He has Risen! Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!

He has Risen!  He has Risen Indeed!

 

What a beautiful morning we woke up to today!  The sun shining, birds singing.... and Kins rolling around on our bed talking and playing while she waited not too patiently for the rest of us to wake up fully and start the day.  And today we did wake up with more purpose than most Sundays, as today we were celebrating Jesus rising from the grave and the empty tomb.  As AJ said as I helped him get dressed "It's like Jesus' birthday, but it's better because it's his birthday in heaven."   Amen buddy!  And he opened up the gates to heaven for all of us that believe in Him - your heart can't get more full of joy than it can knowing that grace!

 

 

As we were celebrating at church today (more than other days), we got dressed up and of course I had to take a picture (or ten)... look how big my babies are getting. And that little toot in the middle, she would only smile if she got to stand like a big girl too.  And then when we all say "cheeeeessseee"  she too yells cheese and shows us all her pretty teeth and that one sweet dimple.

 

With our daddy (who did a great job with the kids yesterday planting flowers and putting down new mulch in anticipation of an egg hunt later today)!

One with Mommy

And then a strategically placed camera on a stinky trash can so we can do one family shot as KK requested... before jumping in the car and heading to church to sing and worship :-) 

 

After church, we got home and the kids noticed something outside on the patio.  Can you believe it?  Someone left three beautiful Easter baskets with candy and a small treat inside... wonder who these are for?



Kins immediately took every single thing out of her basket one at a time.

AJ decided 5 seconds was all he could wait to eat a candy.

KK didn't even wait that long haha...

This is the moment when Kins discovered the "things" in the basket were candy...

 

and below is our sweet girl rushing back to her "spot" on the little step on the patio with candy in hand... there is no joy quite like the freedom of an entire piece of chocolate and no one taking it from her or chasing her for it...

This is a picture of pure JOY!  Makes my heart so full!

 

Well after discovering those Easter baskets, it was time for Mom and Dad's annual Egg Hunt in the front yard!  We decided to give the baby a five minute head start so she could figure this stuff out.  This was Kin's first official egg hunt as she wasn't quite walking last year. 

 

Everyone was very egg-cited (haha, I am cracking myself up sadly)!

 

 

 

Miss Kins went straight for the little duckie egg - so cute!

Of course, she didn't want to put it in her basket, she wanted to hold it.  She loves being outside, she wasn't sure what we were doing with this round things on the ground, but it was fun.

READY SET GO!  Big kids on a mission!

KK takes this egg hunt as a race that means everything.  There is not time spent admiring the eggs or where they are, it is a mad dash to grab as many as you can as fast as you can.  Little sisters and brothers watch out.

I did make her slow down to smile once

AJ is in the middle.  Not in a mad race like his big sis, but more focused than his baby sis.  Just taking an egg one at a time and enjoying the hunt.

And then you wait for your baby sister to catch on to the game... KK's face is priceless, she wasn't loving the waiting part of this game.

Luckily Daddy can help us find the eggs

Hmmm... why would I put them in the basket?  She kicked an egg early in the hunt and it popped open to reveal jelly beans.  She decided she would much rather eat those jelly beans than hunt for any more eggs... classic!

Just to keep it real for everyone, our morning wasn't "perfect"... but yet I love this picture.  Kins did not want to pose for another picture by her basket, she wanted to eat her candy on the driveway away from the grass that tickles her feet.  So she scream cried as I took this.  And I keep giggling as I see it.  It's not a family moment without some sort of comical drama.

Luckily when we all started saying "CHEESE" as loud as we could and sang it a bit, she decided to stop crying and join us because she can't pass up a chance to cheese :-)  So here are my three little beans - happy with full baskets of candy! 

 



 

So we are off to enjoy the rest of this beautiful day (and sample some of the candy of course)! 

 

Happy Easter to your and yours!

 

He has Risen Y'all!!!

 



 

Disney Vacay Day 7: the Magic then Home

So our fabulous Disney World vacation was ending today... after packing our suitcases and checking out, we headed to spend our final morning hours at our favorite place: Magic Kingdom.

 

And we got there just in time to see Mickey and friends riding the train to the gates, singing and dancing as they greeted us all and opened the park!

 

 

One last shot of our Cinderella Castle!  We will miss you! 

 

Of course AJ wanted to hit up the Barnstormer rollercoaster one last time together.  Daddy and KK went to Space Mountain (again).

Loved all the fun we had on this mini roller coaster with this guy!

 

Then we were all off to Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain to give a few last hurrahs!  KK made sure her Minnie ears were in full effect!

KK's 1st Disney World vacation was a success! Her favorite parts: meeting Elsa & Ana and riding the biggest roller coasters at every park!

AJ's 1st Disney World vacation was the bomb!  He favorite parts: meeting Pluto, riding on Splash Mountain-Big Thunder- and the Barnstormer, and buying his Pluto stuffed animal.

