Disneyworld- Animal KingdomOn this day we slept in a bit since this Park had bigger rides that Dylan couldn't ride. We got there at about 9 am and met everyone at the Safari. It was a cold morning, but nonetheless, it was fun! The safari was great. We saw elephants, giraffes, rhinos, hippos, monkeys, ostrich's, and even a leopard was out standing on a rock for all to see. The kids loved the animals, and my husband LOVED the driver! :) Ester, or Enos, or Ella from Chicago, you have found your number one fan!
Dylan and Charlotte together again!The kids were sitting outside the safari while we were deciding what to do next and when I went to get them I noticed Dylan was eating a piece of gum. I proceeded to ask him, "Dylan, where did you get that gum?" His response was,"I got it off the ground mommy". Awesome.
We went to fast pass Expedition Everest. Is that the name? The kids and I could not go on it, but Cameron could and I didn't want him to miss it. He went a few times with everyone while I stayed back with the kiddos. This was his favorite ride of all the parks (it apparently goes backwards in the dark). FUN! The kids got these adorable abominable snowmen to show for it. Imagine sleeping with one of those things, freaky! We then went to Dinosaurland where the rides were once again too big for my kiddos, so we went on a triceratops spin with the little ones. This made up for the loss of Dumbo at Magic Kingdom.
Our favorite show of all the parks was here, at this park. The Festival of the Lion King was amazing!It felt as if we were at a Broadway show! The music was excellent, the acrobatics were amazing and overall it was two big thumbs up. It even kept Sydney entertained. WOOT! One last shot of the Mountain on the way out. We got lost and went the wrong way, but at least we had a cute photo op (and a long tired drawn out argument on the way out Ugh! "I told you it was this way!") The day was ended with a nice dinner at Chevy's for Casey's birthday, and a trip to downtown Disney with the girls.
We were told that Christmas is the absolute busiest time to come to the parks, and so we began our day at 6:30 every morning in order to beat the crowds. Getting to the parks before opening was the key to no lines (for the first 2-3 hours anyway). On the first day we decided to follow the crowd of bigger kids (The Silva's and Curtis's) and instead of working Dylan's way up to the big rides, we decided to just throw him into it right away so that he could beat the lines later in the day. It was a great decision, as he wasn't scared at all! We went on Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain 2-3 times each morning before all the people came, it was awesome!
We all wore our red Mount shirts that were given to us on Christmas by g-ma and g-pa which made it easy to spot each other in the crowds. (After the first day of realizing how easy it would be to get lost, we decided to wear the shirts nearly everyday, they were perfect!). I wrote our phone number on Dylan's hands every day and told him to show his hands to people if he got lost. It worked, kind of...he was lost for about 3 minutes and he ran up to me nearly crying and said, "mommy, my phone numbers wiped off my hands and I got lost". He wasn't really lost, (just behind us in line a bit) and you could still read the number (faintly), but it was good to see that he knew what to do!
Dylan went on Big Thunder Mountain first. He loved it! I knew he would love the train but I wasn't sure how he would like the fast pace. Cameron went with him (since I am prego) and asked Dylan in the beginning, "You know what we do when we are having fun? We scream!" So, Dylan followed suit and screamed the entire time. He LOVED it! WOOHOO DD! It wasn't until the very next ride, Splash Mountain that he repeated this line to me, "mommy, I am screaming because I am having so much fun!"
Ali waited with Syd while we walked onto Splash Mountain. So happy!
I was so excited to see Dylan's face on this ride, it has always been a favorite of mine. This picture is proof of his terror going down the big hill. EEK! He didn't make a peep when he was scared. There were no cries, screams, or whines, just this face. Afterwards he turned to me and said, "lets go again mommy!" He rode this ride again and again until the very last day, last ride when he said, "I am scared of the dark eyes, I don't want to go again". Funny how it wasn't until later that he realized he was scared.
(I get a kick outta Madison in this pic too, does she think she is going deep sea diving?)
Charlotte and Dylan were tied at the hip throughout the week. They are a couple of trouble makers! (We found them eating a butt load of candy in Alison's closet before we left. Dylan's response was, "mommy, but charlotte knows how to open the candies!")
Mickey's Philharmagic with the Mounts
This show was so much fun. It was one of my favorites for sure.
