Oh wow - it's Thursday already! Man how time flies - both when having fun and also when super busy!
I had all intentions of putting together a thorough trip report from our jam-packed trip to Orlando. I got so many great pictures and so many stories that I figured it would be no problem to put together a nice little summary to share accompanied by a collage with all our favorite pictures. Alas, as so often happens, there was a disconnect between my plans and my available time. Pesky life... getting in the way all the time!
We had such a great time. And yet, it was so exhausting that the end of the week was a welcome relief. Was our trip all that we hoped it would be? YES! We got to spend time together. We got to witness the joy of Disney through the eyes of four little boys who tend to see things in dramatically different ways. We were reminded once again how special family is and were so very thankful to get to spend such a special time with Berber and Pappy.
We also all got sick. And we fought some (expected) ridiculous crowds. We didn't get to see and do everything we wanted. And we remembered how hard it is to take care of small kids on a busy vacation. At the end of the week, we were all (I suspect) ready to return to our normal, comparatively boring, lives.
Does all that mean we regret the trip or will never go again. Oh HECK no!! We suck up the bad stuff and swallow the thoughts of what alternate plans would be like because of the kids. We deal with the aching feet and the arms sore from carrying around babies because in a very small number of years we won't be able to do that any more. We will plan another trip. We will pack up our changes of clothes and our rain gear and save for months again. We will plan and research and make reservations. We will daydream once more. Orlando, and Disney in particular although I will personally put SeaWorld a close second, has that kind of allure. For all the challenges a trip like that assuredly brings, there aren't many things that can stand up to experiencing Disney magic with kids.
It just so happens that one of the other special experiences of childhood was upon as during our trip, and has now kicked into high gear. Christmas!
Christmastime brings with it a special batch of extra chores. There's more shopping - oy vey... my poor credit cards! There's more cooking and baking - HELLO cookies! There are more activities - parties and traditions and chores. It's pretty easy to get caught up in all the extras and fail to remember the Christmas magic.
I consider myself doubly-blessed because we get to go through all the magic of Christmas all over again. Not only do the big guys (at least as far as I can tell) still believe, but "Bovy boys round 2" is starting to figure this all out too. Beck is still too little this year, but Zane... oh my! To Zane, Santa is DA MAN! He's so excited about the season. He rushes to turn on our outside lights every day. He talks constantly about Santa and snow and building snowmen (yeah, about that... Ga doesn't really have snow...). Zane is a little blonde reminder of why we do all those extras. And he just happens to be so high maintenance that he's not about to let anyone else forget either!
We got to see Santa while we were at Disney. That sentence right there is full of so much magic that I can hardly stand it. Couple that with the fact that the line to see him was shorter than you'll find in any mall around the country - Win Win - with a double-shot of WIN! The big boys surrounded Santa to share their wishes*. Zane grinned like a fool the whole time before sharing his biggest desire**. And Beckett, while not entirely sure about the whole thing, did not freak out at all. I suppose he figured that if his brothers were OK with the jolly old guy with the white beard, things must be A-OK. I really can't think of a better combination of magic than Disney and Santa!
* Spencer and Quinn had some lengthy discussions about what they were going to ask for this year. Spencer managed to figure out a way to "game" the system. He talked Quinn into asking for an Xbox game that he's dying to play, all the while telling Q that he was going to ask for more Xbox controllers that they would both get to use. When the time came, Spencer made Quinn go first and after Quinn followed through on the plan Spencer totally swapped his wish and asked for another Xbox game that he wants. Quinn just looked at him. Upon asking why the sudden change, Spencer's answer was very logical. He figured that the controllers would be much easier to obtain than the game, which is very popular. So he figured he'd give the heavy lifting to the jolly old elf. Sometimes he cracks me up!
** This goes into the book of things I never saw coming. Zane has requested a flashlight from Santa. I really have no idea why. He has never really played with a flashlight or asked for a flashlight. Honestly, I didn't even know he knew what a flashlight was. While an odd request, he's remained firm in his desire to see a flashlight under the Christmas tree. I put this Santa request right up there with the time Quinn asked for a messenger bag!!! Kids! They keep ya guessing! (PS - to any grandparents or other family reading this, please do not purchase a flashlight for Zane. Santa is going to bring him a special one and I don't want to ruin the surprise for him.) (PSS - to anyone out there who hasn't already had kids and doesn't already have a Santa tradition, limiting the Santa request to ONE item is totally the way to go! We will, obviously, get other things for our boys from us, but only one gift from Santa keeps down the stress in ways that I appreciate every SINGLE year!)
Have a fantastic week everyone! We'll be busy building up the excitement (and the magic) putting up our Christmas tree and kicking off our Advent Calendars. I love this time of year!
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