A number of things have been rattling around in my head, so forgive me if this entry is a little stream of consciousness in format... (I also haven't gotten more than 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night for the past 3 or so weeks so my brain isn't working as it should)

Alex's best friend is a girl who he's been friends with since they were about 3 months old. She's a tough little girl (she has 2 older brothers) which makes her an interesting mix of tomboy and girly-girl. Also, their birthdays are only 2 weeks apart and we live close to her family so it's likely they'll continue to go to school together when they reach elementary school. The interesting effect it's had on Alex, though, is that he doesn't perceive any stigma about "girl things". At this age, there's a lot of "you can't play with that, that's a girl toy". But Alex doesn't see any problem with playing with girl toys or putting on a girl's dress-up costume because Ava does it and he'd never think twice about her doing it. When he sees "girl toys" on commercials, he tells me he wants to buy it for Ava. (Probably mostly so he can play with it too LOL) So he knows the difference but doesn't see anything wrong with "girl" stuff.

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My first trip to Disney World was over my 11 birthday. We lived in the midwest, so a trip to Disney World was a big undertaking. My parents wanted to make sure my brother, who is 3.5 years younger than me, would remember the trip. So, we waited until he was 7.

Every birthday until we actually went, I remember that going to Disney World was my wish when I blew out my candles. Of course, I never told anyone because then it wouldn't come true. Sometimes, though, I'd say "I hope my wish comes true!". I remember when I said that, my mom would often tell me "Wishes don't mean anything unless you *make* them come true." At the time, I found that very frustrating because how can a grade schooler make that happen?

I've been thinking maybe that's where my love of Disney comes from. This year marks 13 consecutive years I've had a Disneyland annual pass. And yes, my oldest child is 6 years old so the first 7 years I had the pass were just for me. Just because I enjoy it. I'd say we go on average once every other week and I never get tired of it.