Heading Home

Saturday morning, we woke up to a very icky Colt who was just radiating heat!  We finished loading up and we thought getting up and going would help, but it didn't. (we should have known.) He slept through breakfast and wouldn't eat or drink a thing.  He didn't even want to pick out treats to take home.  So, we ate quickly and Chase and I used the rest of our meal and snack tickets (13) to get treats to bring home.  We got in the car and headed out at 8:30am (Texas time).   1,004 miles, 3 pit stops and 14 hours and 15 minutes later, we were home.   I was proud of the boys on the way there but I was super proud of them on the way home.  The did amazing.  About 20 minutes into the trip they both fell asleep.  After a very short nap, the both woke up happy.  Colt was a whole new person.  I don't know what hit him but I'm pretty sure it was pure exhaustion.  We made 3 very quick pit stops, one stop at a gas station McDonalds to grab food that took three times as long as we would have hoped. The boys played and watched movies and didn't even fall asleep until about 5:30 and only slept for a little while.   They did great!  Better than mommy!  We're so sad the trip is over but so thankful for the amazing memories we made.   Oh and by the way...If you ask Chase what his favorite part was, he will tell you Tower of Terror.   Seriously kid?!?!?!

Day 5- Magic Kingdom

Day 5- Magic Kingdom 
We had yet another early morning as we had breakfast reservations at 8:15 at the Contemporary Hotel for Chef Mickey.  We left our hotel at 7:15 to make it there on time.  Everywhere we went, we left the hotel an hour early, at least, to plan for catching a bus and travel time.  We arrived a few minutes early and only waited a couple minutes for a table.  The food looked great and the boys were excited to see Mikey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto.  We grabbed the boys food and immediately the characters started coming over.  I was so excited that Chase had no hesitation.  He was excited to meet all of them! We sat by an obnoxious family, but other than that, we enjoyed our breakfast.  As soon as we were done we took the walk way back to Magic Kingdom and went into the park for our last day.  We tried the other side of the park first and started out on Aladdin's Magic Carpets and the Jungle Cruise.  The boys loved the carpets.  We also rode Pirates of the Caribbean (Chase was not amused!) and Big Thunder Mountain (he enjoyed that but was scared before the ride started).  Colt was dying to go on Splash Mountain.  Zak would have preferred not to since it was a bit cool out but told him he would.  Colt is always up for adventure!!!!  He loved that and I think it was his favorite ride of the day. Chase and I hung out and waited for them.  We were able to watch them come down.  After lunch at a very very crowded Cosmic Rays things started to go down hill.  Colt started to feel icky and Chase finally started to get excited about everything (he had been battling the tail end of a cold all week). Colt stopped wanting to do anything so I sat with him while he rested in the stroller and Chase and Zak went on a few rides.  We thought after a rest Colt would be ready to go.  No such luck.  I gave him some medicine and hoped he'd feel better.  We drug him on a couple rides and even went back to Barnstormer and Buzz Light year for another ride, but he didn't want to do anything.  We headed to Main Street where they both picked out souvenirs (stuffed Plutos).  Poor Colt wasn't even into that.  We then snagged a set on the curb 1 hour and 35 minutes before the Electrical Parade.  I went off for snacks and by the time I got back both boys were fast asleep.  Not even cotton candy and a Mickey pretzel could wake them.  Zak and I made friends with a sweet couple sitting next to us and sat and people watched.  We woke the boys up just in time for the parade.  I don't think either one of them was too into it.  I enjoyed it though and I loved watching them light up the castle and Wishes, the fireworks, were by far, the best firework show I've ever ever seen.  Once again, my cheeks hurt from smiling!  We were positioned close to the entrance for a quick escape.  Well as quick as we could.  Catching the bus wasn't too bad, not near as bad as I expected.  We got to the hotel and got he boys in bed.  Then Zak and I settled our bill (with only a little confusion) and started to pack and load up.   We were sad our trip was over, but tired enough to not be too sad.  
It really was the most magical time.  We had the most amazing vacation, a vacation I hope the boys are old enough to always remember.   We already can't wait to go back to the HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH!

