Sunday, June 19, 2011

WDW - Day Two

Back to our Disney trip...

We decided to head to the Animal Kingdom for our second morning. Camp Minnie and Mickey opens early and we were lucky enough to be one of the first ones to catch pictures with a few of the characters!

Here's Colin with Daisy Duck...
And no trip to Walt Disney World would be complete without seeing this guy...


As you can see from his hands in his mouth, Colin was a little nervous. He loved to take pictures of the characters but wanted no part of being in the pictures!

After visiting with Mickey, we rode a few of the rides...
waited for Dadda to get off of a ride...
And even went on a Safari! Needless to say, at the end of the day, Colin was a tired little pup!



After taking a quick nap, we got ourselves prettied up and headed over to Epcot for dinner and fireworks at the beautiful Illuminations show.



Epcot ended up being our favorite park. We ended up there almost every night for dinner! The restaurants are all delicious and there are interesting little shops in each country you visit. Great for the entire family!

Friday, June 17, 2011

Crazies...

We've had a case of the crazies around here lately! I still have to finish up our Disney trip, haven't even started our Nashville trip and it's almost Father's Day! Please forgive me, I think I have a few good excuses:

still his best pup!
a) We had a sick baby :( It was just a virus. The kind with a high fever and throwing up. Not much fun with a two-(and a half)- year- old.


b) We SOLD our condo! Did I mention that happened in a week? Don't believe me? We couldn't believe it ourselves. It was a quick turn-around. As soon as we got back from Nashville and Colin was healthy again, we started packing and moving, and packing and moving some more! Finally, we are settled into my parents' house and we closed on the condo Wednesday. All that in just two weeks -phew! Just writing it all is enough to put me in a tailspin. 

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Little Moments...

As I mentioned before, for our first night in Orlando, we ventured off to Downtown Disney. While wandering around the shops and crowds, I captured a picture of Colin's favorite characters outside of the Lego store:

Then we happened upon Bongos. I have been craving Cuban food since we went to Savannah, Georgia so I made sure to drag them in here! It was a big hit. The food was delicious- Colin ate black beans and rice like it was going out-of-style! The hostess sat us in front of the live band, which kept Colin entertained while we enjoyed our meal. 

When we were just about done eating, we let Colin out of his seat so he could go dance with a few of the other kids. Instead of going out onto the floor by himself, he walked up to my seat and pulled me out onto the dance floor! The kid wanted to dance with his Mama! Unfortunately, Chris is still not comfortable with my new camera so we do not have any pictures, but I will forever remember that moment. His sweet little grin and the way he twirled me around. When I was the only girl that he wanted to dance with! Those are the moments that remind you what a blessing it is to be a mom.

WDW - Day One


We got to Magic Kingdom very early so I took the liberty of taking some scenery shots without the interference of too many visitors. It's still just as magical! It's cheesy, I know, but there's no other way to describe it. Such a neat place! And such a different experience as a parent. Better, for sure. It brings you so much joy to see their face as they experience it for themselves. Very special.

Colin was able to do a lot more than I thought he would. The food selection, on the other hand, was not so great for a kid with food allergies. We will have to keep this in mind for our next trip. Nevertheless, we enjoyed ourselves! The middle of May is a great time to go- there was very little waiting time. We went from ride to ride to ride...

Of course, we went on It's a Small World. No trip to Disney would be complete without it!

Waiting for Dadda outside of the Swiss Family Treehouse...

I'm not 100% sure about this one but judging from the look on Little Man's face, I'm pretty certain this was the Pirates of the Caribbean. It was the only ride that freaked him out just a bit. Actually, he got scared winding down the long path to the ride. It was very dark and the music is, admittedly, a little creepy. After one ride, however, he was fine. We even rode it again later on our trip without any hesitations. 

Magic Kingdom Check-List:
It's a Small World
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (Colin's favorite at MK)
Jungle Cruise
Peter Pan's Flight
Pirates of the Caribbean
Swiss Family Treehouse
The Haunted Mansion
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

Done. Done. And Done. Fast Passes make anything possible! Stayed tuned for our Day Two of Disney adventures...

Leavin' On a Jet Plane...

Chris had to go to Orlando for a sales meeting this week so Little Man and I decided to take advantage of the opportunity, fly down to meet him and make it into our first family trip to WALT DISNEY WORLD! 

For over a week, Colin would tell random people 'I'm going to Isney!' He was thrilled and had no idea why. Although, you wouldn't have been able to tell from taking a look of him the morning of our flight:

He is quite the reader! His favorite books right now are his farm books (one is the same one that I used to have my Grammy read to me over and over again) and his 'Bibbel'. Doesn't that just warm your heart up? 

Nana and Pop picked the two of us up and dropped us off at the airport. We got through security without any issues- phew! - and made our way to the gate to warn the gate agents about Colin's peanut allergy and to check out the planes:

He was such a champ on the plane! I was nervous about keeping him entertained for the entire two hours. We stopped at a toy store in the airport and picked out a very high priced lego set- Colin's first. He's been really into construction vehicles lately so it is a back-hoe, of course. With those kajillion little pieces and a brand new coloring book and crayons, Colin was more than entertained for the entirety of the trip! He sat in his little seat and chit-chatted happily. Never a complaint. Never got scared. And he got his Delta wings! It was perfect. What a relief!

