march happenings: week three

The third week of March was our first full week living with my parents.  The kids love it when PopPop comes home from work.  We usually take a walk/scooter ride around the neighborhood and Hadley inevitably ends up hitching a ride at some point.

On Tuesday the kids and I went to the Durham Life & Science museum to visit the dinosaur trail.  We came here last fall and had a great time so we thought one more visit before we move would be fun!

And, of course, we had to stop for snow cones on the way home.  These kids love them some snowballs.

This sign cracks me up.  I sure hope Batman remembers to get his $1 discount when he goes to Pelican's SnoBalls!

Hadley LOVES to get a "yittle cart" when we go to Trader Joe's.  I really have to keep my eye on her though because she also loves to do her own shopping with the cart.  On this visit I retrieved grapes, 2 pounds of pecans, butter and mini cupcakes from her cart before we left - ha!  

Rainy days call for Target browsing.  We do it well.

The kids have had a lot of adjustments this month and have done great with having their spaces redefined and being flexible.  Drew and I decided to take them on a special date to Build-a-Bear as a surprise treat over the weekend.  Hadley picked a bunny and Asher found Toothless Dragon.  :-)

march happenings: week two

After we got home from Florida we had one last night in our house and moved to my parent's place the very next day.  It was crazy.  Drew and I didn't want to take the kids directly to a new place after vacation, so this seemed like the best way to transition them.  We got back on Sunday afternoon, finished packing, went to bed and when we woke up I took the kids out to breakfast and took Asher to school while Drew waited for the movers to come and pack us up.  I came back to this.  So sad - we love this house and loved living here!

My parents were so wonderful about letting us live with them.  It was a huge inconvenience to their home and lives but they welcomed us with open arms.  They set up special play areas for the kids and Hadley was quick to get her Anna's all arranged.  :-)  We don't have a new house yet and have no idea how long we might be here - it's all a little overwhelming but I'm so grateful to have family who love us and are there for us no matter what.  We don't take that for granted!

On Wednesday while Asher was at school Hadley came with me to close on the sale of our Apex house.  She was a huge help and did a great job.  Snacks, iPad, ballpoint pen - check.

Since Asher doesn't have school on Fridays we decided to go to the jumping place for some fun.  Hadley is fearless and climbed up the ladder and came down the big slide all by herself.  While I'm grateful that I didn't have to climb up I still can't believe she did it all alone!  Girlfriend makes me nervous!

On Saturday Drew and I took Asher out for a date, just the 3 of us.  There might have been a basketball game on the tv behind me - ha!  #marchmadness  Love them!

disney: day three

On our final day at Disney we woke up with a plan.  After the devastating way we missed Minnie yesterday she was our #1 priority.

We had breakfast at the hotel then hopped the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom to be there the minute the gates opened.  Turns out a lot of people had this same plan.  ha!  We were in a HOARD of folks pressing on the ropes to get the magic started.  Disney thinks of everything, of course, and had a show going to keep everyone entertained.  Once the park officially opened we made a beeline to town center where Minnie would be and were first in line to meet her.  Our plan worked like a charm and was SO worth it.

I mean, look at the face.  Dying.  #loveher

The crowds were still spread pretty thin after we saw Minnie so we were able to get right onto several rides.  First up was Dumbo the Flying Elephant!  Drew and Hadley tried to go on a second time, but the ride had a mechanical problem, so they got a "golden ticket" to FastPass any other ride later that day.  I had never heard of this before, but the golden ticket was seriously awesome.  Drew and I *may* have used it later to ride the 7 Dwarfs Mine Train without the kiddos.  #parentsoftheyear   

After Dumbo we went on The Little Mermaid ride which was really fun!  The kids loved it and there was ZERO line which is unheard of.  Honestly I think the lack of line made the ride even more enjoyable - ha!  

