Trip of a lifetime!

We had such a perfect vacation...to the happiest place on earth...Disney World! I don't know how one could NOT have a great time. Yes it was a lot of work and prep and packing and unpacking but it was well worth it. We had all of our parents along as well which made it even more fun and memorable. Never thought in a million years I would get my mom on Space Mountain but grandkids are way better arm-twisters than daughters, I guess. ;) Lots of pictures on several different cameras but here are a few from my phone:



Charlie & I on the plane!




Princess Breakfast with our princess




Meeting Mickey at Animal Kingdom




Buck's parents at the Michael Jackson 3-D show (yes, I dragged everyone to see Michael)




Tate & Daddy love MJ too!



The tooth fairy had to come to Florida! He looks like a little jack-o-lantern. :)



Max & Nana on the people-mover



Some other cuties on the people-mover



Tired monkeys!!



We found our friends the Polkings at Disney! It's a small world after all...haha. We knew ahead of time we would be there at the same time but meeting up was tricky! We are so glad we spent a little time with them and their adorable kids.



Riding on the tea cups--can't miss those!



Quite possibly our favorite picture from vacation! Look at that smile...JOY! We are so blessed and as always...thankful to be home but oh so thankful for an amazing week. Happy Monday, friends.

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A time out

What do you think has been happening around here a lot lately when I overheard Tate asking his Hot Wheels cars "Do you need a time out?" :) Oh the joys of an almost-3-year-old.

A little getaway

For my birthday and just for fun, I got to tag along on a business trip with Buck to one of our country's treasures. Washington DC! And Buck really had to twist my arm since he was staying at the Ritz-Carlton. :) As always we had amazing help at home from Buck's parents and his sister. I had to share (and for my own memories) the rain-soaked photos I took of my tour of the memorials.



The Washington Monument (photo for Max!)...closed at the moment due to damage from the earthquake.






The first time I had seen the beautiful World War II memorial. Here is the Iowa pillar.




This man is certainly worthy of the memorial dedicated to him--impressive and impactful.




The gorgeous (haha) view from the Lincoln Memorial...the reflecting pool is being renovated and is a big pile of dirt. :) I felt like I did when I went to visit Stonehenge in England...waiting for a momentous spiritual experience but really just getting drenched and wanting to get inside and get dry. :) I wanted to visit where Dr. King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech...and I did. :)




One of the most meaningful experiences of the trip. Holocaust Museum. The sign outside says "think about what you saw." No problem...I am thinking about it, trust me!




I know this very hard to read but this is a plaque at the Vietnam Memorial dedicated to veterans who died as a result of their service in the war. My dad's sister was the person who spearheaded this effort to get this plaque installed in honor of my dad and his comrades, who died after coming home. It was very cool to see it 19 years after my dad died from Agent Orange- related cancer.



Finally, can you see I was excited to find Zoe's store? It was fun to send her this picture and hear her sweet little giggle. So fun to go, but as always...so good to be home! Happy day, friends!

How did I not know this?

I am an insomniac. I know this probably sounds crazy coming from someone who was once given the nickname "the napasaurus". :) I have also been known to take my blankie and go to my room and take a nap...IN THE MIDDLE OF MY OWN BIRTHDAY PARTY (true story!) . Yes, I LOVE naps when I can get them. But come 10:00 most nights and I am wide awake with no end in sight. But this summer at the Lake, my sister-in-law introduced me to the beauty that is melatonin. My aunt swore by it for jet lag, but for some reason I had never tried it. Over the past couple of years I have tried the over the counter stuff for sleep but it made my sensitive system a little too draggy for my liking in the mornings. Melatonin...no draggy mornings, blissful-no-weird-dreams sleep. I love it so much I just gave it a whole blog post! I am happily off to bed...

Fun day with Max

I had one of my favorite days with my oldest today. He is 9, blessedly still at an age where he loves having his mom come along on field trips. I know those times may quickly be coming to an end, so I'm taking advantage while I can!

We went to a beautiful state park and it was a perfect day--85 and sunny! A blessing for October, that's for sure.



Max and his buddy L were digging for fake fossils in the sand pile, and guess what they found?



Max called it the shoeasaurus. :) I found it kind of amusing to think of someone leaving the park wearing only one flip-flop.



Here are 2 classes together--yes it was a little nutty! God bless their teachers; they amaze me over and over.

It was a great day...loved spending time enjoying God's creation and loving on Max and his friends. Fun times!

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