Florida Vacation Part 2

If you missed the first part of our vacation you can see it here.

Monday (October 19) we got to the condo around 1:30 in the afternoon and we were VERY pleased with it! It was on the sixth floor with three different balconies and GREAT views! Especially from the master! It had two beds, two baths, full kitchen, and spacious living area. It was beyond  incredible!

We got settled in, ate a late lunch, and then took the kids down to the beach. We had private access because of our condo and it was spectacular! Because the beach was private it was so clean and white! When we first got there Tigger kept saying "look at all this snow guys!" lol This was the first time our kids had ever been to the beach or seen the ocean and the wonder in their eyes made the trip ALL worth it!!

The boys LOVED having their feet in the water!

It took Olivia a little longer to warm up to it. Ha! But she eventually loved it as well. :)

After awhile they decided that having just their feet in the water wasn't good enough! lol

After we left the beach we went back to the condo to clean up and then we headed out to buy groceries for the week. Then we had a late dinner at Carabbas! YUM! It was the first time we had ever been there and it would have been very romantic...you know...if we didn't have three unpleasantly crabby tired, hungry kids with us! But given how exhausted they were they actually did very well.

The next day we took our time getting ready and just enjoyed the morning at the condo. We had breakfast and unpacked a little. The kids occupied themselves by exploring the condo and watching a movie. Then we had a light lunch and got ready for the beach.

We pretty much spent all afternoon there and the weather was beautiful! The boys swam in the ocean for the first time and played on the beach.

Olivia liked it so much she even tried to eat some! Ha! :)

We had a fun, full day on the beach and went back to the condo that evening completely exhausted. Who would have thought that having three kids at the beach all day would be so much work?!  We took the double stroller and packed it full. We had bags of toys, snacks, drinks, towels, chairs, an umbrella and of course the cameras. At one point sand got kicked all over the stroller...and all over our stuff. I think we carried about a half ton of sand back to the condo with us! Ha! We definitely learned our lesson though. Pack as light as possible! It was the last time we took the stroller with us to the beach! :)

On Wednesday we took the kids to the Mote Aquarium. They had EVERYTHING! Fish, lobster, eels, sea horses, turtles, dolphins, manatees, sting rays and even sharks! There was a giant squid, dead and preserved (eww). There were touch tanks and one had a little fish (can't remember the name of it) that would come right up to your hand and nibble on your finger! The boys really got a kick out of that one! They had a thearter with interactive movies. One about sharks and one about dolphins. We went to the dolphin one. The premise was that we were helping marine biologists find a missing dolphin and her baby. Every seat had a touch screen attached and you could interact by choosing if you wanted to travel by boat or helicopter etc. When you spotted a dolphin you touched it etc. It was really neat. The boys also got to pick out stuffed toy snakes while in the gift shop.

That night we went to Outback for dinner and then back to the beach for a bit. It was getting late so the kids didn't get to swim a whole lot. But they got to wear their trunks and get wet. One of my goals of our vacation was to photograph a sunset on the beach and that night the sunset was GORGEOUS!

There was this lady who had a black lab. She let the boys toss him a ball and he would swim out into the ocean to get it. The kids had a blast! I think it was the highlight of their beach trip that night! :)

Thursday we took the kids to Myakka State Park.

It was pretty incredible. We saw alligators, wild pigs, deer and numerous birds (non of which I could identify). We also went on the Canopy Walkway. This was a walkway/bridge connecting two towers. The first tower took you up 35 feet and then you crossed a bridge to another tower and climbed again until you were way above the treetops (75 feet!). Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures. I left my camera in the car because well...lets just say my priority was keeping a hand on my little monkeys children, who have NO fear of hights. At all!

We got back from the State Park at a pretty decent time so after having dinner at Chilies we hit the beach again! Hubby had the boys in the water while Olivia and I hung out on the beach. Again the weather was perfect and we had another beautiful sunset! It ended up being the last time we visited the beach before coming home and we couldn't have asked for a better night to spend our last visit on the beach.

