A Minnie Mouse Party

Prepare yourself for a photo extravaganza! We gave our camera to Sheila, an expert photographer, and ended up with some great photos of Ruthie's party. Thank you, Sheila! It was a wonderful time and Ruthie enjoyed every minute of it. As the title indicates, it was a Minnie Mouse party. First, Ruthie loves going to Disneyland. Second, she has a darling Minnie Mouse onesie that she looks so cute in. =) Third, it's just such a cute theme, how could I resist?

But first, let me start with the foot. That is egg salad sandwiches (Ruthie LOVES eggs), chicken salad on croissants (she loves chicken), fruit and chips (which she did not get to eat). Prior to lunch, we had appetizers of cheese and crackers, mostly because cheese is Ruthie's absolute favorite food (and her first word, coincidentally) and because mice like cheese, too. It was a Minnie Mouse party, after all.

And here are the Minnie Mouse cupcakes.

And the tables - I did simple centerpieces using my mom's red and white polka dot teapots and carnations.

Here is a shot of the back patio - you can't quite make it out, but there is a very cute pennant banner that says Happy B-Day which Heather gave to me. It is made of chalk paper, so you can change the wording. It is now hanging inside the family room and says Merry Christmas. =)

Here she is, mooching some cheese off Uncle Peter, who seemed quite willing to share with the birthday girl.

I didn't take any photos of it, only video, but we played two games. First, the "take everything out" game, which consisted of two boxes filled with the same number of toys. Each team sent a cousin down to take out one item, fling it on the ground, then run and tag off with another cousin. Ruthie's favorite game is taking things out - DVDs, dishes from the dishwasher, toys from her box, Tupperware ..you name it. If it's in something, she wants to take it out.

The second game was a dance off - Ruthie also loves music and dancing, so we played "You Say It's Your Birthday" and all the cousins danced, taking turns in the spotlight. It was priceless. Some of Ruthie's cousins can really shake their grove thing. =)

She LOVED when everyone sang to her - it was like she knew the whole party was about her. And why shouldn't it be? Every day is about her.

This is her face after licking some icing off the candle - I think it was a bit too sweet, since she shuddered a little after she swallowed.

But the cupcake itself, oh, did she enjoy it.

A little family photo...

She also did a great job opening the presents. She actually tried her hand at unwrapping them, and wanted to play with what was inside. Everyone was SO generous and she received some truly lovely gifts.

Here is the aftermath of all the presents, and her many cousins there to help her enjoy it. She's holding up a little Minnie bath toy that my parents gave her, which she really loves.

It was a wonderful party and we had a great time celebrating our girl.

Tonight, on her actual birthday, we will sing her silly Ruthie song, let her have another little piece of a cupcake and eat spaghetti, another of her favorite foods. I'm telling you, by the time this birthday and Christmas are over, she's going to wonder why January is so boring (and devoid of presents). But thankfully, she's a cheerful girl who is pretty much happy with anything, so I'm not too worried about it.

Happy Birthday, little Bugaboo! We love you!!

A Monumental Day

Yesterday was ground breaking. Wait for it...ready? Ruthie played outside. I mean, really played outside, like a big girl. I have been waiting for this day, longing for it to come. I love being outside but up until just recently, Ruthie hasn't been at an age where she can really do it.

But now that she officially walks, she had a ball playing outside in our back yard. And since she walks, less stuff goes in her mouth! Hallelujah! She did still eat some dirt yesterday, well and I guess some bark, but that is a vast improvement from previous trips outside!

Anyway, it was a lovely afternoon. She played in the little outdoor house, played in a tub of water and even played with a ball. Ahh, my girl is growing up!!

This Girl Loves Her Food

I can see now how mooches are made. I'm not gonna lie, I used to judge. But it has become so clear to me since Ruthie started eating pretty much everything. She looks up at me, makes a darling face, and I give in, and give her a bite of my grapefruit. Just one bite. But then the next day, as I'm having my traditional morning cake (it's a thing, I promise), she does it again, fully expecting the same results. Except I don't want her to eat cake yet. But she begs and begs. This is how mooches are made, going from family member to family member, begging little bites. And they are so hard to refuse!! When it is a niece or nephew, I don't really even try. But you will be pleased to know I stood ground and did not give her any cake. She is just going to have to wait for her birthday for that treat.

But man, does she enjoy the food she is allowed to eat.

The McCurrys Hit DC

In a moment of rash optimism, we decided that a three day trip to DC would be easy. And while the five hour flights were exhausting, we were certainly glad we did it! We love our dear friends in DC and we love the city, so it was a win-win (though my very practical husband has deemed it our last long flight for a while) (we'll see what "a while" means though). =)

Here we are, hitting up the city! Ian and Ruthie, by the Potomac River. It was cold and fallish and lovely!

Here's me and Ruthie, at the new MLK Monument - so beautiful and moving. We were really glad to get to see it, since it hadn't opened yet last time we were there in February 2011.

Here's Ian and Ruthie, standing in front of the Reflecting Pool, with the Washington Monument in the background. There is so much cool stuff packed into one small city, it's amazing!

