Day 3, yes, Im a slacker!

Sorry Tiffani! I know this took FOREVER!!!!

Day 3 started bright and early again. We got to the Magic Kingdom and met a few characters.

We did Buzz Lightyear and the Speedway, things we hadn't done yet this trip. We also did the Carousel of Progress which I had never seen before. The kids really enjoyed it! When we finished all that we met Buzz.

We had done everything in the park now, so we headed back to Aladdin's Flying Carpets, since Sage decided that was her favorite ride. On the way we met Jasmine and Aladdin, she suggested I sell their autograph books and then I could buy a palace in Morocco. Its not my designs inside, but, I know they would sell well with whoever designed them.

We did that and then we were in line for Captain Hook and Smee. We got ALMOST to the front and it started to pour. We ran into the restaurant there since we were planning on doing lunch afterward anyways. Not a seat available, so we improvised and used an empty buffet chest as a table. We had yummy tacos and headed out to get in line for Hook and Smee again!!

We got almost to the front of the line and they went on break. We hung out and waited and then we finally saw them!! I told the kids to say Tick Tock to Hook, and his reaction was AWESOME!! He grabbed their books and ran away and hid. It was awesome!! We had their books organized by movies, so Captain Hooks page was right by Peter Pans. He took the book when he saw Pans name and where it says Peter Pan he added is a Cod Fish. Then on another of their books he drew on Peters picture to make him a pirate, it was GREAT!!!! (Okay, I cant find their books, but it may have been Hook is a codfish, I cant remember) After watching Hook freak out, Sage was not willing to get near him for a photo!

When the kids showed Peter and Wendy their books, they made a huge deal about how dreadful Hook is! The kids loved all the extra attention!!

We finished the day off with DoleWhips and headed home early. I had a surprise for them! Daddy was coming out!!

When the kids saw their Daddy they were SO excited! A woman walking by commented that it must have been months since they saw their Dad, but no, only a few days! That night we took the boat to DownTown Disney!

They have so many cool things in the Lego store. The kids had a blast. I could have shopped all night!

We did dinner at Dinosaur, and while the atmosphere was neat, we will never go again. It was so loud I had to shout to talk to Sage, who was sitting right next to me.

After dinner we headed back to the hotel and went straight to bed. We knew the next day was going to be very busy!!!

Day Two~ The Magic Kingdom

Rise and shine!!!! We had to be up EARLY to get to our breakfast at Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh and Friends! When I say early, I mean EaRlY!!!!! Considering it was our first morning, we were still on Utah time, so that put us getting up about 430 am Utah time, 630 Florida time. I got myself dressed in the dark, thankful again for the ziploc bags that held all our clothing. Then I got the kids up. They weren't too keen on the idea at first, but once they were up, they were ready to go!

I grabbed the backpack and off we went. It was SO neat walking into the Magic Kingdom and having it almost completely empty. Hardly anyone on MainStreet. We took some pictures in front of the castle, and then went in search of Crystal Palace. I had heard so many wonderful things about this from my new friends on Passporters, A.K.A. the most helpful Disney website in the world, so I was really excited!!

We waited out front a bit and then I went to check in. It was about 30 minutes til our reservation time, but as soon as I checked in, our name was called. Our host Reggie was really nice, and was very helpful later when we needed a bit of assistance. We sat down and waited for Pooh, Tigger, Eyore, and Piglet to come visit us. In between visits we helped ourselves to a yummy breakfast. They have the most scrumptious Puffed French Toast, and the cutest mini waffles shaped like Mickey Mouse's head! Too much fun!!

Yummy food aside, it would take a LOT of convincing to get me to go there again. The character interaction was certainly lacking. Each character was at our table less than 30 seconds. They would hurry and sign the kids books, snap one picture per table and be on their way. For the cost, I certainly expected better. In fact, even without the cost I would STILL expect better.

We finished well before rope drop so we headed up through the castle to the rope at Fantasy Land. The kids were getting anxious, and that 15 minutes was SO hard on them!! We were using a Touring Plan as a guide, so we knew what we were doing first. Dumbo of course!! When the rope dropped, we did Dumbo. We refilled our water and used the single serve KoolAid packs we had brought from home.

The park was practically empty!

