top ten things i learned while on our disney vacation

Here is a list of the ten things I learned about Florida/Disney while on vacation....

1. Florida is HOT!
2. Backpacks are life savers for small children in the airport and on plane rides!
3. Explain to a 4 year old who has never been on an airplane that the plane does make turns in the air before the pilot actually does so!!!
4. Disney's Photopass program is FANTASTIC!
5. When the book says "allow up to an hour to travel between parks," believe them!
6. For the best keepsake ever, have your children record (either words or pictures!) a travel journal each night when you get back your hotel! Trust me, you'll be glad you did when you back home reading through it teary-eyed!
7. An 18 month old does not have to be laying horizontal to have an hour long nap!
8. Do not feel like you have to do everything, because you won't!
9. There is not another moment of a vacation you will remember more than seeing a child's eyes the first time they step foot inside the Magic Kingdom!

and the last thing I learned while on vacation....

10. Did I mention Florida is HOT??!!!!!!



photos to come.....

friday favorite!

So, as if there was not enough to look forward to on the weekends.... check THIS out!

I checked it out last weekend and there are some pretty great deals available! Just notice it is only open on the weekends.

I "heart" J. Crew!

Enjoy! TGIF!

we're back!

We are back home! Well, actually, we have been home almost a week now. But, I guess I have still been on a bit of a "blog-cation!" Hmmmm, I think I just made up that word?!

Florida was beautiful and Disney was fantastic! We are already planning our next trip with the boys!

I really want to share a few of our photos, but I have to sort through the 428 photos I took! Yes, 428! I really enjoyed our new Nikon! So, many photos to come....

watch out mickey... here we come!

And, we are off..... We officially fly out in less than 13 hours and I think I am almost all packed!

The boys are over the moon with excitement! Since Cameron is missing four days of school, I thought I would put together a little journal that he could write in while we were gone, to help count for his school writing assignment. I "stole" this too cute idea from Blonde Designs! I made one for Bryson too, and figured he could draw pictures of his memories and get character autographs!

I hope this trip is filled with the best memories ever for these little boys!!!! All four if you include Doug!

dimes for disney!

About a month or so ago, Doug and I came up with the idea that we would start a "fund" with all spare change we had or the kids had, or earned, and then that fund would become their spending money in Disney. We agreed with the boys that whatever amount was in the jar, they would split (since Noah didn't really understand this concept!). This was a huge hit in our house for the past month or so. We even had "outside" help.. some other people donated to the fund!

And, today, the day before our big trip, we all took the jar to the bank cash machine to see what we ended up with! The jar is about 10 inches tall and maybe four inches in diameter. Would you like to guess how much you think the boys ended up with??!! If so, leave a comment for us and we will tell you exactly how much they were able to spend when we return next week!!!

sticks, stones and spiders

About two years ago, Cameron attended a camp in Chapel Hill that took the campers to the Eno River one day for "Creekstomp." Cameron was hooked instantly! He came home begging for us to all go there as a family. I mean, what could be better than, river water, sticks, rocks, snakes and spiders???? Where else would a little boy want to spend an afternoon?!

So, for the past two years we have spent one afternoon during our Labor Day weekend at the Eno River. It is so funny to me to look at last year's photos and see how little the boys look compared to this year!

This year was so much fun to watch all three boys in the water playing with the rocks and sticks. Although our nature walk was not quite as exciting as last year (we saw a snake last year!), we did see turtles, a fish, and very large spiders! Oh, the fun of having little boys!!!

Before we left, we collected a few items for a "craft project." I'll post how that turned out later this week!

i scream, you scream... we all scream for.......

Labor Day weekend for our family this year meant relaxation! We tried to just "lay low" and enjoy some down time since we are gearing up for the big trip to Florida this weekend. So, this weekend, after a nice "grilling out dinner at home," we packed up and headed out for after dinner dessert... ice cream!!!! Not just any ice cream, fresh Maple View Farms ice cream. We got there just in time to get our cones (or cups for some!) and sit back to enjoy the beautiful sunset in the "country."

grab a tissue...

This post was on LittleLovely today. In case you missed it, grab a tissue and click play. So sweet! It is a mini documentary using over 1,200 still photographic images taken over several months. Amazing!!! And, really, don't forget a tissue....

friday favorite!

Personalized melamine seems to be a "big thing" online these days. I have to say, however, these plates and platters from Daninotes have to be my favorite! She has the best designs and will customize to your liking. And, they are dishwasher safe and when dropped by those little hands, they don't break! Love it!

TGIF!

need a little giggle today????????

This should do the trick!