Peyton brings a blanket to school for nap time. For the past year, she's been perfectly content with her Tinkerbell blanket. But beacuse I'm so great, I got Peyton an adorable Frozen blanket and gave it to her this past weekend. She became immediately obsessed with it and of course brought it to school on Tuesday for her nap.
As always on Tuesday, Grandma picked Peyton up for Pasta Tuesday. She came home, went to bed, woke up, ate breakfast, and I dropped her off at school at about 8:15 on Wednesday morning.
Now, I realize you are probably thinking this story is extremely boring. However, when I dropped her off on Wednesday, her cubby, which had once held the prized blanket, was completely empty. The blanket was...MISSING.
Uh oh. I thought for a second that I could pretend I didn't notice the missing item. But Peyton is way too smart for that and immediately asked her teacher where her brand new Frozen blanket was.
The teacher had a blank look on her face. Tears welled up in Peyton's eyes. She screamed, "my blanket is gone!!!"
TRAGEDY.
My immediate reaction was to line all of her classmates up single file and grill them about the blanket's whereabouts. And then I was going to wait outside her classroom all day and interview each parent as they came to pick up their child. Surely someone pretending to be a friend stole the blanket in a fit of jealously. The child likely conspired with his/her parents who knew finding such a limited edition item would be virtually impossible. It was the only logical explanation.
Luckily, I gathered myself and told Peyton we would find it. She wasn't buying my bullshit and was hysterical. I left school and speed-dialed Grandma to see if she had taken the blanket home by accident. Nope. I called Martin - maybe he had an idea. Nope.
BLANKET GONE. SUSPECT LIST STARTED.
I drove home to get Peyton an alternate blanket to use for the day, and when I arrived back at school I cornered the front desk girl to see if she had seen any blanket theives recently.
"Peyton's blanket is in the dryer. We wash them on Tuesday nights."
What should have been a relief and a sufficient explanation was not for me. I demanded she show me the actual blanket. I needed visual evidence that the thing was indeed in the dryer, in the school, a mere 30 feet from my child. It was.
I gleefully told Peyton the crisis had been averted, that her blanket was safe and sound and would be returned to her once it was completely dry. Because she is my daughter, she was somewhat apprehensive and asked that Miss Theresea bring it to her immediately.
No doubt the blanket will be making its way home each and every night from now on. And I will be writing her name on it in big, bold letters. And perhaps installing a microchip in it as well.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Friday, May 30, 2014
Disneyland Day 3
Martin, Peyton and I drug our tired, sunburned bodies out of bed on Thursday morning for our third day of fun in Disneyland. We made a quick pit stop at the World of Disney store to snatch up some hot off the truck Elsa/Anna flip and switch dolls for our friends, and were at the front gates of Disneyland ten minutes before they opened.
Peyton had an appointment for a royal makeover at the Bippity Boppity Boutique, and although was swore we weren't going to be "those parents" who wait in line for a ridiculous amount of time to see Anna and Elsa, we decided we would do it because that's what Peyton really wanted to do (and we were still feeling slightly guilty for permanently scarring her for life with the whole Space Mountain fiasco).
Martin zoomed off with every other dad in the park and headed straight for the Anna/Elsa meet-and-greet line. He's a runner, and he can go fast. But by the time he got there, it was already a two hour wait.
While he began the marathon wait, Peyton got her hair, makeup and nails done and true Princess fashion. She looked adorable and loved wearing her Elsa costume. It was about 10:30 and the temperature was quickly approaching 100 degrees, so the hot dress quickly found its way under the stroller.
I relieved Martin from line torture duty and sweat my ass off in the blazing sun for another 90 minutes while Martin took Peyton on the teacups, the Dumbo ride and a few other nearby attractions.
Finally, after I had melted into a puddle (Peyton, some people are worth melting for), it was her turn to greet Anna and Elsa.
She spent all of 60 seconds greeting to beloved sisters. For that long of a wait she should have stayed for a lunch. But she was happy and we got the next two autographs for our book.
After a quick bite to eat, we made our afternoon plan to finish out our autograph hunt. We still needed Belle, Tiana, Daisy and Donald. Martin got super secret information on Belle and Tiana's whereabouts, so we started off on our quest to find them. Belle showed up on time:
We headed over to New Orleans square where we were told Tiana would be. We waited for about 30 minutes, but no such luck.
