Our Family Trip to Disney

First stop, Indianpolis, for a short visit with the Grays. The time spent with them is always refreshing and fun!

I'm so thankful for a sister who will always be a friend. I treasure every moment we get to spend together.

The three Colts amigos. James had to add a bit of Zorro to his attire.


Some precious time with our month old niece.

Dinner with one of our very favorite families!

Ashlynn getting a chance to love on her new cousin.

Not to be outdone by her big sister.

Next stop, Atlanta, GA, for some time with our dear friends the Cihos. When they moved to Atlanta two and a half years ago, we warned them that when we finally made this trip we would be stopping by. They graciously put us up for two nights and we will treasure the memories.

We were all able to spend the day together at the aquarium in downtown Atlanta.

A beautiful mural representing their mission field. Complete with several recycling plants, towing yards, landfills, a prison, etc., this place is not anything like Jenison, MI. We were blessed to be able to witness firsthand the difference Andrej and Jessica are making in their neighborhood.

A large part of Andrej's ministry is the bike shop where the neighborhood boys can come work on donated bikes and earn a little extra money or a bike while experiencing God's love through their interaction with Andrej. This small space is about to expand by about 20x which is a huge blessing.

Finally at the destination in Kissimmee, FL. We met Robert and Joanetta on a cruise we took last June and they graciously invited us to meet them and much of their family in Florida for a week this summer. It was a fun time of reuniting.

Our first day at the parks was spent in Animal Kingdom.

The goal of the week was to stay cool as much as possible.

Our first rollercoaster of the week, Expedition Everest. Unfortunately, the day ended with Eric carrying Bryan from the park in 100+ weather because he came down with strep. We were so thankful for a friend willing to call in a prescription so we could miss as little of our Disney Days as possible.

Second Day - Epcot. Eric took the girls to Epcot in the morning while I stayed home with Bryan. By afternoon he was feeling much better to we all headed back for the evening.

We quickly became used to and even welcomed the daily afternoon thunder showers.
Ponchos saved the day.

Getting sprayed by the fountains.

What better place to see fireworks than on Daddy's shoulders?

Day 3 Ashlynn came down with strep so I ended up at the hotel with her and Bryan for the morning while Eric and Elizabeth headed to Universal to experience the Harry Potter exhibit that was definately a highlight for Elizabeth. It worked out since Bryan was too small for many of the rides. We all headed back for the evening.

Spiderman!

In line for the Harry Potter ride with Robert,Joanetta, and Brittany.

All aboard the Hogwarts Express.

A typical morning at the condo, getting everyone covered in sunscreen.

Yea!!! It's Mickey and Minnie!

We spend an evening with the Bruhn family at Medieval Times. The kids loved the show and Bryan was especially angry when the knight we had been cheering for all night was killed.

Robert and Joanetta's family.

Quite the show.

Bryan is quite relieved that the Green Knight is not actually dead.

Lunch at Cosmic Rays in the Magic Kingdom.

The classic family picture. There is definately something "magical" about this place.

Our compliments to Elizabeth on this great picture. Who needs a castle when you have a prince like this?

Waiting for the Toy Story ride, one of the longest waits of the week.

Which was OK because I met one of my college friends in line. We hadn't see each other since our wedding 13 year ago so we jumped back in line a bit and were able visit for a while.

A highlight for Bryan was meeting Woody and Buzz,

and maybe the biggest highlight of all was being able to fight DARTH VADER.

The proud conquerors!

Hollywood Studios

Catapulting marbles down the hallway of the condo with Robert.

The trip home included a stop back in Atlanta at the Cihos and then we headed to Richmond, Kentucky to one of my college roomate's home. We had a wonderful time with the Hoys before beginning the last stretch of the journey home.

We had so much fun getting reacquainted. The Hoys are one of those families that even though you haven't been together for a long time, you can just pick up right where you left off.

Love this friend!

We made a quick stop back in Indy on the way home as we can never pass up a chance to visit the Grays but we don't usually have the luxury of stopping in for lunch. :-) It was a wonderful trip with memories made that we will never forget. My favorite part was the reconnecting we did with so many wonderful friends. Thanks for wading through our memories.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day #10 for me was a wonderful day. My parents and my mom's dad joined us for lunch. My children made the day extra special with a huge assortment of handmade gifts and my husband was a huge help as I took on a busy day. After a entire day of planting and yardwork on Saturday, there wasn't a muscle in my body that wasn't screaming at me on Sunday, but the garden is planted and I'm ready for summer.

My three very grown up "babies."

Today, Bryan and I got to witness the miracle of motherhood in a different way as you'll see in the pictures later. He had his last preschool field trip to a nearby dairy farm and I had the privilege of accompanying him. This calf is about two months old.

The dairy cows waiting to be milked.

This one was especially interested in Bryan. He must have thought he smelled good, but when we got out of this barn, none of us smelled very good.

One of about twenty milking stations.

The highlight of the morning. We were there just at the right time to witness the miracle of birth. You can see the front legs emerging. This was a first birth for this cow so they helped her a bit by tying a rope to the legs and pulling. Five minutes later...

What a miracle! The kids were spellbound and not at all grossed out by all of this and the adults were fascinated as well. Definately not something you get to see every day.

Taking a turn feeding the lamb.

Showing us the difference between store bought and free range eggs.

Bryan and his girlfriend, apparently this is new in the last couple of weeks. Someday we'll teach him that dandelions don't count as flowers. :-)

My boy, who apparently couldn't keep his eyes open for the picture. He's growing up so quickly while we try to enjoy each day. We already know who his teacher will be in PreK next year and are very excited. He's going to be in a class with his cousin which makes it extra exciting.

Have a great week!