Day 4- Epcot

Day 4- Epcot After a day of no rest on our rest day, we started out bright and early for Extra Magic Hours in the park.  It was nice, we were some of the first in and were a able to get right on Test Track.  Chase was still very hesitant about any ride.  He was scared it would be too dark and too fast.  We knew he'd have fun so we talked him into riding.  The boys both got to design their own car and ride around the test track.  It was fun.  And fast.  Not scary.  Chase wasn't too sure if he liked it or not.  We went onto another couple of rides and after that Zak and Colt took our bands and did Test Track twice with our fast passes.  It worked out well. While they did that, Chase and I went to see Crush Live.  It was hilarious.  He did a question and answer session with the crowd (it was a cartoon) and it was so neat.   Poor Chase was nervous about every single ride and even hesitant about seeing Crush.  He just didn't know what to expect after the Tower of Terror.  (Such a mistake!)  We powered through knowing nothing was too scary. I loved the Figment ride.  I remember it as a child, he was Beck's favorite! We also loved the Nemo and Friends ride.  Space ship Earth was nice and relaxing and we loved the pictures that popped up at the end of the ride with us in future world.  After rides, we headed to the Countries.  We ate in Mexico, it was nice not to have to get a burger.  And, the Churros...OMG! Chase loved the Donald boat ride in Mexico.  He loved it so much that he insisted we got right back on to ride again.  We stopped in Morroco to meet Princess Jasmine and Aladdin (That was for mommy!). And, I loved walking through the UK.  I wish I had been more hungry but after a big lunch and knowing we had an early dinner, I didn't try any of the yummy food we saw.  Next time, pastries in Norway! After lots of walking and a few more attractions we headed all the way back to Japan for dinner at Teppan Edo, a Japanese Hibatchi Grill.  It was so entertaining and yummy!  We also sat with a really nice family that we enjoyed chatting with.  Zak and the other dad were a little star struck when Steve Young, a hall of fame football player came in.  I had no clue who he was!  After dinner we were all so tired, we decide to skip fireworks and head back to the hotel.  It was a good choice since we knew we wanted to get every moment out of our last day in Magic Kingdom.  

Day 3- Rest Day

Day 3- Rest Day
I'm not sure there was any rest involved but we did sleep in a little bit.  Chase and I were up first so we headed on an adventure to get mommy some caffeine!  We had fun looking around and playing checkers.  Unfortunately, there was a 90% chance of rain and the predictions didn't disappoint.  Our rest day was suppose to be our swimming day but it was just too wet.  So, when everyone got up, we headed back to Disney Springs for some Disney shopping.  We also ate my favorite quick service meal at Wolf Gang Pucks.  It was delish and the boys actually ate a good amount of their pizza! The boys, and mommy, loved Goofy's Candy Shop.  Look at those amazing candy apples.  I didn't try one of those but I did have a piece of chocolate covered pineapple. YUM!!! The boys chose candy for their snack.  Surprise! After buying a lot of souvenirs we headed back to the hotel.  It had sprinkled on and off but not too bad while we were out.  The sky was cleaning and we had to get ready for our Luau dinner at Spirit of Aloha in the Polynesian hotel.  I had been worried the whole trip that this would be rained out.  (I see a pattern here...I did a lot of worrying!) Thankfully, it cleared up and was a really nice night.  We got to take the monorail to the Polynesian. That was an experience in itself! We waited at our resort for quite some time to get the bus to get us to the Magic Kingdom and the monorail so we were running a bit behind.  We arrived at the hotel right on time.  We enjoyed the food (at least Zak and I did).  The pulled pork and rice were my favorite.  And the show was super fun! Colt loved the fire spinner.  We got a bit lost leaving the resort but finally found the boat back to Magic Kingdom where we would catch our bus.  On the boat ride over,  we were able to see some of the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom.  It was a beautiful way to end the night!

