Orlando Trip

So, we went to Disney World back in May. It turned out to be such a good trip. We were a bit nervous about the 16 hour drive (more like 18-20 hours with stops - you have to also remember you lose an hour going there and gain a hour coming back home). But we couldn't have asked for a better outcome. Audrey did fabulously!!! And Rachel's always easy in the car... We headed out on a Saturday - drove for 2 days, went to the parks for 4 days, and then took 2 days to drive home. I thought I'd put together a few thoughts that might help others who are planning a similar trip.

TIMING. It was hot in May. No rain the whole week, which was a blessing. But it was hot. If I could pick any time of the year (which is pretty much impossible with Andy's job) I would go late February or early March. I think the weather would be decent and all the Spring Break crowds wouldn't be there yet. We did usually go to shows in the afternoon, which helped being able to avoid standing in line in the heat of the afternoon. We did have good timing though. The parks weren't especially busy. Thursday was our busiest day, but luckily that was our 2nd day at Magic Kingdom and it was the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend.

FLYING VS. DRIVING. Believe me, it was tempting... However we saved around $1500 driving. Even with high gas prices, flights were ridiculous as well. I'm sure if you planned your trip more in advance you would be able to get better deals. We're kind of bad about last minute planning... Plus driving added it's own adventure. We got to drive through 5 states, neither of us had been in Alabama or Mississippi, or seen the Mississippi River before. We also got to drive through a lot of swamp land in Louisiana - never done that before!

We took this picture as we stopped at a rest stop on our first day of traveling:

This picture was taken on our last day of traveling on our way home. In Louisiana you can access Lake Charles right off the freeway. There's an area right along I-1o. We grabbed some Wendy's and enjoyed a picnic lunch at the beach. Unfortunately Rachel was the only one who got to enjoy building a sandcastle (Audrey wouldn't finish her lunch). And a good FYI - disgusting bathrooms, walked in and walked right out. However, if you drive to the end of the beach there's a beautiful, clean tourist information building. That's where we went!

LODGING. We didn't bother with reservations while driving. We drove until we were ready to stop each time, which worked out just fine. In Orlando we chose to not stay at the Disney hotels. Even the cheapest was more expensive than anything else. And then you had internet charges, refrigerator charges, and no free breakfast. So, even though we had to pay $14 a day for parking, it saved us at least $60 a day. We stayed at a Marriott Village. Very nice! They do have a shuttle, but they charged $7 a person. Doesn't make sense unless you fly and don't have a car. Anyhow, the hotel was fabulous. Breakfast was great! Our room had 2 double beds, 1 couch bed, a fridge, microwave, and internet access. We liked! There was even a food court at the Marriott Village so when we got in Sunday night and couldn't imagine getting back in the car to find some dinner, we just walked to the food court. Very convenient! They also had a nice pool with beach entry which we enjoyed twice. From our balcony each night (as long as we were home) we could watch the Epcot fireworks show at 9 PM, which was fun. Our last night there we got a combination lightning/firework show. It was pretty cool!

RIDEMAX. This was recommended from a friend who went several years ago. Definitely worth the $16. It's a program that plans your day for you efficiently. Great for us, since we weren't familiar with the parks. The longest we ever stood in a line was 30 minutes and that was because our girls loved the Dumbo ride, so we went on that ride several times each day. If you're more tech-savvy than we are I believe you can even have it on your phone... We're a bit old-fashioned.

FOOD. You can take food in to Disney World, which I had planned on doing. However, Andy looked at me Sunday night when I told him I needed to make a run to the grocery store and told me not to bother!!! :) So, we ate breakfast at the hotel every day. Then we bought lunch and dinner in the parks. Since our girls hardly eat anything, they always shared a kid's meal. And since adult meals are usually always big portions, Andy and I just shared a meal. So, it wasn't that bad. I was actually pretty surprised at the prices. Usually the kid's meal was around $5 and our meal was around $8. Not bad... We also packed lots of snacks, juice boxes, and water bottles (frozen).

