It Was Magical!

Monday morning we woke up at seven. Little Man was unsure if we were really going to Disney World. He wanted to believe it.. but didn't want his hopes up. We quickly ate cereal bars and applied our sunscreen and then we were off to the bus to be at Magic Kingdom early. The kids started to get really excited on the bus. But even more excited when we were at Magic Kingdom. We arrived thirty minutes early so we could wait in line.. and then beat the crowds. And I was just really excited to start the fun!

Here the kids are waiting. Little Miss didn't like the sun. She just closed her eyes a lot. It makes me giggle.

And a picture with Mom.

And with Dad. They are getting sick of pictures already.

And then our awesome family picture. You could tell the kids really cared. It was nice to have strangers help us out so we could remember this fun day!

The kids were so excited to get in the park. We started out in Futureland. We rode Buzz and then this ride. Which I don't remember the name of. But it was fun. Randy opted out. Something about getting sick.. puking.. going in circles. Little Man was thrilled to ride this ride all by himself.

Little Miss and I rode the ride together. She was excited.

And evidently I loved this ride. Who knew? But check out that excitement. Seems genuine to me.

And then we went to the Speedway. The kids were super excited for this ride. They were going to get to drive.

Little Man was serious about his job as driver.

Little Miss loved driving.

And I think I look a little scared. Is this my future face in 11 years.

After all of that excitement we went to the Winnie the Pooh ride. The kids liked it. Little Miss more than Little Man.

And then we rode Snow White. Do you think he liked it? Not so much.

Little Miss however loved every minute of it. Notice she no longer has sunglasses on. Yes it was dark.. but she had them on her shirt in line for this ride and ran into a bar. They promptly broke in two. She was devastated.

And then we went to Peter Pan. Little Miss loved riding with her Daddy. The ride was fun.

Randy was snapping pictures of Little Man and I. He enjoyed this ride much more than Snow White.

If you look close our eyes are all glowy. It is creepy.. but it makes me giggle.
After all of that fun we went to Thunder Mountain Railroad. The kids loved it. I loved it. Randy loved it. And then we had to check out Splash Mountain. Little Miss was a little nervous about the big drop. But one time on it the kids were hooked. We bounced between Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain Railroad and loving every minute. The kids were even brave enough to ride together, leaving Randy and I to sit next to each other. It was one of those moments that I loved as Mom. I loved seeing my kids running hand in hand to rides, waiting in line together and enjoying having a sibling. They were best friends. It was Magical.

And then we were off to Pirates of the Caribbean. They have changed it since I last rode it eight years ago in Disneyland. They have Captain Jack Sparrow in it. He looks real. The kids loved the ride. Little Man loved all of the pirate stuff! He loved it so much we have a whole pirate set to play with.

And then we rode the Jungle Cruise. It was a nice relaxing break. Our tour guide made us laugh. Made our kids nervous.

It was hot. Little did we know it would be the coolest day of our trip. The kids enjoyed the sprinkler park and cooled themselves off.

By the end they were both soaked.. and happy. I was jealous. But a 28 year old playing in the sprinklers would look a little odd. And I didn't want to walk around that wet for the rest of the day. So I dealt with it.

The kids saw the Magic Carpet and were super excited to go on it. Little Miss sat in the back alone. She was excited. And Little Man decided it would be okay to ride with Mom. But he was in charge of the controls.

We went back to ride Buzz Light year again. I love how excited they are to do this together this time. Mom and Dad were not invited to ride with them. It reminded me of hanging out with my brother when I was a kid. He was my favorite person to do anything with.

The kids loved shooting the targets and trying to defeat Zurg.

We walked out and had our first character greeting. We had already ridden Stitch's Great Escape and the kids wanted to capture him. But quickly decided that hugs and pictures were just fine. We weren't doing autograph books so the kids were quick, they got a picture and were happy as could be.

We went to Toontown, rode the Coaster bought each of the kids a hat and had it sent to our room and jumped on the train. We were tired. It was hot. And we needed to rest our feet. At least Randy and I did.

See we look tired. Or at least I do.

We rode the train back to Splash Mountain. It refreshed us. And then we were up for more rides. I convinced my kids to ride on the Haunted Mansion. They weren't so keen but I told them to try just once. They look thrilled right? They did great. No crying. No screaming. They didn't love it. They didn't want to go again. But it wasn't THAT scary. Right? Right.

