Disneyland! (No children allowed...)

You heard me right....Disneyland, and we left the kiddo at home!  Let me back up so you get the whole story as to why we left Kyle behind on this trip.  ;o)

Inside Disney Club 33 - November 13, 2011

A few weeks ago I got a postcard in the mail from the University of Redlands, Alumni department.  Something about a Disney Club 33, and enter your name by going to this website.  I had no idea what Club 33 even was, so of course I immediately went to the website given on the card, as well as eliciting the help from good old Google.  My research brought to my attention that Disney Club 33 is an exclusive club hidden within Disneyland.  It is for members only.  Most people (including myself) didn't even know it was there....but now you do (and me too!).  ;o)

I showed it to my darling husband Josh, and asked if he wanted me to put our names in for the raffle for tickets.  The event was through the U of R, and for $105 a ticket, you got breakfast in Club 33, and a park hopper ticket for the day.  (You can't even get a park hopper ticket for $105, let alone the privilege of having breakfast in an exclusive hidden restaurant!)  What a great opportunity that the U of R offers it's alumni.  =)  Josh was excited about the prospect of attending the event, as well as myself.  So, I put our names in, and waited.  I kept the postcard sitting on the desk, right in front of the computer keypad, where I looked at it every time I sat down at the computer.  Every time I looked at it, I got excited about going.  That's how you manifest, ya know.

It was now Halloween, and I was looking at the postcard that said, "Names will be drawn on Monday, October 24, 2011."  I thought for a second about throwing the postcard away, or at least setting it to the side.  It had been a week, after all.  But, I quickly let go of that thought, and decided that was silly...of course we were going, so I was going to keep the postcard handy for the information.

It wasn't but the next morning that I got the phone call from the U of R, leaving me a message saying that my name had been drawn for tickets.  I called them back to confirm our spots in the event...and We. Were. IN!  Now came the fun part....finding a place for Kyle to be for the day, while Josh and I went to this fancy dancy place for breakfast.  Everyone kept saying, "It's Disneyland, why don't you just take Kyle with you?"  I don't think people could appreciate the venue of Club 33, to really "get" why we were not taking Kyle with us.  Not only that, he's 3 years old...and we just don't think he's ready for Disney yet.  Now don't get me wrong...I'm sure he would love it!  BUT...I don't think he would handle all the walking and waiting that comes along with Disney.  We would make it a few hours and have to leave.  Josh and I decided it would be more fun this time to go and BE the kids for the day, so to speak.  We're thinking that we may take him next year when he is 4 years old.  =)

A huge thank you goes out to my U of R friend, and my SAI 'big sis', who entertained Kyle all day, while we went to Disney all day!  Kyle even got to climb in a police car at lunch time (her husband is a police officer).  Kyle had such a fun day playing with Susan's two girls.  We are so blessed to have such wonderful friends who are willing to support us when we need it!  =)

So, what is Disney Club 33?

It is an exclusive hidden restaurant in Disneyland.  Why the 33?  That is the street address within Disneyland, 33 Royal Street in new Orleans Square.

33 Royal Street

The club opened on June 15, 1967.  It is the most exclusive address in all of Disneyland.  Club 33 includes two dining rooms and several adjoining areas, all of which hold a variety of antiques and original works of art. After ascending to the second floor in the unique Victorian-age, French-style lift – a reproduction of one Walt had admired during a trip to Europe – you enter The Gallery. Here you’ll find an oak telephone booth with beveled leaded glass panels adapted from the one used in the Disney motion picture “The Happiest Millionaire” and a rare console table which was found in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

Hello?

The Lift

About to take a ride up the lift!

Table in the motion picture Mary Poppins.

Josh and I had breakfast in the "Trophy Room".  We sat at a large round table towards the back of the room (right next to the door to the kitchen).  We could see the old time microphone in the middle of the chandelier right above us.  This room was originally to be the setting for a show featuring five Audio-Animatronics figures: two magpies, an owl, a raccoon and a vulture who would entertain the guests and even participate in their conversations through the use of microphones which were hidden in the chandeliers above each table. The show never developed, however, and today only the vulture remains on his perch in the corner of the room.

