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!

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!