We did Peter Pan next, and while it was whimsical, I don't see why people will wait in such a long line for it. Kyson really enjoyed it though. We grabbed fast passes for that and headed to Phillar Magic. That show was really cute, and I am glad that Sage was able to see a 3-D that didn't have snakes and lions trying to eat you, or spiders climbing up your legs.

We then went to get in line for the Carousel, the guy working it let everyone off, and I noticed a little boy, MAYBE 2 years old still strapped on a horse. I got the guys attention and pointed out that a little boy was stuck on the horse. He thought I meant the child was mine, and once I assured him he wasn't mine, no one had come to get him and claim him, the guy working didn't know what to do, so the little boy rode again. Hmmm.... call security maybe?

We also did Winnie the Pooh and then headed for the TeaCups. Kyson didn't want to ride and neither did I, so we opted to sit this one out. I guess kids as young as my girls can't ride alone, so I had to ride, and so did Kyson. Once I was trapped on it, Kyson decided it would be SO much fun to spin us as fast as he could. Oh Joyous!! They thought it was hilarious, so I guess my needing to puke was worth it!!!!

We headed back toward Peter Pan and did Small World. I suppose everyone has to do that one at least once. I vaguely remember it from when I was little. I wasn't loving it, but Sage really enjoyed it. Right from the beginning we had a rule that if one person wanted to do something, we all did it, with the exceptions of water rides, as I know Sage HATES getting wet. (the reason we skipped the river ride at Animal Kingdom) That said, by the time our vacation was over, we had done Small World a few more times!!

We did The Haunted Mansion and all the kids were a bit nervous, but wanted to proceed. 4 can't ride together, so Kyson and Aspen were on their own. I knew once we started they would be fine, and I was correct. It turned out to be another favorite!

We grabbed Fast Passes for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and had about 30 minutes til they were active, so we took the raft to Tom Sawyers Island. I had banged my knee earlier, so I didn't climb everything with the kids, but they ran around while I hang at the slide and I just watched them enjoy it. They all loved it, and while I would normally have never even gone over there, I'm glad our plans had it included. The kids LOVED it and it gave me a minute to regroup and also call Eleanore and check on our dear friend Hannah.

It was time for our FastPasses for BTMRR o off we went. We had to wait about 6 minutes, and that was by far, the longest wit of the day so far. NOT that I'm complaining, I was worried about the record crowds we had heard about the week before, I never imagined 6 minutes would be the longest wait of the day!

When we finished Big Thunder Mountain I was trying to get fastpasses so we could ride it again. Sage was being a bit of a stinker and tried to get the cards out of my hand so she could do it instead. A cast member, Lee, saw this and pulled her aside and talked very nicely to her. He called her "Pooh" in reference to her shirt. When he was done with her, he gave us more fastpasses for BTMRR. Lee would turn out to be on of my kids favorite things about Disney World. It seemed he was always there, showing up at just the right time.

After this we hit the Country Bear Jamboree. I made sure to do this because it is my Mom's favorite attraction and she was disappointed when it was closed at Disneyland when we went in October. I will say now that NEVER again will we do that one. Sage fell asleep, Aspen and Kyson were bored stiff. The jokes went over my head, in fact, they went over everyone under 50's head. Only the Grandparents in the crowd were laughing. I think this is one attraction that they should modernize.

By now it was lunch time, but because we had a large breakfast, we didn't need lunch, so we wandered into AdventureLand and got a DoleWhip on our way out of the park. YUMMY!!!! All I had heard was true!

We went back to the hotel and swam for about an hour. I don't have any pictures because I was in the pool with them. The pool is neat and has a serpent slide. After swimming we napped for about 3 hours.

Back at the park we met Chip and Dale. They were so much fun and beyond thrilled that we knew who was who! They played with the kids so much, and grabbed their autograph books and ran and showed them to everyone in line. It was awesome!!!

We ate Hotdogs at Caseys (I think that's the name) for dinner and then we hit Aladdin's Magic Carpets (which surprisingly is what Sage says is her favorite ride) Pirates of the Caribean, and the Jungle Cruise. On the Jungle Cruise the driver was teasing Kyson til she noticed a teen girl on her cell phone and wouldn't get off it. SO, she grabbed the girls cellphone and called whoever she was talking to back, it was quite funny!

