Tuesday, August 9, 2011

I'm not sure...

Who is more excited about our Disney trip. Now that Anna is a little older and her speech has developed more her communication skills are growing too. It am sure it is no secret but I start to sweat every time I take Anna out. When she acts up I feel every eye in the room on me. Honestly, I could never imagine having two children. Come to think about it I am not sure I have ever taken Anna and Hans out together alone. Anna is a wonderful child but she can be a handful. I have learned that she has more behavior issues for me then anyone else.

I think our trip to Disney is going to be a good one for a couple of reasons. Anna and I have been talking about it a lot and I have been using this time to talk to her about her behavior. We talk about listening ears, holding hands, little voices (speaking quietly) and restaurant behavior. Anna has come a long way in so many areas but one of the hardest things for Anna is sitting at a restaurant. She will wear me like a cheap suit. Mostly she sits on my lap and wiggles 70% of the time. Puzzles are sent from heaven in a restaurant so I will be sure to pack at least 2 of them. On my last long vacation with her we rented a house so this was not a problem this time we will be in a hotel the entire stay and eating out for an entire week.

I know our talks are getting through to her because yesterday at the beach she told Papa that he had to have good behavior to go the Disney. She also told him that he needed to make sure he listened to Grammy and to put his listening ears on. So she is absorbing what we are talking about which is great.

I am sure that I am just pre-sweating because Gerard is confident that she will be just fine. I think life is a teaching opportunity. I can not expect Anna to behave well if we have not taught her to do so. The next couple of weeks will be filled with excitement and some lessons on too.

So why am I up so early in the morning? Well the excitement got the best of me. Earlier in the week I had picked up some stickers and a 12x12 piece of card stock. I wanted to make a count down calendar for our trip to Disney. This morning I woke up tossed and turned a bit and decided to put the calendar together instead.

I have always wanted to be that type of Mom that does stuff like this for my children. I feel so lucky to called Anna's Momma. I feel even luckier that she likes this kind of stuff too.

Here is what I made



I got cute little stickers to mark off the days too.

7 comments:

JennStar said...

"Mickey" loves to leave us little presents: in our hotel room, at our restaurants. . .etc. You should "write him a letter" and tell him how much Anna likes puzzles!

(I made little stickers that say something like "J & H, I hope you are having a great time! Love, Mickey") and then put them on the bed just as we leave the room or pass them slyly to the waiter to "bring" to the table.

Melissa said...

What a crafty Mommy! I love your calendar. I bet Anna will be really good on vacation. And I agree with you when you say she has more "issues" with you. Colby is the same. He is super good when he goes out with other family members. It is only for mine or Mike's benefit that he acts up. But, I guess we are doing well if he and Anna know how to behave in school and out with others. Wish we were going with you to Disney!
Melissa

Tiger & Kar said...

Hey Joy!
Let's try this a second time...last year we made a trip to Disney in October and tried to make a few days overlap with your trip but it didn't work out. We are going to Disney in September this year, and are planning to meet with Jenn if at all possible. If you are there the same week as us, I would love to meet you & Anna as well. We're renting a house so if you want a home cooked meal you're welcome to stop by!

Drop me a line so we can talk about the timing and see if we'll be there the same time.

Karyn & Ilya
karyn0995@yahoo.com

Tiger & Kar said...

Hi - Karyn again!!
Now that I took the time to blow up the awesome countdown calendar you made Anna, I am about 99% sure we WILL be there the same time. Woohoo!!

Have a magical day!
Karyn

www.adventureswithaidan.org said...

Wonderful! Wish I'd thought of that.

Anonymous said...

Joy,
I am sure she is going to be fine, but it is really a great way to teach her. You are doing a terrific job. Also someone recommended a travel size magna doodle when Amelia was that age. It worked great. She could write , draw and then just erase and start again. I got her's in Target, but obviously that was a while ago. If you can find you, I am sure you will get your moneys worth out of it. Kathy C.

Anonymous said...

I don't know if you have ever seen the wooden puzzles by Melissa and Doug but I love them! They come in a wooden box and there are four different wooden puzzles inside the box and it fits pretty well into a diaper bag. You can find them on Amazon under Melissa & Doug puzzles. Look for the ones that say in a box.

Sabrina