The Menu

We were served fresh squeezed Orange juice, and delicious coffee out of fancy decorative coffee cups.  We were served a delicious buffet breakfast consisting of bacon, mini quiche, eggs, steak, potatoes, Mickey Mouse waffles, pastries, cereal & milk, and fresh cut fruit.  It was delicious, and among my favorite tastes from this breakfast was the potatoes, eggs, and the quiche.  The whole breakfast was delicious!

In the Trophy Room, just finished our breakfast.  Josh looks tired already... ;o)

I was advised to visit the restroom by the lady sitting next to me (who was a U of R alumni, and also worked at Disney previously for 18 years).  Well, with all the OJ and coffee, I was sure to make a visit before we left there anyway, lol!  So, off I went to see what I had to see in the ladies restroom.  Behold- a throne!  No really, the toilet was literally a throne.  Here is a picture I took with my cell phone, sorry it's not very good...but the lighting was dim.  Yes, I even took a paper napkin from the restroom, as it has a fancy "33" symbol on it.  ;o)  Such a tourist!  LOL

The Ladies Throne

We went out on the balcony, where we overlooked the New Orleans section of Disney.  It is amazing how many people do not look UP!  LOL  There we were...and no one even knew we were there!  We had a nice view of the lake, and we were a hop and a skip away from the Haunted Mansion.  It was fun getting to do something "special" that day at Disney!  It wasn't just your ordinary visit to the Happiest Place on Earth.

Us on the Balcony

Leaving the exclusive Disney Club 33...ready to go play!

We had such a nice time!  And even though we didn't know anyone there, there was something about being with a group of people who have all experienced the U of R, in some way shape or form.  It didn't matter what year we graduated....what mattered was that we all had "Och Tamale" in common!  =)

Och Tamale - Entering Club 33

After breakfast, we enjoyed the rest of the day riding everything we could at Disneyland.  It was a pretty 'light' traffic day at Disney, so our longest wait for a ride I think was 20 minutes.  Most of the rides we got on with either no wait, or a max of 10 minutes.  It was awesome!  We rode all the big rides...Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, etc.  We saw Captain E-O...that was interesting, lol.  I know I saw that when I was a kid, but I sure don't remember it, nor do I remember the bouncing seats, haha!  We drove little cars on the Autopia ride, and used lazer guns to fight the evil Zurg on the Toy Story ride.  We had lunch at The Golden Nugget (I had chicken nuggets, and Josh had fish and chips).  It was a full day, that's for sure!

Beautiful Christmas Castle!

Sleeping Beauty

Autopia Ride

Indiana Jones Ride

We spent the evening in California Adventure to ride the "Screamer" roller coaster, Tower of Terror (much to my dismay), and the World of Color show.  We had a delicious dinner of chicken pesto pasta, and a Mediterranean salad...while enjoying live music under the twinkling lights decorating the trees on the patio.  It was a lovely evening (and day) together, just the two of us!  We don't get many days (or even a few hours) to be JUST a couple....so why didn't we take the kiddo with us to Disneyland?  Do you understand now...?  ;o)

California Adventure

Photos taken by Josh Buchanan - J. B. Photography 

Another 5K finish!

Del Mar Iron Girl 5K - Finisher!

When I started this blog it was really about my kiddo.  Now that he is getting older, I am starting to have a life again.  I will be sharing my thoughts and events for both my kiddo, and me now!  :o)

A little over a year ago (Sept. 2010) I was encouraged to start running by some folks at the school I was teaching at - Rincon Vista Middle School.  I was about 45 lbs. overweight at the time, but in a short couple of months of running...I had lost all 45 lbs!  I ran my first race in November of 2010, which was a 5K Turkey Trot, on Thanksgiving day.  I then ran in a relay for the Tucson Marathon in December of 2010...and I've done a few other events since.  I ran my first half marathon, which was the Arizona Distance Classic in March of 2011, and finished in 2:34:39.  I was proud of my time for my first 13.1 miles, but also knew I could do better.  I must pause for a second to mention that I have such a supportive husband...who is either up early with me cheering me on at the finish line, or watching Kyle at home so I can go for a race.  Sometimes I have to wake up crazy early just to get to a race,  and it just doesn't seem to make sense to drag the whole family.  ;o)

