Disney Days

Here We Come Mickey!

Thanks to his good buddy, Evan, Vinny's enthusiasm for Mickey Park has improved...so much so that he even asked to wear his ears!  So, before the summer crowds infiltrated and our annual pass became restricted by blackout dates, we took one last trip to Anaheim to meet up with the Lafko's in Disneyland.

For weeks, we looked at pictures and YouTube videos of rides and characters.  Still, Vinny insisted he would only ride the bench on the carousel.  Graciously, Evan agreed to ride with him, and then made friends with the Gramma that sat next to him.

Then it was off to the next "bench" ride on Vinny's itinerary, It's a Small World.  He always wears a serious face, so we had to keep asking "Vinny are you happy?"  He'd nod or say a quick yes, so we'd have to remind him to smile.  And this is the result:

Still holding tight to Daddy's leg, taking in all the sights, sounds, and hidden characters in It's a Small World. 

Next stop, a ride that Vinny chickened out of last time, Winny the Pooh.  It was a strange ride, but we had an interesting experience...   

Near the end of our ride, the cars stopped and a voice came over the intercom explaining they had a "sticky situation" (I can't make this stuff up, Disney has thought of everything) and the ride was no longer operational.   So we waited for rescue and before long we were being skillfully escorted out of our honeypot and through the Hundred Acre Wood on foot.

 

We were all disappointed to find out that the line for Buzz Lighyear's ride went to infinity and beyond, and we just were not up for waiting in it with 3 little ones, so we thought it would be just as much fun to use Vinny's Buzz Blaster toy to shoot the Little Mermaid and her friends.  That's probably not very politically correct, but it did prevent a major meltdown, AND helped Vinny muster up the courage to want to go on that ride again!  So little by little, he is starting to like the rides, just as long as they are not too fast, too up and down, or too 'pinny (spinny).

 We won't go back to Disney until September probably, when everyone goes back to school and the hype over the new Cars Land dies down a bit.  From the previews I've seen, it's amazing, and I can't wait to step into Radiator Springs!

Jump 'n Jammin' Playdate

This place was AWESOME!  With the company of my Moms Club, this was the perfect place for Vinny to climb and explore.  On the third level (and yes, I traversed the structure for moral support) Vinny had fun shooting balls out of the blaster.  He even hit the target a couple times!

Bribes

Though not proud of it, we won't deny its effectiveness.  Its enormous ability to get Vinny to do just about anything we ask of him.  We know this won't last forever, but while we are in this stage, we will gladly take advantage of it.  These cool driving goggles are a reward for staying in his stroller while searching all over creation for a special father's day present.

Milestone Alert!

It took but 1 short weekend and Vinny is officially potty trained at 38 months!  We just went hard core, threw away the diapers and went straight to big boy underwear.  Following the advice of many friends and a "3 day potty training" method I read about, we stayed home and worked it out. According to our nephew Justin, potty training was a better deal than Christmas for Vinny, with all the prizes he got for going on the potty.  We didn't have many accidents and he really seemed to get the hang of it quickly, even poopin' on the potty.  Yay Vinny!  You are officially a big boy!!!