It's not easy being three!

Isabelle is finally sleeping at night without her "nuk." I never wanted her to have a pacifier and it took her pediatrician telling me to give it to her to feel comfortable about it, but for the past 3 years she has been a big nuk-lover.

We never let her carry it around and several months ago we took it away from her and put it in her bed, to never come out again. Since she couldn't have it unless she was in her bed, she has always been happy to climb into bed at night. Jelly has never been a good napper, since day one she has resisted naps, but she has always slept well at night. (She doesn't need much sleep like her dad.) In January she visited the dentist for the first time and the dentist told her that the next time she visits her, in July, she wanted her to throw her pacifier away. Since Isabelle is the rational child that she is, she immediately came home and threw it in the trash. However, that night she dug it out and has slept with it ever since. On Saturday afternoon, Jelly woke up from a short nap and yelled from her bed I am throwing this nuk away so it doesn't make my teeth crooked! Of course, Ben and I had to follow her lead and she has not had a drag in four days.

The first night it took her over an hour to fall asleep with out it but it has gotten progressively shorter each night. The second night she cried and cried and said she wished she was still a baby...I do too! She still whimpers and cries a little for it and always says I love my nuk before rolling over and shutting her eyes, but we have gone cold turkey and so far she and I are both still alive. One major drawback is that since she hasn't had her motivation to get into bed, she hasn't napped yet this week. None of us are quite ready for that change, but I am fearful that that short break mid-day is coming to a quick end.

As a side effect from the lack of sleep, today while we were grocery shopping she was unhappy about something and this was our conversation:

Isabelle: Mom, I am so angry!!!
Mom: Why are you so angry Belle?
Isabelle: I am so angry mom...because my Grandpa's liver is just so bad!!!

She got me on that one!

**This is a Jaimie Haley Photography picture! Check her out: http://www.jaimiehaleyphotography.blogspot.com/

Summer days and the living is easy!

Last weekend Uncle Sam invited us to Schlitterbahn to celebrate his birthday! Although we only live 30 miles from the Travel Channel's #1 Water Park in the World, we had never been....until now! Unfortunately, Jelly woke up the day before with a head cold but we couldn't let the fun pass us by, so Saturday we packed up all our swim gear and headed out to New Braunfels, TX. Several of the Cosby family were able to meet for the weekend and we were happy to get to visit with everyone and wish Sam a happy birthday in person.

Schlitterbahn was wonderful and overwhleming and we barely scratched the surface at trying all of the slides and pools. One of Jelly's favorite moments was when all of her Uncles came to her rescue and bullied a young boy into giving them his crocodile so that Belle could ride "queen of the river" around and around the lazy river. Another highlight was when we ventured onto the Congo River Expedition. Isabelle was in her own black rubber tube and we thought that we were safe until near the end when the operator of the ride shifted our tubes to go down the "mine shaft." It was a pretty big free-fall waterfall and Ben did his best trying to keep Belle afloat, losing his own sunglasses and being dunked himself in the process. It dumped us all into the real Comal River and we spent the next half hour floating through the chilly river and over waterfalls, until we could finally make an exit. Afterwards, we discovered that life jackets were strongly recommended and that tubes with a bottom were available and encouraged for children, especially small ones. Luckily, we all survived and although Belle thought it was great, Ben disagreed and was ready to pack the car and head back to San Antonio.

We enjoyed visiting with the Cosby family and continuing the party in San Antonio for the next 24 hours. Isabelle loved waking Katrina and Gordon up in the morning, playing with her doll house with her grandparents and doing the The Animal Boogie with Uncle Seth. It was a great weekend and a perfect way to kick off the summer!

I would believe only in a God that knows how to dance - Friedrich Nietzsche

When Isabelle enrolled in her first ballet class this winter I don't know who was most excited: Belle, me or her Aunts. She entered the Creative Movement class a few months before she was technically 3 years old and eligible, but with some smooth talk by her parents and a brief tour of the school, she became the youngest student at the Performing Arts Conservatory of Texas. For the past several months we have enjoyed learning the basics of ballet again and watching Isabelle's little passion blossom.