After the Philharmagic we headed over to Pirates of the Carribean. It was here that my child had her first and last total breakdown. While we were in line Syd started screaming and it was then that we should have just gotten out of line. Usually we can find something to calm her with so I figured she would get on the ride and see the fun scenes and quiet down. WRONG! She screamed the entire time, and after getting off, we ran with her to go find a quiet place (which of course was NO WHERE to be found). It was horrible. She was screaming bloody murder and it was so crowded that we were stuck walking in herds of people trying to find a place, any place that might be quiet. Cameron and I were nearly losing it ourselves, I can't remember ever a moment where my kids cried this loud and for this long...it was so sad, she was just so tired. I remember just standing there looking around racking our brains thinking, "what we could do?" (It would have taken 20 minutes just to walk to the entrance of the park, and there literally wasn't a bathroom or 2 foot space without people in it). It was then that we saw the train that goes around and around the park. We just left our stroller and everything that we had right there and got on ASAP (this kid was screaming out of control!) We had nothing to lose. As soon as we got on the train, Sydney settled down and fell asleep in Cameron's arms (which in her 19 months of life has probably happened 3 times). We rode the train around the entire park (20 minutes) and not only did it soothe her, but Dylan was once again in heaven. It was a miracle that we were able to find something to quiet her down, I was about to have a meltdown myself! Thank goodness for that train!
The Christmas Parade was great for my little ones. We split off from the group to see this and we all loved it. We saw every Disney character! It was picture perfect watching it take place right in front of the castle too. I don't ever remember watcing parades at Disneyland since that is when the lines get shorter for rides, but it was fantastic, I felt like a kid again watcing it!
The toy soldiers were awesome. I was so amazed at how people were able to walk in those suits and not topple over. If you look close the entire thing is made out of hard plastic and even the shoes are huge...they have weights in them to make loud noises as they walk. Pretty impressive!
During the long lines we opted for something easy and fun for both kids. What is better than a carousel? Dude, am I pregnant or what? HUGE!
When you ask Dylan what his favorite ride was he says, Big Thunder Mountain and Peter Pan. He loved flying over the city in Peter Pan, and since getting back, he insists on me reading the story to him every night before bed.
I have always liked Disneyland but have never really been obsessed with it. I do have to say though, as we were leaving the park this first night I turned to Cameron and said, "there really is something magical about this place isn't there?" The lights are amazing, the castle is gorgeous, and just the vibe is just so wonderful. When we turned the corner and saw the castle all lit up it literally took my breath away. Amazing!
Wow, I don't think we had enough gifts under the tree? Santa Came!
Stockings!Presents!Bigger Presents!Tearful Presents! The Mounts made a book of remembrance of their home in Goleta, Ca that was sold this last year. Every page was dedicated to a specific child and had pictures and words about their childhood experiences (Cameron's page even had the Goleta mistress on it, Heep!) It was very sweet, and very fun reading and singing every page together. Thanks G-mama and G-papa!
Christmas Zzzzzz's! Moody Faces!
And a cute story! As Dylan was leaving Grandma's house he ran to get a magazine with Santa on it. As he came out the door grandma said, "what is that Dylan?" "It's a Santa book grandma, can I have it?" She thought for a minute and said, "sure you can take that". When Dylan got home he came in to show Cameron his new magazine and he said, "well, grandma's face said she didn't want me to have it, but she still let me have it." It was super cute, he is so observant! Smarty pants!
14 Kids + 12 Adults= A completely fun and chaotic Christmas Eve. We had everyone in town together on Christmas Eve at g-mamas and g-papas house. We went caroling, we ate food, and we TRIED to sleep. Dylan's cousin Charlotte came into town from West Virginia and he was in HEAVEN. He slept over with her earlier on the week (his first ever sleep over with a friend). I love having cousins so close in age, it makes visiting even that much better!Here is daddy and DD caroling together at the Brownson's. "Santa claus is comin' to town!"After caroling came present time! The Mount tradition is PJ's on Christmas. The Mount family (Jason and Heidi) went home to sleep (because they were much smarter than I), so here are all of the other kids and granparents in their jammies. My kids had Minnie and Mickey jammies to prepare them for the crazy Walt Disney World Vacation that was only days away.All of the kids slept in the game room upstairs, but surprise, Dylan and Charlotte were the two who had the hardest time closing their eyes. We put them in a seperate room so that the older kids could sleep, and minutes after we did this we came back up to check on them and they were sound asleep, together. So cute!
Christmas festivities began weeks ago, but we are just finally getting to post about it. I will begin with the Christmas ward party in which the kids talked with Santa and took part in their first nativity.
