Jocelyn's Dance Recital

Jocelyn had her first dance recital on May 17th and it was so cute to see her up on stage.  The dance lessons she took were given at her school and so it was not some big dance company that has a huge end of the year dance recital.  This was very low key with just 6 or 7 groups doing 2 dances each.  Jocelyn's group was only 4 girls (there were 7 in her class but only 4 opted to do the recital).  She did a tap number to Blue Suede Shoes and a ballet routine to Beauty and the Beast.  Of course the girls don't remember any of the moves so they spend the whole time looking to the side stage at their instructor.  Jocelyn did great and I think she had a lot of fun! 

Disney Favorites - Where to Eat

I'll pause from giving a day to day report of our February trip and give a short list of my go-to favorite places to eat in Walt Disney World! 

In Disney World there are Table Service (TS) restaurants and Quick Service (QS) restaurants - and these distinctions are important for purposes of the Disney Dining Plan (DDP) and so I'll give a list of my favorites of each.  Plus, there are some Table Service restaurants that "cost" more on the Disney Dining Plan than others (i.e., some are 2 credits versus just 1 credit for regular table service places).

Top 10 Table Service Restaurants:


10. Chef Mickey's - Contemporary - see Mickey & friends without waiting in line and enjoy a
      plentiful buffet of food.
9.  Le Cellier - Epcot, Canada Pavilion - steak, cheese soup & bread!  (2 TS credits - but worth it).
8.  Crystal Palace - Magic Kingdom - you get to visit with Winnie the Pooh & friends and enjoy a
     delicious buffet with lots of choices.
7.  Be Our Guest - Magic Kingdom - amazing atmosphere, delicious food and wine!
6.  Yak & Yeti - Animal Kingdom - 2 words, Fried Wontons!  Food is delicious and I've never had to
     wait very long for a table.
5.  50's Prime Time Café - Hollywood Studios - yummy, home-style cooked food and hilarious server
     antics to make you feel like you're in mom's kitchen at home
4.  Via Napoli - Epcot, Italy Pavilion - huge portions and delicious!
3.  Akershus - Epcot, Norway Pavilion - awesome Princess interaction, unique menu and only 1 TS
     credit (the Castle is 2)
2.  'Ohana - Polynesian Resort - family style, Hawaiian food. Great atmosphere!  
1.  Hoop Dee Doo Revue - Ft. Wilderness Camp Ground - dinner show with all you can eat ribs, 
     chicken & sides - plus drinks!  (2 TS credits on the DDP)

Of course you may have reasons other than what's on the menu for why you want to dine at a particular restaurant (i.e., dining with the Princesses or other characters) and the interaction alone is worth the money.  It is tough to narrow it down to just 10 - I wish I can do 2 table service meals a day while in Disney (and sometimes we do) but that takes a lot of time away from the parks and it can get pricey.  The Deluxe DDP gets you 3 sit down meals a day - which is great for a couple of days - but after a few it just gets to be too much food!

Top 10 Quick Service Restaurants:

10. Be Our Guest - Magic Kingdom - very busy (so the wait is long) but the food is good and it's a

      unique menu for QS.

9.  Yak & Yeti - Animal Kingdom - just outside the restaurant - same type of food (no Fried Wontons

     though) and delicious

8.  Wolfgang Puck Express - Downtown Disney - great food, big portions and great value for your

     credits on the DDP

7.  Katsura Grill - Epcot, Japan Pavilion - I like Sushi and it's pretty darn good here.

6.  La Cantina de San Angel - Epcot, Mexico Pavilion - delicious Mexican food, margaritas!

5.  Sunshine Seasons - Epcot, Future World - great food court with lots of selections and delicious

     desserts. 

4.  Yorkshire County Fish Shop - Epcot, United Kingdom Pavilion - Fish & Chips!

3.  Columbia Harbor House - Magic Kingdom - good variety of food, lots of space to find a table.

2.  Flame Tree BBQ - Animal Kingdom - huge portions (big enough to share) and delicious!

1.  Earl of Sandwich - Downtown Disney - specialty sandwiches that will fill you up!

These are just a few of my favorites - there is plenty of food to choose from all over the Disney parks.  Snacks are a whole separate list - carrot cake cookie sandwiches, red velvet cupcakes, ice cream sandwiches - I could go on and on!  I always wish I could live in Disney World and go there all the time - but if I did I'd probably weigh 500 lbs because of all the yummy food!

