Mondays with Crosby and Jane Claire

At 11:24 am, Crosby Fox turned 3 years and 47 weeks old!!!  At 1:03 pm, Jane Claire turned 34 weeks old!!!  What a FABULOUS week it has been.  Well, minus the part when we had to get in the car and leave the most magical place on earth.  But we won't talk about that part yet.  We will just pretend that we are still there.  We will deny that we are experiencing Post Disney Depression...

We decided to schedule a "rest day" to break up our time at the parks.  That was one of the best moves ever for our group.  The babes would have been exhausted had we gone 4 straight days.  Who am I kidding?!?  The adults were pretty worn out after two full days 2!  I don't know that we would have made it 3 or 4 days in a row.  So, Tuesday morning, we got to sleep in as late as we wanted.  There was no schedule and no place to be at any specific time.  Jane Claire was thrilled to get a nice nap in her bed that day.  Blake and Crosby met some of the crew at the outlet mall while I stayed back with Little Bit.  Then we flip flopped and I got to run through the outlets before dinner.  We had an exciting dinner planned for that evening.  Dinner with Disney characters and the Sawn and Dolphin!  It was supposed to be Goofy and (maybe?) Pluto.  We were super excited to see the visitor line up changed a bit...

Minnie Mouse showed up and we were so very excited!!! Jane Claire was quite taken with Minnie...

So were Charlotte and Crosby!

The next few pictures are some of my favorite from the night.   Gotta love seeing Blake pose with Minnie..

Even better!  Blake was asked to kiss Minnie on the hand.  He had no other option but to comply!!  The kids were watching!! ;-)

The best picture of them all is the ones of Jason and Minnie...

Jason even got a kiss!!!  What is it about that beard and Minnie Mouse that cracks me up every time?!? ;-)

Sam even got in on the Minnie lovin...

He tried to act like he wasn't interested in meeting her.  You know, she is a girl.  And he is a BOY!!!  Deep down, he was thrilled she hugged his neck! ;-)

Then the gang got to meet Goofy!

Jane Claire liked him too!

Or maybe she was trying to push him away!

We actually had a great meal that night.  It was a Mediterranean buffet and it was delish!  Everyone was impressed.  After dinner, we headed to Downtown Disney.  It was a happening place.  Of course we had to stop by the Lego store.  Crosby got his picture with Lego Hulk...

Quite impressive, these Lego statues!!!

Then he sat down at a station and started building something of his own...

I think he actually took over someone else's project! He isn't that good at Legos...yet!

Then we ventured into one of the stores.  Crosby headed down one isle while Blake and I looked around.  We came back to find this...

He was in his own little world, making up some wild story with all the animals he pulled from the shelf!!!  People kept walking by, laughing and him and his setup!  Too funny, this boy in the Woody hat!!!

We headed back to the parks on Wednesday, Animal Kingdom day!!!  We were all feeling rested and ready to go at it again.  We started the morning with the Animal Safari ride.  I just love this picture of my boys...

There were so many beautiful animals along the ride.  We got to see several up close and personal!  Giraffes, hippos, zebras, crocodiles, and more...

I just had to share this picture.  How precious is it to see a giraffe drinking water?!?  It was about the cutest thing I have ever seen!!!

We had great seats to watch the parade...

I am thinking this is one of my most favorite pictures from the whole day.  Maybe even the whole trip! My sleepy boy with his new best friend, Woody, watching the parade.  Is he not precious...

Thursday was our last day at the parks and we spent it at Epcot!!  What a great place to be on THANKSGIVING!!!

Jane Claire loved looking at the fish in the aquarium while we waited for Turtle Talk with Crush...

Crosby did too!

He LOVE getting to play the drums while we walked around the World Showcase...

He says he wants drums for Christmas...

I don't know what Santa will have to say about that!!! ;-)

Our little family at Epcot...

When we got to Canada, there was a live band playing music on stage.  These boys LOVED it...

Too fun...

Dancing machines!!

And here we are. The whole crew.  Our last moment together at Disney World...

Oh how I could tear up thinking about it!!!!  We had such a great time.  And I mean GREAT.  Sigh...

But it wasn't over yet.  We headed back to our condos for a semi traditional Thanksgiving meal.  They prepared everything, we heated it up!  I must admit, it was nice to NOT spend the day in the kitchen.  Not that I normally spend the day in the kitchen, but Lulu surely does!  The meal may not have tasted as good as Lulu's but it didn't matter.  We were just happy to be together.

