The Spring (?) Carnival

A couple of weeks ago a small carnival came to town and set up shop in the College Station mall parking lot. The Ferris Wheel was visible from the highway, so of course Will spotted it as we were driving by and I knew we wouldn’t get out of a trip to the carnival.

When I was a kid my parents would take Sara and me to both the Dane County Fair and Edgefest each and every year. We also went to the Wisconsin State Fair a couple of times, and to a small amusement park called Bay Beach every time we visited my Grandma and Grandpa in Green Bay. I remember all of these carnivals as vibrant and exciting and offering delicious food. We’d run – with my dad when we were little and with our friends when we were older – from ride to ride and game to game, taking breaks from the thrills only to consume warm funnel cakes and sugary lemonades. Those were the days.

This carnival? Not so great. I can’t be certain, but either carnivals have changed or my memories of carnivals are inaccurate; this time around it was all I could do not to focus on:
- The filth (“Stop! Hallie! Don’t lick that picnic table!”)
- The cost (Disney World seems expensive until you spend $20 in 10 minutes on carnival rides.)
- The disgusting, greasy food (I was so excited eat a funnel cake for the first time in probably 15 years. Until I took a bite, that is.)
- The slightly-crazed-looking, chain-smoking, two-fingered man running the Gravitron.

(We were also a little disappointed by the height requirements. At Disney World, most attractions allow children who are 40 inches tall to ride; at the carnival, children had to be 42 inches tall to ride. Will is 41 inches tall. Big bummer.)

The beautiful thing is, with the exception of the height requirement confusion, Will had an amazing time. (Hallie, not so much. She took a tumble off a picnic table and nearly scored herself a concussion.) To him, the carnival was vibrant and exciting. And so that he’ll have memories like I’m lucky enough to have, we took him on every ride he was tall enough for; bought him a foot-long corndog, a funnel cake, and a sugary lemonade; and let him take in whatever crazy sights he wanted to before we headed home. The carnival outing was just the kick in the pants I needed – a reminder to occasionally take a break from acting like a grown-up and instead look at the world through the eyes of a four-year-old.

Merry-Go-Round


Ferris Wheel (out of which Hallie tried desperately to escape)


Flying Whales & Spinning Tea Cups


Carnival Treats

Conversations with my Rugrats

#1

Background: Tom’s dad, Michael Ferris (Grandpa Mike), is a doctor. A year or so ago, when Grandpa Mike was visiting, he donated a few items from his real doctor bag to Will and Hallie’s toy doctor kit. One of these items was a name tag that reads “Dr. M. Ferris”.

Will: Mama, did you see my nametag?
Erin: I did.
Will: It was meant for me.
Erin: What do you mean?
Will: Dr. M. Ferris is me. (whispering) Because my name is really Mario.

#2
Will: Mama, which of these two strings is longer?
Erin: I’m not sure – it’s hard to tell because they’re close in length and the same color.
Will: It’s the one on the left. Don’t worry that you couldn’t tell – it’s tough to differentiate between the two strings.

#3
Television Announcer: Do you owe thousands of dollars in back taxes?
Hallie: (to the man on the screen) YES!
Television Announcer: Would you like help consolidating your debts?
Hallie: (to the man on the screen) YES!

It Goes By Too Fast...

Lately Will looks older to me. Not a lot older, but enough that I've noticed, especially when I look at pictures taken of him in the last couple of months. He's only four, and in the grand scheme of things is still a very "little" boy, but I now see more depth in his eyes and more varied expressions - stemming from additional life experience - on his face. I'm proud of the "big" boy he's becoming, but hanging on to the "little" boy whenever I can.

Orlando: Part 2 (The! Magic! Kingdom!)

On our third full day in Orlando we (all of us, as the conferences had wrapped) headed to the Magic Kingdom. It was Will and Hallie’s first visit, and my first visit in many years and with children in tow. I have always loved Disney World – I find there to be a great deal of truth in their “happiest place on earth” slogan – and I felt tremendous joy as I watched Will and Hallie experience this land of enchantment for the first time. (And in addition to love for Disney, I now also have a great appreciation for their parks - for their cleanliness, organization, safety, and cost. While I never noticed these things in the past, they were in the forefront of my mind this time around and they made the trip a great one.)