CHARACTERS. Our girls aren't really old enough to really care about the characters. I know some kids go around and get autographs and pictures with all of them. I don't think my girls know what an autograph is. So, we got off easy with this one. If we happened to be walking by and the line was short, we'd do it. However, we did discover that Epcot and Animal Kingdom were easier parks to get pictures with the characters. It's just a bit crazy at Magic Kingdom. Also, something I kind of do wish I had noticed before our last night at the park at 7 PM as we were heading back to the hotel... At the entrance of Magic Kingdom there's a fast pass option to get pictures with the princesses. Next time we'll have to make sure we take advantage. When we walked by it was a 45 minute wait - no thanks! And you can dine with characters. An FYI though, if you are considering princesses, book a few months in advance. We were a bit late for that... It is expensive, but I think it would be worth it for my girls. Next time...

PARK TICKETS. We just bought ours through Disney. It seemed like the only way to get a deal was to pay for a package, which we didn't need. Because of the ages of our children we didn't do the park hopper option. It wasn't needed. We had plenty to do each day in each park. If you're going with teenagers, it might be nice. But we were fine without and it saved quite a bit of money.

YOU'RE NEVER TOO OLD. The most important thing we learned is that you are never to old for Disney fun or for the use of their rental strollers (we did not obtain permission for this picture from this unsuspecting, sleeping tourist):
More pictures and fun adventures to come...

2 1/2

Audrey celebrated her half-birthday last Saturday. Okay, so we didn't really "celebrate" it, but we acknowledged it and she's pretty proud to tell people she's 2 1/2 now. Audrey is an amazing bundle of joy in our family. She has quite the little personality and can turn it off and on as quick as a switch. I think the thing we get the biggest kick out of with her is her facial expressions. When she's talking or playing or whatever she just gets the most hilarious little expressions on her face. We love it!

Audrey definitely has her own opinion of certain matters. The other morning she threw quite the fit on the floor for at least 10 minutes because she wanted to put a yellow bow in her hair and she was wearing purple. I guess I should have just given in, but she's not the only one who can act like a 2 year-old. Audrey loves any type of chocolate candy. If she asks and I don't let her have any, oh dear... There are several other moments that come to mind. Let's just say the faucet can be turned on and off pretty quickly with this one.

She can also be very sweet and concerned about her sister. The other day Andy and I had driven separate cars to church due to a meeting I had before church. I got home before Andy and the girls. When they came in the door, I jumped out and surprised them. Scared Rachel to death, so because she was crying, Audrey was very upset as well. Another example, we've been dropping Rachel off at bible school this past week. We left her in the room and started walking down the hall. Very quickly Audrey informed me she needed to go back and give her sister a hug and a kiss. Very sweet!

Audrey has been potty trained (daytime only) for a couple of a months. She has done fabulously! We've even had two successful road trips without accidents. We have also reached another milestone as we were able to spend 4 days traveling in the car without any major meltdowns. That's huge for Audrey. She's never been a fan of the car or her car seat.

She still has absolutely no interest in TV or movies, which is fine. The only time I really wish she would be more interested is on road trips. She loves to just play, play, play. She has quite the imagination. So far this summer, Rachel and her have gotten along very well. Some mornings they'll be playing so good that I don't want to interrupt them to run an errand or go to the gym. Audrey's definitely going to miss her sister once she heads off to kindergarten. Audrey is loving the pool this summer. She has absolutely no fear! I wish they had reasonable priced swim lessons for 2 year-olds, because I think she'd go for it. But we'll just work with her ourselves for now and enroll her in lessons next summer.

Audrey LOVES babies. She can't enough of them. She is constantly pointing babies out to me wherever we go. She has a certain baby (who's not really a baby anymore) who's her favorite at church. His name's Weston and who knows, maybe some day she'll just marry someone younger than her! We've also had several babysitting swaps with a neighborhood boy named Wade, who's her age. Audrey really likes playing with Wade. I think we're going to do a permanent set of play dates this Fall for the 2 of them. And of course, Audrey is not aware that she is 2 1/2 years younger than her sister. She believes that all of her sisters' friends should want to be her friend as well.