Our last day was spent packing and hanging around the condos.  Well, some of did that anyway.  Jason, Kerri, Sam and Gid headed toward Birmingham.  The tears started up once they drove away.  It was really coming to an end.  Sigh.  Buddy and Blake managed to squeeze in a round of golf.  Lucy and I made a quick trip to the outlets on Black Friday and it was a mad house.  Of course Jane Claire and Crosby were in tow and they loved it...  Once the boys got back, we all ate leftovers for dinner before strapping the kiddos in the car and making our way North to Macon for the night.    Charlotte and Crosby enjoyed one more viewing of Nemo before we left...

Our travels home went as smoothly as the trip down.  I was in complete shock at how easy a 12 hour trip went with 2 kiddos.  We were so very thankful for their sake and ours!  We pulled back in to our driveway Saturday afternoon.  It was good to be home and out of the car but I think my heart took a little longer to join us.  Anne Claire and I were both feeling the Post Disney Depression for SURE!!  Why do vacations pass by so quickly??  Sigh.

So here we are on Monday.  The bags are unpack and we are trying to resume normal life.  Something tells me it is going to take a while to get back into the swing of things.  Or maybe 2 kiddos will whip me into shape pretty quickly!  Like this little miss...

Jane Claire at 34 weeks!!!

What a great week.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to spend a whole week with family in the most magical place on earth!  I can't wait to do it again!!  Crosby keeps reassuring me, "Mommy, I know you want to go back to Disney World!  We will one day!!"  Shouldn't it be the other way around... ;-)

(There are a lot more pictures I have been waiting to add.  But I am thinking that won't happen until after Christmas.  So I will just post it as is. Pardon me, in advance, for updating the last two posts in the very near future with more pictures and facts I don't want to forget!!!)

Mondays with Crosby and Jane Claire

At 11:24 am, Crosby Fox turned 3 years and 46 weeks old!!!  At 1:03 pm, Jane Claire turned 33 weeks old!!!  This week is one we have been thinking of for MONTHS now!  This week we left for DISNEY WORLD!!!  

The beginning of the week was spent running errands to prepare for the big trip.  Of course, I was out doing things at the 11th hour!  Although Crosby was with me much of that time, he didn't realize where we were really going.  All he knew was if he stayed in his bed every morning until Friday, he would get a BIG surprise when Blake got home from work that evening.  When that time came, I had Mickey and a new Buzz Lightyear toy sitting in his car seat.  We had him walk outside to see what the clue was.  At first, the excitement level was a little...less than expected.  All turned out well in the end!  See for yourself...  (Jane Claire was a little tired...)

We snapped a picture of the WILD child strapped in his seat, ready to go...

I laugh because Jane Claire clearly is NOT strapped in her seat in this picture.  Her legs are straight up in the air and she wiggled her head down pretty low!  She was properly restrained before we drove off. I promise.

So, we started the journey to Orlando on Friday night.  We made it as far as Cool Springs before stopping to eat and take a potty break!  We were planning to make it to Murfreesboro before doing all of that but in all the excitement, we forgot to take someone to the bathroom before leaving.  Once bellies were full and bladders were emptied, a couple of times, we headed Southeast!  I will admit, I was dreading being in the car with kiddos on that long of a drive.  Let me just say, leg #1 could not have gone any better.  Jane Claire slept like a little dream.  She woke up once and a bottle did the trick.  Crosby was able to sleep too.  Around 1:00 am EST, Crosby started to get a little cranky because his legs wouldn't stay where he wanted them to.  Perfect timing!  We were 15 minutes from Macon, GA, our halfway stopping destination.  GranBuddy and Lulu were at the same hotel so they helped us get inside.  I thought it would take a few hours to get everyone back to sleep. But, not the case!  They went to sleep pretty quickly and slept until 8:45 the next morning.  We at breakfast and then headed out again. After getting gas and changing a diaper, we were on the interstate heading Southeast again!  We made it to Ocala before stopping for a bite to eat.  A few hours later, we were in Orlando and were so VERY EXCITED!!!!

By Saturday evening, everyone had safely arrived in Orlando.  We spent the night enjoying being together and making plans for our first day at Disney World.  We were headed to the most magical place on earth... Magic Kingdom!

