Vernon Volumes text

Vernon Volumes text

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Connor's neighborhood tennis lessons


Connor's been participating in the tennis lessons in our neighborhood lately. He really enjoys it and there are a bunch of kids his age that he has fun with. I took a few videos of him playing tonight and he was hitting the ball really well. I didn't get it on camera, but he hit a couple of them cleanly before they even bounced. It was pretty impressive!




Serenata Beach Club


This weekend we joined the Serenata Beach Club. We've been looking at a few options in the area and finally made the decision this weekend to join one. The club is very pretty and is about 30-35 minutes from our house. Andrea had been a few times with friends and I visited once with her as well to check it out.

After we signed up, we ate lunch and then walked for a while on the beach.






Paige's second set of ear tubes

On Thursday, Paige had new ear tubes put in. Like Connor, she had ear tubes put in when she was much younger (A little over 1 year old: http://babyvernon.blogspot.com/2011/08/ear-tubes-for-paige.html). They worked great while they lasted, however one tube fell out and the ear was filling up with fluid. She hasn't had many infections or anything lately, but she wasn't hearing well (possibly at all) out of the occluded ear, so we made the decision to put tubes in again.


We arrived at the surgery center pretty early and Paige was in great spirits. We've been playing "Doctor" quite a bit at home, so she enjoyed all the attention and the equipment as the nurses took her vital signs. While they got everything ready, Paige maxed and relaxed with Mommy and watched iPad.


When the anesthesiologist came to bring Paige back to surgery, we got a little nervous to see her go. The surgery was quick and after about 25 minutes they came to get us from the waiting room. One of the nurses was holding Paige as she was waking up, but Paige didn't like it and wanted Mommy.


After about 30 minutes and some apple juice, she felt much better and we took her out for breakfast. The rest of the day she was fine and back to her old self.


We're glad we got it done when we did. The ENT said that the fluid in her ear was thick and she probably couldn't hear well at all out of the affected ear. Hopefully this will prevent infections going forwards and also will help her to hear normally. We're very thankful it all went smoothly. We love our Sissy.

USCA National Competition

Last week, for the first time in a long time, we didn't post anything on the blog. I spent the weekend at the USCA 1st National Competition. I did OK for the first big competition I participated in, but made some mistakes and know I could have done much better.

The competition was my big birthday present this year. It was an overnight trip a couple hours south of us. Andrea stayed home with the children and they were very good for her. It was a great birthday present, already looking forwards to next year!

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party + Shawn's Birthday


On Monday, we went to the Magic Kingdom for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. We slept in as late has possible in a hotel with two kids (around 8am) and then we ate breakfast at Perkin's. The kids got cute balloon animals while we waited for our food.



After our late breakfast, we went to the Magic Kingdom. The actual party didn't start until 7pm, so we spent the early part of the day doing things that wouldn't be open after dark. We met up with Grandpa Rick and Gransma Alice, then we climbed the Swiss Family Robinson's treehouse, rode the Jungle cruise, then went across to Tom Sawyer's island. Connor really liked the trails through the woods and the fort.


We rode a few rides that didn't have long lines, and then we broke out some cool glowsticks that Andrea brought.



Once it cooled off, it was a perfect night for Disney fun. We rode everything we wanted to ride and didn't have to wait for anything. We didn't end up watching the Christmas Parade since we'd already seen a couple parades. We did watch the fireworks, which were amazing!


I take my responsibility to defend the galaxy from Zerg very seriously.



Paige liked the Little Mermaid ride, but gets scared of the Sea Witch. She decided it'd be best to cover her eyes with stickers during the scary part.



Paige was very tired by the end of the night.


I think it is safe to say we all had an amazing time. Paige was on her best behavior. Connor was sweet as always. It was nice to spend the day with my parents. It was the most memorable birthday I've had in a long time. Thank you Andrea for putting it all together, you're the best!

Orlando trip - Downtown Disney & Animal Kingdom


On Saturday, after Connor's last soccer game of the season, we drove to Orlando for our fun family weekend. We ate at Uno's for lunch, then we checked in to our hotel and went to the Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney for dinner.
We told the kids they could each pick out a toy on the weekend trip and they decided they had to have their toy immediately, so they each picked out a stuffed animal at the gift shop in the Rainforest cafe. Connor picked out a light blue/green tiger and Paige picked out a pink giraffe.


We got some cotton candy after dinner and walked around and did some people-watching and enjoyed the Christmas decorations.




There was a dance party/competition at the outside stage area in Downtown Disney and we stopped in and watched the show. We all danced a little bit, but it was late and we didn't stay out too late.


On Sunday morning, we woke up and went to the Animal Kingdom. The weather was a little warm, but it was still much nicer than most summer days would be.


On this trip we decided we'd try and see a lot of the things we don't normally do at the park. We rode a train over to the Rafiki's Planet Watch area and did some exploring.

We normally just gravitate towards the rides, but this trip we looked at all the animals and Connor participated in their Wilderness Explorer game. He got a little log book and at various stations throughout the park he would earn "badges" (stickers) by completing tasks.


At the Conservation Station we took our picture with Rafiki and got to see some animals up close.


The animal petting area was probably the nicest and cleanest "petting zoo" that we've seen, but we didn't stay too long since it was a bit gross with all the kids and animals running around.



 
We got a snack, watched the Animal Kingdom Christmas parade, the Nemo show, rode some rides, then we eventually left and went to Uno's for dinner!

Connor took a nice picture of us at dinner.


Overall, it was a good day. Connor's favorite part was the Lion King show and Paige's favorite part was the guy that spun a flaming torch during the Lion King show.

The day was fun, but it was very stressful at times. For our trips, the entire day's enjoyability is based on Paige's mood and behavior. Unfortunately, at the Animal Kingdom, Paige was not in a good mood. She got in trouble and timeout probably ten times from the time we got to Orlando until we were done at Animal Kingdom. There were so many incidents I can't even remember them all, but she got in trouble for not using her manners, kicking Connor in the stroller, and for not listening. On the train ride, she decided she wanted to sit in the back seat and when Andrea asked her to move, she threw a fit and stuck her head and arms out the side of the train. Andrea made Paige sit by her and Paige screamed for the entire ride. I don't think the people around us were thrilled to be sitting by us.

Once Paige starts throwing a fit, it's not something you can snap her out of. It's a force of nature and just has to run its course. Typically it's inconvenient to deal with at home. In public, at an amusement park, it's pretty stressful to wait the 10-15 minutes that it sometimes will take. Eventually, she will come around and get over it, but it's not much fun to deal with. We've found that it's important to stay patient and calm and get through it.

I took a 2 minute video of her during one of her fits.


Thankfully, Connor was on his best behavior throughout the trip. He is so patient and sweet. He definitely helps us all out.