After my first half marathon, I thought..."Ok, what's next?"  So...I signed up for more races and entered the drawing for the Nike Women's Half in San Fransisco.  I was selected to run in the race...a very big deal!!  After moving to California, and not running for 5 months, I have put on about 20 lbs.  I ran the Nike Women's Marathon anyway, even though I was not in shape for it, and finished in 3:09:57.  That time also includes the 6 stops I made for photos, as well as all the nutrition stops...which were a train wreck of people trying to merge...so that took up some extra time.  All in all, I was happy with the time, and proud to finish!  The energy at that race was incredible and indescribable!  20,000 people all there to run that day - amazing!!!  I'm not sure any race after the "red carpet" treatment of the Nike race, will be the same....it was a pretty fancy race!  ;o)  That was 3 weeks ago...

Today I ran the Del Mar Iron Girl 5K.  I finished in 35:46.  Not bad for only dieting for one week, and running a total of 4 miles this week since the half marathon.  ;o)  I'm proud of my accomplishments as a runner, and am happy with all of my times.  I always do the best I can for that day, and that is all I can expect of myself.  I try to respect my body, and listen to what it is telling me.  If I need to slow down, I slow down...if I know I can push harder, I push harder.  It was fun to see the Del Mar horse racing track today.  I've never been to a horse track before.  We got a finishers medal, of course, and a nice technical shirt, that I will definitely wear.  Lots of goodies in our bag, and a "sack breakfast" afterwards with a banana, yogurt, muffins, and OJ.  It was a nice event for being "small."  I met up with my friends Sarah and Deborah from the U of R, at the race.  That was a nice bonus to the day!  It's always fun to see friends!

I am finding that running is like my experience as a musician.  When I was in the 4th grade I started playing the flute.  From then on, my music took me literally around the world.  I saw so many places, met so many people, and accomplished great things as a musician.  I am finding the same with running.  It is taking me to cool places, where I am meeting nice people, and accomplishing things that I never dreamed I could or would ever do in this life!  I am also learning that my experience running marathons has taught me so much about life.  Life too is like a marathon.  ;o)

Happy To Be Three...

Well, I have realized that it has been 16 months since I last blogged!  Whoa!  A lot happens in the life of a child in a year!  I'm kind of kicking myself now that I let it go...but that is the past, and I will try to do better to keep up with things now.  ;o)

We now live in Southern California, and Kyle is 3 years old!  He is so tall that most people think he is about 4 or 5 years old.  The pediatrician said at his 3 year well check that he will be 6'3" or 6'4" when he grows up...WoW!

Where to even begin...!  Since we have been in California (about 6 months now), we have been SO busy!  The parks here are beautiful and EVERYWHERE, lol!  We have passes to Sea World (of course!), and the Train Museum in Parris, CA.  Kyle is in love with trains!  In fact, we will be going to the train museum tomorrow to ride THE Thomas Train.  ;o)  This is a big event in our house this weekend for a special little boy.  We took Kyle to the beach for the first time, and he loved it!!  What a water baby!

Jump!

Splash!

Run!

And...tide pools at La Jolla, of course!

We went to my brother's lake house for a weekend, and Kyle got to do the water ski trainer for the first time!  Just turned 3 years old when we went!  Here is a picture of our adrenaline junkie, haha!  And that is me trying a paddle board for the first time.  My darling husband is such a great photographer!!!

I have plugged into a great Mommy's group here, and Kyle and I do so many fun things throughout the week.  One of the things we did recently was visit the Fire Station.  That was a big thrill for a little boy!

Kyle driving the Fire Truck.

On Sunday I will be running a 5K down in Del Mar.  I just completed my second Half Marathon a couple weeks ago up in San Fransisco for the Nike Women's Half.  I got my Tiffany necklace at the finish line, and boy was that an awesome experience!  =)  I even got to visit with some family while I was up there.

