Where Have We Been? Disney, of course!

To say we have been busy the last week would be an understatement. Why have we been busy? Well, for starters, these two crazy kids are here:

It's awesome having my folks in town and I've been able to take some time off to spend it with them. Last Saturday us ladies went to the afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian. None of us had been and I couldn't wait to make some memories. 

The tea was wonderful! They even brought out a small tea pot for Jillian. I hope to make this a tradition for us ladies. 

That night we went to Maggiano's to celebrate my new job. 

Aaron decided to have family style with us and ate until he almost burst. 

My parents checked in to their Disney hotel on Tuesday and my brother Kevin and his family joined them. We all met up on Thursday at EPCOT and had a beyond delicious lunch at Via Napoli. 

I promise my nephew smiles, just not in photos. I guess the same could be said about my Dad. Hmmm....

The next day we started our morning at Chef Mickey's. Now, let me tell you what happened and how much my life has changed in the 6 years since I have had these kiddos. I was walking back from the buffet, plate in hand, and the child in front of me blew chunks everywhere. I sidestepped the mess and my first thought was, "Oh crap, I didn't grab any eggs..."

Aside from that display, the breakfast was awesome and the kiddos were able to see all of the characters. 

We headed out to Animal Kingdom after breakfast and I was able to snag this photo on the way to the buses:

Animal Kingdom was fun...hot...but fun. We headed back before the storms hit and then headed out to dinner with my cousin Mike and his son. While we were waiting for them, my niece and nephew were hanging with Jill. My nephew was busy teaching Jill how to spit over the railing. Memories, people, memories. 

The next day we all headed out to Hollywood Studios. I'm not totally sure what my most favorite part of the day was, lunch at Sci Fi, riding Tower of Terror with my Mom and niece, riding Tower of Terror with my nephew, niece and cousin or the moment we found my Dad sitting on a bench at the front of the park because, you know, we would have to walk by at some point. 

The kiddos spent the night at the hotel with their grandparents and all I know is they stayed up later than Scott and I. 

We all met up for breakfast this morning at Kona Cafe and then spent the day poolside. We ended it on a pontoon cruising the lakes. 

The visit has been awesome and unfortunately, really fast! Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to catch up on some sleep. 

"I So Proud of You Uncle Bob"

Saturday we went to Hollywood Studios with our friends Bob and Vanessa. The kiddos were just in their wedding, and if you've been reading the blog for any time you know Bob is more of an Uncle to the kiddos than anything else. Fraternity brothers count as Uncles, right? 

Friday when we were talking about seeing Bob and Vanessa, Jill said she just had to take them to the Belle show.  Naturally, this was our first stop. 

The kiddos acted like it was the first time they've ever seen the show, which is pretty much how they act every single time. Jill also gave the stink eye to the little girl that was chosen to get the rose at the end. I think if she would have walked out the same way we did, Jill would have jumped her. 

Our next stop was the Indiana Jones Stunt Show. I don't know of any other 4 year olds that are obsessed with this show, but mine sure are. Jill even told Uncle Bob that he had to be an extra. Uncle Bob does not disappoint, so he made it his mission to be one. He was successful.

Bob's first task was to strike a 'bodyguard' pose and when he hit it all you could hear was Jill yelling, "HE'S SO STRONG!!!!!" and "YOU CAN DO IT UNCLE BOB!!!!"

After doing a quick costume change Bob was chosen to have the big 'death scene'.  Jill was also yelling at this point, "YOU CAN DO IT UNCLE BOB!!!!" and "GOOD JOB UNCLE BOB!!!!".

When he was in the background being an extra Jill was determined to go onto the set to be with him. "I'm going there myself!" She was so incredibly proud of him, and even told that to him after the show. I believe her exact words were "Uncle Bob, I sooooooo proud of you!".  She talked about him being in the show for the rest of the day.

Bob even took the kiddos to meet Indiana Jones and Marion after the show. Jill was 'shy' by the time we got up there, but Aaron went up and after that moment had to be referred to as Indiana Jones. 

We were able to go on a few rides and see a few more shows after lunch. I think we ended up spending like 7 hours at the park, something we rarely do. 

The kiddos had a total blast the entire day and we are so glad we had a chance to hang out with Bob and Vanessa!

I don't sit here....I sit there

Jill had been asking to go to the Beauty and the Beast show for a couple of days, so we finally caved and braved the parks with all of the spring breakers. Yes, I know, we've gone to Flower and Garden, but you know, that's totally different. Don't ask how, it just is. Plus, it was a great excuse to play with the new camera.

The Studios was actually pretty quiet when we got there, I was expecting way worse. Before the show we split up to go on some rides. Jill and I went on the Great Movie Ride (which Aaron does not like) and Scott and Aaron went to see Muppets 3D (which Jill does not like). It worked out perfectly. Jill narrated the entire Great Movie Ride, much to the amusement of the woman sitting next to us. The best part of the whole ride though was when we were still in line. When you wait in line for the Great Movie Ride they play clips from the movies that are on the ride. We got into line when they were showing a clip from Casablanca and Jill asked "What's that?" "Casablanca." Jill gave me a 'say what?!' look and said "What the what the?!". I almost dropped her I was laughing so hard.

