Well, Day 2 (which was our first "real" day) started off with a bang! As you can tell from the first picture (link below), the boys were just plumb tuckered out from the preceding day, but as soon as we told them it was time to get up and go to Hollywood Studios, they bounced up out of bed with giggles and excitement. :) After a short bus ride over to Hollywood Studios, we were ready to start our first day at one of the parks!
Our first stop was to get a FastPass for the Toy Story Midway Mania ride. Glad we got a FastPass when we did...the wait time was already 60 minutes and the morning had just started! Our first attraction after that was the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure. Oh....my....goshuh! Trisha and I watched this movie COUNTLESS times when we were kids, and to see this big play area that looked just like the movie (even the giant Oreo cookie!) was amazing! We took turns getting pictures made on the giant ant, which made noise when you sat on it. Yes, even Trisha and I got our picture on this. LOL! The kids thoroughly enjoyed this playground. Everything was so big, and the theme work was just unreal.
Next up, we walked down The Streets of America. Too cool the way they had this painted to look like real streets in U.S. cities! By this time, Aaron was begging to go watch the Muppet 3D Vision show, so that's where we headed. This was a really cute show, and the first 3D show the boys had ever seen. They looked so adorable in their big 3D glasses! They loved this show and giggled throughout the entire thing. It was so cute at one point where 3D bubbles were coming out of the screen...Aaron started reaching up and trying to pop them! Made me laugh because he really thought several things were real and coming out of the screen when they were just 3D effects. So cute!
Next, we watched a Jedi Training program where they pick random kids out of the crowd to come train to be a Jedi. I wanted Evan to raise his hand and try to get picked, but he was too shy. Too bad...he would have loved it! The Jedis-in-training got to learn how to fight Darth Vader with their light sabers and took turns fighting him off. Great acting by the characters!
After that, it was time for lunch at none other than Toy Story's Pizza Planet! This place was set up just like the movie...arcade games and everything. Cute decorations everywhere, such as giant 3-eyed aliens like in the movie...again, I was very impressed with the theming! I love that sort of thing, and Disney's attention to detail is incomparable. We enjoyed our pizza, salad, and dessert, and then headed back out into the park.
We saw the characters from Little Einsteins out under a character spot, so we got in line to get their autographs and pictures with the kids. Leo was so sweet to Aaron! He kept hugging him and playing around....the characters seem so real. By this time, our FastPasses were ready to be used, so we headed over to Toy Story Midway Mania. This was one of our favorites from the whole trip! We had a blast on this ride/game! You wear 3D glasses and shoot things at the movie as you ride through....my score was over 180,000 and Van's was a little over 62,000...just had to rub that in. ;) Everything was decorated like Andy's room on Toy Story. It felt like we were little toys in a giant room..so cool! With the FastPass, we were able to pretty much walk right through the line with only about 5 minutes of wait time. Score! I almost wish we would have had to wait a little longer, though, so that we could've seen all the little details of everything a little bit better.
I think we headed to The Voyage of the Little Mermaid next. After waiting for what seemed like F-O-R-E-V-E-R, a guy comes out into the crowd and announces that due to technical difficulties, the next showing of that program was canceled. LOVELY! Gotta love waiting forever in a line only to be told you can't watch the show. So, we grumbled and headed out. Trisha and her family went to meet Prince Caspian from The Chronicles of Narnia, and we headed to One Man's Dream. It was neat learning about Walt Disney and all he had done...and the building was nice and air conditioned, so that was a plus! By this time, it was so stinkin' hot outside that we decided to leave the park and go back to the resort to cool off and rest before dinner.
After naps and swimming, we got on a boat that took us over to Wilderness Lodge for our dining reservations at Whispering Canyon Cafe. Oh my goodness...this place was GORGEOUS! Rustic lodge feeling and just beautiful! The kids got to play at a table with Lincoln Logs while we waited for our table. This turned out to be a unanimous favorite among all of us as one of the best and most fun places to eat from the entire trip! It was all-you-can-eat, and we had what you call the "Canyon Skillet." This included smoked pork ribs, pulled pork, oven-roasted chicken, beef brisket, mashed potatoes, beans, corn on the cob, salad, and to-die-for cornbread! WOW, that was A LOT of food (and did I mention it was all-you-can eat?!) Yeah, but we were so full from the first helping that no one wanted seconds. Especially when we ordered dessert. Oh.........that dessert! Van got apple pie, and I got pecan pie with bourbon chocolate sauce. HEAVENLY! So rich I couldn't even eat half of it, but it was DEEEELICIOUS!
