Dates

We spent the summer mostly at home. Between recovering from a C-section and learning to balance 4 munchkins, I was hard pressed to leave my four walls with all of them. :) I did try really hard to go out and do special individual things with the kids a few times. I love the insight into their thoughts when they are alone with me.

 

 

Anna-Kate was an awesome helper to me. I dreaded the start of school wondering how I would do carpool and get on without her help. She loved to feed Mark (though, to be fair, after this picture was taken she said, "OK, I'm done with him now").

 

 

While the big kids were in Macon Jack got special time with Mommy and Daddy. We went out to dinner with him and Mark and he didn't know what to do with all of the attention. :) (that's a lemon he's sucking on...)

Ryan and I had a date in when Chris took Jack and Anna-Kate out. We had corndogs and grapes on the couch (!!) and watched old Adam West Batman reruns. He thought that was the best thing ever!

Anna-Kate and I at her most requested restaraunt...Waffle House. Sigh. At least she's a cheap date! :)

My girl turns 6, gulp.

I had a mother-fail this year. Ryan's end of the year carnival was on Anna-Kate's actual birthday. He couldn't attend without me, and I so hated for him to miss it. So, I took her cookie cake (her request) the day before her birthday and we celebrated the last day of her being five. :) She seemed to roll with it pretty well. I told her this way we spaced out the sugar...Friday is icecream day at school (her actual birthday) and it was also her party day. She seemed OK with it. God love her!

Morning of her real birthday. She said, "Mama, do I look bigger now that I'm six? I feel taller!"

She has been begging for a sewing machine for almost two years. We saw one at Hobby Lobby and she saw that it said "ages 6 and up" so then changed to, "when I turn 6 I want a sewing machine" (such a first born rule follower...lol). She was beyond ecstatic to open her gift, and I was thrilled to find it at Ross for $11.99. :) Sewing lessons/pictures to follow.

This year she decided she wanted a luau. If you follow me on facebook/remember back to our creative differences, you'll see it's been a long road of planning. :) We had a great time and other than me running a bit late and the alarm at the clubhouse going off for 35 minutes (thus I couldn't get in to decorate etc...) it went off without a hitch! She loved it. :) Her cupcakes for the party.

Close up of the cupcakes. Brown sugar "sand" and piped on swimsuits for the bears (I mean, they couldn't just be naked!). :)

Food table. The pool is out behind this and the covered area is where we did dessert (cupcakes, cake, those nasty frozen sticks of sugar/dye/water--which the kids loved and was super easy, just sayin'. We served "Hawaiian fare" (ham on sister schubert rolls, cherries, pineapple, oranges, bananas, cheetos, and lays potato chips). There was strawberry lemonade to drink. (party fail #2 was forgetting the diet dr. pepper for the adults. Oops. Sorry, parents). The kids swam most of the time, but I also had a little craft for them to do as well--I painted picture frames--hot pink for the girls, turquoise for the 2 boys in attendance--and had sea shells for them to glue (with hot glue assistance) on to it. I'm emailing pictures of Anna-Kate with her friends to go in the frame. They seemed to enjoy that. Sadly, no pictures. ;)

Birthday girls had a special request...cherries and pineapple (though she later told me, "I like pineapple, but I really ordered it for my friends because they really love it." Yes, she said, "ordered it".)

The "Hawaiian luau princess" and my first attempt at a doll cake. I was pretty pleased and happy with what our lei from the Polynesian did to compliment the bottom. :) BTW, six candles is waaay too many!

A few of the party goers--Sara Alden, Marin, Grace, Anna-Kate and Haley. She has been so blessed with some precious little girls in her kindergarten class!

She LOVED her cake! By request she asked that everyone eat cupcakes at her party so we would have cake to bring home to have later. Lol. Smart girl.

It's OK that it took about 4 breaths to get those candles out. :)

Jack was in hog-heaven with his cupcake and popsicle.

It was really fun watching her open her gifts this year and take the time/be able to really read the cards. :)

Not a stellar picture, but the best we got. :)

Birthday girl with her awesome daddy!

Me with my precious girl. I sure do you love, Anna-Kate!

