Family Vacation Time!

After a very busy winter and spring (that's why I haven't posted since Christmas), we're finally on summer vacation!  Yippee!  This year we got to go on a Disney Cruise to Alaska.  We all had a fantastic time so, if you like to look at other people's boring vacation pics. you've come to the right place.  If not, navigate away now - this is not for you. :)

A view of the Disney Wonder from our hotel room in Vancouver.  We could not WAIT to get on!

But first we had a day to explore the gorgeous city of Vancouver.

Up bright and early for breakfast at the hotel before driving down the road to hop on our ship.

In the chute ready to get on.  We were able to be in the first boarding group so we had a whole extra day on the ship.  So lucky!

Snug in our stateroom.  The girls took turns in the bunk.

Checking out the ship!

Time for the "Adventures Away" deck party!  Guess who was the life of the party?

With so many stages and theaters on board it wasn't hard for Maddy to find a spotlight, which she took full advantage of every chance she got.

Our first dinner...these girls sat through a 2-hour dining service each night that began an hour past their normal bedtime with no complaints.  I'm sure the spectacular dessert to look forward to helped a little. 

Maddy liked waking up each day with a dance party.

Breakfast with our Disney friends!

Madeleine wanted me to take her picture with her breakfast, probably to show off she didn't need to choose between waffles and pancakes.  This will come back to haunt me.

A day at sea called for some pool time - while watching a movie of course.

Goggles and pointed toes.

Maddy's exploits didn't go unnoticed - she was chosen to be one of the seven dwarfs on stage for the big "Golden Mickey's" show.  

Maddy may have let stardom go to her head.

More to come soon!

Christmastime!

We kind of love Christmas around here.  It's hard not to with the excitement of little girls, Christmas Magic, and holiday surprises.  Even though we seem to be running from morning to night to get everything done (decorations, Christmas concerts, holiday events, gift giving), when we finally sit down and cozy up next to the fire with our favorite Christmas books and hot cocoa, it's impossible not to cherish this season.  

Now that I've painted such a lovely picture of life around our house in December, I will now admit to some possibly poor parenting choices....

Like the time Jason and I let the girls watch Disney movies for 8 hours while we got our Griswold on putting up our Christmas lights.  

When left to fend for themselves the girls may also have eaten donuts and energy bars for lunch.  That's balanced, right?  

Please tell me allowing this once a year won't hurt ones children too much...

...because they sure were happy about the lights!

Poor parenting choice number 2:  Ones greed over finding a super tall Christmas tree may take ones family into dangerous uncharted tree farm territory.  

I've been on the lookout for a tall, thin tree (about 11 ft) for the last several years, since we moved into this house.  Having no success at our usual tree farm I asked for suggestions from my friends and was pointed in this direction.

We certainly weren't disappointed with the size of the trees.  They towered over us! - and around us, to the point we couldn't maneuver our way through the forest without getting slapped in the face by branches and sticker bushes.  Did I mention everything was soaking wet?  It was.  Did I mention there were tears?  There were.

That's when we decided to abandon our children when we came to this small clearing.

They seemed happy enough as Jason and I forged ahead through the woods, determined to find the perfect Christmas tree.

Don't worry, we kept them in voice and jacket range.  (What does this mean? - when you can hear them laughing and see a flash of white coat every now and then.)

Then, we found it.  Our super tall, thin Christmas tree.  Now, here is the third poor choice I made:  I listened to my husband, who assured me, "Yes, we have plenty of space for a 14 foot tree."  

Me:  "Are you sure?  I really think we only have room for 11 feet."  

Him:  "Yes, I'm sure.  Trust me."

I trusted him.  We had to cut three feet (the pretty part) off the bottom of the tree.  It serves me right.  Who else would listen to this guy?

I guess it turned out okay, although it's probably the funkiest looking tree we've ever put up.

One chilly day we headed down to Snowflake Lane in Bellevue to watch the live drum and lights show.  The girls had so much fun!  Especially when it started to snow.  Poor kid choice? - tasting the snow that turned out to be soapy bubbles.

Hot chocolate and treats after the show made eating soap worth it though.

A few nights later Isabelle sang in her school's music program.

And a few nights after that Madeleine sang in her program, after a quick visit with Santa.

Concentrating while praying is very important to Maddy.

So is giving an affirming thumbs up sign to Daddy.

Just like everyone else in the country, we have our very own elf living with us, 

we're doing a lot of baking, 

and we truly are drinking a LOT of hot cocoa...

...with extra marshmallows.

We are thankful for each day together.  May your Christmas be merry, bright, and full of happiness!