Disney's Hollywood Studios

Saturday morning we woke up with amusement day hangover from Magic Kingdom.  We were up early packing lunches for the day when I looked over at Darren.  He had huge circles under his eyes, I said, "you look terrible."  He said, "so do you!"  We laughed pretty hard.  The kids were really excited because they had had such a great day.  They had learned that Disney amusement parks are actually fun and not comparable to a concentration camp as Daren has been telling them all these years.  We were pretty worn out so we planned on staying till 2 or 3 in the afternoon and then go home and take a nap.  We ended up having so much fun we were begging for one last Toy Story ride at 9:59pm.  They let us go and we were practically the last people out of the park.

Here we come!!!

Tower of Terror!!

One of everyone's favorite activities of the day was the stunt show.  The kids, and even Darren loved it.  He said his mouth started watering when they motorcycles drove out. Ellie was beside herself when one of the stunt guys caught on fire- she thought it was a real accident! And just look at Kyle's face! Yea, it was awesome.

 Behind us stands the Hollywood Tower of Terror.  It takes you up and then drops you and takes you up and drops you. Oh the joy of thinking you are going to die.   Darren went it on it with the kids.  When they got off they were like, "it's not that scary".  I knew they were lying.  Remember the Rider Switch Pass? Yea, it was my turn to take them.  I really don't care for scary rides as they make me feel like I have morning sickness all over. But I'll pretty much do anything for my kids.  So we got in line and Kyle blurts out, "We tricked you!! It's so scary!  You have to go! You can't get out of line! It's so scary, your going to die!!!!"   Then he said, "I hate it, but I love it too!"  One thing about Disney is they are very family friendly.  The height requirements are all kid friendly, so Kyle was allowed to go on every big ride except the Rockin Roller Coaster.  I can't believe they let kids on some of those rides!

This was Gabe's favorite- Honey I Shrunk the Kids set.  He crawled around everywhere and loved every minute.

Crawling around in the earth worms holes in the Honey I shrunk the Kids set.

Paul hugging a giant dog's nose.

We signed up for this fun activity called "Jedi Training".  Kyle and Ellie loved it, Paul hated it.  He was way to mature and grown up to act like a Padawan in training.

Paul is like, "mom, why are you making me do this?"

The Jedi Master

The Padawans were instructed to hold their light sabers with 2 hands.  Paul refused.  He was much to cool for that.

Darth Maul

The Padawans train, and then Darth Vader comes on stage and each of the kids get to fight him or Darth Maul. It was great.

Good job Padawans!

One of my favorites was the Back Lot Tour. They take you on a tram and take you behind the scenes of Disney, they talk about how Disney is run and all the props, etc.  At one point they take you through a set and there is a huge rainstorm and an flash flood.  It's lots of fun. 

Ok, I was not ready for this, but they take you through the rooms where they make the Disney costumes and uniforms.  My mouth started watering! There were rows and rows of sewing machines, fabrics, thread, etc.  My heart almost beat right out of my chest.

It's kinda blury, but can you see all the different colors of threads?

How fun is this!!!

The original dress from The Sound of Music.

I bet the women who work here are pretty amazing seamstress- but  Marilyn could sew circles around them!

Well, we had a great day.  Ellie fell asleep holding a turkey leg in her hand.  That's a sure sign of a good time.

Wait for it.....Disney!

Well, the planets aligned and we went to Disney World.  I didn't think it was going to happen, as I have a husband who has a strong repugnance to crowds.  The force not to go was strong.  But like I said, the planets aligned.
Darren is doing a clinical rotation in Davenport, and the place he is staying happens to be a 4 bedroom house about 10 min. from Disney World.  There are 2 other students there, but they were nice enough to put up with us coming up for 4 days.
  We were going to go the first day without Darren, but by a miracle the doctor gave him the day off and he got to come with us! On Friday we went to the Magic Kingdom, Saturday we did Hollywood Studios, Sunday we went to church and visited my good friend Andrea, then on Monday Darren had to work, so I took the kids to Epcot.  We had an awesome weekend!

We ended up having an incredible time! Even Darren admitted it was funner than he thought it would be.  Don't tell him I told you. 

Gaston's house! Love that chair!

Darren and I have a special love for Beauty and the Beast.  We watched it and snuggled before we got married.  Darren always said I was like Beauty and he was like the Beast. I thought that was so romantic and didn't really get it till we got married.  Now I understand LOL.  

It's a small world.  The longest that we waited for a ride- 25 min.

Poor Darren, he was so tired.  This is what he did during It's a small world.

Kyle being cute on It's a Small World.  Notice Darren in the back.

Cute kids!

Gabe getting ready to go on Pirates of the Caribbean!  I have to say that the androids have come a long ways!  They had a couple of Captain Jack Sparrow and they were AMAZING! It was hard to tell he wasn't a real human.  It was unbelievable.

