We're upgrading . . .

So, we / The Boss has decided that we should change blogging sites.  Who am I to argue.  Move your allegiance to http://eatdrinkandbemarriedwithchildren.blogspot.com/ PLEASE!!!  We'll see you there.

Where does the time go?



So, it's been a while since I last posted.  I've been slammed with the new job, the kids, getting the house ready to (hopefully) sell, and everything else involved in living a full meaningful life.  Needless to say, I am exhausted, but it is great to being back to a busy life again.



I'm cool, I'm two now.



While a lot of time has passed since I last wrote, there has not been a whole lot going on.  Winter has come and gone, and spring is now in full bloom.  Miss Lala had a birthday and is officially a "terrible two".  Miss Giggles is also quite busy with activities.  She has a dance recital coming up and soccer season is here.  Once again, Daddy Nobucks is coaching and I had forgotten how much fun it is.  The weather had been so odd recently that we were only able to get one practice in, and it was a short one. Our first game was this past Tuesday, and we had a good showing.  The kids are a little older now, and it's really funny when they ask me if we won.  As a competitive man, of course, I know the exact score, and at what time each goal was scored I do not reveal this information to my star athletes.  A good coach always keeps them guessing.  I just tell them that we are only out here to have fun, and if you had fun, then we won.  I think they are on to me, and I may have to devise a new scheme to keep them guessing.  But in all seriousness, it is a lot of fun, and win or lose, we have a great time.

I wonder if these would fit Daddy?

Need I mention that since I last wrote the Cats made an awesome run to their first Final Four in 13 years!  We had a party at my house with just the four of us, and even though the outcome left a little to be desired, March was a fun month in my household.  Apparently, Daddy Nobucks is too loud for Miss Giggles and Miss Lala, but I just apologize and tell them to get used to it.  They'll come around sooner or later!

That's about it for now.  I promise I'll try to get back on a routine - of more than once a quarter!

Christmas at the Comley's Part II

Best Day Ever!!!



So, I now realize that my first entry was a mere shell of what I can expound on.  I realized after a few days here in Milwaukee, that I should not sell both of my readers short.  So, I am re-vamping my Christmas entry.  I know that you both will be excited that I am back, but don't expect too much.  I mean, it's not like I have a big audience anyway, right?



Is this what our
 parents have planned for us?



Christmas at the Comley's started out like any other day - our children have problems with the concept of time.  Which is nice - no 4' o clock "Daddy has Santa come" calls.  So, we woke up about 8:00, and I proceeded downstairs to digitally capture the bounty that Santa had brought.  I had tried to sell my girls on the "Old Fashioned Comley Christmas" that my dad used to tell us about.  This consisted of an orange in your stocking, and some other non-significant item under the tree.  Maybe a cinnamon stick, or some cloves - the perfect accompaniement to some potpourri.  Somehow, this AWESOME sonding Christmas never worked for us either.  So, even though, I was unemployed, we had a great Christmas.  Were there as many presents as last year - probably not.  But, they were still happy, The Boss was happy, and guess what, I was happy because of my previous statements.  I've always heard "Happy wife, happy life".  While that is very true, I will expand on that.  I have noticed that it all starts from the bottom - especially with two girls.  Happy daughters lead to a happy wife lead to a happy life.  If you just read that statement, you also realize that I don't have a chance in making anyone happy . . . ever.  Except myself.  Obviouslly I'm kidding. Some more happy pics are below.  Stay tuned.

Belle, isn't she beautiful?

MOUSE!!!!!!!



UK Alumni Gear! SWEET!!!  Nothing better.  You know, the last time the Cats won the National Championship, I
was wearing something that looked kind of like this. . .



Christmas at the Comley's

So, I guess I should talk about Christmas.  I know, I'm skipping ahead about a month or two.  But, what an event.  At my house, growing up, Christmas was unreal.  We pretty much got everything we wanted, and this has definitely been handed down to my girls.  Thanks to my Mom and Dad for setting that precedent.  So, just to summarize, yes, I was spoiled and Miss Giggles and Miss Lala are as well.
So, it would be impossible to post all pictures to this blog.  If I did it would not load.  So, I will post some and say that it was still a sweet Christmas and the girls had a great day.  Stay tuned.  I'm in Milwaukee for two more weeks and I have nothing to do!