Grandma and Grandpa kindly played with Hallie for much of the day, which meant Tom, AJ, Will, and I were free to ride as many rides as we could before Will crashed. We went visited Stitch’s Great Escape (Grandma joined us for this one), Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, the Astro Orbiter, the Mad Tea Party (I sat this one out due to my motion sickness), Mickey’s PhilharMagic 3-D movie, the Hall of Presidents, the Swiss Family Treehouse, Pirates of the Caribbean, and…Splash Mountain. That’s right readers, four-year-old Will went on Splash Mountain. I was SO proud. As proud as I was when he was potty trained. Maybe prouder.

We also had lunch at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café, snacked on Kadoozee popsicles, watched a Disney character musical production on the steps of Cinderella’s Castle, and watched a Disney Character parade as the day wound down. The day was amazing, and one I will always remember.

So excited!


"Cindy Lou Who" (in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday today), Grandma, and Minnie Mouse. Minnie Mouse = LOVE.


Hallie and Tom at lunch.


On and after riding the teacups.


Attempting to pull out the Sword in the Stone, saying hello to Dumbo, and riding the Merry-Go-Round.


AJ and Hallie, Tom and his mom/Grandma Susie.


Kadoozees!


Mickey! Mouse! Minnie! Mouse!


Watching the Disney character performance on the steps of Cinderella's Castle.


Family portrait.


Minnie, Goofy, Woody, Jessie, Chip, Dale, Mr. Incredible, and Frozone in the Main Street Parade.


Blast off!


Bigger family portrait.


Minnie spent much of her day going IN! and OUT! of Grandpa's pocket.


Waiting for and riding the ferry.


Farewell Disney World!

Orlando: Part 1

Almost two weeks ago the four of us packed up and flew to Orlando for a few days. Tom had a conference there, AJ (Aunt Jenna) lives and goes to school there, and in a crazy twist of fate, BOTH of Tom’s parents had conferences there the same weekend; it only made sense that Will, Hallie, and I make the trip as well.

Our travels were a bit chaotic (an hours-long delay on the way there and a near-miss on the way home), but the trip itself was a great one. Our hotel, which was where Tom and Grandma Susie’s conferences were being held, was beautiful and extravagant (there was a TELEVISION IN THE MIRROR IN THE BATHROOM), but to the point that I actually felt uncomfortable being there with the kids. They like to run and jump and sing and dance, no matter where they are, and without regard to the fanciness of their surroundings.

The television in the bathroom mirror, and our hotel, The Peabody.


On our first day the kids and I (everyone else was working or at school) played in the hotel pools, walked to McDonald’s for lunch, and took long naps in our hotel room. That evening, AJ kindly babysat the kids and Tom and I went on a date to the House of Blues at Downtown Disney. We listened to fabulous blues music, toasted with amazing hurricanes and margaritas, dined on delicious specialty burgers, and capped off the night at a true-to-style Disney dance party (Tom, me, and approximately 400 of our closest friends, primarily those ages 12 and under and their parents) on the Downtown Disney waterfront. Our first date in months was a spectacular one.

Exploring on our walk to McDonald's.


On our second day, AJ, Grandpa Mike, and I (Tom and Grandma Susie were still conferencing) took the kids to Downtown Disney for lunch at their Dinosaur-themed restaurant. The inside resembled a Rain Forest Café, but instead of rain forest animals the joint was full of life-size, noise-making, moving dinosaurs. There were frequent thunderstorms and meteor showers, which kept both kids thoroughly entertained throughout our meal.

Getting ready to hunt the huge T-Rex.


Inside the restaurant and enjoying our dining companions.


Stopping to visit with a strange bronzed man (Hallie didn't like him very much) and enjoying a walk down Downtown Disney's Main Street with Grandpa.


Stay tuned for "Orlando: Part 2 (The Magic Kingdom!)" tomorrow!