I'm back!

Okay...let's just address the giant elephant in the room.  Yes, I dropped off the face of the earth for four months. Sorry about that.  The thing is that life got busy and I missed a bunch of things that I really wanted to blog about and then I got overwhelmed by the prospect of catching up so I just didn't.  I'm super mad at myself because the whole purpose of this blog thing is to preserve memories for my fam and I have totally dropped the ball.  So...I've decided to just start anew today.  Yes....I missed some pretty amazing memories during my blog break but I'm determinded to not miss another moment so off I go.  Take two...

Disney Vacation 2012 Part Two

Just a few more of my favorite Disney trip moments...

I don’t have any pictures of this next favorite moment but fortunately I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.  This year Brynn was eager to try out some of the big kid rides.  I was a little nervous about this but Dan rode Thunder Mountain and thought that Brynn could handle it so off he went for a second ride with Brynn in tow.  Well…she LOVED it!!!  Disney has this great thing called “parent swap” (allows one parent to ride with the older child and then allows the other parent who is waiting with a smaller child to ride without standing in line) which allowed me to then hop on with Brynn.  I swear to you that I will never ever forget the look on Brynn’s face.  Her hands were in the air.  She had her mouth wide open screaming and giggling.  I couldn’t tell you much about the ride but the pure excitement and joy on her face will stick with me for a very long time.  It was just priceless.  I think Dan and I each rode that thing two more times with her.

Another favorite moment happened at Animal Kingdom.  Dan and I had a whole plan of action set up for that day which included getting to the park when it opened so that we could get in the beginning of the line to ride through the Safari.  The Safari ride is really the big thing at the Animal Kingdom and if you don’t get in line early you are either going to spend an hour in line or you are going to have to wait several hours for your fastpass time to come up.  So as planned, we got their early and were waiting in the front of the line at the park.  While waiting we chatted it up with a family from North Carolina who had two children slightly younger then our two. The North Carolina family had the same plan that we did.  They were also planning to race to the Safari ride in the hopes of a shorter line.  While we were talking one of the Cast Members approached us and started asking about our families and where we were from.  She then invited us and the other family to go into the park early and go on a private Safari ride.  So the eight of us were escorted into the park before it even opened and taken on the ride.  It was incredible!  It was drizzling just a bit and since no other cars had been through yet, there were animals everywhere.  A friendly giraffe literally walked right up to our jeep to say hello. 

Months ago we scheduled Brynn to get her Princess makeover.  When I scheduled her I also tried to get Colton in for a Prince Makeover but couldn’t get him in because he was too young.  A Prince Makeover includes getting his hair spiked and then getting a shield and sword.  Makeover day arrived and Colton was mad that Brynn was getting a makeover and he wasn’t (in hindsight I think he had no clue what the makeover was all about but just wanted to do whatever Brynn was doing because she was so excited).  So when we went to check Brynn in I asked if there was anyway they could squeeze Colton in.  The fairy Godmother (aka: receptionist) said yes!  Colton was thrilled for about 2.5 seconds and then we walked through the door.  I think he was overwhelmed by all of the people and cameras but he made it very clear that there was no way he would be participating in the makeover.  Even though he was having nothing to do with the hair they gave him his shield and sword and he lit up.  He was hysterical!  He immediately proclaimed himself Peter Pan and was fighting off dragons, pirates, princesses, costumes, photographers and parents.  He carried that little sword around the rest of the trip (and I do mean every single day).  He proudly showed it to every single prince and princess and other character he met.  Who knew how happy a little sword could make that boy?!

Just after being handed his "sworf" and shield.

Princess Brynn.  If you are wondering about the birthday sash, it was her half birthday.  Lol, Disney celebrates everything:)

Trying to get a picture of them together but Colton was busy slaying dragons or pirates

Ariel was very impressed with is sword

My final favorite Disney moment was when we met Repunzel.  Brynn was really excited to meet all of the characters this time and Repunzel was on her “must meet” list.  Colton liked the characters from afar but was a little nervous when they were up close.  He would shyly go and stand next to them and gave a few high fives but he would not talk to any of them.  So, when it was time to meet Repunzel we were not surprised by the look of awe on Brynn’s face as she ran up to give her a hug.  You could just tell that she was meeting a superstar.  We were however surprised when Colton also walked up to Repunzel and started talking a mile a minute.  He showed her is sword and told her that he had met Mickey in Disneytown.  He even let Repunzel hug him (though he also played it cool and kept one hand down with the sword and the other in his pocket).  It was adorable.  He must have decided that had gone pretty well because he then walked right over to Ariel and did the same thing. 