KK as she went on one final ride on her favorite ride of the week: Space Mountain!

AJ decided he needed one last funnel cake before we headed to the airport.

And of course we had to get Disney suckers to cheer us up as we waiting to board the plane to go home.  We had the most amazing week with so many fun memories and special moments.

And yes, here are the parents. We were exhausted - talk about a lot of walking and pushing strollers/carrying kids around.  But it was fun... there was just one little thing missing from our week that we could not wait to get back to...

 

Our Sweet Baby Kins!  My arms ached to hold our little princess again.  While she had a blast with Oma and got more spoiled than you could begin to imagine, she was pretty happy to see us again too.

And of course we didn't come home without a lot of presents for her!

She loved them :-)

We missed that sassy smile!

 

So while it was the best trip we could have ever imagined, it was wonderful to be home again and all together again.  We can't wait to show Baby Kins the fun of Disneyworld in a few years!!!  She will be in awe of it all too and I can't wait to see that in her.  But until then,

 

Sweet Dreams Y'all! We are exhausted!

Disney Vacay Day 6: Epcot

Today was the last full day of our awesome Disneyworld Vacation!  We chose to go to Epcot to check out some new rides and walk around the World Showcase.

 

The first ride of the day was Sourin'!  Like most other days this week, we were in the situation where we had to pick one "hot" ride to get a FastPass for and race to the other "hot" ride so we could beat the crowds.  So we flew by the giant golf ball (sorry, that is always what I see when I see the big ball of Epcot) and raced over to try our hand at hang-gliding over the Earth.

 

The kids really liked the ride... we all did.  Basically you are strapped into these hang gliders that are raised to be in front of stadium size TV screens.  With wind and sound effects, you feel like you are souring over California and other beautiful places on Earth.  They even pretend to be falling to give you a small thrill as part of the ride.  Definitely glad we tried it, as this was new to all of us, but I definitely wouldn't ever stand two hours in line to do it again.

We just so happened to be at Epcot during the annual Flower & Garden Festival, so the grounds were covered with vibrant colorful flowers and all the bushes were trimmed like your favorite Disney characters.  The kids loved it - so you will see many pictures throughout as we made our way around Epcot.

Yes, sweet KK is dressed up like a princess today.  She brought a crown and clock to wear, as today is the day she will be meeting Elsa and Ana in person... more to come on that later.

 

Of course we had to go back to the golf ball for a family picture!

Daisy Duck was behind them holding flowers - so pretty!

HERE WE ARE AT EPCOT!

KK wanted her own picture with the ball!

 

So up next was our FastPass for the "hottest" ride in town.  We weren't sure what to expect, but we knew that AJ was going to love it.  We were surprised to find that KK loved it just as much.  We went to Fast Track. 

 

So at Fast Track, you get to design your car on touch screens.  Everything from the motor to the shape to the wheels.  Even the paint color!  The kids go crazy navigating their way through, deciding if they want their car to be fast versus safe versus environmentally friendly.  All these factors will be tested against the other cars being made around you on the track.

AJ's 1st car

KK's 1st car

 

After that is complete, we got into these open top race cars and each of our cars is tested on a test track that we are inside of. We go through wet weather, quick stops, fast starts... and finally (and the kids absolute favorite part) the ride ends by speeding up to 65 miles per hour and going outside of the building and on a race track that is on top of the building in a big circle...  Open roof, 65 miles per hour, 30 feet off the ground.  Yup, our little thrill seekers loved it!

 

We would have gone for round 2 but we were late for our lunch in Italy.  Not wanting to waste time, we left the stroller and started running around the World Showcase to Italy.  Having left our map in the stroller, we were blissfully unaware that our 11 a.m. lunch reservation was halfway around the World.  KK and Daddy were running non stop... AJ and Mommy opted for a speed walking pace, especially after someone's little legs gave out on him and he had to be carried.  By the time we got to Italy, we saw a line of people that were waiting for a table and realized we weren't that late after all.  Too bad we were sweating, breathing hard and exhausted.  Daddy was considering laying down on the sidewalk to catch his breath.  Nothing like fun family time haha!

 

Here we all are, a little cooler and ready for some yummy food!

 

KK was digging on the mozzarella balls and fruit cups.

AJ loved the brick oven Italian pizza

 



 

I got a pizza with cantaloupe and pancetta.  Daddy got a supreme like pizza, only the Italian version.

 

 

And of course we had to try dessert.  We shared tiramisu and pistachio gelato to share.  Yum!  The kids had vanilla and chocolate gelato.

 

So after our delicious lunch, it was time to meet the Frozen Princesses.  We knew going in that this was going to be a big time commitment for our family.  The lines averaged to be 4 hours long.  We talked with the kids, and KK's biggest wish for our trip was to meet Ana and Elsa.  So AJ and I went to Norway to save our seat in a four hour line while Daddy and KK walked around the showcase to get our stroller that we had hastily left behind.

