JSL Archives - Page 18 of 31

Disney World Vacation 2011: Hidden (and Not So Hidden) Mickey and Friends #DisneySMMoms

March 29, 2011 TechyDad Disney, DisneySMMoms, JSL, NHL, Photos, Vacation

B quite nicely explained our arrival in Disney World for the 2011 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. As we checked in to our room and made our way around the hotel and parks, NHL and JSL began noticing things they hadn’t noticed before: Mickey Mouse.

No, not that Mickey. I’m talking about the more hidden variety. Like on the floors of the hotel in the tiles.

Of course, Mickey wasn’t alone there. His friends Pluto, Donald, Minnie and Goofy joined him.

In the room, the boys noticed a Mickey hidden (not so subtly) in our towels.

They also spotted his face in a lamp. (Again, this one was pretty obvious.)

Then, JSL made a discovery. There was a second Mickey on the desk. Not on the lamp, but hidden in the woodwork.

Later on, we discovered that the tiles by the elevator held a certain fairy.

I’d like an extra large order of pixie dust, please.

When it was time for us to join B for dinner (after her Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons Platinum Soiree), we spotted a few more Mickey-and-Friends in the rug.

We also noticed, in the Grand Floridian’s lobby, Chip, Mrs. Potts and a certain magical rose.

Our final Hidden Mickey of the night, though, was the proudest one. NHL and JSL looked at the floor and declared “Mickey!” Sure enough, there was a Mickey hidden in the pattern.

A family saw me taking this taking this photo and wondered why I was taking a photo of the floor. Then, they saw the Mickey. As we walked along the same path for awhile, their daughter kept pointing out Mickey’s appearance in every tile. I’d like to think we transferred a bit of Hidden Mickey Fever to her. (The only cure: More Mickey Mouse!)

Of course, that night the boys got to see the real Mickey Mouse along with Minnie, Goofy and Pluto:

Oh yes, and I also got this dessert, despite the fact that I had a full plate, because of Minnie’s appearance on it.

Memorable Hockey Firsts and Old Favorites

February 22, 2011 TechyDad Hockey, JSL, NHL, Photos, Sports

Last night, we took the boys to a hockey game. This wasn’t their first hockey game, but it did contain a lot of firsts and favorite moments. Of course, the main “first” was that this wasn’t an Albany River Rats game. The team name changed when the New Jersey Devils returned. Our team is now the Albany Devils.

This also means we have a new Mascot. Instead of Rowdy the Rat, we now have the Devil Dawg. I must admit that I thought this character looked a bit freaky when photos were first released. Luckily, it looks less scary in person. The boys headed right to him as B went to buy tickets and then loved spotting him where ever he appeared during the game.

As we watched the players practice, one of the players flipped a puck over the glass. I didn’t spot it at first, but NHL did. He and another boy shot off after the puck. NHL had luck on his side and the puck bounced so that NHL was able to grab it first. His first hockey puck!

After that came an old favorite of JSL’s: The zamboni. He loves seeing them go around and smooth out the ice. I’m convinced that he would drag us to an “ice show” that consisted of nothing but zambonis driving around for 30 minutes.

The hockey game commenced and NHL was into the game, yet distracted. He had heard that Dora would be at the game and he was determined to see her. We ended the first period down 0-1 and I figured out where Dora would be. Off we went. Of course, the line was outrageously long. I let the boys wait on line and told them that we might not get to see her. After all, there are only 20 minutes between periods and the line was huge. Slowly, the line shortened and we inched closer. The boys got excited as they caught glimpses of the famous Spanish-speaking explorer.

Finally, we were there. The boys received a Dora autograph and coloring page. Then, they got to see Dora.

Well, NHL did. JSL refused to go near her. I wasn’t about to let that much waiting time result in no JSL photo with Dora though. I handed the camera to B, scooped up JSL, and walked up to Dora.

Perfect shot! The boys were so happy at seeing Dora. (Skipping to later on, we turned on the TV when we got home and who do you think was on? DORA!)

Back to the hockey game we went. This was turning into a real nail-biter. We went from being down by 1 to being up by 2 to being tied. The tie game turned into overtime. The overtime turned into a shootout. This was a first for both my boys and for me. I’ve seen hockey games won and lost during regular play and overtime, but have never seen a shootout first hand.

We all cheered as our player rushed the opposing goal and jeered when the opponents rushed ours. One of the Albany Devils got a goal in and everyone cheered. The rest of the players (both ours and theirs) were being blocked. NHL could hardly stay in his seat. He was so excited. The last opposing player was up and we were on the edge of our seat. He approached the goal and… DENIED! The arena (minus a few opposing team fans who had journeyed to support their team) exploded into cheering. NHL and JSL were right there with them.

We got back home, stopping to pick up McDonald’s along the way as a special treat, and the boys were still loving their day out. There was so much that they loved about the night and so much excitement. They agreed with us that this was something we had to do again.

Lollipop Hearts

February 17, 2011 TechyDad JSL, NHL, Photography, Photos

For Valentine’s Day, we got the boys some lollipops. (Of course, by “we”, I mean B. She’s the one who found and purchased them.) Of course, these weren’t ordinary lollipops, but heart shaped ones on ring “sticks.” I took the opportunity to whip out my DSLR and get a few photos. (Click on the photos to enlarge them.)

