressed with myself. It's hard enough to do yourself, but to feed a toddler is extra impressive. I give myself bonus points for that.. hahaha. After dinner, we walked around the park. We ran into Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger at a toy store in England so we stopped for pictures. Next we saw a "Beatles Concert." Hannah was totally digging the music. She was clapping and dancing like crazy. We shopped around a bit, watched the fountains, and just enjoyed the evening. We finished the night by riding Spaceship Earth, which is an old ride, but Josh had never been on it. We actually thought it was pretty cool.
Day Four:
The next morning, we got up and headed back to Epcot since we didn't do much there the night before as far as rides go. First we rode The Seas with Nemo & Friends, and then we went to see Turtle Talk With Crush. Both of these were pretty fun, and I thought Turtle Talk was really funny. Then we went to ride Soarin'. We had a Fast Pass for this ride, so we got to go to the front of the line. It was an AWESOME ride. I loved it. I kind of wish I would have rode it twice. I thought it was so neat! While we were there, we also rode Journey Into Imagination With Figment, walked around and looked at the Aquariums, and tried pops from around the world. We finished by going to Mexico for lunch at Cantina de san Angel. We bought Hannah a maraca at the shop there. She LOVED it!
That night, it was back to Hollywood Studios for dinner at 50s Prime Time Cafe. This is a good place to go if you have loud, little ones. It was the first dinner place I felt totally comfortable with Hannah. It wasn't quite as upscale, but it was still fun, and the food was good. Josh got their famous PB&J milkshake, which actually was pretty good. I stuck with chocolate though. Our meals were good old home cookin' type meals. It was a good time. After that, the park was closing, so our only option was The American Idol show. We went and actually thought it was pretty good. People from the park were auditioning for a golden ticket to go to the front of any American Idol try-out. We got to vote for the winner. The set was very much like the real set. It was a lot of fun. Then we headed back early for bed.
Day Five:
On day five, we started at Hollywood Studios to hit some of the big rides. We took turns riding Rock 'n' Roller Coaster which was awesome. It was the best big ride we went on in my opinion. Next, I rode The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. The guy said the line was only 10 minutes long, but it was actually 45 minutes. Josh didn't end up riding it, but he's been on it lots of times. I liked it, and I didn't think it was nearly as scary as it looks. Next we rode Toy Story Midway Mania which was by far the coolest ride there. We LOVED it! We used fast passes so we didn't have to wait in line. It was another competitive shooting game, but it was so much better than Buzz Lightyear. I LOVED it (and I beat Josh)! Hannah was holding on for dear life sitting between Josh & I, but she was laughing the whole time. We also went to the Muppet Vision 3-D show, which was Hannah's favorite thing that day. Josh & I took turns riding Star Wars which I thought was ok, but my back was KILLING me at that point. While Josh was on Star Wars, Hannah & I went to watch a band. The guitar player came down and talked to her. Then we went to see the Army Men from Toy Story. She thought they were hilarious and they talked to her too.
That night we got to go to Cinderella's Royal Table for dinner. It was amazing! I loved it so much. We actually had dinner in the Castle! Hannah wore her Cinderella dress and got her picture taken with Cinderella. Then we went upstairs for dinner. They did such a great job catering to the young children. They brought us prints of our picture with Cinderella right away. They also gave Hannah a Cinderella wand (which she LOVED) and a wishing star. Then, the mice and Fairy Godmother came out and sang and danced. They came around to each table for hugs and pictures. Hannah loved them and cried with her arms out when they walked away. The food was amazing. It was such a great dinner. After that, Hannah and I rode the Teacups. Then we spent some time shopping. We gave into the Disney temptation and bought Hannah embroidered pink Minnie ears even though she wouldn't wear them. We also bought her a Mr. Potato Head. They have this cool display with all of these Disney pieces, and we couldn't resist. It was "fit as many as you can in the box" for $20, and we fit a lot in the box! We didn't waste space with the head since we can get that at Target. We just got the exclusive Disney pieces. It may have been more for Josh & I than Hannah... hahaha. We also walked through Minnie Mouse's house and rode It's a Small World again. We finished by watching more fireworks, which Hannah really enjoyed this time. It was a perfect night.
Day Six:
We knew this was our last full day, and we were tempted to just hang out at the resort for the morning, but instead we jetted over to Hollywood Studios one more time. We had to ride Toy Story Mania again, and we actually got to ride it twice (Josh beat me both times)! Once we had Fast Passes so we went straight to the front, but the other time, we had to wait 40 minutes. It was worth it. That ride is awesome! We also went to The Little Mermaid show, which may have been one of Hannah's favorites. She was going crazy! We finished by going on the Walt Disney walking tour and eating lunch at the Toy Story Pizza Planet Arcade. We were glad we went back.
