MERRY CHRISTMAS

THE BUBBLE MASTER

Nice shades, huh?

A necessary piece of equipment for the bubble master.

Otherwise, when she pops them, she gets soap in her eyes.

PIGS FEET?

A now we take a moment, for deep thoughts.

Why do stone crabs like pigs feet?

How drunk does a fisherman have to be in order to try that the first time anyways?

For that matter, why do fish like worms?

Not really part of their natural habitat, now is it?

ANNE'S BEACH

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, we went a touristing.

One of our stops was Anne's Beach, a little south of Islamarada.

There is a nice boardwalk through the mangroves, along the beach (one of the few beaches in the keys, and natural to boot).

Nice Mosquito bite, huh?

Lovely camera smile.

It was REALLY windy.

The kite surfers were out taking advantage of it.

She would have walked that beach all day if we'd let her.

DING DONG

Joey: "I want Ding Dong."

Mommy pauses and looks at her...

Joey: "Please."

Joey's new favorite Christmas song is Carol of the Bells from Straight No Chaser.

Bruce Springsteen's Santa Clause is Coming to Town got booted.

If you're happy and you know it

I WANT SEE PUNZEL!

I've had the latest edition of D23 for a few months now. (an exclusive magazine for Disney Fans)

On the cover is Rapunzel and Euguene (Flynn Ryder) and there is a nice cover story about them.

So I've had Joey worked up about seeing Tangled for a while.

We finally had the time to see it yesterday.

I don't know which was cuter, the movie or Joey watching the movie.

First of all, she had no patiences for the trailers. Every time another would pop up she say,

"No, no, no. I want watch Punzel!"

Once the movie started, every time a song ended, she break out:

"YEAH!" (Joey clapping loudly)

When they kissed:

"YEAH!" (Joey clapping loudly)

She had more that her share of our popcorn and coke. (Mark is quite proud she likes Cherry Coke.) At one point, she leaned over to me and let out a loud fart.

"Ohh, (small giggle) Excuse me!" (smiling and giggling)

About 3/4 of the way through the movie she discovered Mommy's hair.

Mommy has long hair like Punzel'. She sat there pulling on my hair like Punzel' was pulling on hers.Then I managed to get my hair back and hide it.

She was just too cute, the whole time.

So the way the movie, with some adult humor spattered through it that kept Mark laughing as well.

MY LITTLE BUTTERBALL

MOMMMMMYYY

Joey: "Mommmmmmyyy....What happened Lilo?"

Mommy: "The aliens just took her."

Joey: "Oh. Okay."

One of the advantages of knowing every Disney movie by heart, is when your toddler hollers a question at you from another room, you can answer it without having to stop doing your hair.

You Can Fly, You Can Fly, You Can Fly!

WALK A MILE IN MY SHOES

YOU WANNA GET POPPED?

I was a middle school teacher for a few years and will return to teaching when Mark and I are finished having kids.

I'm telling you that we could fix a lot of the "problem" children in America if someone at home would just give them a sound butt whoopin'.

It just seems to me that discipline has fallen out of fashion these days.

Not just spanking, or popping, but even using the word "No".

I just don't agree.

1st of all, she's going to be expected to understand and obey the word "No" and follow instructions and behave when she gets to school. I think the teacher has enough to to teach besides having to teach my child how to behave. That's my job.

Joey gets popped.

If I say come here, she needs to come here... now.

If I have to count to 3, it is isn't slow and drawn out. And her butt better be moving before I get to 3, or I'm gonna come over and pop her hand, walk back to where I was standing, and start again. If she starts moving when I start moving, that is after I get to 3, she still gets popped. The idea is, you do as your told... not do as your told only if Mommy is serious about it.

Joey gets popped in public.

She certainly doesn't have the false impression that she can get away with stuff in public because Mommy won't pop her in front of people. It doesn't embarrass me at all. What embarrasses me is the way other people's children act and they do nothing about it. I have to restrain myself from correcting other people's children in public.

Joey was misbehaving the other day in Publix and I stopped the cart, looked at her hard, and said "You wanna get popped?"

The lady passing me gave Joey and I a glance.

But Joey straightened right up.

If that lady wants to act up, I can pop her too.

Hmmph!

SEE YA REAL SOON!

ADVENTURE LAND

Joey showed off her TIKI ROOM singing and dancing skills before entering the ENCHANTED TIKI ROOM.

Stroller? I don't need no stinkin' stroller!

I have shoulders to ride.

She climbed every step of the Swiss Family Robinson Tree House.

Up and Down.

(Though we did make her pull over and let traffic pass occasionally)

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS

The Christmas music marathon has begun!

