Disney Day 1 and 2

Oh my goodness!  So much to say!  Let's see...  Where did I leave off last time?  Oh yeah...  Our flight was delayed...

So in a perfect world, we would have left Atlanta at 10 and arrived in Orlando by noon on Saturday.  Not so much.  🤦🏼‍♀️  We had about a 5 hour Layover.  I can't even remember the exact times we left and landed now.  What I do know is that by the time we made it to Magic Kingdom that night, it was 8pm and we had 2 hours left before the park closed.  We rode a few rides and managed to nearly walk on to Soace Mountain, which was awesome!  We saw the castle at night, which was beautiful!  We stayed until the park closed at 10 and were beat when we got back to our resort.  Not the way we planned for the day to go, but not too bad.

Yesterday was Hollywood Studios.  We rode the sky gondolas over.  So cool!  And so much faster than busses!  Wish they had them going to each park.  But from our resort we can get to 2 parks that way.  Not bad!

At Hollywood Studios we started with the Tower of Terror and Rockin Roller Coaster.  Connor DID NOT like the Tower of Terror.  Avery didn't really either, but she handled it better than Connor.  The spooky stuff was too much for him.  They both enjoyed the Roller Coaster.

After each ride we had some treats, Donuts, ice cream, coffee, and juice.  We're just enjoying our time and not sweating the prices.  We saved for 2 years, not nickel and diming the snacks now that we're here.

Next we went to Galaxy's Edge (Star Wars World) where we spent a lot of our day.  We rode Star Tours, Smugglers Run, and Rise of the Resistance.  Rise of the Resistance was one of my favorite rides I've ever been on!  So cool!  Worth over an hour in line!  Glad we waited and went on it!  We ate lunch at Docking Bay 7, grilled smoked meat and veggies!  So tasty!  The kids had some chicken, Mac and Cheese, and broccoli.  Delish!  There were photographers around and we definitely got some great shots!  Michael built a lightsaber and Connor built a Droid!  They are both SO COOL!

Dinner was kind of a flop.  They were running 30 minutes late on reservations, so we were losing time in the park.  Then we got appetizers (glad we did) and the kids' food brought out first.  While we waited on Michael's and my food time ticked on by.  Finally, Michael and Connor had to leave.  Connor needed to go build his Droid and if we didn't make our appointment they'd charge us and we wouldn't get the Droid.  So I had them box Michael's and my dinner up (another ordeal, not really a place you're supposed to be boxing stuff up from).  In the end, we ate dinner, cold, at our hotel at about 10pm.  🤦🏼‍♀️  Oh well.  Can't get everything right.  Wish the flop hadn't cost us a hundred bucks, but what can you do?  We went ahead and canceled our dinner reservation for Epcot (we decided we weren't super excited about it) and we'll just snack or come back and order in instead.  Having a lot of stuff scheduled out is stressing us a little (we had 3 appointments, plus grocery delivery, on day 2).  So we're taking it easy now.  😊

The kids made it to the pool yesterday, they were really happy about that!  I was too, I thought it would be closed and they really wanted to go.  I think we'll make it back again tonight because our park closes at 8pm (instead of 10pm for MK and 9pm for HS).  A little extra R&R will be good!

Sorry, no photos right now.  The blog is kind of a pain about mass uploading.  I'll try to get some up when we're standing in line today!  😉

It is time! DISNEY DAY!!!

We're stuck at the Atlanta Airport waiting on our plane to be sanitized before we can go to Orlando, so I thought this would be a good time to give a short update!  😉

We woke the kids up at 3am.  They got out of bed surprisingly quick when I told them too, they never do that on school days!!  🤣  We gave them presents, first the MagicBands, then their Ears headbands.  Finally, I gave them the card I made for them.  Avery read it out loud.  As expected, when was excited!  Connor took a moment to process all that was happening, lol.  And since they had gone to sleep only 6 hours before, they were, rightfully, tired.  But Avery ran to get ready while Connor took another few moments to get up and around.  By the time we were leaving at 4am, they were very excited!

The airport was a totally new experience for them, especially getting through TSA.  Michael and I worked hard to try to get our bag down to 50 lbs.  However, it weighed in at 52.  Fortunately, we weren't charged extra!  🙌🏻  Once through TSA we got some breakfast.  The kids were dealing with some excitement/anxienty/anticipation/uncertainty with all we sprung on them.  They weren't sure they wanted to eat anything, but finally came around.  We had a short wait at our terminal and then we boarded.  

