Disney World, again!

Yesterday Cannon and I went Disney World, more specifically, Magic Kingdom. This was a planned trip, but it was pretty effortless. Now that the weather is pretty much perfect, I want to take advantage of my season pass before Cannon turns three.

I decided to leave around nap time so that Cannon could sleep in the car and be rested for our fun. And since we can come back whenever we want, there's no pressure to see and do everything. Our plan was to do some rides and see all of his favorite characters, but not overdo it.

We started the drive at about 11:30, a little earlier than I had planned, but Cannon was geared up and ready to go! He didn't actually fall asleep in the car until about 20 minutes before we got there. But he did great the whole day!

The weather was perfect! 80 degrees, with clouds. When we were on a ride it started to sprinkle a little, but nothing bad. It stayed cloudy and in the 70's for the rest of the day. Not hot, not cold, just right! I couldn't have asked for better weather.

We rode all the trains and train type rides,which I think were his favorite rides. He also really liked the big carousel. Most of the wait times for the rides were 20 minutes or less. Some were only just a few minutes, which was really nice!

Every time you get off a ride, it leads you right to the store that sells the characters that match that ride. For the most part, I was able to get out quickly so that Cannon wouldn't see all the toys. That is until he saw Buzz. He found a stuffed Buzz doll and I could see the joy in his eyes. I looked at the price tag and it was significantly less than the plastic Buzz (only $15). I decided to break my own promise to myself (not to buy any toys for Cannon until Christmas) and give in just this one time. I almost never buy things for Cannon upon his request and he is used to not getting things when we go to the store, but I have to admit that this felt so good. He LOVES this doll and it was so fun to see him so excited about a toy.

He was so excited to show Buzz his Buzz. You can't tell it from any of the pictures, but he was delighted to meet the characters (he is not into smiling for the camera).





Goofy was actually the first one we saw. We were about to get on the Pirates ride, when we saw Pirate Goofy.



Cannon's favorite characters are Goofy, Buzz, Woody, Jessie, and Mickey Mouse. We saw them all except Mickey Mouse (go figure!) I had just about given up hope to seeing Woody when all of a sudden I spied him! We were on the train and it stopped at the Frontierland station. Just before the train was about to go again, I saw Woody and Jessie in a remote spot behind Splash Mountain. We quickly jumped off the train and ran towards them. It was a good thing we did because one of the "cast members" got in line right after us to end the line. We made it just in time! The wait was long, but worth it! I felt bad because we left his Woody in the stroller where it was parked at the Main Street station.







The whole park was decorated in their Christmas theme. In fact, it was the first night of their Christmas event, which requires a separately purchased ticket. The park closed at 7pm, which was fine by us. We were able to do everything we wanted to do and still be home by 9pm.



I have to say that Cinderella's castle was breathtaking in person! I actually went back so that I could get a picture.



This morning Cannon played with his Buzz and Woody dolls. He's been so excited to have them both!

Halloween

Halloween for us started last Wednesday with a special story time at the library. Cannon got to wear his Woody costume for story time and Miss Angela (the story time lady) had a goody bag for each child. After calling each child by name, they got to have their pictures taken in a fallish scenery setup. Cannon's cowboy attire coordinated well with the hay and orange leaves. He even smiled!

Then on Friday we had our church Fall Festival/Trunk-or-treat. This is what I was looking forward to the most. It started with a chile cook-off and lots of yummy food. Then some carnival games, a costume contest, and then the trunk-or-treating. Cannon actually won 3rd place in the costume contest! I have to say that he was absolutely adorable!

I was also really looking forward to decorating our trunk this year. Ryan is not into holidays, to say the least, but I'm hoping he will become more enthusiastic for Cannon's sake. He did have fun and thought my car decorations were cool. I thought that they would also have a contest for the best trunk, but I never heard who won (if anyone). I know we would have been at least in the top three. Our biggest competition was my friend Jodi. They decorated her husband's truck as CSI and had the theme music playing. That was really cool!


Last Monday we carved Cannon's pumpkin for FHE. This is his scary face!




The cutest Woody ever!


I spray painted my hair purple and it was fun!


Cannon's friend Ayden was Buzz.


Our car theme this year was "Student Driver." The picture doesn't show things very well, but there are branches and toilet paper all over the hood, a golf club, shoes, other shrubs, and a dead hand. Everyone thought our car was hilarious, especially the teenagers!


Our motto at the Rees Driving School: "It's better to be a little late than DEAD on time!"

So it's 7:19 pm at my house and Cannon has been sound asleep since 6:55 pm. He slept in today until 9:30 and didn't have a nap, so he was happy to go to bed so early. Ryan left for Illinois early this morning anyway, so he's not even home to be a part of the festivities. Next year for sure Cannon will get to go trick-or-treating!

