Disney!

We just got back from Disney last weekend.

What a wonderful time we had!  I have about eighty bajillion photos but I posted half a bajillion photos on fb so I think I will limit it to just a few here.  What I really want to blog about is  some of my reflections from our week in Florida....the things I want to remember 5 years from now.

*  The kids did SO WELL.  They are getting a bit "older" so it was much easier to travel with them this time around.  No diapers, no waking up all night with them wondering where they are, no having to dash out of restaurants with antsy toddlers, .no okay, few meltdowns, ...I feel like we can finally start enjoying traveling more.  Because the last 5 years have not been easy travel years! ;)

 

 *  My MIL and I took Chloe & Audrey to a princess breakfast in Epcot.  It was so nicely done and I loved watching Chloe with the princesses.  As expected, she was shy at first but warmed up to them pretty quickly.  I thought for sure that Chloe would want to wear her princess dress so I brought it but she refused to wear it!!  Oh well.  It was a really fun time, dress or no dress.

*  Our favorite rides:  I think the favorite for all of us was the Rock-n-Rollercoaster in Hollywood Studios!  Other favorites:  Everest, Kali River Rapids, Safari (all from Animal Kingdom); Winnie-the-Pooh, Astro Orbiter, Barnstormer (Magic Kingdom); Toy Story Mania, Tower of Terror (Hollywood Studios); Soarin' & Mission: Space (Epcot).  We really like our rides.  Even Carter & Audrey rode every single rollercoaster and "big" ride that they could.  Carter in particular has no fear.  That must come from the Smith side of the family because when I was young I was scared to ride the big rides!

 *  Best shows:  Finding Nemo & The Lion King shows at Animal Kingdom were very creative and kept all the kids attention from start to finish; Philharmagic at Magic Kingdom was an unexpectedly fun and creative 3D show;  the girls & I enjoyed the stage show of Beauty & the Beast at HS; Captain EO at Epcot (just kidding....that show is still awful after all these years, but there were still people in the audience cheering when MJ came onscreen....I don't get it).  Of course, the Electric Parade and Wishes fireworks shows at MK were amazing too.

*  At Epcot there are some fountains that would water randomly from one fountain to another.  Carter is STILL talking about this being his favorite part of vacation.  :)

* We brought in our lunches but every afternoon we took a Mickey popsicle break.  :)

*  The kids had just as much fun on our "off" days -- swimming at the pool.

*  I am SO glad we took our sit-n-stand stroller.  If only it were bigger so I could have gotten in at the end of a long day....

 * We had a lot of fun looking for "Hidden Mickeys"!

*  Whoever came up with the idea for fast passes is a genius.  There is something psychologically gratifying about walking past all the other people waiting in line and getting right on!

* On Friday (our last park day), we were getting ready to go....walking down Main Street toward the entrance of Magic Kingdom.  I looked back at Cinderella's castle and yes - I got teary eyed.   It truly is a magical place, even for grown-ups.  Usually I am ready to go home after a vacation but this is one of the first vacations in a long time where I really didn't want to leave yet. :(

*  We all made some very special memories with Chad's parents.  I am so glad that we could go with them and enjoy such a fun vacation together.

It'll probably a number of years before we get to go back.....so Mickey & Minnie Mouse, we will miss you but I hope we can see you again some day in the not TOO distant future!

O Happy Day

Today was a happy day.

One of those days I just sit back at the end of the day and smile thinking about. 


Nothing out of the ordinary happened, really.  It was just a series of wonderful moments and I just have to thank God for blessing me with a day like today.  Because as any parent will tell you - they aren't all like this. (!)

This morning I went to my Bible study as I normally do on Wednesday mornings.  I almost always leave feeling refreshed, and grateful for the women who encourage me there.  Today was no exception.

I had invited a few friends & their kids over afterwards for lunch.  The weather was beautiful and we ate on the deck and babies crawled and "bigger" kids ran around the yard and house - enjoying each other's company, as did the moms.  I am so thankful for great friends. 

After they left, Chloe took a nap.  Carter asked me to help him finish building something with his K'nex that he and Chad had started earlier.  (I should note that he is SOOOO into building lately that I usually say no because it often turns into an hour long project.)  This time for some reason I said yes, I would help him. We sat on the floor in his room and worked together on completing it.  He was so completely thrilled when it was done.  He kept exclaiming things like "Mommy, I'm so proud of you that you finished my K'nex boat!" and "Mommy, I love you when you play k'nex with me!"  Guess I will be playing a lot of K'nex this summer seeing as they are his love language and all.... :)  

I told him I was going out to the deck to check email and enjoy the weather.  He followed me out and asked to sit on my lap, and we had milk and cookies and just giggled about stuff.  Then we played Memory together before we had to head out to the bus stop to pick up Audrey.  It was -- can I say that an afternoon with my 5 year old son was lovely?  Well, it was.  It was lovely.