Friday was a little more laid back. We spent the morning just hanging out. We had breakfast and then I laid Olivia down for a nap while Hubby took the boys down to the pool that our complex had. I did some laundry and started packing our things while Olivia napped. Then when she woke up we joined the boys down at the pool. We all swam for about an hour and then took a short break for lunch. After lunch we hit the pool again and swam until about 4:00. By the time we had all bathed and cleaned up the kids were exhausted!

That night we just ordered food in for dinner because everyone was so tired and because we still had packing to do.

The next day we loaded everything up and headed out about 11am. We had left one of Monkey Man's comfort blankets at the hotel by accident (fortunately we called the hotel and they had found it and were holding it for us) so we had to swing back by there to pick it up. While we were there we decided to stop by Downtown Disney (they were pretty much just across the street from eachother). For one... because we forgot to let the kids get souveniours while at the parks and two... because we were curious and wanted to see it. We ended up eating at McDonalds for lunch :p. We literally NEVER eat McDonalds. Ever! But it was more out of hunger and lack of someplace else to eat than anything and I hate to admit that it wasn't bad.

There was a dinosaur shop that had Build a Dino (like Build a Bear but dinosaurs instead) so the boys got those and then they picked out a couple of footballs with Mickey on them. Olivia got a Tinker Bell doll that is her first "big girl" doll. :) The whole thing was really neat.

We ended up leaving at about 3pm. We had a really long night of driving and arrived home at 11am on Sunday. We all had such a wonderful time but it sure felt good to be home. We do miss it though and are already planning a trip for next year! :)

Two Pounds Is Just Too Small - Fight For Preemies

I never thought I would be one of "those parents".

I truly never expected that my baby would be "that baby".

Prematurity is definitely not something that anyone would envision for themselves or their precious baby.

Sometimes it just happens!

Having a preemie has changed our lives in ways unimaginable.

Really, how can anyone truly envision what it is like to be the parent of a preemie until you are one of "those parents" and your baby is "that baby"?

It's hard!

It's rough!

And in the mist of the storm, let's face it, it sometimes just sucks!

But it can also be VERY rewarding.

Every breath, every cry, every hiccup, will never be taken for granted.

Every milestone will be celebrated like crazy because you know how hard your child has had to work to get there.

When you look into the eyes of a baby who, you were told by doctors, had a "slim to none" chance of survival it changes you.

I will forever be grateful for my daughter's health!

But my heart breaks for those not so fortunate.

For that reason, today, and every day, I will fight for preemies.


Our Story


To read about my pregnancy and Olivia's birth in more detail go here.

To read what she has been up to since leaving the NICU go here.

She has grown by leaps and bounds and it has been incredible to watch. We are very proud of her!

Success!!

After a TON of trial and error and many dollars down the drain spent,

I have FINALLY found a cup that my daughter will drink from!

And it's technically not even a "cup"! HA!

I found this Nuby set at Walmart and I almost didn't buy it. Nothing had worked so far. Why would this?We even had Olivia seen by a speech therapist.

Once.

The one time we saw the therapist, she literally looked at me and said she didn't know what to tell me. (What?!?) She said with Olivia it wasn't that she lacked the physical ability to drink from a cup. In essence there was nothing to "fix". She said that Olivia was fully capable. She just didn't want to. Ha! Typical!

So I gave up. I quit looking for new ways to get her to drink. I quit looking for new cups, bottles...whatever. I was done. If she was just going to be stubborn then I wasn't spending any more money when we already had about every sippy cup and bottle known to man. I was resolved to the fact that I would probably be giving her fluids from a syringe for the rest of my life! I'm exaggerating. But not so much. :)

Anyway... I was at the store, saw these cups and out of habit thought "Maybe THAT will work." SO I picked it up to look at it only to then try to convince myself that it was silly and put it back down. But...as I started to walk away I couldn't help but pick it up and give it a second look. With a sigh I thought what the heck?! So I bought it.

And it works!!!!

I'm not sure why it was this particular cup. I have no IDEA why this one was "the one". This nipple is different from any of the others. The cup itself is smaller. Maybe it has to do with that fact that it's made more for introducing food? I don't know.

