Animal Kingdom

There are a handful of things Bohdin remembers well from his last trip to Disney World 2.5 years ago when he was five.  The first is the orange exhibit at the science museum and the second is that he didn't get his last stamp from the booklet at Animal Kingdom.  Friday we went to the science museum.  We had a later start than we should have and by the time we arrived it was quite busy.  Bohdin didn't like that there were so many kids there.  Nyla and Cora liked it and we stayed in that area for a while.  There was a pirate thing going on that day and the kids were given some pirate treasure in a bag which they really liked.  We couldn't stay too long because Cora was getting tired and I was getting tired of keeping her in check. 






Saturday was Animal Kingdom day.  We didn't quite get there in time for opening but we were pretty close.  Our first stop was the safari.  Then we started collecting the stamps.  They have stations set up for kids who have to do something like a scavenger hunt or looking at replica dinosaur bones.  One of the stations was closed that day so we automatically received the stamp for that stop.  It helped our timeline. 

Buddy really enjoyed the bird show last time and wanted to see it again.  I was okay with skipping it but the timing worked out that I ended up going.  Buddy moved Nyla and Cora to a different area so they could see better while I stayed with Bohdin.  Last time I went I struggled with a two year old Nyla.  This time I was able to just watch the show and I liked it a lot better than last time.  Buddy said he didn't enjoy it as much. 



Next up was Kali River Rapids.  Bohdin loved this ride and did it three times.  Cora was too little so Buddy and I traded off.  When Bohdin was going for his third time I took the girls across the park to see Lion King but Cora fell asleep in the stroller.  The park had become very hot and crowded by this time and I made my way back to Buddy while looking for ice cream for Nyla.  We stayed in the park while Cora slept and piddled around.  Buddy and the kids rode Dinosaur, the kids earned more stamps, and we all sat down to eat our food.  It started raining after Cora woke up and we headed to Nemo indoors.  It was raining even harder.  Even with the ponchos it was a little wet.  The heavy rain turned into a light drizzle and eventually stopped.  We stuck it out and stayed until the park closed at 6.  We were all exhausted.


















Bohdin - The things I liked were Dinosaur, the Festival of the Lion King, and collecting stamps.  I also liked riding the train and Kali River Rapids.  That was my favorite thing.  It was really fun and this is how it went.  First you went up a hill and then there was a fountain.  Then you went on a flat area for a little bit and then there was a drop and it was best not to be on the bottom because you got the wettest there.  Then you went a little way down what seemed like a river and then there was a bridge to go under and two stone elephants started squirting water when a raft went by.

Nyla - I hated meeting the animals and I also hated doing Dinosaur. On Dinosaur I could hear a big blue dinosaur roaring with a spiky horn in its back.  And then I hid my eyes.   I liked riding the train and I also liked getting stamps.  I also liked doing the Lion King show and also Nemo.  I'm glad we went home.

Hollywood Studios

Our first stop was Disney's Hollywood Studios.  I discovered that they opened the park differently than the last time we were there and actually opened the park 15 minutes prior to the stated opening time.  We were there in time for the early opening and it was awesome.  We rode Toy Story before the park officially opened.  We rode three times in a row I think before we moved on to something else.  Crowds were pretty light that whole day except at Fantasmic.

After Nyla and I watched Beauty and the Beast I let her explore the park.  She had complained of our fast touring style and wanted to slow down and look around.  She wandered to the big sorcerer's hat which I discovered sold hats. 






After one last time on Toy Story before heading back to the hotel for a break I noticed the green Army men scaring people.  I watched a little kid freak out when he found out that what looked like a statue actually moved.  I ran over to Nyla who was just around the corner with Buddy getting the stroller.  I thought she would like it.  She stood next to him for a picture and he didn't move at all.  When she came up to me he came up behind her.  She turned around and screamed in delight.  We had to stay and watch other people get scared.  She loved it. 





