Washington D.C.

For Father's Day we flew to Washington D.C. to spend a long weekend with Mimi, Grandpa, Uncle Mark and Meredith (Mark's amazing girlfriend).  We stayed from Friday to Monday.  Mimi, Grandpa and Daddy got to go to THREE baseball games----the NY Yankees vs. Washington Nationals.

Mikey was thrilled to go on another plane ride.  The flight down was uneventful and QUICK.  Only an hour and five minutes.  Mikey started off watching Spongebob Square Pants (a cartoon he does not watch at home) but wasn't really interested.  He preferred watching SportsCenter on ESPN instead!  

Mimi and Grandpa picked us up at the airport and we headed to our condo.  We stayed in the same building that Mark and Meredith live in----very convenient!  We shared a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom place with more than enough space.  Once we got settled in, we headed out to lunch and relaxed.  Around 4:30 Daddy, Mimi and Grandpa headed to the Metro for dinner and the game.  Mikey and I hung out at the condo for a bit and then ventured out on the street.  We met up with Meredith after work at the National Building Museum where Mikey had a blast running around on the grass and playing with the other children.  We walked Meredith to her gym class and then headed back to the condo.  When Meredith came home we hung out at her and Mark's apartment where we ate pizza and Mikey watched Cars 2 and played golf with Meredith's putter.

 Mikey trying on Uncle Mark's sneakers

Saturday our plans got shifted since I woke up with a nasty head cold.  While Mimi, Grandpa and Daddy headed out to the ballgame that morning Mikey, Meredith and I hung out at the pool and got some ice cream.  (The original plan was to go to the Zoo----much more exciting.)  We spent the afternoon resting and then met up with everyone for dinner, including Mike's Uncle Mark and his family from Virginia.  

Sunday was everyone's turn to go to the game.  We made it to the park around noon and Mark immediately took Grandpa, Michael and Mikey down to the field where the Yankees were completing batting practice.  (Daddy got autographs of Gio Gonzalez, Ken Singleton, and Raul Ibanez.)  Mikey didn't understand the concept of just watching the players on the field---he wanted to play, too!  He began to cry and so I had a chance to take Mikey on the field.  As the Yankees were finishing up batting practice, Curtis Granderson was signing some baseballs for fans.  We made our way over and Mikey very carefully handed Curtis the ball.  Curtis said "Don't worry, buddy.  I'll give it right back".  When he was done signing the ball, they high-fived each other.  Both of them had huge grins on their faces.  It was awesome.

 Waiting for the Metro with Grandpa

 A very happy Mikey and Meredith

 Mikey watching batting practice

 Derek Jeter

 Alli and Meredith

 Mikey, Mommy and Curtis Granderson

 Mikey double fisting our sodas (Diet Coke and Ginger Ale---Mmmmm....)

Grandpa, Daddy and Uncle Mark

 Family shot on the field

 Mikey "running" the bases

 Home plate

We ate lunch in the Diamond Club before the game started.  (Celebrity sighting: Nick Swisher's wife sat at the table behind us.)  Mikey made it through the first half of the first inning prior to falling asleep. He slept for three innings!  He lasted through the rest of the game constantly saying "I want to go down there and play baseball".  At the end of the game Uncle Mark got Mikey back on the field to run the bases----a tradition after every game.  Mikey wasn't allowed to run with Mommy or Daddy but willingly went with one of the young girls on the staff.  He made it to second base before he started crying and looking for us.  The poor girl had to carry Mikey the rest of the way!

Back at the condo, Mark gave Fred and Michael their Father's Day gifts----baseballs autographed by DEREK JETER!  Sunday night we went to dinner at a delicious Italian place in Georgetown.  This place has "pasta mamas" that stand in the storefront window and make homemade raviolis.  So cool.  After dinner we walked around before heading back to the condo.  On the drive home we took the scenic tour and saw all the monuments lit up at night.