The antics of the servers at this place are just hilarious! If anyone asked for ketchup, they'd scream across the restaurant for KEEEETCHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP, and some kid from another table would have to bring their bottle of ketchup over to the other table. My boys now scream for ketchup at home like the waiters at Whispering Canyon. Thanks for that. LOL Our waiter, named Oopsy Daisy, threw straws and napkins at us when she brought our drinks. So funny! During the middle of supper, the announcer called up all the kids in the restaurant to come get a stick horse and race around the eating area while they played music and hooped and hollered like cowboys. All of our kids got up and did this, but Aaron cracked me up. He proudly galloped all around the restaurant on his little stick horse and smiled at everyone as he trotted around. Sooooooo cute!
After this, we headed back to the resort for bed again. Our tummies were full, and our day was fun. Couldn't wait for the next day!
To see pictures of Day 2, please CLICK HERE. Remember, there are 2 pages of photos, so be sure and check out page 2 by clicking on the arrow above the main display picture. :)
Tomorrow I will blog about our day at Epcot, so check back in!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Disney Vacation - Day 1
After finally arriving at our hotel in Dallas (after several wrong turns thanks to Google maps), we hauled all of our luggage up to our room and immediately put the kids to bed. It was late already, and we had an EARLY morning the next day to catch the shuttle to the airport, so straight to bed we went! This was probably the worst night's sleep EVER. Our curtains in our hotel room didn't close all the way, and there was a ginormous lit-up billboard outside of our window, which was basically shining in our faces all night long. The boys slept well, but Van and I didn't sleep at all. Add the billboard to the anxiety of making it to the airport on time the next morning, and yeah, well...not a good night's sleep.
We awoke the next morning and hopped on the hotel's shuttle at 5:00 a.m. Yes, there is a 5:00 a.m.....and I hope I never see it again. I'm not a morning person...and getting up when it is still dark outside is just so wrong. Anyway, I was hoping the kids would fall asleep on the shuttle and sleep at the airport while waiting, but no luck. They were too excited! We got to DFW Airport, got through security, and sat down to wait on boarding the plane. We ate breakfast while sitting there, and the kids colored in their new coloring books in the floor to pass time.
Finally, we boarded the plane. Aaron sat with me, Van and Evan in front of us, and Trisha and Brooklyn behind us. Sam and Austin were 2 rows behind Trisha and Brook. We all held hands and prayed before the flight took off. Our flight went pretty well. Aaron handled it WONDERFULLY, which was really surprising considering this was his first time on a plane and it was so darn early in the morning. He put on a puppet show, colored in a coloring book, had a snack, and then colored in a new Mickey Mouse Color Wonder book. He thought it was way cool that he could lock and unlock his seat belt by himself. LOL Evan and Trisha got some motion sickness towards the end of the trip and ended up using all of the barf bags around us. Let me tell you, that was AWFUL being stuck in a seat BEHIND my kid when he was sick and I couldn't reach him. Van did a great job at helping him through it, though, and once we landed...he was better.
We made our way down to The Magical Express, which is Disney's bus system that takes us and our luggage straight from the airport to our resort. We didn't have to worry about baggage claim or anything..they handled it all, and it was great!
We arrived at Pop Century Resort and had some lunch in the cafeteria there. Busy place, but super cool! I love the way the resort was decorated...everything was by decades: 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. We got to stay in the 60s area. Our friend, Rosemary, from Have Your Way With Paper met up with us and brought us a case of water, some boxed apple juice for the kids, some bananas, and water mister/fans (which were a lifesaver!). It was great to see Roe again and visit with her for a little bit. Van took Aaron to our room and got him down for a nap while I met up with Roe.
