Disney Time!

We've said for years that one day, when the girls are old enough, we'll take them to Disney World and go all out - multiple parks, stay on a resort, and engorge ourselves in junk food!  So when Steve said he had a training at Disney that corresponded with a 4 day weekend in October, we knew this was the opportunity.  

We learned from our previous Disney trip that the kiddos struggle with the wait, asking everyday if it's "the day", so we kept this one a secret.  We surprised the kids by picking them up at school right before we were off to the airport.  Their reaction was less than excited, a little disappointing for us, but what can I say?  We have rule-following children who are scared to death to miss school.  Could be worse, right?  Here's the video:

Once it finally settled in we were off to the airport with 3 happy kiddos!

 On the plane - it's really happening ?!?!?

After settling into our hotel after a long day of flying we were up and early the next morning to Animal Kingdom, a first for us.  We were delightfully surprised at how fun it was!  Magic bands.....go!  I was amazed at these!  It was our park admission, room key, and our charge card for anything and everything you could ever want!

Since an extensive amount of research is needed for Disney, we rushed to our first ride - Everest, because it'd soon be busy with a long line.  It was our favorite (probably for the entire trip).  We started off the trip with a bang, but Brooklynn did NOT enjoy the roller coaster, and made sure we understood how upset she was with us!

Everest in the background

On the ride (you can hardly see her scared face)

Next on to the tamer rides.......

 Token ram pic

Last time we went to Disney they were insistent on meeting every character, and although they were less persistent, they still enjoyed meeting as many as possible.

Meeting Rafiki from Lion King

 and Chip and Dale

 We bought the photo package, which was awesome!  They station photographers all over the parks and take pictures, swipe your magic band, and then you can have them all.  Amazing investment!

Even though Day 1 was exhausting we were right back at it the next day.  Luckily our resort, The Polynesian, was right next to Magic Kingdom, making our trek over very easy on the monorail.  We ended up doing 2 days at Magic Kingdom, because there's always so much to see!

Again we had to start a day with the most popular ride - the new Snow White and 7 Dwarves roller coaster.  We tried to convince Brooklynn it wouldn't be too scary, and since we waited almost an hour she needed to do it.  I absolutely love the picture they captured!  By this time Brooklynn was a hot mess - stressed to the max with the rides.  The other 2 loved them all and had no reservations.  Crazy!  Needless to say we weren't going to get her on another coaster!

The only ride they remember from last time - the coveted Dumbo!

 And always a favorite - the Aerial ride

 Teacup fun for everyone but mom and dad - too much spinning!

 They absolutely loved "It's a Small World".  We had to ride it a few times!

Selfie on Small World

 Waiting for the parade to start

 Awesome parade with all the characters.  I never can believe they do this twice a day!  So magical!

 Meeting Aladdin and Jasmine

 Just a couple competitive sisters on Buzz Lightyear

 Beauty and the Beast show

 Our cute little "Chip"

Always my favorite photo spot

 No trip is complete without meeting a princess!

 Rapunzel

 Space Mountain - notice no Brooklynn!  Ady even rode in front.  We couldn't comprehend her "no fear" of any of these.

 Splash Mountain - Brooklynn is there and loved it!  Woohoo!

 Had to meet Mickey, the mouse himself!

We spent our evenings relaxing at the awesome pool on the resort.  One night we even brought dinner to the pool to squeeze in more swimming.  These girls are fish!

 The beautiful grounds of the resort

Each night we'd watch the boat light show on the water followed by fireworks at Magic Kingdom right outside our room.  The resort location couldn't be beat!

Between our 2 Magic Kingdom days we squeezed in a visit to Disney Studios, which was subpar compared to the other parks.  They're undergoing a major renovation adding lots of Star Wars experiences, but we were able to enjoy some other favorites.

 Meeting Sofia the First

 And Doc McStuffins

Our last day I was with the girls by myself since Steve had to work, so we hit up a Disney mini golf course in the scorching heat.  

The next morning we were headed back home and to reality!

Although the kids are still a little young and it was exhausting for us all with the long days, it was such an amazing trip!  To see the joy and excitement on their faces was priceless.  I can see why people call it the "happiest place on Earth"!

Our Sports Studs

This fall was the first time we've had all 3 kids playing sports at the same time.  Yikes!  We tried to hold off as long as possible with Ady, but we couldn't hold her back any longer from pursuing soccer and making our lives super chaotic!

Ady played her first soccer season with the YMCA with a bunch of great kids, including our friends Marcus and Charleigh!  She was very timid and afraid to steal the ball from anyone, but as always with this age, there were many laughs and lots of fun happening!  Steve had to juggle coaching both Chandler and Ady, because Ady was not about to accept any other coach!

At the beginning of 2016 Brooklynn set a goal of making a swim team.  So she pushed through intense swim lessons all summer to learn her dive and all 4 strokes in order to try-out for the Northglenn Snappers.  Fortunately she made it, and it was a great life lesson for her, knowing she could accomplish anything if she worked hard and persevered.

Brooklynn has really flourished in the swim meets.  We've seen a girl who's mighty competitive - something that wasn't happening with team sports.  She has a killer butterfly stroke, and is working on the others all the time.  She's in the pool 3 times a week for practice and occasional meets on Saturday.  Can we say taxi drivers, yet?

After attending a soccer camp this summer the club manager urged us to have Chandler play on a more competitive team, but to do that she'd have to play with kids older than her - most of them in 3rd grade.  We went back and forth on the decision but ultimately decided that by moving up she'd learn so much, and since she loves soccer, the 3 days a week practice didn't seem like a burden.  Of course she wanted daddy by her side to help coach.  It was a great season, and most importantly, Chandler fit right in with the other girls, both socially and skill-wise.  We can't wait to see what the future holds for this soccer stud!

Of course we will always support our kids and their choices for activities, but we have no complaints about sitting at games and watching their sports.  I truly believe sports are a great outlet for learning life lessons and will continue to support each activity, even if it means we only get to eat together as a family a few nights a week or we're doing homework at each other's practices.  My car may look like a make-shift messy home we live out of, but it's all worth it in the end!

Back to School

After a fun-filled summer it was tough to say goodbye to our days outside and say hello to school.  When I was a teacher I always dreaded going back to work, but I almost dread them going back even more.  I knew it'd be even more emotional with Chandler being gone all day this year.  Now I truly would have "all this time" on my hands (as I've been told by others).  What would I do with my 2 1/2 hours, 3 days a week?   Hmmmmm.........

3rd grade for our Boo Bear!

1st grade for Cheesy!

Ady started a few weeks after the big girls, and although we were able to have lots of quality time together, it was still a sad day.  The beginning of the end of preschool for our family.  She was ready to begin a new year and even eat lunch once a week with her classmates.