One more thing...Audrey is quite the talker. Sometimes the words she uses and her comprehension floors us. The other day she actually asked me if I was frustrated. I was; she was using the word correctly. She has definitely kept up with her sister in that regard. She also wants to be able to read like her sister. She does pretend to read quite a bit. Okay, this is really the last thing. A kiss can make everything better for Audrey. Any bump, bruise, or hurt she gets, just needs a quick kiss and she's over it. I only wish that could work for all the bigger bumps, bruises, and hurts she'll have in the future.

This is probably a sufficient mid-year report. I'm not big on scrapbooking or baby books, so this is it. We are so grateful for our Audrey. She bring us smiles, loves, laughs, and tender moments.

Preschool Graduation

Rachel's preschool graduation was held on the evening of May 17th. Rachel has had such a fun, positive year at Christ Church School. She has loved her teachers, Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Williams. Rachel made several new friends in her class. She loved going to gym and music each day and chapel on Thursdays. Rachel's definitely started off on the right foot when it comes to her education. Mrs. Smith said she's more than ready for kindergarten. The only thing she worries about is how small and petite Rachel is. I'm sure she was the smallest in her class and probably will always be so... But she's girl, so it's all good. We love our little, petite girl! :)

The graduation was held in the chapel at her school. The kids came in with their class, took their places on stage, and sang several songs to us. It was very sweet! We loved the songs about springtime. Rachel and Audrey still go around the house and sing one of the songs in particular. After the singing each child had the opportunity to go up and receive their diploma.

Rachel with Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Williams:

Rachel with her carpool buddies, Mason and Peyton:

Rachel with her biggest fans:

At home after the graduation Rachel insisted on taking another picture with her diploma. She was upset that she hadn't smiled in the picture with Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Williams.

Rachel is registered for kindergarten and anxious to go. We know if she keeps the attitude she has now, she'll have great success in the years to come!

Rachel's Birthday Party

I decided this year to do something different and let Rachel have a friend birthday party. We've put it off for quite awhile... Neither of our girls really like big crowds, so it's not like they've missed out. After being invited to several birthday parties this past year, Rachel was very keen on the idea of having a birthday party of her own. I decided to let her come up with who she wanted to invite on her own - I had no influence whatsoever. I did put a limit - 12 kids, which was probably more than she needed to invite by between church and school, she has a fair amount of friends. I believe we may have ended up inviting 13 and 9 were able to attend.

We had her birthday party on Wednesday, May 11th. Andy had been around for 5 straight days in a row, which had been nice. He did head in to work that morning, but came home in the afternoon to help with the party. A wonderful friend of mine let me bring Audrey over to nap at her house, which was so helpful. It was nice to be able to focus on Rachel and not worry about Audrey needing anything...

On the morning of May 11th the girls helped me make the cupcakes, which included sorting the M&M's:

Here are the finished products:

We went with a summer swim theme. We set up a pool in the backyard, had some sprinklers going, played a water balloon target game, the kids went fishing, and the most favorite game was using water squirters to knock objects off the playset. Who would have thought... We kept it pretty simple, for ourselves and for the kids. From what I read as I was planning the party, the simpler the better. For those that don't follow Houston weather, we are in a bit of drought right now. And of course the day of Rachel's party there had to be some clouds. Luckily the rain held off until the last 15 minutes of the party. Which by then most kids were done with the water and were a little chilly due to the lack of sunshine.

I really didn't take many pictures of Rachel's party. Having 10 kids to entertain and keep happy kept me busy! It was definitely worth it though! Rachel had a good time. My mom says any party where the birthday boy/girl doesn't cry, is a success. And luckily we did have success! All the children invited seemed to enjoy the party as well. They each got sent home with a beach bucket with goodies in it, which followed our summer swim theme. Anyhow, here are a few pictures that we took.

