Merry Christmas! Hope you’ve had
a great holiday break so far! (No
school/work/alarms, ha!)
We have been traveling for Christmas this year. We had planned on going to Disneyland three
years ago, and then I was miraculously pregnant after five losses. We stayed home to prevent any blood clots or
problems, and we have a sweet little two-and-a-half year old to show for our
sacrifice, ha! ..But we never lost that
desire to travel at such a magical time of year. : )
Last week, we planned a fun helium-balloon filled scavenger hunt filled
with clues for the kids. (We wanted a
little build up for the trip!) (Plus my kids love a good scavenger hunt!) They figured it out, and we spent two days
packing and preparing.
It takes us about two days driving each way, and boy… are we
super glad when we reach our destination!
Let’s just say the first 8 hours either way are the worst. By the second day, they are all adjusted and
settled in to a cramped, van existence. : )
Only difference? The luggage was
sooo full going down..and now we have room!
That extra stuff is all over the van now, ha! Post-Christmas, love!
We were headed to Disney Magic Kingdom on Christmas Day (I wanted to
see Cinderella’s Castle! Selfish? Nah.)..but
it was so busy, they had signs up that said FULL. We were diverted. : ( We decided on Hollywood Studios since we love
a good Tower of Terror dropping our tummies out from under us, or a Rockin’
Roller Coaster..or even playing in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids H.U.G.E.
playground! Sissy and I had cinnamon
pecans (the smell lured us in..) and watched the Jedi training too while the
boys climbed and played. : ) Those jedi
younglings were so cute!
We also went to Christmas Mass at St. Mary’s of the Universe in
Orlando. It’s such a beautiful church. We lit candles for a friend and his mom who
is battling cancer, new drugs, and lots of confusion. We are asking Mary to pray for both of them
especially right now.
The next day we went to the (Florida Mall and the) American Girl store
in Orlando, bought some of the sale Isabella (Girl of the Year 2014) stuff
(yay!), and shopped a little there and at the outlets. The weather for Saturday (Ethan’s birthday!)
is HOT again, so we shopped for shorts and short-sleeved clothes!!
Then Ethan’s EIGHTH birthday! Legoland!! Ethan was sooo excited! It really was a great day. I think because we made the effort to get up
early, we were there not long after they opened (this park fills up quickly and
shut the gates too!). We also had the
kids check out the map and star the things they each wanted to do the
MOST. We did those FIRST! They went to Driving School and got their
licenses, then to Flight School, the Project X roller coaster, The Dragon
roller coaster, played in a huge park, participated in a Build/Design Contest,
and went up in the Island in the Sky. We
were sooo high, circling around looking over the park (I have to tell you..I
got scared/sick as we reached the top/came down). I get that “we’re-going-to –fall-and-die!” feeling!
Today we are on our way home. We
are nearing the break-in point..but not quite yet. Still some
yelling/struggling/baby peeing in bottles going on, haha! We must work harder to synchronize our
bladders, yo.
Here are some pictures of the excitement thus far:
I’m praying for my family to have a conversion of heart as we celebrate
the sixth day of Christmas today. We
all need to continue to bask in Christ’s glow and the joy in His coming..I
could definitely use some shining up, and my family needs a little too. I pray God m.o.v.e.s in my children. That they remember the reason for the
season. We can teach and talk and show,
but sometimes we have to leave it to the Holy Spirit to step in where we fall
short. (which is a lot obviously) : )
** I might mention we will never go to Disney again for Christmas. It was crazy busy all over town (not just
being blocked from the Disney pinnacle of Christmas craftiness and decor!),
traffic was backed up every day,
sometimes for HOURS. It’s fun, but
taxing. We’ll be celebrating from the
cozy comfort of our home next year, for sure! **
Praying you have a season of pure JOY at your house this holiday season!
Hugs, y’all!
No comments:
Post a Comment