Disney 2014

The Gates Family vacation to Disney World was a whole lot of fun and a whole bunch of memory-making. Much of this is thanks to the hard work Jenn put into planning the week we were there, from what parks to visit & when to visit them to what restaurants we should take in. As the week unfolded, we thought of a few items here and there that we'd wished we'd done differently, but the truth is, there's no way to predict everything and plan a Disney vacation perfectly w/ a 6-year-old and a pair of near-4-year-olds. Jenn got pretty close.

A photo posted by @rggates on Oct 10, 2014 at 8:20am PDT

We took off on Wednesday afternoon and arrived in Orlando in about enough time to get unpacked before our dinner reservation at Boma. This really good buffet style restaurant gave us all an opportunity to try a lot of different food options and not be in too stuffy of an enviornment after a big trip.

A photo posted by @rggates on Oct 10, 2014 at 5:36am PDT

As we would on each of our park days, Thursday morning started bright and early with us arriving at Epcot prior to the opening. The kids were up anyway, and by moving quickly to the more high-demand rides/attractions, we'd avoid a huge line or two before the big crowds arrived. Epcot proved to be Lincoln's favorite place, mostly because he loved Test Track & Mission Space & Soarin'. The design feature at Test Track was really cool, and Lincoln's car, er, Monster Truck, ended up winning!

A photo posted by @rggates on Oct 10, 2014 at 9:39am PDT

A photo posted by @rggates on Oct 10, 2014 at 2:13pm PDT

The little ones did a few of the little kids things, but honestly, they weren't too into Epcot. They enjoyed Turtle Talk With Crush, and after lunch in the park, Grandma Laura & Grandpa Dave took the kids back to the room for naps while Jenn and I stayed to visit the various countries and sample the offerings at the Food and Wine Festival.

A photo posted by @rggates on Oct 10, 2014 at 4:04pm PDT

We stayed in Kidani Village after Jenn was able to find a Vacation Club member w/ enough points to sell. It turned out great! We had enough rooms for Grandma & Grandpa, Jenn & me, and the kids slept on pull-out couches and chairs. The view of the savannah from the room was really neat, and the kids enjoyed seeing the animals come around at random times, such as when the zebras slept below our balcony over our last night of the trip! We also had access to night-vision glasses in the evenings to see what might be going on across the savannah.

A photo posted by @rggates on Oct 10, 2014 at 4:49pm PDT

Friday was LYDIA'S BIRTHDAY!!!...
...and a Magic Kingdom day that began with Dumbo, The Barnstormer, Big Thunder Mountain, It's A Small World, and a lot of sights and sounds in between.
We took Friday afternoon to visit Hollywood Studios, mostly because Henry's big wish was to see Mater. As it turned out, Lincoln enjoyed Star Tours with Grandpa Dave, Lydia enjoyed the Frozen Sing-along. Lincoln didn't like the Tower of Terror, but I think as time passes, he'll understand that he was pretty brave to do it. The best family experience we had at HS was Toy Story Mania. Whoever designed that ride is a genius and we had a blast on it. The evening capped off with Lincoln building his own Light Saber!
Saturday morning found us at Animal Kingdom and the adults & Lincoln went on Expedition Everest right away with no wait. Amazing rollercoaster. Honestly, it's the best coaster I've been on outside of Cedar Point.

A photo posted by @rggates on Oct 10, 2014 at 7:43am PDT

We also took in the Kilimanjaro Safaris; the incredible bird show, Flights of Wonder; and after the kids went back for naps with the Grandparents, Jenn and I visited Dinsoaur and a return trip to Everest before heading back to the Magic Kingdom with the kids for Under the Sea, Dumbo, Space Mountain (Lincoln), Tomorrowland Speedway (Henry), and an attempted visit with Rapunzel (Lydia; the FastPass thing as well as communication w/ those waiting in the FastPass lines when there is a break in the action could be a lot better). Things rounded up when we met up with Annie & Grace in front of Casey's Corner for the Electric Light Parade and Fireworks.
Sunday was a slow day, and it turned out to be one of the kids' favorites. We spent a bunch of time at the pool, and went to dinner at the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue. I'll start with the pool. Lincoln is now a fish, and the little ones couldn't get enough of the little slide, of jumping from the side, and just buzzing all around the pool. The surprise of the day came when, independently and without any adult prodding, Henry first then Lydia went down the big, twisty, turny, must-go-by-yourself water slide. Bravery was on disiplay.
And the entertainment and dinner at Hoop-Dee-Doo was first-class. We all thought Lincoln was going to wet his pants, he was laughing so hard, and Lydia was so into the production, with her waving at the cast and trying to dance like the ladies on stage. Without question, we'll return for another visit at any of our future Disney trips.