My mom and Anna-Kate share a birthday, so we always have to get a "birthday girl" picture! :)

She soooo loved having her Nana and Poppy there to celebrate with her!

Ryan wanted in on the pictures too (Jack, sadly, wanted nothing to do with it, and as it was 8:30 and bedtime is 7:30, I didn't press the issue). :)

Disney Trip, 2012

Alternate Title: "Would you believe me if I told you that this is but a small fraction of our pictures from the week?"
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We spent spring break at the Port Orleans Resort this year. Chris' comment was that the French Quarter was just like New Orleans...without the smell or crime. Perfect. :) We were in building 6 on the ground floor on the corner which put us very close to the parking lot (but with lovely courtyard views, close to the movie green area, close to the pool, playground and food--but just far enough away to be quiet. Perfect spot! We enjoyed the laid back atmosphere and feel of the resort. It's smaller, so things were closer together and there weren't so many people. The kids LOVED the pool! The water slide was the perfect size for them and I was so proud of the big kids with their swimming. Anna-Kate picked right back up where she left off last summer (Ie, won't need swimming lessons, but we do need to work on form) and, by the end of the week, Ryan was jumping in and getting back into it! Jack, you will not be surprised to read, was not scared in the slightest and delighted in playing "TWO!" and would repeat the word over and over (as in, one, two--he jumps--three.).



Picnic poolside!







Our room was at the corner of "Rue d'baga" and "Cafe au Lait Way". Cute.



Often, as we walked through the main building, the door man would give the kids mardi gras beads or coins to throw in the fountain. They loved it, and by the end of the week, we had quite a collection. Anna-Kate being very silly with a very obliging Poppy. :)



We spent a lot of time at the playground (especially in the early mornings--to cold for swimming first thing!



While the kids played, I partook in the "local" flavor...fresh beignets and coffee. :) YUM.



Downtown Disney! We always have such a good time here! From the Lego store to the Disney stores, to eating at the Earl of Sandwich and our annual family pictures with Pooh and the kids with Mickey and Minnie...gotta love free fun!





The boys (especially) were dying to go to Hollywood Studios this year. We all enjoyed the Pixar parade a lot as well as the Disney Jr show, Toy Story Ride, Beauty and the Beast show and Ryan especially loved meeting the Toy Story characters and eating at Pizza Planet!

I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again, leave it to Disney to actually make you enjoy waiting in line! My kids had the best time waiting to meet Buzz and Woody! {Though, I have to admit to a proud Mommy moment as I watched the 4 (ish) age boy behind us. He was clearly not accustomed to the words "wait" or "patience". My kids were wide eyed at the things to look at and interact with and, even Jack, waited very patiently for the 30-40 minutes we were in line.}

(clearly, strapped to the rocket out of Sid's yard-- a la, Buzz Lightyear. :)





"Dose {alien} guys" as Jack calls them.



Evil Zurg!



And then...we met them...



...and walked outside and saw this guy!



Toy Story Ride: (PS, much better than the one in Magic Kingdom, in my opinion)









Chris and my Dad got to ride the new Star Tours ride and loved it! My belly was too big to be seatbelted in and my sweet Mom brought Ryan out when he got scared, so she missed it.

Even though he missed the ride, he was happy as pie to "ride" this thing.



The too short, too scared, too pregnant group (pre-Ryan and Nana coming out).



The kids all loved the "Honey I shrunk the kids" play area. (though we were made very apparent of just how many people were in the park! YIKES, it was crowded!)



We spent a long time trying on tons of hats in the shop area under Mickey's Sorcerer hat--Ryan had a ball!





Jack was so cute and LOVED wearing his "kickey" ears. :)



I refused to wait 1 hour to "meet" Cars. :) So, we took his picture in front of them. Thankfully, he was happy with that option. :)



Waiting on lunch at Pizza Planet. Sweet, happy guy! (who can hang! Pretty minimal fussiness and not one minute of a nap!)