We ended up meeting Repunzel a second time so that Brynn could get a picture with her in her Repunzel dress.

I am so grateful for this adventure.  I know we made so many amazing memories there however I must say that last night as the four of us were snuggled up at home on the couch I realized that I was at the “happiest place on earth” right at homeJ

Happy boy

Happy Half Birthday Brynnie

The kids and Daddy with his favorite princess

Disney Vacation 2012

Two years ago, Dan and I took the kids to Disney.  We had an amazing time and actually started planning a return trip while we were there.  We knew it would take us some time to save up enough money again but we also knew that we wanted to come back before Colton turned 3 (so he could still go for free).  So we set the date for October 2012 and started saving immediately. About 6 months ago we put the deposit down on the trip and were all set to leave on November 5th (Dan's birthday).  At the time we booked the trip there was literally no action on our house so we could never have dreamed that we would end up moving into a new house, selling our house, and packing/leaving for Disney all within 10 days.  It was a logistical nightmare but there was no way we could reschedule the trip that all four of us had been dreaming about for 2 years. 

So on November 5th we stepped over the mountains of boxes still waiting patiently in our house and headed to Orlando for some fun with Mickey Mouse.  It was amazing!!!  We tend to live a seriously over-scheduled life and it was a much needed break from the daily rat race that we live.  For eight perfect days I was able to spend every single minute of the day with those people who mean the most to me.  We had a blast...we celebrated Dan's birthday with Mickey Mouse, celebrated Brynn's half-birthday with the Princesses, we swam at the pool, went to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party and saw Santa, watched fireworks and parades and just got caught up in all of the Disney magic.  I could go on about the trip for days but I'm going to limit it to just a few of my very favorite moments.

Our days in Disney tended to be long.  We got up early so we could be at the parks when they opened.  We would then come back to the hotel for some nap/pool time and then headed back out to a park.  We stayed out late most nights.  'The night of the Christmas party we actually stayed out until midnight.  There was just too much fun stuff to do! The next morning we also got up extra early because we wanted to take advantage of the extra Magic Hours at the Park (This is when the park is only open to those people staying at the Disney Resorts.  It's amazing because there are no lines for anything!).  After another long morning in the park we decided that it would probably be best for all of us if we just hung out at the resort that night and got to bed early.  We were all feeling pretty worn out.  So that night we hung at the resort and decided to check out the outdoor movie.  This ended up being one my favorite things that we did.  Everyone just laid out their towels and cuddled up to watch the Incredibles.  We didn't make it through the entire movie (we were seriously that tired) but I just loved that simple cuddle up time outside in gorgeous weather and picture perfect scenery. 

The new Fantasy World (aka:  Belle's world) is not open to the public yet.  We knew they were doing limited public viewings but every time we checked they were allowing vacation club members only.  On our third trip to the Magic Kingdom we happened to be walking by that area of the park and I heard the cast member say to someone else "This is a very limited time so if you want to see the it, I suggest you go in now."  I turned around to look for Dan, who was oblivious to all of this and shouted at him to follow and we practically ran through the gates."  I'm so glad we were able to sneak in.  We had lunch in the Beast's Castle (which was probably my favorite lunch of all), we got to ride the new Little Mermaid ride several times, we visited Gaston's Pub and got to visit Belle's cottage where Brynn played Chip in the show.  Everything was beautiful and the technology they have used in this part of the park is unbelievable!

The Beast's Castle

Just chilling in the Beast's chair

We love Gaston

Under the Sea

Colton caught a little cat nap

Brynn as Chip

Another one of my favorite night of the trip was the Christmas Party.  Dan and I gave some serious thought as to whether or not we wanted to attend this.  We weren't really sure if we wanted to spend the extra money but in the end we decided that it will probably be several years before we make it back to Disney and because I love all things Christmas we decided to just suck it up and go.  I am so incredibly glad we went.  We were able to see the Castle in the first official holiday lighting of the season.  It was amazeballs...seriously magical.  The Christmas parade was unlike anything I have ever seen.  A huge army of toy soldiers marched down the street.  The Floats actually had a scent. So, when the Candy Canes marched by, you could smell candy canes.  Too cool!  The kids were thrilled when Santa made an appearance and we all loved the free hot chocolate and cookies that were being handed out everywhere.  Lines to get on rides were literally non-existent and we even managed to get a second preview of Belle's world!  It made me want to go home and immediately decorate for Christmas.