We were leaving Jungle Cruise and went through a breezeway. Who should we run into but Lee? He was roping off the parade route. We walked by, not recognizing him, but he spoke to us and gave us front row parade seating! Woohooo!!!! He chatted with us and another family for about 20 minutes. Kyson noticed the pin Lanyard he wore and asked me where people got them. Lee asked Kyson which one he like best and Kyson showed him. He casually took it off and dropped it in Kyson's lap and then when kyson tried to thank him, he pretended like he has NO idea what Kyson was referring to!!!

The family we sat with was there celebrating their daughters birthday. We had time to kill before the parade, so, of course I had to make a scene. I took the little girl out into the center of the street and yelled to every "Hey everybody its _________ birthday today!!! (everyone claps) Can you all join me in singing ____ Happy birthday? So, everyone did. The little girl thought that was totally cool, and then it was time for Spectro Magic to start!

The Parade was neat and when that was finished the kids were still wide awake. It being 2 hours later there, combined with the nap, we were still good to go. So we went and re-rode everything we had collected fast passes for throughout the morning. (except BTMRR, it was broken)

We also did Toon Town that night. We rode Goofy's barnstormer and met the Princesses. We noticed going in that the lobby was full of boys and men, waiting for the Princesses in their lives to finish meeting the Disney Princesses I am sure. Apparently its rare for the boys to be willing to get pictures and autographs with the Princesses because all three of them commented how neat it was that Kyson wasn't refusing to meet them and get pictures.

Last we met Mickey and Minnie Mouse! Besides this line (which was probably 20 minutes) the longest line of the day was still BTMRR at about 6 minutes, NOT BAD AT ALL! It was after 1 am, but what a perfect way to end the day!

The Happiest Place on Earth!!!-Day One

We are HOME from DisneyWorld. I wish it wasn't so, but it is. Can I just say that this pay par bag and 50 pound limit on each bag REALLY sucks. I was super organized when I packed (Yes, me, I know HOW to be organized) I put each outfit together and then into a gallon sized ziploc. Socks, underwear, shorts, shirt, and bows ect all went together. This was SUPER handy. Everything stayed together and I knew what each kid was wearing each day. Anyways, I moved things around about a zillion times. Farren would take the suitcases into work and weigh them. We would add things and repeat the process. Finally before we left Farren weighed them again and we were good. 48 pounds and 49 pounds. Phew!!!

So Friday before we left I bathed the kids and did the girls hair in a style that I knew would stay put through Saturday night. When the time came, we woke the kids to leave. (It was about 11 PM) I go in to wake up Sage and she kinda moans at me, I say Time for DISNEYWORLD and she bounces straight up and yells DISNEYWORLD and she was good to go. Kyson took a few more minutes, but once he realized why we were waking them up, he was good to go. Aspen was just not waking up and we carried her out to the car.

You have to understand that when we booked a red-eye flight, the flight was empty. I had great vision of the kids laying across empty rows and sleeping peacefully. Then I had a flashback to the movie Flight Plan and wasn't so confident. I figured I could always just stay awake the whole time. All was well time a few days before we left and the plane filled to capacity. This was NOT good. Panic set in, and for those I consulted, YES, they flew in their jammies.

We get to the airport, and our bags are over weight. CRAP. Whose scale is off? We moved a few things and are okay again! We get through security, and say goodbye to Daddy. Time to board the plane. When we booked our seats, we took the 3 on one side of the aisle and then one across from it. That isn't how it worked though. It went stranger, Kyson, Sage, aisle, Me, Aspen, stranger. Hmmm... This could get tricky. Luckily the woman sitting next to Aspen was so sweet and Aspen laid her head on this woman's lap and her feet on my lap. She was set and slept the entire time.

Poor Sage. Kyson said she could lay on him but she refused, she was SO tired. After about 2 hours she finally fell asleep sitting up. Kyson was MISERABLE and I tried holding him, nothing would help. Finally we broke all airline rules and made him a bad on the floor of the plane. FINALLY he was able to sleep. I got zero.

We get to Atlanta, and like an idiot I checked our tickets for the gate departure and not the official departure screen. The kids are exhausted and we take the trains to the correct (or so I thought) terminal. I grab them breakfast and we arrive at the gate. Ya, that plane was headed to Detroit. So, I am now carrying 3 blankets, breakfast, a carry on, and keeping my 3 sleepyheads while I find the new gate. YEP, it was RIGHT next to where we arrived from. So, hop back on the train and go back to A21. They hurry through breakfast and this flight is empty. Sage lays across the seats (as I happily imagined would happen for the first flight) and slept the whole way. It was only an hour from Atlanta to Orlando.