 

Ok, can I just say the art and creativity of Disney is UNBELIEVABLE!  As a kid, you notice all the characters and fun things.  As an adult I was blown away by the detail and creativity of the Disney artists.  It was like eye candy!  I could have just walked around the park for the day and not gone on one ride and been happy.  I loved how each different section of the park is different styles.  I loved the French style in the Beauty and the Beast section in Fantasy Land.  I loved the English Cottage style of Peter Pan, the old West Frontierland, the Caribbean section for Pirates, the Swiss Family Robinson section, the Arabian setting for Aladdin. The attention to detail is incredible.  Every building is just unbelievable!  It's like a home show tour compiled from the greatest artist with unlimited amounts of money. And you travel the world in a day! I LOVED IT!

I mean, look at this ceiling outside the bathrooms!  Ahhh it makes my heart flutter.  If I ever build a house I am going to Disney to get ideas.

Paul outside the Haunted Mansion.  It was so fun taking the kids. They asked me a hundred times- what is the Haunted Mansion like? What is Pirates of the Caribbean?  What is It's a Small World?  Now they know!  

Kyle and Ellie.  We were lucky at the beginning of the day they messed up on our passes, so they ended up giving us 4 Fast Passes!  It was another blessing, but what can I say when the planets are aligned perfectly?  So we ended up combining those with Fast Passes we got ourselves and didn't wait longer than 25 min.  for a ride! We typically waited about 10 min.  And then they also have the Rider switch for parents with a baby.  So Darren would go on a ride with the Fast Pass with the kids, then I would take them with the Rider Switch.  It was awesome! 

Haunted Mansion- We loved it!

Swiss Family Robinson Tree house

Me, Darren and Gabe at the Tree house.

As it was getting dark I realized we didn't have a family picture! So we hurried and too this one. I really like the colors.

The Light Parade. Like everything else Disney does it was amazing. 

Well, as the day come to an end we drove home and and all the kids fell asleep.  We were exhausted from a day full of fun.   The kids had not really known what to expect.  They were fascinated by it all and had a marvelous time. 

The Truth, and Embracing Myself

I have to just say.  I hope my "discouraged" post wasn't to much.  I try to keep my blog happy, positive, and fun.  But you know what?  I have bad days sometimes! I am human.  Honestly, most days are great, and fun, but every now and then I have a rough day.  I get discouraged.  And I want to keep my blog real.  I want my posterity to know the real Emily.  My deep down thoughts and feelings.  I want people to know that my life is not perfect.  I don't want someone to read my blog and feel bad about themselves cause their life isn't perfect and mine is- cause it's not!   I want to remember that being a parent is a tough job.  That I worry, and try so hard to be a good mom.  I want my kids to know that I fought for them everyday.  That there wasn't a day I didn't pray to God to help me be a good mom and know how to raise my kids.  I love being a mom more than anything, it brings so much happiness and joy.  Besides, I made that post funny, right?
 
It's really sometimes a challenge for me- as Darren says, I am a free spirited creative artist.  Which is great! but it has it's challenges: I tend to be messy, unorganized, late, unstructured and not disciplined enough. I have to work on that stuff, it doesn't come as naturally to me. I like to buy beautiful, fun things, so I tend to spend more money on things and have more stuff. But I'm an artist and I like it!  What I am good at is LOVE. I love my kids, I am patient, kind, and don't really ever get mad.  I feel like I have a great motherly instinct.  I am fun and creative and love to celebrate birthdays and holidays.  I never criticize my children.  I don't let my kids be disrespectful or unkind.  I try my hardest.  Each day.
Some days I get so discouraged that I am not organized, structured, disciplined, on time and on top of everything.  But when I really think about it, deep down, I realized that if I was I wouldn't be well... me! And so shouldn't I embrace my artsy, creative, have too much stuff self?!   I wouldn't trade my ability to create, paint and decorate for the cleanest house in the world! Is it to much to ask for both? Well, maybe:) My mom says our greatest strengths also bring our greatest weakness.  And so, I guess I'll take my strengths and work on those weakness. Because, I  am grateful for my talents.

I'm Sailing!

Remember how we went to the beach last week and got sun burned?  Well,  I didn't mention we had an awesome time!  The cub-scout's had a day at the beach sailing.   My friend Wendy and her daughter Emma came.  We all went out on the catamaran and sailed for a while.   The kids sat up front and let the wind fly through their hair and the waves crashed on all of us. It was actually a little cold, but it made it that much more of an adventure.  It was beautiful to sail in the Gulf of Mehico.

Paul, Kyle, Emily, Gabe, Ellie, Wendy and Emma

We have had a blast living here.  Yea.

St. Patty's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

My older kids have taken the liberty in "helping" the leprechauns draw on Gabe. 

And themselves- can you tell?

Love this one of Gabe

I know this one of Ellie is a little blury, but she just looked so grown up I had to include it.

I love Ellie's laugh! She has the best laugh ever!

Look at Gabe's double chin!