2 1/2

As of today Cannon has officially reached 2 1/2 and it's really weird to think that he is close to being three, which seems so old to me!

Like most kids his age, he loves his routines and things to be just the way he wants them to be. I've also realized that he can be flexible when different things arise. For example, he loves his blanket and must sleep with it. But one day we left it at a friend's house and he had to go to bed without it. This had all the makings of a complete travesty, but Ryan explained to him the situation and let him choose another blanket to sleep with. He understood and went to bed peacefully.

Cannon loves opposites. Hot v. cold, loud v. quiet, wet v. dry, etc. He loves to find opposites in situations or create opposites. I have a Bert and Ernie book about opposites and it's one of his favorite books.

Cannon continues to be a good eater, although he's a little unpredictable. He will eat most fruits and vegetables, but some days he refuses things I know he usually likes. I remember doing that as a kid, so it's not really a big deal. I've been getting a little creative to get him to eat fruits and veggies when he's being kinda picky and I've actually found some good recipes that I like. He also surprises me with some of the things he loves to eat like avocado and raw spinach leaves.

I love that Cannon is turning into a great helper. He helps me set the table and then clears his place when he is finished eating. He is getting pretty good at putting his toys away with some prompting. Sometimes he will initiate the cleaning or remind me that it's time to put his toys away. I hope that lasts!

Cannon can sort things based on color or shape. He knows basic shapes including: circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval. He can recognize most letters of the alphabet and say many of their sounds. Recently he has started to spot letters when we are driving. It took me a couple days to figure that out! He kept shouting out letters and I had no idea what he was talking about! Even though he can count to 20, he is just starting to recognize numbers. He sometimes confuses them for letters. For example, he says "3" is a "B" and "5" is an "S." He knows the number 1 because that's Thomas' number and he recognizes that each train has a different number. I recently noticed that Cannon has been rhyming words. I'm not sure where he got this from. He takes a word that he knows and then rhymes the sound. At first I thought it was a fluke, but he does this all the time. And he thinks it's funny too! So we play a game where I sing a familiar song (Row, Row, Row Your Boat, for example) and instead of saying boat, I'll say something like "coat" or "goat," something that rhymes, but it obviously doesn't go with the song. Cannon thinks this is hysterical!

He loves to wrestle, run, jump, climb, and play chase. Anything physical is his kind of activity! He loves to play football and basketball. Without being taught, he already knows how to tackle and he is strong! We play a game where he runs to us as fast as he can and we catch him. I started putting the couch cushion in front of me and let him run into that. He loves it!

Cannon is constantly making himself laugh! I hear him in the back seat talking and then just busting out laughing. He also does this deep mischievous laugh. I really need to get that on video!

Cannon loves to say the prayer at bedtime or for meals. He has been doing this for a couple of months now. And now he has to be the one to say it before anyone else! He usually mentions the people who are present at the time or sometimes his toys. Sometimes he mentions our family out of state too. It's really sweet.


Cannon loves the missionaries in our ward. This is Elder Sims and he and Cannon had a special bond.


I love his smirk in this picture!


This was his first experience with Superman ice cream. As you can see, he seemed to enjoy it, but I think he prefers chocolate.


I've been trying to make more foods from scratch, like breads and cookies, and trying to involve Cannon. Sometimes he's interested, sometimes not. If it involves chocolate, he's right there!


Cannon's hair is still as crazy as ever. He woke up from his nap with some funny hair one day!


This is how Cannon sets the table. He knows who get which utensils.


This was probably our last time swimming outside this year. This was taken a couple of weeks ago. My friend Rachel found this Thomas swimsuit at a consignment store and had to get it for Cannon. Cannon loves it.


This is Cannon and Kailey, one of the young women at church. Cannon adores he.

Ryan and I can't believe how outgoing and social he is, since that is so not like us! Everyone is his friend. He loves all the old people at church and all the kids, especially older boys that will wrestle with him. There's this one old lady that uses an electric car thing (motorized scooter? mobility aid?) and lets Cannon sit on her lap and drive it. Everyone at church seems to know who he is. He knows the names of so many people, adults and kids and gets so excited when he sees someone he knows. I can see that this kind of social intelligence is definitely a talent he has and I'm anxious to see how it blossoms as he grows.

Cannon is such an amazing part of our lives! We love him so much and we are so proud of all his achievements. He brings so much joy and energy into our home and we are so glad he came to our family!

A Really Great Day!

