Disney World Extravaganza

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, Noah and Kayt started asking about Disney World.  They wanted to know all about it and had mentioned several times how fun it would be to take a trip there.  Brad and I decided to surprise them with a trip for Christmas.  It was quite atypical for my type A personality, but I decided to join my adventurous husband and plan a spontaneous trip.  I am so, so glad that we did! We surprised them Christmas morning and left eight days later.  After debating, we decided to leave Emery with my grandma. One is a tough age for a Disney adventure.  As much as we missed her, we know that it was a wise choice.  And besides, not taking her guarantees that we will go again in the future.  We went the 3rd through the 7th of January.  The weather was great, the crowds were low, and the trip was something we still talk about daily.  Brad and I knew that we would have a great time watching the kids enjoy the magical place, but we failed to realize how much we would love the adventure ourselves.  It was oddly relaxing and easy.  Here are a few of our favorite pictures and memories::::

Lunch at Epcot

Breakfast at Chef Mickey with Minnie and the gang

Noah the Viking

Eskimo kisses before dinner at Akershus

Showing off her cheerleading moves with Daddy

The infamous Epcot ball

Kayt's favorite, The Tea Cups

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

Fun at Animal Kingdom

Hugs for Daisy

Breakfast at Donald's Safari

Excitedly watching a parade

Our first meal after arriving at our hotel

Waiting on a bus

Loving this place

Riding the Carousels 

Dusk at Magic Kingdom

Gotta love Cinderella's Castle

Noah's friend, Woody

Pluto at Animal Kingdom

Family time on the Tea Cups

Princess dinner with Snow White

Princess hair

Posing while waiting for the boys

Princess dinner with Ariel

Digging for dinosaur bones at Animal Kingdom

Brad and Noah after they rode Mt. Everest

And that's a wrap!

Disney World is really worth all the hype, especially for a three and four year old!!!

:::Busy:::

We have three children ages three and under. 

Life with three children is one thing.  

Life with a three year old, two year old and three month old is another and can be summed up in one word... busy. 

Yes. 

BUSY. 

When they wake up and want breakfast, it's busy.  They are famished.  Starving the very minute they roll out of the bed. 

Each morning while they eat breakfast I unload the dishwasher from the night before.  If that is the only time I unload the dishwasher in a day, I consider myself fortunate.

After breakfast, they get dressed and it's like chasing loose zoo animals.  Kayt sees absolutely NO need to primp her hair, much less comb it.  Noah typically dresses himself in some sort of uniform.  And then he changes to another uniform.  And minutes after, he changes to yet another uniform.  He changes so, so, so many times during the day.  I cannot even count.  I have tried to limit his clothes changing, but well... it has not really worked.  And I don't harp it too much.  He is happy.  And he is so literal that to assume a roll, he must dress the part.  I feel that when I limit him too much, I crush who he is and who he is becoming.  So I let him change over and over and over and over....

Lunchtime = busy

Cleanup = busy

Oh, and in between these things I have a nursing three month old to tend to. 

And then comes nap time.  Sweet, sweet nap time.  But nap time, too, is busy. Because there are clothes to wash, laundry to fold, floors to sweep, emails to return, a job that I do from home to keep up with, a baby to hold and many other things that require upkeep.
Busy.
And sometimes... on really special day... I give myself twenty or thirty minutes to rest. I actually time it. 

Then there is dinner to prepare.

And then the kiddos wake up and there is snack time.  

And play time. 

And more dress up time. 

See, I tell you it's busy. 

But for me, busy = fun.  

It keeps me on my toes. 

We also have Bible study to attend, play dates to participate in, and errands to run.  

So for all of my friends out there with three children (or more), you can feel a sister here. 

Right?

And for all of my other friends, see what you have to look forward to? 

Busy days.

Fun days.

I love my three busy-bodies. 

And I am thankful that they are busy and that they keep me busy. 

Because busy is fun and busy is blessed!

A Secret Hiding Spot

Kayt gets into everything. Everything, I tell ya. It is just now beginning to bother her brother because (that's a tongue twister) she seems to go for exactly what he is playing with and he can no longer distract her by giving her another toy. She wants what he has and the girl is nothing if not determined. 

This problem hits an all time high when Noah has to take one of his many bathroom breaks during the day. The boy is nothing if not regular. He is out of commission for a good amount of time and his sister has free reign to ANYTHING. 

In the past few weeks, he has realized that the only place she cannot maneuver her way into is the refrigerator. Thus, his new hiding place. 