That night, we had an early dinner at Ohana which is at The Polynesian Resort. It was amazing. This was the hardest reservation to get, and I see why. There was so much food, and it was so good! All you can eat steak, shrimp, chicken, pork, noodles, bread, salad, etc and they brought it all to your table. The meat was straight off the grill on big skewers. It was so good! The bread pudding they brought out for dessert was amazing too! We were stuffed! Then we went back to The Magic Kingdom and rode the Train around the park. We also rode Aladdin, It's a Small World (3rd time!), Jungle Cruise, and Buzz Lightyear (Josh won). We watched fireworks, bought some candy, and left. We were all very sad leaving that night. We didn't think we would be back and we were so sad that it was over.
Dav Seven:
On our last day, we packed up and I convinced Josh that we had to go back to The Magic Kingdom one more time. I just didn't want to say good-bye. We rode the Transit Authority and Buzz Lightyear one more time (I won). We also ate lunch and did some last minute shopping, and then we said good-bye. It was such an amazing trip, and I'm sure we will carry the memories with us forever. I am so glad we went. I can't imagine what could be better.
Our first night at Disney was perfect. We went to The Magic Kingdom, and we were only there about 4 hours, but we rode 9 rides, ate dinner, and watched fireworks. There were hardly any lines anywhere which was great. I was amazed to find out that there were very few rides that Hannah could not ride. In fact, she went on all of the rides our first night. First we ate a quick dinner at Cosmic Ray's. Hannah enjoyed the entertainment there and the food wasn't bad. The first ride we rode was Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. This ride is a competition between riders to see who can hit the most targets with their laser guns. We rode it twice because there was no line, and I beat Josh both times. Hannah loved the large, talking Buzz Lightyear! Next, we hit Fantasyland and rode It's a Small World, Peter Pan's Flight, Mickey's PhilharMagic, Snow White's Scary Adventures, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. These are all original, classic Disney rides. Hannah liked them all, and I enjoyed getting to see them. My favorite was probably Mickey's PhilharMagic, which was a 3D show with lots of neat effects. Hannah really liked Dumbo, and she LOVED It's a Small World. She was mesmerized by all of the dancing dolls, and she was dancing and clapping along to the music. It was so much fun! Our last ride that night was in Liberty Square. We went through The Haunted Mansion. The good thing about Hannah's age is that she has no concept of what's scary, so she clapped and waved at everything. There were lots of 2,3,4 year olds who would not go on this, or several of the Fantasyland rides for that matter, but she loved them all. We finished the night by watching the Wishes fireworks over Cinderella's Castle. Hannah had about had it by that point. It had been a long day of traveling so we headed back to our resort to rest.
Day Two:
On our second day, we headed to Animal Kingdom first. We started the day by riding Expedition Everest, one of the biggest roller coasters at Disney. Josh & I took turns riding this one, since Hannah obviously could not ride it. It was a pretty good ride with a few decent drops and even went backwards in the dark. Next, we went on the Kilimanjaro Safari. We went through an "African savanna" and saw giraffes, elephants, rhinos, hippos, lions, cheetahs, etc. It was pretty fun, but a lot like going to the zoo. Then we went to see a show, Festival of the Lion King. It was a good show, and it was nice to sit inside and cool down. It was so hot that day, and they say that The Animal Kingdom is the hottest park because of all of the foliage. The music in the show was really good, and Hannah loved the giant elephant. We then ate lunch at the Flame Tree Barbecue, which was good. However, they did not have many options for kids. Hannah ate a bowl of baked beans which I think caused us some problems later. At this point, we were hot and tired and decided to head back to the room for a nap.
That evening, we went to Hollywood Studios first for dinner at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater. This is one of Josh's favorite restaurants. The atmosphere was really neat, but it wasn't very conducive to small children, in particular, a baby. It was dark, and we were watching a movie sitting in a car (like a Drive-In Movie). The cars were the size of real cars, and there were three couples, plus Hannah in our car. I felt like we were disturbing the others. Josh and I took turns taking Hannah out. It was not a good choice for her, but it was a neat place, and I would recommend it to families with older kids. Next, we went and watched some of the Beauty and the Beast show and rode The Great Movie Ride. Both were ok, but we were all having a bit of an off night. I think we were all just hot and tired. We decided to hop on the Monorail and head to The Magic Kingdom to see the SpectroMagic parade. This was a good parade, but again, we were all tired. We rode Pirates of the Caribbean and headed back to our room. We had a rough night that night. I think the baked beans from earlier in the day were haunting us in the middle of the night (AKA-Hannah was screaming). She was also cutting her molars. At this point, I was afraid we might be in for a rough week, but luckily that was our only tough night.