Day 2- Hollywood Studios

Day 2- Hollywood Studios We started off our morning eating at Hollywood and Vine with all of the Disney Jr. characters- Jake, Sofia, Doc McStuffins and Chases favorite, the reason for picking that place, Handy Manny.  Breakfast was delicious and we loved the charctures.  Chase wasn't too sure of them and kept his distance until Handy Manny came around. After breakfast we headed into the park.  We had fast passes for Star Tours but they let us in without using our fast pass.  Something must have been wrong with the fast pass kiosk.  Then, I did something really stupid!  I wanted to change our fast passes since we didn't have to use one for Star Tours and, I deleted all of them!  I added something Elsa and Anna and another princess something or another.  NOOOOOOOO!  After a brief moment of panic I got everything back except Toy Story, which already had a 90+ minute wait.  One of the photographers told us to go ask very nicely if anything could be done. I asked a super nice supervisor what I could do and he gave us fast passes and asked us to come back after 2:30.  I hugged him.  The day was saved! :)  I calmed down and we enjoyed some rides and shows.  We did make a huge mistake that changed our trip.  We took Chase on Tower of Terror.  As a teenager, mom and I went on this ride.  I remember screaming but I didn't remember how scary it was and how many times you were dropped.  Chase literally screamed and cried the whole time.  It was awful.  We made an awful parent choice.  Chase was ruined.  He was petrified of every ride, even Toy Story.   His hesitation and frustration that we made him ride that didn't waver for the whole day.  But, we powered through! A 5 minute sprinkle didn't slow us down either! We loved watching the Indian Jones show and seeing all the behind the scene tricks and also watching Lights, Motor, Action.  Lightning McQueen even made and appearance! We had an early quick service dinner, where the kids once again ate nothing, and Chase and I rested while Zak and Colt went to ride Star Tours again.  We scored Fast Passes for Fantasmic and it was awesome!  It's a light show illuminated on sprays of water.  LOVED IT! After Fantasmic, Colt and Zak decided they needed one more ride on Tower of Terror.  Chase and I sat on the street and watched the Star Wars firework show.  Next time, NO Tower of Terror for Chase and I! 

Day1- Magic Kingdom

Day 1- Magic Kingdom For years now, I've had a dream that Zak and the boys and I were walking through the gates at Magic Kingdom.  (It's never looked like the real Magic Kingdom, but thats what it was suppose to be!)  And, since before we had kids, Zak and I have talked about a family trip to Disney.  When we walked through the gates on our first day in the parks at Magic Kingdom, I was overwhelmed.  The day was finally here.  We had made it!  MY family was in DISNEY WORLD!  Our day was absolutely perfect.  I actually couldn't believe how smooth the day ran.  It was a little overwhelming getting our bearings and figuring out where to go and how everything worked but once we did, we were OFF!  We started in Tomorrow Land and rode Buzz Light Year 2 or 3 times, with no line and then moved onto the Spaceship Orbiter ride, again with no line.  It was awesome!  We had fast passes we used throughout the day but for the most part, the ride lines weren't bad.  We waited no more than 30 minutes for any ride and rode some rides 2-3 times.  The boys LOVED Barnstormer in Fantasy Land. It was so fun to see the boys and Zak's excitement.  My cheeks hurt from smiling so much! We stopped for a quick lunch and sit down and headed back out for more rides. I was most excited to ride Peter Pan because I remember it as my favorite ride growing up.  It was fun, I loved that we all 4 got to ride together, but it was short! Afterwards, I stood in line for water (for a crazy amount of time) and in that time, Colt fell asleep in the stroller.  We decided to let him rest and walk around.  We found a corner of shade and planted our self.  Come to find out we stopped at an awesome place to watch the upcoming parade.  Chase fell asleep for a bit too and we woke them up just in time for the parade.  I have to say, that parade might have been one of my favorite parts of the whole trip! I loved it so much!  I saw princesses and dancing and the music was so Disney.  It couldn't have worked out better because we had no intention of watching the parade, but I'm so glad we did.   After a rest and the parade, we were off to ride more rides!   At 6:45 we headed up to the Beasts Castle to Be Our Guest, where we were having dinner.  It was awesome!  Zak and I enjoyed dinner, the boys not so much.  But they were both so tired and it was later than our usual dinner time (and to be honest, they didn't enjoy many meals.  I think it was a combination of exhaustion, excitement and not loving the food!).  When we arrived we saw the Beast come in and Chase hated it.  In his defense, he was HUGE!   I think he worried the whole dinner that he would come to our table.  He didn't of course.  After dinner Colt and I went to meet him.  Colt thought it was so funny when he covered up his eyes for a picture.  The staff was so excellent, they helped us entertain Chase so we could all get a picture with him.  We headed back to the hotel after dinner for some much needed rest!