The problem is that he usually forgets to reclaim his hidden treasure so guess who finds it? Last week I opened the refrigerator and ten baseball sized balls came rolling out on my head. I've found his baseball bat in there. It's a common place for finding his glove and you can't forget his green Crocs that Kayt loves to wear.  There was a Matchbox ice cream truck in the drawer with the cheese and the new pillows that I bought for his bed were on the top shelf. The list continues with everything from football player figurines to his Harlem Globetrotter brochure.  

All is fair in love and siblinghood. 

But I think I will put a sign on our refrigerator door that says, Open at Your Own Risk! because I cannot be held liable for any injuries that may happen to our friends due to the creativity of my boy. 

Masklophobia

At the reception (or the reception stand as Noah would say), the d.j. announced that a special guest was making an appearance. A few seconds later, the gunshots sounded and I knew what my Oklahoma State sister-in-law's friends had arranged. 

Pistol Pete walked into the room

I knew what was coming and I looked up to find my lil' man just in time to see him running as fast as his little legs would carry him through the crowd.  It was as if the waters were parting to allow him through. He was crying, he was screaming and he was only focused on the end destination. 

Have I ever mentioned his ill-feelings/phobia towards anything in a mask or costume? He has never liked mascots. He loves sports, but before we head out the door to any sporting event he always asks if the mascot will be there. He loves Chuck E. Cheese, but he will quickly follow his sentences of affections for the eating joint and games by saying that he does not like the real Chuck. 

He ran to the table in the far corner of the room and flung himself under it. He was terrified. It took quite some time to get him out from under the table. Once out, we left the room and he didn't return for almost an hour. He wanted to go back to the hotel so badly. He was gripped on my shoulders and his little body was shaking with dread. He was begging to leave. I felt terrible. Pistol Pete wasn't such a special guest for Noah. 

And then there is this girl. She carried her Dede's purse around all night and hogged the dance floor. She is phased by nothing. No fears. No reservations. No hesitations. She's an eager one, my daughter. 

It amazes me how two children, from the same parents, can be so extremely different from one another. It's pretty incredible.

That Was Fun.

Today. 

Oh, today, today, today....

Hmmmm. 

Today.

Well, let me see. Can you tell that this tricycle has a compartment on the back? It is for wee ones to haul their goods around. It was too cold to go outside today so the kids played in the garage while I cleaned out the refrigerator. I checked on them and found Kayt playing in the back compartment. She was splashing in water.  Shocked, I asked Noah how water got in there. He said, Oh, that's not water, it's pee. 

He went on to expand his argument by saying, it's okay mom. I needed to do it. It's posed to have water in there. Are you proud of me?

That was fun.

This afternoon I was wrestling Kayt to give her a breathing treatment. Noah was quiet, problem number one. But, being the optimist that I am, I decided to practice my positive thinking in hopes that he was occupying himself with something purposeful. Shortly after, he frolicked into the living room and told me that his stomach had been hurting. Then he said, but it's better now that I pooped in the bathtub.  

You guessed it. He did. 

I'm going to Wal-Mart tomorrow to get a new bath mat.

That was fun.

While doing laundry, I raised my head up and hit it on the corner of the cabinet door above the washer.

That was fun.

I was putting toys away in Noah's closet and somehow managed to get a splinter under my fingernail. I'm still baffled by that one. 

That was fun.

To sooth my pounding headache, we headed to Sonic for caffeine. I felt I deserved a treat; Cheddar Peppers! Noah climbed over the seat and spilled the ranch dressing all over the console of my car and my cell phone.

That was fun. 

We went to church tonight and my hubby spoke on grace. He talked about just the sort of day that I had had. The one when nothing seems to go your way, you're forced to stop at every red light, your appliances break and your kids do just about everything possible to push you over the edge, yet you still love them more than your own life. And although I have the headache from below and have had a crazy, crazy day, I love my kids and their constant activity more than every good thing. I'm thankful for their healthy bodies that can terrorize the house and their booming voices and their constant speech.  It is because of grace that I love them  and grace that I am loved.

Tonight, with unwashed hair and crossed eyes, God gave me a reminder.  

That was fun.

Fly Away With Me

I eat my words.

I actually enjoyed making an airplane for my dude to take to M.D.O. 

It's been a while since I pulled out a can of spray paint and enjoyed cutting up a card board box.

It was oddly therapeutic.

My very literal first born is too much like his mamma for his own good. He was not about wearing the airplane at the parade. He was convinced that he was going to 'take off.' 