I am a stay at home mom once again, and Kyle and I couldn't be happier with the arrangement!  He is such a joy to have in our home, and we are so blessed to have such a happy, bright, intelligent, fun little guy!  =)

Sleeping Sitting Up

Okay, Kyle just did one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time!  We've been having a no nap day, which I hate because I feel like I spend the whole day just trying to get him to nap.  Anyway, I had given up, but he was acting like he might nap if I put him down...so we had some juice/water and read a couple stories.  This is after about 3 other failed attempts.  I put him in his crib and he protested at first.  As it got quiet in his room I started watching the video monitor, much to my amusement!

Kyle had positioned himself so he was sitting in the corner of the crib with his back leaning against the side wall of the crib.  I saw his head bobbing around, and then it would jerk up real quick, and then bob around some more.  I realized...he's falling asleep sitting up!  LOL

After a few seconds of his realizing he was nodding off, he sat forward so that he was resting his head on his legs, and that's how he fell asleep!  LOL  It's one of the funniest things he's done in a long time.  I am thoroughly amused!  :)  He did then finally lay down so he's kind of on his side/tummy, sound asleep.  I love being able to watch him on the monitor!!

There were a couple other fun things that Kyle did today.  This morning when we tried to go down for our nap the first time, Kyle gave me hugs with his arms around my neck.  That's really the first time he's done that, and he did it on purpose!  :)  He's been giving hugs for several months now, but his version of hugs are to snuggle heads together.  He finally figured out the arms for hugging with a little bit of mommy's help.  :)

The other thing he did today was play with his jack-in-the box.  He's played with it before (and used to be scared of it when he was younger), but he's never been into turning the lever to make the monkey pop out.  Today he was really trying to turn the lever, and he did.  He knows that if he pushes the little button on top that it will open the door and the monkey will pop out...so that's how he usually does it.  No music, he just let's the monkey out all in one push of a button.  The cute part was that after the monkey would pop out, he would lean over and give me a kiss.  Totally unprompted, he just did it because he wanted to I guess.  :)  Then he gave the monkey a couple kisses too.  He is such a sweetie, and I just love to watch all the new little things he does every day!

I may be starting some substitute teaching soon, if the district approves me and hires me.  I know we need the money, but it really makes me sad to think about being away from Kyle.  We have a very set routine, Kyle and mommy, and I think it will rock both our worlds to mess up that routine.  :(  I know that when I returned from California for 4 days (my longest time ever away from Kyle) we had a really, really rough week!  Kyle was a basket case!  Tantrums, acting up like crazy...  He really wanted me to know that he wasn't happy with me being away.  Poor little guy!  I really hope Josh's work picks up again soon so that I can continue to be at home with Kyle.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed the cute stories from today.  Kyle is such a sweetie, and has such a fun personality!  :)

Toothpaste, Car Seats, and Park Ladders

I figure it's been a while since I've written, so I better keep up!

Kyle is still 18 months old, he will be 19 months on February 26th.  He is doing amazing things for his young age!  Yesterday I took him to a park that we haven't been to yet.  There was a curved ladder that went from the ground all the way up to the top of the tall playground platform.  Kyle went right up to that ladder and started climbing it all by himself, like he had done it a million times before!  He went one foot after another, and climbed right up!  I could not believe my eyes...he is only a year and a half after all!  There was a time where he fell through in-between the ladder rungs, but he held on with both his arms, holding all his body weight until I helped him back up.  He is SO strong, and SO smart!!

Here is the link where you can view a video of him going up the ladder:

http://www.youtube.com/user/ky1edavid#p/a/u/2/ogN410_55-M

Kyle is very into tools right now.  He watches and helps daddy work on things around the house, the boat trailer, etc.  He has his own set of plastic tools to play with, and one of the sets has a little plastic piece that looks like wood, and a plastic screw and nut to go on it.  The screw was secured with the nut on the "wood" piece, and when Kyle pointed to the screw (non verbally asking what it was), I told him it was a screw.  He then proceeded to go to his bin of tools, got the screwdriver, put it in the hole end of the screw and started turning it back and forth.  He is SO smart!  After fiddling with it on and off for a while he did manage to get both the nut and screw off of the wood piece using the screwdriver.  Very coordinated little guy for 18 months, I think.  :)

Kyle still enjoys going to The Little Gym, and likes to swing on the uneven bars all by himself.  He can hold on for longer amounts of time, and can now swing with just one arm like a monkey.  Too cute!  I'll try to get a picture one of these days.

