Our Summer

As a stay at home mom I was not expecting "summer" to be my favorite time of year. We live in a very hot environment making trips to the park and other outdoor activities almost impossible and being home all day with three small kids just did not sound appealing. However I have been pleasantly surprised this summer. Katie finished pre-school in mid-May and we have really enjoyed stress free mornings with no plans and I have loved having the extra playmate for the boys. In fact on the few weeks so far this summer where Katie has had a camp or activity, the boys and I have missed her quite a bit (now dont get me wrong... we all need a break from one another occasionally!)

Katie has had a week of Vacation Bible School at her old pre-school (Jack's new school to be), she has had a week of dance camp and "trash to treasure" at her new school to be and she has had 5 weeks of summer dance classes. She had also turned into a little fish! She has started taking private swim lessons here in our neighborhood and has just taken off (literally)! We are going twice a week and I wish we could do more. We will be very sad when in mid-August her instructor will be leaving for school.

Jack is getting very excited about starting school at the end of August (mother's day out 2 mornings a week) and is getting increasingly more independent. He is such a little helper around the house. He feeds Lucy almost every meal and he and Katie both are unloading the majority of the dishwasher (since the majority of the dishes are small, colored & plastic). He has cut a couple of hours off his daily sleep and now that he is in a big boy bed we are having to get creative to keep him in his bed. He is turning in to a GREAT big brother and is very sweet to Luke (that is as long as Luke does not touch his Lightning McQueen car!!) He wants to do everything Katie does, and does most things pretty well.

Luke is just a little firecracker! He took his first steps a few days before his birthday and now at 13.5 months he is running! He has great control now when he walks and can almost stand up with out needing something to pull up on. He had a great one year check up and weighed in at 26lbs and was in the 95% for height. I think we might have a big one on our hands. Not to doubt Luke's intelligence (although he does bump into a lot of things ;) ), but I am now calling the kids my Beauty, Brain & Braun... We have just recently cut him back to one nap a day which really frees up our mornings for fun, it is nice no longer to be restricted by a morning nap. Of course we can't travel too far in the or he will take a little cat nap, messing up the afternoon nap session.

As a family we have tried to stay busy doing in door activities. I have raided the kid craft areas of the local craft stores and we have all kinds of little art projects lying around the house. Katie had a trip to Mansfield where she spent 4 days with Meme & Papaw and cousin Lainey. They had a fantastic time and all want to do it again soon!

Our best new family activity has to be our weekend trip to the neighborhood pool. We have chosen the less family orientated one as it is much calmer and the kids don't seem to notice the difference. Luke LOVES to lounge in his pool float protected from the sun and Katie has learned to just play in the water as well as getting in a little swim practice. Jack loves to just be carried around the pool and has now discovered floating on his own with some water dumbbells.. We can easily spend 2 hours and have been going in the late afternoon and packing a picnic dinner! Our biggest obstacle (besides dealing with three wet kids close to bed time) is getting Katie to leave. She is brown as a little berry and would live at the pool if we let her.

Of course now every time we get the kids suits on they are asking if it is time for our beach trip. We have rented a house near Galveston for a long weekend in August. Everyone is very excited and Meme & Papaw will be joining. My biggest challenge is going to try and convince Papaw that we can't take the kids Jeep for driving on the beach!

Andy took Katie and Jack to see Cars 2 on opening morning. Both absolutely loved it and if we weren't big enough fans before the 2nd movie we certainly are now. Jack walks around saying he loves cars and Katie loves princesses. His favorite car changes daily between Mater & McQueen and he now has to have one of them on his night table when he sleeps.

I started attending a boot camp in the early spring and am now going 4 mornings a week at 5:30. It has become almost habit and is getting easier and easier to get up at 4:55 am! Andy participated in his first 1/2 marathon back in January and now definitely has a running bug, so he is either running or at the gym 4 or 5 nights per week. We have the kids talking a lot about exercise and hope we are instilling a love for activity in them. Jack loves to stretch and his attempts at push ups are funny!