The kids enjoyed the plane.  They looked out the windows and watched as we took off.  They did great on the flight as well.  They're great kids, I'm not surprised everything has been running so smoothly with them.  😉😊  It's going to be a great vacation!!!  We tried to land once, but ended up having to take another trip around the airport and try again.  It took 20-25 minutes extra, but it was just layover time, so no big deal.  The landing was smooth and we headed off the plane.  We booked it through the Atlanta Airport towards our next gate.  Fortunately we didn't need to hustle too much, because it's been delayed.  So here we sit.

In the end, it's okay if this flight is delayed, as it's our last one for today.  I just hope it gets off soon so we can begin our trip!  ❤  I'll try to update more later!  Thanks for tuning in for details about our trip!  ❤

***Update***

They just told us we don't have a captain for our flight.  🤦🏼‍♀️  Stay tuned...

Two Days to Disney!!

So I think I'm excited about our trip...  🤣  I have been waking up before 6am for days now.  😳  And the bigger problem is that once I wake up, my mind is going full speed thinking about vacation prep and I can't fall back asleep.  🤦🏼‍♀️  Well, if you do that enough days in a row, you eventually need to get to bed earlier to compensate for the lack of sleep.  Of course, this just tells your body to get up even earlier.  So I was exhausted yesterday after prepping for the book fair for a couple weeks and working on packing and keeping our trip a secret, and Avery's birthday, and such...  As a result I went to bed before 9pm.  Usually I'm more of an 11pm kinda person.  Thinking and feeling that I needed more sleep, I laid down early.  Well, my plan backfired.  Today I woke up before 5am.  At this rate, getting up early Saturday to wake the kids up at 3am should be no problem at all!  🤷🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤪

I don't have to go to work today because the fair didn't get delivered as early as we wanted.  It won't be delivered until Friday and there's nothing more to do until then.  So I'm taking today off after all.  This works, because I can really finish up the majority of our packing with no one else here.  

There's not really much left to pack, but I haven't really started packing the kids' Backpacks with entertainment and snacks, so getting that finished will be good.  Still can't decide if I want to buy myself a new pair of shoes before we go.  I know breaking in new shoes over vacation is a bad idea, but my current pair are so old I wonder if they're a wise choice either...  Decisions, decisions....  

I'll also run laundry today, specifically masks, to make sure the house is about as clean as it can be before we leave.  The dining room table is kind of a hot mess at the moment with Connor's pumpkin project still in the works.  However, he asked for a "Dragon Free Day" yesterday, so we granted it.  It's coming along well, and isn't due until a week after our trip, so even if we don't finish it before we leave, there will be time when we get home.  

Avery's teacher is planning on sending home homework tomorrow, but Connor's isn't.  However, Avery's teacher volunteered a time after our trip for conferences and Connor's teacher said we could Zoom from vacation.  I thought this might happen as they're a little older going on this trip and getting out of school.  The stuff they miss is more important the older they get.  However, when we set the dates (really the year) for this trip 3+ years ago, the intention was to make sure Laney was in Kindergarten so she'd have a decent shot at remembering the trip and the other kids were still young enough to appreciate the Magic.  Of course, the specifics changed when Sis and Adam took their trip a year earlier, but I think it will work out for the best.  Our trip is going to be almost double the time (which Laney may not have been physically able to keep up with), our kids are just now tall enough to ride EVERYTHING if they want to, and we can do what's best for us and our family on this trip without worrying about timing things the way other people want it.  This trip may have been too ambitious to do with a family who had a much different "vacation speed" than we do.  😉

2 more days!  I can't believe it!  I'm sure they're going to fly by!  Today will be all cleaning, packing, and running errands.  Tomorrow will be setting up the book fair, then getting to bed early (Yay!).  Then Saturday we'll be up bright and early!  😳🤪  I can't wait!  ❤

One Week to Disney!!!

