So, thanks to these two beautiful people....
....we all eat like Kings and Queens when Uncle Jay comes to town!
(Well, not ONLY when Uncle Jay comes to town, but they pack in several delicious restaurants while Jay is here, so the whole week is a gluttonous food fest with Disney food and Capital Grill and not to mention the yummy snacks and appetizers and meals my mom creates in her own kitchen. YUM.
So the week of Christmas was no exception. First, we all headed to one of my favorite restaurants on the planet, California Grill. The restaurant is on the top floor of Disney's Contemporary Resort and overlooks the Magic Kingdom. Its delicious food (we wanted to lick our plates), and the setting is unbeatable.
I love that these kids hold hands ALL the time in the car :)
And it never fails. Whenever we cross under this sign, we have to smile. We love living so close to the magic.
I keep eluding to it, but I want to make sure to mention that Grady was gluten-free for about four or five days (at most) at this point. He was still sorta hazy or "in a fog", but we were getting more and more LONGER glimpses of his new-found energy and enthusiasm and willingness to participate in life around him!
We also started to learn how easy it would be to keep Grady gluten free at Disney in the future! Disney is SOOOO allergy-friendly!
These girls are my favorites. :) I learn so much from BOTH of them every day!
And really? My two favorite kids at the Happiest Place on Earth? Overlooking the castle? So blessed.
We had out server step outside to snap our pic on the deck. Not bad!!
Grady loved some Monsters University, and while it is now over a month later, I can look back and make note that Grady does not "zone out" like this anymore. Not to this extreme where he could sit and watch a movie for an hour in a restaurant. Now, he has more energy and wants to go, go, go like a typical toddler boy. He definitely has a LOVE for technology (tv, ipad, phones, etc), but he doesnt just sit and zone out anymore the way he did when his hearing loss and gluten were impacting his energy levels, excitability,and lack of interest in the world around him.
Uncle Jay and Whitney are two peas in a pod. They crack each other up and I LOVE watching them together!
And just as dinner was wrapping up, the fireworks began! Whitney was SO excited!
We headed outside again to see the Kingdom all lit up! My brother got some of my FAVORITE pictures of Grady. This was when we really started noticing that Grady was coming out of the fog that gluten had created in his eyes. He had more energy and was more willing to run and play instead of being carried everywhere and staying close-by. He was exploring more and laughing more and engaging more. We knew we were onto something!
I LOVE this smile.
I cant pick a favorite shot of him! He was just so HAPPY and running up and down the deck. And squealing. SQUEALING with happiness!!
Love.
Another night, we enjoyed YUMMY food my mom and dad made, and then took the annual pic in front of the tree :)
And just before Jay left to return home, we went to Capital Grill for another YUMMY dinner!
This girl looked five...at least.
And Grady continued to come out of his shell....and touched Mac's lobster! A few days before (with gluten in his system), Grady never wouldnt touched a wet/unknown texture. He wasnt a fan of playdoh or wet grass. He wasnt "weird" about it in that he didnt flip out or lose his mind...he just wouldnt touch it if he didnt have to and if he HAD to touch it, he would give a little shiver and wipe his hands on his shirt like, "ewww".
But not with lobster! Dude knows yummy food when he sees it!
It may not be a big deal for other moms to see their toddler get their hands dirty, but it was so fun to see Grady exploring and trying new things and not "just" sitting there witnessing life around him.
He has been turning over new leaves left and right, and we are so excited to see how simple diet changes can impact his behavior and energy and happiness!
Jay and Gramps gave Whitney a brief wine lesson and we agreed that we might have a mini-sommelier on our hands! They asked what she smelled and she said "berries"....which was accurate! ;)
It was another great meal amongst a week filled with delicious meals, thanks to our mom and dad who love good food, good wine, and good times with family!
THANKS, Mom and Dad!
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