Tips for a Successful Trip to Disney World

• Take Craig to keep you on track and on schedule. He does wake up calls at 6:30 so you can be at the gates before they open.

• Take Craig to run back and forth across the park acquiring 'fastpasses' and timing them just right so you are taking full advantage of every fastpass and not missing a ride. (Craig made sure every person got to ride every ride!)

• Go with Uncle Brad if you consider sleeping in and getting massages a vacation.

• Don't let the 2 year old play with the I-phone. He will set some self-destruction code and most of your pictures will be lost
  
• If the dinner menu has 2 $$ next to it indicating the price range - know that you will have to make a trip to a bookie to get more cash to pay for the dinner. (I can't imagine the price of a 3 $$$ restaurant) and they still charge you for the kids who fell asleep on their plate waiting for dinner!



• It does get cold in Florida - Hence the color coded outfitted to easily track the crew were useless. I needed colored coded down parka's!

• Taking a capable, good-natured Aunt Stacy along is a must!

Make sure that the 'ink thing' they put on clothes before you buy them is removed before you take them on vacation, or else you have to wear a plastic ink tag or inked up clothing for the entire trip

• Taking the 6 am flight home after a crazy week will torture all those on the flight with you.


• People look at you annoyed (because you have the most kids) when the people in front of you get their car seat stuck in the security x-ray machine at the airport and it backs up the line an extra 20 minutes(and then they go off and leave it behind anyway)


• NOt waking Anna up for Breakfast is big a mistake.




• Belle is really picky about her hair - we had to wait about 10 minutes when the previous visitors touched her hair - she had to make sure she was still 'picture perfect' (she was down right panicked! It was very interesting)

  
• 'Where are all the princes anyway?' Kaid wanted to know.


• Really the Little Einsteins and Jojo's Circus were a bigger hit than any old princess anyway


• Bekah will blush when getting Peter Pan's autograph.



Anna will make herself sick with worry and start shaking everytime she gets in line for a roller coaster - then will beg to go again!



When in line for a roller coast make sure you know how many times you will be going upside down 'just so Anna can prepare herself'.'


• Remember where you parked your car because it will be raining on the day you can't find it. And your husband will not be happy with you (Funny we were parked in parking lot Happy 31)


• The Bugs Life 3-D movie was really cool
When the kids say there are barf bags on a ride - believe them it is for a reason.


• If there is an open stroller - Anna will occupy it!

  

Of course I could give helpful hints in regard to obese adults waiting in line for the ride geared to the 2-5 year old, or the married couples walking around with their mickey ear veil and top hat and holes in the rear end of their pants or trips to crispy cream (in an effort to save time) and getting to watch very loud, verbal, and physical break ups - but, you'll have to just go yourselves and come up with your own list of tips! I know that the pictures don't match the info - but hey you get what you get. And these are the pictures we ended up not losing.

History in the Making!

If you know Anna you know she is not a sleeper. She is not a morning person. She is a night owl through and through and seems to need an annoyingly little amount of sleep. She when I went in to check on the kids and found this - you can only imagine my astonishment! It is only 7:00 pm. AND the boys are still awake. Of course it took getting up at 2:30 in the morning and traveling half way around the country to make this happen -but hey history is history!

Top 5

For Bekah's birthday she was given the chance to swim with the dolphins at discovery cove. Today she fulfilled her dream! Her list of the top 5 (or 6)

1. swimming with the dolphins

2. the bird aviary (eeeewwww! this is why I opted out!!)

3. lunch (a free cafeteria style?)

4. the stingrays

5. the lazy river

6. the fish

It was really cold the entire time we were in florida, this was the warmest day we were there. You can see how cold Bekah was, but she still had a great time. I personally find it fascinating that lunch was in the top 3 on her list. Craig found it fascinating that Bekah was actually scared of the fish. Hmmm - interesting...

Likey vs. Lovey

Well, after a successful trip to Colorado and back, the lovey was lost at Disney world. Sniff sniff. We made 4 different trips to the lost and found (at the big kids suggestion) and the nice lady checked four different times for purple/gray really dirty lovey. It was not found so we made a trip to the wal mart and let lexsie pick out a new one - which the big kids renamed a 'likey' because she really doesn't love it like the old one. Then, we spent the 2 days before flying home trying to convince lex that she could love the new 'likey.' In the mean time Lexsie decided she like Quinn's blankie the next best and so for the remainder of the trip Lexsie squealed at Quinn to give it to her which of course he was not about to do... Of course we checked lost and found one last time - no lovie. But we are slowing growing fond of a brand new - green - and clean 'likey!'