On Sunday morning, we got up at 6:00 am and were loading up cars by 7:00.  We had a a cheat sheet to tell us how to navigate the park efficiently.   Blake and I were pretty excited to figure out the system and dominate it.  Just a little competitive! ;-) First things first.  We got to ride the Monorail!!!

We had a short wait at the gate before the park opened so we had to snap a few pictures...

And then we were in!  I love this one of my boys in front of the castle...

Crosby riding his very first ride at Disney World!  Dumbo!!

Jane Claire and I were on there with him too!  Blake was off getting our first Fast Pass...

Kerri and Gid...

Jason and Sam...

Then we got to meet a few characters!  Goofy and the boys...

Goofy and our little family...

The other Malone crew and Goofy!

 Then we saw Donald!  I just love Crosby's face...

The family met Donald too! 

 Sweet Charlotte got to meet Minnie Mouse! She was just thrilled...

Getting Minnie's autograph...

Staring in awe! Too cute...

Daisy was next...

And then the boys and Jane Claire got to meet Minnie!

Gid even got a kiss on the cheek...

We headed off to get on the next ride but got stopped for something super special.  Charlotte was asked to be Chef of the Day!  She got to decorate cookies.  How sweet of her to let her cousins in on the fun...

Then we were off to ride again.  I had to take a picture of Jane Claire on It's a Small World...

She just sat there like this...

Taking it all in!  Oh how I love that ride!! :-)

Meeting Stitch.  Neither of them knew who stitch was but it took up time while the big kids rode Space Mountain!

We stopped to watch the parade and show at the castle in the middle of the day.  The boys all crammed into a stroller so they could see.  Front row seats!

The little ones also got to meet Woody and Jessie.  Woody is only one of Crosby's most FAVORITE "people" in the world!!!  I had to include this picture so Jane Claire would know she was really there.  Sleeping in the Ergo like a sweet baby girl...

Group shot!

Cinderella's Castle during the day...

Lulu and Jane Claire...

It was so fun to be there when all of the Christmas decorations were up.  It was just beautiful!  Would you just look at the castle...

Mickey and Minnie are ready for Christmas!

Farwell to Magic Kingdom...

What a fun day we had...

Lot's of memories were made that day for sure!

On Monday morning, we headed to Disney Studios.  One of the first rides we hit was the Toy Story ride.  We got there pretty fast and the line was already long!  Fast Passes were gone by the time we got out!  What a popular ride.  It was super fun.  Thanks to our cheat sheet, Fast Passes and rider swaps, we got to ride it a few times.  Just working the system! ;-)  We snapped a few sweet pictures while waiting in line!  Lulu and Charlotte...

Baby Jane Claire...

Sam, Crosby and Gid with Mr. Potato Head...

Sam sporting his 3-D glasses...

We got Crosby to watch Toy Story a few times before our trip so he could be more familiar with the characters.  He became a BIG fan of Woody and Buzz.  As we were getting in line for the Toy Story ride, he saw that he could meet Woody and Buzz across the street.  At first I thought we would have time to meet them while the group waited.  So we got in line.  Then I realized our line was moving really slow and the ride line was moving rather fast.  Needless to say, there were a few tears and a lot of promises made to convince him to leave the meet and greet line to actually RIDE the ride!!!  But he did it!  And as promised, we met Woody and Buzz as soon as we got off.

He carried his new Buzz around everywhere we went!

Crosby, Buzz and the Prospector!

Finally!!!!  They meet!!!

Crosby was so thrilled to be standing in the presence of the "real" Buzz Lightyear.  Too cute...

And for a special treat that day, Crosby got his very own Woody!!!

He was told he could pick which ever character he wanted.  I just knew he would pick the big Buzz!  Nope.  He wanted Woody!  And Woody immediately became his new best friend.  Crosby would drag him around just like Andy does in the movie.  So incredibly cute.

These two enjoyed wrapping up the night with Disney Jr. and the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!

Their faces crack me up!!!  Cros forgot how to smile he said...

I can remember visiting this same spot with Sam when he was just a tiny tot!!!  Now he and Gid are the "big boys"...

Gid LOVES his baby cousin...

The clubhouse friends!

Dancing to the music!  Look at Charlotte shake that skirt around...

Farwell Disney Studios!!!

We had such a fun day with you!!!

And here is sweet Jane Claire with her bunny at 33 weeks...

What can I say...

These aren't the greatest pictures!  But it was super late.  She was worn out.  Her parents were too so we just went with what we got...

What a great way to spend your 33 week birthday!