Disney Diaries, Post 1

I recently shared a few hundred photos of our recent trip to Disney. Bless you if you actually took the time to go through them all. That was less than half of the snapshots. That place really has an effect on the young, the old and those in between! The boys are still talking about the trip a month later and wondering why we couldn't just live there. For the sake of capturing the memories before I forget all the fun, I thought I'd blog a bit about our days at Disney.

We were fortunate enough to redeem reward points to fly to Orlando, which made the journey a breeze. After the 10 plus hour flight we survived with the boys last summer, a one-hour flight to Orlando was a cinch! To maximize Josh's days off, we left on a Thursday evening and arrived about 10:15. The boys were too excited to be exhausted. Jack was a bundle of energy and excitement on our 35-minute bus ride to the resort.

If you've ever visited the Grand Floridian, you know it's a pretty spectacular place. Upon entering the huge and rather grand lobby, we began the check-in process. Sam, who can get rather chatty in the later hours, pulled his suitcase up to the counter and used it as a stool to get a better view. He then talked dear castmember Linda's ear off as she did her work. She was so accommodating. I've heard that the Grand Floridian is not a great place to stay with kids, and while the kids were a bit outnumbered by adults, I felt the staff was a gem. Maybe because it is primarily a conference and event hotel, they don't have quite as many children. It seemed to me that the smaller number of children made the staff more eager to talk to and indulge our children. Anyway, I highly recommend the resort. We were able to snag a pretty good rate because Josh was attending a conference, and now, I'm not sure I'd want to stay anywhere else!

The next morning as Josh began his conference, the boys and I explored the property. They looked longingly at the splash pool, but with temperatures in the high 50s/low 60s I wasn't so sure it was warm enough to indulge. We decided to cruise around on the monorail. The boys were excited to get a closer look at the castle when we passed the Magic Kingdom entrance and the big ball at Epcot. We learned our way around pretty easily. After our tour, the boys were itching to swim so I let them head to the pool. It was still only in the low 70s, but they didn't seem to mind.

After a while, Josh joined us and delighted the boys with his willingness to get in the pool. I tried, people, it was just still too chilly despite that the pool was heated. It wasn't heated quite enough for this gal. We enjoyed lunch by the pool. The boys capped off their pool fun with frozen treats, which practically became part of our daily schedule.

We talked the boys into a nap, although Jack never gave up the fight and ended up on a walk with Josh. Sam got a good snooze in, and then we headed to dinner at Chef Mickey's. It was a great start to our trip. We enjoyed getting to meet all the characters. Sam had become rather excited about Minnie's arrival and kept asking about her. At one point, he had to use the potty, and of course, that is when Minnie arrived. I was so afraid he was going to miss her. Jack and I stalled her at our table, and finally Sam finished up. When he spotted her at our table, he ran and gave her the biggest, sweetest hug! I'll remember that moment for a long time; it was definitely one of my sweetest memories of the trip.

After dinner, it was still early so we thought we'd catch a bus to Downtown Disney and hang out. We had to wait for quite a while for a bus at the Contemporary, but finally we hopped on. After making a couple more stops the bus was quite full and a bit warm. That combined with a bumpy ride and the tummy full of orange soda, signaled a belly ache for Jack. Once we arrived at DD, he was a pitiful mess. He was so miserable. Not long after stepping off the bus, he emptied that belly and seemed to feel a little better. We still decided it might be best to just head back to our resort.

By the time we got back, Jack was feeling himself again. One of the lovely perks of our hotel was the nightly entertainment. Music played for hours each night, between the grand pianist and the jazz band orchestra. The boys found their own personal stage and danced for a long while. Before heading to bed, we positioned ourselves at the marina near our room, which had a perfect view of Cinderella's castle. The boys loved watching Wishes, the nightly fireworks show at the Magic Kingdom.


At the conclusion of each day, I asked everyone their favorite part of the day. Sam's favorite was almost always whatever we had done most recently. On Friday, Jack's favorite was the fireworks. Sam loved getting a chance to dance. I loved the big hug Sam gave Minnie, and Josh loved watching how sweet Sam was to his brother when he didn't feel so good on the bus ride. Friday was a wonderful start to our fun-filled week.

When in Rome

Slightly delayed, but after we recovered from our European vacation, the little boys and I headed to Rome to spend a few days with Grandmommy, Grandaddy, Aunt Kristy, Uncle Jeff & Cousin Sean. The boys had a ball swimming, snacking, bouncing and movie watching. It was plain ole fun, but don't take my word for it...

Full

Full, it's still the best way to describe life around here these days. I wouldn't have it any other way. What a blessing to fill our days with visits to and from friends and family, fun summer activities and even our standard commitments (most of which have not disappeared this summer).

We spent the weekend over in South Carolina earlier this month. It was a real treat to catch up with friends from our three years spent in Greenwood. The boys and I had a great visit with the Todds and had the pleasure of meeting their new addition, Lydia. Well, at least I did. The boys were more interested in big brothers' Noah and Caleb's toys, sandbox and the hammock out back.

Later we ventured to my friend Kristie's, affectionately known as Cissy, to children of all ages. She's a born caregiver, doting on every little one that crosses her path. The boys were royally spoiled and of course loved the pool out back. We also took the opportunity to see the topiary display in uptown. Jack is already talking about his next trip to Cissy's.