An Eastern Kentucky Autumn

So, I have an announcement to make.  Daddy Nobucks is FINALLY going back to work!!!  Yeah!!!  I got an offer on Friday for a great dental sales position and I am very excited to be joining the work force again after ten loooooong months of Daddy Day Care.  So, I'm going to try and summarize the past two months of our life as painlessly as possible.  Here goes. . .

Where to begin?  I guess I should start with where I left off, around Halloween.  Nothing spectacular here, I'll just post a picture of the girls in their getups.  Miss Giggles was Dorothy from the Wizrd of Oz, and Miss Lala was her favorite character - Minnie Mouse.  Or as she calls her, or anything resembling a mouse of any kind - MOUSE!!! 



Follow the high fructose corn syrup road

This is also the time of year that the leaves begin to fall.  At my house this is an event like no other.  We have a goliath of a tree in the backyard, and each leaf is about as big as my face.  This is a job that takes several hours and has to be done twice each fall.  Once for the first wave of leaves, and then again later for the second onslaught.  There is nothing fun about it.  However, I did have two helpers this year that made it a little easier.  Needless to say, they had much more fun spreading the leaves than corraling them.  That is about it for this episode, and I have much more to talk about for the next three months, so stay tuned. 

Hi Daddy!





Women and power tools = dangerous combination



An Update. . . But Not Really

Look Santa, aren't we sweet?

So, apparently both of my fans have been requesting an update.  Yes, I have been a slacker and I apologize.  However, we have been quite busy with the holiday season, which is a horrible excuse I know.  So, I promise that I will have a few updates during the lull after Christmas.  I will have lots of pictures to post, and funny stories to tell.  So, please stay tuned, there is more to come.

My Little Bag Lady

No more pictures!!!

Happy Birthday Chase

Oorah!!!

So, today would have been Chase's 27th birthday.  Coincidentally, it is also the Marine Corps' 235th birthday.  To the few and the proud, thank you for 235 years.  Chase, I miss you and love you.  Happy Birthday!

A "Fury Us" Weekend

Team Fury Fall 2010



"Kids, I want them to hear us in Corbin"

 So, this past weekend saw the end of Miss Giggles' rookie year in soccer.  It also coincided with the end of my first year of coaching my child in a sport that I care much more about than she.  What truly concerns me is the fact that she is much more interested in the boys on our team, and the other teams, than actually engaging in the sport.  Everybody laughs about this and says "Oh, you're going to be in trouble".  Somehow, I am failing to see the humor in this, and I am looking for any way to curb this behavior before it gets out of control.  If anyone has any advice, feel free to leave a comment.  Otherwise, I will continue to trod through my life as a father of two, extremely social little girls.  I guess they get that honestly. This weekend also saw me planning on staying home again.  However, on Friday, Meat called with an extra for the UGA game.  At first I declined.  The plans were to stay home and they would stay that way.  I'm a man of my word, right?  Well, Meat and Don began a texting tag team on me.  The mere thought of me missing this game was unfathomable.  After all, the Cats were in position to win the East now.  The Boss, knowing this, and knowing that I have a serious problem when it comes to the Cats, asked me if I really wanted to go.  After twisting my arm, I admitted that, yes, I did want to go.  What a wonderful woman.  I called Meat, and he answered the phone with a simple "yes".  He knew why I was calling, and knew that I would call and change my mind.  Sometimes I think that my wife and friends may know me better than I do.

Needles in the haystack?

So, with a trip to the game also came a trip to the pumpkin patch.  We made a return trip to Evan's Orchard in Georgetown and the girls had a blast playing, petting, and posing. 

Get off me you old goat

Miss Giggles went down the big slide all by herself after a little coaxing, and I took Miss Lala down a few times as well. 