 

 

Daddy and KK took the camera with them and found some more amazing character bushes.

 

Cinderella (my favorite)

AJ got to see these guys in person later that night!

 

An hour later, they returned.  It was 85 degrees and there was zero shade in line.  But we knew that this meant a lot to KK, so we took turns sweating in the hot Florida sun while the other parent took the kids to nearby worlds like China to window shop in air conditioning.  It wasn't a fast wait, but when you are surrounded by equally crazy Frozen fans, you begin to make friends and spend the time chatting and laughing at yourselves.  Crazy things you do when on vacation in Disneyworld...

 

The kids found some rocks to climb on to pass the time...

So there is only one store in all of Disney World that has the most Frozen items.  But things go fast.  Apparently earlier this week they received over a thousand Olaf stuffed animals.  By Wednesday they were sold out.  The kids were sad, as we had hoped to get one for each of them today.  But our luck wasn't gone!  On hour 3 of our 4 hour wait, they received a shipment of Elsa dresses and Ana and Elsa Barbie dolls.  Another crazy thing you do on a Disney World vacation?  Grab an overly expensive I-can't-believe-anyone-would-spend-that-much-on-a-dress-up-dress and fight a mob and crazy people to do it.

 

The things we do!  Good thing she looks beautiful in her dress... She was so surprised and so excited.  She had to put it on immediately so she could wear it when she meets Elsa in person!

 

And four hours later... our moment arrived!  AJ with his sword (the only boy item I could find to give him when I got KK the dress) and KK in her dress.  Would this be worth a four hour wait?

 

YES!

KK ran straight to Elsa and they hugged as they compared their beautiful dresses.

Ana and AJ had discussions about his cool sword and if AJ could chop ice like Kristop, which AJ thought was an awesome idea.

And they weren't just going to take pictures and go... they hugged the kids more and talked with them for a bit.  Loved that they didn't rush this moment for them, especially after four hours.

Anna and AJ really hit it off, he showed her his sword and how he would chop ice with it.  Elsa held KK's hand the whole time. I mean these kids were in heaven!

 

Here is our official shot with the princesses:

And of course we had to have a family picture too!

And then big hugs all around as we said goodbye.  Wow, they were amazing and so kind.  Worth the wait, just based on the big smiles on the kid's faces.

 

We weren't done with princesses yet!  We had dinner reservations at Akershus in Norway next.

Good thing KK was already dressed for dinner in her Elsa gown, and AJ the prince with his mighty sword!

 

We walked right in and there we met Belle all dressed up in her ball gown too!

Love KK's little curtsy she did in the picture.

So how was the day going guys?  I think their excited smiles say it all!  We were ready to meet more princesses and get our autograph books filled up!

Dinner started with a dance around the dining room!

 

Then one of my favorite princesses arrived to greet us: Cinderella! 

She was so sweet and let us take a lot of pictures!  This was KK's first princess she ever loved when she was little - a dream come true meeting her and hugging her!

Snow White surprised us next, her voice was high pitched just like in the movie!  It had to be the real her! 

AJ surprised us tonight, he was all about the princesses and hugs, even though they were girls ;-)

 

Halfway through our meal, Aurora (aka Sleeping Beauty) arrived to say hello.

AJ wanted to make sure he sword was in the picture..

Mommy got excited and got in a picture too!

KK wanted one more picture :-)

 

And before our dessert came, we got to meet Ariel.  She wasn't sure what to make of AJ and his sword, after she asked him if he thought his sword was better than Prince Eric's and AJ responded "of course"!   

I think she fell under AJ's spell... She also loved KK's dress and hugged her tight before saying goodbye.

 

After dinner we decided to make our way back to Fast Track by walking around the world and taking in the sites.

KK in China

The golf ball across the lake

Germany!  Oma's favorite stop!

The kids wanted a picture to say hi to Oma!  We stopped to get some gummy bears and some German chocolate yum!

 

Snow White was in Germany along with

her friends!

All of them made of flowers... wow!

Here is Italy!

We found Lady and the Tramp here.

Now here is Japan

Madrid?

The Tick Tock Croc! KK had to pretend she was a croc too.

AJ and Hook with their swords!

Mickey and the broomsticks dancing...

 

Before we knew it, we had walked around the world and were back at Fast Track to ride a few more times before the park closed.

AJ and KK had a blast going 65 mph several more times before it was time to head home.

But on our way out, we had to visit McQueen and Mater so AJ could see them in all their glory.

A great ending shot to a long but fun day!  It seemed like we didn't have time to see every country, but meeting Elsa and Ana made the day.  The kids feel asleep with smiles on their faces.  Tomorrow we have only a few hours until we head home...

 

Sweet Dreams Y'all!