I'm so excited!!!  A week from now we'll be on our way to our Once-In-A-Lifetime Disney and Universal vacation!!  It's going to be so much fun!  As it is the only time we'll probably ever make this trip with the kids (or the only time while they're young) we have spared no expense (save the suitcases, lol, I'll get to that).  We have been saving for two years, averaging $300/month + more on Birthdays, Anniversaries, Christmas, Football or Basketball winnings, Tax Returns, and COVID Stimulus.  We have been able to saving $14,000 in that time.  This will give us over $5,000 in spending money.  Obviously, we won't spend that!  🤣  But with all that money saved, we can afford to let Michael build a lightsaber, a once in a lifetime experience, a $200 souvenir, and not worry about having to eat McDonald's or sacrifice other areas of our vacation, so that everyone can have the most magical time.  It's going to be AMAZING!!!  I can't believe we've managed to keep this a secret from the kids for so long!  It helps that we keep talking about the trip being "about 6 months away".  It allows us to talk and them to get excited, but curbs the excitement just a little.  It may take them a day to wrap their minds around what's happening.  Hopefully Connor does well with us springing this on him.  He's not the most flexible little guy.  😛  So, a not-so-quick rundown of what's going on so far:

Packing - 

I'm almost done packing all of our clothes.  I could have finishes yesterday, but I wanted to talk to Michael about a few things and her went to and from New Mexico yesterday.  I could probably have the clothes completely packed in a day or so.  I'll have to pack masks last minute because I plan on bringing about a dozen and we still need plenty for this next week of school.  I still need to pack our backpack, the kids' Backpacks full of fun, our first Aid Kit, and our bathroom bag.  Sounds like a lot, but it's mostly just collecting little things.  I might finish the first Aid Kit and bathroom bag after I finish this blog!  I started making lists months ago and started packing a few things at a time about a month ago.  I feel confident that we'll get everything.  Leaving for 9 days means we'll need a decent amount of stuff.  Michael and I are packing our stuff in our small suitcase, then putting it in our big suitcase, so have a second bag to come home with because of souvenirs!  So far it's only at 42 lbs!  Helps that we're going to have groceries delivered when we get there: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, Sunscreen, contact solution, etc. So we're saving some toiletry weight.

Shopping -

I think I have almost everything we need purchased for our trip.  Michael would like a few more masks, and, like I said, we're going to order some groceries when we get there.  I think we'll also order some breakfast foods to have in our room.  Things to much on or grab and go on our way out in the morning.  Things that are easy to eat on transportation on the way to the parks.  I've joined several different Facebook groups about tips and tricks and having groceries delivered was a no brainer with many people.  I can even place my order early in the day and have our groceries arrive right after we do.  😊  Should work well.  I need to make Michael another shirt, but I got a t-shirt that was too dark, so maybe today I'll drag him to Michael's or Hobby Lobby with me to find him a new one.  The vinyl is ready, so I just need a shirt and to iron it on.  Mama is going to take the kids Snack shopping maybe Thursday or Friday after school.  I think she's going to play it off like, let's just go have fun and get snacks, get some ideas for your trip.  I should make a list so they don't come back with too much.  As I'll have the kids' Backpacks full of entertainment for all of our flights, and ours full of first Aid and travel supplies, there won't be a ton of room for snacks.  Only a few of the tastiest ones, then we'll get more snacks once we've landed in Orlando.  Taking a plane is a lot more restrictive than when we drive and I can pack IT ALL!  🤣  Might still buy myself some new Sneakers.  But if I want to, it needs to be fast, cause I've only got a week to break them in!  😳

*Started this blog yesterday, now only 6 days to Disney*  😁

Telling the kids -

No, we haven't told them yet.  They know this vacation is coming, but it's months away.  We're going to wake them up at 3am on Saturday morning with the news!  To tell them about the trip, we have a gift for them (the box with our magic bands + a headband with ears for each of them) as well as a card with a poem I've written.  I'm trying to figure out how to get my cricut to write the poem and cut out a card for me.  I made thank you cards for the kids' tennis coaches a few months ago, but I used a pre-made card, didn't have to figure out how to make one on my own.  But this is good practice!  Less than a week to get it figured out!  (And it will be a busy one)  Here's the poem I wrote (unless I change it in the next 6 days...)

Good Morning, Kiddos,

Rub your eyes,

Your parents have a big surprise!

Brush your teeth,

And comb your hair,

Hurry, grab something to wear!

You've been patient,

Thanks for waiting,

Our trip you've been anticipating.

Your bags are packed,

The time has come,

Are you ready to have some fun?

We know it's early,

But don't be sour,

We're going to Disney in ONE HOUR!!