The only problem was the lack of rain in Central Kentucky made me feel like I was in the middle of the Dust Bowl during the Depression.  Nonetheless, we had a great weekend and now we look forward to Halloween weekend, and a trip to Keeneland on Miss Giggles' birthday.  Nothing like October in Kentucky!



Miss Lala's response to "show me your boogers"



What a Weekend

Now THIS is the life!

 So, to set this up properly, we had decided we would stay home on Saturday because we had been out of town for the last three or four weekends.  Knowing that we had to go to my niece's birthday party on Sunday, we thought Saturday would give us a nice break to get some stuff done around the house, and the Cats were on T.V. so no big deal.  Well, my how things change.  First, I decided at the last minute to attend a party in Lexington and saw a lot of old aquaintances from my days as a Transy student.  While those days did not last very long, had I not attended Transy, I would not have met The Boss.  So, while academically this was not one of my finer moments, it has certainly paid off personally.  I even saw my freshman roommate, who was responsible for introducing me to The Boss.  You see, they went to high school together and hung out some during our freshman year.  She claims they were "just friends" - who am I to argue?  So, to make a long story short, we saw each other again a few years later, I asked her for her number and the rest is history.  I'll leave out some minute details that may embarrass her, i.e. her asking her friends about me.  Of course, she will deny this, but this is my blog, and the only place in the world where I can write whatever I want - within reason.  I may be King here, but I'm not stupid.  So, after the party we headed back home for our soccer game the next morning.

At the soccer game, we got absolutely destroyed.  The Boss and I had talked after last game about my inadequate coaching skills and she had chastised me for my non-existent defense.  So, I instituted a defense for this game.  It didn't matter.  We got shredded.  It seems that every team, but ours has one stud that scores at least five goals a game.  Our kids are not bad, they are just smaller and less experienced.  Plus, at this age, one good kid can dominate a game.  So, we got dominated again and Miss Giggles had her first injury.  Our old neighbor's kid, who is on our team ran into her knocking her down, and her head hit the ground pretty hard.  She was done for the game - mentally not physically.  Oh well, at some point, like 9-1 you just have to laugh and realize they are just kids and who really cares, it's Under 6 Soccer.  My mom had come down for the game, so we went to lunch with her and then went home to take a nap and get ready to watch some football.  Then the phone rings.  It was my uncle with two tickets to the Cats game.  As I stated earlier, we were NOT going to Lexington today.  So, I told him to let us talk about it and then I'd call him back.  The Boss said she did not want to go, but asked Miss Giggles if she did, thinking there was no way.  Well, she is my daughter, so she said YES!!!  I called him back and said it was hard enough for me to say no to the Cats, and I definitely could not say no to Miss Giggles.  So, we packed up and headed to Lexington.  Well, I'm glad we did because we stomped the 'Cocks, ending two horrible streaks.  It was awesome.  Miss Giggles was great during the game and lasted until the end.  Of course, it helped when I just kept pumping her full of sugary treats.  Her diet that night consisted of: ice cream, popcorn, cotton candy, a chocolate granola bar, and gummy fruit snacks all washed down with a Coca-Cola.  I know, great parenting right.  What can I say, I was desperate to stay until the end.  She was a real trooper and I couldn't have been prouder of her, or the Cats.



Do I have anything in my teeth?

So, we headed home again, turning around on Sunday and heading back up to my niece's birthday party.  Both Miss Giggles and Miss Lala were exhausted due to our hectic weekend, and crashed on the way back home from about 6 to 7.  We got a pizza and went home to watch some T.V. (Mad Men Season Finale) and crash on the couch.  Now it's Monday and things are back to normal.  The girls are still tired, so they should take a killer nap today, which will give me ample time to continue the job hunt.  I've got an interview on Wednesday and have talked to a couple of recruiters so hopefully things will start looking up here soon.  With that, it's time for lunch, so I must go.  Stay tuned and hopefully I'll have some good news next time.