Enraptured by the parade:



Family shots in front of the Sorcerer's hat:





For a change of scenery, we headed to our favorite resort, the Polynesian, for some lunch and a boat ride (the boat from our resort was closed a couple of days because of the rough winds and it being a canal and not an open lake the the Seven Seas). Stepping foot in the Polynesian is stepping into relaxation and beauty...one of my favorite things. :) From the background music, to the beautiful flowers, the Dole whip and my very special memories from this resort. Ahh! I love it!

{Moral of this story, don't trust a stranger who says "I got a great one" until you look at it first.}





We got off the boat at the Grand Floridian to walk around and see the grounds (no shock, it was beautiful!). The kids loved this old car and I thought Papa would enjoy seeing this picture. :)



At the Whispering Canyon (at the Wilderness Lodge) we had such a fun and silly dinner! All you can eat bbq and a very literal wait staff. :) A lady at the table next to us asked for a bigger fork and got this:



In addition to Coke products and sweet tea, unlimited milkshakes are a drink option. Umm, yes please! Anna-Kate was thrilled I got it and that I was so generous. I tried chocolate and then caramel. Dad got strawberry and Chris got chocolate and then vanilla. How could you pass that up??



If someone at the table asks for ketchup, the waiter yells "Who's got the ketchup?" and everyone with ketchup brings it to your table. Jack thought it was hysterical!



Partway through the meal they had a time for the kids to get on stick horses and ride in a dinner "parade" around the restaurant. So cute and the pulled pork and mashed potatoes were super yummy (and their caramel apple pie was to die for--2 days later when I was hungry enough to eat it!). A definite repeat!

After dinner my parents put the kids to bed while Chris and I got to see La Nouba! This was my birthday present and I was stoked as I have always wanted to see a Circe du Soleil show. It was amazing. I literally just had my jaw open and was convinced I was about to watch someone fall to their death...amazing none the less. :) I did the head nod fall asleep thing for a few minutes (I was so tired as and it was so nice and dark...) so I stood up (which was better for my back anyway) and enjoyed the show immensely. Wonderful gift! This is our only picture as they were extremely strict about photography. I wasn't interested in them taking my phone away!



We only spent one day in the Magic Kingdom this year, so we were really excited to finally get there on Thursday morning for magic hours (that would be 8 am!). :)

Jack and Chris on the monorail...almost there!



Teacups. I love it as much as the kids, which is a good thing as I rode it three times in an hour. :) We all rode it, then I rode it with Jack when the big kids rode the cars, then with Anna-Kate as the boys and my parents rode Buzz Lightyear for the second time. :) Jack was hysterical and was spinning the center thing. Then his eyes would start following and you could watch him get dizzy. Hilarious.









We met lots of characters. :) The boys met with Buzz again, and I don't think Jack cried this time! We all met with Goofy outside of the Pirates of the Caribbean (not a favorite for any of my kids. Anna-Kate said she only rode it because she wanted to tell Adam about it and so he would be proud of her!). Chris wins daddy of the year award for sure...the line for Rapunzel was almost 3 hours long (no, I did not mistype that). He stood there for 1 1/2 hours chatting with a couple of other dads while Mom, Dad and I took the kids on the magic carpet rides and to the Tiki room (which is finally back to the original "normal" version--much better). I got a frantic call while watching the princess/villain show in front of the castle that if I could get there in less than 5 minutes we could see Rapunzel before the parade....Anna-Kate and I hightailed it over there and got to meet her (evidently, a lot of parents had "divided and conquered" and we just got back faster to get the picture--woo-hoo!).









After two years of talking about it, drinking as much milk as he could muster, and me buying new balance shoes {and folding Anna-Kate's knee socks under his heel) Ryan was finally "tall" enough to ride Splash Mountain (aka, "the bunny ride"). He was over the moon! I stayed in the kids' play area with Anna-Kate (who hates getting wet) and Jack (too short). Mom successfully kept her hair dry, Ryan loved it and the other kids had a great time!



Yep, we are this cheap...a picture of the picture of Ryan coming down the big drop. He might have looked terrified but Chris said he did great and Ryan said, "I was so brave!"







