Disney World {Days 3 & 4}

The one thing we wished we had done differently on our last Disney trip was add in another Magic Kingdom day. Two days there just wasn't enough! Honestly, I could spend a whole week just going to that park--it really is the most magical! So, we did just that. Our 3rd day was spent at Magic Kingdom again!

You know Grayson is loving life when you can get him to happily wear a Mickey shirt and not a neon Nike shirt!

See how magical it is?? You can also see Cheney's new Disney smile that she did in 75% of our pictures--goofy girl!

One of our favorite rides is Pirates of the Caribbean!

 The boys just really loved the gift shop--all things pirate!

We rode on the Jungle Cruise and I forgot how hot that boat ride is!

We rode the Little Mermaid ride (and maybe I sang along the whole time) & then met Ariel in her Grotto. She is my favorite princess & Cheney is starting to love her, too. She picked out an Ariel doll before we left!

We took Grayson on Splash Mountain & he loved it. We had front row seats and got pretty wet...but when it feels like 100 degrees outside you don't complain!

One of the highlights of this day was watching the Festival of Fantasy Parade down Main Street! We got some popcorn & had front row seats. The kids all loved it--Griffin said it was his favorite part!

These three were mesmerized the whole time & just giggled and danced. It was fun to watch!

We spent the entire day at Magic Kingdom & Ben and Grayson rode Space Mountain several times. I think this picture was my favorite. G is currently all about dabbing in every picture--ha!

We headed to Disney Springs that night for a little shopping & eating. We ate at Earl of Sandwich which was really good & explored the toy store. The kids were delirious on the way home--Disney World equals many late nights! All the kids were sleeping in the living area of our suite. The boys had the sofa bed & Cheney slept on the murphy bed. I would check on them before we fell asleep and before I started getting ready in the morning--they literally never moved each night!

Our 4th day was spent at Animal Kingdom. I like Animal Kingdom, but it is not a place that we could spend the same amount of time at as Magic Kingdom. We did a half day there which worked out perfectly because we had late night reservations with Chef Mickey!

The first thing we did at Animal Kingdom was the Kilimanjaro Safari. Our kids all love this--especially Griffin!

 Griffin is obsessed with the Lion Guard right now & couldn't wait to see a real lion. They were all snoozing on the rocks but they are just so beautiful!

We also did the "It's Tough Being a Bug" show. Grayson and Griffin thought it was awesome but Cheney said it was "too loud" and she "no like that."

I was excited to ride the Everest roller coaster this time! It did not disappoint--my little ride buddy loved it, too!

While Grayson & Ben rode Everest together, the rest of us met safari Mickey and Minnie! Griff and Cheney love every single character meet & greet. I love watching their eyes light up!

We ate lunch at the Flame Tree Barbeque place and it was really good! They had a covered area by the water overlooking the Everest ride. It was a nice, shady spot!

Before we headed home for naps, we hit up the DinoLand! We played in the gigantic playground & rode the Triceratops Spin.

They had tons of carnival games & Ben made Griffin's dream come true when he won him a gigantic snake stuffed animal!!

We headed back to the resort around 2:00 that day because we knew the kids (and adults) had to nap since we had such a late dinner planned. Everyone slept for over 2 hours!

We explored the Cars section of the resort before we headed to dinner. It really is such a fun place to stay!

We had reservations at Chef Mickey's at 8:25 that night. I thought we were crazy to start an evening that late with 3 littles, but we couldn't pass up Chef Mickey's!

The food was pretty good & the character experience was so fun. They even brought out a signed birthday card for Grayson!

We ended our {very late} night celebrating Grayson's birthday again. You get to celebrate all week when you are in Disney World!

Disney World {day 1 & 2}

Last time we went to Disney World Grayson was 3 and Griffin was 21 months old. I was big & pregnant with Cheney and could not wait to bring her back to experience the magic. Well, we booked our trip at the end of April and decided to keep it a secret from the kids! Ben's parents spent the week with us again & it was such a fun trip! I'll break up my posts over a few days but I want to make sure I don't forget anything.  We booked our trip with Jami Hill of FTM Travel...she was awesome! We originally wanted to try a different resort but decided to stick with Art of Animation because we love having the suite AND we just could not beat the price. Plus? We really only sleep in our rooms--we spent every day at the parks! We stayed in a Lion King suite this time and it was super cute. Griffin is obsessed with Lion Guard and Lion King & we knew he would love it! That resort is just so much fun for little kids.