A Summer Photo Shoot

Howdy Hello 5x7 folded card

Shutterfly custom Valentines Day and Mother's Day cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

We had a great time despite the heat with our friend Rebeca at Oyster Creek park for a summer photo session and to  capture Luke at 1!  The kids were very cooperative (I am sure it had nothing to do with the smarties I had in my pocket) and Rebeca captured some great shots!

Luke is One!

Our little guy has accomplished so much in his first year and we are so proud of him.  He is a fantastic eater, a great sleeper and a wonderful little brother.  He is the perfect combination of sweetness and mischief!  We had a small gathering to celebrate his birthday.  The Delling & Hanhan families came over as well as our cousin Mallorie.  All had a great time and Katie and Jack were more than happy to sing to their baby brother!

At his one year check up Luke weighed in at 25.1 lbs and was 31.75 inches long!

Digital collage customized with Smilebox

Memorial Day fun

In honor of the men and women who have served in the military and have fought for our freedom, we are playing hard! We had the conversation on the way to Stomping Grounds this morning on what Memorial Day was for... maybe next year at least Katie will understand. For now, I know they are appreciative of Andy having the day off work and keeping a sick/teething Luke at home so they could come play!

This was Katie's first year to dance at Robin's Dance Studio, and she loved it! Her class performed a Ballet & Tap number and they were all fantastic. Here are just a few of the
hundred's of pictures taken on the day!

















The finale this year was the Daddy/Daughter dance. After only one practice a very nervous Andy and excited Katie turned up for the rehearsal, and by the end they were ready for the big show! The dancers and the audience loved every minute of it!

Our Walt Disney World Vacation

During our trip I kept an email journal of each day, glad I did b/c I never would have remembered everything in this much detail:

Wednesday, 13 April

2:53 PM

Our Arrival at WDW

We arrived with such ease to WDW! Got on plane easily, and kids were fantastic during the flight. Hopped right off the plane, got our bags and made our way to the Magic Express check in. We were very impressed. We were ushered straight onto a very nice coach and ten minutes later we were off. They played a welcome movie en route which the kids loved. Everyone around us loved Jack especially the driver who got a personal introduction to Jack's Mickey Mouse!

Our hotel was the first stop the bus and it is gorgeous, and we got a great room location. After a quick bite to eat the boys went back to the room to rest and the girls (with the help of the great double stroller waiting for us with our groceries at the hotel) were off to explore the property. Katie was anxious to go swimming and to go on the river cruise that connects our hotel to the downtown Disney area.

We are off soon for our dinner with Mickey, which is a good thing because immediately upon arrival Jack has been requesting him!

More later, stay tuned!

Thursday, 14 April

9:30 AM

Day 1, Magic Kingdom

Chef Mickey’s last night was a huge hit! A quick bus ride to the Magic Kingdom, and then we walked over to the Contemporary hotel. The whole place seemed to be buzzing with excitement, but with a nice early reservation the restaurant was not too chaotic. All of the characters made their way to our table and signed the kid’s autograph books (glad I purchased those immediately) and posed for pictures. Jack was a little weary, but Katie welcomed them all with open arms. They ate good dinners and I was pleased with the buffet as I was able to sneak some veggies on to their plates. They were so excited at the thought of the ice cream machine that they ate every bite.

We did a ride on the monorail back to MK before taking the bus back to our hotel. It was a great way to start off our Disney adventure!

Well after a very rough night (which included multiple bed assignment changes), we managed to make it to the magic kingdom right when it opened. We were greeted by Barbara and her antique fire truck! After a ton of pictures we got a private ride around town square! Then we were pleasantly surprised by a quick trip into the town square theater where we met Mickey and Minnie for another picture session. Afterward, it was straight up Main Street to Cinderella's castle. It was magical for both kids! Then a ride in Dumbo, Prince Charming's carousel, Peter Pan and then it's a small world. Not a bad morning! Lines were not long at all, but you could sense that would be short lived.