We hopped on a bus from the resort and headed to Magic Kingdom to catch the monorail over to the Contemporary Resort since we had supper reservations at Chef Mickey's. This place was so cool! It was our first character meal, and the kids LOVED it! Aaron had been waiting so patiently to meet the characters, and his little face just lit up when he finally got to meet them! We met Chef Mickey, Donald Duck, Pluto, Goofy, and Minnie Mouse. The food was buffet style and was yummy. The kids really loved the ice cream bar, which featured ice cream and all the toppings they could ever want! We had one of the cutest little desserts, which was made from an Oreo, a chocolate dipped marshmallow, and mini oreos that made the shape of a Mickey head. :)
After supper, we got on the monorail and went to the Polynesian Resort and went to their beach. We sat in beach chairs in the sand and had a great view of Magic Kingdom across the lake. The second I sunk my toes in that cool, white sand....that's when it really felt like vacation had started! :)
The kids had a blast playing in the sand and water while we relaxed. Once it got dark, Van went and bought me a Kona coffee from the coffee bar (yum!), and the Electric Water Parade began. Soooo cool! These giant lit-up scenes on boats appeared out of nowhere, and they put on a great show to music. Everything was animated, and the lights on the water was just so cool to watch. Super cute little show, and the kids loved it!
Then, the fireworks from Magic Kingdom began. It was great being across the lake because the fireworks weren't so loud since we were so far away. But the view was still great! There's nothing like sitting on the beach and watching a fireworks show...it was awesome!
Then, we went back to our resort and crashed. We were utterly exhausted from being up so early and having such a busy day already. Besides, we had fun times at Hollywood Studios planned for the next day! Stay tuned....
Here is a link to the pictures from Day 1: PLEASE CLICK HERE
Enjoy!
We awoke the next morning and hopped on the hotel's shuttle at 5:00 a.m. Yes, there is a 5:00 a.m.....and I hope I never see it again. I'm not a morning person...and getting up when it is still dark outside is just so wrong. Anyway, I was hoping the kids would fall asleep on the shuttle and sleep at the airport while waiting, but no luck. They were too excited! We got to DFW Airport, got through security, and sat down to wait on boarding the plane. We ate breakfast while sitting there, and the kids colored in their new coloring books in the floor to pass time.
Finally, we boarded the plane. Aaron sat with me, Van and Evan in front of us, and Trisha and Brooklyn behind us. Sam and Austin were 2 rows behind Trisha and Brook. We all held hands and prayed before the flight took off. Our flight went pretty well. Aaron handled it WONDERFULLY, which was really surprising considering this was his first time on a plane and it was so darn early in the morning. He put on a puppet show, colored in a coloring book, had a snack, and then colored in a new Mickey Mouse Color Wonder book. He thought it was way cool that he could lock and unlock his seat belt by himself. LOL Evan and Trisha got some motion sickness towards the end of the trip and ended up using all of the barf bags around us. Let me tell you, that was AWFUL being stuck in a seat BEHIND my kid when he was sick and I couldn't reach him. Van did a great job at helping him through it, though, and once we landed...he was better.
We made our way down to The Magical Express, which is Disney's bus system that takes us and our luggage straight from the airport to our resort. We didn't have to worry about baggage claim or anything..they handled it all, and it was great!
We arrived at Pop Century Resort and had some lunch in the cafeteria there. Busy place, but super cool! I love the way the resort was decorated...everything was by decades: 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. We got to stay in the 60s area. Our friend, Rosemary, from Have Your Way With Paper met up with us and brought us a case of water, some boxed apple juice for the kids, some bananas, and water mister/fans (which were a lifesaver!). It was great to see Roe again and visit with her for a little bit. Van took Aaron to our room and got him down for a nap while I met up with Roe.
We hopped on a bus from the resort and headed to Magic Kingdom to catch the monorail over to the Contemporary Resort since we had supper reservations at Chef Mickey's. This place was so cool! It was our first character meal, and the kids LOVED it! Aaron had been waiting so patiently to meet the characters, and his little face just lit up when he finally got to meet them! We met Chef Mickey, Donald Duck, Pluto, Goofy, and Minnie Mouse. The food was buffet style and was yummy. The kids really loved the ice cream bar, which featured ice cream and all the toppings they could ever want! We had one of the cutest little desserts, which was made from an Oreo, a chocolate dipped marshmallow, and mini oreos that made the shape of a Mickey head. :)
After supper, we got on the monorail and went to the Polynesian Resort and went to their beach. We sat in beach chairs in the sand and had a great view of Magic Kingdom across the lake. The second I sunk my toes in that cool, white sand....that's when it really felt like vacation had started! :)
The kids had a blast playing in the sand and water while we relaxed. Once it got dark, Van went and bought me a Kona coffee from the coffee bar (yum!), and the Electric Water Parade began. Soooo cool! These giant lit-up scenes on boats appeared out of nowhere, and they put on a great show to music. Everything was animated, and the lights on the water was just so cool to watch. Super cute little show, and the kids loved it!