Back at the hotel, Cora took a nap and Buddy took the kids to the lazy river.  The picture was taken from our balcony on the 14th floor. 



We went back to Hollywood Studios after a few hour break.  Buddy and I split up again so Nyla could meet characters and Bohdin wouldn't be bored.  He doesn't like meeting characters so he went to stunt car show instead.  Nyla met Mickey, Pooh, and Mulan.  She could have done more but she wasn't interested.  Mary Poppins, Captain Hook, the Incredibles, and one other character was there. 






Cora loved this doll and kept coming back to it.


Bohdin really wanted to do Star Tours but I didn't think he should.  Buddy got motion sickness from it last time and he doesn't get motion sickness as easily as Bohdin.  He tried it despite my advice and loved it.  I'm so glad he didn't listen to me.  He did it three times and convinced Nyla and I to try it.  I didn't like it and had to close my eyes but Nyla liked it.  We were pretty tired but decided to go to Fantasmic anyway.  It was the right decision. 



Bohdin - We did Toy Story Mania about four times.  My favorite thing was Star Tours.  I went on it three times.  Nyla and mommy did it once and daddy did it twice.  I also liked the Muppet Vision 3D.  I also liked the Indiana Jones show and the car stunt show.  I also liked Disney Jr on stage and the Fantasmic show.  I liked all of it.

Nyla - The soldier when I went to take my picture with him and I was done.  One forward step and his hands were forward and when I walked away and I turned around I noticed.  It was very good.

Forgot Some Things

I forgot some things while I was writing the previous posts.  When we were in Asheville there were a lot of musicians on the sidewalks so we heard a lot of music.  Nyla was looking at the window display of a wig shop.  Across the street were some people playing music.  I saw Nyla start shaking her hips around a bit as she heard the beat.  It seemed like an unconscious movement.

Cora decided she wanted to wear underwear instead of diapers.  For most of the trip down she used the potty pretty well.  Once we made it to Orlando she gave up the idea and wouldn't sit on the potty at all. 

Bohdin lost a tooth while we were in the hotel in St. Augustine.  I told him to put it by the sink so we wouldn't forget it in the morning but in the morning I couldn't find it.  He was sad that he had lost another lost tooth.  If I had any small cash on me I would have put some under his pillow but all I had was a one hundred dollar bill.  The tooth fairy is not that generous.  

Getting there part two

We arrived in St. Augustine in time to do a quick tour of the place.  We didn't quite finish up before they closed.  Bohdin was really interested in it and wanted to see everything.  Nyla was hot and Cora wanted to climb on everything.







Buddy reserved the hotels for us while we were traveling.  I would call him and confirm the city we would be staying in and he would then get on Hotwire and find something suitable.  The Savannah motel was interesting with really amazing management.  The room vibrated at times possibly due to the construction next door.  It also had the original bathroom for the 50s.  It was fine but not remotely upscale.  When I pulled into the St. Augustine hotel I thought I might be at the wrong place.  Buddy had chosen a three star hotel within walking distance of the beach.  It was so much nicer than the previous nights, I was surprised.  We took advantage of the location and went to the beach that night for a little while and again the next morning. Bohdin and Nyla said it was their favorite beach.

The beach was extremely wide. A lot of the beaches in the area have very hard packed sand but not this one.  I've never sunk into the sand so much.  When I was carrying Cora I sank well past my ankle once.  I took a picture of someone's footprint.  The waves were very strong and there was a rip current warning.  The waves seemed to be coming from two directions at once and the rhythm was unusual.  Cora wanted to jump the deep waves like Bohdin but she kept getting splashed in the face.  She wasn't thrilled when I pulled her back to the small waves.  The kids really enjoyed this beach and one its best features in their eyes was the sand shelf.
