Disney Trip - February - Day 2 and 3

Although the trip actually started on Saturday, I consider Monday as "Day 2" because it was the second actual day in Disney World - the first day of solid driving doesn't count.  The drive wasn't terrible - just long!

Okay, so Day 2 was also my first day of my conference.  So, the rest of the crew (John, Mom, Mel, Jocelyn, Lizzie and Liam) went to Animal Kingdom while I sat inside all day attending presentations.  While I love Animal Kingdom, if I had to miss one whole day this one was the best to miss.  I love the Safari, Expedition Everest, the Flights of Wonder show, Nemo the Musical and Festival of the Lion King (which wasn't even showing during our trip) - but Animal Kingdom is a shorter park day and I'd rather miss that than anything else.  The crew had lunch at Tusker House and got to see Mickey and friends.  I made Jocelyn an autograph book before we left and she had a blast getting all the characters to sign on their page (I made a specific page for each character that I knew or at least thought we'd see).   The only one we didn't get that Jocelyn was on the hunt for was Belle - we saw her once but her line was already closed and she wasn't at Cinderella's Castle when we ate there (she's always at Akershus - but we didn't eat there this time). 

I was done with the conference for the day at 4pm and we all met up at the hotel and then headed to dinner at O'hana at the Polynesian!  I had always wanted to try this restaurant because I heard how amazing it was - and it was tough to get a reservation.  I was up at 6am, on the computer on our 180 day mark getting this reservation (along with some other tough ones).  Totally worth it!  The food was excellent and plentiful!  

Day 3 was another conference day - but I was done at 2:30 and headed over to Magic Kingdom to meet up with everyone else.  We rode a few rides and then had dinner reservations at Be Our Guest.  I was so excited to try this restaurant and go inside - it looks amazing from the outside and even cooler on the inside.  At lunch time, Be Our Guest is counter service restaurant but at dinner it is a table service restaurant and it was packed.  They were not taking any walk-ups - reservation only - and we still waited an extra half hour.  This is also the only restaurant in Magic Kingdom where you can get an adult beverage - beer and wine.  The food was excellent and the atmosphere was amazing.  When they call your name they bring a Lumiere for you to carry to the table - it talks.

Jocelyn was scared of the "West Wing" (a dining room designed as the west wing of Beast's castle with torn tapestries, the enchanted rose is there and it's a little dark) so it's good we weren't seated in that room.  After dinner and on your way out you can meet the Beast.  Jocelyn was disappointed that he didn't do autographs - but with those giant paws he couldn't hold a pen (although I'm not sure why he doesn't have a stamp like Buzz Lightyear does).  Oh well - the babies liked the Beast too. 

What a fun day.  Day 4 was another Magic Kingdom day and I only had to go to 1 presentation in the morning that ended at 9am so I was able to spend the whole day with the group. We'd also be switching over to Ft. Wilderness and staying in a cabin which I was really excited to try since I've never stayed there before. Stay tuned for the next installment - Jocelyn gets transformed into a Princess! 

Disney Trip - February 2014 - Day 1

We took the whole family to Disney World in February this year.  That's right - John, Jocelyn, Lizzie, Liam, Ya Ya, Aunt Melanie and me.  We made the trip by car this time (except Melanie, she flew from Mississippi and met us at the hotel) and we broke it up into 2 days, spending the night in Tallahassee on the way there.  It was a surprise for Jocelyn, so she didn't know where we were going until we drove past the sign.  It took her a few minutes for it to really sink in - but she was really excited. The first half of the week would be spent at the Yacht Club for my work conference (Sunday to Wednesday) and then we'd switch over to the Ft. Wilderness Cabins for the remainder of our stay (Wednesday to Sunday). 

Jocelyn loved the new magic bands and that it could open the door to the room - she always wanted to be the one to unlock it.  We loved the Yacht Club for it's location to Epcot (where we headed right after check in) and because it's a really nice hotel.

After checking in, we headed to Epcot and ate lunch at Liberty Inn (quick service at the American Adventure).  Jocelyn was too excited and just wanted to go and ride some rides!  We were also still waiting on Melanie who would be arriving via Magical Express in a couple of hours. 

We, of course, had to enjoy some delicious drinks from the World Showcase.  Here is John drinking a Grey Goose slushie - mom, Mel and i had a Gran Marnier Slushie.  Yum Yum.  That night we would be eating at Rose and Crown in the United Kingdom.  Jocelyn ran around and played while we waited.  I love the World Showcase - Disney does an amazing job of getting the details so right that you actually feel like you're in that country.