Our favorite monument, Lincoln. We see this every time we come and I'm always touched.

Aside from seeing the city, we also spent time with dear friends. Josh and Lindsey, my long time friend from childhood, just had a beautiful boy this past summer and we were thrilled to meet him and hold him, and catch up a bit with them. Sadly, I have no pictures of this! But we enjoyed our time with them and look forward to watching their little Hudson grow!

We also spent some time with Sarah and Matt and their three kids. Sarah and I were college roommates and they had a boy, Rocco, about the same time we had Ruthie. Here are the two cuties (do I hear wedding bells?)!

And here is their whole family - thanks Sabatinos, for welcoming us so generously! We love you guys!

We also spent some time walking around the neighborhood of the apartment we rented, but I have no pictures of that. We loved our apartment and totally recommend that over a hotel. First, it was cheaper, plus we ate all our breakfasts in the kitchen and didn't have to sleep in the same room as Ruthie. Hooray! We rented it off airbnb.com - a very cool, cheap way to find places to stay. Thanks, Sarah, for the recommendation!

For some unknown reason, we booked a 7AM return flight. Given that we had to return the borrowed pack & play to Sarah and Matt, return our rental car and get to the airport with enough time to make my husband as relaxed as possible, we woke up at 4AM (read 1AM California time). Though it was torture in the moment, it actually worked in our favor, as Ruthie mercifully slept a little on the way home.

Here she is, a little refreshed after one of her naps.

And here she is, saying goodbye to the East Coast and hello to home.

It was a great trip. Very action packed, but incredibly fun and so great to see friends. Until next time!

Christmas Is a Coming!

Family Trip to the Grand California Hotel

Earlier this month, our family took a mini-vacation to the Grand California Hotel, one of the new(ish) hotels located right at Disneyland. It was originally supposed to be part of Ian's 30th, but we found our schedule (and the hotel prices) better in November, so we delayed until then. We still told the hotel people we were celebrating, and they sweetly included a Happy Birthday button for Ian, as well as a great photo of Mickey. AND, because it was a slow time of the year, when I asked for a free upgrade, they upgraded us twice to a room with a king bed, a small balcony and a view of the pools! We were supposed to be overlooking the parking lot, so we considered this pretty special. =) Ian wasn't even embarrassed when I asked for the upgrade, either.

Anyway, we had an AMAZING time. The hotel was spectacular  and if you've ever been to Disneyland, then you know they pride themselves on their customer service. The hotel was no different and we are already scheming of ways to get back there.

The hotel is fashioned after a craftsman style California home, just on a very grand (see hotel name) scale. The lobby is truly the biggest I've ever seen. Here is Ruthie, standing in front of one (yes, one) of the fireplaces.

One of the benefits of the hotel is that you get early entrance into the park while you're staying there. On our first morning there, my mom graciously came to babysit so we could take advantage of this perk. Here is California Adventure, just a few minutes after we got in. As you can see, it was empty. We made straight for the new Cars Land, which had a ride we really wanted to try.

And here we are, in line at said ride. It was Radiator Spring Racers and it was super fun. Normally, that line is about 120 minutes, but in our early hour, we only waited about 15. We really enjoyed our adult time in the park - we also rode Hollywood Tower of Terror, Midway Mania and of course, Grizzy River Run. Because if you're staying at the hotel, you should do the water ride so you can go back to your room and change your clothes! (Plus, it was 95 that day.)

                                    
Here is Ian and Ruthie on the Golden Zephyr - a rocket ride that actually goes pretty fast. They require everyone to be in their own seat, but Ruthie did great. She loved being out at night, and we felt like we could stay out late, since our room was just a short walk out of the park. Don't you just love that cheerful Mickey in the background?!

Of course, Ruthie took several naps in our room. Here I am, reading to her, trying to calm her down. She was SUPER excited about being in a new place.

And here is Ian and Ruthie watching a new parade. Don't they look so much alike, enjoying the sights and sounds?

It was really a great time. My mom came a second time and meet us in the park and then took Ruthie out and back to her house, so we could enjoy a few more adult hours there. We got to ride all the big ones (that were open) - Space Mountain  Matterhorn, Big Thunder, plus a few of our favorites - Haunted Mansion, Mr. Toad's and more!

I don't have any pictures of it, but on the day it was 95, we also took Ruthie to the pools at the hotel. They have three beautiful pools, plus a big water-slide and a small one for kids. Ian and I tried out the big one and Ruthie went down (with help) the toddler one several times.

It couldn't have been more fun - thanks to my mom for giving of her time so generously and to the many gifts from siblings of Disney Dollars for Ian's birthday. We spent EVERY ONE OF THEM on delicious snacks - corn dogs, popcorn, Dole whip, churros, pretzel, frozen lemonade, ice cream...if they sold it, we bought it!

Two thumbs up from this Disneyland lovin' family!!

Do You Know Why?

Do you know why Ruthie's blanket looks like that? Because the blanket was touching her pacifier and she pulled it toward her so that the blanket would move the pacifier into her hands. And it totally worked. Ian and I are a little worried that we might have a crazy master mind on our hands.