Thankful Thursday

Some random ones this week:

1. Getting to go to the midnight showing of the new Harry Potter movie tonight. I realize I might have a different tune tomorrow when I'm super sleep-deprived, but it will be fun to be with some friends and my hubby. Not normally a night owl these days. I think the last time I did a midnight show was when Jurassic Park came out. Yes, I am getting old.

2. Having a daughter that is old enough so that I can go to the midnight show and leave her in charge.

3. Dental hygiene. I went to the dentist today. I have really bad gums (thanks, Dad) and have to go in 4 times a year now for "special" cleanings. Hopefully it will prevent me from having to have some of the procedures my Dad has endured. I'm grateful to live in a country that values oral health and grateful for dental insurance that helps pay for it. Oh, and those cool little "sucky" things that gets rid of all the extra saliva accumulating in your mouth. Those are cool.

4. That the mouse living in my garage STILL has not made his way into my house. For awhile I thought that he had moved on, but those hopes were dashed when Maddie recently found a mouse dropping in one of her tennis shoes. YUCK. I'm starting to itch now. I've also been delegating more trips to the extra fridge and freezer (in the garage) to my kids.

5. Finally finding a good cherry crisp recipe to use up all the pie cherries that have been hanging out in my freezer (in the garage....) since I bought them over a year ago. It's a keeper.

6. People who comment on my blog. Who doesn't need a little validation?

The Happiest Place on Earth....Except When it Wasn't

When we decided to go to Disney World and Universal Studios, and were looking at the prices for park passes we realized that the more days you went, the cheaper they got. So, in our infinite wisdom, Dave and I thought more is better. We got passes to go to the parks every day that we were in Florida (not including travel days).

The older kids were on board and although pooped at the end of each day, liked the excitement of it all. Phillip...not so much. We're talking about a 4-year old who likes his routine. So not only had we taken him away from his friends and preschool and his pillow, etc., but we were running him ragged. I know that he had a lot of fun on our trip, but some days, the tired factor took over and we had a few melt-downs. Here are a couple of them:

Upon entering the Animal Kingdom on our second day and as the older kids were rushing to their favorite ride (Expedition Everest), Phillip got a little frustrated with the hectic pace and declared:

"I HATE THIS PLACE! I WANT TO GO HOME!"

Sit-down strike:

Can't remember the impetus for this one, but another time he stated quite boldly "This place is HIDEOUS!"

One morning we had this little heart to heart:

Phillip: Mom, do we go to Disney World all the time?

Me: No, Disney is really special, it's not something we get to do very often.

Phillip: Then why, EVERY morning do we go there?

Me: Speechless

So, I guess next time I now know to slow down the pace a little bit. Maybe take a day or two in between park days to just relax, go to the pool, do some shopping, or whatever, and just breathe.

Thankful Thursday

This definition of the purpose of temples is from lds.org:

Temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are sacred structures in which questions such as "Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? What is my relationship to my Maker? Will death rob me of the treasured associations of life? What of my family? Will there be another existence after this, and, if so, will we know one another there?" are answered. Each is dedicated as a house of the Lord, a place of holiness and peace shut apart from the world. There truths are taught and ordinances are performed that bring knowledge of things eternal and motivate the participants to live with an understanding of our divine inheritance as children of God and an awareness of our potential as eternal beings.
I got to go to the temple today with my hubby. I'm glad I went. I need to go more. I live so close to ours that I really have no excuse to not go more. It was a great day; beautiful inside the temple and out. These are some things about the temple for which I am so grateful:

1. That we live so close to one. It is right off of the highway about 25 minutes from our house. We drive by it often. Every time we do Dave invariably says "Doot de de dooooo" (imagine a trumpet sound, for the angel Moroni--holding a trumpet that is atop the temple).

2. The patrons and workers are all so friendly and welcoming. I don't know a place where you will see more smiling faces. One of the ladies there said to me "I'm so glad to be with you today". I don't know her. I don't know if I will ever see her again, but just her saying that made me feel really good.

3. Quiet introspection. It is so peaceful inside the temple. No superfluous noises or distractions.

4. Being able to reflect upon my covenants with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and giving someone else who has passed on from this life the opportunity to accept these covenants and blessings for themselves.

5. Always learning something new every time I go. I love getting little epiphanies about aspects of the gospel that I didn't realize before. It is a perfect setting to receive personal revelation from a God who loves me, knows me and my circumstances, and wants to guide me and help me succeed in mortality.

6. Whenever I leave I have a renewed sense of what is important. My priorities come more clearly into focus. I want to be a better, kinder, more patient mother, wife, friend, and driver on the highway.

Highlights

To spare you the kajillion pictures I took on our trip, I thought I would mention a few of the highlights from each of the parks we visited while in Florida.

Magic Kingdom:

1. Seeing Mickey and Minnie:
2. The Buzz Lightyear ride:

3. Splash Mountain and Phillip getting enough courage to put his hands up as we went down:

Animal Kingdom:

1. Kali River Rapids (Before and After):

2. "It's Tough to be a Bug":
3. Although not pictured, the coolest ride here and favorite by all (except Phillip who was not quite tall enough) was hands down "Expedition Everest". If you ever go to Disney's Animal Kingdom, don't miss this one. You won't be disappointed.