After meeting up with the boys we headed to the sweet shop for a snack for the show. Jill wanted a Mickey cookie and Aaron, in true Aaron form, wanted the chocolate peanut butter cup. Ok kid. When I gave them their treats at the show I noticed Aaron's peanut butter cup was hard because obviously it's kept cool in the store. That did not stop him from chowing down on it.
Guess what color my shirt was. Yup, white, and I was sitting right next to him. I told him not to even breathe in my direction. I'll give him credit though, he made it through half of the peanut butter cup before throwing in the towel and it only took 2 wipes to clean him up. It was a success in my book, well minus the immediate sugar high that followed.

Jill, on the other hand, decided to skip her cookie and wanted to feed me cotton candy.

The rate at which she was handing me pieces almost made me hurl. Shortly after the show started but something happened and there was a delay. Here's the kids reaction to the delay:The show started seconds later and was fabulous (minus the Belle at this performance). The funniest part of the entire show though was when we first got there. We were looking for a seat and Jill was heading to the first row. I told her we were sitting over here and my diva says, "I don't sit here, I sit up there" and pointed to the front row. She has this in her head because when my parents were here we got to sit in the second row since my Mom was in a scooter. I had to explain to here that we don't always get to sit there and she proceeded to ask where her Busia and Dzia Dzio were so she could sit with them. I'm not sure how much of the show she could have seen from Chicago, but in the end she "settled" for our seats.

We had such a great night just bumming around the studios. I can't wait until spring breaks are over and we can enjoy the parks again before summer!

Our week with Busia and Dzia Dzio

It has been a crazy week! We spent everyday with my parents while they were here and went to every park. The kids had a blast and have been sleeping wonderfully because they are so worn out.

I posted the photo collages the other day, but I'll post them again today, and this time I'll at least tell you about them.

My parent's first day here we just went to Downtown Disney, had some lunch and the kiddos rode on the train and carousel. The next day we went to Epcot and had dinner at Garden Grill inside the Land. It is so yummy there, and the kids got to meet a bunch of the characters. The next day we went to Animal Kingdom and Aaron got to be in the Lion King show. Later that day we went to Magic Kingdom and the kids went on the teacups for the first time. I went on it for my last time I think. I was definitely green after getting off. We also took the kids on Astro Orbiter for the first time, that was an experience. Friday it rained pretty much all day, so we hung out at the house and then Busia and Dzia Dzio came out and we all went to dinner with Paw Paw. I think we all needed a day to chill out. Saturday we went back to Epcot and had lunch at the Biergarten in Germany. Aaron found himself a girlfriend (the hostess), he even blew her a kiss. Something we learned at Epcot was that Aaron is obsessed with the ride Living with the Land. I've never seen a child so into a ride like that in my life. I like to think it's because it's educational, but in reality it's probably because it's a boat ride. Sunday we went back to Magic Kingdom and had lunch at Tony's Town Square. The lines were actually pretty short at Magic Kingdom, even on Sunday. Monday we went to Hollywood Studios and sat one row up at the Beauty and the Beast show. I have a feeling that's where Jill will want to sit from now on. As a matter of fact, this morning when she woke up she had a lengthy discussion with me about how the girl behind us got the red flower and she didn't and that little girl didn't even look happy when she got it, but Jill would be happy to get it. Oh my. Yesterday we just went back to Downtown for lunch and then said good-bye. Jill asked Dzia Dzio if she could go back to Chicago with him.

Here are the photos of the kiddos (mainly Aaron) with all of the characters they met:

We lucked out the one day at Epcot because they were training their character greeters, so all of the characters were out with virtually no line. Aaron loved every second of this.

We had such a great time with my parents this past week. It definitely went by entirely too fast. I know the kiddos cannot wait to see them again! Ok....the kiddos and me ;)

Osbourne Family Lights

Saturday we went with 5 of the B6 to Hollywood Studios for the day to see the shows and finally the Osbourne Family Lights. Last year we all went to EPCOT to see the lights and the weather was awful. Thankfully this year the weather was gorgeous!

Since the B5 had never been to the Studios our plan was to do as much as possible, which with all of the shows can be challenging. Not to mention 5 kids under the age of 5. Our first stop was Lights, Motors, Action. My kiddos love this show and we hadn't seen it since they added Lightning McQueen to it. Aaron happened to catch a peek of Lightning before the show and he could barely contain himself.

Everyone (especially the Dads) loved the show! It was a great start to the day and was quickly followed by lunch as we could tell everyone's blood sugar was dropping and meltdowns were about to start, same for the kids. After lunch we went on the Backlot Tour.

I honestly cannot tell you the last time that I went on this ride, but a lot has changed. Aaron was a huge fan of this ride because it is essentially a tram, and after all that is why you go to Disney, to ride a tram. After the ride we found Mike from Monsters Inc and took a moment to meet him.