Monday we headed back to the airport.  As we got on the plane, Mikey wanted to say hello to the pilot.  The pilots said "We will have more time when we get to Boston.  Come back and say hello and we can give you a tour of the cockpit and you can take pictures, too!".  Mikey and Michael were asleep before we took off.  When we landed Mikey said "I want to go in the air!".  He totally slept through the quick flight!  We met up with the pilot and co-pilot (Steve and Dan) along with our very helpful flight attendant, Pamela, and Mikey got the full tour.  Daddy went into the cockpit too and was able to take pictures of Mikey.  Mikey was allowed to push buttons and everything.  Clearly this made his day!  Later that week I emailed Jet Blue and commended them on their crew.  They really went above and beyond to make Mikey's flight memorable.  Now whenever Mikey sees a plane he points to the cockpit and says "Mikey sits there".  I hope we don't fly again for awhile or else it will be quite difficult to get him used to sit with the passengers!

Mark and Meredith:  We cannot thank you enough for your hard work and hospitality this past weekend.  You went above and beyond to make sure we had a memorable weekend and you did not disappoint!  We really appreciated everything you did for us!

Mom and Dad: We were happy to spend Father's Day weekend with you. Thank you for everything as well!

First Game at Fenway!

Today was Mikey's first game at Fenway Park, America's Most Beloved Ballpark!  We went to cheer on Uncle Mark's team, the Washington Nationals.  The weather was in the 70s and SUNNY!  It was the perfect day for a ball game!  (I think Mikey enjoyed the hot dog and ice cream more than the actual game, however, he perked up when Big Papi hit a home run.  He kept shouting "I want to hit a home run down there!" and was pointing to the field.  It was a good practice run for us since we will be taking Mikey to the Yankee/Nationals game in DC on Father's Day.)

Towards the end of the game, Mikey met Steve Lombardozzi who played for the Minnesota Twins in 1987 when they won the World Series.  Mikey was initially waving "hi" and doing "knuckles" to him as he was sitting in the row behind us.  Then Mr. Lombardozzi offered to have Mikey take his picture with him and the World Series ring!  Mike took the picture (that's the ring on Mikey's thumb!) and Mikey didn't want to get off his lap.  He said "You want to hang out with Uncle Steve?!?!" and Mikey said "Yeah!".  How often can you say you wore a World Series ring?!?!  It was a pretty special moment.

The Nats swept the Red Sox this weekend.  It was the first time I had been to Fenway when the Sox lost.  Good thing my OTHER favorite team won!  :)

Florida Vacation!

It has been a LONG time since we have been on a "real" vacation.  (Typically vacations qualified as visiting our parents' houses!)  However, Michael was able to take a break from work (yay!) and we made a trip to Florida a priority.  (Hope you are comfortable....this is a LONG post!)

At the airport, Mikey could hardly contain himself.  He was SO EXCITED to watch the planes take off and land.  He was squealing and speaking in a very LOUD voice.  At one point I turned to Mike and said, "Do you think other people are finding this cute or just us?".  He replied "probably just us"!  Mikey loved wearing his headphones to watch TV and listen to XM radio on the plane.  He also loved ordering apple juice and eating snacks.  He told me he had to go potty before we got on the plane.  We stayed in our seats for the entire trip.  (Mr. Fidget stayed still only in a regular buckle since we checked his car seat with the luggage.)

Ready for take-off

We started off flying to Naples to visit Michael's grandparents, Aunt, Uncle and cousins.  Mikey really enjoyed himself with his cousins, Anthony and AJ, as well as swimming in the pool.  We ate great food, shared great company, and Mommy and Daddy got a chance to do some fun things as well (Mommy got her nails done and went shopping with Marianna and Daddy went golfing with the guys!).

Great Grandpa Angelo, Bentley, Great Grandma Sarah, Mikey and Mommy

Mikey & Daddy in the pool

 Anthony, Mikey and AJ

Mikey playing the drums (quite well) at the Felice house

Following a relaxing three days in Naples, Tuesday morning we woke up to an overtired (and cranky!) Mikey and a three hour drive to Orlando to visit Disney World.  With the morning being so rough we figured the afternoon could only get better.  After all, we were going to the "happiest place on earth".

