Disney World - Day 1

I'm much slower in this process than I thought I would be.. But regardless.. here we go!

We headed to Richmond on Tuesday afternoon because we could stay with my parents (THANKS Mom and Dad!) and get a direct 1.5 hour flight from RIC to Orlando for cheap :)  I almost always fly Jet Blue or Airtran because of the airfare.. and now that we have to pay for Burke its worth saving!  Also, they offer direct flights and we can be there early in the morning (9 am) and be back late at night (9-11pm), so I don't feel like we waste days traveling!  Burke enjoyed his "first" plane ride!  He was so well behaved, I hope it's always that easy :)  This was actually his 3rd, but he doesn't remember the first two!

Our flight headed out on Wednesday morning at 7am.  It made for a really early morning and no one could really sleep, but on the bright side, we were at our hotel (Wilderness Lodge - which we highly recommend!) by 10:00am and at the Magic Kingdom by 11am.  We were able to check-in when we got there, so we headed to our room and unpacked a little and got ready for the day.  We didn't have luggage, since Disney picks it up at the airport and transports it for you (LOVE this service) so we headed to Magic Kingdom to start our trip!

We enjoyed a boat ride over, which was exciting for Burke (who had never been on one - that he remembered - before).  Then walked in and saw the "castle."  Burke knows the castle from the beginning of Disney movies, so it was exciting for me to hear him yell "castle" when we saw it.  He still talks about going to "the castle and see Mickey Mouse." Burke was scheduled for his first ever haircut that day too!  I was really excited to have his first hair cut on Main Street USA!

We went first for the Buzz Lightyear ride, which we knew he would love.  We stopped by the castle for some pics and they were having a show so watched that first.  Burke seemed very interested in the show (Mickey, Minnie, etc), so it was nice to catch a bit of it on our way in.  The Buzz ride didn't have a long line at all so we headed straight in!  As for the ride itself, he wasn't scared but a little unsure of what was going on. 

After the ride, Buzz was signing autographs so we got in line for our first character experience.  It was pretty great! You never know how little ones will react to characters and I was REALLY hoping Burke would love it.  He loves Buzz so much, but he is a pretty big guy, especially to a little boy! Burke ran right up to him and gave him a high five and hug.. We took pics and mommy almost cried! 

 

After Buzz, we grabbed some lunch, then headed for Burke's haircut.  The lady who cut it did a good job (let's be honest - he didn't have much to cut!) but Burke wasn't so sure and I was impressed with how quickly she was able to do it and the way she was able to keep him distracted.  They give you Mickey ears that say first haircut, some hair and a certificate.. It was a great way to start the trip!  I have to say, he looks a little older to me, but his hair also looks a lot thicker!  Poor kid is 26 months and just had his first haircut!  I will probably have all of my kids first haircuts on Main Street USA! And if you are wondering.. It "only"  cost $18, but you do get embroidered Mickey ears (worth about $15 anyway)! After the first haircut, we ran into a parade, had prime viewing then headed back to the boat for a ride to our room for naps and pool time!

 

 

Parade time!

After a solid nap for all, we headed to dinner at Kona Cafe at the Polynesian.  It was a totally new place for us, but the food was great and Burke was well behaved!  We'll definitely be going back to eat there.  After dinner we headed back to MK for some time in the park.  We rode some of the kiddie rides and Haunted Mansion (Burke was scared to death!).

We stayed for the light parade, which is always fun!! 

It was quite a GREAT first day!  But we were ready for bed :)

Disney World...

Back in July I told Brian that I desperately wanted another trip to Disney World.. We debated whether to go in September (before my 30 week cut-off of no traveling) or wait until baby was here and go in January or May.  Burke was a very easy baby, but the thought of taking all the "baby stuff" and we decided September it was.  This was also the first trip (Burke's 3rd) that is was just the 3 of us.. before we had gone with my parents.  We had some great trips with my family, but I was happy to have one last trip with just the 3 of us before we had another baby.  I was really excited when we finally booked it and super thrilled as the date got closer. 