OK - How long since Halloween? Does anyone else have this much candy still sitting around? And what on earth do you do with it? I really just want to throw it all away, but that seems so wasteful!

I hope this isn't a new christmas tradition

We made our annual trip to let the kids pick out their christmas ornament for the year, we even planned it around when Craig would be home for the evening so he could go with us. Of course I could have gone by myself and I would have done a great job getting everyone a 'just right' ornament, but that would be no fun! As we are leaving I am standing talking to the kids and getting them situated when I look back to Craig (and how I wish I had a camera!) He was sound asleep! Standing there leaning on a cart in Target, he was out! This just had to be documented for history sake! Needless to say - I drove home.

OK, funny snapshot of our little trip. We all stopped to eat at my all time favorite restaurant - TACO JOHNS! and were getting ready to leave, when we realized Lex had a dirty diaper. So I open the trunk and get to work, only it's everywhere!!! Literally, covered her back, so I'm taking off clothes when Kaid turns around, looks over the seat and says, 'mom, she looks like a brownie!' Hmmmm, if only she smelled like one!

Just Grateful

I am so grateful that Craig can and does call me and share 'those' moments with me. He just had a very sad case come through the ER where a 9 month old baby died. The baby died - and it just could have easily been one of ours. I just assumed he wasn't busy, but he said, 'no he was busy, he just wanted to talk for a minute.' And it hit me that he always calls and checks in when he has something particularly emotional to deal with. And I am so grateful that he does call me and we can share that moment, and I can help give him the strength to move on to the next thing that is required of him. Craig is an awesome doctor, and he cares, and I am so proud of him, and so glad I can help him in such a small way.

By the way - I am extreamly SLOW - it has taken 2 1/2 years of residency for me to figure this out! DUH!

Aren't I as good as a Handicapped Person

Let me first say that I had a great trip! Next, let me say how disappointed in society I am. Let's just say there was a blind man taking a trip on an airplane somewhere. Most people would be helpful and at least kind. If the man bumped another persons chair they would accept his apology, the ticketing agents would probably go out of their way to be helpful, get the man to the gate, on the plane, sat in his chair, and may even offer to bring him a drink as the time came. As we checked in - our ticketing agent looked at us and said, 'all these kids?' OK just clarifying the situation, right? then when she asked for Craig's ID and he said, no he wasn't going she huffed! can you believe it! she actually huffed! of course I make a wise crack about this is my everyday life and no different than anything else I do with all 5 kids by myself, but she still huffed. as we walked to our gate you could see everyone counting the kids I had following behind, but whatever... Then you should have seen the dirty looks I was getting from people as I walked down the isle to our seats. As we approached our seat the lady in front of us (before we had even sat down) turns around and says, "I'm all about kids, but I won't be kicked during this entire flight! do you understand me? she looks at poor, stoic kaid (who had done nothing) and says, does he understand me?" are you kidding me he's not deaf? so we fly, the kids were exceptionally well behaved, caused no problems (less than some adults I would imagine) and we exited the plane. Of course the return trip wasn't any better, I had comments about 'you know how this happens right?' 'how many kids do you have' and 'why on earth would you travel with so many kids alone?' I have done my fair share of flying in the past - usually with 1 or 2 kids and people have been kind, and helpful, offering assistance, and even sharing stories of traveling with their kids. Nope, all I got was dirty looks and snide comments for the audacity of buying 6 plane tickets and taking children with me! I guess having a large family is worse than being handicapped!




All I can think of - since my return home - is this sweet story from an old ensign.