I had originally intended to attend a walking tour of Flagler college but for everyone's sake I skipped it. I don't think the kids would have enjoyed it.  We headed to Orlando to pick up Buddy after noon.  The trip down was interesting.  It was a bit further driving that way especially with the detours like Savannah.  The kids liked it and it was easier on them.  I didn't want to get them too burner out on driving because they would be making the return journey in two days.  It was also their last chance to see the beach for the foreseeable future.

Here are Bohdin and Nyla's rushed responses about driving there.

Bohdin - My favorite thing was the beach with the sandbar because if you stood on the edge long enough the sand came off.  So it was really weird and fun to stand on the edge without falling off.  My other favorite thing was the waterfall.  There was a rainbow and it was just really neat and I got a new rock.  I also liked going to the park in Savannah.  It was really fun to explore.  There was another one right next to the first one and it was just really fun because it was so big.

Nyla -  I remember the waterfall and the beach.  I liked the sandbar and the moving sand where the water helped you move.

Getting to Disney part 1

We just got back home after being gone for 13 days.  Early on the 9th the kids and I left for Disney World.  To maximize our time there I started driving several days early while Buddy flew.  It's over 14 hours there and it takes two days minimum.  I stretched it to four days so it wouldn't be so difficult for Cora.  I noticed a huge change since our last trip in July and there was never any big problems with her.

Our first day was the longest drive and every day would get shorter.  I left around 6 in the morning thinking the kids would go back to sleep.  Cora eventually did but Bohdin and Nyla did not.  They were able to watch the sun rise but I don't think they were very interested.  After a few hours of driving we stopped at our first pit stop, Cumberland Falls.  The kids were semi interested.  It killed some time and I thought it was pleasant.  The rode getting there was windy and Bohdin sort of threw up when we arrived.  Every once in a while he gets motion sickness.  He was fine after a few minutes and I spent most of the time trying to keep everybody somewhat together.

We then drove through the mountains of Tennessee which are quite pretty.  I was the only one impressed.  I might come back here someday.  We arrived in Asheville, North Carolina around three.  There is a small earth science museum there that we spent some time in.  I had a hard time keeping Cora out of trouble there and chasing her around occupied a lot of time.  She refused to be in the carrier.  We had dinner at a restaurant and Cora didn't do too terrible.  Buddy was jealous because it was our favorite restaurant.  Unfortunately it has gone way downhill since the last time Buddy and I went about ten years ago.  I was pretty tired so we just went to the hotel.

The next morning we were scheduled to drive into Savannah Georgia.  We stopped for lunch in South Carolina to try some of the mustard sauce.  Bohdin didn't like it and the girls didn't even try it.  It felt like a long day driving and we were all glad to make it to the hotel.  I wanted to explore the historic section of the town but took the kids to the beach at Tybee Island instead.  I knew they would have more fun there.  There wasn't a lot of daylight left so we had to enjoy it quickly.  Nyla spent most of her time dancing on the beach.  Cora held my hand in fright for a few minutes before running off to play.  Bohdin spent most of his time in the water.















The next morning we spent a little time walking around town.  We visited Forsyth Park which was lovely.  It was a beautiful town that I need to return to with Buddy.  The kids don't make the best travel partners because they are always acting like children.  At least I've had a little taste of Savannah.





We drove a couple of hours south to Jekyll beach.  I had planned for us to visit the turtle center there but we ended up just spending a little bit of time at the beach.  The water was filled with a lot of sediment so the kids didn't enjoy this beach much.  I rather liked it because I didn't have to watch the kids as closely with none of them in the water.  I was able to lay down and enjoy some quiet time.
It wasn't long before we were on our way south into Florida.

Apple Picking

We went up to Indiana to go apple picking on Friday with E- whom we haven't seen in quite a while.  I wasn't sure if Cora would be able to participate because she had received a shot in her leg on Thursday.  During her nap she woke up crying that her leg hurt.  She fell back asleep only to wake up again later.  She was miserable throughout the evening and could hardly walk.  She was limping a little in the morning but it cleared up by the time we arrived at the orchard.

