Celebrating Disney Style

Happy 6 years to us (on May 1st)!! They said we'd never make it...just kidding. Eric needed to take a trip to California to take his CCSP (Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician) test and asked me to tag along so we could head to Disneyland afterward. How could I pass up an offer like that? I did actually have to think about it because I'd be leaving the twins for the first time and I was nursing and yada yada yada. But I bit the bullet and went without the kiddos. I didn't even miss them too much, but I'm pretty sure the hectic week of crying children before the trip played a big part. 

Can I just tell you how amazing it was going to Disneyland without kids?! We kept looking at people pushing strollers and thinking, "Suckers! Why would you take them with you?" However, on the second day I saw so many things that I wanted to share with Kinsey. We kept her involved by sending lots of pictures. 

I had to watch Eric drool over all the legos at the Lego Store. 

 I was pretty stoked about hitting up all the Frozen stuff we could because I'm a big Frozen fan. Eric and I were able to visit Arendelle and play in the ice rink. That was a disaster waiting to happen. I wonder how many kids hurt themselves by slipping on the ice. There was also a little hill to sled down and a picture opp with Olaf. 

I even dragged Eric to a sing-a-long. He was a little embarrassed to sing his heart out, but I could tell he wanted to. 

 It's always a happy day when I remember where the cameras are on the rides. 

 We ate at an Italian restaurant in California Adventure and they gave us free dessert for our anniversary! How cute is that?

 Goofy was begging us to come say hi so we had to make time for him. 

 Eric was able to eat his favorite Disney treat. This is his staple picture from EVERY Disneyland trip we take. We even had our first turkey leg!

We got completely drenched on the second day!! I happened to be waiting in a long line outside for ice cream on the day I chose NOT to bring my sweater. Eric didn't bring a jacket to California, period. I think he did it on purpose so he could buy a new Disney jacket. Being the gentleman he is, he offered me his new coat on the walk back to the hotel. 

After drying off our soaked clothes back at the hotel we returned to Disneyland and jumped from ride to ride until midnight. Nighttime is the greatest. We barely waited in any lines and walked straight onto Splash Mountain (getting drenched again). It was worth it. 

Gangstas

 We had so much fun that we decided to go back to Disneyland next week with the kids and Grandma!!

Happy Anniversary Eric!! I think I'll keep you. 

What Makes Me Smile

Every stage of parenting has its highs and lows, I'm sure. Lately I've been experiencing quite a bit of lows. Having a 2 year old and two 1 year olds is extremely demanding and physically exhausting. The twins are getting easier to care for by the day, but taking care of Kinsey is emotionally draining. Some days I don't know what to do with her. I've never raised a 2 year old and it seems like every attempt I make at discipline is a failure. Some days (a lot lately) I pawn her off on Eric the second he gets home from work because I can't deal with the tantrums any longer. Most days are hard. Really hard both physically and mentally. I look back on last year and think, "Wow, how did I do that?" But then I remember I had twins and a 1 year old. And my goodness, age 1 is MUCH easier to deal with than age 2. 

However, I don't want to live my life just trying to get through the day. I want to enjoy these moments when my kids are young. Scarlett and Shayla have been growing like weeds the last few months and it makes me so sad that I don't have my infant-sized babies anymore. So a couple weeks ago I decided to make a list of little moments throughout the day that make me happy. A way for me to keep my sanity and find happiness in these trying times of parenthood. 

These are the best moments of my life: 

-When Scarlett wakes up. It doesn't matter if it's in the morning or if she's waking from a nap, she is the happiest little thing around. She gives me the biggest grin and is so excited to see me. 

-When Shayla brings her head really close to mine then tilts it to the side like a little puppy dog. She has the most mischievous look on her face when she does it. I want to die from cuteness overload. 

-When all three girls start giggling with each other because something really funny just happened. Most of the time nothing funny actually occurred, their giggles are just contagious. 

When Shayla and Scarlett hold hands. It is the sweetest sight in the world to see your children want to be with one another. 

-When Kinsey says the name of her baby doll: "Baby Scar." She loves her sister so much that she named her favorite doll after her.

-When I ask Kinsey to do something and she responds, "Of course." Or if I do something for her and she says, "Thank you so much."

-When I wag my finger at the girls and say "no" in attempt to teach/discipline them, they just wag their finger back and start laughing. It's too adorable to be infuriating. 

-When Kinsey reads to herself and does her best at re-telling the story from memory. My favorite is the book, "Are You My Mother?" The word mother sounds like "mudder" when she says it. The story goes something like this: "Are you my mudder? No. Are you my mudder? No." 

-And mostly, when all of us are together. It's the greatest feeling in the world spending time as a family.