Well, last week was it!  It was by far the BEST disney trip I have ever had! Now, that being said, we've had some amazing experiences and I do love it.. but there is something totally different and magical about taking your 2 year old to a place of dreams.  Watching through their eyes the "realness" of everything!  People tell me all the time, we are crazy for taking him so young, since he won't remember.. but my answer is simple.. we will remember!  I will ALWAYS remember his face when he saw Mickey Mouse for the first time.  The awe of the castle and his amazement in Buzz Lightyear (his favorite!) and the amazing experience with Woody crawling around the floor playing figurines with him... Every morning we asked him what he wanted to do and his response was "go to castle and see mickey mouse." It was an amazing experience and I am so glad we did it!

I am going to try my hardest to chronicle each day, so I have records :)  We do have lots of pictures, so I am excited to share those too!

i'm terrible at this..

This blog has definitely taken a backseat to life these days.. Our days are filled with work, work and more work and I can barely keep up!

We are doing great.  Summer is slowly coming to an end.. The kids go back to school on Wednesday and camps are over, which allows for a lot more family time!  We'll be headed to Disney World in one month and I've never been so excited! This will be our first trip with just the three of us and although we will miss my parents and sisters, I'm excited to spend one last week in Disney World as a family of three.  The next time we head to Disney World we will be a family of four!  We are going right before the 30 week cut-off (for those who remember, Burke was 6 weeks early and I was in the hospital even before that, so I have stricter rules this time) and it should definitely be hot!  But we'll be taking it easy, swimming and enjoying some family time.  I would say its definitely deserved after my 70+ hour work weeks over and over again!

Over the last month, I feel like Burke has grown up so much.  His vocabulary is amazing, he knows his colors (well most), shapes, loves reading and doing puzzles.. but his favorite is still anything buzz or trains :)  We are in the process of preparing his "big boy" room and are getting excited about the new baby! 

We're doing well.. just staying busy...

More to come later :)

Burke is 2!!

I have been terrible at blogging over the last few months, but really wanted to get something up for Burke's birthday!  It's sooooo hard to believe he is already two!  It's a little sad, but he is such a good little boy and so fun to play with.  We love this stage!  He's been going to daycare since May 16 and seems to enjoy it (minus drop-off).  He loves spending his days/evenings at the pool with mommy and daddy. And we LOVE taking him to the pool.  It's so nice for Brian and Burke to come visit me at work and have dinner together.  For those who don't know.. being the youth and recreation director at a country club results in 75+ hour work weeks in the summer.  I miss seeing my boys, but it's so nice that they can come to the pool! 

I'm sorry to say I can't post pictures from this computer, but will try over the next few days!  All our pictures are loaded onto Brian's camera.   Burke had his two year check-up yesterday.  Doctor was impressed with his weight gain (finally on the charts, but still not cracker 25lbs) and said he seems perfect!  Made me happy.. he did ask if he was reading on his own and my face must have said it all.. But really he just meant does he "read"/look through books on his own. 

We did a combined birthday party this past weekend at the pool with Wyatt and Ethan.  The boys all share a birthday week, so we decided to combine it!  It was sooo fun!  I'll post pictures soon!

At 2 years old:

- Burke is 24 lbs 6 oz  (fully clothed with diaper and two trains in hand) and 33 inches tall
- He's wearing 18 months clothes and a size 4 diaper (and only b/c we ran our out of 3 so moved him up), he does wear some 24 months things, but in pants/shorts he can still fit in 6-12 months too!
- He LOVES running around and being free! I am constantly chasing the man... he's pretty dag on fast
- His favorite foods are cheese enchiladas, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, ANY fruits, pizza, mashed potatoes and "cookies" (which translates to sweet things)
- He knows most animal sounds now - my favorite is still a horse. We totally need to get it on film!
-He has a pretty extensive vocabulary, but still has rambles too :) His favorite phrase is "what's that?"
- He really loves playing with his train set, buzz lightyear/woody, reading books and cars
-He would probably watch TV all day everyday if we let him!
- He loves going to the park and sliding!
- Sleeps about 11-12 hours at night and takes a good 3 hour nap...