We left on Saturday, September 17th and told the kids that morning. We had spent the night at my parents house in Atlanta since we were flying out from there. I wrapped up the magic bands and had them open them up after breakfast. I expected screams and jumping for joy--and, well, I didn't get that. Ha! You never know what you will get with kids! I sat with Griffin and Cheney on the plane and she was a little bit wild. We are still working on our quiet voice (she can be a yell talker-ha!) but she loved the airplane!

We got to the resort in the early afternoon on Saturday. We explored our Lion King section & Griffin was so happy.

We had plans that night to eat at the Wilderness Lodge at Whispering Canyon. We had not yet told the kids that Mimi & Pops would be joining us. I waited with them in the lobby and when Ben walked over with Mimi & Pops, Cheney flipped out. She ran screaming with joy towards them--it was so cute!

Whispering Canyon was good & Cheney and Griffin enjoyed having stick horse races around the restaurant.  The Wilderness Lodge looked awesome--it is on my list of places to stay eventually!

Sunday was our first full day & we spent it at Epcot.

I was really excited about our breakfast because we had reservations at Akershus & would finally get to meet some of the princesses! It definitely did not disappoint. The food was good & the princess meet and greets were great!

 The kids all loved meeting the princesses. We brought autograph books (I found 3 Disney journals at the Dollar Tree!!) this time and they loved collecting all their signatures. Griffin was enamored by all the beautiful girls--it was so sweet!

They did a parade around the restaurant and Griffin and Cheney participated. They frolicked around waving to everyone!

We rode the new Frozen Ever After ride after breakfast before the line got crazy. It was fun! We also met Princesses Anna and Elsa.

 Cheney LOVED Anna and immediately started jumping up and down when she met her. Anna held her hands and hopped with her--made her day!

We rode the Nemo ride and saw Turtle Talk with Crush. I am a fan of anything inside with cold air conditioning! Grayson also got to ride his first "big kid" ride. Last time we went he was just under 40 inches & could not ride any of the bigger rides. He is a thrill seeker and we were excited for him to ride the big rides with us!

We rode Soarin' and he LOVED it! The new revamped one is amazing!

We also did a character meet & greet that afternoon with Mickey, Minnie, & Goofy. Cheney was super pumped to meet Minnie!

I was curious if Grayson would act interested in the characters. He tends to act more like a mini teenager than a 6 year old. BUT, the magic was definitely still there and he loved every character meet & greet!

Our 2nd day was super special because it was Grayson's SIXTH birthday!

We started off our day with an early character breakfast at Ohana. We heard great things about this one & it did not disappoint either! The food was good & the characters were wonderful.

The servers passed out maracas & they did another character parade. Grayson was way too cool for that but the littles loved it! Love their enthusiasm:)

We spent the rest of the day at Magic Kingdom--my absolute favorite!! We picked up G's birthday pin on Main Street first thing when we got there & he wore it proudly all week! He has been looking forward to turning 6 for what seems like forever & I know he loved how all the cast members told him "Happy birthday, Grayson" all week!

One of the boys all time favorite rides is the Buzz Lightyear ride! They are so competitive & love shooting the lasers and trying to beat everyone else. We rode it like 8 times all week..ha!

Griffin is the easiest kid to please. He gets excited about just about anything. The simplest ride in all of Disney World (The People Mover) made him so happy. Love his little heart!

I was happy that I could actually do the Teacups this time!

This was one of my favorite pictures from the whole week. Griffin was just tall enough to ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster and was thrilled. I was a little worried that it would scare him but he rode it like a pro! Those little hands up in the air and that sweet grin--can't handle it! Our boys both love roller coasters! He repeatedly asked all week when we could ride on the "roller coaster I can do!" It was a really fun one!

Grayson's favorite ride at Magic Kingdom was definitely Space Mountain...he & Ben enjoyed the cameras a little bit!

Cheney loved all the rides (except for the Tomorrowland Speedway--"too hot!") but she was particularly mesmerized by Prince Charming's Carousel! She wanted to ride every time we walked by!

We had Grayson's birthday dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern. It was yummy family style food that reminded me of Thanksgiving! Grayson got a special birthday cupcake!

We wanted to stay late that night and watch the fireworks but a big storm rolled in during dinner. It POURED as we left but luckily we were right by a big pavilion. We tried to wait it out but the thunder & lightning kept coming. We ended taking our super exhausted back around 9:00.

We didn't see the fireworks but we did see the beautiful castle! It is just as magical as an adult!

Menu Monday

We are back from a week at Disney World & I can't wait to get back in the kitchen and cook this week. We are ready for some homemade meals! Here is what we are eating this week:

Monday: Grilled cheese - baseball night means we eat fast & easy food!