The kit comes with a small sippy. An even smaller bottle and a spoon with a hole on the top. Both cup and bottle have a vacuum on the bottom that you can push up to push the food up though the spoon or the sippy. Ugh I know I'm probably not making sense, but for whatever reason it works for us! This is a huge milestone and I am very excited. She hasn't been gaining weight well and I am hoping now that I can get more liquid calories in her she will start gaining better. Whoohoo! :)

Also does anyone know anything about the Blog Frog? I keep seeing Blog Frog communities popping up everywhere but I'm a little clueless how it works. :( SO if anyone is willing to explain it to me that would be great! I did create a community and post it on the side. Not sure how to use it or how many people will join it but hey...you know...it's all the trend right now. And I am...you know...trendy. :D

Also I have a few big post coming. The second part of our vacation (which I am sure I will get around to... someday) and also (as I mentioned awhile back) we are having some changes going on and I can't wait to tell everyone how God has been working and what a blessing we have been given!

Turned off by Christianity.

I know you probably never expected to see a statement like this come from me. I know you have always known me to be "Christian". I have always professed to being a Christ follower. I have always given Him the glory for my life. I have stated over and over that...

He is my Lord.

My Savior.

My God.

And...

That is all still true. ;)

However...I had to get your attention somehow! Did it work?!

Good! Because God has put something on my heart that I would like to share with you.

I was recently blessed to have a very eye opening experience in my faith. I had a political/religious discussion with several very liberal, VERY anti-Christian atheists.

Why you may ask was this a blessing? How was this eye opening? Well...just let me tell ya!

We as Christians are fighting a war! Everyday! And we don't even know it. Call me naive but I never realized how much we are truly hated by those who really have no concrete belief system at all. I have to say that the venom that was spewed toward religion in general but particularly Christianity surprised me.

These are just some of the most notable statements that were made and have stuck with me...

"My point was that America is a vastly Christian nation, who seem to be very high and mighty when it comes to other religions killing in the name of their god. Seems very hypocritical to me."

"Christians get the grief in our country because many in our country use Christianity to justify our laws and policies, and some of us are well past tired of it."

"I guess I just don't understand the importance of belief in a supreme being."

"Science flies you to the moon, Religion flies you into buildings..."

"I am turned off of Christianity for the reason most of us atheists are, the premise is ridiculous and the evidence makes about as much sense as a fairy tale."

A fairytale. A fairytale? I think this last comment was most telling of all. A fairytale. Hmmm. Ridiculous? Really?

I'll admit that my first initial emotion was anger. Not only was she, this atheist,  in a sense insinuating that we as Christians are ridiculous for believing such a "fairytale" but she also made the very wrong assumption that there is no verifiable proof that God exists. This made me angry. I became exquisitely aware of how terribly blinded these type of people really are. How disillusioned. How strong their faith is in man and in science. Both of which we know are erroneous and fleeting.

Then...it dawned on me. How many fairytales do you know that are bad? Sure there may be some childhood stories that were meant to frighten children more than giving them enjoyment, however, for the most part all "fairytales" I know are good things. Beautiful things. Wanted things.

I realized some of these unbelievers, these atheists, WANT to believe. They WANT it! They just can't get past their own understanding.

In the article Is There a God  By Marilyn Adamson, she states....

"What is it about atheists that we would spend so much time, attention, and energy refuting something that we don't believe even exists?! What causes us to do that? When I was an atheist, I attributed my intentions as caring for those poor, delusional people...to help them realize their hope was completely ill-founded. To be honest, I also had another motive. As I challenged those who believed in God, I was deeply curious to see if they could convince me otherwise. Part of my quest was to become free from the question of God. If I could conclusively prove to believers that they were wrong, then the issue is off the table, and I would be free to go about my life."

Something that became very clear to me was that very few of the atheists I've spoken with are sure that there is no God. Because of this they become offended by those of us who know He exists. Then when they cannot convince us to turn from our beliefs they become angry, and sometimes even hostile. They just don't understand. But they want to.

Why is this you think?

Marilyn Adamson has a GREAT interpretation...

