Airplane Thoughts

Sitting in this airplane
I nervously chew gum
as I glance at all the people
wondering if any has a gun.

My mind wanders back
to the flights in 2001,
when terrorists took over
and killed everyone.

I look at my sweet family
and say a little prayer,
for the turbulence is awful
today up in the air.

But despite all these fears,
sinus pressure and unease,
flying beats two days driving
and our trip to Florida was a breeze.

Missing Mickey Mouse

...and a few more pictures I simply could not resist sharing with you. Although we are all sick now, the trip was such a memorable experience. We are saving to go back- we did not have enough time to do it all. Disney World is the best family vacation and good for all ages. I miss Mickey Mouse already!

The Kid's Favorites

As promised, I will highlight what each of the kids liked most at Disney World. Pete and I loved everything- we truly can't say what was the best. Just watching our children have so much fun and seeing the looks on their faces as they explored each park was priceless.

Katie said she liked the "Festival of the Lion King" show at Animal Kingdom. Thanks to a friend, I had heard that this was a must see. The show was spectacular. Sorry the pictures didn't turn out too good, but I am getting a better camera soon.

Andrew liked the "Tom Sawyer Island" we rafted out to. We could have spent a whole day there, exploring all the amazing trails, tree-houses and kiddie play area. There even was a place to play Checkers. I was a little nervous as we walked over a rickety bridge because Drew had fallen on one in preschool (as stated in a previous post), but we ventured well.

Can you believe that out of all the parks, scary roller-coaster rides, spectacular firework shows and parades, Nicholas still liked swimming at the hotel the best? This really does not surprise me because when I was a kid the swimming pool was always my favorite part of our vacation!

P.S. Don't worry. Drew and I went to the coolest video arcade while they went swimming.

We're Back!

We had the most magical, fun, exciting, yet exhausting time at Disney World. Here are a few of the more than 250 pictures I took. I was just so excited to update you I could not wait another minute. So, when I get a chance to go through the photos, I will post more on the blog.
I don't even know where to begin, the trip was so awesome. Despite Drew's broken arm and Nick's cold (which we all have now), we managed to visit four theme parks and experience most of the highlights at each one (and nobody got lost- YAHOO). I have not walked that much in a very long time! We rode some of the best rides, saw some wonderful shows, and the fireworks at night- well those were beautiful and breathtaking.
Since it is the middle of the night (I was woken up by Katie who is coughing), I will stop for now and say, "Good night- I'm glad to be back." But tomorrow I will let you know what the highlights were, post more pictures and share with you what the kids loved most. How have you been?

Off to Disney World

I feel like I am in the process of moving. You know, the adrenaline rush from the chaos of all that has to be done. Only we are not moving, simply getting ready for our trip to Disney World. To make matters worse, Pete had a manager's meeting that required him to be out of town for two days. So I had to play single parent while packing a family of five, getting two dogs to the vet for boarding and having a piano recital in the midst of it all. But I survived, Pete got home earlier than expected and now we are packed and ready to head out at 4:00 AM. The hardest part of all of this was leaving Jake and Snowy at the vet (as you can tell by the picture). We usually only go out of town for one or two nights, so our neighbors and my parents help take care of them here at home. But since our fence is still not fixed after Ike and we will be gone a little longer, we felt it would be best to board our sweet pups. You should have seen the kids and I trying to get them into the van and through the vet's front door. The overly excited canines were yanking me this way and that as I tried to hold onto both of their leashes with all my might. At one point, they had me trapped inside their complex maze of intertwined dog leashes. To the outsider, I probably looked hilarious, but I was actually very stressed. I could just imagine them pulling too hard and getting loose. That would have been a nightmare. Luckily Jake and Snowie made it into the hands of their caretaker for the next several days. Hopefully they won't be too mad when we pick them up. In the meantime, we're off to Disney World. Can't wait to share everything when we get back. I hope the next few days treat you well, too!