Then, the fireworks from Magic Kingdom began. It was great being across the lake because the fireworks weren't so loud since we were so far away. But the view was still great! There's nothing like sitting on the beach and watching a fireworks show...it was awesome!
Then, we went back to our resort and crashed. We were utterly exhausted from being up so early and having such a busy day already. Besides, we had fun times at Hollywood Studios planned for the next day! Stay tuned....
Here is a link to the pictures from Day 1: PLEASE CLICK HERE
Enjoy!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
We're HOME!!!!
We are back from our 7-day trip to Disney World! Wow, what a fun trip! Fun but exhausting. I will give a day-by-day update later, but for now, here is a pic of us at Epcot on Father's Day. Funny story...we didn't want to bother anyone by asking them to take a group picture of us, so Van sat his camera on top of a trash can and put it on timer mode to take this picture. LOL! Hey, whatever works, right?
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Today's the Day!
You know that commercial on T.V. where that cute little family of 4 is planning their trip to Disney World....and the mom and dad go to the kids' room and tell them to get to sleep because they are going to Disney World the next day....and the little girl squeals out, "I'm TOO EXCITED to SLEEP!!!!"
Yeah.......that is so me right now! We are leaving this afternoon to begin our summer vacation to Disney World, and I am all kinds of nervous, excited, relieved, worried, prepared, scatterbrained, and ready-but-not-ready! 100 days ago, I made the kids a little Disney countdown calendar and hung it in our kitchen. Every day since then, they have torn off a sheet of paper that says how many days are left. It was so surreal to see "1" on there yesterday...and today, it says, "Disney World, Here We Come!" I can't believe it! :)
We are driving to Dallas this afternoon as soon as Van gets home from a meeting and staying the night in a hotel there. Then, we will get up SUPER EARLY (so not looking forward to THAT!) to hop on a shuttle that will take us to the airport. Our flight leaves at 7:30 a.m.
This is going to be quite an adventure. I've never flown with my kids before, so I'm wondering how they will handle it. I'm wondering how they will handle getting up so early tomorrow morning too. I think Evan will jump up out of bed, knowing what all is about to unfold before him throughout the ensuing day, and be perfectly awake and excited and ready to go. Aaron, on the other hand.....I'm not sure. He will either go with the flow or fight it terribly. He's like me....he does not like to be woken up! So, we could use some prayers for safety and cooperative children this week, please!
I've got all my laundry done and fresh sheets on the bed for when we return home. I've got all the luggage waiting at the back door. I've got a load of dishes in the dishwasher. I've made sure everything is locked up and put away. I watered the plants outside. I vacuumed the floors. I cleaned out the fridge and the trash got taken out. The car is full of gas and ready to go. I guess all that's left now is waiting for Van to get home so we can GOOOOOOO!
Yeah.......that is so me right now! We are leaving this afternoon to begin our summer vacation to Disney World, and I am all kinds of nervous, excited, relieved, worried, prepared, scatterbrained, and ready-but-not-ready! 100 days ago, I made the kids a little Disney countdown calendar and hung it in our kitchen. Every day since then, they have torn off a sheet of paper that says how many days are left. It was so surreal to see "1" on there yesterday...and today, it says, "Disney World, Here We Come!" I can't believe it! :)
We are driving to Dallas this afternoon as soon as Van gets home from a meeting and staying the night in a hotel there. Then, we will get up SUPER EARLY (so not looking forward to THAT!) to hop on a shuttle that will take us to the airport. Our flight leaves at 7:30 a.m.
This is going to be quite an adventure. I've never flown with my kids before, so I'm wondering how they will handle it. I'm wondering how they will handle getting up so early tomorrow morning too. I think Evan will jump up out of bed, knowing what all is about to unfold before him throughout the ensuing day, and be perfectly awake and excited and ready to go. Aaron, on the other hand.....I'm not sure. He will either go with the flow or fight it terribly. He's like me....he does not like to be woken up! So, we could use some prayers for safety and cooperative children this week, please!
I've got all my laundry done and fresh sheets on the bed for when we return home. I've got all the luggage waiting at the back door. I've got a load of dishes in the dishwasher. I've made sure everything is locked up and put away. I watered the plants outside. I vacuumed the floors. I cleaned out the fridge and the trash got taken out. The car is full of gas and ready to go. I guess all that's left now is waiting for Van to get home so we can GOOOOOOO!