I hope they'll be excited!  Neither of them are super great with early mornings, but hopefully when they see why they're up so early they'll be a little more energetic.  😉  We'll see.  😁  Also, of course, we'll video their reactions and them opening everything.  I think it will turn out well!

The next week -

We have 6 days, and although the kids don't know it, there is plenty to get done!  It will be a busy week!  Today we're going to Towanda for the day, since Mama and Daddy have been gone the last week on vacation.  It will be nice to see them and spend some more time with them before we leave on our own trip.  We also have to stop in Andover to pick up some duck eggs from Bernadette and be home by 6 to pick up our groceries from Wal-Mart.  I didn't order much, as I don't want the fridge full of food before we leave for 9 days.  Meals may be creative this week.  😉

Tomorrow Glenn and Linda are coming to visit!  They are going on a vacation as well, a bus trip, to the northwest to see National Parks and sights!  Similar to the trip my folks took a couple years ago.  Their bus is leaving out of Wichita, so they're staying the night before with us.  That's also the day before Avery's birthday!  😱

Tuesday our baby girl turns 9!!  I cannot believe it!!  We'll have birthday pancakes in the morning, of course, then after school we'll open presents and go out to dinner.  I'm not sure what type of dinner she'll be in the mood for, but usually she likes Japanese Hibachi places.  We'll see.  😉  We didn't have big ideas for her birthday this year, and we have a trip planned days later, but I hope it's still a special day for her.  ❤  Glenn and Linda will leave for their trip sometime on this day.

Wednesday should be a fairly normal day of work and school.  I'm hoping that the book fair gets delivered so I can get started getting things ready for it.  The fair will start the following Monday while we're on our trip, so I won't be there to help during the first week of the fair.  Because of this, I'm trying to get the most work done that I can beforehand.  Every day early that the fair arrives is helpful for me to get things done.  I think Mama and Daddy are taking Avery out shopping for her birthday on Wednesday evening as well.  This will mean we have some time with only one kiddo at home to finish packing and going over our lists and such.

Thursday I wouldn't normally be working, but as I'm missing 3 days the following week, I'm moving my hours to this week and the following week.  Thursday I'll hopefully be working on getting the book fair set up all day.  Again, it all depends on when it arrives.  Hopefully it's Wednesday, because Thursday Karla is gone all day for our Redesign Team.  So it will just be me and possibly some parent volunteers.  Should be fun....  😳😳😳  Thursday evening Mama might take the kids Snack shopping for our trip under the guise of "figuring out what snacks might be good to take on the trip when it gets here."  That evening without them will give Michael and I kid-free time to put the final touches on the packing, and clean the house really well.  I've been trying to keep up on the cleaning this last week in an effort to keep this week from being too much of a chore, but we'll see how the next week goes....

Friday is our last day before our trip!  I'll be at work again, getting the book fair set up, Karla will be there on Friday, so any changes that need made she can instruct on.  The kids will be at school like usual, but may come home with extra homework (for the 3 days the following week).  That means Friday evening will be spent completing all of that homework.  After they're done, I'll take everything over to Sis' house and give their work to Dayton to deliver to the teachers on Monday.  Then, if we can talk them into it, off to bed early, because the morning will come quicker than they realize!

It's going to be a whirlwind of a week!  I'm also hoping to get a massage Thursday or Friday, take a long lunch or something and gets some relaxing done before the craziness of vacation arrives.  😉  We've been planning this trip for so long, I hope it goes well and that we haven't set our expectations too high.  I sure am excited!  It's going to be such a fun trip, but I'm also so excited to see the looks on the kids' faces when they experience all that there is.  It should be so much fun!

Giant thank you to Mama for house-sitting, dog-sitting, and picking up my slack in getting D² to and from school while we're gone.  You are such a dependable helper and I so so so appreciate and love you!!  Having you here at the house sets my kind at ease that it won't be empty for over a week.  That seriously relieves some anxiety for me.  And I know the dogs are always in good hands with you.  Harlee and Gabby are pretty easy going.  I hope Samson is well behaved for you as well.  He's a handful, but mostly just high energy (and a little nibbly when his energy is too high).  The kids should be pretty easy too, and you'll have my car, so hopefully you'll be pretty comfortable driving it for the week.

Almost time!  I can't wait!  I might post updates on the trip here on the blog, but I might not.  Just depends on how we're feeling each day.  Have a wonderful week and wish us rest this week, because next week we sure aren't getting any!  🤣