At the bus stop, Chloe's friend came driving up in her Jeep.  (Yes, a 3 year old driving a Princess Jeep....)  They drove home together and played outside until dinner time....tooling around our street in the jeep, dancing in princess dresses, hanging out of trees like monkeys. 

It is so fun to watch Chloe develop friendships.  Chloe is lately at an age where she really likes to instigate trouble with her siblings, but fortunately (?) she saves that for home and when she is with her friends, she is mostly a very kind and sweet friend...happy to share, quick to invite, willing to give. 

We ate our dinner out on the deck and while Carter & Chloe are quick to leave the table (more like we are lucky if they sit still for 5 minutes), Audrey is at an age where she is happy to sit and talk.  I love that.  This school year I have seen Audrey mature in a number of significant ways.  For one, she is much less argumentative than she has been in previous years.  She has also been quick to obey, and quick to help out around the home.  If I ask her to do something, it is rarely with much complaint.  I also feel like we can discuss "life" more.  Sometimes she asks me to come up in her bed at bedtime and we have some great conversations then.  I wish these conversations were not taking place at 9pm, but....well, I'll take it.  I keep thinking - the day is coming when she may not be as willing to talk or spend time with me - so I'd better take advantage now.

(Audrey at field day on Monday)

If I open my eyes - I mean really open them and pay attention - I think probably many of my days are filled with these kinds of moments.  But we need to open our eyes and pay attention. 

I am glad I was paying attention today.

Bittersweet moments

Last night I spent the evening at Target with a friend who is about to have her first baby.  We shopped for bottles, pacifiers, hooded towels, crib sheets, boppy covers, nursing tops, comfy clothes for after the baby comes, a stroller, a pack and play, etc.  We also discussed the merits of certain pacifiers and why bath robes for babies - while completely cute - are totally pointless (in my humble opinion....)  It was a lot of fun.

Then at some point in our shopping it dawned on me that I no longer have any need to shop in this section of Target other than for gift-buying.  Part of me is very happy to be done with diapers and nursing and carrying babies in those heavy car seat carriers.  Then another part of me can't believe that my baby days are over.  Didn't I just take that first pregnancy test a couple years ago?

 Early days of motherhood....

 Life seemed so simple then...

 And we look so young.  {sigh}

It was a little bittersweet, can ya tell??

Luckily I'll have Lyn's baby to cuddle and hold.  And trust me, I owe that girl some BIG TIME babysitting hours.... :)  I am so excited for her....can't wait to meet her little boy and love on him!

Visit with Santa

Audrey, 7
Carter, almost 4
Chloe, 16 months

Last week my Mom & I took the kids to visit Santa. As you can see, one family member was less than thrilled about the man in the red suit ... but trust me, we didn't leave her on his lap for long. :) I usually take the kids in the few days before Thanksgiving - it's a little early but it makes for a quick trip and no lines, and they usually have off from school anyhow.

I know people have different opinions about telling their kids about Santa, but for us it is just for fun. Actually, I have never made a big deal out of Santa ... but Audrey kind of picked up the ball and ran with it at an early age. The kids have such fun with it all that I really don't want to burst their bubble, but it is only a matter of time for Audrey. The other day she came home from school and told me that some boy on the bus said that Santa was just a man in the suit - and she said (and I quote) "everyone on the bus went {gasp}!!" (I personally thought it was funny that the whole bus was appalled by what he said.)

Anyhow, we usually leave cookies for Santa, put reindeer food out on the lawn, and he leaves a couple favorite presents for the kids. Honestly, I think Audrey WANTS to believe in Santa because she is a sharp cookie and there have been many instances where she would have reason to doubt. I don't remember ever really believing in Santa as a child ... but I would pretend to believe because I loved all the traditions surrounding him.

This weekend we took out the Christmas stuff and I found these photos from the past few years. It is so fun to see how our family has changed, and how the kids in particular have grown. The pictures start with Audrey at age 3. (I know I have some pictures of Audrey earlier on but I can't find them at the moment.)

Audrey, age 3
(and I was almost 8 months pregnant with Carter)

Audrey, age 4 & Carter, age 11 months

Audrey, 5 & Carter, almost 2

Audrey, 6
Carter, almost 3
Chloe 5 months
And Mommy, age 37
(Only way I could get Carter to be in the picture this year was to have him on my lap!)

The Santa is the same man in each picture!! (And my Mom & I say he is the "real" Santa, because - geez, doesn't he look authentic to you??)

Hope you are enjoying this holiday season!

Reminiscing

Today I was looking through a bunch of old photos on the computer. I happened upon these gems, taken during a vacation to Florida in May of 2006. Audrey was only 2 1/2 and I was newly pregnant with Carter.

Ahh, sweet memories. :)





Carter saw a few of these photos and asked where he was. Hard to explain to him that he was not born yet!

And ... hard to believe that in a little over a year, Chloe will be at this same age. Boy have things changed around here since then!!