Day Three:
On the third day, we headed back to The Magic Kingdom right away. Josh and I took turns riding Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Both were good rides that Hannah could not go on. We got Rider Swaps so that the second person got to go to the front of the line. I love whoever thought of this. Next we rode The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, which is similar to Dumbo, but better. Hannah loved moving the lever to make us go up and down. She was waving her hands and clapping. We ate lunch at Pecos Bill which was pretty good. Then we rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. Hannah conked out on this and we stayed on for three trips around so she could sleep. Next we rode Buzz Lightyear for a third time (Josh beat me). We finished by going to the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. This was a really good, live interactive show. We thought it was hilarious.
That night, we headed to Epcot for the first time. We ate dinner at Teppan Edo which was an awesome Japanese Hibachi Grill. I have always wanted to go to one, but never have had the chance. I loved it. Hannah did great too. I actually fed her entire meal to her on chopsticks. I was impressed with myself. It's hard enough to do yourself, but to feed a toddler is extra impressive. I give myself bonus points for that.. hahaha. After dinner, we walked around the park. We ran into Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger at a toy store in England so we stopped for pictures. Next we saw a "Beatles Concert." Hannah was totally digging the music. She was clapping and dancing like crazy. We shopped around a bit, watched the fountains, and just enjoyed the evening. We finished the night by riding Spaceship Earth, which is an old ride, but Josh had never been on it. We actually thought it was pretty cool.
Day Four:
The next morning, we got up and headed back to Epcot since we didn't do much there the night before as far as rides go. First we rode The Seas with Nemo & Friends, and then we went to see Turtle Talk With Crush. Both of these were pretty fun, and I thought Turtle Talk was really funny. Then we went to ride Soarin'. We had a Fast Pass for this ride, so we got to go to the front of the line. It was an AWESOME ride. I loved it. I kind of wish I would have rode it twice. I thought it was so neat! While we were there, we also rode Journey Into Imagination With Figment, walked around and looked at the Aquariums, and tried pops from around the world. We finished by going to Mexico for lunch at Cantina de san Angel. We bought Hannah a maraca at the shop there. She LOVED it!
That night, it was back to Hollywood Studios for dinner at 50s Prime Time Cafe. This is a good place to go if you have loud, little ones. It was the first dinner place I felt totally comfortable with Hannah. It wasn't quite as upscale, but it was still fun, and the food was good. Josh got their famous PB&J milkshake, which actually was pretty good. I stuck with chocolate though. Our meals were good old home cookin' type meals. It was a good time. After that, the park was closing, so our only option was The American Idol show. We went and actually thought it was pretty good. People from the park were auditioning for a golden ticket to go to the front of any American Idol try-out. We got to vote for the winner. The set was very much like the real set. It was a lot of fun. Then we headed back early for bed.
Day Five:
On day five, we started at Hollywood Studios to hit some of the big rides. We took turns riding Rock 'n' Roller Coaster which was awesome. It was the best big ride we went on in my opinion. Next, I rode The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. The guy said the line was only 10 minutes long, but it was actually 45 minutes. Josh didn't end up riding it, but he's been on it lots of times. I liked it, and I didn't think it was nearly as scary as it looks. Next we rode Toy Story Midway Mania which was by far the coolest ride there. We LOVED it! We used fast passes so we didn't have to wait in line. It was another competitive shooting game, but it was so much better than Buzz Lightyear. I LOVED it (and I beat Josh)! Hannah was holding on for dear life sitting between Josh & I, but she was laughing the whole time. We also went to the Muppet Vision 3-D show, which was Hannah's favorite thing that day. Josh & I took turns riding Star Wars which I thought was ok, but my back was KILLING me at that point. While Josh was on Star Wars, Hannah & I went to watch a band. The guitar player came down and talked to her. Then we went to see the Army Men from Toy Story. She thought they were hilarious and they talked to her too.
