Disney Experience

When I think about visiting the "Happiest Place on Earth," being surrounded my thousands of kids and hundreds of strollers is probably not on the top of my list. However, when my kids think about it, riding rides, seeing characters, eating junk food, and enjoying sunshine IS what they would want. I could not believe how different going to Disneyland is when you are toting kids instead of being the kid. Don't get me wrong, I had fun, but the planning, the waiting, the walking, and keeping track of little people made for being very excited for my bed and thankful for a foot soak in my kids' bath water. The other thing was, they wanted everything they saw. Then the whining commenced and the "whys?" and , "but that kid has a..." Wow. I guess I just thought they would be so distracted by being there that they would lose all bits of materialism and covetousness and just enjoy it. Alas, they are little humans with a mommy who likes to take home souvenirs so I couldn't really blame them for seeing things they liked, but I was hoping after they picked the first toy they'd be content. Once we were away from all of it, they were happy with their findings and I was happy to watch them play. Being there during the week, we were at least fortunate to miss most of the lines and hours of waiting. We didn't wait for more than 30 minutes for any ride, so we enjoyed more than we thought we might. I recommend this. Go during the week and probably not in March when it's spring break for most people. We did get to see the fireworks and the parade the second night we were there, which were very neat. Not only was it fun to see my kids get excited about things, but I used to watch Disney movies as a kid and it took me back to being all about "Ariel" and singing "A Whole New World," at the top of my lungs in the living room. It also made me think of when I was there for my first time at age 10. Not much has changed I will say that. Lots of fun memories with my mom, sister, and the kids, but we all agreed, probably not again for a few years. 

Small World

Buzz Lightyear ride with shooting lasers. This was John's favorite ride, but he was in my cart, so I couldn't get a good picture of him shooting his laser.

They went on the Winnie the Pooh ride while John slept in the stroller.

Ella wouldn't take a picture with me in front of the castle, so Peter did :).

He was telling me that a Pirate says ARRRRRR.

On the jungle boat tour. We had a very funny guide. His last words were, "Watch your step and mind your head. If you don't watch you step and you hit your head, mind your words...we are surrounded by children."

Peter's favorite ride were the rockets. We waited a while for this one. It about made me lose my lunch, but it was fun to see him so excited.

They really liked the tea cups. 

And that is our time in a few of the pictures I took. 

Thank you Mom and Jenna for taking the time to let my kids see Disney with me. 

It was an experience to remember, that's for sure.

My random tips for future trips:  

You can take food in there. We brought snacks and that was a life saver.

I got our shirts at Wal-Mart before we left. They were $7. 

Wear tennis shoes. I don't care how nice you think your sandals are. Or how dumb your sneakers might look with your cute shorts. Do it.

Bring water. They rip you off for it in the park.

Make a plan before you go. Pick your top rides and go straight there in the morning.

The pasta place by Space Mountain was the most reasonable (and I mean sorta) for food. More food portions served than others.

If you go with a California resident, they can get a two day pass for $99. This saves lots. If you're not related to one, maybe go early and make a new friend :).

Have fun!

Princesses? I think not.

You would think that taking a 5 year old girl to Disneyland would mean that she would be hunting down Cinderella like my husband after a deer in the fall. No. Not my 5 year old. Alongside her brothers, she wanted to find the pirates and the knights. I tried to get her to take her picture with me in front of the castle. Nope. What about the princesses teaching us how to curtsy and bow? No way. But the knight? Sure! Woody from Toy Story? Absolutely. 

She wanted to wear her tiara and carry the wand, but that's it when it came to the frill. I have to say, I should not have been all that shocked. She has like 1 friend who is a girl her age that we hang out with and that girl has a brother too. I blame the brothers. She will only play dress up if there are other girls at our house, or if she can get the boys to put on heels (rarely). Only the tea party if her brothers want to on the picnic blanket. Oh well. As I watched other little ladies prance around with their hair in sparkly buns, sporting flashy tutus, I thought to myself, no Mam. That's not my girl. She loves her pink nails and small amounts of sparkle, but we don't call her "Slugger" for no reason. She's all sports and activity. Another reason for the lack of princess passion is the fact that we only own the movie "Tangled," no others with princesses. She's scared of every "bad" person in all the others and even Mother Gothel in "Tangled" makes her sad. So, while the plots are fun, and I didn't think much of it as a kid, it bugs her and I can respect that. Sorry Cinderella, maybe some other time.

