Warmer Milky

Owen still wants to drink his milk warm. He will not drink it cold. Every morning the first thing Owen would ask for is his milky milky. This boy really loves his milk. Kip was getting it for him one morning a couple of weeks ago and he apparently did not warm it up enough. Owen turned his lower lip down and gave us the saddest puppy dog face and stated he needed "warmer milky." Kip warmed it up a little more and called it hot milky (which Owen disagrees with). Since that morning a couple of weeks ago, every time Owen wants his milk he sweetly asks for warmer milky. Nope - it is no longer milky milky. We have graduated from that! He sure is growing up and, you can see, his vocabulary is too!

Before We Forget.....Harry Potter

I just realized I never posted pictures of our visit to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Oops! So I wanted to write this before we forget all the details.

The reason for our whirlwind trip to Orlando after Christmas was to see Universal Studios latest addition - The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It seemed like perfect timing to treat Aidan to this experience since he has been a little Harry Potter obsessed for the past few years. So this was a very important part of our trip.

After our long Monday of travel, we decided it would be worth it to get up very early and get to Universal - even though we were exhausted. So up we got and went straight for the park. Aidan was so excited about HP and wanted to go immediately there....then he saw the Hulk roller coaster and we got a little sidetracked (oops - shoulda waited to ride...). After our first roller coaster adventure, he was still antsy to get to HP so we headed straight there. Much to our disappointment, we got to the entrance only to find out that we had to wait forever in line or get a timed pass to enter later because it was too crowded. Boo! Luckily, we got a pass for 2:00 (only about 3 hours to kill in a theme park - easy enough right?) even though Aidan was willing to wait in the very long line to get in. So, in the meantime, we visited many other rides and ate lunch. When 2:00 rolled along,we walked right into HP and right into a MOB of people! It was so packed we could hardly move! Nevertheless, we were immediately enthralled with the incredible details that went into replicating Hogsmeade and the HP world. Forgive me for so many pictures (I've edited them down a lot!). If you've read Harry Potter books, you would love this place!

It looks just like it did in all the movies with the "snow" on the rooftops and the old English architecture. I loved looking at all the buildings especially the rooflines. We luckily found out that if you went inside The Three Broomsticks you could get butterbeer without waiting in the insanely long lines on the street.

Butterbeer! It tastes like a caramely cream soda...YUM. Aidan loved the slushy kind.

Of course the focal point of the whole area is Hogwarts Castle. We stupidly left the area without going in because the line was too long at that time. Unfortunately there was no getting back in for the day (all the passes were gone) and when we tried to get a pass for Wednesday - it was a 2 hour line just to get a pass! This resulted in us spending our last free day, Saturday, at Universal - which turned out to be a blessing because we didn't have to wait in any lines all day and we thoroughly enjoyed the best ride located in the castle - several times.

The Hogwarts Express was a colorful focal point right when you walked through this entrance. The sign reads "Please Respect Spell Limits."

The streets were pretty crowded and people were waiting in longer lines to get in the shops than to ride the rides. The shops really were the charm of the place so we waited in some lines. It took about 30 minutes to get into Zonkos Joke Shop and Honeydukes. The displays were fantastic but everyone was packed in there like sardines. Needless to say, we decided not to wait in the 2 hour line to have a wand "choose" you at Olivanders.

Honeydukes and Zonkos

Hmmm....Chocoloate Frog or Bertie Bots Every Flavored Beans. How about both - $20 later!

We sent postcards with the official Hogsmead stamp from the Owl Post.

The Sorting Hat talks to you while you wait in line for the castle ride.

I loved the "Monster Book of Monsters." Its just what you would imagine when you read about it. This shop also carried all the latest models of broomsticks including the Firebolt. We also threw away more money, (I mean made our dear son happy) by purchasing a "collectible" Golden Snitch - a must-have for any true Harry Potter fan!

Aidan got his want at a kiosk on the street and he has been very happy with it despite not going through the wand ceremony. Universal has created a magical place and it really is very well done. Once the hubub dies down a bit, you should definitely go!

I wuv you!

Owen has recently started telling us that he loves us. Ahhh...it's so sweet. I know sweet is a word I use regularly when it comes to talking about Owen, but its so true. He is always a very loving boy. He loves to cuddle. Loves to hug. Its super adorable when he puckers up for a kiss. But now with this recent addition of affection, we can't help but smile from ear to ear around here. Just this morning we heard this from him:

I wuv you daddy.

I wuv you mommy.

I wuv you Aidan.

I wuv my brudder.

I wuv balls mommy.

I wuv baseballs, I wuv basketballs.

I wuv my baby teddy.

I'm really going to have to get a recording of his funny little voice that makes us smile so much in this house!

Not What I Ever Expected...