The kids were very excited to ride Dumbo. We waited until the lines were short and waited just a few minutes and we were on. I had to sit on the outside. I think they worry little kids will jump out or something.

Little Man was proud to ride alone. He felt so big. The kids loved Dumbo!

And finalyl we finished our day on the teacups. It was fun. It was wonderful. We spun as fast as we could until we felt like we might just puke. Randy stayed off and captured this picture which I love. He wouldn't go. Something about puking.. spinning.. getting real sick.
The Magic Kingdom was Magical. We loved every minute. From the time it opened until right before it closed. We played non-stop. It was wonderful.

It Was Awesome!

It started as a surprise. And we were so excited for this great surprise. But we didn't want to lie to our children. But we didn't want to ruin their surprise also. It started when they saw suitcases. Little Man wanted to know what they were for. Randy said he had a meeting. (A meeting with Mickey Mouse.) The kids pouted. We didn't tell them they had a meeting also. We omitted a lot of things. It worked.

We were off for the airport. The kids were sad. They didn't want to be in a picture. See.

And then the obliged.. Kind of. But at least I have their pouty faces. Or one pouty face and one serious cheese.

I decided Randy and I should be in on the pictures. We were excited too.

And we didn't crash while driving down the freeway. Randy's a good driver.

We got to the airport and parked in long term parking. My kids were oblivious and even asked me why I had a stroller. I told them that a neighbor told me to take it. So I had it. True story. Randy got us checked in while I entertained the kids, took their sweet picture and just hung out. It was all I could do to not jump up and down and ask them if they were so excited. Because I was!! We told them we should go hang out with Dad while he waited for the plane. So we did. And then we should go check out his seat on the plane. So we did. And then we should just go with Dad on the plane. So we did.

They were so excited we were going. And confused why we were going. Little Man was all I know what is in Orlando.. Disney World. But I know, I know we aren't going there. That was easy.

The kids were excited.. we had finally landed in Orlando. It was the longest two hour flight of my life. I was ready to be there and for the kids to be in on the secret!!

We told the kids we needed to take a bus to our hotel. True story. We were waiting for Disney's Magical Express right here. They still didn't have a clue. And I don't know what is up with the strange rat thing my kids are doing. You will see it again, don't you worry. It repeats often.

The kids were watching the Disney World video. Or at least Little Miss was. Check out that entranced look. They still hadn't caught on. They said they wished they could go to Disney World many times on the bus ride, but that they knew we weren't going.

And then Little Man saw the Welcome to Disney World Resort sign. He started to wonder. (see him wondering.)

And then it clicked as we were pulling up to our hotel. We are in Disney World.
Little Miss was kind of over the flash and the camera so she opted to just close her eyes. Nice eh? They were excited at least they were going to see Disney World. But going to the parks they still weren't so sure.

Inside the hotel Little Miss started jumping like Tigger. She was so excited. And we told them we really were at Disney World for a whole week. We were really there. She was thrilled.
And the grin didn't go away.

Check back soon for the next day. Sorry to draw it out forever but I have TONS of fun snapshots to share. This was a fun trip for me. I loved being Mom. And Randy, strangers, and myself all took fun snapshots to remember the trip and relive our memories! It was great!

Mother's Day

There is something about Mother's. I once heard it a man say the day his mother died his world changed. Mother's are there to feel your joy, your pain. To be just as excited as you are. They know your flaws. They know you often better than you know you. There is nothing like your Mother.

My Mother is the type that I can call at any moment. She will laugh or cry with me. She will listen to me and she always loves me. She is the type of Mother I hope to be when I grow up. I feel blessed to be her daughter.

And today I feel blessed to be a mother to two wonderful children, who want to snuggle and spend as much time as they can with me. I only hope I can be the same type of mother to them, that mine was to me.

To every Mother I know. Happy Mother's Day.

1 Day to Go!

This morning my kids were eating Apple Jacks.. (We love our sugar cereal) and there was an ad for Disney World on the box. My kids wishfully said Mom can we go there. Please. And not when we are 12, like today. Then they said we know.. we know.. not yet. It took all of my self-control to not blurt out, We are leaving tomorrow for Disney World. But I didn't. I just laughed and said that sure would be fun, and quickly shoved more food in my face to keep my mouth quiet.