The Long Road to Recovery

So, having finally recovered from an exhausting weekend both mentally and physically in Oxford, Mississippi I have returned to life as I know it.  This means looking for a job non-stop while trying to entertain/raise the girls, pay attention to The Boss, and all else that goes into being a father and a husband.  The Boss and I were wondering how the other day, it seems we are so busy.  What happens when I get a job?  Well, I guess she'll be on her own again from 8 to 5!  Clearly I did not mutter this statement aloud, but for some reason I have the gumption to post it on the internet.
Since I last blogged, I did go down to Oxford to watch the Cats struggle mightilty against Ole Miss.  It was my annual trip with my buddies, where we gather at an away UK football game.  This year, at Ole Miss, we had a great time tailgating at "The Grove".  For those of you that don't know, The Grove is basically a park-like setting in the middle of Ole Miss' campus, where everyone tailgates.  I must admit, I've never seen anything like this.  Tents complete with satellite television, chairs, and catered food are brought in by vendors.  It was quite a scene, and one that every college football fan should witness.  If only the football game we watched had been as well put together.  The Cats played terrbile and we were disappointed with our team the rest of the night, but had a great time in Oxford none the less.
Also, it is amazing how much my children can seem to change after only four days.  When I returned I think Miss Lala had picked up a couple of more tricks and words, and is really becoming a hilarious little girl.  The Boss said they were riding in the car one night and Usher's OMG song came on the radio.  During the chorus, she could hear Miss Lala from the back singing "oh, oh, oh, oh . . ".  She and Miss Giggles are really beginning to feed off of each other, and it is really fun to watch them try to outdo each other and crack each other up.  We should enjoy it while we can, I guess, because it won't be long until they are fighting over clothes and everything else.
Well, that's a really short update but one that was sorely needed to satisfy my growing audience's appetite - up to 8 followers!!!  Tomorrow is picture day for The Fury, followed by a game, followed by a trip to watch the Cats beat the Auburn Tigers for the second year in a row.  So, Go Cats and Go Fury!!!

The People of the World Chicken Festival

 

Original or Extra Crispy?



5 bucks for two nickel crowns?

Let's go git some chicken!

So, by now everyone has seen "The People of Wal-Mart" e-mails and web site, right?  Well, I have a new set of amazing people to add.  I like to call it "The People of the World Chicken Festival".  The World Chicken Festival is a festival in London, Kentucky that basically celebrates Kentucky Fried Chicken and Colonel Sanders.  That's basically it.  If you'd like more information (for whatever reason) follow the link above and you can read all about it.  Being a veteran of virtually every county, state, town, village, and holler festival in the state of Kentucky I have just about seen it all when it comes to these events. 

Feathered and lovely

I've never seen people come out of the woodwork like they do for these annual shindigs.  I missed the festival last year, but had the pleasure of returning this year.  The London Women's League, of which The Boss is a member (and Secretary / Treasurer) has a booth every year, the proceeds of which make up the vast majority of their annual budget for giving back to the community.  All joking aside, something cool about the "World Chicken Festival" is that a portion of all vendor proceeds must go to some form of local charity.  It has always been that way, and after 21 years, is still this way.  So, I am dragged down there again this year to do my part in giving back.  I complain about it on here, but once I get down there, I realize how much fun these things can be.  Especially when engaging in one of my favorite pastimes - people watching.

This guy was just out of place

Holy Moses!

For the past few years, the Women's League has had a gyro's booth.  But, the guy they had used turned out to be a real sleaze and had cheated them in the past.  They changed vendors last year, but found another gyro maker to help this year.  These things are so popular thatseveral people came up to me asking where we were last year.  I never knew people in London loved gyro's - or fajitas as they are also called by many, so much.

This years celebrity - Cletus Hogg

Rand Paul ain't got nuthin on Cletus

Which brings me to my next story - me hawking the gyro's left and right.  Something I learned from my dad at an early age, is the power of persuasion in the form of yelling at people to come buy your item.  Reactions vary from stopping and staring to yelling back or simply ignoring me.  Of course, as a natural salesman, albeit an unemployed one, I found a few taglines that got some great reactions.  Also, the best are those that would correct me when I would call them "jyros" instead of the correct "heeroes".  First of all, folks, I know what they are really called.  However, if you start yelling about a "heero" the vast majority of people will think you are a pretentious a-hole, or that you have Superman in your booth slinging sandwiches.

