Playing in the snow

So after we returned home from Disney World, Clara had an entire week off of school due to MLK Jr. Day and then four snow days. None of us were too thrilled, but we tried to make the best of it. I sometimes wish I were one of those moms who is like, "Yay! No school! My kids can stay home and we can sleep in!"

Instead I am more like Swiper: "Oh, maaaann!"

That's okay. I can embrace who I am while also trying to be the best version of myself.

 Clara wasn't too crazy about going out in the snow the first day, but then after getting on warm snow pants and gloves, she had a fun time. Robbie loved it. Without snow pants or boots, I just put on some of Michael's long white athletic socks over his pants and tucked them in to his rain boots. He was thrilled. Even now, with the snow nearly melted and dirty, he will go out and sneak some to eat.

 Super long icicles on the roof.

After our brief stint outside, we headed in for some maple syrup snow cream (maple syrup poured over snow).

 I also had to include this shot because it is the quintessential example of Robbie's hair during the winter--super staticky.

Disney Part 4

Our last day at Disney was spent at Epcot. We went right away to the character greeting spot to see the gang. Because we were the only ones there, they all spent a lot of time with Clara. It was really neat.

Clara likes touching people's noses sometimes (people she likes). She knows it drives me nuts and is getting better at stopping herself before she touches mine. But Mickey didn't mind!

I love that Mickey is always smiling.

Goofy is very tall--the people who are inside Mickey and Minnie must be quite short, while Goofy is probably a normal height.

Minnie and Clara showing off their pretty dresses.

Since there were no other kids waiting, the other characters came over, and Clara was absolutely thrilled. She pretended to scare Goofy with her dog Sprinkles, and he'd run away, which cracked her up.

It was really special. While Clara was interacting with the characters, Michael mentioned to one of the employees (who was from Scotland) how Clara is kind of fixated on characters like this, her situation, etc., and he said he worked with people with autism back in Scotland. One guy loved "soaps" (soap operas) and the characters on those shows. I am counting my blessings in comparison!

Clara was pretty nervous to meet Mulan, so she had me come along, too.

Covering her ears but still enjoying this fife and drum show in the American showcase.

Meeting Belle in France. But no Beast--we were bummed about that.

Alice in Wonderland in the U.K.

Chatting with Mary Poppins.

I always loved that dress that Mary wore.

Clara was very excited to meet Duffy, the Disney Bear.

I had never heard of Duffy before planning this trip. Apparently Minnie gave him to Mickey before a trip or something.

We went to the Garden Grill for dinner and saw Farmer Mickey. Clara was thrilled, as you can see. Such great smiles from this girl on this trip!

Who could eat a delicious meal when there are characters to be watched?

Pluto!

Chip giving Clara a twirl. We learned that Chip has a black nose (like a chocolate chip) and Dale has a red nose.

A tight squeeze.

The trip ended with a quiet evening back at the condo, and then we went to church briefly on Sunday and headed back out on the plane to Richmond. Clara loved the plane ride again.

Besides enjoying seeing Clara having a blast, Michael and I also learned some valuable things about trips and agendas on trips, having control, etc. We realized that I am more schedule-oriented and Michael is more spontaneous, and that in the future, we can have fun doing both as long as we prioritize the "must-dos" and make plenty of time for the "hey-lets-do-that-now" type of things.  Both aspects are important, and next time we'll do a better job of preparing for those moments of "But I thought we were going to . . . " One of the things I'm working on with Clara is being flexible, and it's been good for me to remind myself of that as well.

Thanks again to my parents for their kindness in coming up to watch Robbie, and thanks to Disney for being very good at what you do--providing an opportunity for families to make memories . . . while making millions in the process. We look forward to taking Robbie in about five years.

Nine years old

Hard to believe this fabulous kid has been a part of our family for nine years now. She is such a special and unique spirit, and we are so thankful that she was sent to us.

 The requisite breakfast in bed with her choice of cereal (a passing whim at Sharpshopper).

 A little boy is very sad that he doesn't get any of the cereal.

 Mmmm! Eating with the BFG in hand.

 A huge highlight of the birthday was that my parents got to stay a day longer from having watched Robbie in our absence. I think my dad's knees must have callouses from so many children and grandchildren getting horsey rides on them.

 And my dad brought Mr. Fox along (a family puppet for many years)--Clara was VERY excited to see him and frequently asked if he could be brought out for mouse hunts.