Just a side note: Dylan had been a little pill during the weeks leading up to Christmas, call it excitement or terrible threes, but when he received a video email from Santa himself who said and I quote, "I hear you have been a good little boy Dylan", it got even worse. After hearing this message, Dylan no longer responded to the, "you have to be a good boy or Santa won't come" threat. Whenever I said that, he quickly responded with, "well Santa already told me I was a good little boy mommy, and that he would get me a special present!" Ugh. So on the days leading up to the ward party I was at my wits end with this child and I told him that Santa and I were very sad and dissapointed in his behavior and that he needed to say he was sorry if he wanted to get any presents from Santa this year. So when he got to church, he slowly and shyly walked up to Santa and said, "I'm sorry for being a bad boy Santa". Santa forgave him and he came running into my arms with a big smile on his face because he was going to get his "special present" from Santa this year.This year the primary children all took part in the telling of the Nativity Story. Dylan dressed up as a cow and sat quietly and patiently the entire time. I couldn't believe it! He even sang some of the songs. He moved up to Primary last week and is loving it! He is finally out of baby nursery with his little sister!Sydney couldn't get enough of Baby Jesus's eye that night. She loves baby dolls, and she loves saying her new favorite word, "eye". (She does still get confused between the eye and the nose though when she says it, bless her heart :)The night ended with us being serenaded by a ukulele quartet. Cameron of course was in it along with our good friends Clay, Dylan, Forrest, and my Dylan. They sounded fabulous! What handsome and talented men!
Dylan recently got a new BIG BOY BED! After about a month of Dylan falling asleep on the floor due to his feet touching to edge of the bed, we decided to hunker down and get Dylan a new bed. He seriously would throw fits at night because he was "too big for his baby bed". Ughh, gimmie a break! So alas, we found this bed on Craigslist and had to get it. We were looking for something that would work when Sydney moved in and that would create more room. This bed is perfect! The house part is a bit huge, but I love that it hides ALL the toys! When Sydney moves in we will either put her toddler bed off to the side, or put a mattress right on the floor under the bed, (so she would be inches off the floor). Perfect right? If only the colors were a bit more feminine...but I guess red and blue will have to work with a coed room. If you find any fabrics or fun ideas send them my way...I need to do something in there! For now, the kids are OBSESSED ith the slide. It keeps them busy for 30 minutes at a time...what a life saver! I just have to be careful that Dylan doesn't crush Syd. NO MORE BROKEN ELBOWS! Every now and again Dylan will go stand on his bed and yell, "this is the very best bed in the whole world!" Is he spoiled or what!?
I am a SAHM who started this blog as a way to journal about our everyday lives. There are so many sweet moments that I don't ever want to forget, and so I write. Some may judge or hate me for being so honest, or for my parenting techniques, while others might learn a thing here or there. I am just me, open and honest, doing the best that I can. Motherhood is hard and it is a learning process. Hopefully my kids will look back and read this years from now and laugh at all that they put their parents through.
1)I am a Gemini 2)I thought I was going to be eaten by a shark at age 11…I have a huge scar on my leg to prove it 3)I exaggerate and say things I shouldn't when I am nervous 4) I have always wanted to be in a choir 5) My greatest fear is to not be important to those I love 6)I didn’t go in the ocean for about 5 years…refer to number two 7)I LOVE picking (zits, hairs, nails, anything really...nasty I know) 8)I make smoothies at least once a day 9)I am still afraid of the dark (only when I am completely alone) 10) I hate feeling stupid 11) I bite my finger nails 12)I grind my teeth when I sleep 13) I am VERY opinionated but I refrain from sharing it (most of the time) 14) I love art, but I suck at it 15) I have accidentally peed in public at least 10 times since the age of 8 16) I have a real drinking problem that has nothing to do with alcohol 17) I can’t keep my sneezes quiet 18) I have never liked my hair 19) I am OCD about melted ice cream 20) I nannied Rob Lowes nephews in college 21) Met Terri Hatcher for a job and Cameron couldn't resist talking to her about her Seinfeld "real and fantastic" role 22) Some of my friends call me cheap, mostly because its true 23) I am almost unbeatable at Dr. Mario 24) I have witnessed two seperate deaths 25) I love Tae Bo 26)I am addicted to all sports 27) I am terrified of snakes 28) I sing and make up my own lyrics when I am alone 29)I was born on my mothers birthday 30) I broke my back water skiing at age 12 31) I have had 12 moles removed 31) I actually prefer silence to music (especially with two kids, how on earth did Cameron marry me?) 32) the piano is my favorite instrument 33) I was voted most inspirational in college (on my volleyball team) 34) If I were a boy I would have been Brady West 35)I am really shy upon first meeting you (I know, who would have thought right?) 