I love how blue JSL’s eyes are in this shot. The DSLR picks that up so nicely.

NHL is always looking away from the camera for some reason. I think the TV might have been on. Also, he seems to have inherited my hair in at least one respect. When I need a haircut, my hair refuses to obey any commands of mine and simply does whatever it wants to do.

I love the depth of field in this shot. That and the wonderful smile hiding behind that lollipop.

It’s times like this that I love that we live in the age of digital photography. These moments are now captured and stored for years to come. When our boys are grown, we can go back and relive these moments over and over again.

My Three Year Old Scientist

February 10, 2011 TechyDad Geeky Pursuits, JSL, Science

This morning, as I was preparing lunches and snacks for NHL and myself, JSL came into the kitchen to play. As he usually does, he was taking magnets off the fridge and repositioning them. Then he took a turtle magnet off and looked at it. Glancing to his side, he spied the dishwasher. The turtle magnet got put on the door to the dishwasher and JSL was amazed. It stuck in place!

He quickly brought this fascinating fact to my attention. “Daddy! Daddy! It sticking! See?!”

After entertaining himself with his new magnet-location, JSL did something that impressed me. He took the magnet off the turtle and tried sticking it to the cabinet. Why did this impress me? Simple. He was experimenting. He had found a new and interesting phenomenon and was testing the limits of this. Magnets stick to fridges (known) and dishwasher doors (new). Do they stick to cabinets? No. What about walls? Also, no.

He asked me about the sticking so I took the time (which still packing lunches) to explain to him that magnets stick to metal which the fridge and dishwasher have in them. He asked what else was metal and I mentioned that the oven might be, but he would need to try it out. He excitedly put the magnet to the oven door and… it fell off. So much for that theory.

Still, his excitement at testing a new theory fills my geeky heart with joy. I know that NHL has an inner geek (he loves Star Wars, is enthralled by super hero cartoons, loves playing on the computer, etc), but I wasn’t completely sure about JSL. I’d say this is some good proof that JSL has a bright future on the Geek Side!

P.S. Sorry for the cell phone photo above. As I mentioned earlier, I was rushing to make lunches/snacks and get NHL to school. I didn’t have time to get my camera out for a proper photo.

The Case of the Copy-Cat Brother

January 27, 2011 TechyDad Fatherhood, JSL, Parenting

JSL adores his older brother. He looks up to and emulates him whenever possible. Lately, however, this has become a problem. You see, JSL has been picking up on things that get his brother in trouble and mimicking them. This is nothing new, mind you, he’s been doing this for as long as he was able to parrot his brother’s actions. However, in the past, he wasn’t really punished for them. How do you send a 1 year old to time out for doing something his brother does?

Now that JSL’s nearing 4, he’s getting a good lesson in the meaning of the word “consequences.” Saying you don’t want to eat what’s been served (after I went out of my way to make you what you asked for)? Don’t expect to get dessert and don’t expect me to make a second dish.

JSL will see his brother declare that he doesn’t want to eat what’s served and then turn around and demand dessert. As if having dessert is a right all kids have guaranteed by the Constitution: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide M&M Cookies to all kids…”

Even though this tactic doesn’t work for NHL (“I’m full.” “Ok, then leave the table.” “I want dessert!” “Ok, then you must be hungry enough to eat your food.”), JSL still sees his brother using the tactic. And since JSL not only must copy his brother, but out-do him, he turns into Mister Uber-Picky Eater. Foods that he will scarf down multiple servings of one day will get a reaction as if they were yuckiest dish imaginable the next day.

JSL sees NHL eat his pizza by peeling off the cheese. So JSL peels off the cheese on his pizza. However, while NHL eats his cheese after finishing off the crust/sauce section, JSL turns his nose up on the cheese. The same cheese that he devoured when I gave him a few slices before baking the pizza.

JSL also picks up on noises and phrases NHL uses. NHL, from time to time, will make an annoying “nyah nyah” sound. Mainly to JSL, he knows better than to make it to us. JSL, though, has no such fear apparently. He “nyahs” at us over and over until he winds up in his bed crying.

You might remember last Friday when I blogged about NHL’s fear of dying. Since that day, nearly every night as the boys go to sleep. I’ve had to confront “I’m afraid I’m going to die.” Not from NHL, mind you, but from JSL. It’s clear that JSL has no concept of what “dying” is. Unlike NHL, he’s never known someone close to him who passed away. All JSL saw is that NHL said “I’m afraid of dying” and Mommy and Daddy consoled him and he got to stay up a little later. He’s clearly trying to stay awake just awhile longer. (This isn’t a cry for attention because the “afraid of dying” will come along with repeated drink requests, declarations that he isn’t tired, repeated questions on semi-random topics, and various other delaying tactics.)

JSL can be the sweetest kid in the world. I love that he insists on being my helper (even when we don’t need help) and I love his “kiss attacks”, but there are times when it seems like “Intentionally Annoying JSL” is out an about too much and taking too many notes from his older brother.

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