So we instead set our sights on Donald and Daisy, who we tracked down in Toon Town.
We got more intel on Tiana and went back to New Orleans once again, but she was still a no-show. We had one blank page in the autograph book...and set our sights on tracking her down the next day.
At about 6pm we lined up for the Soundsational parade (again - Peyton loved it), and Peyton began bitching that her hair hurt. I don't know why - it looked so comfortable. She immediately tore it out and the $65 I paid for that do was officially down the drain.
We rode a few rides at night, and even convinced Peyton to try the Pinocchio ride (in the dark!). We dragged our tired, sweaty selves back to the hotel and cursed ourselves for planning a fourth day of this trip.
Peyton had an appointment for a royal makeover at the Bippity Boppity Boutique, and although was swore we weren't going to be "those parents" who wait in line for a ridiculous amount of time to see Anna and Elsa, we decided we would do it because that's what Peyton really wanted to do (and we were still feeling slightly guilty for permanently scarring her for life with the whole Space Mountain fiasco).
Martin zoomed off with every other dad in the park and headed straight for the Anna/Elsa meet-and-greet line. He's a runner, and he can go fast. But by the time he got there, it was already a two hour wait.
While he began the marathon wait, Peyton got her hair, makeup and nails done and true Princess fashion. She looked adorable and loved wearing her Elsa costume. It was about 10:30 and the temperature was quickly approaching 100 degrees, so the hot dress quickly found its way under the stroller.
I relieved Martin from line torture duty and sweat my ass off in the blazing sun for another 90 minutes while Martin took Peyton on the teacups, the Dumbo ride and a few other nearby attractions.
Finally, after I had melted into a puddle (Peyton, some people are worth melting for), it was her turn to greet Anna and Elsa.
She spent all of 60 seconds greeting to beloved sisters. For that long of a wait she should have stayed for a lunch. But she was happy and we got the next two autographs for our book.
After a quick bite to eat, we made our afternoon plan to finish out our autograph hunt. We still needed Belle, Tiana, Daisy and Donald. Martin got super secret information on Belle and Tiana's whereabouts, so we started off on our quest to find them. Belle showed up on time:
We headed over to New Orleans square where we were told Tiana would be. We waited for about 30 minutes, but no such luck.
So we instead set our sights on Donald and Daisy, who we tracked down in Toon Town.
We got more intel on Tiana and went back to New Orleans once again, but she was still a no-show. We had one blank page in the autograph book...and set our sights on tracking her down the next day.
At about 6pm we lined up for the Soundsational parade (again - Peyton loved it), and Peyton began bitching that her hair hurt. I don't know why - it looked so comfortable. She immediately tore it out and the $65 I paid for that do was officially down the drain.
We rode a few rides at night, and even convinced Peyton to try the Pinocchio ride (in the dark!). We dragged our tired, sweaty selves back to the hotel and cursed ourselves for planning a fourth day of this trip.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Disneyland Day 2 (California Adventure)
After the Space Mountain debacle, Peyton was a little less than enthused to start her second day at California Adventure. Being the sensitive, understanding, and cautious parents that we are, we raced right to the Carsland ride, despite Peyton's pleading to not go on anything fast, dark, or twisty. We told her she would indeed love it. We promised. We begged her to give it a chance. I even bribed her - telling her if she rode the ride I would buy her something from the nearby Sofia store.
And she did ride it. But she hated it. She was scared of the beginning in the dark, and terrified of the hills. She did, however, enjoy the fact that our car beat the other car in the race. We decided to forgo any more rides for a bit, and instead take in a calm, air conditioned showing of Disney Jr. Live on Stage. Peyton also snagged coveted autographs and pictures from Doc McStuffins and Sofia the First. Two more on the list down!
We spent the afternoon on some smaller rides, which Peyton loved. To say she enjoyed the Ariel's Undersea Adventure would be an understatement, and we rode it at least six times. She also had a blast on the Silly Symphony Swings (which scared the living daylights out of me - swinging around suspended from a giant cord over water is not my jam), Jumping Jellyfish, Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, the bumper cars, the giant Mickey Ferris Wheel, and the Golden Zephyr.
That evening, we had an overpriced dinner at some Napa Valley Wine Trattoria in the park. The price gouging included reserved seating to the World of Color, which really was impressive. Peyton loved it - until the big giant fireballs shot in the air during the Pirates of the Carribean section.