The Castle decorated for Christmas

Woody's Christmas dance party. We were able to dance with Bullseye, Jessie and Woody. This may have been Colton's favorite part of the evening.

Watching the Christmas Parade

Yea...we partied like rock stars:)

I've still got a few more things I want to write about but this post is WAAAAYYY longer than I intended so I think a part two may be forthcoming...

We Moved!!!!

Guess what?  I have a power cord again and am eager to catch up on my blog and have lots of to tell you about…weddings, Halloween, moving, hurricanes, and Mickey Mouse…oh my!  Lol!  Our lives have been beyond crazy lately and I can’t wait to fill you in on the details!

Let me start by telling you that WE HAVE MOVED!  I pray to sweet baby Jesus that we NEVER have to sell a house again!  It was unbelievably stressful!  I think the last I updated, we were waiting on the appraisal.  That ended up turning out great and we were all amped up to settle on Nov 1^st.  Our realtor gave us the green light to move into the rental house so we moved in on Saturday.  We had thought that we would have the entire weekend to move stuff but the weather Gods had other plans.  Hurricane Sandy decided to make an unwelcome visit to Delaware.  Things were looking very grim but thanks to our family and friends we were able to get all of the boxes/furniture/crap into the rental house in one day (Thank you, thank you, thank you family and friends!!!). 

Hurricane Sandy rolled in on Sunday so we spent all of the yucky weather in the rental house unpacking boxes.  We even got two extra days off of work to unpack.  That was a huge help but it still looks like the hurricane was INSIDE the house.

The rental house made out great!  We stayed warm and dry the entire time.  We lost electricity for only a few hours and that was in the middle of the night so we didn’t even miss it. We were particularly stressed out about the Seaford house.  It was hard not being there and knowing what was happening to that house.  We knew that any damages to the house could result in the delay of the settlement or it being canceled all together.  But even that stress was secondary to worrying about our family in New Jersey.  In the grand scheme of things everyone is okay but some of them JUST got their electricity back.  I hope I never see another hurricane like that again!  My heart just breaks for all of those who lost homes and family members. 

The Seaford house ended up doing okay. We did get a little bit of water in the basement but it wasn’t anything that we couldn’t clean up within a couple of days.  However, we then got work from our realtor that there would be no real estate closing happening that week.  I’m not sure I even understand it but apparently there was a possibility that FEMA would be declaring some areas a disaster area and due to that we had to wait to see what counties were affected.  We also needed to have a second inspection that would ensure that there was not damage to our house.  However, somehow by the grace of God we ended up getting the go ahead to go to settlement Friday (just a day late).We still aren’t quite sure how they were able to get us through but we suspect it was because the bank had already cut the check to the buyers.

We still aren’t unpacked but we are so happy to be back home in Felton.  This downsizing to make all of our stuff fit in a smaller house has been quite the challenge but I'm working on it and every single morning I thank God for my much shorter commute to work!

Family Portraits

I LOVE pictures and yet I have a precious few of the four of us all together.  I have been saying pretty much since the time that Colton was born that we needed to get a nice family portrait of us together.  I really wanted something done outside and during the fall.  One of my cousins started doing family portraits about a year and a half ago.  I saw the work she was doing and immediately fell in love.  So, last October I scheduled an appointment to get family photos done.  On the day before our appointment one of the children got really sick so we canceled.  Things then got really crazy for us so we decided to put the pictures off until the spring.  We scheduled a spring appointment (requiring a different set of outfits due to the season change) and the day of our appointment came and so did a monsoon.  So, we scheduled pictures for the following weekend.  A couple of days before our next appointment my cousin called to tell me that she was having some major problems with her editing site and was going to take a break from doing photos for awhile.  She recommended someone else but honestly I preferred Becky's photos so I just never followed up with it.  A couple of months later Becky contacted me and told me she was up and running again.  Yay!!!!  I briefly considered doing some summer pics on the beach but decided to just hold out until the fall.  We scheduled our fall appointment (requiring the third set of outfits) and then the week before Dan reminded me that he was running the Tough Mudder that morning.  I canceled again, telling Becky that I felt like this was never going to work out!  She promised that we would make it work and so we scheduled yet another appointment for last weekend . 