That night we got to go to Cinderella's Royal Table for dinner. It was amazing! I loved it so much. We actually had dinner in the Castle! Hannah wore her Cinderella dress and got her picture taken with Cinderella. Then we went upstairs for dinner. They did such a great job catering to the young children. They brought us prints of our picture with Cinderella right away. They also gave Hannah a Cinderella wand (which she LOVED) and a wishing star. Then, the mice and Fairy Godmother came out and sang and danced. They came around to each table for hugs and pictures. Hannah loved them and cried with her arms out when they walked away. The food was amazing. It was such a great dinner. After that, Hannah and I rode the Teacups. Then we spent some time shopping. We gave into the Disney temptation and bought Hannah embroidered pink Minnie ears even though she wouldn't wear them. We also bought her a Mr. Potato Head. They have this cool display with all of these Disney pieces, and we couldn't resist. It was "fit as many as you can in the box" for $20, and we fit a lot in the box! We didn't waste space with the head since we can get that at Target. We just got the exclusive Disney pieces. It may have been more for Josh & I than Hannah... hahaha. We also walked through Minnie Mouse's house and rode It's a Small World again. We finished by watching more fireworks, which Hannah really enjoyed this time. It was a perfect night.
Day Six:
We knew this was our last full day, and we were tempted to just hang out at the resort for the morning, but instead we jetted over to Hollywood Studios one more time. We had to ride Toy Story Mania again, and we actually got to ride it twice (Josh beat me both times)! Once we had Fast Passes so we went straight to the front, but the other time, we had to wait 40 minutes. It was worth it. That ride is awesome! We also went to The Little Mermaid show, which may have been one of Hannah's favorites. She was going crazy! We finished by going on the Walt Disney walking tour and eating lunch at the Toy Story Pizza Planet Arcade. We were glad we went back.
That night, we had an early dinner at Ohana which is at The Polynesian Resort. It was amazing. This was the hardest reservation to get, and I see why. There was so much food, and it was so good! All you can eat steak, shrimp, chicken, pork, noodles, bread, salad, etc and they brought it all to your table. The meat was straight off the grill on big skewers. It was so good! The bread pudding they brought out for dessert was amazing too! We were stuffed! Then we went back to The Magic Kingdom and rode the Train around the park. We also rode Aladdin, It's a Small World (3rd time!), Jungle Cruise, and Buzz Lightyear (Josh won). We watched fireworks, bought some candy, and left. We were all very sad leaving that night. We didn't think we would be back and we were so sad that it was over.
Dav Seven:
On our last day, we packed up and I convinced Josh that we had to go back to The Magic Kingdom one more time. I just didn't want to say good-bye. We rode the Transit Authority and Buzz Lightyear one more time (I won). We also ate lunch and did some last minute shopping, and then we said good-bye. It was such an amazing trip, and I'm sure we will carry the memories with us forever. I am so glad we went. I can't imagine what could be better.
September 13, 2009
Girls Day at Curtis Orchard
On Saturday, Hannah & I met up with some of my college friends and their kids for a fun day in Champaign. First we got together at Abby's for a yummy brunch. Then we went to Curtis Orchard for some apple picking and snacks. We were sad that Lindsay and Betty didn't end up getting to come, but we still had fun!
September 10, 2009
Meet Me In St. Louis
We took a mini-vacation over the weekend to St. Louis. It was fun and exhausting. I think it was good preparation for our Disney trip though. We learned a few lessons on traveling with a little one.
First of all, we packed about 18 bags for our one night trip and decided we will need a bigger car when we have another baby. Ok, ok, maybe not until we have two more babies...but still! I took lots of things "just in case."
Josh, Hannah, & I packed up the car and headed for the Zoo first. St. Louis has a great Zoo, and the best part is that it is free! Josh took me to St. Louis for the day when we got engaged, and that was the last time we had been to the zoo there. It was fun taking Hannah around to see all of the animals. I'm sure this is an activity that will keep getting more fun as she gets older, but she was definitely interested in watching the different animals.
After the Zoo, we headed to Ted Drewes Custard, which is a famous "ice cream" place down there. This is somewhere we had been meaning to go for years. They are famous for their "concretes." Mine was really good, but Hannah ate a lot of it :)
That evening, we met Jordan & Courtney for dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory. I really like this restaurant. The architecture and design is just beautiful. The food isn't bad either. Unfortunately, by this point, it was past Hannah's bedtime, and she had barely napped in the car, so she was rather restless and it wasn't an extremely enjoyable dinner. The food was good, but Hannah was ready to go to bed, so we headed back to the hotel.
