The Time has Come....Disney Time!

The day we were all waiting for was finally here - there were no more links left on our chain.  Time for Disney!  We had a late afternoon flight on Wednesday and arrived in sunny Tampa around 10 p.m.  We were finally on the road to Orlando around midnight after waiting in a horrendous rental car line.  Uggghhh!  We pulled into the hotel around 1 a.m., dreading the idea of getting up early and knocking out Disney World.  The girls woke up a couple times that night not knowing where they were (since we pulled in so late) but we were running on adrenaline come morning.

These girls were ready to conquer Disney!

Adaley just loved Dumbo!  I love this face!

The girls went to the Belle storytime and Brooklynn was "Chip".  Steve took the girls while I walked around with our napping baby.

Belle and Chandler

She doesn't stay still for anything - not even a Mickey pic!

Still having fun!

Infamous Cinderella castle and one unhappy princess

Chandler and Merida

 (Merida was so cute and sweet with her.  The girls just wanted to meet princesses more than anything, so we endured lots of lines for a quick pic)

Brooklynn and Goofy

(Chandler was too scared of the costumed characters at first)

Brooklynn and Donald Duck

Passed out!

Girls with Drizella, Anastasia, and the Stepmom from Cinderella

(Very funny characters)

Gotta do the teacups!

Chandler was now over her fear and stood with Daisy Duck.  Of course, Daisy wasn't much taller than Chandler, so maybe that helped.

Infamous Minnie pic - they were stoked to meet her!

Family pic

After a few rides and dinner we were back at it, waiting to meet the princesses.  We had a FastPass for this one, so that made life much easier.  We were all getting tired of waiting in lines by then.

Girls and Rapunzel

And Snow White

It was a chilly day, so people seemed to clear out fairly early.  We thought we'd take advantage and walk on some rides.  Here's the Winnie the Pooh ride:

Then it was over to the parade and fireworks.  Our timing was off for the parade, so we only saw the end, but we had a great view of the awesome fireworks.  As we looked around and saw the crowds we decided to bolt just before they ended, so we wouldn't be waiting in a long line to leave.  Best idea ever!

We finally got back to the hotel around 10:30 absolutely exhausted.  I was dreading getting up and doing it again the next day, but what can you do when you've already paid for a pass?  When we woke up Brooklynn said she wasn't feeling well.  We didn't put much validity into it, until she started puking in the rental car just as we were parking at Disney World.  Uh oh!  What do we do now?  Well, we have to go in.  The tickets are too expensive not to, right?  (Don't judge!)  Brooklynn started feeling better immediately, but was still not herself all day.  I couldn't blame her.  It's just so much excitement for a little one!  She sucked it up and we had another great day - much shorter than the first, but the crowds were much bigger too!

On Magic Carpet ride - maybe not a good choice for a puking girl.  Oh well!

Caught them randomly holding hands.  They were so cute together the entire trip!

Last photos before we left

We really utilized the sit 'n stand stroller packing all 3 kids in at the same time.

Finally done!  These girls were exhausted but sad to say goodbye.  

Although Disney World can break your bank, it really is a great place - so clean and well-maintained.  All the employees were so nice and really make sure you have a trip of a lifetime.  Our girls are still a little young to take it all in, but there was something truly magical about watching their faces light up constantly.  It really was heaven on Earth for these 2 little princesses!  We'll be back...........

A Little Adult Time

We've been feeling some guilt for not taking advantage of the beautiful winter conditions in our Colorado mountains.  With skiing becoming so expensive and such a pain to commute to, we decided we'd try the sport of snowshoeing.  So we set up an adults-only overnight trip to Estes Park to meander through Rocky Mountain National Park.  We had a gorgeous day, so apparently everyone else had the same idea as well.  So we found a somewhat secluded path, which took us up a steep incline (waterfall in the summer) to "summit" at a frozen lake and quickly enjoy the windy, blustery conditions.  We actually were able to remove the snowshoes for part of the hike, because of the lack of snow.  Bummer!  Overall we hiked about 6 miles and then returned to the hotel for some hot tub time and a nice Thai restaurant for dinner (who knew Estes was so cultural).  We really enjoyed snowshoeing and we'll be back!

Our final ascent (super steep, so we rode our butts on the way down)

 The ladies

 Group selfie

 The boys

Yee Haw

It's been a few years since we've laced up our boots and headed out to the Stock Show.  I thought since Addy is at the perfect age, and she loves all animals, it was a requirement.  While explaining to the girls what the stock show is, they decided they wanted to buy a flying pony aka unicorn at the show.  So I guess they have a firm grasp of the cowgirl lifestyle!  They were disgusted by the smell of the animals, and Chandler flipped out when she saw the horses, afraid they were going to jump the stables and attack her apparently.  What city girls we have!  They did enjoy a magic show, but that was about the end of that.

Our only western apparel - a pink hat

 We'll save this until her graduation day!

 They were scared to death at the petting zoo.  Of course I can't blame them.  We bought some food and the animals were so aggressive and climbing all over us.  I, yet again, became the frazzled mom trying to console 3 kids.  After a little pep talk minus food we re-entered and had fun.  Adaley was reluctant, but soon found herself chasing the animals and petting them all.

Overall it was a good day, but I think we'll stay in the burbs with our dog for awhile.

Our Little Scholar

I expected kindergarten to be an easy transition for our Bear.  We knew academically she was on-track and always did well in preschool.  Well, little did we know!  After Christmas break Brooklynn really had a rough week not wanting to go to school, crying every morning, and it just broke my heart.  I couldn't blame her - I felt the same way going back after breaks as a teacher (especially after the girls were born).  I started emailing her teacher daily trying to figure out what the issue was and how we were going to solve it.  Yes, I became "that" parent (again).  I was so emotional and felt helpless, but we just kept encouraging her and communicating with her teacher. 

After a few days it seemed to be getting better - her teacher was acknowledging her every morning, we were rewarding her positive attitude, and then Sunday it just clicked.  We came home and Brooklynn just started writing sentences in her journal.  So, of course, we praised her and were so proud.  Then she just kept going and going.  Before we knew it she had written a page.  She was so proud of herself, and it was priceless to see her face light up again!  She asked that I send the note to her teacher on Monday, so I did, and her teacher acknowledged her writing in front of the class, which just sent Brooklynn through the moon.  So she came home the next night and did the same thing, but challenged herself to write more and use tougher words.  So we kept sending them in to Mrs. Erwin.  Then on Friday Mrs. Erwin sent this home:

Again, Brooklynn was so proud and everyday she tells me how "awesome" her day was.  My only hope for Brooklynn was a love of learning, and when she lost that I was freaking out.  I felt helpless and like I had failed her.

It's been sad to see what has happened in our schools - our kids have become a test score.  Our teachers are scared for their jobs (because they depend on the scores), and those relationships are pushed to the wayside.  Brooklynn building a relationship with her teacher has been instrumental to her success in the classroom, and that's what matters!  Sometimes, I think, we all need to be reminded of that.

"They may forget what you say but they will never forget how you made them feel." - Carl Buechner