Wordless Wednesday

{our beach babies}

Happy Birthday, Sweet Girl

Today, our baby girl turns three.  I'm finding it hard to believe.

She's so proud of herself because she's such a big girl.  She's been putting up three fingers, counting them off one by one, all week.  She wants to do everything "by her own".  She's thrilled to receive two vitamins like Jack, instead of the one she's been taking daily.

She's independent.  Adventurous.  Protective.  Funny.  Sassy.  Fearless.  Sweet.  Breath-taking.

And ours.

Happy Birthday, Hannah Bear.  No matter how big you get, you'll always be my baby.  Mama loves you.

Wrapping Up in Orlando

On Monday, Brad had to leave Orlando for work.  We knew that he'd have to return home before the end of the trip, and we got lucky that he only had to leave a day early.  The kids and I drove him to the airport early that morning, and we were super sad to wave goodbye.  I think he was really sad, too.  We'd had quite a week of bonding, and I'm pretty sure he was really nervous about me flying home with the kids by myself.  I'll come back to that...

I'd originally planned to take the kids to Animal Kingdom for the day, but the previous days in the sun had sort of done us in - I was still sunburned and both kids had developed a heat rash that was leaving them with increasingly itchy and scaly skin.  I did a quick Google search and discovered there was a science museum in town, so we headed there instead.

We had a really good time, but we were still a little sad because we knew that Daddy would've enjoyed it, too.

They had gators and turtles, too, but nothing compared to Gatorland :)  In fact, we returned to the tank for feeding time, but the kids wanted to leave early because it wasn't even comparable to the death-defying feeding they'd seen just a few days earlier.

A tortoise

Water-play

Harvesting oranges

Meeting Curious George

Building with magnets and shapes

Future pilot?

Digging for dinosaur bones - this was so awesome!

Jack in a geode.

That afternoon I took the kids to the pool they so loved.  We played for a while and walked around the resort before we went out to eat at Outback Steakhouse.  It was a really great evening.

Spray island at the pool

And here's a little something for you - I caught Hannah dancing on the side of the pool.  Completely free and uninhibited, not aware that anyone was paying attention, and thank goodness, I was able to catch some of it on video.  Enjoy!

{Video: Hannah Dances to Carrie Underwood}

Me and my little lovelies on our last night in Orlando

That night, as I began packing, I started to panic.  The stuff to bag ratio seemed off, and I was the only one that could solve the problem.  I was so thankful that everything fit - although I did have to cave and deflate those beautiful balloons I'd been suckered into buying :(  

The next morning, I packed up our family and step-by-step, checked out of the hotel, arrived at the airport on time (unheard of!), returned the rental car, rolled our baggage and our double-stroller to the ticket counter, went through security, fed the kids, and boarded a plane to fly home.  I was so proud of myself, and apparently, so was Hannah.  I think she could tell I was a little nervous.

"Mommy, you're doing such a good job finding the airport all by yourself!  Mommy, you're doing such a good job carrying our luggage!  You did it, Mommy!  Good job!"

{That pony?  It gets me every time...}

Thank goodness that Brad was able to take a couple of big bags with him and that Grandma and Grandpa were able to meet us at the airport when we landed.  And technology.  Thank goodness for technology.  I couldn't have done it without all of their help.  I'm also really glad that my kids both love to fly.  

It was a vacation I'll certainly never forget.  And even though the kids are still too young to probably remember it, they will have these pictures and stories to look back on and remember just how much fun we all had together.

Legoland

While we originally hadn't planned on visiting Legoland during our Disney trip, when we checked into the hotel, I saw a flyer and found out it was only 45 minutes away.  I felt like we'd be the worst parents ever if we didn't take our Lego-obsessed boy to Legoland, especially since it was only a short distance from where we were staying.

If I'm being completely honest, it wasn't our favorite stop.  It might have been the sunburn.  Or the fact that it was the fifth-straight day we were outside in intense heat.  Or that we'd been to Disney World twice and Disney World is AWESOME.  But whatever the reason, it just wasn't our favorite.  You may get a different opinion if you ask our six year old.  I'm pretty sure Jack thought it was wonderful, and really, that's all that mattered.

Legoland is divided up into lots of different lands, but on a much smaller scale than Disney World.  There are only a couple of rides or attractions per land, but it still felt like it was taking an awfully long time to get through each of the lands.  The lines weren't that long, but it just felt like a slow-moving day.

Everywhere you went, there was a place for kids to build or play while adults waited in line.  This was a major plus!