Hopefully I'll be back soon!

Number 2?!?

In case you missed the previous posts (well the picture of Burke anyway).. We are super excited to announce we are expecting!!!  Burke will be a big brother in November (due date is November 29th.. Let's say a prayer this baby waits and doesn't decide 32 weeks is okay like it's brother!).  I'm only 12 weeks pregnant, but we don't plan on finding out the gender.  We didn't with Burke and loved it, so we won't again!  We'll just decide on a gender neutral name and go with it.  Can't wait!!!

Birthday weekend..

I need to do a better job of keeping up with this blog and journaling our lives! This past weekend I turned the big 2-9, so it was  weekend of fun! I do have pictures on the camera, but am too lazy to post them.

Friday night, Ashley watched Burke so we could head out on a date.  Brian and I NEVER go out, but he planned a night out for my birthday!  It was nice to have him plan it all (babysitter included!).  We went for Mexican, a little shopping and then went to the movies.  I have been to the movies FOUR times since Burke was born.  It's quite sad, b/c I love going, but having children really changes things.  Brian and I used to go at least once a month, if not once a week (that's also when we had student discounts and tickets weren't $10 - seriously?).  We went and saw Bridemaids.. It was a GREAT movie! I can't say I even saw trailers before hand, but I did hear on the radio that morning it was good, so we decided to try it out.  I would easily pay another $10 to see it again.  And Brian even loved it too! 

Saturday was a bit rainy and yucky, but we bought a new TV for the bedroom, which we've been wanting and cleaned the house a bit.  Sunday morning we went out for brunch, decorated cupcakes and then had dinner with friends. Sunday was my birthday so we met up with a bunch of friends at PKs.  It was a great night out and I am so glad we did it!  I had a great birthday weekend overall!  Thanks to everyone who came out!!

Monday Burke started daycare.. and well that could be a whole post in itself.. It has gone terribly!  Adjustment is s00oo much worse this time around.. But I'll write more on that later... Have a good one :)

A month of pictures to catch us up :)

We've been a little busy this month.. I guess it's safe to say we've been a little busy this year!  I'm finally done with teaching for the semester, so I feel like I can breathe!  We had a great Easter, Mother's Day and all the regular days :)  Hopefully I will have more pics to post soon!

Week of traveling....

We are so happy to be home and not have plans to travel for a long time!! I have pictures on the other computer, so I will post those later.. Here is a quick recap of the last week and a half...

We spent last weekend in DC.  It was a nice little family trip.  We headed up Friday and had PF Changs for dinner (YUM!) and then hit the sack.  Saturday we spent all day at the various museums.  It was good to take Burke to see the Air and Space, since he loves Buzz these days, airplanes are pretty cool.  We headed to Natural History after, but it had started to rain, so there were a MILLION people inside.  It was really hard to move around and see anything, so we ended up heading out.  I wanted to stop by the White House for pics, which we did.  You couldn't get nearly as close as you used to, so the pics weren't great, but we went none the less.  We had to RUN to the metro to avoid the hail and thunderstorm.  Burke didn't really nap much, so we headed back to rest up.  There was a mall right next to our hotel so we spent the evening shopping (but bought nothing).

