Disneyland

Clara arriving to the Orange County airport

Clara (Sleeping Beauty) with her cousins Lily (Cinderella) and Lucas at the entrance of Disneyland


Clara and Mommy in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle



Clara meets Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)


Clara meets Princess Minnie Mouse



Princess Clara on her throne

Clara and Lucas in front of It's a Small World, lit up with holiday lights.

Clara on the It's a Small World boat. This was her favorite ride.

Lucas, Clara and Lily running hand-in-hand through Disneyland.

Clara sitting on the letter A in front of Disney's California Adventure.

Clara and Mommy meet Sully from Monsters, Inc.

Clara and I had a very special trip to Disneyland this past weekend. Daddy stayed home with Michael, Tighe and Cian and Grandma Marge and Papa Don came down to help him. Jeff, Lisa, Lucas and Lily met us at Disneyland and we spent 2 days together exploring the park. We got lots of advice on what to do and see while we were there and we also had our own personal tour guides (Jeff's family have been to Disneyland many times) and it was still overwhelming.

We started off our morning at the Princess Fantasy Faire. Clara was dressed as Sleeping Beauty and Lily as Cinderella. Lily (2 1/2 years old) greeted all the princesses with a smile and gave them all a 'squeeze', sat on their lap and took a photo. Clara, on the other hand, at nearly 4 years old, was very bashful and insisted that Mommy accompany her for the photos. I thought this would be the highlight of Clara's trip but was very wrong.

After the princesses, cousin Lucas and Uncle Jeff met us, and Clara went running off laughing, playing and being silly with Lucas. They had a blast running around the park together. They ran all around Toon Town, exploring Goofy's Playhouse, Donald's Boat, Minnie's House and Mickey's House. We got to visit briefly with Nandi, Birdie, Evan and Arden in Toon Town, but it wasn't long before our children pulled us all in different directions. We went on one of Lucas' favorite rides, the Sailing Ship Columbia, where Pirate Lucas ran around pretend shooting guns and setting off cannons. It wasn't long before our princess started shooting back.

Later that evening, we went on It's a Small World, which became Clara's favorite ride. We were there at dusk and got to see the lighting of the castle, which was a beautiful sight. Clara had a blast with her cousins, often standing between them, holding their hands. The next day, they were running through the park holding hands. She loved the Merry Go Round (Carrousel), Spinning Tea Cups and Autopia but wasn't so keen about Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Peter Pan's Flight and Winnie the Pooh. Why do they have pitch black areas on these kid's rides? Personally, I loved Peter Pan's Flight and walking through New Orleans Square. Clara also loved the fact that Mommy let her get out of bed before the 7 was on the clock. What a special treat!

Aside from the melt-downs due to sensory overload, hunger, thirst and fatigue, we had a fabulous time together and got to spend some quality Mommy-daughter time. I especially loved when Clara brushed my hair before we went to bed the first night.

When we arrived to the airport on our way home, Clara said to me, "Mommy, thank you for taking me to Disneyland so that I could see what it was all about." It was so nice to know that she was grateful for what we had all done for her. Thanks to Bryan, Mom and Don for watching the boys so that we could go on this trip!

Hanging Out with Friends

Clara and Cian watching tv

The Gobbett triplets (4 months old) meet the Dolan triplets (Chase, Riley and Brady, 9 months old).
Michael and Cian

Last week, Michael, Tighe and Cian were able to meet my friend Stacy Dolan's triplets, Chase, Brady and Riley. The Dolan boys were born at the end of February and are 5 months older than Michael, Tighe and Cian. It was fun to get together with them and see what the boys will be like in a few months.

Nursemaid's Elbow

Clara had an uncomfortable afternoon and an exciting evening. She went to a birthday party at her friend Julia's house at noon and injured her arm playing on the Bouncey Castle. She was very uncomfortable when she got home. We decided to let her take her nap and see how the arm was after that. She woke up in a lot of pain so we decided to take her to Urgent Care. She wasn't able to move her right arm at all. When she tried she cried in pain.

We got her all set up in the van for the trip over to the clinic. A teaspoon of Tylenol, a cereal bar, pink lemonade and Annie playing on her DVD player.

After a short wait we got in to see the doctor. He immediately diagnosed Nursemaid's Elbow. It's a dislocation of a bone in the elbow. He told Clara he was going to fix her arm but it might hurt a little. She was very brave. He felt around her elbow and after a few seconds he pressed a certain point and said "there, it's fixed." It reminded me of the legendary bonesetters who worked miracles around the irish countryside. Clara winced, and shed a few tears, but within a minute she was fine. Another minute later and she was playing pat-a-cake with me. Doctor Yao came back a few minutes later for a final check. He told Clara if she gave him a high five with her right hand she could have a lollipop and a Belle sticker. She was happy to oblige...


Clara with her immobile right arm.

"I wish this arm didn't hurt so much"..... Clara waiting for the doctor.

After the Bonesetter has finished his work, Clara reaches high for her reward, a lollipop.

Halloween