On day 2 we learned two important lessons. 1) Peyton's idea of visiting Disney is meeting the characters first, and riding a few age appropriate rides is second; 2) We were only half-way through our adventure and Martin and I were both already exhausted.
And she did ride it. But she hated it. She was scared of the beginning in the dark, and terrified of the hills. She did, however, enjoy the fact that our car beat the other car in the race. We decided to forgo any more rides for a bit, and instead take in a calm, air conditioned showing of Disney Jr. Live on Stage. Peyton also snagged coveted autographs and pictures from Doc McStuffins and Sofia the First. Two more on the list down!
We spent the afternoon on some smaller rides, which Peyton loved. To say she enjoyed the Ariel's Undersea Adventure would be an understatement, and we rode it at least six times. She also had a blast on the Silly Symphony Swings (which scared the living daylights out of me - swinging around suspended from a giant cord over water is not my jam), Jumping Jellyfish, Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, the bumper cars, the giant Mickey Ferris Wheel, and the Golden Zephyr.
That evening, we had an overpriced dinner at some Napa Valley Wine Trattoria in the park. The price gouging included reserved seating to the World of Color, which really was impressive. Peyton loved it - until the big giant fireballs shot in the air during the Pirates of the Carribean section.
On day 2 we learned two important lessons. 1) Peyton's idea of visiting Disney is meeting the characters first, and riding a few age appropriate rides is second; 2) We were only half-way through our adventure and Martin and I were both already exhausted.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Disney Day 1: Rookie Mistake
After spending the first afternoon at the Disneyland Hotel relaxing by the pool, zooming down the waterslides, and meeting Goofy and Pluto, Martin, Peyton and I geared up for our first day at the park. Taking advantage of the "extra magic hour" we boarded the Monorail in Downtown Disney and were promptly dropped off in Tomorrowland at 9:01am.
Immediately to our right was one of our favorite rides - Space Mountain. There was no line, so we dashed to the entrance. In our excitement, neither Martin or I gave a second thought about putting our innocent four year old on the ride. We strapped her in, she had a huge smile on her face, and put her hands up in the air.
I should note - last year, when Peyton was a mere three years old, we took her Legoland where she was fearless on the rides and rode the Dinosaur roller coaster at least 30 times.
We took off on Space Mountain into the dark and although I couldn't see or hear much, i could sense shrieking and shaking in the seat next to me. I held Peyton tight, realizing the ride was much darker, faster, and scarier than I had remembered. When we returned to the boarding station, Peyton looked as if we had tortured her. She had tears staining her cheeks, her face was flushed, and she was, in a word, petrified.
We are idiots. After the trauma of Space Mountain, Peyton was fearful of all rides that had any dark parts, any fast parts, any hills, any sideways parts, or any noises. Basically every ride in the park. We thought she might overcome her fears as the week went on, but she did not. We forced her on some rides, including Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and the Carsland ride. She hated them all and protested with fits each time we tried to coax her into trying another one.
In fact, she was HAPPY when she was deemed too short to ride Goofy's Sky School.
After we tried everything in our power to convince her to try to new rides, including bribery, guilt and threats of going home, she STILL hated any ride that had dark parts. When we would get to the front of the line, she was desperately ask the ride attendant, "Excuse me! Excuse me! Does this ride go in the dark?!?"
I feel guilty for creating such a sense of fear in her. And of course, I wish I could turn back time and do that first day all over again. Start with some easy rides like the teacups and Dumbo. Hopefully, the fun memories outweigh the bad ones, and by the time we go back again, she will have more courage to try some of the bigger rides.
Immediately to our right was one of our favorite rides - Space Mountain. There was no line, so we dashed to the entrance. In our excitement, neither Martin or I gave a second thought about putting our innocent four year old on the ride. We strapped her in, she had a huge smile on her face, and put her hands up in the air.
I should note - last year, when Peyton was a mere three years old, we took her Legoland where she was fearless on the rides and rode the Dinosaur roller coaster at least 30 times.
We took off on Space Mountain into the dark and although I couldn't see or hear much, i could sense shrieking and shaking in the seat next to me. I held Peyton tight, realizing the ride was much darker, faster, and scarier than I had remembered. When we returned to the boarding station, Peyton looked as if we had tortured her. She had tears staining her cheeks, her face was flushed, and she was, in a word, petrified.