Sunday we got up early and headed to the Zoo.  I wanted to be there right when they let the animals out so we could see everything.  I didn't want it to get crazy busy and not see things.  We really enjoyed the park and it was somewhat quiet, so Burke was able to explore on his own, which was nice.  Burke really loved the animals and I loved hearing him making the animals sounds!  We were able to see most everything in about 3 hours.  You could spend WAY more time, but we have a 21 month old and his attention span isn't all that great :) 

I had a conference in NOVA so that's why we ended up going.  I spent Sunday evening in a board meeting and ALL day Monday in lectures.  Brian and Burke hung around the hotel and went to the indoor playground at the mall.  We were able to meet up for lunch, which was nice!  Tuesday morning I was in meetings all morning, but then we ended up heading out a little early.  We just wanted to hit the road! We definitely enjoyed our visit, but it's not easy traveling with a little guy, so we were happy to be home!

Brian's brother, Kevin was in Lynchburg from California with his girlfriend and two little girls last week.  We hadn't met the youngest so we were eager to visit with them!  Dave was also there with his new son, Noah, so we were super excited to meet him too!  We got back late on Tuesday from NOVA, then worked Wednesday morning.  At lunch time, we headed to Lynchburg to spend the evening with Brian's family.  It was so nice to be all together and see the boys interact.  The cousins also enjoyed playing together.  We were able to go out to dinner with his extended family, dad, aunts, brothers and cousins.  It was so nice to see everyone!  I love listening to them talk about growing up and playing army, etc.  It was quite funny when their Dad asked how the hole was put in the wall (MANY years ago).  As if it was planned, they all pointed at a different person.. CLASSIC!  We headed back home late Wednesday night (its about a 2 hour drive, so we were wiped!)

We stayed around Thursday and did the normal work thing, but Friday headed to Richmond after work.  Brian's brothers were planning on being in Richmond to visit his mom.  We got in late on Friday and pretty much just headed to bed.  Saturday morning we got up and headed to Brian's mom's house.  It's about an hour from my parents (where we stayed).  We spent the day with his Mom, brothers and cousins again. It was nice to spend the time with everyone.  Burke enjoyed playing with his cousins, as long as they stayed away from his Buzz Lightyear toy (a little possessive)!  After our visit, we headed back to my parents for dinner and much needed sleep.  We had to wake up early on Sunday to head back, since I had to work all day.


It was a LONG week of traveling.  We are so happy we got to see everyone, but so thrilled to be home after a long week.  Next time, everyone comes to us :)

We're around..

We did NOT fall off the face of the earth, but just really busy.  We've been crazy busy and Burke was really sick this weekend so I'm behind on EVERYTHING!  We are headed to DC this weekend for a short trip, since I have a conference to go to.. Should be fun!  I'll post more next week...

20 Months...

Scarey Cheese face :) 

I'm a few days late.. and I'm not even sure if I did 19 months?  Regardless, the little guy is closer to two than one and it kills me.. Ugg.. They grow up WAY TOO FAST!  But we love every bit of the little guy! :)

At 20 months old (yes I think it's weird to say "20 months"):

- Burke is 21 lbs 13 oz  and wearing 18 months clothes and a size 3 diaper (although as we run out, I'm changing to 4)
- He LOVES running around and being free! I am constantly chasing the man...
- His favorite foods are yogurt, ANY fruits (esp bananas and grapes), mashed potatoes, green beans and juice
- If you ask him what any animal says he says "neigh" crack me up!  Except a monkey he does the right sound AND arm movements :) and does the dog sound.
-He says Thank you (occassionally), Mama (when he wants something), Dada, Cha (for Ashley and Chad?), Woody, Buzz, book, keys, shoes, bye bye, ball, cheese, please, truck, bus, Kollin (his friend), doggie, and Claire (his friend).. I'm probably missing some things?
- He really loves playing with his train set, throwing the ball, reading books and knocking towers over
- Sleeps about 11-12 hours at night and takes a good 2-3 hour nap...

We love him more everyday!

Burke is on Disney's website!!

This may always be my favorite picture anyway, but it doesn't hurt that Disney has it on their site too!!  Burke made it on the memories page.. I'm super excited!  Go check it out!!!

Click here to see Burke on Disney's website!