We arrived at the Contemporary Resort at 1:00 pm.  We were immediately attended to as we pulled up.  Our luggage was quickly collected and whisked away to a holding area since our room was not ready yet.  We checked in at the front desk and had nothing left to do but head to the Magic Kingdom.  It would have been nice to gather our thoughts and really be prepared for the excursion we were embarking on, but with no other choice, we forged ahead!

We picked up the Monorail at the hotel (after purchasing the very important autograph book) and headed over to the Magic Kingdom.  I should also mention that we had perfect sunny (yet HOT) weather for our time in Naples.  As we drove north to Orlando, the clouds rolled in and it was sprinkling (not really raining).  As we arrived at the park it was cloudy but dry.  We decided against bring our stroller (didn't want to risk getting it wet) and decided if we needed a stroller at some point, we would rent one from Disney.  Mikey was so excited we abandoned the stroller idea and had him walk.  What a trooper!  He took a few trips on Daddy's shoulders and spent some time on my hip, but overall, walked a good portion of the park.

As we walked into the park, Mikey was in awe of the castle.  There was so much to look at and enjoy. We figured a good place to start was with the "Dream Along with Mickey" show in front of the castle.  Out came the familiar characters (Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Goofy) and Mikey was speechless.  He had a huge grin on his face.  THEN there was a small pop of confetti and it was over....he freaked out.  So we moved on......

Things we had confirmed to us on our first afternoon in Disney:

1) Mikey hates noises related to fireworks (loud "bangs"/"pop" sounds);

and

2) He hates rides in the dark;

The outdoor rides he enjoyed A LOT----Prince Charming Regal Carousel, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and the Walt Disney World Railroad were hits!

Snow White's Scary Mine Train, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and It's a Small World were difficult.  As in the Disney tradition, there are heros and villians.  So during the Snow White ride there was a wicked witch part and it got dark.  I took my hand and covered his eyes during the "scary" parts but it scarred him.  From then on, whenever we entered a ride that was dark, he immediately grabbed my hand and covered his face.

While Mikey and I were on the Dumbo ride, it started to rain.  By the time we got off the Dumbo ride, it was POURING.  This sent us to find some shelter and decide our next move.  We rode on the train and decided to stick it out and get some ponchos.  After grabbing some ponchos and striking out on two more rides (Winnie the Pooh and It's a Small World), we decided to head back to the hotel.

We settled into our room (admired our view of the Magic Kingdom from the window!) and changed into dry clothes.  Once we felt more revived, we went to eat.  We were able to score a table in the lounge of the California Grill, a restaurant on the top floor of our hotel.  It worked out perfectly.  At this point the sun came out (!) and we were able to watch a beautiful sunset and eat a delicious meal.  We made it back to our room in enough time to change into our PJ's and watch the fireworks from our balcony.  Er....Mike and I watched them from the balcony.  Mikey insisted on brushing his teeth at that time and escaping to the bathroom to avoid the noise.  (I hope someday Mikey can love fireworks as much as I do.......)  Mikey fell asleep within minutes of the fireworks ending and we all passed out in our huge king size bed.  The day ended better than it had started and we were all ready to begin day # 2 well-rested and refreshed.

On the monorail

Walking into the Magic Kingdom---he didn't know where to look first!

Watching the Mickey show (before getting scared)

Poncho time!

