First Haircut

Cassidy had her first hair cut yesterday. After almost 3 years, she was looking a bit scraggly in the back, so I scheduled an appointment with my hair dresser who has been cutting my hair since I was a little girl. A few days ago Cassidy told me she didn't want a hair cut, so I changed my terminology to "trim" and she was OK with that. And in reality, a trim is what she got. We cut as little as possible. She did a great job of sitting still and listening to Brenda's instructions to "hold her head up," and she was rewarded with a lollypop for her good behavior.

Patiently awaiting her "trim"

LOOK at all that hair!

Snip, snip, snip...there goes her baby hair!

Brenda caught by my camera flash

She watched every move in the mirror. :)

My Big Girl

Cousin It (at least she'll never have to worry about female pattern baldness!)

Beautiful Girl with the Blond Curls

Sesame Place Journal (July 31, 2008)

10:56 a.m. - Everyone slept well last night. We had breakfast, took showers, packed up and are now on the road (in Delaware). The girls napped briefly, but a pit-stop for gas woke them up. They are watching Elmo's Potty Time - they only want to watch Sesame Street videos!

THURSDAY EVENING - The drive home went as well as can be expected, considering the distance we traveled and how tired we all were. We hit two traffic jams. The first was just outside of DC. It was lunch time anyway, so we got off the road and ate at Wendy's The girls were in pretty good moods and behaved well. The traffic was flowing again by the time we got back on the road. Lily slept again, but Cassidy never did doze. She watched videos. When we hit the NC line, we stopped at a rest area to stretch. The girls liked being able to run around outside and we all had a snack. Lily managed to find the only dog poop on the premises and pick it up - TWICE!!! She got really mad when I took it away and then cleaned her hand!

Back in the car for our final two hours, we hit our second traffic jam as we were getting close to Rocky Mount. By this time the girls were getting really crabby and Joey and I were delirious with exhaustion. I'm not sure how it started, but suddenly we were all doing our best "wookie calls" to see who could sound most like our friend, John, from Applebee's. We were all rolling with laughter and this activity entertained us for a bit.

We finally rolled into our driveway at 8:00 p.m. The girls played while we unpacked. Then it was bedtime. Lily dropped right off to sleep. Cassidy had one final tantrum - she was just too tired - so she screamed herself to sleep, which didn't take very long. Joey and I, dropped into bed, happy to be home.

FINAL THOUGHTS - I think our first family vacation was a huge success. The girls traveled well, slept soundly at the hotel, and enjoyed Sesame Place. There were some meltdowns, but that is to be expected when you undertake a big trip with little ones. Joey and I had an amazing time - experiencing it all through our children's eyes was priceless! We are already talking about going back in a couple of years and daydreaming about other places we can visit!

Sesame Place Journal (July 30, 2008)

We all had a very restful evening and were all ready to hit the park again today. We parked in Bert's Blue section again, per Cassidy's request. As soon as we passed through the front gate we rode the Sky Spash - a family raft ride. Cassidy did NOT want to get on once we got to the top, but as soon as we took off she squealed and laughed the whole way down. It was so much fun to watch her face light up! Poor Lily didn't like the ride at all - or the life jacket she was required to wear!

Next we spent time playing in Ernie's pools and fountains in Twiddleland. The girls both loved these. Soon Cassidy requested a ride on Big Bird's Rambling River (the lazy river). There was no line so we hopped aboard. Cassidy and I were together, each in our own raft, and Joey held Lily. The ride was fun - Cassidy liked getting splashed and sprayed (except for when we got stuck under one fountain and she couldn't breathe), but by the end of the ride she had sunk down into her float so that her head nearly touched her legs - a comical sight! I don't think Lily had much fun - she didn't like getting splashed.

Next Cassidy wanted to ride Slimey's Chutes waterslide, so we got in line while Joey and Lily went into the Teeny Tiny Tidal Wave Pool. Cassidy loved the slide! She actually started crying when we got off and said she wanted to go again! The line had gotten really long so we went over to a different waterslide and she and Joey got in line while I took Lily to Ernie's Rubber Duckie Pond. Lily loved this shallow pool with its slides. She went down the slide again and again until our time was up. Joey and Cassidy returned - their tube had flipped over at the end of the ride and Cassidy was a little traumatized. She didn't want to go on any more waterslides the rest of the day.