Rachel fishing:
Rachel being sung to:

I did learn a few things about putting on a party. Next time she gets a party, she gets one gift from the family and the rest from her friends. Her birthday loot was bigger than any Christmas she's ever had... Good to keep in mind. I also always forget that Rachel has grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins that always spoil her. So yeah, next time we do a party we'll keep our gift-giving simpler. Loved having it outdoors. Made clean-up easy... So grateful Andy was there to help. I couldn't have done it without him. Probably if there were fewer children, yes, but not with 10 4-5 year olds. I really liked doing it in the middle of the week. Not a fan of taking up anyone's Saturday. So, I think we'll keep that as a tradition in the future as well.

But most importantly, Rachel loved having her friends over and enjoyed it. She's already thinking of what to do next year. I'm sure it will change a million times before her next birthday rolls around...

Celebrating 31 Years

The next day, May 10th, we got to celebrate my birthday. Andy had his work cut out for him this year with 3 straight days of spoiling Rachel or me. He did a fabulous job! On my birthday, Andy took another day off work. I got a pedicure and a haircut. I was also hoping for a massage, but they were booked. I still haven't claimed my massage, but I just need to pick up the phone and make an appointment one of these days. Andy of course took care of everything that day, which was nice. After dinner I opened a few cards and gifts with my helpers:

The girls were pretty excited to give me a new apron:

Andy surprised me with a strawberry cake, which was very yummy!

I have definitely been blessed the past 31 years. Life isn't perfect, but it's pretty darn good. And over the years I have learned to enjoy one day at a time, because who knows what tomorrow will bring... So, here's to another year full of adventures expected and unexpected! :)

Frog Fun

On the morning of Rachel's birthday Andy did some quick yard work and found a frog. The girls were pretty excited that he brought it inside for them to torture, I mean, play with:

Celebrating Rachel's 5th Birthday

The past five years have been pretty amazing with our Rachel. We are so grateful for her and all that she brings to our family. We're glad she's the leader of the pack and tries so hard to please and make good decisions. We certainly got lucky!

We celebrated Rachel's 5th birthday as a family on her birthday, May 9th. Andy took the day off work and we enjoyed the day together. We started off by letting her open up a few presents in the morning. Rachel had first been introduced to Zhu Zhu Pets right before Christmas. Unfortunately her Christmas was already taken care of, so she had to wait until her birthday. But I think she survived... :)

The rest of the morning she enjoyed her Zhu Zhu Pets. Audrey got some as well, so she could play along. Rachel had requested to have mac n' cheese from Olive Garden, so we headed there for lunch. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed in Olive Garden. Here was an adorable girl with a birthday hat on and they didn't do anything special for her. I guess we needed to request something??? I don't know... Anyhow, regardless she did enjoy her meal!

After lunch she went and saw the movie Rio with Andy. A special father-daughter date for sure. And then in the afternoon the girls enjoyed swimming in a pool that we had purchased for Rachel's friend birthday party that was later that week. Here's Rachel blowing bubbles and enjoying the pool:

After dinner Rachel opened up more presents and cards from grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. She sure is a very loved little girl!

We got an ice cream cake for Rachel since she doesn't care for cake really. She enjoyed the ice cream and frosting!

We definitely enjoyed helping Rachel celebrate her birthday. We are looking forward to the adventures and experiences that we'll get to have with her this next year. Life is beautiful with Rachel!

First "All-Up Ponytail"

Andy mentioned the other day that he thought Audrey's hair was long enough to put into a ponytail. Since we've never cut it, because I'm afraid all the curls will disappear, this isn't a big surprise. So, yesterday we tried it and Audrey was thrilled with the result. And of course the girls were more than happy to be their silly selves and pose for me. I love catching the love they have for each other on camera!

Blast from the Past

Last night Andy was sorting through our external hard drive. And it's hard to resist watching a few videos. So, here are a few he shared with me and then the girls this morning. It's so much fun to look back and enjoy! :)

This video was taken October 2007 - Rachel's 17 months old:

These 2 videos were taken in December 2008 - Audrey's brand new to our family (excuse my talking in the background):

Just a side note. Rachel had just become really attached to a lady at church named Alice, so she kept on insisting that Audrey was named Alice... :)

This video was taken August of 2009 - Audrey's 8 months old:

A big shout-out to my parents who had the wisdom to give us a little video camera a few days after Rachel was born. It's nothing fancy, but it has preserved some wonderful moments. The memories are priceless!