We are idiots. After the trauma of Space Mountain, Peyton was fearful of all rides that had any dark parts, any fast parts, any hills, any sideways parts, or any noises. Basically every ride in the park. We thought she might overcome her fears as the week went on, but she did not. We forced her on some rides, including Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and the Carsland ride. She hated them all and protested with fits each time we tried to coax her into trying another one.
In fact, she was HAPPY when she was deemed too short to ride Goofy's Sky School.
After we tried everything in our power to convince her to try to new rides, including bribery, guilt and threats of going home, she STILL hated any ride that had dark parts. When we would get to the front of the line, she was desperately ask the ride attendant, "Excuse me! Excuse me! Does this ride go in the dark?!?"
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| Pleading with the ride attendant to tell her the truth about the details of the ride. |
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Mother's Day
Excuse me while I interrupt your regularly scheduled Disneyland postings to bring you Mother's Day 2014. Back to Mickey and friends tomorrow, I promise.
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| Ginger and I got to spend a relaxing lunch together sipping wine on a patio the day before Mother's Day. |
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| Ginger, Grandma Anderson (GeeGee), Grandma Richardson (Nohnee), me and Mom |
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Disney Day 1
Let's just call this day what it was - princess stalking. We rode a few rides (more on that tomorrow), but Peyton's favorite part of her Disney adventure was no doubt meeting Princesses, getting their autographs and taking pictures with them.
We started the day with breakfast in Goofy's Kitchen, where we bumped into Goofy himself, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Snow White and Jasmine.
Once we entered the park and tested out Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and the teacups, we began the quest to hunt down every single Princess Disney had ever created.
Peyton was greeted by Auroa, Ariel and Cinderella, who she was quick to ask "Do you remember coming to my birthday party in Arizona??"
Martin and I quickly became buddies with all of the Disney Cast Members - for they hold the coveted information of where each princess/character will be and when. Due to Martin's stellar investigative skills, we got the leg up on meeting Rapunzel and Flynn (who called Martin a ruffian).
Our stalking extended to fairies, where Peyton was told the secret to making rainbows by Irridessa, and told Tinkerbell her talents were gymnastics and swimming.
We also paid a visit to Toon Town, where Peyton shook hands with Goofy again (he really gets around), Minnie, and Mickey.
We dashed over to It's a Small World - rumor had it Merida hung out there. We made it just in time for PK to meet her.
The day ended with Peyton taking a front row seat to the "Soundsational" parade...definitely a highlight for her. She waved emphatically to all of the characters on floats and giggled at the elaborate costumes.
On the walk back to the hotel, Peyton reviewed all of her signatures in her autograph book and informed us she needed to meet Belle, Doc McStuffins, Sofia, Donald, Daisy, Elsa, Anna and Tiana. She made us promise we would find them all tomorrow.
Needless to say, Peyton was BEAT by the end of the night and barely made it into bed before falling asleep...
We started the day with breakfast in Goofy's Kitchen, where we bumped into Goofy himself, Pluto, Chip, Dale, Snow White and Jasmine.
Once we entered the park and tested out Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and the teacups, we began the quest to hunt down every single Princess Disney had ever created.
Peyton was greeted by Auroa, Ariel and Cinderella, who she was quick to ask "Do you remember coming to my birthday party in Arizona??"
Martin and I quickly became buddies with all of the Disney Cast Members - for they hold the coveted information of where each princess/character will be and when. Due to Martin's stellar investigative skills, we got the leg up on meeting Rapunzel and Flynn (who called Martin a ruffian).
Our stalking extended to fairies, where Peyton was told the secret to making rainbows by Irridessa, and told Tinkerbell her talents were gymnastics and swimming.
We also paid a visit to Toon Town, where Peyton shook hands with Goofy again (he really gets around), Minnie, and Mickey.
We dashed over to It's a Small World - rumor had it Merida hung out there. We made it just in time for PK to meet her.
The day ended with Peyton taking a front row seat to the "Soundsational" parade...definitely a highlight for her. She waved emphatically to all of the characters on floats and giggled at the elaborate costumes.
On the walk back to the hotel, Peyton reviewed all of her signatures in her autograph book and informed us she needed to meet Belle, Doc McStuffins, Sofia, Donald, Daisy, Elsa, Anna and Tiana. She made us promise we would find them all tomorrow.
Needless to say, Peyton was BEAT by the end of the night and barely made it into bed before falling asleep...
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