"I didn't realize that the reason the topic of God weighed so heavily on my mind, was because God was pressing the issue. I have come to find out that God wants to be known. He created us with the intention that we would know him. He has surrounded us with evidence of himself and he keeps the question of his existence squarely before us. It was as if I couldn't escape thinking about the possibility of God. In fact, the day I chose to acknowledge God's existence, my prayer began with, "Ok, you win..." It might be that the underlying reason atheists are bothered by people believing in God is because God is actively pursuing them."

What a wonderful thought! It also made me realize that these people are not the enemies of God I envisioned them to be. He loves them! Even when they ridicule and undermine Him...He still pursues them! This revelation has given me such a greater boldness for witnessing. When I once would have shrugged them off and said to myself "If they don't want to believe and just want to be mean and nasty so be it!" But, just like a bully on a playground, it is usually the meanest and nastiest that also has the lowest self-esteem. It is usually the atheist that proclaims the loudest "There is NO God!" that so desperately wants to believe He exists.

However...all this being said we Christians need to take responsibility for our own actions. Another reason (and as much as I hate to admit...a good one) that we are hated by unbelievers is that many of us aren't aware of our own witness. We aren't aware that we are at war. Everyday. And the best weapon we have to defeat Satan is by watching our actions and guarding our tongues. Because you never know when someone is looking to you for an example of God's grace.

Jam 1:26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.

We need to also become more bold in our love for God and in our assurance that He does exist. That He is real. And that He LIVES!

When unbelievers raise their voices we need to raise ours higher. Not in argument. Or in contempt. But instead in song! In PRAISE!

Psa 40:10 I do not hide your righteousness in my heart; I speak of your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal your love and your truth from the great assembly.

I challenge you to take God's love and His truth and proclaim it! Shout it from the rooftops! Because you never now who is listening and it is oftentimes the most ardent unbeliever who longs to hear it the most!

Photo Credit http://www.allposters.com/

Where Has My Baby Gone?!?!

...because this cannot be her...

She started pulling up to stand while on vacation...

She now does it everywhere!

She is also almost too big for her infant seat.

 I also

love

doing her

hair!

She is indeed

growing way too fast!

We had beautiful weather today!

Is this really November?!?!

  Gorgeous!!

I am still working on part two of my Florida post. I am trying to pick through (literally) hundreds of pictures! Ha! Hopefully I'll get it finished soon!

Also, if anyone is wondering why my daughter has a sock on her hand...it is because  (as you can see here) my daughter has a huge obsession with her thumb. Huge! Big! NEVER leaves her mouth.

Due to this it sometimes becomes blistered and sore and the only way I can get it to heal is to keep it AWAY from her by covering it! lol

First Snow

Florida Vacation Part 1

**Update** Not sure why it published so funky. Hopefully I can get it fixed soon!

Last week we took a MUCH needed vacay! We spent seven FULL days in warm sunny FLORIDA! I did take my laptop, which turned out to be a GREAT portable DVD player for the kiddos, but I didn't really use it much other than to look at and edited pictures. Which, as you can imagine...I have HUNDREDS! lol This is the reason for my blogging absence and also the reason I just now published Monkey Man's birthday post. Now I am just forwarning you...this post WILL be long. And FULL of pictures. It may interest you, it may not. But this post is just me. putting down memories. for my kids. Or at least what I remember. HA! So here we go....

Thursday night after we celebrated Monkey Man's B-day we prepared for the long drive south. With stops it ended up being 18 hours! But because we left at about 11 at night the kids slept for a good portion of the trip. Then we had DVDs and Leapters and crayons and stuff so the kids were pretty well occupied. We stopped for meals and potty breaks and let the kids stretch their legs and they did very well. We were very pleasantly surprised to find we have three little travelers on out hands. :)

We reached Orlando about 5pm on Friday. We were all so tired that first day that we just checked into the hotel, ordered a pizza, gave baths and went to bed. We all slept for about 12 hours!! It was the most sleep I have gotten in a LONG time. It was just what we all needed and we were refreshed and ready to go.

