A Rite of Passage...Space Mountain

Jason has always been a big boy with weights and heights measuring off the charts since he was 2 months old. So it should have been no surprise that he was tall enough to ride Space Mountain when he was a mere 2 1/2 years old. But Andrew and I wholeheartedly agreed that he was not old enough for the ride even if he was in fact tall enough. We decided he had to wait until he was 5 years old. It seemed like an age old enough for such thrills...and it seemed eons away! Well here we are 2 1/2 years later and Jason finally got to ride Space Mountain.

While waiting in line (only a 15 minute wait, yea!) Jason said, "This is going to be so much fun. My legs already feel like they're on the ride!" Now being the worrier I am, I was concerned that he might not like it, it might be too scary, too fast, would I scar him forever! Again I wasted time and energy worrying. After the last turn we rounded the corner back to the "launching station," and Jason says with the biggest most sincere smile ever, "That was so much fun! I loved that ride. I think Daddy will love it, too." Hint was taken and he rode again with Daddy and then again with Mommy. Yes, he rode three times and after the third time asked if he would get to ride the next time we go to Disneyland. Andrew and I are glad we waited until Jason was 5. He may have been fine a year ago or even younger but waiting made the ride that much more exciting, special and memorable.

PS Did I mention it was pouring today? We decided to brave the rain bringing umbrellas, ponchos and spare clothes in the car. It was a great decision. There were no lines, it didn't rain constantly (just most of the time), and did I mention: no lines! We walked onto Splash Mountain (we had ponchos so why not), Dumbo, and many others. Have you ever heard of walking right onto Dumbo? We got wet but we'd do it again! We were cold and tired at the end of the day but soup and hot cocoa for dinner put a perfect ending on our special day!

Adam's Hugs

Adam's vocabulary has been growing exponentially over the last few weeks. A new favorite this week is hug. He asks for hugs repeatedly and it's really cute. He's always been a cuddlebug and having him verbally ask for it has been fun. Today at Disneyland we got to see his love for hugs go beyond the family as he hugged Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger. I didn't think he'd even go near them but while waiting for the rest of the family to ride Splash Mountain I set him down and he walked right over to Eeyore and gave him a hug, then Pooh, and Tigger, too. Ain't he sweet...

And then there's his favorite - Buzz Lightyear. When we went on Buzz's ride, he took a moment and just stared at Buzz through the bars (obviously listening intently to his commands for future reference when he becomes a space ranger). You can just see the awe on his face. He had many admirers as we kept the line from moving for a moment. This really is one of my favorite ages. He's understanding so much, yet he's still just an adorable little baby.

Adam & Eagan

For 10 weeks old, Eagan has a big fan club. It's so funny to watch his brothers and his cousins constantly trying to get his attention, trying to get him to smile or look their way. This baby is not neglected, nor given much peace! This is especially true if Adam is around. You see, Adam is Eagan's fan club president. He loves to give Eagan his pacifier or cover him in a blanket or hug him or poke him...He just loves Eagan! It's pretty cute (when he's not waking him up or loving him a little too tightly). I even managed to catch the loving on video for you all to enjoy. Sorry it's such a dark video. I still think it's worth watching, and most of the fun is in the sound anyway :)

Jason is 5 years old!

Jason celebrated his 5th birthday in Big Bear. He's been praying for snow since fall began so it seemed like an ideal place for a party. All he asked for was snow, costumes and a Superman cake. He did give Beth permission to be a ballerina rather than a superhero like the boys.

With the help of his cousins and a winter storm, he got what he wanted! And thank you Aunt Casey for decorating the cake just like he wanted!

Can you see his five fingers hiding in those mittens? I told him to show me how old he is knowing he couldn't with the mittens but for some reason, it didn't phase him as he happily showed me, he's 5!

We also gave Jason a little surprise birthday at the park the following Tuesday. He had asked if his friends could come to Big Bear, too, and when we told him that wasn't going to happen, he seemed a little disappointed. So at our weekly park day, Daddy showed up with balloons and cookies so his friends could sing to him and share in his big day!