Weekend

Let me start by saying I was SUPER productive this weekend, BUT that did NOT include taking one picture!

Brian went out of town for a guys weekend/video-game-a-thon weekend!  I wasn't super excited about it, but decided it would give Burke and I the opportunity to spend time together (b/c we don't do that enough ;) ) AND get things done around the house.  I having been wanting to get things cleaned up and organized FOREVER but never get up and do it.  Brian and I wanted to buy a new sofa and redo our family room, etc so this was the weekend to prepare.

Burke was sooooo good and fun!  It rained all weekend, so we didn't get to venture out to play (which helped with things around the house).  Friday afternoon I decided to clean out the office first.  Since Burke naps for 3 hours, I can get some things done!  In the process of cleaning/purging and organizing (3 hours of no fun), I found some old picture frames and decided it was about time to develop pics and get them hung up.  So I picked out 4 pictures (had 1 already from a professional shoot) and had them sent to 1-hour photo and Burke and I headed out to Walmart!  We ran some errands, picked up pics and hung with Ashley for a bit.  We came home ate leftovers and started hanging pictures!  I was so proud to get the pictures and a bulletin board hung up in Burke's room.  I also cleaned his room up and bit.  I put Burke to bed and did dishes, and put together Burke's new table and chairs.  Day One - success!

Saturday morning, Burke and I headed out for some more errands and breakfast.  We went to Panera and enjoyed a bagel and tea :)  After breakfast, we went to Old Navy where I bought NOTHING!  We then made our way to Barnes and Noble with EVERYONE in Southwest VA to play trains :)  Rainy day, nothing else to do :)  After a good hour playing and reading, Burke and I headed to the grocery store then home for lunch and nap.  During nap, I finished sewing some new burp cloths and pacifier clips for a friend's gift, organized/cleaned/purged my craft stuff and stored it away, wrapped all the March bday gifts, worked on laundry, made a salad for dinner at a friends, and cleaned the kitchen.  After Burke woke up, we stopped by Target for some cleaning/organizing things and then went over to the Taylor's for dinner.  The Taylor's have a 3 year old and 18 month old.  They are super fun to hang out with and Burke LOVES playing with the girls.  Ali and Burke were in daycare together.  Dinner was great and playing was nice.  Adult interaction was good too! After a fun night, we went home for bath and bed.  After I got Burke to bed, I cleaned out the upstairs closet and got rid of  A LOT of junk.  Also cleaned out my closet and purged clothes :) , folded laundry, and enjoyed some reading :)  Day 2 - SUCCESS!

Sunday morning, Burke slept in - YES!  and we had a quiet morning at home.  We stopped by Target to return a few things (and to get out), went to the dollar tree for some baby shower things, and food lion for cheap diapers :)  We had leftovers for lunch and then played until nap time. Burke didn't sleep too long, but I got ALL of the laundry done including changing over sheets, etc.  Also got bathrooms cleaned!!  I also got all of my coupons cut and organized.  When the little guy woke up, we took another trip to Barnes and Noble for trains and spent a good amount of time there.  We stopped by Big Lots to check out their sale and TJ Maxx for nothing ;)  We enjoyed a quiet evening at home until daddy got home.  When Brian got here, we actually ran out to Big Lots to buy some new furniture!!  They had 20% the WHOLE store, including furniture!  Super excited about new stuff!  Day 3 - SUCCESS!

Overall we had a GREAT weekend!!  I wish Brian had been here with us, but we got a lot done and played a ton!!!!  Yay for productivity!

What's going on?!?

 Cheeser.. sporting Mom's head band!

 Burke's Vday Presents...

 We had to wake him up.. He was kind of a grump!

But some french toast (heart shaped!) and strawberries and all smiles (yes again this year he is in halloween pjs.. I don't know how that happens?)!

 I don't love his new "cheese" face, but I do love him!!!!