There are lots of Lego structures everywhere, and that was honestly the best part.  How people come up with the Lego patterns they do or have the patience to put them together astounds me.  I'm fascinated by Legos.  I love to help Jack put them together.  I love taking a messy pile of Lego bricks, following the step-by-step instructions, and ending with a miraculous structure.  It's perfect.  I'm not what you would call "a master builder".  (Seen the movie?  It's pretty cute.)  Jack?  Jack is a master builder - even though he's also great at following the directions.

Anyhow - we enjoyed our time at Legoland, even if we did not enjoy the rather expensive and not-so-tasty hamburgers we had for lunch.  And no one wishes you a magical day at Legoland.  Just sayin'.

Jack and Hannah, with a Chima guard.  I know more about Chima than I ever could have imagined.

There were little splash parks throughout Legoland, which was nice because there wasn't a ton of shade.  Not so wonderful when you are newly sunburned!

Jack, posing as a knight after riding the roller coaster with me

Hannah on a Lego pig

Me and Hannah, on a Lego safari

 Lego lions

While Hannah and I went on safari, the boys rode the Coastersaurus four times to get the perfect picture 

Times Square, in Legos!

 Lego Las Vegas

While we were walking through Miniland and in awe of the Lego buildings and cities, it torrentially started to downpour.  We took cover under a large tree until we heard thunder, and then we made a run through the rain with our double stroller and no shoes.  We took refuge under the roof of a pizza shop, and to say that we were soaked is an understatement.  The rain was not letting up, so we left the park before we could finish the last couple of lands and the Cypress Gardens, which Brad was really looking forward to seeing (I guess this means we'll go back one day).  Luckily, I had brought extra clothes for the kids.  I changed them in the back of our rental car, and we were on our way.  Before we could get out of the parking lot, Peanut fell asleep.  Our busy schedule was wearing her out!

We went back to our hotel, and that night, rather than trying to find a nice, affordable local pizzeria that delivered to our hotel, we called Domino's.  It was perfect.

Looking back, we did have a nice time at Legoland that day.  It was probably just my sunburn that made me a little grouchy:

Perfectly understandable.  Right?

Right Now

{she even does the superman pose in her sleep.  and yes, that's her cape.}

Disney, Day 2

Before going to bed on Friday night, Brad and I carefully looked over the Magic Kingdom map, marked all of the remaining things we still wanted to do with the kids (or things we knew the kids wanted to do again), planned out our initial three Fast Passes, and our path through the park on Saturday.  It was intense, but it was worth it.  Our second day in Magic Kingdom went so much more smoothly than the first.

Saturday morning, when I woke up, this is what I found:

I love vacation, sleep pictures :)

We got up, ate breakfast, got ready, and we were out the door.

We arrived at our first Fast Pass experience with only 12 minutes to spare.  On Wednesday, when we were exhausted and ready to leave the park (you know, before Hannah's ear fiasco), Jack discovered Splash Mountain and was dying to ride.  I was surprised that he was tall enough to go on; it seemed a little steep to me and that his tiny frame could just slip right out, but the height measurement bar assured me he'd be okay.  We promised that he could go with Daddy when we came back.  Poor Hannah was too short, so at the beginning of our second day, we split up for a little while.  I took Hannah to a toddler playground while Jack and Daddy went down Splash Mountain.  I was nervous about what Jack would think, but he loved it!

I know it doesn't look like it, but Brad swears Jack had a good time.  And apparently, I wasn't the only one afraid Jack would tumble from the log ride :)

Next, we took the train to Fantasyland to let the kids experience the fun of Dumbo and the famous tea cups.  

There were a few rides that we'd already been on, but that the kids enjoyed so much they wanted to go a second time.  We did Peter Pan's Flight, It's a Small World, and Prince Charming's Carousel both days.

It really was a magical day from start to finish.  The kids were being so good, and we were all having a great time.  During lunch, some characters that worked in Fantasyland came over and sat with the kids. They were talking in their fancy, royal accents and Jack and Hannah just giggled and smiled.  Quite adorable.

After lunch, we divided up for a bit so that Jack and Daddy could ride Thunder Mountain.  Hannah and I stayed in Fantasyland and met Winnie the Pooh and Tigger before riding Dumbo and the tea cups one more time.

We met up with Brad and Jack, went on Goofy's family roller coaster together (which Jack said was "crazy, freakin' awesome!"), and headed out.  

A really magical day.  I felt like we were all glowing when we left, and not just because we were sweaty.

It was perfect.

It was also the day I got really sunburned.

That night we went swimming in the pirate ship pool and tried to order a pizza.  It wasn't successful, and poor Brad ended up going out to pick up a pizza and eventually came home with McDonald's and Subway.  

It didn't matter - sunburn and wrecked dinner plans aside - this day was going down as one of the best days ever.