We didn't get to the resort until almost 3 so we just spend the day at the pool and ventured to Downtown Disney for dinner. Then off to bed early for our first day in the parks!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

blessed with a MISSION



This is kind of a blog post/journal entry today! It Sunday, May 8th, 2011 and that makes it Mother's Day. Today was a yucky day. Kind of cold, kind of damp. We woke up early despite being up LATE (we went to church last night and then was to a friend's house) and then around 11 I decided I had had enough. I made a bed for two on the floor in the living room, popped in Toy Story, and Colin and I had ourselves a little nap. Together. 

That doesn't happen very often, so it was special. Very sweet. I'm so proud of the little boy that he is becoming. He has his moments but for the most part, he is a very sweet, funny, curious and sometimes mischievous little guy. He likes to cuddle, he likes to run, he likes to give kisses, he likes to 'shoot' his finger gun, he likes to jump. All those things wrapped up into one little package!

And I have been blessed to raise him (hence, the title of the post)! I was CHOSEN to be a mom and, most importantly, to be Colin's mom. This is my God-given mission. To love and nurture and raise up a little boy to love God with all of his heart. That's a hefty challenge! So often I fall short. I don't always pray with him or in front of him. I slip and let my sinful self get the best of me. But when we are weak, He is strong. By God's grace, not by my own efforts. And, so far, I can literally say, 'by God's grace'. 

About a year or so ago, I discovered and devoured a book called 'The Mission of Motherhood' by Sally Clarkson. I only wish I had read it before I had Colin! Not that I missed out on anything, he is only two, but I really wish that I had had that perspective going in to motherhood. Of course, I have always wanted what is best for Colin and I've always worked VERY hard to provide for him and to give him the best, but this book really worked on my heart and made me realize that my heart may not have always been in the right place.

I was trying too hard to do it on my own. I was trying to raise up this little boy who would be 'good' and 'acceptable' by the world's standards. But that's not what matters! My only mission, as a mother, is to raise a son who loves the Lord his God with all of his heart, mind, body and soul:

"the mother who reaches the heartfelt needs of her children by helping them feel loved and secure, by believing in their dreams, by noticing when they stray and gently steering them back in the right direction, and by teaching them what they need to know to live FULL and MEANINGFUL LIVES accomplishes a great work for the LORD." (MOM pg. 14)

And that's truly ALL that matters. Today, for me, hasn't been about the flowers or the cards or the gifts. None of that matters. I have my gift! Instead, today has been a day of reflection. Examining my heart, and my dreams, for my little guy:

"I've learned that my influence on my children is limited only by the smallness of my dreams and my lack of commitment to the Lord and his purposes." (MOM pg. 16)

Happy Mother's Day to All! Enjoy the gift you have been given!

Saturday, April 30, 2011

School Update

We could not be more pleased with Colin's school! It's so comforting to know that while Chris and I are busy at work, Colin is well taken are of and loved! He adores his teachers and his friends. But most important, he is growing and learning beyond our wildest imagination. It's so interesting to have him come home and say something new or sing a song we've never heard. He's very confident and curious- a good little package!

As of today, Colin can count to 20 and he can put on his own clothes- including zipping up his own coat. Little things, but he continues to take us by surprise each and every day. We can't take credit for any of it- the most we've taught him is to finally say that he's two:

Thomas the Train



Silly Faces








Easter 2011

Storyline to follow when I have more creativity...
















I Want To Ride My Bicycle

Chris and I both have bikes and we recently decided to get a bike seat for Colin so that he can go on rides with us. He asks for his 'bike seat' every chance he gets. He absolutely loves to go for rides with us and is such a sport with his helmet:

Look out for us on the road!

New Kicks!

The Little Man may not grow much- but his feet sure do! We've been searching and searching for a good (attractive and durable) pair of new shoes with little success. Until these:


SO glad I got a few pictures of them before he destroyed them running around at school! 

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Cleveland ROCKS (Day 1)

I talked to Aunt Michelle this weekend and told her we were on our way back home from Cleveland, and she said, 'you road trip more than anyone I know.' This is true. Then it got me thinking, what are Chris and I going to do once we retire if we do all of our road tripping now? I guess we'll have to wait and see!

Chris had to work a convention in Cleveland this weekend so he took us along for the ride. We stayed downtown in the Ritz Carlton and were pleasantly surprised at how accommodating they were to children! They went above and beyond for us and made the ho-hum trip that much better. When we first arrived LATE Friday night, one of the bellhops gave Colin a little stuffed elephant. Very thoughtful!

While Chris was away on Saturday, I got to spend some alone time with this guy:

Aren't I lucky? We went downstairs to have breakfast together, just the two of us. Colin was very well-behaved. One of the servers brought him a Crayola coloring book with markers. Again, they went over and above for us!

After breakfast, I decided to take him on a walk to explore downtown. Not much to see. We were very disappointed in the overall city. Kinda scary in places. I went up a few blocks to see the lake and stadium, then headed back to the hotel.


After Chris got out of the convention, we headed over the Science Museum. Again, very disappointing. Kinda dirty and not very child-friendly. I don't mean to sound so negative but we were so shocked about the overall condition of the city! But that didn't stop us from having a good time. The space exhibit was pretty interesting. Colin and Chris tried their hand at building a lunar fort:


And I had my own fun. Who said a lunar fort can't have a great front porch for guests?

We did a little bit more exploring before closing:



For dinner, we took Colin on his first trip to Hard Rock Cafe. He loved the music and the attention! One of the servers took him on a special trip into the kitchen to pick out his drink. He chose Raspberry Iced Tea. Luckily, he took two sips and wanted his milk. He did finish his cheeseburger and fries, though! He had a great time!