Jason happily shared his balloons with his friends cuz what good is a bunch of balloons if you can't share them with friends?

Sledding

Sledding in Big Bear was so much fun. And in case you don't believe me, here's a video of Adam to show you just how fun even the smallest hill can be! (You need sound to enjoy it, and trust me, it's worth seven seconds of your time!)

Adam dominated this hill right outside our cabin (thanks Daddy for building it!) We took turns and it went something like this: Adam, Jason, Adam, Beth, Adam, Jason, Adam...and waiting his turn was still challenging! There were bigger hills that were more the right size for Jason and his cousins (and their daddies). You can look at the last post ("snow play") for a few pictures of the big boys and Beth sledding, or you can just watch Adam over and over again (or am I the only one who can't get enough of him?)

Snow Play

We spent the weekend in Big Bear celebrating Jason's 5th Birthday. Due to a storm the weekend before, we enjoyed piles of snow. And thanks to a great family friend, we enjoyed a great cabin. It was a beautiful sunny weekend, and the kids had a blast! They enjoyed sled rides, a snowball fight and plenty of relaxing time by the fire. The Longs joined us for the weekend multiplying our fun. They've lived the last four winters in Bosnia so the boys were really missing snow. Nick catches some "air" with the sled. And then there's Stacy, enjoying some snowboarding over a jump he made.
I did learn that I don't want to dress my kids in winter gear everytime they want to step outside. I pulled on many gloves and zipped jackets and tucked socks into pants and wow, I'm glad I live in Southern California! Although I must admit, they look cute with hats pulled tight around their face and the mitten hands, awww....

...if only I could keep a hat on Adam!

Visiting Robinson

I was blessed recently by a trip to North Dakota. I wasn't sure it would be a blessing considering it's North Dakota in January and I was attending a funeral, but it was an amazing weekend for me.

A little history...My Grandma grew up on a farm in Robinson, North Dakota with her 10 brothers and sisters. And I've grown up hearing stories of that small town life (there are two streets in Robinson!) ...walking to the schoolhouse in the snow, having all the playmates you needed in your own family of 11 kids, and living life on the farm (my 89 year old Grandma still has all her teeth, and she says it's from drinking all that milk straight from the cow). That lifestyle created a special bond in the Leland family, a bond they've passed on to us. And because of all this, I've always wanted to go and see the sights for myself, to walk where they walked, worship where they worshipped, and see what they saw. On December 7, 2007 my Great Aunt Esther, 96 years old, passed away. She was the last family living in Robinson so if I was going to visit, this was probably my last chance. Her funeral was January 5, 2008, and I was there with my mom, a handful of her cousins, and two of my Grandma's siblings. It was a chance to spend a weekend with family I've known all my life but never spent much time with. It was a chance to get a personal tour and see that yes, it's a walk in the snow from the farm to the little schoolhouse and wow, the wind really does go right through you and yes, you can see both ends of town from the corner of 1st and Main. It was a chance to be told by a stranger that you can tell from my smile, I'm a Leland. It was a chance to see my Great Uncle Allen cry and mourn over his sibling's gravestones. It was a chance to sit around a table and hear stories and memories and laughter. I'm seriously thinking someone should make a reality tv show like this: a weekend of relatives who barely know each other in a small town where the nearest market or restaurant is 30 miles away. There's just something different about strangers when they're family...That's entertainment :) Anyway, I was honored to be a pall bearer, blessed to finally be in Robinson, and did I mention I got to make a snowman with Haaken, my 4 year old cousin who was the only one there from my generation (in a family tree sense, that is). It was a great weekend. Check out more pictures at http://www.skellyfamily.shutterfly.com/ They are almost all scenery, mostly views up and down the two streets and all the sunsets and sunrises. The wide open plains with scattered snow, a few trees, and the occasional farmhouse make for amazing pictures.