Quick Trip to Austin

Andy's work schedule really stinks the first 4 months of the year. It's never that fabulous, but it's especially hard at the beginning of the year. Working until 9-10 PM most nights and then Saturdays as well... So, when I found out my dad was going to be in Austin the first week of May and one of Andy's main clients was going to file May 5th, I figured it was perfect timing/reasoning for a weekend getaway. We've never been to Austin and have always said we wanted to get there.

So, on the morning of May 6th, we headed out. First on our list was meeting Papa Michaelson at Chuck E. Cheese. It happened to be a few days before Rachel's birthday, so she got to open her birthday presents from Papa and Grandma Michaelson while we were at Chuck E. Cheese. It was good to see my dad, as always. He did head home after lunch though, because he does tend to miss my mom like crazy....

Rachel was more than willing to give Chuck E. a big squeeze. Audrey was perfectly content staying 10 feet away. Don't worry, luckily this wore off by the time we got to Disney World later in the month. :)

After lunch we headed to the State Capitol Building. We enjoyed walking around and checking everything out. We even sat in for a few minutes to watch our lawmakers busy at work!

Just so you know, it's totally appropriate for little ones to dance in the Capitol:

Exploring the grounds outside the Capitol:
The girls really wanted to take a dip:

After exploring the Capitol we dined at P.F. Chang's, which was a fabulous choice! The girls ate more than I've ever seen them eat and Audrey mastered chop sticks:

After dinner we walked over to the Congress Avenue Bridge to watch roughly 1.5 million bats head out to look for food. There's actually a bat hotline number that you can call and we were on the bridge probably 10 minutes before takeoff. It was really quite amazing. We watched for about 15-20 minutes. It was pretty cool! At first we were on the wrong end of the bridge. But it was kind of like the wave you do at ballparks and the bats underneath us gradually took off as well.

Saturday morning we headed to Zilker Park. The girls had fun playing on the playgrounds and going on a train ride. And then once it got a little hot we headed to a swimming pool for the afternoon. We didn't take any pictures at the swimming pool (we were having too much fun!). But here's a few at Zilker Park:

There's lots of activities at Zilker Park including going kayaking. When the girls are older we'll have to go back! Once we packed the girls in the car to head back to the hotel after swimming, Audrey was out:

We headed back to the the hotel, Andy and Audrey took little naps while Rachel and I played in the hotel lobby. That evening we went out to Chuy's for dinner - one of my favorites! Andy eats there all the time here in Houston for work and I'm always jealous. So, he treated me for Mother's Day. :)

Sunday morning we headed to the Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum. We weren't expecting much, but it was free so we figured it was worth a try. We really enjoyed it! We re-learned a lot about the 60's and probably would have stayed longer if we hadn't had the little ones with us... :) Although they were really good for the time we did spend there. Just an interesting fact - this is the only free presidential library in the U.S., which was a wish of President Johnson. We weren't allowed to use the flash on the camera, so not many pictures turned out. Here are a few:

The girls enjoyed listening to the audio clips:

After the museum we picked up a picnic lunch and headed back to Zilker Park to check out the botanical garden. The girls enjoyed (with the help of Andy) climbing up some trees:

Each morning at the hotel the girls and I enjoyed a Texas-shaped waffle. So, the girls were pretty excited to get their picture with this Texas-shaped rock structure:

We then took a quick walk through the botanical garden. It was free and very hot and wasn't that impressive. Definitely worth a walk through on a better weather day. We've just been spoiled to see some pretty amazing gardens in the past. Andy took a few pictures of the girls and I:

We then headed home after that. We definitely enjoyed our weekend getaway to Austin. We didn't do a ton of planning beforehand and it turned out great. For me, it was a fabulous Mother's Day treat as I didn't have to cook or clean for 3 days. After 4 months of not so much family time, it was nice to have a weekend to spend together! :)