I took pictures of them just for the sake of being there and remembering the time though. 

Good Morning Kenzie!

We arrived in Los Angeles very late on a Sunday night. The flight went fine, the kids were very good on the almost 6 hour ride and I was glad to arrive as I had not slept at all. Two little boys used me as a pillow which made rest impossible. At least they were sleeping though and it was quiet. When we got to the baggage claim I looked up to see Hulk Hogan! I looked at my sister and asked, "Should I ask him for a picture?" She said, "I don't know! If you want to." I decided to do it. I mean, what was the worst he could do, say no? He kindly obliged and since the kids wouldn't get in the picture he laughed and said, "Guess it's just me and Mama." 

Luckily for us, the kids slept in until about 7 that morning due to lack of sleep the night before. They were so excited to see their little cousin and she was pretty thrilled to have such a warm greeting each morning. John would get really close to her and said, "Hi! Good morning Kenzie Kenz!" over and over. Sometimes I call her that and it was cracking me up that he started to do the same. 

Every day they played outside, their favorite spot is on the side of their yard where the rocks are. They dug and built roads for their trucks and had fun putting rocks down the cinder blocks back there too.

One of the first days it was going to be a little chilly at my sister's so we thought we would take them to a park in Palm Springs. It was warmer there, however it was windy. We were there about an hour when the kids decided to go sit on a bench and look at the huge palm trees.

About 2 seconds after I took this picture, a huge gust of wind came up and blew sand everywhere. They screamed and hopped off the bench. John almost got blown down and we all huddled under the slide until it stopped. After that all we heard was, "That was not cool! We need to leave right now!" So we did. We packed up and walked around the town area and had drinks at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. One of my favorite shops to visit while in that area.

They had a mug there that matched a pin have that says, "Mother Hen" with three little eggs.

Matching brothers and girlies.

Peter wanted to take a picture of my sister and I. I hardly ever say no to having someone else take the pictures.

And so it went. Each start to the day, Peter would ask to hold his cousin Kenzie while they all three wished her a Good Morning. It made for a pretty great 13 mornings.

Happy Spring

It's spring and life is among us!

"I have loved you with an everlasting love." ~Jeremiah 31:3

I have been on vacation and I will write about that, but this week I got some great news from someone I've never met. You see, I've been sponsoring a child in Haiti for 12 years now. She was small when I picked her sweet face off a table of hundreds of other sweet faces and now she is a teenager. Her name is Rose Danielle. Because I have a hard time making choices when I am faced with too many options, I decided to go with a girl who shared my name. We have corresponded multiple times a year over this whole time. She would draw me pictures and I would send her photos and bookmarks, but now that she's older, there isn't so much drawing, but much more writing. She has gone through family deaths, and most recently the earth quake that about destroyed her home. I remember hearing the news that my Dad's friend was killed in that earthquake, just traveling through the town for one night, and wondering if the girl I'd only ever seen in pictures was still alive. Alas, I got a formal letter saying she was, but everything was a shambles. She wrote to me later about it, and I told her we were praying for her. 

Her last letter which was neatly written and translated told me that she had been baptized earlier that week! I know that this is a common occurrence among Christians, but for some reason, I almost cried at this news. Out of happiness and joy that not only has she shared with me many verses, but now she had made the choice to publicly share her faith. It was like a proud parent moment. I am so thankful for the chance to be a part of someones life like this. I may never meet her this side of heaven, but man, she is one of the first I will be searching for. 

I am studying the book of James in the bible right now. The most recent verse that just hit me is in chapter 2 where he warns against showing favoritism to the rich and treating the poor badly. He also says in verse 5, "Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised to those who love him?" My first thought went to Rose Danielle. She has taught me in so many ways despite her situation to never take my faith for granted. To trust God even when horrible things happen. She did this as a small child when she wrote to tell me her father died. She said, "But God will be with me." She gets excited to write and ask me if I know what a papaya and a mango are. It has been made clear to me that I should never ignore those whom this world would suggest have no hope. The fact that I can make it possible for a child to have food, an education, and learn about the bible each month for the price it costs our family to eat out once astounds me.

 It's amazing and wonderful and I thought I would share.

Compassion International is the organization I sponsor Rose through. Check it out.