We awoke to a picture perfect Fall Day and neither of the children had fevers.  Whoo Hoo!  Halfway there!  So after a year of trying we FINALLY managed to get family portraits done.  I wish I could tell you that things went smoothly but Colton went into full head spinning monster mode from the very second we got there.  For whatever reason he did NOT want his picture taken and he was about as uncooperative as he has ever been.  We tried every form of bribery that we could think of and nothing worked.  Becky was super patient the entire time, even when Colton was screaming "NOOOOOOO!" at the top of his lungs.  We didn't get very many pictures of Colton alone but we did get some great photos of Brynn and a couple of the much sought after family pictures that I so desperately wanted.  She even managed to capture Colton looking somewhat angelic in a few pictures (I'm guessing there was a lot of photoshop involved!).  So it took a year of planning, 3 sets of outfits, and a somewhat stressful morning but in the end it was worth it.  It's a really good thing because it will probably be a LONG time before I undertake that little project again.

If you need family pictures taken please check out "Simply Photos By Rebecca Calvello" on Facebook.  She is super reasonable, unbelievably patient and does great work!

We're Moving...Maybe...

So I know we have been pretty hush, hush about our pending move but that is mostly because we still are not 100% sure that we are moving (and we are afraid to jinx ourselves).  That's right...we are officially 4 days from "moving day" and we are still waiting to hear from our realtor as to whether or not we can sign a lease.  Being the planner that I am, this is all a little more stress than I can handle.  We have made it through the home inspection, the buyers are conditionally approved for the loan...and therein lies the hold up.  They were "conditionally approved" pending the outcome of the appraisal.  For some reason the appraisal was not scheduled until last week and we are now just waiting on the lender to get back to us.  Apparently the lender and the realtors do not feel the same sense of urgency that we do (Seriously people?!  We don't know where our kids will be sleeping in 4 days!!!!)  We have been told that the lender believes that all is well but we have not seen anything in writing.  

So where does that leave us you may ask?  It leaves us in this all consuming sense of wait.  At this point our house is mostly packed.  This may seem pre-emptive but who can pack up their entire house in 3 days?  Not us!  So we had no choice but to take a leap of faith (or a gamble? You decided.) and just start packing. We have told the children that we are moving (my children need time to get used to big changes).  We took another huge gamble but putting a deposit on a rental house.  The non-refundable deposit took the house off the market for a couple of weeks so that we have time to discover whether or not we can actually sign the lease.  The bright side of that is that if the sale does go through we will have a place to live in 4 days.

So in 4 days we will either be moving into our rental home or we will be at our current house with everything packed in boxes, two children who are expecting to move, and we will have lost our deposit!  Sigh...at least we didn't pack the wine yet!

Please keep us in your prayers!

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Karchner!!!

I bet you thought I had given up on blogging.  I haven't.  I was really boycotting in the hopes of getting my husband to get me that long ago promised power cord for my laptop.  He hasn't gotten me the power cord yet and now I'm just stressed with how far behind I am.  So the new plan is to go ahead and blog and then I will have to upload pictures whenever Dan takes care of the power cord....or when I get frustrated and just take care of it myself!

So…it was a huge weekend for the String Family!  I have a new brother-in-law!  That's right Patty and Ross have officially tied the knot!  Everything was just perfect.  When we got to the ceremony site, it started sprinkling so the ceremony was moved inside.  Then about 10 minutes before the ceremony we were taking pictures outside in absolutely gorgeous weather and my Sister-in-law, Leigh, managed to convince the venue to move everything back outside.  The weather was picture perfect for the ceremony!  It was such a perfect day.  Patty looked amazing (and Ross wasn't too shabby either).  All of the kids actually cooperated for the ceremony (it was looking iffy at rehearsal).  We all had an amazing time.  I can't wait to get my pictures uploaded!!!

Congratulations Patty and Ross!