We got to Orlando and we are walking toward Disney's Magical Express service. On the way we met another family heading to Disney also. They lived in Belgium, and they had plans to stay at the Grand Floridian. Ya, color me jealous! We got on our bus and we were off. Can I just say that i LOVE this service. They mail you special tags for your luggage and as the luggage goes off the plane, it is put on a separate belt and goes into a truck. It then magically appears in your room a few hours later. We didn't have to do a thing with it!

By the time we got to our hotel, the French Quarter, I was so tired I thought I was going to be sick. I told the kids that I had to nap before we headed out to Animal Kingdom. We got to our room and there was a Mickey head made out of towels! It was a sign of many room surprises to come!!!

I napped about 2 hours and we were off to Animal Kingdom.

Because we were getting there so late in the day, I didn't have any plans to follow. We were able to walk onto everything with literally zero waits. We did the Safari, saw the Lion King show, rode Dinosaur, the kids played in the BoneYard, and many more things. Aspen and Kyson rode Primevil Whirl (sage is too small) While watching the parade, Balloo danced with Sage!! It was GREAT!!!!!!

They have this HUGE tree thing called the Tree of Life in the center and it has all sorts of things carved in it. Its REALLY neat!!! We didn't get to explore everything, and definitely will next time!!!

We also got to meet Minnie Mouse,

Brer Bear, Brer Rabbit,

Pochahontas,

Goofy, and.... drum roll please.............

Lilo and STITCH! Stitch is beyond Aspens favorite. She adores him!!

The biggest adventure of the day? my scaredy cat Sage is now a brave chick! She rode Expedition Everest and LOVED it!!! She is so proud of herself! E.E. is a very fast scary coaster. Anyone who has done Disney or Lagoon with Sage knows she hates things that go fast or off the ground. Anyone remember the chunk she bit out of my side on the Tidal Wave?

more to come...............

We're Back!

We had a WONDERFUL time! Pictures and recaps coming soon!

Happy Birthday Savannah Grace

Ya know, I have gone to start this entry many times over the last few weeks as I begin to think of Savannah and her 2nd Birthday. Everytime I sit down, I change my mind and busy myself with another task I have to do instead. I have put it off, but I can't any longer. Her birthday is in 49 minutes. Technically not til after 2 am, but the day starts in 49 minutes nonetheless.

I look back and see how we have moved forward, not moved on, but moved forward.

I think of phrases people use that I hate. "I am so sorry to hear of your loss" I really hate that one. To lose something implies that you didn't care enough about it to keep track of it. If caring about her was all it took, she would be upstairs in her crib, sleeping in footsie jammies with her blankie and a nightlight. (well, probably not a nightlight, we don't use those) We would be planning another huge party for her, or our upcoming DisneyWorld trip would be her present. She would have a bedroom and countless scrapbooks instead of a cabinet in my living room. The back of my closet wouldn't be full of clothes with the tags still hanging from them and crib bedding that has never been out of the package. We would hear her giggle and tickle her feet and kiss her toes after we cleaned out the "piggie jam"

So don't say we lost her. That phrase makes me cringe everytime I hear it, and I will NEVER tell someone whose child has died no matter the circumstance that I am sorry for their loss. Im sorry for their greif, Im sorry for the passing of their child, but not their loss. They know EXACTLY where their child is.

I have gotten to a point where (minus this week, and an occasion spurt on drives with Mary) that I can talk about her when asked without breaking down completely. I can think back at things the kids have said about her and smile. And the compassion they have puts a smile on my face. Sure, I wish they didnt have to have that experience, but I know they are more caring, loving children because of it. I can see how far they have come as well. We love her and we miss her and would give anything to have her with us, but I know we are okay.

Tomorrow I am sure that we will put the CD of her service in for the drive up to the cemetary and down to orem for dinner. Listen to it a few times at least. Ya know, when we were at Larkin, and Hank (the guy who helped us) asked if we wanted an audio recording of her service. I said okay, but I secretly thought that was so weird. We have 5 CDs (all teh same) now and I am SO grateful to have them. Im sure we will also put in Glory Baby and listen to that a few times too. This is what we played at her service. The words are perfect and I will see if I can get it to play on here. If not, and you want to hear it, its on YOUTUBE.