Mammaw

Pappaw

Well I must get on with it, there are a few select pictures that I have included here that are my favorites.  I am off to Oxford, Mississippi to watch the Cats stomp the Rebels this weekend.  After I recover from the weekend I hope to have some good, clean stories about this weekend.  Enjoy the pics and GO CATS!!!

A typical Louisville fan

Happy Birthday, Daddy Nobucks!!!

What more could I wish for?



So, I've had a fairly busy end of the week and I am trying to get caught up on everything.  Let me start at the beginning of the week.  Tuesday was my 33rd birthday, and as far as birthdays go, I must admit, it was not the best of days.  All was well until about 5:15 when I  got the call that I did not get the job I had interviewed with last Friday.  So, that defintely put a damper on the rest of the day.  Up unitil then, it had been alright.  Earlier I baked my favorite cake - Gigi's Deep Dark Chocolate Cake, and the girl's even helped me . . .lick the bowl.  This cake is pretty awesome, and so rich you need a gallon of milk to wash it down. 

These women love chocolate

Second, Miss Giggles had a soccer game that evening, so I had to put on my happy face at 6 o'clock and coach my team.  Again, things started well for us, the other team only had 5 or 6 kids and we had our full complement of players.  Thinking that we could wear them down, I was substituting a lot, keeping fresh legs on the field.  Of course, at that age how can everyone's legs not be fresh, right?  Well, in the fourth quarter, this kid on the other team, just decided to take over, and scored 3, 4, or 5 goals on us in about a five minute span.  It was such a flurry that I could not keep up.  I've never seen a five year old take a team on his shoulders at the end of a game, and single-handedly beat another squad - but I never saw Pele at five either.  Needless to say, it was impressive.  So, not only did I not get a job, but my team got thumped.  Oh, and I almost forgot the best part.  Their coach was a no show, so I got out coached by some soccer mom that came out of the stands and took on the responsibility.  Is it possible for an under 6 coach to be on the hotseat?  Happy Birthday to me . . .

Along with that the World Famous Chicken Festival is this weekend.  I must admit that this is always a fun event, because I can partake in some of the best people watching to be found.  You've seen the people of Wal-Mart e-mails, wait until you see The People of the World Famous Chicken Festival.  Stay tuned.

Go Team Fury

A Chip Off the Old Block?




No, Daddy.
I will not get in that dirt.

 So, Miss Giggles started playing soccer the day / morning that we returned from Disneyworld.  Not only did she begin her soccer career, I began my coaching career.  It is quite difficult coaching your 3 year old daughter on a team of mostly under six year old boys.  She does not quite have the competitive spirit that her daddy has.  Her, "sense of urgency" is essentially nonexistent.  She really can be quite fast when she is running around the couch in our rec room or the gym at school, but when on the field, she is slowed down by all the pretty flowers and her friends running with her.  The Boss tells me to give her some time - "she's only three", she says.  My response - "at three I was scoring three a game".  Not true, but this is my blog and I can say what I want.  At least I was in on the action.  Well, I won my coaching debut by a landslide.  At this age they don't keep score, but we smoked them.  Of course, I do keep score, but it's hard to keep track of every goal when you are out there "coaching".  I've noticed that at this age, it's not really coaching but yelling "go (insert name)" and directing them on which way to kick the ball.  One of the kids came up to me last night and said "Coach, why do you yell so much?"  I did not quite know how to respond to this, and thankfully the ball came his way, so I just yelled at him to get it and the thought was lost.  This has definitely given me a new level of respect for teachers, because it is difficult to get these kids to listen.  I've found a whistle helps.  If that doesn't I've told them that I am going to tell their daddy that they are being bad.  They perk right up.  It's nice to see that some of the things that my mom said, still ring true today.  So, thanks Mom for making me scared of Dad!

What'll Ya Have?




Why did you tell me to pose like this Daddy?