Clara is a lucky girl to have such a wonderful Bapa.

 I love my mom's smile.

 Playing "heavy, heavy hang over" with my mom (the receiver has to give the giver a wish before opening the gift).

 She wished for my mom that she (my mom) could stay here forever.

 Hey look! The gift that keeps on giving! I sent Samantha off to the American Girl Doll hospital because her arm had come loose, and we got her back in time for Clara's birthday. Amazingly, they sent a letter back and said that they felt it was their fault (the doll is over 30 years old!!), so they repaired it for free. Suh-weet!

 Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

 I also gave Clara all of Samantha's accessories and the beautiful dresses my mom made for her. I may have been just a teeny bit excited as we opened up things I had forgotten about.

 Am I living vicariously through my child? Yes. Yes, I am.

 Love this certificate of good health that was sent back with Samantha, along with a hospital gown, socks, brushed hair, and a hospital bracelet.

 Clara requested a monster cake. (No idea why.) I ran out of frosting, so its bum was nekkid.

Things about Clara:

1. She learned to put her hair back in a ponytail last year (a goal I had been anticipating to work on this next year).
2. She gives great smooches.
3. She loves to read, especially Michael's Calvin and Hobbes books when I let her.
4. She learned to be okay with sitting on the automatic flush toilets in public bathrooms. Pretty awesome.
5. Her smile is gorgeous and her laughter so infectious.
6. She is a great veggie eater and loves sneaking cherry tomatoes.
7. She loves her little brother and giggles with glee as she pushes him on his tricycle around the kitchen.
8. She is so forgiving and patient with us as we bumble along as parents.
9. She is learning to choose the right by being honest, paying her tithing, being respectful to others and speaking in a kind tone of voice, and sharing.
10. She loves squishy things, tassels, and crunchy uncooked spaghetti noodles and frozen peas.

 Happy birthday, sweet girl! We love you so much.

Disney Part 3

After finishing one of several homework worksheets at the condo (the only way to motivate her to get them done was to require her to finish one before we left each morning), we headed back to the Magic Kingdom. I am sure I have mentioned it before, but one of Clara's big special interests is "non-talking mascots" (think Chick-fil-A cow) or characters of any type. So Disney = prettymuchfabulousineveryway for this very reason.

 We hurried in and waited in line to see Merida.

 Introducing her to Sprinkles.

 Awesome hair.

 Enjoying some archery practice afterward.

 Clara was thrilled to see Cinderella and hugged her a long time.

 Love that manly man sporting Clara's backpack with style.

 We enjoyed breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table. They have a special wishing ceremony where you wave your magic wand and make a wish, which Clara loved. Four of the princesses came around to meet each table.

 Snow White's voice was a good impersonation of the high-pitched girly voice on the movie.

 Clara showed her the signed birthday card that all of the princesses "signed" and gave to her.

 With Ariel.

 Aurora.

 I never really liked the Sleeping Beauty movie (Maleficent scared me and I was always annoyed by how dumb Aurora was to touch the spinning wheel), but this Aurora was very nice.

 I felt sorry for Jasmine on this chilly January day. Actually I feel sorry for her any time having to wear that.

 After leaving breakfast, we waited in another long line to meet Rapunzel. There was a fun exchange between the two of them about Clara's matching dress.

 She asked Clara if she loved pink and purple, too, and she was very sweet.

 Tangled is probably my favorite Disney movie. Beauty and the Beast probably second. Or Cinderella.

 Another Snow White.

 Enchanted Tales with Belle was a fun experience. Lumiere's CG was terrific.

 Daisy!

 And Minnie!

 We went to see Mickey again. This Mickey was so special--he even sang Happy Birthday to Clara. She absolutely loved it.

 The requisite castle shot. It was smaller than I thought.

 But still very beautiful lit up at night.

We walked out through the masses of people as the fireworks were going off--Clara liked seeing them but the sounds were very upsetting, so unfortunately we had a few tears as we hurried away. (Tears were from the fireworks but also because she didn't want to go!) Overall, however, it was a wonderful day in the Magic Kingdom. I failed to mention the yummy Mickey ice cream bar we shared as well as other treats (an ice cream sandwich with two huge cookies, for example), a fun dinner at Cosmic Ray's, and the "galactic ooze" that Clara got as her souvenir. Besides stopping to put band-aids on two of her blisters, Clara walked a lot with very little complaint. The weather was much nicer the second day, and we left tired but happy.