Tonight was her "Parent Observation Class" and Ben rearranged his travel schedule and Grammie came into town so they could both be in attendance. Isabelle was thrilled to have a "performance" although she was a little anxious as well. After laying in her bed at nap time for quite a while she called to me and said I don't know what I am going to say when I get on stage! I reassured her that she did not have a speaking part and laughed to myself that she had such a concern.

Her class danced to "You've Got A Friend In Me" however the little girls spent most of their show time looking for and waving to their parents. Isabelle is the smallest in the class by nearly a foot and all of the other girls tend to her and speak to her like she is so tiny. During a set of chasses one of the other girls yelled, come on little one, you can do it! Isabelle never minded being the slowest to cross the floor or the last to reach the mirror and she has learned so much. Miss Ashley has taught all of the names of the steps as well as the movements and Belle can perform by name a plie, an arabesque, tendu, releve and so on all in 1st, 2nd and 3rd position.

After all of her hard dancing this evening, Belle celebrated with a "party" out to dinner and for ice-cream at home. We have had a wonderful first dancing experience and can't wait to strap on our ballet shoes again in the fall.

Summer Break

Yesterday was Isabelle's last day of her little preschool class. She has enjoyed learning and playing with friends each Tuesday and I have been entertained by all the funny things she has told me on our drives home after school. She has learned all about animals, the earth, letters, numbers, and so on and she especially loved the section all about fire fighters, policemen and emergencies. We have had to rent Elmo Visits the Fire House from Blockbuster and we talk about and look for fires and emergencies every day!

Since yesterday was the end of the school year, the kids enjoyed a "field day" where they raced to fill buckets with water, threw beanbags in hoola-hoops and even tried to pop water balloons with their behinds. None of them were heavy enough to actually pop the balloons so they ended up just stomping on them and throwing them at each other. Isabelle was excited to be responsible for the final snack and brought strawberry Popsicles and pretzels which they ate messily outside.

Although they started the school year at only two years old still clinging to their mom's legs and barely using their words, they finished as big kid 3 year olds, potty trained and able to spell their own names. Thank goodness I still have a few more years to play and learn from Isabelle before she starts kindergarten and is gone all day every day. For now, we will just have fun playing make-believe and holding our own school with stuffed dogs, bears and bunnies as our students!

Nontraditional

We have enjoyed a very lovely and quiet Memorial Day this year. I think since we have been on the road so frequently the holiday actually snuck up on us and was here before we could make any plans to get out of town again. Since we all three just reunited at home again on Thursday night, I think the long relaxing weekend was just what we needed.

Ben and Belle started the day at the pool bright and early. After a quick, and sweaty, jog I met them there and we enjoyed the water and sun until nap time. We decided to be "true" San Antonians and spent the afternoon at Brackenridge Park. We had a picnic near the river and rode the train around the park. Afterwards, we made a brief stop at the Quarry for a little shopping. (A holiday would just not be complete with out it!)

Memorial Day reminds me of baseball double-headers and visiting the cemetery so our quiet weekend was very nontraditional and pretty unpatriotic. We are so grateful for those who have and continue to serve in the U.S. Armed Forces and will remember them in our prayers this evening. Because of their and their families sacrifices, we can enjoy a sunny day as a family playing at the park and creating memories.

On a side note, Belle has had a set of "dirty dogs" that she adores playing in the bathtub with. Lately, they have been getting pretty sad and we mentioned to her that it was probably time to get rid of them. She could not bare to throw them away so she suggested we send them back to the factory so they could get cleaned up and then we could buy them again, all shiny and new. She asked me for a box and some tape and she packaged them up carefully all by herself. She wrote a note and placed it inside and then literally kissed and kissed the box telling them (Charky, Spot, Clifford and Brown Dog) not to worry and she would miss them so! Off they go to the "factory!"