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Tuesday: BBQ Beer Crockpot Chicken - baseball night round 2 & this is a staple at our house! Ben loves it as leftovers for lunch at work.

Wednesday: Pancakes

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Thursday: Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

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Friday: Marlboro Man Pasta

Saturday: Tacos

SIX!

Six years ago the most precious 9lb sack of sugar made me a mama. It was the craziest and one of the best days of my entire life. Grayson was the most alert & active baby and to this day is always busy. It is hard to remember him being this little!

At 6 years old, this boy is a harder worker than any kid I know. He is driven, determined to do his best, & always looking to improve. His two biggest loves are baseball and American Ninja Warrior. Grayson's dream is to be a professional baseball player & become a Ninja Warrior--he dreams big & works hard so I have no doubt he could do both!

I remember when Grayson was 4 and I prayed confidence over him. He was so unsure of himself & that was my word for him that year. Two years later & he is a different kid! He is so confident (we may even be working on that whole humble thing-ha!) and that makes me so proud. I love that he doesn't care what others think of him. Two different color Nike socks? no big deal. He thinks it looks cool and that is all that matters!

I love this little guy's personality! He has such a funny sense of humor & is an old soul. And sometimes he thinks he is a 16 year old trapped in a 6 year old's body! He is opinionated & can be a perfectionist. He is the best big brother to Griffin and Cheney. He is super independent and loves picking out what he wants to wear every day.  I feel like he has already grown up so much this year since he started kindergarten. I think 6 will be a big year for Grayson--lots of learning and lots of growing!

Happy SIXTH birthday to our baseball playing, monkey bar obsessed, always climbing or running, tender hearted firstborn. Grayson, you are a natural leader & I know you will do big things in life. We love you, G!

back to preschool!

We can officially say that summer is now over. Griffin, Cheney, & I all started back to school last Tuesday!

This will be my 2nd year teaching a 3 year old class at our church. I would have never thought that I would enjoy teaching young preschoolers, but I am so happy I took a chance last year. I love it! We have a really sweet class this year & I am looking forward to spending a year with them and watching them grow!

Griffin is in the Alligator class this year!

I was a little worried about Griffin being in the 4 year old class. It is a big year of independence and our middle boy has a funny way of still being the baby in the family. However, he is with a lot of his best buds again and he is doing so well!! He tells me all about the fun things they do in class & is loving going to centers. I get to spend some time with his class at recess & I love watching him play with his friends!

Cheney is in the Panda class this year! This is the class that the boys both started in & I love it so much.

This little lady is LOVING school. She tells me all about the friends she plays with & sits next to at lunch. She is such a social butterfly and I know she loves being there. Her sweet teachers have even gotten her to nap on her mat!!! I was shocked and amazed.

Our little school is the most precious place for children. I'm soaking up these years before my babies go to the big school with their brother!

New House Tour: the play room

One thing that was on my wish list for looking at houses was having a big bonus room that had a door. Our old house had a great play room for the kids but it was out in the open and there was no way to hide all the toys. It drove me crazy once we started accumulating more & more large, plastic toys. If the room is messy at the end of the day, I want to close the door and not think about it!

 

I was so excited to see the big bonus room at our new house. It is upstairs, above the garage, away from the bedrooms, AND it has a door. Hallelujah! The only problems? Well, it was dark brown & had a horribly obnoxious UT vinyl sticker on the wall.

 

This is what the room looked like when we first saw it. Thank goodness the owners took those decals with them. The door on the right is the laundry room & has a walk in attic. There is also a door to the left with more walk in attic space! HUGE bonus points.

 

This was the first room we painted after we moved in. I could not handle that dark brown paint. We also changed out the light fixture--that one was so dark.  Griffin had to wear a head lamp to pick out bedtime books--not even kidding!

 

Here is what the room looks like now!

We painted a very light grayish blue. It makes the room look so much brighter!

You will notice that we are still very much in the stage of HUGE toys.

This used to be our sectional. Our movers tried moving it upstairs but the corner piece would not make it through the doorway. SO, we ditched that piece and now just have a really long couch. I need to hang our Ikea art wire and hang the kids book covers above that couch!

This is my favorite little corner of the room...Cheney's girly nook! That is the baby crib that Pops made her & my mom refinished my old baby bunk beds and made them quilts! Cheney loves to read in her little Owl chair and play with her babies.

That door goes to our other huge storage space. It is no nice not having to go up in the actual attic to store stuff!

 

Well, that is our play room/bonus room! Now if only I could get the kids to always keep it this neat!