Hollywood Studios
(does anyone remember when it was called MGM studios? I wonder why it changed....I digress):

1. Phillip and Ryan doing the Jedi Training (I wish I had this on video...so cute):
2. Tower of Terror (I think the girls went on it 6 times):

3. Toy Story Midway Mania Ride (probably my favorite ride of all three Disney Parks):
4. Watching Ryan groove along with the Disney Channel Singers (he's in the red shirt):

Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure:

1. Of course, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, complete with Butter Beer and the Ford Anglia:

2. SuessLand and all things Suessian (like the very cool carousel):

3. Spider man, Shrek, getting soaked, and sentiments:

So Accommodating

While in Florida we stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn. It was awesome because it was a suite with two bedrooms. The girls stayed in one room (which had two queen beds that they got to themselves), and Dave and I were in the other (king bed, hallelujah!). Ryan stayed in the "living room" with the pull-out couch and Phillip floated between the three kids' beds. In the living area there was a little kitchenette too which made making meals for ourselves quite handy and economical. Speaking of economical...did I mention we got all of this for free? Just one of the reasons I have to complain a little less when Dave has to travel as much as he does.

Here are some other things we loved about our hotel:

Comfy beds:

All you can eat breakfast buffet:

Swimming:

Good 'ole Hotel hospitality. During our stay they hosted a little Halloween party complete with games, prizes, treats, treats, and more treats. Do you like my kids' costumes? They dressed up as tourists on their way to the Magic Kingdom:

Getting There

When I was 9 years old, I flew on an airplane for the first time. I thought flying was so cool. The flight was overseas on our way to live in Europe. My Dad had accepted an assignment in Switzerland for his company for 3-5 years and we got to tag along. these are a few things I remember about that first flight: getting very sick and sleeping for a good portion of it; thinking airline food served on little trays was so cool even though in my weakened state I couldn't stomach much of it; these little travel packs they handed out that had goodies in them, like fuzzy footies in case your feet got cold. I remember that even though we were in the "no smoking" section of the airplane, smoke would inevitably drift over to us anyway and my mom not liking that too much.

A lot has changed since those days of flying, but one thing remains the same; When you're a kid, flying is cool. Thankfully my kids don't have to deal with smoking or non-smoking sections of the airplane and no one got sick. They don't think about the endless germs that are lurking around every corner. They do love getting to sit by the window and look out as we take off and then look down at the clouds as we soar above them. They love to pull down their trays and push back their seats. They love the peanuts (long gone are the days of meals....at least at the fares we're willing to pay) and soda in cups of ice. They actually like using the bathrooms. They love watching for our luggage to come by on the conveyor belt once we land. They love the shuttle to and from the car and getting to stand up and hold onto the bar instead of sitting in a seat. Yes, when you're a kid (and even an adult), flying is pretty cool.

Driving to the airport:

Getting ready for take-off:

Resting up:
Disney World, here we come!

Thankful Thursday

We just got back from our trip to Disney World. It was an early Christmas present for our family. We had a blast (I'll post more later). But what I realized time and time again on this trip is that trips, especially family trips are not always "vacations" if you know what I mean. They are stressful. There's a lot that goes into making sure things go the way you want them to go.

Did I pack enough underwear for everyone? Did I pack weather appropriate clothes? What if the weather changes? Do I have the right kinds of medicine for everyone? And then, packing aside, there are the hotel arrangements and the rental car situation and do I need to bring sun screen with us today? Did I bring the tickets? Did I bring enough cash, etc., etc., etc. If you've ever traveled with family, you know what I mean. Unfortunately, when you're considering all of the variables, you get a little stressed out and when you get a little stressed out the stress shifts to the whole group. Thankfully I have an amazing husband who knows me and knows how I worry and want everything to go well. He tries so hard to try to alleviate some of the stresses I feel.

So, this week I'd like to mention a few of the things Dave did this week for which I'm so very grateful. He really helped me to relax, let go of a lot of the things over which I have no control. Take some of the other things into his own control and really make this a wonderful trip. Thanks honey. I don't know how you put up with me, but I'm glad you do and I love you!

1. Working your tail off so that you would have enough Marriott points to get our hotel stay for the entire week for free.

2. Once we got to the hotel (after a $60 cab ride), realizing that my anxiety level was peaking and offering to walk over a mile to the car rental agency so we would have our own transportation for the week and not have to solely rely on taxis and the not-very-frequent hotel shuttle.

3. Going to Wal-Mart by yourself (and letting me relax at the hotel and go to bed) to get groceries for the week.

4. Making and packing all of the lunches every morning for the parks so we wouldn't have to shell out a small fortune for food while there (thus allowing me a few extra minutes of shut-eye).

5. Carrying Phillip (and sometimes even Ryan) on your shoulders time and time and time again when he was too tired to stand in line on his own.

6. Buying me my own supply of Diet Coke to enjoy at the end of a long and tiring day.

7. Unpacking all of the suitcases when we got home, putting everything away and starting the laundry.