  So, we arrived back from Disney late Friday night, or early Saturday morning, whichever you prefer.  We left Orlando around noon, taking some pictures and savoring every last moment of vacation before we came back to reality.  We were going to meet Jesse, a.k.a Struggler in Orlando for some lunch before we left, but our plans fell through.  You see, Struggler just had a child of his own, a baby girl that is now about one month old, I believe.  They had come up to Orlando to stay with his sister-in-law for the week while we were there.  On the way out of town, Struggler tells me that he has learned the first lesson of parenthood - all plans are tentative.  In other words, kids change everything.  He said that the baby had been up all night, his wife was exhausted and felt disheveled, and even the dogs had kept him up.  On a side note, Struggler is in the same boat as I, surrounded by women - the only difference; my dog used to have a pair, as did I.
Making our way back home, we found ourselves in Catlanta around dinner time, which calls for a quick pitstop at The Varsity.  For those of you that don't know, The Varsity is disgustingly awesome.  It's right off of I-75 across from Georgia Tech, and is a drive-in with some of the best greasy grub you can find anywhere.  We typically go inside to get the "what'll ya have" experience, and stretch our legs.  I am particularly fond of the chili cheese slaw dogs and the onion rings with a coke and a chocolate shake.  But really it's all good in the sense that you can immediately feel your heart begging you to stop.  Well, after ordering our food, I proceed up the stairs, stacked tray in hand, and Miss Giggles is running towards me yelling "Daddy, we need napkins".  Unaware of the reasoning behind this sudden napkin emergency, I continue to head toward my destination in order to place our food on the table - and then I see it.  Miss Lala has projectile vomited all over The Boss' torso, foot, and onto the floor.  In my infinite wisdom, I grab some napkins and begin wiping . . .the floor.  The Boss commands me to wipe up more important locations such as herself or our daughter.  We had thought Miss Lala was somewhat lethargic and warm when we got her out of the car, but thought nothing of it, merely due to travel and exhaustion.  As The Boss and Miss Lala went out to the car to clean up, Miss Giggles and I finished our meal rather peacefully, and as soon as they returned and ate, we were on our way again.  Probably not the first, or last time a late night drive in across from a college has seen an underage youth vomit on the floor.  Apparently hurling on your mother does wonders for a child's psyche because Miss Lala seemed to perk up shortly thereafter.  Upon our departure, I was promptly reprimanded for my lack of vomit wiping prioritization, and chastised for doing that. . .AGAIN.  Again?  I summoned my short term memory for when such a horrendous crime could have been committed prior to this one, and I had failed to recall such an event.  I was quickly reminded of a recent Coca-Cola spilling incident when I began wiping off the table instead of The Boss' pants, purse, pride, etc.  Wow, the things women remember.
Check back tomorrow for Miss Giggles 1st soccer game, and don't forget to become one of my many followers.  Trust me folks, you want to get in early on this one, cause the train is filling up!

Magical Meltdown

So, I slacked off a bit this week, but for good reason.  I had an interview yesterday morning that I had been doing some research on most of the week.  The interview went well I think, and I hope to be getting a call on Monday or Tuesday with some good news.  So, I'm going to try this again, and take my mind back to Disneyworld.  Here we go!

On Thursday, we had decided to spend our last day at the Magic Kingdom.  It was an extra magic hours day, and at night was the Electric Light Parade - two things that must be taken advantage of.  The park opened early for those staying on property at 8 A.M.  Naturally, we arrived a little late, around 8:45.  It is human nature to take a right when you enter a park or event apparently.  I have read this on many occasion, so we headed to the left - Frontierland, here we come!  It was unreal.  It was as though we had the left hand side of the park to ourselves until almost noon. Which means we also got to see some more characters - Yeahh!!!  We were able to add Woody and Jessie to our list, along with another Ariel spotting - this time with "her daddy".  Her daddy meaning Prince Eric.  This being one of the funnier quirks of Miss Giggles' - calling each princesses' prince her "daddy".  Of course, I see the adult humor in this, and it is something that continues to go uncorrected.