The conversation went like this:

n: I don't want to wear it.

m: Why?

n: I will take off and start flying around and I don't know how to land the plane. I am not a pilot.

m: It's not a real plane. It doesn't really fly.

n: Is it pretend?

m: Yes, it's just pretend.

n: But I saw the puh-pell-a's spin.

m: Just because they spin doesn't mean that the plane will fly away.

n: I'll just not wear it in case it flies off. Ba-member, I told you I don't know how to land?

m: Yes, I REmemeber. But, remember that I told you it isn't real?

n: Okay. I'll not flap the wings, just in case.

And so he didn't.

Parking Enforcer, Kayt.

It didn't last long. 

This is how he spend the rest of the parade. 

They are so sweet together. 

Noah is her keeper.  

This is what you get when you have an independent seventeen month old who would rather watch the fish than take a picture and a brother who thinks she's crazy.

Once at home, he was ready to soar.

She's her daddy's daughter. 

Bad habits starting early. 

Somedays,

you compromise.

This is what big brothers are for...

I would also like for you to notice Noah's clothing choices. Only on church days and 'school' days do I pick out his clothing. All other times, he's the clothing boss. 

And I am not sure why I take pictures of many of my kids messes. It's just something I do. I cannot seem to take pictures on Christmas, yet I have tons of pictures like this. Doesn't make any sense, does it?

The Last Post of 2008

Hoping your holidays were full of lovin'...

See you folks in 2009!

Shopping and a Stocking Stuffer

Brad and I tried to get some last-minute Christmas shopping in this evening. We had planned to buy Noah a REAL guitar. Like one-from-the-guitar-shop-where-all-the-workers-have-tats-and-mohawks type of real. Maybe I just like going into that store? It makes me feel rebellious and muscially talented. Both of which, I am not. 

But, after debating on spending a large chunk of change on a guitar for a two year old, we decide to wait another year (or two). We ended up just replacing his junior acoustic guitar from Wal-Mart that broke a few months ago. I have been so impressed by his patience in waiting until Christmas for a new guitar. Honestly, I wanted to run out and buy him a new one the day his bit the dust, but then the make-every-moment-count conviction got the best of me. I felt like this was a great time to begin teaching him about holding out for greater things and the joy of waiting. Surprisingly, he has been super patient, which makes me all the more excited for Christmas morning. 

About 30 minutes into our shopping rendezvous, Brad made the comment that he could just keep the kids and I could get back out and finish everything on my own.  No way, Jose. I do agree with him though. Shopping always sounds more fun that it actually is. He hung in there with me and at least finished helping me with the kid's gifts. Since we didn't get Noah the expensive guitar, we got him a few other things that I think he will love. All of the new additions were Brad's idea. I was surprised when he said, "follow me" and took the initiative to lead me to all the things he wanted to get for his boy. Who knew he had so many wonderful ideas? Brad and Noah have been talking for months about camping out in the living room. I cannot wait to see Noah's reaction on Christmas morning when he walks into the living room and finds his new tent set up, with a sleeping bag inside. Oh the joy!

As you can read, I've only talked about Noah. I have no clue what to get Kayt. We got her a few outfits and one of those things that you push and the balls start popping. I remember having one when I was little. I think she will like it. I didn't necessarily think that it was worth $11, but who am I anyway? I mean, come on. They have been making those things since 1970. I am sure it costs one whole dollar to make. 

Back to the story.

I feel bad that we have not bought equal gifts for the kids, but I'm sure we will make up for it when Kayt is sixteen years old and wanting cloths that cost four times that of her brothers. When that time comes, will someone point me back to this post where I was complaining about spending $11 on a popper toy? 

And just to clarify, I have bought an equal number of gifts, we just have not spent an equal amount of money. 

She's one. What do you get a one year old that another family member isn't already getting? Nothing. That is what we bought Noah last year, nothing. The only problem is that now we are buying for one and not the other. Okay, I'll stop. 

Last order of business...

This is one of Noah's favorite CD. 

My dad gave it to him, and to be honest, the first time I heard it I started laughing, but it has actually kind of grown on me over the past nine months. The only way I can describe it is: Mother Goose meets Hip Hop.  I know, cheesy. But he loves it. I just thought I would tell you about it in case someone needs a little, last minute stocking stuffer for a wee one. It has proven to be quite popular with the tykes. You can listen to the songs here.

Don't blame me if you buy it and it leaves you wanting to pluck your eyeballs out. I am just the middle man.