3 years old!! Where has the time gone. I remember very distinctly rushing for the hospital after my 3rd contraction and making it with 15 minutes to spare before he made his grand entrance into the world. Ever one to run, jump, climb on everything - Zaby came in to this world with a bang, and is ever determined to grow up as quickly as he can. I can't believe the boy is 3.
I feel terrible that Zaby's 1st and 2nd birthday still sit as unpublished drafts in my blog queue. In an effort to make a more accurate chronology of our lives, I will post this birthday before he has another one. :)
After a quick breakfast of pancakes (zaby's favorite), we dressed the kids, and headed to the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia for a production of Disney on Ice. This is the 2nd Disney on Ice performance we have been to and it didn't disappoint. The trip was a surprise, and the kids were super excited when we arrived.
Eliza and Zabien were absolutely glued to the ice the entire first act. I don't think they even moved. Hazel was pretty fascinated at the beginning. But...then she got bored. However, she is such a great baby, we didn't have to pace the halls with her. Some nursing, crackers, and water bottles kept her happy enough for us all to enjoy the show. The show consisted of several reenactments of the best Disney/Pixar movies. The skating was quite amazing and even more so within the constraints of costumes.
Bruce and Zaby's favorite part was The Lion King and Aladdin. I liked Lion King, Eliza liked Frozen, Hazel didn't care either way. After intermission, I had to revert to pretzels and crackers to keep the kids happy. They still loved the rest of the show, but they were getting hungry.
After the show was over, we headed down to Macey's in Center city to see the Dicken's Christmas village and the Grand illumination.
walking the busy street of downtown Philly
This is a 15 minutes light show on the back wall of Macey's department store. With over 15,000 lights coordinated to music , it is quite a spectacle. We had hoped to catch the earlier showing of the Grand illumination. We were rushing to get there as it was, but it wasn't until we were about to cross the street that Bruce noticed Zabien only had one boot on his foot. Thinking we dropped it along the way, we retraced our steps. We didn't find the missing boot until we got all the way back to the van. Turns out we got him out of the van with only 1 boot. Zaby walked 3 full blocks without a boot on and didn't say a single thing about it. Needless to say we missed the first show.
So. we headed to Dickens village. It was quite cool. The kids were not familiar with the story of A Christmas Carol, so while we waited in line to get in, Bruce told them the basics of the story. He actually told them twice because they kept asking so many questions.
Eliza liked the exhibit so much, she asked to go again. While I stood in line with Eliza again, Bruce took Hazel and Zabien outside to see the Charlie Brown display.
By this time, the Grand illumination was scheduled to start again. We found a (in)decent viewing spot (next to the lingerie) and settled down to watch the show. Hazel wanted to nurse, so I took her to the changing room, and Zabien took off running. By the time Bruce gathered him up, Eliza was crowded out of her spot. Oh well, we saw it well enough to say that we've seen it. :)
The cheesesteaks were good, but I'm not sure it was worth the long wait. Admitedly, we should have walked home, ate cake, opened presents, and then come back to the restaurant to eat dinner. But I really didn't think it would take the 45 minutes they quoted us, yet alone the hour and a half it actually took.
But... the kids loved their Mac and Cheese
Hazel had some yummy squeezable baby food while we were waiting for our table, so she was one happy little camper when we were finally seated.
Bedtime was late that night. Present opening didn't start until 8:30. What 3 year old boy would go to bed without getting a chance to play with his new toys. Overall it was a great day.
A Cars backpack with matching lunch pail
(not pictured) A football to play with in the swimming pool and a Buzz Lightyear rain jacket
A Mickey Mouse clubhouse tool set
Grandma Porter sent him a John Deere semi trailer with tractor, and he picked out a Lightning MacQueen and Mack the trailer car set with the money he got from grandma Richards. He is a happy boy!
Happy Birthday Zabien. You bring a lot of energy and excitement to our family. You are helpful, thoughtful, and full of love, and I sure love you!
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