We ate lunch at the Sesame Cafe - burgers, chicken, and fries - and again it was really good. After lunch we played in Ernie's Waterworks and Count's Fount. Ernie's Waterworks was a favorite of the girls. It had water shooting out of all kinds of places and contraptions and was set up so that the kids could play with and manipulate the water. It was too cool!

We decided to skip the parade and go back to Ernie's Pond. Cassidy was tired so she sat in the stroller while Joey and Lily played. We also spent some more time playing in the pools in Twiddleland and in Ernie's Waterworks. Cassidy was tired and wanted to leave, but hung in there, and perked up each time we tried a different activity. We had a snack, peeked into Trader Bert's surf shop, and then ran to catch the 4:15 Elmo's World Live! show. Lily fell asleep during snack time, so Joey took her and Cassidy and I went to the show. That was really fun, especially since I missed it yesterday. Cassidy raised her hand to be part of the show, but was too young to participate (you had to be 4). She still had fun playing along from our seats - and she elected to sit closer to the stage today, which was cool.

Lily had been fussy when we found her and Joey after the show. She soon was beside herself - screaming and crying - so we relunctantly decided to leave. We stopped at one store on the way out to look for a CD and Lily quit crying and started playing with the toys. Cassidy wanted to stay so we walked back to Mr. McIntosh's Fruit and Veggie stand to play. While we were there we tried playing hopscotch, took more pictures, and saw some Sesame Street friends. Rosita came out first and as soon as Lily saw her, she was drawn to her like a magnet. I was so surprised - she is usually afraid - but I had to hold her back until it was her turn. She went right up to Rosita, wide-eyed, touched her, and had her picture taken. This was a big highlight in the day for me! Cassidy even cautiously joined us. Next we saw Bert and Ernie. The girls were more wary, but still gave high-fives and had pictures taken.

By this time it was 5:45 p.m. There was another parade at 7:00, so we decided to stick it out to see the parade again. We hung out, snacked, walked around a little, and then found a front row spot in the middle of the parade route. The parade was definately worth the wait! We got to see all the characters up close and many of them waved, high-fived, or touched the girls. They were both riveted and Joey and I were equally excited! It started to rain, but we didn't care. What a great way to end the day - everyone smiling and happy!

On the way out of the park we took one more trip down the Sky Splash - WHEE!!! We were sad to leave (Joey and I more than the girls), but were so thankful for the experience!

The girls were wound up at the hotel, running around the room and jumping on the pillows and blankets they piled on the floor. We tried to feed them and finally dropped into bed around 10:00.

SIDEBAR - Joey surprised the girls with a Snuffy doll for Cassidy and a Grover for Lily. Cassidy had seen a child with a Snuffy doll at lunch and had said, "Maybe I'll get a Snuffy doll sometime." Of course after she saw that Lily had Grover, she announced that Grover was her favorite! She also wanted to know if we could go shopping for Bert and Kermit dolls! Joey also surprised me with a t-shirt (on clearance - how well he knows me!) that says, "I made a splash at Sesame Place!"

SIDEBAR - Lily has started saying several new words on the trip. She says "Big Bird" any time she sees our feathered friend. When she drops something (whether by accident or on purpose) she says, "Uh oh. I drop!" (Does that count as her first sentence?) Also, I guess we've taken her picture one too many times because when I held up the camera at breakfast this morning she started saying, "Cheese!" She continued "cheesing" for me, even thought I stopped taking pictures, until the camera was put away. She is SO funny!

Sesame Place

Sesame Place Journal (July 29, 2008)

What a day! We piled into the car this morning around 9:15 a.m. to head to Sesame Place. Lily fell asleep on the way, but Cassidy was bright-eyed with excitement. We arrived and unloaded (along with tons of other families) and opted to bring our own stroller into the park as opposed to renting one - good decision!!! As we neared the gate, Cassidy became increasingly adgitated, clinging to me, asking to be held - in retrospect, a foreshadowing of the day's events. She was obviously overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of Sesame Place. We made our way past the ticket booth and security check (they even did a finger scan!) and then we were finally inside the park.