I don't believe what I just saw



Also, while in Frontierland Miss Giggles rode the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with me and we had the opportunity to watch the Country Bear Jamboree.  She liked the ride part of the railroad, but not the "dark part" as you make your ascent.  So, we were one and done on Big Thunder Mountain - but she rode it and that's all I can ask.  As for the Country Bear Jamboree, The Boss and I were awestruck.  I don't believe this "attraction" has changed since the Magic Kingdom first opened its doors on October 1, 1971.  It is considered a Disneyworld classic.  It's classically something alright.  With hillbilly bears singing songs such as "Blood on the Saddle", "Don't Whip Little Buford" and "All the Guys That Turn Me On Turn Me Down" I was amazed that Disney still has an attraction as un-politically correct as this one.  Don't get me wrong, I found the hilarity in this as well, because I am a HUGE fan of things that eschew political correctness.  Because of this, I would say that the Country Bear Jamboree is a can't miss - for all of the wrong reasons.



The Blind Leading the Blind?






Daddy, will you still love me during my meltdown?

After lunch we passed the throngs of people heading across the park to where we had already been.  We headed to the teacups again, one of Miss Giggles' favorites, and let her drive the car with mommy. During "Story Time with Belle" I had noticed that Miss Giggles' eyes were starting to droop a little.  If life had a musical score, I woud have heard a faint "duh nuh, duh nuh" (Jaws) creeping up on me.  After the story ended, we headed inside a store to cool off a bit, but Miss Giggles was just warming up.  She had been playing with a make your own Mr. Potato Head, and I told her it was time to find something for Miss Lala because she had already gotten a toy (baby Simba).  Well, this was apparently unacceptable.  As we began to walk away, she began kicking and screaming, lying on the floor - you know, everything involved with a tired and overheated child's nuclear meltdown.  It was brutal.  Keep in mind, this is a large store, and The Boss and Miss Lala were across the way and not witness to this spectacular event.  As I fireman carry her outside, as though I am kidnapping her, I force her into her kiddy straight jacket, a.k.a the stroller.  It was at this point that a woman walks up to me and offers her words of encouragement stating "aww, mine did that yesterday".  Only at Disney are acts such as this not only common and acceptable, but almost expected.  At that point, we went back inside to find The Boss and Miss Lala.  Apparently, Miss Giggles wasn't done.  Seeing The Boss, she wiggles out of the stroller, and begins flopping on the ground like a fish out of water.  The Boss, had not a clue what was going on.  I told her that she had already missed the first half, and this must be the second.  We immediately headed out of there as though the place was on fire, telling Miss Giggles that because of her antics we were forgoing the afternoon parade.  Secretly, I think this may have been more of a punishment to The Boss than Miss Giggles.  I have never know a grown woman with such an affinity for parades.  We laid her down in the stroller and headed back to the hotel to cool off, both physically and mentally. She was asleep in two minutes flat.

After cooling off in the pool, we hit The Wave restaurant at our hotel and went back to the Magic Kingdom for the Electric Light parade.  Before the parade came the fireworks, which as mentioned previously are not my children's favorites.  So, with everyone outside watching the fireworks, we headed inside and saw Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Belle, Tinkerbell, and two other fairies that I don't know.  Sorry, I can't know them all.  I have to save some space in my brain for sports statistics and other useless facts and figures.  With everyone outside, we almost had the run of the place, and the girls got to spend some extra long quality time with the princesses.  In fact, the crowd was so sparse, Cinderella and Belle came out front because there was no one in line.  It was like an encore, tag team appearance for Miss Giggles, and a fitting end to our character experiences at Disneyworld.



Now this is more my size!

Afterwards we watched the Electric Light Parade.  Yet another parade that Disney throws just because.  It is pretty neat, and something that Miss Giggles also enjoyed - Miss Lala passed out in the stroller shortly after it began.  This provided a fun and fitting end to our Disneyworld vacation - or so I thought.  The Boss, wanting to miss the exodus out of the parks, hatched a plan to weave through the stores on the way out.  An hour later, doors locked, cast members pointing this way and that with directions to the closest exit.  Making my way to the cash register, I am reminded of an old saying - "fool me once, shame on you.  Fool me twice, shame on me."  Thus, providing a fitting conclusion to our Disneyworld vacation.