Splish Splash

Even though the calendar still says May, some days it feel like it's already the dog days of summer. Jack has been longing for summer and it's mostly for the swimming. While we don't have a pool out back, I did convince him the sprinkler could be a refreshing treat on Sunday afternoon.

Quick Q & A

Q: What's the best way to make a morning in the park with friends even better?

Sam enjoyed sharing brother's popsicle

And some of Amelia's too...

A: Add popsicles, of course!

Q: Where is the perfect place to have a sweet reward for your little ones after their exhausting photo session?

A: A Krispy Kreme with the "HOT" sign on!

Q: What is a rock waterfall with no water?

A: The perfect "mountain" for boys to climb as they plan to conquer the world and fight bad guys (with a few juice breaks here and there)

fun in the sun

Sam found a perfect hiding spot

Several days ago we spent our Saturday with family on Lake Lanier. It was a birthday celebration of sorts for me and my brother. It was a cloudy day, which cooled it down a bit. The one rain shower that moved through happened to do so while we were docked for lunch. We spent most of our day cruising in the pontoon boat and introducing Jack to tubing. I'm pretty sure he's hooked.

His first go round was alongside dad. He kept yelling, "go faster!" And "don't slow down!"

Finally he agreed to take a break. After lunch, my brother and sister-in-law decided to take a turn. Jack wasn't as good a spectator as he was participant. He kept yelling (unbeknownst to them): "just fall off!"

Jack was thrilled when they decided they'd had enough. I decided I'd get on the tube with Jack this time, but before we even got that far he announced, "I won't be scared to do it all my by self.*" So, we put him out there alone. Partly because of his lack of weight and our lack of speed he fell off right away. I was afraid he was done. He did seem a little scared floating alone in that big lake, and yelled, "come back" as we circled back around. After swimming to the rope, he said, "I want to get back on, daddy!"

*I still love that he says "all my by self" instead of all by myself.  

making a splash

Summer is supposed to be hot, but in the South it's plain old sweltering. It's so nice when you can cool off with a nice dip. I think these little guys are having fun.

ode to summer

I have always loved summer. What's not to love...no school, daylight that lingers forever, homemade ice cream, swimming, popsicles...

Although our days haven't felt particularly lazy, but I sure have been with keeping the blog updated.

Thinking about braving the slide at Water Day

Sam just prefers to lap up the water. Maybe I should give him a drink?

a game of velcro catch in the driveway

a beautiful painted sky

Sam enjoying a jr. bacon cheeseburger

swim lessons

showing off his floating techniques

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

On Memorial Day, we were thrilled to have Josh at home...especially since he had worked on Saturday and Sunday. We enjoyed spending our morning swimming with some friends. Jack loves the pool. Sam enjoys it, but really prefers to get in and out and explore all the surroundings.

Later that day, we all went shopping in Buford. The crowds were out for sure, but Jack still got to enjoy several trips on the escalators (his favorite part of any trip to the mall). Eventually, Josh had to head back home for his Monday evening shift, and the boys and I headed to my brother and sister-in-law's house nearby for a cook-out with Mema & Pop. The highlight of a stop at Uncle John & Aunt Lisa's is always fun with their playful and energetic dog, Molly.

After lots of fun and food, we all headed to the Gwinnett Braves game. Jack particularly enjoyed the inflatables and popcorn. Sam enjoyed the freedom to roam as we elected to sit on the outfield lawn. We can't wait to go back with Josh in our party...especially since chasing Sam gets exhausting :)

It's a Splash!

On Friday, Stacie, a dear friend of mine invited the boys and I to join her and her nephews for a day of swimming. Stacie lives just outside of Athens and had a furlough day. She has spent several of her past furlough days by visiting us in the Sham, so we were glad to make a trip to see her this time. Mom took care of Sam, while we headed to the pool. As usual, Jack was a little fish, splashing and kicking. He loved chasing and swimming away from the big boys. Gavin showed us some incredible moves off the diving board, and Grayson gave jumping a thought. And what trip to Athens would be complete without a trip to Chick-fil-A? Thanks for including us in on your fun.

Splish Splash

Tuesday we ventured down to the Splash Zone in Gainesville. Thankfully, my sweet sister agreed to join us. I'm not sure I would have attempted it alone with the two boys. We went a handful of times last year, and Jack was pretty timid. I wasn't sure he'd be any braver this year, but he let his aunt Emmy lead him all over the place. He waded in the water without too much fear and wasn't phased much by the chilly water...his purple lips told a different story.

Twice Emily got him to the top of the spray tower only for him to back down on previous requests to go down the slide. Later (when it warmed up a bit and the sun came out) we traded spots. Emily watched Sam in the shade while I helped Jack "swim" around the lazy river. He loved kicking his legs and swimming like a fish. He would have done it much longer, but it grew too crowded for this mom and we made a break for Chick-fil-A.

Speaking of Chick-fil-A, I sampled the new spicy chicken sandwich. It was good, but of course CFA doesn't really make anything that isn't. Anyway, I don't think I prefer it over the original, but may add it into my rotation every now and again.

We had a great time with Aunt Emmy. Jack was thrilled that she came bearing gifts from "Umple Jonafin." A very awesome Thomas towel, Sesame Street movies and a stuffed dog just like his Aunt Emmy's. He's been walking around the house with his "doggie." If you ask, he'll tell you, "his name Cash," (just like another dog we know.)