Honeysuckle!

Sweet sugar of the South.................


Another reason to be where I am~
Laurie

Can you say "Surprise?!?!"

Do you remember when I posted around Christmastime about how sappy commercials really get to me? Well, here's an example. Back at the end of February I saw a commercial for Walt Disney World. The commercial showed families laughing, smiling and having a blast together. But there was one image that just got to me. It was the picture of a little girl about Lily's age staring wide-eyed at Cinderella's castle while fireworks went off in the background. Yep, it brought tears to my eyes! I could just picture my precious girl right there soaking up all of the magic around her. So, I turned to John and said..."We really need to do this soon." And he was right on board!!!

Well, I'm also a bit selfish. Selfish in the way of, if we're gonna use vacation money and vacation time, I don't want to deal with crowds, with 90+ degree weather, etc. So, we set off to search the internet for deals and tips; and lo and behold...we had a Disney trip planned for 2 months down the road. (Yep, I'm the bad mother that checks her child out of school for a vacation - go ahead, judge...) And the best part of it all was that we decided to keep the whole thing a secret from the kids until we were in the car to the airport!

This was a HARD secret to keep. Not the hiding of the suitcases, or getting the dog cared for while we were gone, but not telling the kids! I wanted to tell them soooo bad. But, John and I did a great job and held out until we picked them up from school and were ready to head out. Here's the reaction you get when you tell an 8 yr old and 4 yr old that you are going to Disney and getting there by plane...........



To be honest, I was a little leery about the trip. My vacation by choice involves a beach, a lounge chair and blue water. So, my excitement was for the kids, not me. But, I'll let you look at these pictures and you will see how I fell in love with the Disney experience!


**The kids did great on their first plane ride. I packed backpacks with surprise toys and candy...they were set for the hour and half flight!





**Lily and I had a "Princess Breakfast" one morning. She met, Belle, Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and her idol...Ariel! I had to hold back the tears as I watched her stare in awe at the beauty of Ariel. Maybe I need to grow some fins!

**This was taken as we waited in line for the "Tower of Terror". With that name, would you think that a 4 year old girl would ask to ride it again and again?!?!

**Do you think Sam enjoyed meeting Pocahontas?

**And where did the kids want to go every afternoon?!? To the hotel pool. One would think that having a pool in the backyard, they would not be so excited about it. But, no complaints here..."Oh, cabana boy, Can I place an order?" We enjoyed it and relaxed!!

So, I thought I'd be saying "Darn those sappy commercials, they did it to me again...". But no, I was won over...Disney enamored me, and needless to say, the kids! Yes, I want to go back and yes, I'll be pulling the kids out of school to do it again! (Again, don't judge!)

M-I-C-See ya real soon~
Laurie

All about me...

through the words of Sam! This is a special Mother's Day book that Sam made for me at school. It's very enlightening to read. Let's take a looky-loo.........



My mom looks prettiest when she goes on a date with my dad.
My mom and I have fun together when we go get Menchi's frozen yogurt.
My mom's favorite color is red. (Actually orange, but it is in the red family, so I'll give it to him.)
More than anything in the world, my mom likes to go out to dinner. (My son knows me well!)
Mostly, my mom likes to wear skirts.
My mom likes it when I have fun.
The thing that makes my mom the maddest is when my sister is mean to me. (Interesting spin on this question. Maybe I foresee creative writing in his future.)
My mom is best at taking care of me.
Mom's favorite place to eat is El Porton. (Si! Muy bueno!)
When my mom was little, she had five family members.
My mom never, ever is mean to me.
The thing that makes me the maddest is when Mom doesn't let me play my DSi. (I'm such a mean mommy!)
My mom's eyes are green. (Ummm, actually brown.But maybe the green ones are the ones in the back of my head!)
My mom's favorite place to shop is Kroger. (Not so much... Yes, I am there 3 or 4 times a week, but it is definitley not my favorite place to shop! They don't even sell shoes!)
I know my mom loves me because she buys me lots of stuff. (I promise, we are working on the greedy thing!)
I want to thank you, Mom, for taking care of me.
If I could give my mom something special just from me, it would be a Corvette! (Oh, I would look hot in the carpool line, huh?!? But where would I put the car seats?)
My Mom is special because she loves me! (And YES, I DO!)

Some of my other Mother's Day treats were:

From Lily-This precious flower pot decorated with some of the sweetest little fingerprints in the world!


From Sam-This awesome bowl decorated by the sweetest boy in the world!

And the best part of the day was enjoying our last day in Disney, laying by the pool, watching my wonderful family at play! I am blessed!

Checkin' the driveway for my Corvette~
Laurie

P.S. A Disney update is coming as soon as I work my way through the 200 photos I came home with!

Please stand by.....

See ya real soon~
Laurie