I have been HORRIBLE at blogging these past few weeks.  I'm not sure what is going on.. I can say we have been just as busy as ever, but really it's laziness!  I haven't been taking pictures, and I feel like blogs are NO fun without pics!  We have done lots of fun stuff over the past few weeks.  We had a great valentine's day, met up with Brian's dad and aunt for dinner and just enjoyed some nice weather!  We've had a little illness, Burke in the form of hives that looked like chicken pox (NO clue where they came from!?), Brian in the form of puking and migraines.. luckily I've stayed relatively healthy :)

Since Brian was sick this past week, Burke and I went out on Thursday for our first Mother/Son Date night.  We had SOOOO much fun! I was looking for something to do outside of the house, since Brian was having a migraine and keeping Burke quiet can be quite difficult, so we headed out!  We spent a good chunk of the evening at Barnes and Noble reading books and playing on the train table, then headed over to chickfila for dinner.  I never get fast food for Burke, so this was quite a treat :)  He loved watching the kids play and eating his chicken, fruit and ice cream!  Our Chickfila playland isn't toddler friendly (kind of disappointing), but Burke didn't seem to mind at all.  We sat there for a good 45 minutes watching the kids run around and eating/talking.  It was so cute listening to him.. If you have seen him lately, he has LOTS to say.. But still doesn't speak english :)

Friday was a pretty normal day for us.. Work, mom's morning out and nap.. Saturday we had a busy day though!!  We went to Winterfest on campus.  If you don't know.. It's an indoor carnival with lots of moonbounces, balloons, music, facepainting, etc. AND it's FREE!!  We met up with some friends and enjoyed an afternoon there.  We had to leave to nap, before a birthday party.  Alex's 10th birthday party was at the school next to our house, so after a short nap, we headed over to the party.  It took Burke a while to warm up to everyone, since we haven't seen them in forever :(  but he finally did and enjoyed playing with Addison and her little friend.  We had to leave early, so I could head to babysit, but we had a great time!

Today, we enjoyed an early lunch then I headed to babysit and the boys went to the park and napped.  We had dinner, ran errands and played trains.. Stinks that Monday is already here.. But have a good week!!!

I'm behind yet again on my blogging.. I don't even know what to blog about :)  Nothing too fancy going on around here.  We're around and I'll post more when I feel like typing :)

Today's Project..

For a couple of weeks now, I have talked about wanting to reorganize the kitchen.  We don't have a very big kitchen (or house for that matter) and I am trying soooooo hard to minimize our life.. stuff included!  So I'm trying to tackle one room at a time.  For the kitchen, I started by searching low and high for things to make it organized.. Then with Ashley's advise, I decided to go ahead and make a plan first then buy things if I needed.  So today was the day.. I decide to go ahead and clean things out, then buy stuff throughout the process.  We started this morning bright and early.  Brian had to help me reach the high stuff, so he was stuck helping :)  I'm very proud of my accomplishment today, and I only spent about $10... YES! We donated a ton of stuff and that really helped along the way!

So here are the before and afters...

The first and second... I failed to take a before picture.. but trust me.. This is MUCH better!

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Our little make-over took pretty much all day.. I'm so happy about this.. I'm ready to tackle another room.  What you can't see in the pictures is there is NO food or things (except treats) on top of my fridge.. AND NOTHING on top of cabinets!  Super excited about this!!

Catch-up...

"not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted."  

Albert Einstein

 

I know I am still playing catch up on everything, but I am glad to finally finish posting about Disney.  It was a great trip and this time I was DETERMINED to get everything blogged about, so I can remember later :)  Now.. to catch up on the rest of our life.. Things are going well in the Williams House.  I am working way too hard these days trying to keep up with everything, but I am still afloat!  

I came across this today when reading a friends blog and decided that I need to remember this everyday!  There are so many things we worry about that we shouldn't and too many things we don't do enough about :)

Here's to staying afloat and enjoying life!

Disney Photopass Pictures!