Saturday morning we woke up, got ready in the room and then went downstairs to eat our continental breakfast (which turned out to be a smorgasbord of every breakfast food you could think of). We made the mistake of sitting by the window looking out to the pool. Yeah BIG mistake. Our kids have never been to Disney. They had NO idea what was  in store for them. So no matter how many times we told them that we were going to Disney that day and could not swim right at that moment, they were not pleased. I admit the pool was awesome. It had a waterfall with a waterslide that went right through it. It was lined with stone. It was beautiful...and VERY tempting. But we had more fun things on the agenda that day!

After breakfast we headed for Animal Kingdom! This park was not there the last time I was in Florida so Hubby and I had never been there. It was amazing! It was like a zoo/amusement park all rolled into one. After we parked the car we rode the tram to the park. Tigger threw a fit made it known that he did NOT want to ride the tram and said it was "scary." Needless to say he thought it was pretty cool when he was actually ON it. We entered the park and looked at all the animals at the front of the park and then headed for Dino Land USA.

The kids loved it! I rode a little dinsour ride with the boys and then Hubby and Monkey Man rode this...

As you can see it did scare Monkey Man just a little but he talked about it NON-STOP for the rest of the day!

While they were on that ride I took Tigger (we were advised not to take him on it because he was still so young and after seeing the picture of MM I am glad we listened!) and Olivia to a shaded area and fed her lunch while we waited.  Tigger kept himself occupied by climbing on the wall beside me and playing in the dirt! :)

The boys wanted to play games as well but for $2.50 per person per game it wasn't worth it. So we just casually strolled past the games and then headed out to eat lunch at one of the little Dino restaraunts. It was pretty cool. The entire restaraunt kind of looked like a makeshift camp and there were archeological supplies and props everywhere.

Then after that we made our way to the Asia side of the park and went through the Maharajah Jungle Trek. It was set up like ruins of an ancient palace inhabited by wild animals and it was truly incredible.Then we walked through Flights of Wonder where we saw different and unique birds flying around. Also really cool although the kids didn't much care about the birds. lol

 After that we got our fast pass tickets for Kilimanjaro Safari and then Hubby and the boys took the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch. Thinking this was a "ride" and not knowing there was a whole other area to the park on the other end, my husband didn't actually get off at Rafiki's Planet. I was waiting with a sleeping Olivia and he knew I would be expecting them back soon so they just stayed on the train and rode it back. Fortunately the boys were very easy going and were none the wiser. They just thought it was cool they could go on a "train ride." Ha! Oh well we will know better next time.

Then we walked the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail where we got to see many awesome animals including the MOST photogenic gorilla I have ever seen. I SWEAR he was posing for me! Ha! :)

Then we found a GREAT spot to sit back and watch the parade. We were right up front and several characters walked right up to the kids and they just thought it was the best thing ever!

After the parade we were due back at the Safari and thanks to those nifty little fast passes got in pretty much right away. Thank goodness because it was getting to be the end of the day and dinner time and the kids were starting to get unruly and aggitated and I think a longer wait would have been almost unbearable. I think I can honestly say that this ride was one of the highlights of the day! It was so much FUN!

We rode in an offrode jeep and the premise was that we were trying to stop poachers and reunite a baby elephant with it's momma. The boys had fun seeing all the different animals and looking out for the baby elephant. The tour guide was HILARIOUS! And there were parts of the ride where we had to go over some "rickety" bridges and one had crocodiles under it and was simulated to make you think the bridge was collapsing. I thought  it would scare the boys but they LAUGHED! lol

When the Safari was over we went back through Asia where we had fast passes for Expedition Everest.

This was a REAL roller coaster that Monkey Man rode with me!

You can see by the look on his face that he was TERRIFIED. When I saw that picture I instantly felt sorry for taking him on it. He kept saying "Mommy that ride was REALLY scary!" :( Mother's guilt set in BIG TIME! But...after awhile he started smiling and at one point said "Mom you and I rode on the SCARY ride huh?!?" He was soooo proud of himself! That helped me to feel a little bit better but when asked if he wanted to ride it again he quickly answered "No!" lol

I quickly fed Olivia before leaving the park and on the way out we saw Micky and Minnie! Then we headed back to the hotel, got takeout from Fridays (yum! best pasta I have EVER had) and went to bed early!