A couple months ago when we were planning our trip I chose a FastPass for Enchanting Tales with Belle because I heard that it can be really hard to get into, but then Drew and I decided to cancel it for a different character interaction since Asher and Hadley had never seen Beauty and the Beast.  When we got to my in-laws house it turns out that they have an old copy of the movie on VHS (yes, really) and the kids LOVED it.  They love the Beast and the songs - of course, who doesn't?  We swung by Enchanting Tales with Belle on the off chance that we could get in and - ta da! - we did!  It was pretty neat and Asher was chosen to play "Chip".  He has an excellent hop.  :-)  

Before our first FastPass we saw Minnie Mouse, went on 4 rides, and went through Enchanting Tales with Belle.  Disney magic at it's best!  After Belle we took a snack break and regrouped before cashing in our first Fast Pass to meet Rapunzel and Cinderella.  While planning our trip I read that the princesses are a great use of FastPass since they always have long lines and I'm glad we did it that way.  My kids love meeting the characters so these were a must-do for us!

Asher was so thoughtful while meeting the princesses and always introduced Hadley to them.  When we walked up to Cinderella he said, 

"Hi Cinderella, my name is Asher and this is my sister Hadley"

She was a little taken aback by his introduction but quickly recovered and replied, "Asher, it's so wonderful to meet you.  If Prince Charming had manners as nice as yours I never would have lost him that first night we met!"

BAHAHAHA.  Get it girl.  #sorrycharming #howisitthereunderthebus 

Asher was especially smitten with Cinderella and it was so stinkin' cute!

After meeting Rapunzel and Cinderella we had a lunch reservation at The Crystal Palace which was perfect timing since we were all hungry and it was getting HOT.  It's a buffet style character restaurant featuring Winnie the Pooh and friends which was great for us since it meant no waiting for food and it was a character meet-and-greet. Win-win!!

I wasn't expecting this, but the kids went completely BONKERS over Tigger!  Hadley grabbed his paws and started bouncing and wouldn't stop.  ha!  

Seeing them happy is the best thing!

Hadley seemed to have learned from her lack-of-nap yesterday and fell asleep right after lunch today.  I strolled her around while the others went on some rides.  After Hadley woke up our FastPass for Anna and Elsa was ready so we went to visit the famous duo.  The kids were completely star struck and because of that were acting super nervous.  It was adorable!  

The princesses are so great at their jobs - they talked to each of the kids for a couple minutes and really engaged them.  It can't be easy making small talk with children ALL DAY LONG so I really have to give them credit.  Nice work princesses.

My camera got put away for the rest of the day so I could really enjoy everything (does anyone else find it hard to capture the memories while also making them??) so I don't have picture proof, but we went on a lot of rides, had Dole Whips, and in general had a magical time.  Disney never disappoints and we can't wait to go back!  Until next time Mickey.  :-)

disney: day two

On our first full day at Disney we woke up bright and early - everyone was excited to get over to the Magic Kingdom!  Asher remembered being here before so he couldn't wait to see all of the characters and introduce them to his sister.

We were able to get breakfast right at our hotel, so after a quick bite (and a ton of packing for every contingency…gah) we were ready to roll!  Hadley and I were matchy-match with our Minnie ears today and loved it.

There's a live show that Disney does right as the gates open, so first thing we did was stop to watch that.  It's lots of singing and dancing and a great way to start the day.  Luckily for H she had a great view.  :-)

A few months ahead of time we booked all of our Fast Pass+.  You are able to get 3/day booked ahead of time and after you use them all can add one at a time.  We knew from experience that the character meet-and-greets are Asher's favorite and can be long waits, so we used quite a few fast passes for those.  The first one we had booked was meeting Mickey Mouse!  

Traditionally Hadley has been more wary of characters, so we weren't sure how it would go for her.  She LOVES Mickey and Minnie and we just hoped that love would conquer fear! ha!

It did.  :-)

(everyone was such great sports about wearing the silly shirts I made!)

