Tv and pool

Grady has gone the last 23 months of his life not watching a second of tv....and that's not by our choice.  We couldn't get him to watch a show to save our life.  Tried it all, but somehow he always had a book to read, table to climb, or race to run.  Well, something happened just before vacation and he is now a fan.  Perfect timing on vaca when you're hustling to get out the door packing all the bags, making lunches etc.  It made me laugh and smile every time I'd see them snuggle up together.  Lily would try to hold his hand and he'd pull it away and say "all done" 43 times in a row until she let go. 




I can't tell if Grady wants to ditch the picture or is checking out the chickies at the pool, but his 108 facial expressions crack me up..





off to the pools we go...

snuggle time just before nap time for everyone...



too cute... (ru kidding the crossed legs grady?)

more snuggles just before we left for dinner one night....



Grady fell at the pool early on the trip so he had a north star for every picture thereafter....



this surfing wave prop brought me back to when I went to Disney with Katie and Jordan around this same age back in 2003 ...they hopped up and starting posing and I got choked up thinking about how magical that visit was 9-10 years ago with them as they saw everything for the first time too and I was lucky enough to be there for it.


Everyone always tells us "it happens so fast" while snapping their fingers talking about the wonder years of the toddler/preschool years, but it really hits home when I see this picture of Katie just 9 years ago.



and jordan...



Next up will be universal where the goal was to see Barney, Dora and Curious George - all three goals were accomplished and even David got to have some fun when I volunteered him for one of their shows where he was the star.



Guess who'll be showing up in the next post?



Stay tuned...  have a happy week! :)

Disney on Crack

I had way high expectations for our trip to Disney.  It was our first time so I made it seem like we were going to Prom and had one chance to have a fun day/night.  I had built it up in my mind bigger than I should have.  I put off the trip many times waiting for the kids to be the "perfect  age", but more because I was so worried it wouldn't live up to my dreams.  I dreamed of this day for the years we were trying.  It's like your epic cross over the bridge into parenthood.  I told you...I reached the unhealthy, irrational level of excitement.  I actually had anxiety about the buildup I had placed in my head.  I cried 3 times within the first 30 minutes there.  I never said I was normal, but boy was I excited!  AND BOY DID DISNEY DELIVER!!  They met every expectation and actually EXCEEDED it if you can believe that one!  And we got the picture to prove it.

Thanks to Sammy Mack for this adorable shirt she let us borrow.  There were a million shops we could've bought one, but it meant more to wear hers on the big day.  And thanks to Jen for your shirt too which meant so much tuling around Disney drive in it.

How do you not tear up when you see these 2 love birds?

Lily's face lit up like a firework when she saw Cinderella for the first time.  Good thing I was wearing sunglasses.  I watched the kid's reactions more than the shows.

I think every new mom to be should go to amusement parks before buying a stroller to see every one made that's on the market and take a few for a test drive.  I know just the place.

of course Lily wanted to be in charge of the navigation....just like Dora....

and of course grady followed suit...

David took Lils for a drive, but she refused to take the wheel so David took over.  (G was napping in the stroller during this ride)

Grady had an immediate attraction to Goofy, which in actuality should be Grady's middle name for his personality...

Lily loves all the rides and has a daredevil side to her which I love....that is until she went on the Simpsons roller coaster at Universal and I think that scarred her a little.  Story to follow...

Love this picture of everyone except me, but I still posted it.  Im trying to hold my wiggle worm, but instead I'm pelvic thrusting forward making me gain an instant 10 lbs.

I could watch them (and their reactions to everything) all day long...



Fun with Dumbo



I have no words for this picture.  Yes, David is a tall man and has long arms and legs, but not this long...  w.....t.....h????


my kids could play on the steps all day long...

I get very queasy on any ride so David was always the chosen one.  I get motion sickness on merry go rounds if that tells you anything.  I get dizzy just thinking about it.