Yesterday was a really great day! Ryan took his Series 24 test and passed! I knew he would pass because he's a genius, but three other people at his work just failed it (two of which failed twice). So this allows him to be in a supervisory position at his work and now he can do his work travels alone. The Series 7 and 24 were the two required tests for his position and now it's such a relief that they are both out of the way. Ryan wants to take other certification tests since his company pays for them, but he'll think about those next year.

I am so proud of him and all his hard work! I am so grateful he was able to get this job. Yeah, he has to travel A LOT, but I'm not bothered by it like I thought I would be. He loves his job and the company and it makes me so happy to see him come home happy. This has been such a blessing for us.

We celebrated with ice cream!

I got a hair cut! Not bad for $6.99!

Going to the Dentist

Yesterday Cannon had his first official dentist visit. The day before the appointment we read Mr. Rogers book, Going to the Dentist, and we talked about what it would be like for him. I tried to use only positive words and told him he would get to play with toys.

The day of the appointment we got there early, so Cannon was able to play with the toys for about 15 minutes. This worked out perfectly as it was able to get him relaxed and settled in. Cannon had brought that dentist book with him and had read it in the car too. There was a small whiteboard and it said "Welcome Cannon." Cannon played in the "orange room," as we called it. There were video games, some books and some toys.

When they called us back, one lady let Cannon pick out a toothbrush and a little bag and the other lady explained how things worked. Cannon showed them how he brushes his teeth, he had x-rays, had his teeth cleaned, and had a fluoride treatment. After they finished they gave him a backpack and more toys. He ran up to me and gave me a big hug! Then we met with the dentist. He kept commenting on how clean and nice his teeth are. He said his 2-year molars should be coming in in the next 4-6 months. On the x-rays you could see his permanent teeth underneath. That was kinda cool. So obviously Cannon had no cavities.

 After we were home Cannon wanted to read the dentist book several more times. We talked about his experience with the dentist and he told me things like he opened his mouth and wore a purple bib. I loved to see Cannon processing all of it.

The "orange room"

Tampa Aquarium and Glazer Children's Museum

Our friend Maribel has some kind of annual pass, but each month she gets free or discounted admissions to museums around the Tampa Bay area. She has been so nice to invite Cannon and I since she can get up to five people in on her card.

A couple of weeks ago we went to the Tampa Aquarium. This place is a lot bigger than Clearwater Aquarium and you can spend hours there! And that's what we did!

Cannon and Aiden


Cannon, Aiden, and DJ


He wouldn't touch the sting rays, but he touched the starfish.


He loved playing in these sea shells!








Another neat thing they had was a HUGE splash park outside! It was one of the best one's I've ever seen! I didn't know to bring his swim suit, so he just went in his shorts. He loved it!


Then yesterday we went to Glazer Children's Museum in downtown Tampa. This place was amazing for so many reasons!

1. It was so clean and organized!
2. There were lots of workers there that would clean up after you (set things up for the next kids)
3. The layout was awesome! Instead of one large area with mass chaos, there were two levels. The first level was more of that open area, but upstairs was different. Each section was sort of self contained with each theme, but not like a room. I loved it because it had an open feel, but it kept the kids contained in that section until they were ready to see something else.
4. There were lots of ceiling to floor windows that allowed for lots of natural light.
5. It was quiet! I'm sure there are plenty of days that are busy and noisy, but there wasn't actually a lot of people there that day.
6. There was a variety of activities that appealed to different senses, interests, and developmental levels.

I took tons of pictures, but I'll just post some of Cannon's favorite things.

Fishing


The "Tampa Port"


Cannon is really into firetrucks right now, so this was a big hit!


This was really neat. You chose an animal to race and when the light turned green you were supposed to run to see if you could run faster than the animal.


Experimenting with air


Afterwards we walked across the street and ate at 5 Guys, which I love! It was such a fun day!

Disney World!!!

We drove to Orlando on Thursday morning and went to Magic Kingdom that day. Ryan had to work, but he joined us later that night. On Friday we went to Animal Kingdom. Then on Saturday we hung out at the resort and then had to check out.
I couldn't believe how big Disney World is! This was my first time, but I have been to Disneyland many times. There is a big difference. Here, you really are in your own world. When you park at Magic Kingdom you take a train to get your tickets. Then you ride the monorail that takes you to the park. Then you go through the ticket booth. It's quite the process just to get in!

I can't believe that I only took a few pictures at Magic Kingdom! But the good news is that I got a weekday season pass (pretty much the same price as a three-day admission), so I can go back anytime! Cannon is free until he turns three, so we will definitely be coming back often!