The next day started the same way. Got up, got the kids ready, ate breakfast then this time we headed to Magic Kingdom. We rode the tram, which Tigger was excited about this time around, and entered the park. For some reasom the Monorail wasn't running so we had to take the ferry. Normally this would have been fine. Fun in fact, since the boys LOVE boats and thought it was pretty cool. However, it was a little breezy and cold that morning. In fact if I remember right Florida had almost record lows that night but anyway...It was COLD. The kids were getting a little cranky and it wasn't the best start to the day. Fortunately once we got into the park it was quite a bit better.

When we got there they had music playing and some of the characters were dancing in the street. Monkey Man got to meet Mr. Incredible! He wasn't too sure what to think about it though. ha!

We danced in the street for awhile and then headed for Tomorrowland where we went to the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor.  The wait was only like 10 min. so it really wasn't bad except for the fact that we got all the way in and then Tigger decided he had to go potty (even though we asked him before going in) so Hubby took him back out through the crowd (we were at the head of the line right in front of the doors) and to the bathroom. The cast did let them back in which was nice, but they couldn't find us so we didn't get to sit together. Hubby did tell me afterwards though that Tigger liked it. Monkey Man REALLY liked it.  Monsters Inc has always been one of his favorite movies and he laughed almost non-stop! (Basically the monsters do stand up comedy and interact with the audience with the goal of making the audience laugh and filling the laugh canisters for electricity.) It was hilarious!

We ate lunch where a really weird alien creature (almost like Chucky Cheese...but worse...much much worse) sang on a stage then we used our fastpasses for the Buzz Lightyear ride where we rode in little round spaceships and tried to shoot things with lazer guns. Both boys liked it but Tigger liked it especially.

**On a side note I have to say that my poor second child, bless his heart,  is so clumsy. He fell in the parking lot going into BOTH parks and scratched his knees pretty badly and then the poor baby fell getting onto the Buzz ride. Which wasn't entirely his fault because it was one of those rides that doesn't stop to let you on and you walk on a moving belt to get on the ride. Yeah that was fun. (sarcasm) I had his hand but I also had Olivia strapped to the front of me in the snugly, my camera and my purse in the other hand, trying to get all of us on the ride (I mentioned it was moving right?) and before I knew it Tigger was on the floor. He was fine, in fact he laughed it off but I was a nervous wreck. lol

We also rode the Carousel of Progress. This is basically a revolving theatre and you revolve around a stage with simulated characters and you start at the turn of the centery and then everytime you revolve it jumps forward a decade or two until you get to present day. It was interesting for the parents. Not so much for the kids. Olivia got fussy and ended up falling alseep on my lap and the boys just weren't into it at all. To be honest if we had known exactly what it was and if there had been a wait we probably wouldn't have done it. But as it happened we were walking by and it was completely open and they were about ready to close the doors so we figured why not?

Then Hubby took the
boys on Tomorrowland
Speedway while I sat
with Olivia who was
still sleeping. Although neither
of them could really see over the
wheel they thought it was
awesome that they got to
drive a "racecar." lol

After that we made our way to Mickey's Toontown

where we got to walk through Mickey and Minnie's houses

and Hubby and the boys rode

The Barnstormer.

Then the boys and I rode the Teacups and by then Olivia was awake so we got to ride more as a family. We rode It's a Small World, which Olivia LOVED (her eyes were huge and she smiled the whole time!:), ate pizza for dinner at Pinocchio Village then saw Mickey's PhilharMagic. The last was a 3D movie and seeing the boys reactions cracked me up! They would jump and scream when something came out from the screen and then reach out and try to grab it! I got more enjoyment watching them then I did the movie! Ha!

When the movie was over we made our way to the front of the park to buy our tickets for Mickey's Halloween Party. It cost extra and went from 7-12am. So we wanted to see how the kids were before we bought the tickets and they were still going strong so we decided to stay and I am so glad we did!!!