Road Trip Part 2 and The Arrival

We woke up bright and early in Tallahassee, ate a quick breakfast at the hotel and headed out.  We arrived in Orlando, at Disney around 1:30.  Just driving into the area made us all so excited!!! We got to our hotel and expected to have to wait on our room, but they were able to find us a room that was ready.  We wasted NO time getting unpacked and into swim suits.  The boys could hardly wait to get in.  We headed down to the pool and it was COOOOLD!  It didn't stop the boys so poor Zak got in with them while I headed to find our resort cups and fill them for the boys and then made stop at the bar for reward drinks for mommy and daddy!  :) 

After an hour or two in the pool, we headed back to the room to get ready to go to Disney Springs and have dinner at TREX.  Disney Springs was great.  Lots of shops and fun food and the boys really loved TREX and all the dinosaurs. The boys designed and made their own Light Sabers and were so proud of them.  Zak and I had no idea what we were doing but everyone was very helpful.  

Great way to start our trip!

ROAD TRIP

We set off bright and early for Disney!  4 states, many miles, lots of movies and snacks and a few stops later,  we landed in Tallahassee Florida,   Our pit stop for the night.  We ate a quick dinner at Texas Road House (Imagine that-in Florida!) and headed to the hotel and bed.  We were exhausted but so excited and the boys loved that we were sleeping in a hotel!!!!  I was so proud of the boys on this leg of the trip.  We were in the car for 10+ hours and they did amazing!!!!! Some funny moments... Chase- I feel like we've been in this car for a day! (1 hour and 45 min into our trip).
Colt- I'm starving right now! Me- Ok, we will get another snack in just a little bit. Colt- I'm just starving right now!  I haven't eaten in a couple minutes!
Oh...And see that cooler?   Theres nothing in it.  We left all the cold stuff in the fridge at home but packed the cooler! 

What should we do this weekend?

For over a year, we've been planning a trip to Disney World.  There has been sneaking around, late night calls to the planner, and many many Pinterest pins.  After disagreeing a little bit, Zak gave in, and decided we could tell the boys tonight.  (He wanted to wake them up Saturday and tell them to get in the car.  I have too much packing to do that!) 

Because we wanted to make it special, we did it big.  

Maybe too big.  

The boys, at first, were a little silly, overwhelmed, and confused about what exactly was going on.  Colton didn't want to read anything and I think they were just totally unsure about what was going on and why there was a huge box in front of them.  

But, I have to say that I am proud of how the box turned out.  The presents I wrapped up inside were our Magic Bands, a couple Mickey tshirts, a backpack we got from the travel agency and an autograph book and autograph mat for the boys to collect signatures.  When Chase opened the Tshirts, he said, "Oh clothes." Hahahaha!

After the confusion subsided and the boys calmed down a little bit, they were so excited.  When we told them they would have to miss a whole week of school they were OVER THE MOON!  

We spent the evening talking about all the fun things we had planned. 

 The boys LOVED playing in the box with the balloons.  

 After bath, the boys asked if we could send the balloons up to MeeMaw.  

Of course that melted my heart.  

Happy Valentine's Day

Baseball Season is back!

Baseball Season is BACK! On Monday night Colt had his first practice with the Braves.  He did awesome.  He caught some great catches and hit some great hits.  He's so much fun to watch and an old pro at this! LET'S GO BRAVES

 Tonight, after 5 seasons of sitting on the side lines cheering on his brother, Chase had his very first tball practice.  He is so excited to be an Astro and to have Braxton, one of his best buddies, on his team and have his daddy help coach.  On the way to practice, he said, "Mom, do you think we will have a water break!?!?!"  I guess he was excited to use his new water bottle.  I was so proud of him the whole practice.  He went right out on the field with the Coach and followed directions and listened so well.  What the coach doesn't know is he's ready for this!  He's watched a lot of baseball!!!!

LET'S GO ASTROS!