The main reason we were in St. Louis was for the kickoff of the Illini football season. We were set to stay on the same floor as the players, but when they saw that we had a baby, they said they would move us to the next floor so they wouldn't keep her up. I figured that was their nice way of saying so she wouldn't keep them up. Josh was glad they moved us. We could just imagine Juice being interviewed after the game saying that he didn't play well because a baby kept him up all night in the hotel. Well, as it turns out, we were on the floor with Juice and most of the players after all, so I guess they got mixed up.
Hannah did ok sleeping in the hotel, but not great. Several times, people in the hallway woke her up. I was ready to go yell at them. She also got up at 5 am! Ahh!!! Luckily, our hotel room was very spacious, so she ran around until 8:30 and then we met everyone for breakfast. After that, Josh & I managed to get her to take a small nap in the hotel while Josh's mom and Courtney went shopping for fall clothes for Hannah. Then, we went down to the lobby to watch the players load up on the bus to go to the game.
Once the players were gone, we headed out for the big game. I LOVE the start of a new football season. There is so much anticipation and hope for what the new season will bring. I love to cheer on the team as they run out of the locker room to take the field for the first time. My heart was so full of pride, and I was confident that we could win this one. We play Missouri every year for our season opener, and they win more often than not. However, we were favored to win this year. We were so excited! Unfortunatley, that hope was crushed rather quickly by our poor, unemotional play. Some of our key players had injuries early on, and we were very dissapointed. The score was still semi-close at half time, but they demolished us in the second half. Hannah enjoyed the first half. She watched the dancers and clapped when the crowd clapped. Funny enough though, the girl who was woken up by every little sound in the hotel, totally crashed at the game where it was so loud you couldn't hear the person next to you! She slept through a majority of the second half. We left pretty much as soon as she woke up because we were getting killed.
The drive back was long and I was TIRED. We made two long stops, including one at Wal-Mart to let Hannah run around because she was sick of her carseat. Then, she and I both fell asleep in the car, but Josh had to wake me up because I was apparently snoring so loud he thought I was going to wake up Hannah. Oops!
All in all, it was a fun trip, and we learned some important lessons. I just hope our football season doesn't continue as poorly as it began...
September 3, 2009
Snickers Cheesecake
Here is the recipe for the Snickers Cheesecake I made for Josh's birthday. It's a little pricey to make, but it's really good for a special occasion!
Ingredients:
1-3/4 cups crushed oreos
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 cup chocolate syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs, lightly beaten
6 Snickers candy bars (regular size), coarsely chopped, divided
Additional chocolate syrup
In a small bowl, combine Oreo crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom and 1-1/2 in. up the sides of a greased 9" springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325 for 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, milk, chocolate syrup and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs; beat just until combined. Stir in 2-1/2 cups chopped candy bars. Pour into crust.
Bake for 75-80 minutes or until center is just set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Top with remaining chopped candy bars; drizzle with additional chocolate syrup.
September 2, 2009
Josh's 27th Birthday
Josh turned 27 last weekend. I remember when my dad was 27. I specifically remember that was the first time I asked my dad how old he was... and I probably thought that he was old then. Wow, now I am married to a 27 year old man, and I'm not far behind!
It was a typical birthday celebration around here with lots of eating, family, eating, presents, and more eating! On Saturday morning (Josh's actual birthday), Hannah and I let him open his presents. We got him the new season of Smallville, a case of Boylans black cherry pop, Dove chocolate, and some other fun things. Then we took him to Champaign to go shopping for some new cargo shorts and swim trunks. I forgot how picky he is... we didn't get either one. Then, I had planned to go to a fun Italian restaurant in Champaign called Minneci's. Josh and I went there with his dad over 10 years ago when we first started dating, and we have never been back. Unfortunately, when we got there at 3 for a late lunch/early dinner, we discovered that they don't open until 5:00-bummer! So, we ended up eating at a yummy Mexican place, Dos Reales. The funny thing is that was where we ate last year for his birthday because it is right behind the NICU, where Hannah was at the time!
After dinner, we picked Betsy up from her dorm at the U of I, and the four of us went for ice cream at Coldstone Creamery. We even let Hannah get her first, very own ice cream. She loved it! She had cheesecake ice cream with graham crackers mixed in. She had it all over her face but she ate every last bite.
The next day, we celebrated with my family after church. Dad made a fancy lunch and I made a Snickers cheesecake. It was very yummy. Then, that night, we went to Buffalo Wild Wings with Josh's mom's side for more partying. And on Tuesday night, we went to the Moon Glo with Josh's dad's side for yet one more party. So yes, I gained 10 lbs. this weekend... but I had some really good food!
Happy Birthday Josh. We love you and hope you had fun this weekend!
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