We are so excited. Or I am. And I know the kids are going to be. And Randy is just excited to have a conversation with me other than Disney World. I decided to bite the bullet yesterday and we are doing a character breakfast. I wasn't going to, but I finally found one that will please them both!

I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they finally realize where we are. And what is really happening. In just over 24 hours we are going to be in Florida. Settling in for a nice sleep, ready to play on Monday. 1 day to go. I can keep the secret.

April Showers

March Winds, bring April Showers, which bring May Flowers.

I remember this when I was a kid. And rarely as a kid did April Showers amount too much. It was maybe half an inch all month long. We normally had a lot of wind.. and little rain. If any at all. I always wondered where the rain was. Did anyone get it?

Today I sit here listening to the rain bucketing on my house, my yard, my plants, the street. We are on day four of straight rain. Some people are over the rain. But I am totally digging the rain. I planted tons of new plants in my flower beds in hope that my yard will be beautiful. We planted a ton of new grass seed in our lawn. Hoping to bring it back to a gorgeous green, and to get rid of the millions of pee spots in our yard. Hoping to fill in the trail my lovely dogs have formed, and to have a yard that is beautiful.

Little Miss today prayed that the rain would stop. I don't want it to stop. I would like for it to be nice for the kids to play outside. But I love listening to the rain. I love seeing the vibrant greens amongst the grey and dreary sky. I love how the rain smells. (Not that I can smell, but I remember the smell.) I love how clean the earth looks after a nice rain storm. I have been looking forward to Spring since last Fall. I couldn't wait for the rain and the thunderstorms to move in.

Today I am grateful for April Showers. And I cannot wait for May Flowers!

27 Days Late

Randy had his birthday 27 days ago. I did not see him on his birthday. I was in Washington, he was in Chicago for work. We texted, we chatted on the phone, but I didn't wish him a very Happy Birthday on my blog like normal. He even checked my blog.. and he never does that anymore. I kept meaning to get it done, and then I realized I have two more days in April to do it. Because if it isn't on his day.. it should still be on his month.. right?

Here is my most recent picture of Randy. I love it! He is totally driven to support what he believes in, and I admire that greatly.

A few of the reasons I love my husband, and I want to wish him a Happy Late Birthday this year.

• He is totally hot. He makes me melt.
• He makes me laugh. all.of.the.time.
• He is an extremely hard worker.
• He is the best husband in the world, hands down.
• He is the best father in the world, hand down.
• He loves the Lord.
• He is a righteous Priesthood holder.
• He is my best friend.
• He is my better half. He makes me want to be better.

After ten years of being with this wonderful man, I love him more. Happy late birthday love.

Because I don't do it enough on my own

I like to have my children help in embarrassing me.

This past week we went out to dinner at Logan's. A nice family night out, we were all happy. Little Miss had to use the restroom. Off we go. She wants me in the stall with her, and goes in the only stall and is going to the bathroom before I can even lock the door. Oh wait. The door didn't lock. So I tried but it stayed closed, but the lock was broken. I stood there keeping it closed and then I figured since I was there, I might as well go to. (Seriously who blogs about going to the bathroom?)

I told Little Miss, the door doesn't lock. Don't touch it, don't go out, it will stay closed. I thought I had presented a great explanation. But evidently she wasn't listening. Or she just likes to embarrass her Mom. You be the judge. She leaned against the door. An open it flew. Wide open. With me, sitting on the toilet. While several pairs of eyes landed on me. Sitting there helpless. And frantically telling her to close the door, and thinking why are all these people staring at me?? I would look away. But they just stared for what seemed like an eternity. (Okay maybe it was 20 seconds.) Little Miss closed the door, and looked at me, and was all Sorry Mom. Oh gee, thanks sweet heart. I am glad you are sorry.

And then I laughed. And laughed. And laughed.

9:00 AM

I have made myself a goal to get up early. And by early, I mean early for me. Somewhere in between 6:30-7:00 AM. Not crazy early, but plenty early enough for my sleepy night-owl butt. And surprisingly I have been doing pretty good. Today I awoke a few minutes before 6:30. And I have been so productive!

First thing I did, start a load of laundry.

Then I worked out. YAY ME!

Then I showered, and got my butt ready for the day. And I have curly hair today. I am undecided.. what do you like better?

And then it was getting kids ready for school and out the door.

And all while they were eating I was mixing up our bread. (Last week... so like forever ago :) I decided I should make our bread. I made 9 loaves last week.. way too much bread. Today is my first day making it this week.) And currently it is rising, just about ready to be put in the oven.