L&G need lots of sleep and I mean a lot.  So I was worried how'd they'd do napping in the strollers on the fly and being able to "hang" if you know what I mean.  They're not the best hangers if they are over tired and not much fun to be with, but they turned into troopers this trip, napped in strollers and woke up ready for more action aftewards.

and there's nothing better than having a clear vision of them in dream land...


So there's just a peek into our trip and there's more to come like meeting Cinderella, water slides, lazy rivers and acting like a true tourist and proud of it.  I felt like I was breathing in a happy pipe all week long.  Expectations were met and blown out of the water and left with a bubbling over happy heart.

Disney Prep

Whew doggy, do I have a lot to say and lots to show you!  I feel like this is show and tell on Friday at school, but I've brought it more than my share.  So bear with me as I picture explode all over this blog.  No way to do it one post because even the greatest lily/grady lovers out there will start to skim so i'll piece meal it for everyone.  Let's start at the beginning.

this sign gave me chills, jumping for joy in my seatbelt and made lily's face light up when she saw Mickey.  Let the excitement begin...

It rained the whole way up and there was a 50% chance of rain all week, but somehow we dodged all the raindrops and got VERY LUCKY!!  I think I willed the rain away with my thoughts and prayers to the rain Gods not to rain on our parade.  literally.  Another lucky member of our squad was this magnet letter that Grady apparently put on the car just before our 3 hour trip and it made it the entire way.  Who knew?




We got to our hotel and mouths were gaping wide open because our friends Dawson and Allison HOOKED US UP with the coolest digs around and we still can't thank them enough!  We were on the 10th floor of our condo-like room with a full kitchen, living room for the kids, w/d and this was our view.  Say whaaaaaaaa?



The kids were super excited!!!!

We had balloons made for us as we checked in .  Can you say amazingness?

Everyone was hyped up on our vaca high!!



When we weren't a theme park we hung by the pool and we had to hide the crayons and paper from our little color manic.



We lived in the lazy river that was right outside our hotel doorsteps.  Have I ever mentioned how much I love lazy rivers?  Lily too.



Of course Lils chose her new Dora suit as her first one to wear!



and Grady was in a long sleeved shirt for the first time and loved it



then we were lucky enough to be joined by the Brinkley bunch who made this vaca possible for us with the AMAZING hotel deal!



These kids look like brothers and sisters and seeing them all together is a full circle moment for me since I've known Allison since was 12 years old where we were inseparable during middle and high school.  She remembers every detail of our friendship and tells the funniest stories of our antics together and it's like I'm hearing them for the first time like when she told me I used to open my Christmas presents, wear the new clothes to school, then go home, wrap them back up and hide them back in my parent's closet.  I was laughing hysterically at this mystery person who did this until she told me it was ME!  LMAO!!  We were attached to the hip everyday, sleepovers every weekend, been there for every up and down in life, I used to vacation with her family and now to see our kids together is just too much for my little heart to comprehend.


See anyone helping Grady balance?



the family of 4 post swim...no bikini pictures here for me after all we ate. I felt like Chubba Wubba Tubba....


And thanks to Molly for lending us her double stroller...it was a lifesaver not only at the parks, but whenever we would explore one of the neat places in Orlando...they looked so cute sitting side by side together and it made me laugh to myself every time I saw them just chilling and cruising along together.


everything is happier when you add a balloon or 2....Grady repeats things he loves 55x over and over and over to let you know.  Balloons is one of the million things he loves.  I can hear it now "boon.  boon.  boon.  boon.  boon." 55x in my head when I see this picture.





This man/statue stood still until someone came over to take his picture and then he'd come to life.  It was freaky cool all in one breath...



arm rest...























 






I put them on a train that was too small for me and watched them zoom around together and it was silly , but took my breath away seeing them together...

When will I ever get used to having 2 kids who are happy, healthy and ...here!

Lily's first vision of Cinderella was at moonlight...




and we got giddy with excitement...some more than others...



Next up is our big trip to Disney.  I could've spent 7 days straight there because it's like they pump in adrenaline into the pipes for you to breathe and I could barely sleep knowing what they were about to experience.  I had extra high expectations for Disney that reached the unhealthy level, but boy did Mickey and company deliver!