Tired & Wet---waiting in line for "It's a Small World"

View of the castle lit up from the California Grill

Day 2 in Orlando consisted of Hollywood Studios (formerly known as MGM) and the Magic Kingdom.  We took a bus from the Contemporary to the park.  When we first got there at 9:30 it was empty!  It was so nice to walk around without battling the crowds.  Mikey was a trooper as he walked by himself again.  We were hoping to get on the Toy Story ride, but it was closed for repairs.  As we continued wandering around we stumbled upon a photo session with Lightening McQueen and Tow Mater.  Obviously, Mikey was in heaven.  We then headed over to meet Woody and Buzz Lightyear.  It was a long wait for these two but totally worth it.  Mikey went right up to them and gave them some love!  From there we went to Hollywood and Vine for lunch with the Disney Junior characters (we scheduled this ahead of time).  All of Mikey's favorite characters were there---June from Little Einsteins, Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Special Agent Oso, and Handy Manny.  He was so excited to give everyone a hug and take a picture.  Once he met a character, he would then say "Now I see _____" moving on to the next person.  When lunch was over we tried to see The Little Mermaid show in 4D.  We lasted for one song before we had to leave----Mikey was scared of the dark and the scary characters.  We decided to see the Disney Junior show and then would take off.  In between the show we were able to meet Winnie the Pooh, which Mikey was really excited about.  When it was time for the Disney Junior show, Mikey had more anxiety again as the lights turned out.  He kept saying he wanted to "go home" and would whimper.  I stood with him at the back of the theater and he was able to make it through the whole show.  It was a struggle but we did it.

Family shot with Lightening McQueen and Tow Mater

Meeting Woody from Toy Story

Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates

So happy at lunch with the characters!

Handy Manny!

June from Little Einsteins

On the way back to the hotel on the bus Mikey fell asleep.  And sure enough by the time we got back to the hotel he was re-charged and ready to go.  Mommy and Daddy still needed some rest, though.  After an hour of "resting", we made our way back to the Magic Kingdom.  We walked from the hotel to the Magic Kingdom (5 minute walk, if that) and this time we used the stroller.  What a difference.  We made our way to Adventureland and the Jungle Cruise ride.  We waited A LONG TIME since there was an issue with the ride right before we were about to get on.  Mikey (again) was a trooper.  He saw siblings in the row next to us playing a hand game (they were Spanish speaking) and he was so interested.  When the brother had enough, the sister was still sitting on the ground.  Mikey got up, sat down in front of her and put his hands out to participate in the game.  She was very friendly and played with him.  He loved it.  Once the ride was up and running, Mikey enjoyed it, too.  (He didn't really have a choice!)  From there we headed to Aladdin's Magic Carpet ride (very similar to Dumbo).  Mikey loved when the camel spit water on us as we were going around on the ride!  From here we walked around trying to figure out our next stop.  As we were walking, Mikey passed out in the stroller.  Mike and I watched the "Dream Along With Mickey" show that we didn't get a chance to see yesterday and then sat down to eat dinner.  It was actually kind of peaceful to sit and eat dinner together.  Mikey woke up when we were finishing up dinner.  He quickly ate and then rode on the Tomorrowland Speedway ride with Daddy.  Mike said Mikey was so excited while waiting in line.  He wanted to drive each car---"I drive THAT car!".  Mikey "drove" Michael around the course.  He loved it!!  From there we made our way to Main Street to watch the Electrical Parade.  It was packed with people pushing and shoving.  Mikey had the best seat in the house----on Daddy's shoulders.  The parade was great.  As soon as it was over we quickly left the park before the fireworks started to avoid a meltdown.  We made it back with a few minutes to spare and I was able to see the fireworks again from our balcony.  When I asked if Mikey wanted to watch the fireworks with me with the door closed and his headphones on he replied: "I brush my teeth in the bathroom".  Hopefully one day we will be able to watch the fireworks together.

Snuggling as we are waiting for Jungle Cruise

Playing with the other kids in line

Aladdin Flying Carpet Ride

Mikey and Daddy getting ready to race

Mikey is driving!  Watch out!

Asleep!