Now Katie is having the royal treatment at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and the boys are sneaking in some more rides.

Thursday, 14 April

7:30 PM

Day 1 Magic Kingdom, part 2

Well after the boutique the girls and boys were reunited and the boys loved our princess Katie. Jack opted to ride the carousel again with Mommy while Katie and Andy rode Winnie the Pooh. Then it was time for our lunch at the Royal Table in Cinderella's Castle. We were immediately greeted by our hostess herself, Cinderella! After autographs and photos we made our way up the tower stairs to the royal dining room. We were not there long before we were greeted by Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel and Belle! It was amazing. Katie was a little quiet at first, but then she warmed up and was chatty with them. I had a tear in my eye a couple of times; this is what the whole trip was about. The kids had a great lunch which included a princess wand and a sword for our little prince!

After lunch the boys went back to the hotel for a nap and the girls went and rode the tea cups and then saw a 3d show starring Donald Duck (the boys saw the same show while Katie was getting her hair done). Then we saw the Dream Along with Mickey show on the stage in front of the castle and then had great views of the big celebration parade. Again they were both star studded events and Katie was in awe!

We were pretty hot and tired by then so we went into the hall of presidents and caught the 25 minute show and relaxed and chilled out (Katie had a quick cat nap!)

Katie wanted to ride it's a small world again and when we finished the boys met us for another spin around with Peter Pan.

Then we made a dash for Tomorrow land where Katie and Jack took me and Andy around the race track. I think we are both glad they are years away from driver licenses! After that we managed two back to back rides on Buzz Light-year which was the highlight of his day. They were treated to a new Buzz and Jessie from Toy Story!

We were tired and hungry (and a little grumpy) so we went for a hot dog and French fry dinner and all were happy.

We are now back in the room, cleaned up and playing nicely with our new toys and hoping for lights out soon.

Friday, 15 April

3:30 pm

DAY 3 ANIMAL KINGDOM

The animal kingdom was a big hit, but seemed a lot more crowded. We went straight in and caught the Lion King show which once the kids warmed up to it they loved. It was spectacular! Then we were off o Africa and the Kilimanjaro Safari. This was a great ride. We saw lots of game animals, rhinos (black and white), giraffe, hippo, jaguar, flamingo, lion (although it was hardly visible). The big jeep ride itself was very entertaining as we were chasing poachers through the Harambe wildlife preserve.

Then we took a train ride to a conservation area where the kids pet some goats and sheep and we saw a black vulture demonstration. (If we were to go back, we would probably skip this part.. not much more there than what you would find in your local zoo’s petting area)

Then thanks to the great fast pass system we did the safari trek again! At the end we were exhausted and hungry and stopped for chicken nuggets and apples!

Then after a quick walk through Asia we saw some tigers, we decided to head back to the hotel since both kids looked exhausted. So we missed out on a few things, but we did manage to spot Safari Minnie and get a quick autograph. We grabbed some ice cream treats and headed for the bus stop.

On our way now back to the hotel, hopefully for some swimming time before dinner.

Saturday, 16 April

6:51 AM

END OF DAY 3 – Animal Kingdom

After animal kingdom, Jack and I took a nap while Katie and Andy went swimming. Then we caught a river boat from our hotel to the downtown Disney area. It reminded me a little of Kemah, just about 4 times the size. We had dinner at a South American restaurant. We sat outside and when they finished their dinner the kids performed for the whole patio by dancing with the one man band. They had a BLAST! We were pretty entertained as well! I have video!

Before returning on the boat to the hotel we managed a little choo choo train ride.

That was day 3.. On bus now to start day 4 back at the Magic Kingdom.