After buying the tickets we made our way back up through Mainstreet. It was getting dark and new people were coming in for the party so it was pretty crazy. There were cast members everywhere greeting people and handing out candy bags. Everyone was dressed up and the castle was lit with different colored lights. It all seemed so magical.

Then we had a little mishap. We decided to run into a shop to find a sweatshirt for hubby (I mentioned record lows right?) and we were in the store for maybe two minutes when Tigger points to his feet and says "Look Mommy!"  I looked down to se my son's BARE feet. He had kicked his sandels off somewhere and anyone's guess was as good as mine. I asked him where he took them off and he of course couldn't (or wouldn't) tell me. He would tell me he did it in the store and then he would say in the street. So I handed Olivia to Hubby and picked Tigger up and start backtracking to try to find them. I went ALL the way down Mainstreet and back and....no shoes. I went back to the store and asked if anyone had turned them in and they hadn't but told me to try the lost and found at Townhall. By this time Hubby was looking too and I was sooo worried I would lose him in the crowd of people. So we went BACK to Townhall only to see people lined up out the door for Halloween tickets and I was ready to just give up and buy him a new pair. Well I decided to ask someone at the store one more time and this time they actually got the manager who got on his little headset thing and asked if anyone had found them. Fortunately one of the cast members HAD found them in the store. But....they took them down to the lost and found at Townhall. So...back down Mainstreet we went, fighting the crowd, only to wait in the HUGE line at Townhall and finally get his shoes back.  Geesh!! The whole ordeal cost us about 20 min.! But anyway...moving on....

We get back to the castle in the middle of the park just in time to see all the Disney Villians come out to sing and dance and act like they were taking over the castle and the park. It was spooky enough for older kids to really get into it but it wasn't too spooky for the little kids. Then we headed out to trick or treat at Disney! It was awesome. There were candy stations throughout the park and we had a special map to let us know where they all were. Most of the rides were still open so we went on The Pirates of the Caribbean (which I have to say has changed ALOT since the last time I was there)  and then just as we got out the fireworks started so we stopped and watched those. Monkey Man kept saying "Mommy I LOVE fireworks!" It was sooo cute! Also Olivia had been asleep on the 4th of July so she had never seen fireworks! Her eyes were so big I could see the reflection of the fireworks in her eyes! It was probably one of the most meaningful moments for me in the whole trip! I don't think I had ever mentioned it on this blog before but when I was pregnant with her and right in the middle of all the complications I was having I had a dream. In my dream we were at Disney World and I had a baby girl (we hadn't yet found out what we were having in real life) in a sling in front of me. Somehow I knew she was a girl even though she was facing away from me and I couldn't see her face. All I remember about her was her dark hair and I was in a shop look for a pair of pants for her in size 12months (which is exactly what she is in now). That's all I remember about the dream but it had given me so much hope at the time. Add that dream to the fact that my water broke at 24 weeks right before the fireworks started on the July 4th 2008 and it was so surreal to be standing there...at Disney...with my baby girl strapped to me...seeing the reflection of the fireworks in her eyes...and I was completely overcome with emotion. It's a moment I really remember for the rest of my life.

By then it was getting REALLY cold. I had Olivia bundled up in the sling in front of me and then my jacket around her so she was fine (in fact after the fireworks she completely conked out) but the boys were getting really cold. We made our way back up towards the Dumbo ride because they had cried earlier that day to ride it but it was a 30 min wait. So we told them they could ride it later. Well by the time we got there it was FREEZING and Tigger had crawled into the back of the stroller, covered up with one of Olivia's extra blankets and fell asleep. The wind was picking up and Monkey Man started crying that he wanted to go home and go to bed. It was past 10 at this point (way past bedtime) and we new that being up on the ride it would be even colder. So in the end we decided to skip it and Hubby took Monkey Man on SnowWhite's Scary Adventures instead.

After that we headed back to the hotel. Fortunately the monorail was running on the way back and we didn't have to ride the ferry. That would not have been fun!

The next day (Monday) we got up and ate breakfast again. We checked out of the hotel and headed for the second leg of our trip which turned out to be just as amazing as the first!

To be continued....

Florida Vacation Part 2