Electrical Parade

View of the Magic Kingdom from our room

Day 3 (and our last day) in Orlando took place at Animal Kingdom.  It was sunny and HOT.  We took the bus from the Contemporary to Animal Kingdom and started our next adventure.  None of us had been to Animal Kingdom prior to today so it was new to all of us.  We saw the Tree of Life---so impressive.  Then we ventured through the Pangani Forest Exploration (Walking) Trail in which we were amused by the gorillas and met some new animals (okapi) as well.  We grabbed a fast pass for the Kilimanjaro Sarafi Expedition and then headed over to the Tusker House for our lunch with Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Donald and Daisy Duck.  This was another hit for Mikey.  He was so excited to meet Mickey and Goofy.  We got some great pictures during lunch today.  From lunch we headed to the Safari ride which we all LOVED.  Mikey was so upset when we had to get off the ride (a first)!!  We saw so many animals.  The giraffes came so close to our vehicle--it was really impressive.  We felt like we were on an actual safari (and makes us want to go on an actual safari vacation, too!).  Michael got some great shots during this part as well.  To calm Mikey down, we rode on the Wildlife Express Train which allows you to see where the animals are kept at night as well as animals that are sick or are too little (babies) to be out on the grounds just yet.  From there we walked through the Maharajah Jungle Trek and saw tigers, bats and many exotic birds.  From here we did a lot of walking through the other areas of the park, observed some monkeys hanging out and even had Mikey measured for the Kali River Rapids ride.  He was tall enough to ride and we were hot enough to attempt to go on it, but the 75 minute wait deterred us.  Instead we walked through DinoLand, visited with Goofy and Pluto and rode another "up and down"-type ride.  We were all pretty hot at this point and still needed to pack the car and head to West Palm Beach.  We called it a day.  We boarded the bus back to the hotel, Mikey fell asleep again and this time stayed asleep.  This helped us relax for a minute, Michael loaded the car, we ordered some food for the road (thanks to our Disney meal plan), I grabbed a few souvenirs from the gift shop and we hit the road.  We were in West Palm by 8:00pm (with 2 bathroom breaks for Mikey).

Riding the bus to Animal Kingdom

Tree of Life

Daisy Duck

Mikey and Mickey

Safari Ride

On Friday at Aunt Diane's it rained.  All day.  But that was fine with us.  We all needed some down time to relax and do nothing.  Michael and I did escape for a bit to check on my condo but otherwise we kept a low profile.  Heavenly.

Saturday Aunt Diane and I spent the day at the Breakers Spa as our Mother's Day presents.  I got a facial, massage and pedicure and she got a massage and a pedicure.  The package also included lunch.  We were there from 10 am until 3 pm!  I didn't want to leave.  We were so relaxed!  Michael and Mikey spent the morning at the beach.  That night we made a yummy dinner of veal parm and spaghetti---after A. Diane and I vowed we wouldn't eat anything the rest of the day since we had such a big lunch!  Ha!  For dinner we feasted on pastries from Mario's and our key lime pie leftover from lunch :)

Sunday morning Michael went to my condo to complete some minor repairs while A. Diane and I took Mikey to the beach.  All the beaches were packed!  It took us 1.5 hours to find parking before we ended up in Lantana.  The beach was perfect.  There was a rock about 4 feet from the shoreline and the ocean was calm.  As the water pooled over the rocks, it made a nice shallow wading area for kids to play.  Mikey was hesitant at first to go into the water but quickly warmed up and really enjoyed himself.  He looked for shells, scooped with his shovel and beach toys, and splashed in the water.  It was difficult prying him away.  After we took showers and met up with Michael, we headed down to Fort Lauderdale to see my Uncle Armand.  We walked around Las Olas and had dinner at Cafe Europa, a restaurant I used to go to with A. Diane and U. Tom.  It was delicious. And they had my favorite dessert----berry pie!

Monday morning we started packing up and headed to the airport.  It was so great spending time with my Aunt and Uncle.  I miss the time I spent down there and wish I could see them more often.

As we were leaving West Palm Beach it was 92 degrees and sunny.  When we landed in Boston it was raining and in the high 40s.  We were all FREEZING.  We went straight to Pizzeria Uno's for dinner and then came home and crashed before starting a busy week of work, Eva's House, speech and swim lessons!

Thanks to all of our family for your hospitality and making our vacation so special!  We enjoyed our time with everyone and hopefully will see everyone SOON!

xoxo
Michael, Allison and Mikey