 Well, my 3 older kids officially like to help the leprechauns.  They don't seem to mind!  It's still just as fun, if you know what I mean.  Poor Gabe is in for it.

Who would have known I was having a bad day yesterday? I got the house manageable and kids to bed on time and I feel like a new woman tonight.  Tomorrow the kids are back to school, and we will be back on a schedule.  And Darren comes home on Friday. Phew. 

Discouraged

Tonight I am completely, absolutely, utterly discouraged and exhausted.  You've been warned. 
 I think it all started yesterday when I took Ellie to the doctor.  She has frequent stomach aches, so the doc asked me how her eating is.  Honestly, she is my best eater.  He asked me how often she eats vegetables.  Ughh.  Well, how often does she eat her veggies? This opened a whole world for my brain to wonder and start feeling bad about. How often does she eat her veggies????  How much sugar does she eat? How much white flour does she eat? How much processed foods does she eat?  How much meat does she eat that is full of hormones and steroids? How often does she excersize? Do I put sunscreen on her enough- but not to much so she can get enough vitamin D?  Is she taking a multivitamin? Is she spending to much time in front of the TV or computer? Can she be successful without taking music or dance lessons?  Do we read scriptures enough?  Do we say prayers enough? brush their teeth, do homework enough, blah blah blah enough??? And I have 3 other kids to worry about!  AHHHHHHH!!!  
 How often does she eat her veggies??? How often do we even sit down for dinner?  Sunday we are usually being lazy, Monday we are pretty good about dinner, Tuesday is a scramble before scouts, Wed. is Activity Days, Thursday used to be Odyssey of the Mind, Friday is pizza night, and Saturday's usually Darren and I go out.  So 1 or two days a week we sit down and eat dinner and my kids get their veggies. Yea.  I even try make a serious effort to keep our lives simple!  How is it that I find myself scrambling every day.  I have tried different things to get the kids to eat more veggies.  I started making a green smoothy almost every day, but I am the only one who will drink it.  And when my husband always comments on how disgusting the smoothy looks it doesn't' help.  I feel like it is a loosing battle.  Mom vs. family.  Then there is the whole sugar issue.  I have almost completely cut sugar out of my diet.  So, how is it that my kids live almost entirely off of it?  It seems if I don't buy treats, they always get it from somewhere.  The bank, church, Scouts, Activity Days, someone has a birthday at school, holidays, weekends, birthday parties, etc.  It seems as if there is always a special occasion or holiday.  My kids get sugar stuffed down their throats just by living in our society.  I remember talking to a woman I was friends with who had adopted older kids from different countries, I think Africa and India.  I offered one of them a Snickers bar and she said, "Oh no, he can't eat that!" She told me that her kids couldn't eat hardly any sugar, or it would make them sick because they didn't grow up eating it.  That has made me think a lot about how much sugar our kids eat. Which makes me feel bad and discouraged because my kids eat tons of sugar! (and white flour, and processed foods, and genetically engineered corn, wheat and hormone fed beef)  It's not like we are perfect by any stretch of the imagination.   I feel like pulling my hair out and sitting in front of the TV and watching a movie!
 Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Darren has been gone 3 weeks and my kids didn't have school this week. Or maybe that I hurt my arm and it is killing, or that Gabe threw a can of peaches on my flip-flop wearing foot at the grocery store.  Or maybe it's that my house is a WRECK, I need to plan the scouts Blue & Gold banquet, I haven't done laundry for 5 days, I spent way to much money at Costco, and I didn't get Gabe in bed till 9:30, Paul and Kyle didn't go to bed till 10:30, and Ellie is still awake!  And it's St. Patricks Day tomorrow, so the Leprechauns still have to come!  And I need to plan my lesson for church tomorrow.  And I am exhausted cause I took my kids to the parade this morning and then the beach today, and didn't put sunscreen on  my kids so they are all sunburned and sure to get skin cancer because of my bad parenting.  And to top it all off I have been eating tons of sugar so I have no energy.
  Maybe I will just go to bed.  That's what my mom would say, "Honey, go to bed and it will all seem better in the morning." and "Honey, your kids are going to turn out just fine".  Thanks mom, I don't even have to talk to you in real life.  I just imagine a conversation with you and I already feel better.  Yes, mom, I think I will go to bed:)

Love this

My cousin Circe posted this article and I just LOVED it.  I loved everything about it. 

http://mylittlenomads.com/ 


If you don't get to read the whole thing- here is what stood out to me. 
 
"Don’t be one of those people that gets to the end of their life and wishes they had done this or done that or hiked this trail or spent a month on that island just down by the tip of Italy. Don’t get to the end of your life and wished you’d done something special and unique with your kids when you could have.

You’ve got a window … and it’s closing … from the moment they’re born it’s closing."

 I completely plan on traveling the world with my kids when money permits.   Yes, Thailand is first on the list. Hawaii is a close second.  And I have a feeling it's not that far off.