First time through the #castle is a lot to take in. #Disney

A photo posted by @rggates on Oct 10, 2014 at 3:36pm PDT

After the previous late night, we got up early, waited 40 minutes for a bus, and made it to the Crystal Palace just in time for breakfast with Winnie the Poo, Piglet, Tigger and Eeyore. (The Breakfast Lasagna was amazing!)
After breakfast, the kids got to meet Belle at Enchanted Tales. Then there was a Jungle Cruise, a Magic Carpet Ride, Pirates of the Caribbean and Tom Sawyer Island before we ate a good lunch at the Columbia Harbour House.
'Ohana was our dinner destination on Monday evening, and for all the hype that it receives on the reviews, we were simply disappointed in the service. There were aspects of the meal that were very tasty, but overall, I just can't recommend 'Ohana. It's a shame, because Disney's customer service is so good in so many areas. 'Ohana, though, seemed to be mailing it in, knowing that they're booked with reservations for the next six months; as if they know they don't really have to perform. One specific example: Jenn ordered a Lemon Drop Martini. It tasted like lemon water. We pointed this out to the waitress, she took it, returned with the same glass (with Jenn's lipstick on the glass, and all) and it (of course) tasted awful. Did they think they were going to fool her? And it wasn't about the money. I was disappointed with the service before I even knew what we were spending (honestly, I blocked dollars and cents from my mind a long time ago with regard to this vacation). Thankfully, this was our only dining disappointment. Knowing what we know now, we'll eat all of our dinners at Hoop-Dee-Do and the Animal Kingdom restaurants.

More #Stitch! #Disney

A photo posted by @rggates on Oct 10, 2014 at 11:23am PDT

Tuesday was our last day in the park, and we made it worthwhile. The boys ran to the Seven Dwarves Mine Train while the ladies visited Elsa... and Anna!. We thought we'd only be able to visit one of the Frozen princesses, so what a surprise that Lydia got to meet two! Following that, Lydia got to meet Merida while the boys rode Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin a few times. (This is a very cool ride where we got to shoot Zorg with laser.) The kids finished on the Speedway, the Asto Orbiter, the Barnstormer & Big Thunder Mountain. Afternoon time took us back to the pool.
Elise & Paul were visiting Disney with their oldest daughter and we were able to meet up for dinner at Sanaa. We would have done well to eat at Sanaa all week!
Waking up at the crack of dawn on Wednesday wasn't our first choice, but it allowed us to get back home shortly after noon and have an afternoon of recovery before getting back to work and school. All in all, it was a very cool trip, and one which the kids ought to recall with fond memories for months and years to come.

The weather here has not been pleasant. I've kept a good attitude about winter for most of the winter, avoiding anger and unpleasantness. But when last Thursday was nice, getting into the upper 50s, I believe, and then the weekend got nasty again, I got irritated. We're all ready for spring.

Speaking of last Thursday when it was nice, much of the snow was melting and the water was running across the sidewalks. So on my run, at around 8:45pm, I hit a patch of black ice around 2.95 miles of my planned 4 mile run. My left foot shot out in front of me and slightly to the right, and my face/head went down at the speed of gravity. I literally saw the sidewalk approach and make contact with my cheek. It happened in front of our neighbor's house, and while I didn't feel anything concussion-like, I didn't want to get another half-mile away from the house and realize I shouldn't have gone any further, so I cut the run short at 3 miles. A pretty nasty abrasion and a bruised eyelid were the marks, and while therapy laser has helped speed up the healing, there's enough of that ugly yellow bruise appearance under my left eye to make it look a little ugly. I can't say my irritation with the weather is entirely due to this incident, but I'd really like to have outdoor places to run that aren't frozen over.

Jenn has been able to get the kids out of the house to play during the brief few warm spots. During the cold spells, I've resorted to taking the kids to Chick-Fil-A and the little play set at Summit Mall.Things are clicking with Lincoln's reading. He's been able to handle his sight words and simple words for some time now, but there hasn't been much initiative on his part to go further until recently. It's neat to see him motivated.

Also in the reading department, I've been reading some longer stories to the three kids before bed time. They're pushing the limits for the two little ones, but I've been impressed with how they've stuck with them. Most of the material has come from the old Disney books from the Mullen side of the family: Dumbo, Mary Poppins, The Sword In The Stone, Lady And The Tramp, etc. Part of the plan is to train the kids to listen to longer stories, another part of the plan is to introduce them to more Disney stories and characters before we go to Disney World in October.

We enjoyed a visit from Auntie Haley and Grandma Laura on the front end of "Spring" Break. The ladies got all of their spring shopping in at the Grove City outlets (wait until you see Lydia's rain boots and the boys' Easter jackets and ties!).

