Day 2: Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom was great! 

 For all the different opinions we had heard on it we didn't have much expectations and had planned on it being a shorter day. 

It was amazing.  Right up our family's alley.  I didn't take a lot of pictures that day.  My camera started getting in a funk and I didn't want to waste moments I could be enjoying fooling with my device.   

This was after the Safari (wonderful) and train ride we took to get back to the petting zoo and vet clinic.

There weren't any medical procedures going on much to Lillian's dismay.

However we ran across this guy! 

Rafiki from the Lion king and received our first autographs. 

 Grant was really enjoying the goats.

 This was the kids first thing in the morning waiting to take the bus.

 The detail throughout the park was so cool.  I wish we could've had more time to just enjoy the small things.  I felt there could've been so many off the beaten path cool spots.

 Touching a snake.

 Lillian was in hog heaven.

 This was after we got off the DINOSAUR ride.  It was exciting and intense.  

Josiah wouldn't go back on it and Lillian jumped back in line with Daddy to do it again.

 This was our view while eating lunch.  

This park is just so pretty.

 Final ride of the day.  

This is more of Josiah's dino speed.

Headed back to the hotel with their new toys in hand.

I will mention we went to a Lion King broadway style show that was amazing! 

Next time we go I will definitely allow more time there.  I would also love to stay at the resort that overlooks the African Plains.  I can say it was not a zoo and even though there weren't many rides we could ride the experience of just walking through was great.  It is much bigger than the other parks so it took more time to get between attractions. That made it a tiring time for the kids.

Magic Kingdom: 1st day

Magical.  That is the best word to describe our WDW experience.

Everything (almost) was so detailed and fun.  

It took us about a hour to get the hang of Magic Kingdom when we first got there.  

Then we were off.

 Look at that sky!  The weather was perfect while we were there.

Standing in the mist of the water station.

 Showing me her big ears like Dumbo!

 I was so excited to get to dine in Belle's Castle at "Be Our Guest"  

We came across the line for lunch a little after 10.  Waited 30 minutes for the restaurant to open and then another 30 to get in.  Worth it.  

Waiting for our food to arrive.  

You order you food at a kiosk, then find any table you want (we ate in the "rose room"), put your magic band bracelet in the middle of the table, and then when your food is ready they bring it out to you in a serving cart.  I thought it was so cool because they you the short field communication from my bracelet that I used to order our food to their little doodad on their cart to find your table.  So cool...and freaky.

 Cupcakes for all!

 After we ate lunch our fast pass for "Belle's enchanted evening"was ready to go.  

At first we went into this room where they were prepping us for an interactive play.  

lame. 

Grant asked why I wasted a fast pass on it.  

Until we went into the next room and SURPRISE! There was beautiful Belle.

Magical. Tears in my eyes.  

They ran through the play with her and then did a parade around the room.

At the end they each were introduced as their "part" and a picture with Belle.

 Jo is just so stinking sweet.

 He picked the R2D2 mouse ears.

It's nice to get some pictures of us with our new little photographers.

 Waiting for the Haunted Mansion.

 Out cold.  

She did this everyday.  That's when we knew it was time to head back to hotel.

 Waiting for parade to start.

The parade was so fun.

Finishing the evening off with popcorn in bed.

Because I need to get something up.

Since it's been over a month I figured I better get something up on here!

We are still trying to get the hang of limited internet and a simpler life.

Disney!

Part I of ???? 

 In the car at 5am.  Everyone was holding up well.

 Ready for take off.

 This is what we saw as soon as we got off the bus at our resort! 

He wrote something up in the sky everyday we were there :)

 Disney Cars 

And Just some plain cuteness.

Hope everyone is doing well and hopefully I'll catch my groove soon. 

I'm already at 3.5 GB for the month.  Gotta go!  ;)

Home is where the heart is.

We have finally moved to our new home and we finally have internet.  limited internet.  (warning: rant ahead) Even though I don't feel we are any further in our location, our services are much more rural.  There isn't any cable ran out here so it took us a bit to figure out what we were going to do. It was funny for the two weeks without how diconnected I felt and how many more people I actually talked to and interacted with.

Changed my address at the post office, Talked on the phone to a person for insurance, I even actually broke out the stamps to snail mail a bill.   With each interaction I had to explain to them that I didn't have internet... like I was the only person in the universe.  ridiculous on my part.

Grant and I were just saying how much more conscious I am of my internet usage.  When you know you can only use so much, craiglist searching and blog reading is definitely more... 

Intentional. 

 That's what life has been feeling lately.  And it's a good thing.

We've decided we are intentionally not going to get a tv for a while. (Maybe just a small one with a dvd player for the kids movies.  I am missing our Friday night movie night.) 

We intentionally sit on the porch or big rock in the backyard in the evening watching the cows walk across the pasture for the evening.

I intentionally sit in the kitchen table chair that looks out to the beautiful sunrise watching the cows make their way in for the morning milking.

We intentionally sit in the living room at night and read.

Grant and I are doing well. The Kids are adjusting well. The dogs are doing well also.

It'll take me a bit to get my thoughts together and get our move documented :)

 This is where we now call home.

Lillian finally quit calling it "Dead Aunt Betty's" or the "Die House"

However, she still likes to talk about Betty in the cemetery every time we pass it since it's 2 miles from our house.

 These two were so eager to help us get painted.

 Grandma Alma is a great slavedriver motivator/decision maker.

 I missed out of a really cute picture of Granny K watching the kids while we worked.

She was so sweet and helped us with the kids a ton.

This guy (hurt his back) and his wife helped us get moved.

We were so blessed come moving day.  We had so many family and friends show up to help us make our move quick and easy.  I wasn't even ready for that much help and didn't know how to manage it.

My bossiness was lost somewhere in the boxes that day. 

Thank you to the Reillys, Whitesels, Saunders, Sommers, and Kissels.

(and I feel like I'm forgetting someone)

This is my view every morning.

Glorious.

The cliche "Home is where the heart is" has taken on real meaning to me. I am a homebody.  

The week before we moved was very surreal.  Everyday I thought this is the "last ---day night that I sleep in this house." When I walked into the nursery, which was the hardest room for me to say goodbye to, I would feel saddened knowing I rocked every one of my babies in there.  

However, on moving day when I felt some tears wanting to work their way up,  I thought, I have had 7 awesome years in this house.  Most of which my children won't remember.  Once we move we will have, God-willing, at least 30 years of memories in our new house.  So I changed my perspective on where life really is and I was once again so excited.

Home is now here, because that's where my family is and where we will be making our next decades of memories.