Kyle started using toothpaste on his toothbrush at 18 months.  We are using the "training toothpaste", that is supposedly OK when swallowed.  It's a good thing because most of the time he likes to suck it off the toothbrush right after it's been applied on there.  Ha, ha!  Most of the time though if he gets distracted with something on the bathroom counter, I can get in enough brushing with the toothpaste while he isn't paying too much attention.  Tricky mommy.  :)

Just a couple days after Kyle turned 18 months old we turned his car seat around to face forward in the car.  I wanted to try to wait until he was at least 2 year old, just for safety reasons, but Josh really wanted to turn it around because he though Kyle would be more happy.   Kyle was starting to really make it known that he was feeling unhappy facing backwards.  He seems much happier now that he can see us and interact a little more during car rides.  Often when I take him out in the car and he sees a truck now he says "da, da."  Josh has a truck, so Kyle now associates trucks with "da, da."  If you ask him to say truck, he will say "uck." (He knows that it is a truck....he's just now making the association between truck and daddy having a truck.)

Kyle's vocabulary is growing more every day.  He tries to imitate almost anything you ask him to say...although his response often doesn't sound clearly like the word you asked him to say.  But he sure does try, and most of the time he gets it pretty close!  :)  Today he was trying to say "yellow" which is a new one.  His favorite one right now is "bye, bye."  He also has a word for "Grandpa" now, it almost sounds like he's really saying Grandpa.  The other day he said "bye, bye ma ma."  We had just arrived at the gym where I work out, and I was taking him out of the car.  I think he knew that I was going to drop him in the daycare and he'd see me when I was done.  What a smart little guy, and CUTE!  He doesn't talk a lot in general yet, but it's getting to be more and more as he learns and gets more confident in his language skills.  We're just letting him do it at his own pace, no pressure, and no worries.  :)

We took Kyle to the zoo the other day and it's amazing how much he really looks for the animals now when you tell him what to look for.  When he sees the peacocks (which are free to roam all over the zoo) he points and says "ock."  I've been taking him to the zoo since he was about a month old and it's funny to see how his perception and interest for the animals has changed over time.  This time at the zoo there was a baby zebra, so that was a treat for all of us to see.  Kyle's favorite animal, ever since he was really little has been the giraffe.  That is the one that he is most fascinated with.

For my own personal record I should mention where he is at, growth wise and all.  At his 18 month well check he was 27 lbs. and 35.25" tall.  He still goes to bed at 6:00pm, and usually sleeps a good 13 hours at night.  He is currently taking about a 2 hour nap during the day (we've been doing one nap a day for a good couple months now at least).  He likes his sleep!  He's been in size 4 diapers for what feels like forever!  He went into size 4's when he was pretty young...around 5 months I think (I don't remember exactly).  He was just too tall for the smaller sizes, they were rubbing his little legs red.  Kyle is currently wearing 18 month size in pants, but I think he'll be moving up again pretty soon just because of his height.  He's wearing 24 month and 2T in t-shirts.  A few of his 18 month shirts still fit, just depends on the brand.  He's wearing size 6 shoes.

I have Kyle all signed up for his ISR (Infant Swimming Resource) refresher class coming up next month.  I'm excited to watch him swim again!  He hasn't swam since right after his lessons at the end of last summer.  He was 12 months old.  His teacher is amazing, we just adore her so much!  This time he will only have lessons once a day (last time he did an accelerated class and was going twice a day 10 minutes each lesson - every day...this time he will only be Mon-Fri, 10 minutes a lesson), and for 1 or 2 weeks.  Then we can enjoy swimming together for the rest of the summer, YAY!  I see lots of swimming at Grandpa Hayes' house this summer!  :)

Kyle 12 months old

There, now that I have that all documented...I hope you enjoyed the update, and I'll catch you next time!

Leaving 2009 behind and starting 2010 .... and almost 18 months old!

I know, it has been a LONG time since I've written, so it's time to catch up a little!  I'll try to do the best that I can, but it's been a while, so I might forget things here and there....the last time I wrote was before Thanksgiving!  Here I go...