The teacups


Dumbo


I think Cannon's favorite ride was actually Pirates of the Caribbean. He kept talking about how the water splashed. That is one of my favorite rides too. He pretty much liked all of the rides. On Dumbo he got a little scared about going up so high, but he got over it quickly. He kept talking about going "high in the sky." Aladdin's carpet ride is pretty much the same thing and he liked going up high that time.

It was still a little hot and humid both days, but the lines were only about 20 minutes long. I was debating on what to do for his nap, but he ended up falling asleep while we were in line for Small World! I knew he was so tired to do that!

The only thing he didn't like was Mickey's 3-D movie. It freaked him out when things came flying at him! He had just woken up from his nap, so things probably seemed extra weird to him.

His MOST favorite thing was to see the characters! Unfortunately, most of the lines were really long to see the characters. He loved seeing all the characters, even if it wasn't one he knew. Pinocchio was the first one we saw and he cried because he couldn't go meet him (he has never seen that movie). We didn't actually stand in line to meet any characters, but he did get to see Buzz, Pooh Bear, Tigger, and some others. We caught the last 10 minutes of some kind of production, so he got to see Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy (his favorite). Then right when we were leaving, we happened to be in the front row for the beginning of a parade. It was such perfect timing! We had a really close up view and Cannon finally got to see Woody and Jessie! He was just beaming! Woody even waved right to Cannon.

Animal Kingdom was pretty fun too. They also had a few rides and some characters there as well. The first thing we did was go to the Lion King production. It was amazing! Ryan and I saw Lion King on Broadway a long time ago (SO INCREDIBLE) and this was comparable! They really put a lot of work into the costumes and choreography. It kept Cannon's interest the entire time. One thing about Disney is that they try to be interactive with the audience during shows. This was no different. At one point one of the monkeys came up to Cannon and pretended to get a bug from his head and then offer it to him. It was so funny! He actually wasn't scared, but just a little caught off guard. He even took the "bug" that the monkey offered to him! I wish I had that on video!

We also watched Finding Nemo the musical. I thought they did an excellent job as well! I think Cannon really understood the storyline. I have to be really careful about what he watches because he understands a lot and he gets emotional about things. Definitely no scary movies for him. But at the beginning of this program, Nemo's mom dies. It showed a big flash of light and then the mom and fish eggs were gone. I think Cannon understood what was going on. Immediately he buried his head in Toni and started to cry. Then he wanted to sit on my lap. He kept himself buried in me for most of the time.







Another fun thing was the safari. You get to ride in a type of large jeep/truck thing. You see some amazing animals just like you were in Africa! One of my favorites were the giraffes and a few of them came right to our truck!



Cannon finally got to meet a character! He was so excited and that was the first time he said, "That was fun." He's never seen Tarzan, but he was still excited to meet Terk.









Another fun ride we went on was the river rapids ride. I think I was the only one who wanted to go on it. No one wanted to get wet, but they came along just for me. You have to be at least 38" to ride and Cannon was barely tall enough. I thought it was a fun ride, but I hardly got wet. Poor Toni got completely DRENCHED, twice! Cannon got wet and I think that really surprised him. He was fine going down the big hill, but he got nervous when we were all screaming and laughing. He didn't know what was going on. But after the ride he fondly talked about us getting wet, so I don't think he was traumatized.

Cannon was definitely tired by the end of the day. He didn't have a nap that day either. One of his favorite things to do was ride the train that takes us from the parking lot to the park (and vice versa).

On Saturday we just hung out at the resort. We stayed at the Bonnet Creek Resort, which is a Wyndham Hotel. We were actually in a two bedroom condo on the 14th floor. It was a great location, technically just outside of Disney World, but really close to Downtown Disney. From our balcony you could see Epcot, Downtown Disney, and if you looked really hard you could see Cinderella's castle. I think it was the perfect location. The resort itself was beautiful and I wish we could have had more time to spend there and doing all the of the activities that are offered.



We did go swimming Saturday morning. The temperature dropped quite a bit and we were actually cold when we swam. It wasn't the best swimming weather, but it felt so nice outside!



And Cannon went down this water slide. By himself. Willingly. In fact, I had to restrain him from going up the stairs. Ryan waited at the bottom to catch him. I sat him up to go, but he immediately turned onto his stomach. He looked a little terrified as he went down (it was kind of fast for a little kid), but he wanted to do it again! The life guard wouldn't let him do it again because he couldn't swim.



After we checked out of our condo we went to go see the Orlando Temple. It's only about 15 minutes from Disney and just right down the road. We knew it would be closed that day for General Conference, but we wanted Cannon to see the temple.

It was such a nice day and the humidity was down. It's a beautiful temple and I can't wait to go back again.