To Do....

So, one of my little undercover "only in my head" things on my to-do list has been to write from the heart...not just the little every day stories about my kids that I document here on my family blog, but the kind of creative and more thoughtful writing I did long ago, in a galaxy far far away.  


So... to cross off that "to do", I wrote a blog about to-do lists.  Yes, seriously.


And it's on a "real" blog...you know, one that is professional looking and has giveaways and followers and regular posts- yikes!  That blog would be Speaking of Truth, a great site created and managed by my dear friend Sarah Nutter, and geared toward young ladies and women who want to have transparent discussions about being followers of Christ.  And you can read it here.

Was It Worth It?

This past summer we made a couple of more decadent purchases.  I got an amazing Nikon D5100 DSLR camera that I still barely know how to use six months later.  We also purchased a backyard playset from Costco that made us sweat just looking at the price...but we went for it on the advice of many friends who assured us it would be worth it.


I think the pics speak for themselves as to the worthiness of both purchases!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Gene and I have never been very big celebrators of Valentine's Day.  A thoughtful card is enough for me.  I gotta' say, though, that I really enjoy the kid aspect of this holiday now that I am raising my own.  It's just fun and sweet.  And for some reason it brings out the hidden craft monster within.  



I like to get a little something special from mommy; this year I have a pack of markers and a silly lollipop.  I have also enjoyed making homemade Valentines with little girl for the past few years for her preschool class.  This year we got crafty with a big batch of Nanna's buttons.  It was a fun project - very do-able for a 5 year old while still allowing mommy to have a little creative fun as well.  


Next year I am not sure if we will continue to spring for a completely handmade item - hard to believe that my baby girl will be a kindergartner and probably in a much larger class of 20 or more kids.  The craft monster will have get much bigger to handle homemade in double digits...

Disney Top 10

Peanut #1's big Christmas present was a trip to Disney World and we went in January.  Little brother, at 17 months old, went to Nanna-PopPop World.  The trip met and surpassed all expectations.  Gene and I love that place and have been several times.  Going with your child brings it all to a whole new level!  To help remember my trip, here's my "Top 10" List of fun and funny memories...

10.  Pre-trip build-up:  KK received a huge plush Minnie doll holding the following note:
Plus she got this count-down calendar and a set of Disney stickers to mark it off.  Every morning it was the first thing little sleepyhead wanted to do!   

9.  The POTUS: Tries to mess up our trip.  Obama decided to make a speech about tourism and apparently it needed to be in front of Cinderella's castle.  This girl had our trip planned by day.  Did you know there are very accurate crowd predictors available by park?  And what is shocking is that one park might be rated a 2.0/10.0 (low crowds) on the same day that another park is a 7.8/10.0.  So I had it all figured out...till he decided to crash our party on the very day we were supposed to go to the Magic Kingdom.  Every Disney employee we asked about it said "Don't go that day!"  So this planner had to wing it a little... just goes to show that you've gotta' roll with the punches with the beast that is Disney, even when you go in the low season.


8. KK's first Coaster:  Little girl is very tall-taking after her mama.  This means that even though she is only 5 years old, she can go on every ride at all the parks except for one!  On our first day at the parks we took her on a HUGE coaster - Expedition Everest in the Animal Kingdom.  About halfway through I looked over at her terrified little face and felt like the worst mom on the planet.  However she didn't melt down--till the next day when we tried to take her on Space Mountain!

7. Coaster Fall-Out:  KK yelled clearly in her sleep one morning:  "No! No!  KK doesn't want to go on that ride!"  Uhhhh....see #8.  Yep, worst mom on the planet...


6. Princess Luncheon:  Or shall I say - "the ripoff that is the by-reservation-only princess luncheon".  On the advice of numerous friends we decided to book one of the expensive lunches where the princesses all show up and meet individually with each table. It was with trepidation that I did so because I know how cheap I am.  Should have trusted my gut.  By the time we went to the luncheon, she had already met every princess 3 times over at all the other parks and it was pretty darn anti-climatic.  And now we have this receipt to show for it...check out the price of a hot dog when the princesses are in attendance!

5.  The Toy Story ride:  Disney's creativity is amazing... so much fun for the whole family.  By arriving at the park early and working the FastPass system, we rode it 3 times with no waiting!

4.  Characters, characters, characters:  KK loved meeting characters; thanks to FastPass and the low season we never had to wait long to meet them.  So fun to see her nervous the first day, and hugging everyone by the last day.  She says her favorite was Minnie Mouse.  I personally like the pic where she was trying to figure out how the heck to hug a big green eye-ball! 


3.  Strollers rule:  It felt strange to take a stroller for our big 5-year old, but wow was it the right move.  She happily rode around in it and that made for a less tired little girl and no whining about being tired of walking.  The best thing about them:  great storage spot for snacks, drinks, extra jackets, etc.  I think I may be taking one to Disney from now on, even if I don't have a kid with me!  

2. Bonding time for Baby Boy:  Peanut #2 had such a great time at Nanna-PopPop World that the little guy, a consummate mama's boy, clung to PopPop and cried upon being reunited with his mama and papa!  A little heart breaking for mommy...but at the same time thrilled he enjoyed himself and is falling in love with the grandparents.

1. Jedi Training School: KK fought Darth Vader at Hollywood Studios...followed by Daddy buying a $25 light saber for her at the gift shop.  (Believe it or not, this was doing better than the $50 light saber that was available as well...)  Our little padawan did great; getting to see her in a Disney show will be a fun memory for all of us for years to come.