My parents scored the most awesomest (yep, awesomest) parade watching spot! We were at a bend (so got to see them coming for a while) and were in the shade. Ahh! We sat down, had some Dole Whips and thoroughly enjoyed it. We were front row sitting, so we even got some high fives and special waves (Ryan, Jack and I wore our birthday pins all week, which didn't hurt. :) ).







Chris always tries to get a picture of a kid in the "snake pit" a la Indiana Jones ("why's it always gotta be the snakes?")



The creme de la creme of {princess} character meeting: Cinderella's castle. :) The kids loved it and we all had a good time, but to be completely honest, the food has gone downhill. I don't know that we will eat here again. Last time we went it was hands down some of the best food I've ever eaten. This time it wasn't horrible, but it just wasn't good (and it didn't help that we had crazy high expectations!). That aside, you can't beat the individual attention of the princesses coming to your table as you eat. :)

With Cinderella





The great knight in the downstairs entrance, waiting to be paged up.





Snow White (I think Ryan was secretly dissappointed he disappointed she didn't kiss him like last year).



Aurora...aka Briar Rose...aka Sleeping Beauty...



Belle



Hahaha. I don't think Belle is used to this reaction from kids. She was stunned.



Ariel



I have a similar picture HERE of Ryan with his sword at this age which cracks me up. :)



After dinner we were split up as Chris went out the back of the castle with Jack, searching for our stroller, and the rest of us went out the front of the castle and scored amazing seats for the Wishes and fireworks shows. This was extremely frustrating, but I'll not write it all down. Suffice it to say, I spoke to guest services about the problem. :) Anyway, the big kids loved every second of the fireworks and our unobstructed view of the parade from the balcony of Cinderellas castle. :)







After the fireworks, we headed back to Fantasyland for one last ride on Peter Pan, the carousel and to try our hand with the sword in the stone. :)











The last full day Mom and Dad went to Epcot for the flower show and we bummed around the resort. The kids got some great swim time in (nice hot weather!) and then we got ready for the boys' most anticipated meal--Chef Mickey! We had a great time at dinner and really enjoyed the food too.

At the entrance (Anna-Kate had just been awakened from a nap (!!) from all of the sun and swimming time. She was just recovering. :) ).



Loved seeing Minnie ("eesa Ninny!" ~Jack)



Jack was very unsure about the close proximity.



But then rallied to blow kisses (safe in daddy's arms).



That silly Goofy!



With Mickey:



So happy!



Family picture with Donald ("isa quack quack!" ~Jack)



Silly Pluto playing with Ryan. :)



I went to get the kids' dessert and when I came back Pluto had arrived. I don't know if he had come up behind Jack or what, but Jack was beyond terrified (which is odd because he is obsessed with Pluto, even choosing "woof-woof" for his end of the week prize).



All recovered with his rice krispie treat. :)



Since we generally go closer to Anna-Kate's birthday, I made a special point of making this for the boys' birthdays. So, I noted on our reservation that we were celebrating their birthdays and they each received a birthday placemat and these fun cupcakes!



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Our last (partial) day we easily filled. We went back to the Polynesian for some Tonga Toast (google it...amazing...I would pay a lot of money for some right now in fact) and a final wave to the castle. We returned to our resort to load up and check out then took a boat to Downtown Disney (this was a low point of the trip...the boats were extremely slow and sporadic, to say the least.). We walked around the Lego store--the outside sculptures were a-maz-ing. So cool!







The kids picked their prizes from the Disney store, (Anna-Kate got the mini Alice in Wonderland with different outfits, Ryan chose a set of mini Toy Story characters and Jack chose Pluto) then we ate our final meal at the Earl of Sandwich. Yum.

Moment of silence for the end of the trip.

We then got Ryan's silhouette drawn, then spent the next hour and twenty minutes waiting to get on the boat/getting back to the resort. I was fit to be tied. Ryan fell asleep waiting.



Finally, Jack joined him and all was quieter. I cashed in our snack credits for some goodies and we hit the road.

When Jack woke up he was delighted to see Pluto on his lap and "read" to him. :)



As always, it was a special week. We loved the Disney magic, the time with family and the special memories with the kids and Mom and Dad. Thanks for everything Mom and Dad!!