36) My sister is “my person” 37) I cry often when I am moved 38) I am getting quite good at forgiving everyone but myself 39) I am a BEAST when I am tired 40) I have stood at the top of the stairs with a knife threatening to hurt whoever was in my house on more than one occasion 41) I am allergic to deodorant 42) I am going to be an Labor and Delivery Nurse one day 43)My biggest pet peeve is inappropriate cell phone use 44) I get overwhelmed easily (why do I have three kids again?) 45) I hate being misunderstood 46)I thrive on spontaneity 47) I broke my arm falling off a skateboard (from the sitting position) 48) I love self help books 49) I hate public speaking 50) I have superhero strength when I a disaster strikes…seriously 50) I have had 4 piercings 51) I have always gotten out of my speeding tickets 52) I love Christmas music 53) My love language is quality time 52) I have had Pityriasis rosea 53) I broke my friends arm in 6th grade letting go of her at the skating rink *oops* 54) I tap dance in place when I am bored 55) I like to self diagnose...its a problem. 56) I think feet are the ugliest part of the human body 57) I am Young Women's president in my church 58) Laughter is my therapy 59) My kids are the cutest kids on the planet 60) I have a problem with locking my keys in the car 61)I backpacked Europe for nearly three months after living in Portugal and playing semi-professional volleyball 62)I sucked my index finger as a kid until they had to put a metal contraption in my mouth to get me to stop...this is the same finger that Sydney sucks on 63) I don't like animals,(In high school, I had to bring my dog by myself to the pound to be put to sleep, I have never recovered) 64) nothing makes me feel more sick to my stomach than running over an animal in the street 65) People who wink a lot freak me out 66) my favorite piece of furniture is my bed 66) My most treasured object in my home is the Starry Night painting my mom painted 67) I have purposely called 911 twice in my life 68)I don't eat breakfast 69)I have cheated death twice 70) I have driven in an ambulance 71)I have had lice 6 times in my life (I shared helmets in softball) 72)I have severe anxiety which makes me a bit crazy at times (refer to 78) 73) I am very sentimental 74)I hate when I can't do something physically 75)I absolutely hate raisins, they look wrong 76)I can't multi task 77)I was voted most athletic in my high school 78) I am a kid at heart and am kinda spazzy (to the point that people sometimes question weather I am drunk or not) 79) I am obsessed with Sees Bordeaux and select truffles (the raspberry, key lime, and lemon, yumm!) 80) I love sleeping just so I can dream...my dreams are good! 81) My favorite candies are tootsie rolls.
On this day we slept in a bit since this Park had bigger rides that Dylan couldn't ride. We got there at about 9 am and met everyone at the Safari. It was a cold morning, but nonetheless, it was fun! The safari was great. We saw elephants, giraffes, rhinos, hippos, monkeys, ostrich's, and even a leopard was out standing on a rock for all to see. The kids loved the animals, and my husband LOVED the driver! :) Ester, or Enos, or Ella from Chicago, you have found your number one fan!
On this day we slept in a bit since this Park had bigger rides that Dylan couldn't ride. We got there at about 9 am and met everyone at the Safari. It was a cold morning, but nonetheless, it was fun! The safari was great. We saw elephants, giraffes, rhinos, hippos, monkeys, ostrich's, and even a leopard was out standing on a rock for all to see. The kids loved the animals, and my husband LOVED the driver! :) Ester, or Enos, or Ella from Chicago, you have found your number one fan!
Dylan and Charlotte together again!
The kids were sitting outside the safari while we were deciding what to do next and when I went to get them I noticed Dylan was eating a piece of gum. I proceeded to ask him, "Dylan, where did you get that gum?" His response was,"I got it off the ground mommy". Awesome.
We went to fast pass Expedition Everest. Is that the name? The kids and I could not go on it, but Cameron could and I didn't want him to miss it. He went a few times with everyone while I stayed back with the kiddos. This was his favorite ride of all the parks (it apparently goes backwards in the dark). FUN! The kids got these adorable abominable snowmen to show for it. Imagine sleeping with one of those things, freaky!
We then went to Dinosaurland where the rides were once again too big for my kiddos, so we went on a triceratops spin with the little ones. This made up for the loss of Dumbo at Magic Kingdom. 
Our favorite show of all the parks was here, at this park. The Festival of 
It felt as if we were at a Broadway show! The music was excellent, the acrobatics were amazing and overall it was two big thumbs up. It even kept Sydney entertained. WOOT!
One last shot of the Mountain on the way out. We got lost and went the wrong way, but at least we had a cute photo op (and a long tired drawn out argument on the way out Ugh! "I told you it was this way!")
The day was ended with a nice dinner at Chevy's for Casey's birthday, and a trip to downtown Disney with the girls.
Ali waited with Syd while we walked onto Splash Mountain. So happy!
