a full life.

Less than 24 hours after coming home from Disneyland Matt turned around and headed back to the airport. For the past 5 years he's flown to D.C. every February for an annual work conference, one that he truly loves and looks forward to every year. The timing of returning home from an epic family vacation to not seeing him for a week wasn't my idea of fun, but we made it work. While he was attending formal receptions with free drinks and catered dinners I got to hang out with 3 cute kids and tried to make the best of our week back at home.

 We went to the park, played with sticks (why are boys so obsessed with sticks?!? We have a box in our garage solely for our stick collection), made little bunny sandwiches, baked cookies and got back into the normal school routine.

 Matt came home just in time for Carter's last basketball game of the season too. I'm not sure who was more sad about the season ending...Carter or Simon! I think Simon will really end up being the athlete of the family, or at least the biggest sports fan. He would rather watch sports highlights than cartoons, read sports books and usually has at least 1 type of ball in his hand around the house at any given time. He loved dribbling the ball with the big kids before and after games.

 Can we just pause for a moment and see how big these kids are getting? Carter looks about 10 and now that Simon had a recent haircut, his baby face is quickly fading.

 And then....we got sick. (well technically everyone but me got sick but I think it was just as much of a nightmare for me as it was for the 4 other people who were violently throwing up). I'll spare you the details but it really wasn't pretty. Simon was the first victim and then it was just a domino effect, taking everyone else in his path down with him. I don't really know how I survived the cleaning, disinfecting, laundry, fatigue and germs but we made it through and I pray we won't ever (ever!) have to deal with norovirus again.

 With health on our side it was back to fun activities. I'm really loving the experiences we've been able to give the kids lately, rather than toys or things that just get lost in piles. Watching them all try new things, go on fun adventures or just spend time together is really helping us all connect. Lucy is loving tennis and really improving each week. And both big kids went to a rock climbing class which was so fun too! Carter just flew up the wall like it was no big deal. I just love his fearless, courageous attitude! Lucy was brave and went higher than she thought she could go too!

 As spring slowly begins and the seasons change I'm hoping to do more of this. More book reading (Carter is flying through chapter books almost daily now!), outside play time, movie nights and family walks after dinner.  Happy Spring everyone!

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adventure time.

Our last day at the parks was spent at California Adventure. This was fun because none of us had ever been there so we didn't have many expectations, which meant we could just see where the day took us. The kids were surprisingly energized and ready to go. We opened and closed the park that day and they had such good attitudes the entire time! 

Lucy and Grandma matched on their final day!

 If you really were to zoom in on this picture I think you'd see the tired eyes from both Matt and I, but nothing a little coffee couldn't help. It was crowded that morning (SO crowded!) so we were pretty thankful for prepared snacks and an Ariel bubble wand to help pass the time as we waited to get through security.

 We started in A Bug's Life to let Simon ride anything he wanted. The big kids liked it too and the lines were pretty short, which is always a plus.

 Thinking this little ladybug ride would be a fun, gentle thing for Simon we all squeezed in tightly together. It didn't look too bad when we watched it move around while waiting in line but this little bug spun faster than any of us anticipated! It was crazy and had us all giggling with laughter the entire time!

 A Toy Story ride for the big kids while Simon napped and then another turn on a carousel later in the day. He could have ridden that thing all day if we let him.

 You can't go to Disneyland and not have Mickey ice cream ears for a treat. Unless your Carter and you choose the healthy, all fruit strawberry bar. ha!

 More character meet ups and then it was off to Cars land!

 Cars land was the best "land" we saw all week. You really felt like you were in Radiator Springs, it was done so well.

 After finishing all the rides we could squeeze in before the park closed we made the long walk back to our hotel and all just crashed. The next morning we frantically packed up our stuff and headed back home. It was such a great week and one that we didn't want to ever end.

Now....where should we go next?!?!?

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From Belle to Hogwarts.

 Day 3 was our "make your dreams come true" day. Sure, the entire trip was like that but this day we really planned for the kids to have their own, special time. So, we split up! I went back to Disneyland with Lucy, Simon and Kathy while Matt and Carter boarded a bus to go to Universal Studios for the day. Carter has been obsessed with Harry Potter since reading the entire series last year and couldn't pass up an opportunity to visit Hogwarts. Having some boy time together was perfect for the two of them.
It's funny, but even at Disneyland, only having 2 kids instead of 3 felt so much easier! Kathy was able to help with Simon when Lucy wanted to go on a "big kids" ride, they took turns taking naps so we could let each one do special things one on one and we were able to take the day a little slower since we got there an hour before the main gates opened to the public.

 The ride lines were so short in the morning we walked on to about 4 different things!

 Lucy wasn't so sure about Splash Mountain (after her Space Mountain adventure!) but after riding it once and giggling the entire time we HAD to run back in line and do it again! Luckily, there wasn't a line yet so we literally walked right back on the ride for a 2nd turn. So.much.fun.

 We rounded out the morning with Winnie the Pooh, Tarzan's Tree house and another turn on the carousel (Simon's favorite!) before beginning Lucy's special transformation.

 Lucy has always been a good mix of sporty, smart and girly. She can wrestle with her brothers but then go upstairs and play with Barbies. But, she really loves princesses. So we saved up and with the generosity of grandparents, we reserved a special afternoon at the Bippity Boppity Boutique. She chose to be Belle and watching her makeover was one of my favorite memories ever. Like, ever. It was so magical and perfect and just so Lucy.

After her hair, makeup and nails were done she got to have a private photo shoot inside the castle. I started tearing up at one point because I just knew she'd never forget this moment. 

 And then it was off to meet princesses! Seriously you guys, money well spent. No standing in lines, no waiting, no pressure to rush through a meet and greet. She was escorted through a "secret" door, had private one on one time with each princess and got to talk to them about anything she wanted.

 Once we finished up she was exhausted from all the excitement and crashed in the stroller for a well deserved nap. This timed perfectly with a little boy who had just awoken from his nap and was ready to play. We wandered over to Toon Town which was absolutely perfect for a curious, busy boy who wanted to run, run, run. The little houses, play areas and cars were just what Simon wanted and I didn't have to worry about Lucy feeling like she missed out on anything while napping.

 After a ride on the tea cups, some more character meet ups and a cotton candy snack we finally headed back to the hotel for a pizza dinner.

The boys had a long but amazing day. Matt said Carter was in heaven all day as he wandered in and out of shops on Diagon Alley, went on rides and bought a new wand (I think that brings our total up to 5 now?!). He brought his Harry Potter costume with him from home so he could wear it all day, which was just perfect for this wizard loving boy.

 Giving them this special boy time together was so  needed and perfect. I love that they both got to experience this together and it really made Carter's week. Definitely a huge highlight for him!

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