Even though we had researched the park, we couldn't decide where to go first. Cassidy, still feeling intimidated, was no help. Our suggestions (ie. "Let's go to the Twiddletracks/Carousel/Elmo's Flying Fish.") were all met with a resounding, "NO!"
Determined to have fun (whether we wanted to or not) Joey and I decided to head down the main path towards the re-creation of Sesame Street. We first popped into Mr. McIntosh's Fruit and Vegetable Store. Cassidy immediately went behind the counter and played at the cash register...and we saw her first smile at Sesame Place! While on Sesame Street we also sat on the steps of 123 Sesame Street (the apartment building) and atop a fire truck.

Next we headed over to the Elmo's World Live! show, stopping along the way to ride the Sunny Day Carousel. Cassidy had her first meltdown of the day, refusing to go on the carousel - which was so odd because she LOVES the carousel at Pullen Park - so Lily and I rode alone. Lily really liked it. The ride was fairly slow and short, perfect for little ones. After the ride, we still had time before Elmo's World started so we tried to get Cassidy to ride some other rides, but she would have no part of it, so we went ahead and got in line for the show. The theater was small and we were seated towards the top - a good thing since the girls didn't want to be too close to the characters. Unfortunately, we were on the isle and Elmo popped up at the back of the theater at the beginning of the show, scaring Lily into a screaming fit. I left the theater with her and Cassidy and Joey stayed for the show. (They had a great time and Elmo came over to Cassidy at the end of the show - one of the day's highlights!)

Lily and I found Big Bird's Nest (a play area with large sponge shapes and a small playground) and we played until the show was over. She especially loved going down the slide. Cassidy and Joey joined us and the girls played while we planned our next move. I was already hungry and the girls had been asking for snacks so we opted for lunch. We dined at Elmo's Eatery. The food - pizza, chicken fingers, and fries - was good, much better than Disney. As we were leaving a family swooped in and sat at our table as we were still gathering our things...guess they were too hungry to wait!

After lunch, the girls went on Ernie's Bed Bounce. Cassidy loved it and ran and bounced all over the place. Lily WANTED to love it, but cried when we put her on the bed. The heat, excitement, and exhaustion were already taking their toll and the girls were starting to whine and cry sporadically. We tried the maze of punching bags, but that wasn't much fun - and Cassidy was concerned about getting sand in her shoes - so I took her over to Grover's World Twirl. She was wary, but I managed to convince her that it would be fun. She chose the Ernie tea cup so we hopped in and waited for the ride to begin. As we started to move and spin, we scooted close together and squealed as our tummies tickled. She was having a blast! The ride went a little long, so by the end she was ready to get off, but as we exited she said, "I LOVE that ride!" For me, a highlight!!!

After the World Twirl, Joey convinced Cassidy to try the Snuffy Slides. Lily had an animal cookie snack while we waited. Cassidy was very proud of herself as she emerged for the bottom of the giant slide. On the way to the Rock Around the Block Parade we stopped at the carousel again. Cassidy was beside herself by this time - asking to go home - but we all rode the ride (even Joey who doesn't like spinning) and, again, Lily had fun. We put Cassidy into the stroller (she threw a fit initially, literally screaming and thrashing like a wild animal...yes, we were THAT family with the wild kid!) and told her to lie down and rest if she didn't want to watch the parade. She obeyed - she was exhausted - and we found a place at the end of the parade route to watch. Lily and Joey stood back a little bit - Lily enjoyed clapping along, but didn't want to get too close to the characters. Cassidy eventually sat up and I ended up holding her so we could wave at everyone. The music and dancing were great! HIGHLIGHT - Big Bird came and touched Cassidy on the shoulder, then waved to her when she turned around! Wish I had a picture!!!

After the parade (which was only 15 minutes - perfect again!), we went back to Elmo's Eatery to cool off and have a snack. We decided we'd try to see the two other shows - Big Bird's Beach Party and Abby Kadaby's Treasure Hunt - and check out Twiddleland before leaving for the day. Big Bird's Beach Party was my favorite show. It was fun beach music and dancing. The first few rows were the splash zone when the characters "jumped" in the water. Cassidy and Lily were so cute! They danced, surfed, drove a car, and hula'd with the characters. Abby Kadaby's show was fun, too - the treasure was books, which Joey loved - but the theater was hot.