And now it is 9:00 AM, and I am feeling quite productive. If only all morning could be this good.

Before and After

Today was the day to cut my hair. I had my appointment and drove everyone I knew batty asking them what I should do with my hair. Pixie cut? Trim? Nothing? What to do? I decided the length needed to go. It wasn't THAT long, but I can't do a ponytail without a headache. And with summer coming I needed a quick fix. Today I fixed my hair. And I actually liked it quite a bit. Which I don't always. But off I went to get it cut and to put an end of the constant badgering my poor loved ones have had to put up with.

So here is the before. Curly.. past my collar bones with side bangs. And the after. I thought long and hard about a pixie..but I worry it would be a beast to grow out. And I don't want it to be THAT short forever. So I told my stylist to do what he wanted.. just not a pixie. I am thrilled. I love my new A-Line!And a few extra pictures to get the full effect. Everyone wants to see it curly. So you will.. in a couple of days.

One Year

One year ago I was up at 4 AM. I was making sure I had everything I needed. I was getting my sleepy kids up and out of bed. And then we were off to the airport.

We had our dogs in their kennels ready to fly. I was doing my best to be okay. But my insides were twisting as each second ticked by. I was wondering what is happening to my life!!! And does moving 2200+ miles really make sense? But I was calm. I was collected. I had to be. And then it was time for the goodbyes. My heart hurt. And then I saw Little Man tears streaming down his face and he just hugged me. My heart broke, and the tears came. I was no longer strong. I was no longer calm, I didn't want to get on the plane. I didn't want this to be our future. But we sadly hugged our family and our little family went and boarded a plane to move across the country.

The first night I laid in bed wondering what we were doing here. How could I survive only seeing my family three or four times in a year. IN A YEAR!!! The thought made me want to throw up. Randy slept.. I laid in bed worrying. And then we had Church the next day. I wish I could say it was wonderful. People were kind, but I was a blubbering idiot. Anyone who asked me where we moved from, or if we were new was at risk of hearing my tearfully say, Yes, we're new. We moved here from Wa*sniff*sh*cry*ing*sniff*ton.. and I am sure they thought I was quite the basket case.

A year has passed. My heart doesn't hurt like it did. We survived it just fine. In fact it has been much easier than I ever anticipated. I still miss my family. I still miss home. But where my little family is, where I want to be. I can't believe the year went so quickly. We have made many friends. We have grown stronger as a family. And our kids have learned to behave quite well on an airplane. And I have learned I can live anywhere, as long as I have Randy, and my kids. We adjust. We adapt. And while we miss our loved ones, we are okay. And we always have the next visit to look forward to.

One year. Happy Anniversary of our big move to us.

Tea Party 2009

Yesterday I drove to downtown Indianapolis. As I drove and saw the protesters, read the signs, my eyes welled up with tears. I was not alone. There were others who believe as I do. Thousands of them actually. All united. All supporting one another. All wanting to be heard. All there to be peaceful, but to make a stand. I had an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. My heart was thankful for the Constitution that was so divinely inspired by our Founding Fathers. I am grateful for the Declaration of Independence. Grateful for our rights. Our right to Freedom of Speech. And grateful I was taking the opportunity to take a stand in something I feel so strongly on.

This is what I saw. A sea of thousands of people. Holding signs. Holding flags. Cheering.

Randy was a volunteer, and was busy selling flags. He looked pretty hot while he was doing it.

And he was taking his job quite serious. He sold hundreds of flags. (But who wouldn't want to buy from him?)

The kids and I held signs and made our statements known.

Little Man and Little Miss were happy to hold signs, wave flags, and do their part to protest.

I hope that the local state leaders heard us. And that they will listen to us. I hope that those in Washington heard us also. I pray that they will listen. That they will realize it isn't an Us VS Them thing. It is about the future of our country. What we are handing off to our children. We want them to know how to work. We don't want them to be handed over a trillion dollars of debt. We want them to grow up in the USA we grew up in.

I love my Country. I cannot sing the Star Spangled Banner without tears in my eyes. I love our freedoms. This is the Country where dreams can come true. I want this country to be what is was on 9/12. They day we united, we stood as one. The day everyone believe in America.