Wrist Bones

Lydia takes in "Finding Nemo"

It's been freezing here in northeast Ohio. Not much play-time outside, play-time and movies inside has been the strategy lately.

That, combined with the sick bug that hit Jenn the hardest, me the second-hardest, and worked its way a bit through Lydia, has led to an indoor kind of start to January. Lincoln had his round before Christmas, and we're half-convinced Henry just doesn't get sick.

Henry is learning to put on his underpants and pants by himself. This is a big, big step, and not only is he gaining patience and confidence in his abilities, he's also getting closer to not needing diapers overnight. The biggest reason I still have him in a diaper is because to this point he hasn't been able to work with his pants to get them back on after he takes them off. This is starting to change.

When Henry gets focused on play-time, not much distracts.

Lincoln continues to be an All Star Kindergartener. His reading is coming along nicely as well as his math. Right now he's at the cabin with Grandpa this weekend, and he'll certainly come home tired.

Funny story from the other evening. As we were reading our bedtime stories, Lydia noticed the bump in Jenn's wrist (her ulna, you have one, too), and said, "What's that?"

Jenn said, "Thats one of my wrist bones." For the anatomy sticklers, remember we're trying to explain this to a three-year-old.

Lydia looked at her chubby wrist and said, "Why don't I have one of those? I want a wrist bone."

Then Henry, as he often does, repeated what Lydia said, as he waved his *right* hand. "I want a wrist bone."

Jenn and I looked at each other with an, "Awww, gee," type of frown. He still has not acknowledged his difference, and it's neat to see him do what he needs to do with what he's got to do it with.

I came home yesterday to find Jenn "getting her hair done" by Henry and Lydia. Guess which side Lydia worked on first...
Plans are in the works for an October vacation to Disney this year. Jenn, in her typical travel agent fashion, has most of it planned out. There's also a stack of Disney vacation books that she's been working through. Not surprised.

Events have been set in motion, too, as far as it relates to me hiring a new associate later this year. I posted at Ohio State and got a response from a senior student that looks like it'll at least be a promising interview. I haven't yet advertised in places where seasoned vets might see, but that'll come soon. Also, I'll be blogging my hiring experience on my friend's (Eden Myers) blog, JustVetData.com. Big changes are coming to the Cuyahoga Falls Veterinary Clinic. At least as far as personnel. It is my plan for no big changes to come as far as the clients' experience is concerned.

After taking a couple of weeks off from running, I got back on the treadmill (it's way too cold outside even with the fantastic cool weather running gear the Parkinsons gave to me for Christmas) and the break was good thing. Jenn's been tired lately and a break, especially following her illness, would be a good thing.

I'm trying to whittle down my 5k time, and then a vet-buddy posted this story:

Galen Rupp Sets U.S. Indoor 5000-Meter Record of 13:01.26

Holy. Cow.

And a little digging provided this guy's 10k time at the 2012 US Olympic Trials: 27:25.33

Um. When I crossed the finish line at the Great New Year's Eve Race, the clock said 27:22, and my official posted time was 27:27. So if this guy had started 5,000 meters behind me at the start, we would have crossed the finish line at about the same time. Wow. I've got goals, but that isn't one of them.

Diapers & Wipes for the Princesses

This past weekend was the fourth annual Life Answers ABF Men's Retreat at Leesville Lake.  It has become an event to which a number of guys really look forward year in and year out.  This year's theme was FOUND, and through a series of lessons and converations we explored facets of how we've been found by God.  Adoption has played an instrumental role in my understanding of how we've been found by God, and I shared a bit of what I've learned over the past year and a half.

The weather was beautiful, and during the lunch downtime, I got out on one of the trails and moseyed down by the lake.
Jenn and the kids spent Saturday driving down to Cincinnati to visit a bunch of the Mullen family.  This was the first non-holiday long drive for them, and by and large they did very well.  I saw them fast asleep in the car upon their return, and they all looked darn cute in the outfits Jenn had picked for them, and she reported that cousins Kelly & Patrick were really cool with occupying them during the day, and that given their lack of nap, they were all-stars.
Just the other day, Henry was building with the Mega Blocks, and Lydia came over to his tower and pushed it over.  Between the day prior to this and last June 2, Henry's response would have been screaming +/- crying.  But something very interesting happened.  He looked at her, worked very deliberately to form the words with his mouth that he was thinking in his head, and he said, "You knock my tower over.  Make me sad."  Wow.  Our little boy is growing up, and what a big step to witness.

Also the other day, Jenn found Lydia packing up her Disney^® Princess^TM suitcase with diapers and wet wipes.  When Jenn asked her what she was doing, her reply was, "I'm packing for Disney World.  The princesses are going to wipe my bum."