Many already know part of this story. It occurred a few years ago in the winter at O’Hare International Airport, that great and busy place that serves the city of Chicago. On this occasion a severe storm had caused delays and cancellations of flights. The thousands of people stranded or delayed there were impatient and cross and irritable. Among those in trouble was a woman, a young mother standing in a long line at the check-in counter. She had a two-year-old child who was on the dirty floor at her feet. She was pregnant with another child. She was sick and weary to the bone. Her doctor had warned her against bending and picking up anything heavy, so as she moved slowly with the line she pushed her crying and hungry child with her foot. People who saw her made critical and cutting remarks, but none offered to help.
Then a man came toward her and with a smile of kindness on his face said, “You need help. Let me help you.” He lifted the dirty, crying child from the floor and held her warmly in his arms. Taking a stick of gum from his pocket, he gave it to the child. Its sweet taste calmed her. He explained to those in the line the woman’s need of help, then took her to the head of the line, spoke with the ticket agent, and soon had her checked in. He then found seats where she and her child could be comfortable, chatted for a moment, and disappeared into the crowd without giving his name. She went on her way to her home in Michigan.
Years later there came to the office of the President of the Church a letter which reads as follows:
“Dear President Kimball:
“I am a student at Brigham Young University. I have just returned from my mission in Munich, West Germany. I had a lovely mission and learned much. …
“I was sitting in priesthood meeting last week, when a story was told of a loving service which you performed some twenty-one years ago in the Chicago airport. The story told of how you met a young pregnant mother with a … screaming child, in … distress, waiting in a long line for her tickets. She was threatening miscarriage and therefore couldn’t lift her child to comfort her. She had experienced four previous miscarriages, which gave added reason for the doctor’s orders not to bend or lift.
“You comforted the crying child and explained the dilemma to the other passengers in line. This act of love took the strain and tension off my mother. I was born a few months later in Flint, Michigan.
“I just want to thank you for your love. Thank you for your example!”
The world truly would be a different place if each of us frequently and seriously considered our Lord’s request: “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them.” (Matt. 7:12.)

I hope I can always remember to not judge and to just look for ways to be kind and helpful~

Disaster Averted

Thank goodness for awnsered prayers. I finally remembered a little incident this morning were Quinn and Lexsie went out on the front porch to say goodbye to Bekah, and then Quinn locked Lexsie out. (Mean Brother) anyway, I realized the lovie was most likely with her at that point. Went out on the porch, leaned over the edge and there stuck between a bush and the ground was the lovie!! Rainsoaked and dirty, but she didn't care. Now we WILL travel. Whew!

Will NOT Travel

OK. Traveling with 5 kids alone? No problem. Flying on an airplane? We can do it. Renting a car and driving the rest of the way? Totally Do-able! Doing this without Lexsie's Lovie? Impossible! I won't go! I can't imagine where it is! Wish me luck!!!!!!

Living Dinosaur

I'm talking with Anna tonight about turning 7, and that in a year she would be getting baptized. She asked me, "back in the old days when you were baptized was it the same?" To which I started laughing and asked, 'do you think I'm old?' and she says, 'well your closer to the dinosaurs than I am..." Yes, my Anna I am about 25 years closer to prehistoric than you.

I finally got Anna and Bekah's B-Day pictures taken. They turned out pretty cute. The photographer worked and worked to get Anna to smile. Anna is 0ne hard nut to crack! I finally had to pull out all the guns and tell her we were going to have green beans for dinner if she didn't smile! That seemed to be threat enough. No grean beans for her! Of course we had to convince Bekah to stop posing. We had enough pictures! (and the family one turned out pretty good too!)

Anna just comes up to me and asks, "The next time daddy doesn't have to work the whole day and the whole night can I use his lunch box?" How sad, that the poor man never has 24 entire hours off, and that the kids know it... Along those lines - Craig and I were going over this months calender and we were caught saying, "how bout this day - you only work a half day." Uh that half day was still an 8 hour shift. We did have a good chuckle as we realized what we had just said and how warped our life is right now.

Do I need Medication?

Yes, my kids all have a color. Everything they own is in that color. When I see the 5 colors of something I can't resist! Just so you all understand how obsessed I am.

Beks is blue

Anna is pink

Kaid is green

Quinn is orange

Lex is purple

In fact, the other day I was asking Quinn his colors and this is what I got.

Then I just couldn't resist pumpkins in all the right colors!

My 'To Read' Pile

Isabella Moon
Preach My Gospel
Fahrenheit 451
How to fall in love and stay in love

Preach My Gospel

October Ensign
Woman Power Dr. Laura
How to make someone love you

(Craig cringes when I come out of the self - help section! But I do seem to go in cycles - relationship, parenting, finances then I start over - every once in a while I throw in something really useful like basket weaving.)

The Most Wanted

Women's Day

The BOM made Easy

I went to Vassar for This?

Freak the Mighty

Families Are Forever...if I can just get through today!

Managers of their Chores

Creating Keepsakes (In the car for on the go reading)

and before I could even publish this post

Novembers Ensign, Friend, and New Era came in the mail.

So much to read... so little time!

On to the next Holiday

The Halloween Wrap-UP

The Pumpkin Carving

The Costumes

Zombie

Purplw Witch

Over-work, under paid, always tired, loves his family dad.

Choo-Choo Train

Flower Fairy

Happy Halloween!

The End (mess).