TEA Party

I am so excited for tomorrow. We, meaning my whole family are going to the Indianapolis Tea Party. I have told people I was going and they wanted to know what it is about. We feel we are Taxed Enough Already. The main theme for this protest is we want Congress to repeal the stimulus packages now and uphold the Constitution of the United State of America or we will replace every member of Congress in 2010. This isn't a Democrat VS Republican thing. This about the good of our Country that I love so very much. About our freedoms, or rights, or privileges. If you are interested please come. This is a peaceful protest. Wear Red White or Blue. Bring signs so you can let everyone know how you feel. If you want to find one where you are go here http://taxdayteaparty.com/. Spread the word. And I hope to see some familiar faces tomorrow.

Easter

I love Easter. I love remembering my Savior. I love remembering the Resurrection. I love the Easter Hymns we sing at Church. I love it all.

I also love the candy, the new Easter clothes, and all of that good stuff. Everyone happily obliged to pictures. Randy had already changed from his Church clothes, but the kids we happy to snuggle up with him for a quick picture with their Dad.

And they even sat with me for a quick picture.

Little Man is loving his buzzed head. He looks so grown up to me. How did this happen??

These two are either best friends or worst enemies. It depends on the moment. Yesterday they were best friends. It made my heart melt.

And this girl.. this girl looks way too old. She never looks this big to me. But on here she does.

And today I am editing pictures. A lot of pictures for friends in Washington. I thought I would include one of me sitting where I am doing my thing. I am wearing my brand new glasses, and doing my best to get pictures done so everyone can see their beautiful families. Sorry it has taken a little bit longer than I hoped. Jet lag.. allergic reactions... they tend to put a damper on your plans.

But I am back on my game and busting pictures out. And I will be done.. soon. I promise!

5 Shots

In January I started Allergy shots. The hope was my allergic reactions to Indiana would get better. I received a few shots and then I got a bad cold, and then I had bad allergies, and my asthma wasn't too great to we had to wait. Finally today I was able to go in and get my shots. I had to start back at the beginning dose. I figured it wouldn't be too bad. I went in, they checked my peak flow and gave me four shots. I just had to wait thirty minutes and then I could go. Easy peasy.


My kids quietly read books in the corner and I sat there glancing through a magazine wishing the time would move faster so we could get on with our day. And as I sat there I felt like I needed my inhaler. My chest was feeling tight, and I was coughing some. I thought to myself, self, relax. Take deep slow breaths. And I coughed some more. And my breathing was getting worse. I read the sign on the door that said if you have any of these problems immediately tell the nurse. Coughing, chest tightening, shortness in breath, hard time breathing... and the list goes on and on. Surely it didn't mean me. I sat there longer. Waiting. Thinking. Being stubborn. And then finally as I continued to get worse I decided I should tell the nurse my chest was kinda tight.. like I needed my inhaler. She was quick to respond. Jumping up and whisking me back into a room. I was kind of shocked.. I could still breathe... my chest was just a little tight. But whatever.

Once in the room I was joined by three nurses and a doctor. Apparently everyone wanted to hang out with me today. I was quickly given a breathing treatment, and had my blood pressure, and my O2 stats checked constantly to make sure I wasn't dying on them. And then came the 5th shot, some epinephrine to open my airways even more. It worked. I shook. I tried not to laugh.. and be completely embarrassed. Seriously I had the weakest dose of my allergy shots they could give me and my body couldn't handle it. With all of the outdoor allergies so strong right now I can't handle anymore, even with three allergy medicines in me today. I believe Indiana is slowly trying to kill me. One allergy at a time.

After thirty minutes things settled down. And I was sent on my way. I go back next week to discuss a new plan of action. Evidently shots are now out of the question. At least those shots. And now I sit here rubbing my arm from my epi shot.. it hurt like a beast. And I am giggling at the strange adventure that happened today. Who knew?

Jetlag

Tired. Exhausted. Sluggish. These are great words to describe me today. I finally peeled my body from the sheets this morning at 9:15AM or so. I heard Little Miss pitter-pattering around so I decided I should get up and be Mom. Little Man is still blissfully sleeping. And we are happy, yet sad to be home. I checked my email to find hundreds of emails. Google reader had nearly 200 unread posts. I quickly deleted emails.. and skimmed over my google reader, and then just marked them all read. I have over 1300 pictures to go through. The kids and I enjoyed every minute we had back home. It was wonderful. And I will blog it. But not today. Today we are going to recover.