One of the poems we read at her service is this one. I think its perfect.

Daddy Please don't look so sad, Momma please don't cry
Cause I am in the arms of Jesus and He sings me lullabies
Please, try not to question God, don't think he is unkind.
Don't think He sent me to you, and then He changed His mind.

You see, I am a Special child, and I'm needed up above.
I'm the Special gift you gave Him, the product of your love.
I'll always be there with you, and watch the sky at night.
Find the brightest star that's gleaming,That's my halo's brilliant light.

You'll see me in the morning frost, that mists your window pane.
That's me in the summer showers, I'll be dancing in the rain.
When you feel a little breeze, from a gentle wind that blows.
That's me, I'll be there, planting a kiss on your nose.
When you see a child playing, and your heart feels a little tug,
That's me, I'll be there Giving your heart a hug.

So daddy, please don't look so sad, momma don't you cry.
I'm in the arms of Jesus, and He sings me lullabies



We will go buy lots of balloons. Each kid will pick out some. We will get those and flowers and probably a stuffed animal or something. We will go to the cemetary and sing her Happy Birthday and decorate her headstone just like we did last year. (pics will come soon) We will each send a balloon up to her, and Im sure at least a few of us will cry. As we get in the car and drive away, at least one of the kids will say "Bye Bye Baby Savannah, we LOVE you" and blow a kiss just like they do everytime. And as we drive up and exit teh cemetary, we have to pass by Babyland again, and the kids will say it again, we all will. "ByeBye Baby Savannah, we LOVE you"

Happy Birthday baby girl! We love you!!!

Yep, we are still alive!

This will be REALLY short. I find that lately I have zero time to jump on here and just do nothing. I have a few things we are doing that we are very excited about!!!!

First, this Friday, Sage gets her Kindergarten shots. That isn't exciting, its sad to me. She is SO grown up!

We decided to cancel our trip to Texas. I decided I want to go at a time when either Farren can go with us (I wasnt keen on driving in a strange place alone) or when my sister could take time off work. So, we will still go, just at another time.

Instead I am taking the kids to Disney World for 8 days! We are staying on site and got a killer deal! I have spent HOURS making the kids their own unique autograph books, making ADRs for the places we want to eat, and planning our time. (I am hoping for a cancellation at OHANA's so we can have breakfast with Lilo and Stitch (Aspens fave) but so far, they are booked our entire stay.

Yesterday Farren, Aspen and Kyson went skiing. Kyson and Aspen both did great! This was Aspen's first time, and my Mom said she is the easiest of all the kids to pick it up. Im not surprised. That girl is a natural athlete. First time she tried a two-wheeler she did it, no falls. First time we threw her a ball, she hit it across the yard. She excels at all she does.

My last piece of things we have been doing, well, I just got back from taking the kids to Disney On Ice (can you tell we like Disney) It was a great show. Sage was SO adorable! When the skaters would come out and wave, she would wave back, and get SO excited, absolutely sure they were waving to her and her alone. That totally made her night!

Its going to be a busy week ahead of us again! I will put recent pictures up soon!

Ever the responsible one....

Recently, each of my children were given 25 dollars to spend on whatever they please. Yesterday morning we finished the household chores and headed to Toys R Us. Kyson knew, the moment he had the money what he was buying. Some Legos set.

Sage knew she wanted something, but wasnt sure what. After wandering the store, she left with a Disney Princess dish set (for her to use, not to play with) a set of Mickey Mouse bubbles, and a new Play-Dough set. I have NEVER seen a kid like Play-Dough the way she does. It is brought out every day and played with for hours.

Aspen told me from the beginning there is nothing she needs or wants. We got to the store and she showed Sage things she thought Sage might like, but never looked for anything for herself. She just wasn't interested. She may spy an interesting item, but would always stick to her guns, she wasn't buying anything.

Aspen is now the proud owner of her very own bank account that she opened with her very own money. That was her idea and her decision.

She always has been my most responsible child. I don't know of any other 6 year old who would take 25 dollars to Toys R Us and not spend a dime.