Kyle got his 11th tooth on November 19th, and his 12th tooth on November 22nd.  So, his teeth were just coming in one after the other there for a while!  He is currently teething...working on another 4 teeth all at the same time.  They are his "cuspid" teeth that are all trying to come in right now.  Then he has his last set of molars and he will be done!  He'll have a full mouth of teeth, amazing!  It seems like he was just born, gosh it goes fast!

Here's a cute picture of Kyle helping Mommy vacuum.  I'm not sure I ever shared this photo, but it's too cute not to post.  :)

Kyle helping Mommy vacuum.  :)  This was in September 2009, and Kyle was 13 months old.

Kyle in his cute winter sweater.  16 months old

Say Cheese....actually, I think he was eating egg.  :)  16 months old

We had Thanksgiving at our good friends Lori and Skip's house (as has been the tradition for the past few years).  My dad celebrated Thanksgiving out in California with his brother this year.  Now that we have Josh's family in AZ, we did a Thanksgiving dinner here at our house as well.  There was lots to be thankful for this last year, including our new nephew Xander!  :)

We had photo shoot in November, Kyle was almost 14 months old.  We used a couple of the photos for our Christmas cards, so many of you might recognize those.  :)  Photos at a park with a lake at 14 months was definitely a challenge.  Kyle wanted to play in the water, and it was 9am and in the shade.  It was chilly!  He did end up muddy and wet by the end of it, and we took him home in a diaper!  Mommy didn't really plan for a change of clothes, oops!  I'll know for next time!  :)  These are only a few of many adorable shots we got of Kyle.

The Buchanan Family (Kyle 14 months old)

It was our first Christmas in AZ this year, and my first Christmas without my family.  We had Christmas here at our house, and I cooked breakfast for my in-laws.  I made my mom's recipe for "jelly pancakes", bacon, eggs, fruit, and bagels.  It was a nice morning of the kids (Kyle and Xander) opening their toys...and us adults enjoying each others company over breakfast.  :)

Our Christmas Tree...isn't it pretty?!!!

Kyle slept in Christmas morning and was a little shy at first...that didn't last but a minute....

Kyle was 17 months old this Christmas

Kyle playing with his new "house" toy.

Opening packages...

More packages....

Kyle's baby cousin Xander.

Kyle taking his new bike for a spin.  :)

Proof that I made breakfast for the family.  :)

Merry Christmas 2009 From the Buchanan Family!

A couple days after Christmas some of Josh's family went to the Desert Museum with Josh's Uncle Lee and his wife, who were visiting from Oregon for the holidays.  Here's a picture of Kyle from that trip.

So, I think that covers Christmas.  In December Josh and I took Kyle up Mt. Lemmon to play in the snow.  Here are a couple photos from that trip.  Isn't he just the cutest!!????  He LOVED the snow!!!!

So, that brings us pretty current.  The only other huge thing that happened, was on January 12, 2010...Kyle pooped in the toilet for the first time.  I think it was kinda a fluke, but hey, it was exciting!!!  He was in the bath tub and by using his body language he let us know that he needed to go poop (he was even pointing at the toilet!).  We put the kid seat on the big toilet, Kyle on the toilet, and there you have it!  We have not done any other potty training since...I really don't think he's fully ready for it.  When he's ready, we will proceed...but he is awfully young and we don't want him to feel pressured.  He will do it in his own time.  :)

We have been shopping at local farmer's markets for the past few months, after watching the film Food, Inc.  We have changed the way we eat and shop!  I highly recommend watching that film, it is an eye opener!!!

Kyle will be 18 months old on the 26th...so only a few more days to go!  I can't believe how fast this last year and a half has flown by!  I have finally started going to the gym every day to work out.  I am determined to get back to my sexy self from a few years ago.  :)  Unfortunately I can't blame all the fat on "baby fat", because I lost all my pregnancy pounds in the first 6 weeks of Kyle's life from nursing him.  So...it's all me....and I am determined to get it off this year before my 30th Birthday!  I am already showing progress, and am very excited for the wonderful year ahead!!  Happy 2010!!!