Stay tuned for Day 2 - everyone, except me (I'll be at my conference), goes to Animal Kingdom!

Liam and Lizzie are 1

Hard to believe a whole year has passed since these two cuties came into the world.  They are so wonderful and bring so much joy to our lives.  This year would have been much more difficult without the help of our family - special shout out to YaYa (aka - our new roommate) and also Pam for helping out so much with Jocelyn and her school. 

Liam is walking ... almost.  He takes lots of steps really fast and then falls.  He'll get there soon.  Lizzie stands so well and has great balance but she isn't quite taking steps without holding on to something - she seems a little scared of the falling.  Doctor's appointment is tomorrow, so we'll see where they are on the growth chart.

Why Such a Big Party?

One of my favorite things to do is plan birthday parties' for my kids and help out with parties for other friends and families.  It is my creative outlet and yes, I tend to take on too much and perhaps go a little over the top.  But I enjoy it.  


In 2 days we're having the twins' first birthday party and I've been busy the last few weeks getting it all put together.  The theme is Survivor (well, because we survived the first year) and I have all these ideas in my head of how I want the party to look and how the activities will go. Sometimes my ideas take up a lot of time and I get a bit in over my head.  Just yesterday I had a new idea of making a volcano (non-working), just for decoration - and being the kind of person I am, I had to go to the store (Hobby Lobby) immediately and get the materials to make this volcano.  We'll see how it turns out.


I've read several articles/blogs lately that in a nutshell puts into question these over-the-top party planning activities (assuming my parties even fall into this category) and the effect that has on kids.  Do the parents feel obligated or pressured to do it?  I really don't - I actually really enjoy it.  I'm not competing with my neighbor of who can do it better.  Being a lawyer day to day, dealing with mundane contract language and dealing with people who always have something tiny to complain about, I need something fun to do.  It's one of the reasons I enjoy doing improv.  I don't have to be serious - I can let my imagination run free.   I do think that I've already set up for Jocelyn the idea that she will always get an over the top birthday party and she even pretends, almost daily, that she is throwing a birthday party for someone (Mommy, Daddy, YaYa, etc.) - its always someone's birthday at our house!


No I don't go on pinterest every day to find an idea for day to day craft activities or little gifts for Jocelyn's classmates on Valentine's day or for end of the school year.  I don't have time for that.  I would probably really enjoy that - but I have to pick and choose. 


Will I throw these types of parties for the kids forever?  I don't know.  Maybe I'll stop when the kids get sick of it - but then there are my murder mystery parties I throw for myself.  I don't think I'm raising spoiled or entitled kids just by throwing an elaborate birthday party, with homemade decorations and lots of attention to detail - at least I hope not.  I think I can harmonize the two things.   On some level I hope that I am teaching my children how to be creative and how to bring ideas to life. 


I'll also keep taking my kids to Disney World as often as I can because I love it and its awesome.  Will they remember every single trip? No, of course not.  But I will.


Stay tuned for pictures of the party! 

Easter Weekend

On Saturday we ventured to the church, Peace Lutheran in Pasadena, and participated in the annual Easter Egg Hunt.  Of course the babies were too little to do any hunting, but Jocelyn had a blast filling her basket with colorful eggs.  Before we left the house she insisted that she bring her big Easter basket instead of the medium size one I thought would be easier for her to carry.  It was a beautiful day outside on Saturday!  After the hunt was lunch and activities in the fellowship hall and then we spent a little bit of time playing with friends on the playground.  Surprisingly enough though, Jocelyn did not take a nap on Saturday.

On Sunday, we went to worship at 8:30am at Peace and then headed out to my dad's house for lunch.  We had quite a spread with a delicious ham, with twice baked potatoes and sweet potatoes as well prepared by Pam as the main course.  I made my usual green bean casserole and mom made corn casserole to add to the spread.  Jennifer brought some beer bread and it was fabulous.  Yum!  I overindulged in the desserts however since it had been 6 weeks since I had had any sweets. 

One of my favorite things about Easter is getting all dressed up and this year was lots of fun to dress the 3 kiddos in matchin outfits.  John wore a nice new suit and I wore a dress I rented from Rent the Runway.  I love that website - it's a $245 dress I rented for $35.  Great way to wear designer cloths without footing the bill for it.  This is the third time renting from there and another great experience.  The only downside is that you can't try the dresses on before hand.  I thought it looked great and it was really comfortable.