...but sometimes practicality reigns supreme! You know how you move into a new house and you have all kinds of plans for how you will decorate and furnish it? Well, I always thought I would find the perfect buffet or china cabinet for my dining room wall. I never quite found what I wanted, or if I did, I didn't have the money for it. Well, a few weeks ago, I just couldn't bear to look at the mess of mail, coloring books, plastic file bins and computers that had taken over the table and dresser that I had on the dining room wall. I decided I had to do something about it. Since all our rooms are used up, I figured that this was still the best place for our office. So here is my solution:

When I told Kip I was going to order a secretary, he really thought I meant a person! I'm all on board for a full time secretary, but this kind is more in the budget right now (even though I decided one was not enough for all our stuff).

Two big file drawers... Four drawers for all the phone books, paper, markers, etc... Two big computer holes... Six cubbies for all the staplers, tape, stamps, envelopes, etc... I'm in organization heaven.

I painted the ugly green bench and sewed up some super cute cushions,

The best part ... When I'm tired of looking at all the stuff, I can promptly close them right up (insert happy dance here)!

What the Future May Hold

Aidan was asking how movies like Harry Potter are made. "How do they make it look so real?" So I launched into an explanation about the different roles of those who make movies. I then mentioned that maybe he could be a movie writer or director one day, because he has such an imagination and likes to create stories to act out. He thought about it a few seconds and then said "I think I would either like to be a movie director or a zoo keeper. A zookeeper would be an interesting job too!" I love it when my big boy says something so childlike. It makes me smile.

Milky Milky and Sleepy Pie

Owen cracks us up with his sugary sweet phrases. He comes up with these on his own. About a week ago, he started calling his milk "Owen's milky milky." "Where's Owen's milky milky?" Or in a long drawn out affectionate way "Miillky miillky." For months now, he's been saying "Owen wants to go sleepy pie" when he wants to go to bed. Apparently it rubs off because now we all call bed time sleepy pie and say things like "Lets go look for some milky milky." It would be really funny if anyone on the outside overheard Kip use these phrases...

Interview: Roller Coasters!

Mom: What did you think about your first big roller coaster "The Hulk?"

Aidan: When I first got in that car, I was like "I don't know if I should do this, I want out!" But I was in it and there was no getting out. So then we started going up the hill slowly and and then faster and I was thinking "uh oh uh oh uh oh" then we shot out the top so fast and it twisted us upside down! Thats when I didn't feel so good because I was facing toward the sidewalk! After I felt much better because it was a lot smoother. Once we were done, I felt glad I got that over with, then I felt the urge to do that again. I wanted to do it again but we were headed to Harry Potter land and mom dragged me away.

Mom: Was riding a big roller coaster what you expected?

Aidan: Yeah, I kind of expected it to be kind of like that.

Mom: So would you say riding roller coasters was your favorite part of the trip?

Aidan: Yes. That was definitely my favorite type of ride.

Mom: What was your next roller coaster? Tell me about that.

Aidan: My next roller coaster was Dragon Challenge. It was by far my favorite. In my opinion it went faster than the Hulk. It was really scary because it was all over the place and your feet were hanging down. There was this one part where you look like you were going to run into the other roller coaster and then you barely miss (he makes a motion to demonstrate how the two challenging coasters head together before turning you straight up then into an upside down loop).

Mom: Did your dad go on these roller coasters with you?

Aidan: No! He is much too scared, much too scared! I call him the "Chicken of the Roller Coasters!"

Mom: Did your dad ride anything with you?

Aidan: Yes, yes he did. He rode all the simulators with me. I got him to ride two little roller coasters. They were really little. Really little! There were no drops or anything. I also got him to ride splash mountain with me too. That had a lot of small drops and one big drop. I also call him "Chicken of the Water Rides...."

Mom: So, your mom rode all the rides with you?

Aidan: Yes. She basically rode all of them. All of them. The ones she loved the most was all the roller coasters.

Mom: Is there a downside to riding that many roller coasters in a day?

Aidan: You feel like you're going to throw up!

Mom: So you had to take a break?

Aidan: Yeah for a little while. We just went on a bunch of other rides like a carousel, simulators, stuff like that.

Mom: What was your favorite ride?

Aidan: I think we both agreed that it was Dragon Challenge, but the Hulk almost tied. I think that this trip was one of the best trips I've tooken in a long time! All those roller coasters in one day....That kinda made me want to go to the hotel and rest awhile, but I think they make some of the best roller coasters around.

Author's Note: I remember riding Space Mountain by myself when Kip and I went to Disney together (before kids). It was fun, but no fun waiting in line alone.... and sitting alone.... When we walked into Universal Studios the first day of our theme parking adventures, Aidan saw the "Hulk" (pictured below) across the water and exclaimed "I want to ride that!" I was in roller coaster heaven the rest of the trip, because Aidan had discovered the thrill of the ride and he shared it with me. I think I shall have a riding companion for life!