Friday, June 12, 2009
A Few New Layouts
Well, my scrapping time has been very limited lately as we prepare for Disney World next week, but here are a few layouts I've had done for a while but haven't uploaded yet.This first one is from sketch #22 at 52 sketches...52 weeks. My 3-month Design Team contract for this site is now over, but I have enjoyed every minute of it! I consider myself very blessed to have been chosen to serve on this wonderful team. Julie's sketches are always amazing and inspiring!
This is from sketch #23 at 52 sketches...52 weeks.
And last but not least, this is a layout done with this month's sponsor products at Have Your Way With Paper. Our sponsor this month is Riff Raff Designs, and they make the coolest chipboard pieces! So sturdy and unique!
Thanks for stopping by!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Sharing Some More Giggles.....
Here is a compilation of some quick little videos I made with my digital camera during our Dallas trip with the girls from HYWWP. As you can hear, there were tons of giggles....seriously, my stomach was sore when I got home because of all the laughter! That's great, isn't it? I think we all need more laughter in our lives. :)
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
Most of the time, I got each girl walking in the door to the hotel for the first time, but I quickly put the camera down and stopped recording so that I could go run and hug them tight! :) And yes, that is me pushing Trisha down a hill in a shopping cart. LOL
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
Most of the time, I got each girl walking in the door to the hotel for the first time, but I quickly put the camera down and stopped recording so that I could go run and hug them tight! :) And yes, that is me pushing Trisha down a hill in a shopping cart. LOL
Monday, June 8, 2009
Circle of Friends
Well...the Dallas trip is over, I met some AMAZING women in person for the first time since "knowing" them online for several years now, my stomach is still sore from all the laughter, I will never view shopping carts in the same way, I have TONS of new scrapbooking supplies, everyone made it home safely, and we are all back to our normal daily routines now.
To say this was a fun trip would be an understatement! I never, ever expected to love these online friends as much as this trip has proved to me that I do. What started out as a common interest in scrapbooking has become so much more. We have laughed together, cried together, prayed together, and shared our lives with one another. Each scrapbook page we have created and shared with our online community has been sort of like a "diary" into each one of our lives. To finally meet these ladies face-to-face....hug their necks....and spend nearly 3 days together....well, it was just amazing. I am so thankful that I got to be a part of this.
Hubby helped me make a little slideshow to a very sweet song. Make sure your sound is on, and really listen to the words of the song while you look at the pictures. My favorite part of the song is when it says:
If you weep, I will weep with you
If you sing for joy the rest of us will lift our voices too
But no matter what you feel inside there's no need to pretend
That's the way it is in this circle of friends
In this circle of friends we have one Father
In a circle of friends we share this prayer
That we'll gather together no matter how the highway bends
I will not lose this circle of friends
Paula, Roe, Lisa, Jenn, Krissy, and Trisha.....thank you from the bottom of my heart.
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE SLIDESHOW
Enjoy! :)
To say this was a fun trip would be an understatement! I never, ever expected to love these online friends as much as this trip has proved to me that I do. What started out as a common interest in scrapbooking has become so much more. We have laughed together, cried together, prayed together, and shared our lives with one another. Each scrapbook page we have created and shared with our online community has been sort of like a "diary" into each one of our lives. To finally meet these ladies face-to-face....hug their necks....and spend nearly 3 days together....well, it was just amazing. I am so thankful that I got to be a part of this.
Hubby helped me make a little slideshow to a very sweet song. Make sure your sound is on, and really listen to the words of the song while you look at the pictures. My favorite part of the song is when it says:
If you weep, I will weep with you
If you sing for joy the rest of us will lift our voices too
But no matter what you feel inside there's no need to pretend
That's the way it is in this circle of friends
In this circle of friends we have one Father
In a circle of friends we share this prayer
That we'll gather together no matter how the highway bends
I will not lose this circle of friends
Paula, Roe, Lisa, Jenn, Krissy, and Trisha.....thank you from the bottom of my heart.
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE SLIDESHOW
Enjoy! :)
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
It's Here! It's FINALLY Here!!!!!!!!!
OMG, tomorrow is the day!!!!! Seven of us girls from Have Your Way With Paper are meeting in Dallas for the weekend, starting TOMORROW! EEEEEEEEEK! I am so incredibly excited, I'm about to bust! We have been planning this for at least nine long months now, so for it to finally be here is just unbelievable. I've got to finish up packing and get organized and ready to go. This will be my first time driving in a big city....prayers please!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
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