I am in the process of spreading Christmas cheer; I am making ultimate Christmas CDs by request for friends and family.

Everyone knows that I'm a Christmas nut; the problem is that I married the Grinch.

To be fair, Mark likes Christmas and all the lights and tree and stuff... he just absolutely detests all the work involved.

But our tree is up, our outside is decorated and our inside is 75% done. (we switch out glasses... that's how crazy I am.)

FANTASY LAND

We had really prepped her for this trip to Disney.

We selected the movies she watched based on what she was going to ride and who she would likely meet or see.

She was SO excited to be flying with Dumbo.

She loves all Carousels.

Being a Craven, she naturally loves ice cream too.

I think, by the end of the day, she had ridden on everybody, one way or another.

(mostly shoulders but she also rode on Mom-mom's wheelchair.)

ABC's vs. Belle, Rose, Rella

Joey may not know her ABCs, but she knows her Belle, Rose & Rella.

Joey can sing 80% of her ABCs with me. Not so much on her own.

She can only identify correctly a handful in random play.

The thing is, she's just not interested.

Which is a first for me.

She has always been interested in learning everything. And she LOVES to be read to. Not just point out the pictures and tell her the names. She wants me to physically drag my finger across the words and read the story. Sometimes she drags my finger for me. And when she "reads" to herself, she drags her finger across the words on the page.

But she is just not interested in learning ABCs.

And that's okay.

She doesn't have to be advanced in everything, and technically she doesn't need to know them till the end of kindergarten. She's not even 2 yet.

The important thing, is that she keeps learning something.

That she keeps having her mind opened, involved, engaged.

That learning remains fun, and not something pushed onto her.

Who are Belle, Rose and Rella?

Beauty (from Beauty and the Beast) Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella.

Joey is taking advanced courses in Disney. (Anyone interested, I'm more than happy to teach.)

She knows her colors, all the animals on God's green earth and what sounds they make, and all the classic sing-a-long songs I could think of. (Ask me how many times I've sang The Wheels on the Bus. Go ahead. Ask me.)

She learns what she wants to.

And she loves learning because of it.

DREAM ALONG WITH MICKEY

There is a show in front of the castle basically every hour (you can't walk through the castle anymore because of it.)

But it is a lovely show where good triumphs over evil and magic still exists if only we all believe.

Joey loved it. Except she was quiet upset that she could dance with them.

"I want Hi Rella!"

"I want Hi Rose!"

LADY BUG!

Nothing that Joey does frightens me more than when she exclaims "Lady Bug!"

You see, Joey calls ALL bugs, "lady bugs."

Cockroaches... dead or alive.

Mosquitoes

Flies

Ants

And yes... even real lady bugs.

So if you hear my daughter shout out, quite happily, "LADY BUG!"

Be afraid.

Be very afraid.

MAIN STREET PARADE

GETCHA GETCHA

THE EXPERIENCE

No one talks about miscarriages.

I didn't know so many of my family and friends had had miscarriages until I shared that I was going to have one.

What I was told to expect and what actually happened, are two drastically different things.

And for the next person who might have to go through this, I'd like you to know before, not after, what you might expect.

I had been told to expect really bad menstrual cramps.

But, I had an early miscarriage. It was measuring 7 weeks, and according to dates I should have been 11 weeks (but we know that is off and that I conceived late.)

Even as early as I was, what I experienced was far above and beyond any period.

What I went through was closer to birth.

Mind you, I had natural birth with Joey.

Most of the contractions I had with the miscarriage were about 1/2 the pain of Joey's contractions. This doesn't make sense to me. It was disproportional to what was inside me.

Our original plan was to go through this at home, which is common. But I lost, what we though, was too much blood. Mark decided it was time to take me to the ER. Once we got there, I received pain medication. My objections to pain medication with Joey's birth was for the effects on the child. There wasn't going to be a child in this case, so drug me up.

They gave me demoral and I did not like it, and it barely took the edge of the pain. My contractions were worsening at a rate that even as they gave me more medicine, it made little or no difference on the pain. Then, I had a 3 to 5 minute (I'm a really bad judge of time) straight contraction. That long contraction, and the few leading up to it, were about 3/4 of the pain I had with Joey. After that, and adjusting my position, I passed what need to be passed and the contractions immediately stopped.

A miscarriage is more like birth than a period.

And the father along you are, the worse it gets. I have heard some real horror stories since this happened to me and people started sharing, and I realize that my experience was a good one, as far as miscarriages go.

I only hope my sharing can help the next woman be bettered prepared for what she is about to go through.

MAIN STREET PARADE

CINDERELLA'S CAROUSEL

FT. WILDERNESS SLIDE

MAIN STREET, USA