Out in Town Square (just as your enter through the front gates) Minnie Mouse and Pluto have spots where they meet people.  This doesn't have a Fast Pass option and they only stay about an hour, which we didn't realize.  After we met Mickey we came out and saw Miss Mouse herself as she was leaving her post.  Hadley about went ballistic with excitement…until Minnie kept walking and didn't give H a "big hug, big tiss!" - then poor Hadley started crying.  And crying.  BLESS HER HEART.  We knew then that tomorrow we had to make seeing Minnie priority numero uno.

We rode the Disney Railroad for fun and decided to stop at Frontierland.  As we were getting off the train we had a birds-eye view of Woody and Jessie with a really short line!  Cha-ching!  The kids haven't seen the second Toy Story and didn't know who Jessie was exactly but that didn't slow them down at all. 

It cracked me up how tall Woody is.  I mean, Asher barely came to his belt buckle.  ha!

After meeting Woody and Jessie we went on a few rides.  The kids both LOVED the tea cups, Dumbo, and Aladdin's flying carpets.  Asher still isn't a fan of roller coasters of any kind, so we kept the rides pretty mild.  Hadley is a complete daredevil and probably would have loved them!  Next time.

By this time everyone was starving so we grabbed some lunch.  Asher practically fell asleep in his corn dog and as soon as we were done declared "I"m ready for my rest in the stroller."  Um…you're 5.  And don't nap anymore.  So…we kind of only have a single stroller and it's reserved for your sister.  This is how that went...

I stayed with Asher while he snoozed and everyone else enjoyed the Country Bear Jamboree and the Tiki Hut shows.  After they were done and 1.5 hrs had passed it was Hadley's turn for a nap so Ash got evicted.  We may have bribed him with ice cream.  It worked.  Drew and his parents decided to take Asher to the shows since we missed the first viewing (lucky them, ha!) and I walked Hadley in the stroller so she could rest.  Little lady wasn't missing anything so when it become obvious that a nap for her wasn't in the cards I gave up and did a photo shoot instead.  :-)

I've been wanting to take this picture ever since I made these shirts, so we made brother meet us when his shows were over.  Luckily there was a live show going on at the castle so people weren't walking in front of me and the kids were enthralled with watching.  #highfive

Love, love them.  Never grow up indeed.

When we booked this trip for early March I looked at the weather and traditionally it's in the 60s in Orlando, so I made us all long sleeve shirts.  Gah, mistake.  It got up around 80 (or higher - boo) and we were sweating like crazy.  Luckily I packed some "emergency" short sleeves in my bag and could change the kids.  It bugged me more than it should that Hadley didn't have a Disney shirt on for half of the day, but it really was an emergency, so I dealt.  ha!  

Ahhh, coolness.  Finally.

After Hadley's non-nap and some pictures it was time to meet Buzz!  Asher's favorite!  Hadley didn't know what to make of him.

Asher's favorite ride is the "Buzz shooters" so we did that a couple time while we were in the area.  His second favorite ride, it turns out, is the People Mover.  He's such an old man in a preschooler's body.  Love him.  :-)

The timing worked out perfectly for us to use our last FastPass+ after Buzz.  We booked it to have priority seating for the afternoon parade.  This was a mixed blessing and I don't know if I'd recommend it.  The FastPass+ was great because it was really easy to get front row seats, but it was a bummer because it was at the very END of the parade route which meant waiting longer to see everything and it was in the direct sun.  HOT.  HOT.  HOT.  Anyway, the parade itself was great and the kids loved seeing all their favorite characters!

Hadley's little hand waving at Rapunzel.  I die.  

We had dinner reservations at Liberty Tree Tavern this night and hoped to catch the electrical parade after that.  Of course, as soon as we got to the restaurant Hadley fell asleep on my shoulder. We let her snooze in the stroller so I could eat then my mother-in-law and I took her back to the hotel to sleep for the night.  The boys were still going strong thanks to Asher's nap (the kid knows how to plan ahead, I'll tell ya) so they saw the parade and met us back at the hotel for dessert and fireworks.  It was such a great day - there were literally no meltdowns and everyone had a lot of fun.  Day 3 would have a lot to live up to, but we were willing to try!

up next - Disney day 3!