The Happiest Vacation on Earth

My sister Tara had a vision of the entire Christensen family spending a few days together this Spring and what better place to create memories, than The Happiest Place on Earth?! The day before we left, Belle emptied her piggy bank and we made a quick stop at the Disney Store where she cashed in her pennies for some Disney Bucks to spend in the park. She was thrilled to carry her own money in her purse and had no idea what she would very soon be experiencing.
Early Thursday morning Ben, Isabelle and I boarded our plane with the final destination being Orlando, FL. Our flights were quick and easy and Jelly even napped on the way so that she would be full of energy for her first of many late nights. Once in Florida, we grabbed a quick taxi and arrived at our resort just moments behind my parents and Tara who had driven up from Miami, FL. Belle was so excited to be on vacation and mostly to see her favorite people! We settled into our rooms while Chris, Colleen and Max arrived and we then headed to Downtown Disney to spend the evening. Belle and Max were beside themselves with joy and could not believe all of the fun stuff to do already. They were clueless about what was in store for them at Magic Kingdom in the morning. We ate dinner and rode our first carousel before Alee and Nick arrived and we retired to bed before our first big day at the park.

Friday we started our day early on the monorail traveling to Magic Kingdom. Once inside the gates, the magic began. Mickey, Minnie and the entire Disney crew were already singing and dancing with fireworks and confetti in front of the castle and it was barely 9:00am. We began our tour in Adventure Land with our first ride being Aladdin's Magic Carpets. From there we hit close to every ride throughout the day missing only Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain since Belle didn't quiet meet the height requirement. Some of Jelly's favorites were Dumbo, Buzz Lightyear, Goofy's Barnstormer and the Disney Speedway. Ben enjoyed Donald's PhilHarMagic and I especially loved Small World. We ate lunch at the Pinocchio House and watched the Dreams Come True Parade. We met Princesses in Fantasy Land and danced the Hokey Pokey in Frontier Land. It was in the mid 90's with lots of sun and humidity, so we all dripped with sweat all day and were relieved once the sun finally went down. Before we could leave the park for the day, Jelly found a Mickey & Minnie balloon and spent her first Disney Bucks of the trip! As soon as we were out of the gates, Belle was asleep in Ben's arms and it appears that her pants were exhausted too from a long day as they are all but off in the picture I snapped.

Saturday morning came early and Ben and I were grateful that we had put Belle's bed in Grammie and Grandpa's room. They kindly took Belle and Max down to the pool to eat breakfast while the rest of us slept a little bit longer. We then decided to put our swimsuits on and enjoyed a few hours in the water before making our way back to Magic Kingdom again. It was nice to relax at the resort pool and take our time after a busy day. Once inside the park again, we hit all of our favorite rides as well as took some time to see some of the shows we missed the first round. At lunchtime we dined with Winnie the Pooh and Friends in the Crystal Palace and Belle marched with them in a parade around the restaurant. Belle spent some time in the gift shop picking out the perfect souvenirs and came home with some Mickey ears and a stuffed Pluto which she paid for in full with her own money. We were especially excited for the Spectro Magic Parade that night and found the perfect viewing spot right in front of the castle. Belle was in awe of all of the lights and characters and fought to stay awake long enough to see Tinker Belle fly through the sky during the firework show as the park closed. This time, she was asleep in the stroller even before we escaped the front gates and never came to until the following morning. Another wonderfully busy and magical day at Disney World.

With all of the fun, we hardly noticed Grandpa mixing up all sorts of medicines and drugs throughout the day and trying to keep the side-effects of liver-disease in control. He was a great sport and felt really quite well on the vacation. I guess Mickey Mouse really can make all your dreams come true!

Sunday morning, Mothers Day, we ate brunch around the pool and swam for a few hours before packing our bags for home. Belle was so sad to leave all of the magic and especially sad to leave all of her extended family members. Thankfully, she was exhausted and slept right through the hour-plus of time we sat on the plane with a broken part before take-off and was pleasant as we ran through IAH to make our connection. We finally arrived home, without all of our luggage, late Sunday night tired and glad to get into our own beds. It was a vacation to remember and I think we all agree that Disney World truly is...The Happiest Place on Earth!