In Twiddleland, Cassidy loved the Twiddletracks so much she rode them twice - with our help! We also looked at some of the waterslides and Cassidy played on a shovel and pail slide and a bag of marbles slide. Lily, too exhausted to stay awake, passed out during this time.

We left the park around 5:45 p.m. and drove to Applebee's. Aunt Jennifer had given us a gift certificate. The drive to the resturant was long. The girls ate Cheerios, then Cassidy napped and Lily played. At the resturant, we ordered then tried to enterain everyone while we waited for the food. We were beyond tired, so it was a challenge. Lily ate well, but Cassidy was too tired/excited so she barely touched her food and even her ice cream. She was irritable and crying off and on. To make our meal even more interesting, we were seated next to a group of "special" people with their caregivers. One of the special people, John, kept yelling (it sounded like Chewbacca!) throughout the entire meal! Apparently he was mad because they would not let him take food off of other people's plates. Of course, this was very interesting to Cassidy who kept turning around in her seat to stare at the group. She even tried making a few "wookie calls" herself, which I quickly put a stop to as I tried not to laugh.

What an end to our day! Joey and I found it very comical as we drive back to the hotel. The drive took longer than expected because TomTom (our navigational system) was not aware of road construction. We ended up heading in the wrong direction right as we were approaching our hotel. Cassidy, who could see our hotel, was calling and crying from the back seat, "Daddy, no! You're going the wrong way! I don't want to go anywhere else! I want to go to the hotel!" I was hysterical as Joey turned our van around and we finally arrived at the hotel. Bath time revived everyone so it was nearly 10:00 p.m. before we settled in for a blissful night of sleep!

Sesame Place Journal (July 28, 2008)

I know I had promised pictures earlier in the week of our trip, but the Internet was down at the hotel...and I didn't have time or energy to load them anyway! :) I'm working on adding pictures, using the world's slowest computer, so hopefully some will be up soon. In the meantime, here is the first part of my journal. Joey and I both journaled during the trip and I am using our thoughts in scrapbooks for the girls.

11:15 a.m. - We left the house at 5:00 a.m. for our first leg of our Sesame Place trip. Thirty minutes into the car ride Cassidy asked if we were at Sesame Place yet! The girls napped only briefly, but were both smiling and cheerful. We stopped in Richmond to have breakfast with Great-Gran and Great-Mema at the Masonic Home. Cassidy and Lily were glad to stretch their legs, get some food, and visit with their great-grandparents. Lily even went to Mema, arms outstretched, to be picked up. Mema, of course, obliged the request. Gran tried to entertain them with his dancing and singing toys, but the girls were terrified. Lily screamed and cried and Cassidy said she wanted to go home! We said our goodbyes and got back on the raod about 10:00 a.m. Lily promptly fell asleep (she didn't sleep well last night) and Cassidy is watching Finding Nemo. Next stop will be lunch. We're making good time and looking forward to swimming this afternoon at the hotel.

Monday Evening - We had a GREAT car ride. The girls were so well-behaved. We watched movies, read books, and rested. We drove on the outskirts of Washington DC so we could see the capital building, Pentagon, and Washington Monument. We planned to stop for lunch at a rest area, but never found one, so we stopped at a McDonalds. We ate Mickey D's fries and leftover pizza and the girls played in the play place. Lily even crawled in the tunnels. A couple of hours later we made it to the hotel, which is really nice. We got settled in our room and went for a quick swim before dinner. The water was freezing but Cassidy was SO happy! We tried to be good sports for her. Soon it was bedtime. Everyone was cranky so it took a bit of time to settle down. After that everyone slept blissfully except for one incident at 10:00 p.m. Cassidy had to use the bathroom and then was upset and crying. Miraculously, Lily slept through the whole thing.

Tuesday Morning - Everyone was awake at 6:30 a.m., so we dressed and had a great breakfast courtesy of the hotel - eggs, sausage, toast, bagels, muffings, yogart, hash browns, waffles, juice, cereal! Now we are packing up to leave for the park, while the girls play with their toys. They have been playing beautifully together. I can't wait to get to Sesame Place!