Where the Wild Things Are

On the loose

So, we learned a valuable lesson this year - never go to Animal Kingdom on a Wednesday.  It seems that everyone picks this park for the middle of their trip.  It was packed early on, and though it did thin out around parade time, we were fighting the throngs of people on the narrow, graciously shaded walkways of Animal Kingdom.

It's a bird, it's a plane. . .

Upon arrival we headed straight for the Kilimanjaro Safaris and were given a FastPass by one of the cast members - not a bad start to the day.  We got on after about ten minutes in line and saw a lot of the animals wandering about.  At one point there was a baby giraffe crossing the road that Miss Giggles thought was pretty cool.  Miss Lala kept pointing into the distance with an emphatic "Woww" that is a new trick of hers that The Boss and I got a kick out of all week.  After our safari we went to watch Festival of the Lion King, where Miss Lala promptly fell asleep.  Miss Giggles, who fell asleep last year was able to stay awake this time, and was in awe for the entire show.

I like your pretty necklace

After the show we grabbed a quick bite to eat and hussled back to Camp Minnie to catch the most elusive of princesses - Pocahontas.  We were successful and could now close the book on the princess visits - or so I thought, silly me.  That's like saying no more parades - which was up next for us.  I must say that the parade at Animal Kingdom is one of the best.  The costumes are very detailed and colorful and the floats are pretty cool too.  Plus, you can find a shady spot, it's one of the shorter parades, and is a great finale for our day at Animal Kingdom.  So we left with the masses and the girls were asleep before we were out of the parking lot.  After driving around and checking out some other hotels (Wilderness Lodge looks sweet) for a while to preserve the peace we went back to the pool and swam for a while before the storms came and we called it a night.  We had to get some rest for our last day at the Magic Kingdom - and what a day it would be!

Hakuna Matata

Daddy Nobucks Day

Wheeee!!!

Strike a pose

So, on Tuesday we went to Epcot for what I like to call Daddy Nobucks Day.  We got off to a late start due to what I call the "Disney Hangover" - aka exhaustion from Mondays trip to the Magic Kingdom.  As I mentioned, Epcot is the place that I enjoy the most - and here's why.  We arrived at Epcot around 11:00 and having only had a quick bite in the hotel room, we headed straight for France.  Of course, on the way, we saw Daisy Duck and had to stop for a visit.  Once in France, The Boss and I decided to wash down our brunch with some wine and champagne - wine not, right?  After we finished we watched a video on France that the girls found extremely boring.  We found this strategy worked well usually leading to either one or both girls falling asleep in the cool, dark, and quiet confines of a Disney indoor attraction.  We then went back up front to the Innovations sections where Miss Giggles rode her first "big girl" ride (I neglected to mention previously that she had ridden the Goofy coaster on Monday and really liked it).  I took her on Test Track, as she was barely over the 40" requirement.  Then we saw Nemo and his friends, and emerged from the aquarium to a downpour, and our strollers unprotected - brutal.  By the time they dried, Miss Giggles had followed that up with a ride on Soarin with The Boss.  I asked her if she liked them and she said "yes".  I followed that up by asking her if she wanted to ride them again - she replied "no".  Oh well, she tried it, and liked it and that's all I can ask.  Besides, I was ready to eat. 

"Daddy she's kind of neked"

I don't recall your name,
but your fez is familiar

We had a reservation at Marakesh, the Morrocan restaurant, so, of course, I needed to stop in Great Britain for my appetizer - fish and chips with a Bass Ale.  Good stuff.  We then proceeded to Marakesh and enjoyed some couscous and other Morrocan specialties.  Miss Giggles and Miss Lala both made friends and certainly enjoyed the entertainment.  The food and atmosphere was great.  I only wish that belly dancer had stayed out a little longer!  But, maybe it was a good thing she didn't because it was getting close to fireworks time, so we high tailed it out of there, and made it back to the Monorail before the show began.  Another successful day at Disney.