The trees had so many apples in reach that it took about a minute to get more apples than we needed.  We stopped in the store and bought a few other things then went to the playground.  The playground charges admission but there was nobody there to collect money.  We had the kids stay out of the area and play with the animal statues.  Eventually one of the kids went into the paid area.  We were hesitant to go in without paying but we gradually lost our apprehension about that.  In addition to the play area they have other activities like a pony ride which wasn't operating while we were there.  The favorite thing was the 40 foot barn slide.  They built a smaller scale barn and attached a large black pipe as a slide from the top area.  Bohdin and E- loved it the most.  Nyla and Cora did it several times as well.

Different deer in our backyard.  This time it was a buck and a doe.


Bohdin has an idea for solving global warming.  I'll share it in his own words.

Power plants produce carbon dioxide which is warming up the planet.  The current solution is to capture carbon dioxide and turn it into carbon rich chemicals and store them underground.  My solution is to separate the carbon from the oxygen in carbon dioxide and then put all the carbon together in a pyramid structure to make diamonds.  Then you have a power plant producing diamonds AND electricity.  But you can't do that too much because without carbon dioxide we would run out of oxygen. 

I asked him how the process would generate electricity but he dodged the question.  I decided not to ask him about the energy required to split molecules or any other details.  He did add that it would be really cool if it would rain diamonds.  I was impressed with how well he presented his idea.  Sometimes he doesn't sound like a seven year old.

Ta Da

Nyla watching the deer leave our yard.  Either the deer know how to open the gate or the wind is opening it for them.  Since they can easily jump the fence it doesn't really matter.  It was a mom with two baby deer this time.


Cora sticking her tongue out.


Last week Cora insisted that we watch her do whatever popped into her head.  It was mostly running and jumping off the couch.  Afterward she would say ta da!  Most of her stunts we did not approve of.    She climbed the small ladder and balanced on one foot, she jumped from the couch to the coffee table, and various other things.  She hasn't done it in several days which I think is a good thing.  One of the girls from Lego League today was practicing hand stands and Cora watched intently.  She thought about copying but couldn't figure out how to get her legs off the ground.  I bet if she had she would have said ta da.



We had some of our favorite visitors over the weekend.  Buddy's grandmother, aunt, and uncle arrived late Sunday afternoon.  Nyla nearly died from impatience.  She even called once to find out how much longer until they arrived.  It was just a short visit but it was lovely as always.  On Monday we went to the Kentucky Derby Museum which had long been on my places to visit list.  I had heard good things about it but was a little skeptical.  I was very pleasantly surprised.  The museum was a lot of fun.  We spent several hours there and didn't see it all.  Cora's favorite part was the horse video game.  She did that one a lot.  It's a good thing that it was not a busy day.  I think my favorite part was the betting display.  There was a computer screen with the horses for the upcoming race as well as their odds.  A horse was chosen for first, second, and third place.  Then a tv screen shows that actual race from years ago and then you find out what you would have won.  It would have been even better with more complex bids possible but I still liked it.  It probably helped that I was the big winner with $13.10 in hypothetical winnings.   It was a really wonderful museum.




















A few hours after returning from the Derby Museum, Nyla went nuts.  She was tired and fell asleep in her room for a little while and when we woke her up she was a beast.  She screamed and cried for quite some time.  In some ways, being five is difficult for her.  She's been more emotional the past month.  She is also becoming way more independent.  This morning she yelled at me but apologized seconds later.  She was crying and saying sorry.  Cora has picked up on this behavior and twice today she has told me sorry.  I've already forgotten the first incident but the second time I was syncing the ipod and Cora wouldn't stop touching the cord even though I told her to stop touching it numerous times.  I finally moved her away from it into Buddy's arms.  Cora was so sad.  Eventually she came over to me crying and saying sorry over and over.