DISNEY--Day 1: Magic Kingdom with Grandma

Whew! After about 4 hours of sleep, we all woke up around 9:00 to start our first day at Disney! Our AirBnB was really nice and even had a pool (although in order to heat it we had to pay an extra fee, so it stayed cold). The kids insisted on trying it out anyway.

Grandma came to spend the day with us!! We were so excited to visit the Magic Kingdom. We had 5-day hopper passes, so our week would consist of 5 days at Disney parks and one day at Orlando Studios.

Finally on our way to the park! 

The kids all thought the monorail was awesome.

We attempted to take a family picture at the entrance, but no one wanted to cooperate, so we scrapped that idea pretty quickly. The lines were very long and we were super tired, so we were in "survival mode". Wasn't worth it!

Cole was super excited about the train, though, and wanted his picture taken.

Grandma and I took Cole up to see the parked train. They were doing construction around the tracks, so the train was out of commission while we were there. It was a bummer, but the silver lining was that Cole got to see the train and the engine up close.

This sweet boy was in heaven.

Maybe because it was a Saturday, but it was so super crowded. We had magic bands, but we didn't know we could get fast passes in advance, so by the time we figured out exactly how the fast pass system worked, it was too late to fast pass any of the "good" rides. Lesson learned--the other days we planned much better.

The park was decked out in Christmas decor. It really was beautiful.

In line for Splash Mountain!

While Dad and the boys rode a couple big rides, Grandma and I took the girls on some of the smaller ones. Merry go Round!

I forgot our baby carrier, so we had to hold Valerie the entire time we were in lines. My arms and back were sore the next day! Mom was such a trooper and did at least half the carrying.

She wasn't a fan of the horse.

We stood in line for FOREVER for the Peter Pan ride, but it was a hit and the kids loved it.

Hitting up It's a Small World. Looks like Lexi hit her limit. Poor girl was asleep the whole ride.

Man we were tired by the time we went home! Even with the terrible airplane situation and the lack of sleep, our first day was a success!

An early Christmas gift from Santa--WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY!

December 7th dawned bright and early. Our Elf on the Shelf Ze had been making his usual daily appearances around the house and this morning was no different. However this morning he had a very special note:

The kids were super excited and went to school without any idea what to expect. (The elves had called me about a month ago to let me in on the surprise, so I knew what to pack and had it all ready to go.)

While I was picking the kids up from school, we got another note plus a small gift for each kid!

Jude read the note and it took them a couple minutes to fully understand what was happening...

We're going to Disney World! And we're leaving RIGHT NOW!

We piled in the car, picked Lance up early from school and rushed to the airport to catch our 7:00 flight. We would be landing around 9 in Orlando, grabbing a van and driving a few minutes to our AirBnB to sleep the night away and be rested for our first full day at the Magic Kingdom.

Well, that's what we thought. Our plane got delayed a couple hours. No big deal.

It got delayed again. Shoot.

And again. It was midnight and the kids were actually being pretty good, all things considered. 

Finally, around 1 a.m. we were able to board our flight.

George and I were both exhausted. The flight was uneventful--the kids kinda slept and we caught a few winks. We landed around 3 a.m. and as usual had trouble with the rental car place. We finally got our van, rented our car seats, strapped everyone in and headed to the AirBnB about 30 minutes away.

It was 5 a.m. before people were in bed. So much for being well-rested! Here's hoping the excitement carries us through tomorrow!

Vision Therapy

At the suggestion of his Occupational Therapist, we had Cole evaluated for vision therapy in an effort to help him track better and be able to focus on various different point quickly.

After determining that his ocular motor skills were a bit underdeveloped, Dr. Clark suggested we start with 12 weeks of therapy in the new year. I'm hopeful this will help with some of the frustration Cole feels at school and will make reading less of a chore for him. I guess we will see!

Oh my goodness. I love this baby of mine! She's really into sticking out her tongue these days.

A reception and a visit from Grandma, Grandpa, and GiGi

Stephen and Ashley had a beautiful reception December 1st at the Evans' house. Mom, Glenn, GiGi, and even Maria and Charlie came to help celebrate! I'm sad I don't have any good pictures of the Bride and Groom, but we got a few of the kids.

Cousin Maria was so much fun! Lily and Lexi had a blast taking picture and trying out filters on her phone.

That Sunday the Calderwoods came down with Mom, Glenn, and GiGi and spent the afternoon with us before they had to fly back home the next day. It was so nice of them to drive all the way down to see us!

We pulled out our snake to show the cousins. He was a big hit!

Decorating our tree

Baby butt crack!

Valerie loves the stuffed Nativity. It continues to be a favorite with the kids. Thanks, GiGi!

I always think decorating the tree will be a fun experience. And it is. But inevitably I get stressed out that ornaments will break or the kids are being too rowdy, or they're being mean to each other. I need to remember to just live in the moment and appreciate all the memories we get to relive while we hang ornaments from years past on our Christmas tree. Because honestly, I LOVE that I can look at my tree and see moments of Christmases past. 

Everyone has their favorite ornament each year and insists on hanging them up.

Okay, NOW we're ready for Christmas!