Saturday, 16 April

2:28 PM

Day 4- Magic Kingdom

What a day! Good thing I kept a running list, or I never would have remembered what we did. On bus now back to hotel to catch naps in hopes of going back to magic kingdom tonight for the electric parade and fireworks!

Here is the rundown of our morning:
Dumbo
Tea cups

Autograph from Alice in Wonderland
Tomorrow Land Speedway
Astro orbiter
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
Buzz again
People mover –ride along and see inside some of Tomorrow Land attractions

Monsters Inc show
Buzz Lightyear’s autograph
Carousel of Progress
WDW steam train to Frontier Land
Woody & Jessie autographs (long line, but worth the wait)
Aladdin magic carpet ride
Mickey & Minnie autograph in town square (just a quick one again before lunch)
Lunch at Tony's (from lady and the tramp) in Town Square

Andy and Jack went back to the hotel
Princess autographs (Cinderella, Belle, & Sleeping Beauty). Katie told sleeping beauty that her prince's name was Jack!

Caught the end of the parade with all the princesses again (they sure were quick getting out of the town hall theater to get on their floats)

I can't tell you how many times I have had tears in my eyes on this trip! It was such a perfect age to bring Katie; she has been star struck since we arrived! The emotions for all have been over flowing!
Katie and I head back to the hotel to sneak in the room to nap along with the boys.. we have big plans for the evening!

Saturday, 16 April

10:00 pm

Final trip to MK

Well after good naps we headed back to MK for dinner and the evening festivities.

We had another fantastic character dinner at the Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eyeore! The kids went nuts (Andy did a little as well ;))! I did not remember who the characters were supposed to be, so it was a nice surprise. An even greater surprise was that they honored our reservation 90 minutes late!

After dinner we made it to two rides, Aladdin and it's a small world before finding a spot to watch the electric parade. Well worth our late naps and late evening. The kids got to see all their favorite characters again from the top of our shoulders. The parade was all lit in bright colors and set to music, done up Disney style! It was a small nightmare getting away from the Castle toward the front gate, but once we found a path we slowly eased out. We did not stay for the fireworks b/c we are already pushing the kids and we have an early breakfast in the morning.

On bus now back to hotel. We have a final character breakfast in the morning before we enjoy some pool time. Bus takes us to the airport at 1 pm.

What a day!!!

Sunday, 17 April

12:48 pm

Our final day :(

We took a bus and then a boat to the Polynesian resort for breakfast with Lilo, Stitch, Pluto and Hawaiian Mickey! Great atmosphere and good food. The kids very quickly warmed up to Stitch despite being a little funny looking! Jack finally had a hug for Mickey and with a little prompting thanked him for having us at his resort! Then back to the hotel to pack and then a quick dip in the pool.

We are being spoiled; the resort offers airline check in and baggage check, so we are done. All we have to do is head straight for the gate.

Finishing up our lunch now and the next stop is Orlando's airport.

Goodbye from Disney World!

My top tips for a successful Disney Vacation:

1. If you have young kids.. have a stroller!!! We rented ours from Magic Strollers. It was waiting for us at the hotel when we arrived and we left it with the bell hop when we left.. perfect!

2. As a time and money saver we ordered groceries (snack, breakfast items, & bottled water). They were delivered as well to the room and enabled us to be at the parks bright and early to take advantage of early morning no wait times.

3. Character meals, character meals, character meals! They are the best way to see a lot of characters and avoid those long lines in the heat. The food was good and the characters come to you.. great value for money!

4. We did character meals on our travel days instead of doing the parks, it was a great way to say hello and good bye to WDW,

5. Fast Pass! This is such a great system and really enables you to do more! If you are waiting in line for a ride that you think you might want to do again, grab a FP while you wait. Then when you are done you can just do the ride again (or after a snack break)!

6. We had at least one meal reservation each day, this gave us a focus and enabled us to plan around an event. We had a outline of an itinerary, but had room for changes/diversions.. all in all I think we planed the exact amount, not too much and not too little for our family.