Aaron backed out at the last minute and Jill suddenly became shy. Can I mention that the whole time in line they were beyond excited to meet him. 'Twas awesome. After this side trip we went and saw The Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Dawn's girls LOVE Ariel so I think I was more excited to see how they reacted to the show. Emma hands down had the biggest smile I've ever seen and Ellina had her scrunched up really excited smile too. I had to laugh during the show though because Pearce kept asking if it was a long show and when it would be over. Amen kid, I feel ya.

We had some time to kill before the Beauty and the Beast show so we went on the Great Movie Ride. While standing in line the little girl behind us started to meltdown a little and Dawn was admiring her (she was pretty cute). The Dad laughed and said "Makes you want to have another, huh?" and Dawn said "Yes, actually it does." The look on the man's face was PRICELESS. He even said you normally don't get that reaction. That family stared at all of us like we were crazy people the whole ride. I probably would too, I mean we did have 5 kids under 5 and weren't drinking. As a side note, Ellina was plastered into my side this whole ride and wanted to know why I took her on that creepy thing. I love her.

We made it just in time for the Beauty and the Beast show, which is hands down my kids favorite show. Again, I was more excited about watching the B5 kids and they did not disappoint. They were all so excited as were Dawn and I. Dys and Scott were glued to their phones and saying things like "LSU is a second half team."

The best part of the show was at the end when all the dancers come out because Ellina had this look like, "What the hell, this wasn't in the movie!". Priceless people, priceless.

We went to Fantasmic right after and just made the 6:30 show. Again, my kids loved the show and Ellina was plastered into my side saying things like "Can you cover my eyes?" and "Why is the witch doing that?".

After Fantasmic we went into the Osbourne Lights, you know the whole reason we went to the park. It was pretty crowded, but we also went around when it began.

The kids loved the lights, especially Pearce. We were in there long enough to see the lights dance a few times, which is always fun. We even managed to snag a pretty adorable family photo, minus the woman behind Scott. What's with that face, right?

We had all hit our magical limit after the lights and started making our way towards the exit. It was an awesome day with our friends and the kids were asking if we could do it again before we even left the parking lot. It was shortly followed by this:

I am so glad we got to have the day with the B5, they are such an awesome family and we love having them in our lives!

Lunch with the Characters

Wednesday we had lunch with Disney Junior characters at Hollywood and Vine at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The kids had a blast when we went for their second birthday, and this time was even better. They got to meet Oso, Leo, June, and Handy Manny. Aaron even participated in the dance party that they do.

We also discovered during this little luncheon that Jill loves red velvet cake, who knew?

Thank you to Busia and Dzia Dzio for taking us to lunch there, I know they had fun, too.


After lunch we went and watched the parade, saw the Little Mermaid show, the Disney Junior Show, the Beauty and the Beast show, went on the Great Movie Ride and finally we went on Toy Story Mania. It's the first time any of us have been on Toy Story Mania because we've never wanted to wait in the line. The kids loved it and so did the big kids ;)

Hope you're having a great start to your weekend and be sure to visit Multiples and More because I'm the guest blogger today.

Be Our Guest

Yesterday we met up with my niece and her friend at Hollywood Studios. Since we got there early we were able to snag some dinner and go to Muppetvision 3D and the Beauty and the Beast show, or as the kids call it, the Belle show. Both of them LOVE this show and it's the first thing they ask to do when we get into the parking lot, yeah not even the park, the parking lot.

We stopped at the little bake shop, Sweet Spells, and got them each a Nemo cookie before going in. Note to self here, and an obvious one at that, iced cookies in 95+ degree heat (without the humidity) is not a smart move, they had orange everywhere. They loved the cookies though and made them swim before taking a big bite, which is slightly disturbing....


They loved the show, they always do, and Aaron was actually in the aisles dancing along and when everyone clapped at the end of 'Be our Guest' he even took a bow, I love that kid!

After the show we met up with Lorren and Maggie and just us girls went on The Great Movie Ride, Aaron for some reason had no desire to go on. Maybe he was tired from his performance? Jill is loving being with the girls and had a great time on the ride, which this photo does not show:

We left after the ride since we're not cool kids like the girls and were not able to stay for extra hours. Everyone seems to be having an awesome time and I'm so glad we're getting to spend some time with them!

Lights, Motors....Action!

We've been having a great time with my brother and his family while they are in town. We've been to the parks and the pool and I think everyone has had a total blast. The kiddos are beyond pooped at the end of the night, so that makes for a happy Mommy!

Yesterday we met up at Hollywood Studios for the Lights, Motors, Action show. Aaron has liked this show since he was really little. What can I say, he's a true boy?

We even got to check out the parade before we left, which I don't think I've seen, shocking, I know. The parade is with all the Pixar characters, which are really all the characters that the kiddos like.

I hope everyone is having a great start to their weekend!

The Family Reunion Day....I have no idea

Yesterday we spent the day with my family. We started by hanging with my parents, sister and niece at the hotel, the kids even got to see Daddy since he was doing a training class there. Then we all piled on the bus to go to Animal Kingdom to meet up with my brother Art and his family. I think Aaron was more excited about getting to ride the bus than anything else. The kid loves the bus, and monorail, and train and anything that seems to be a mode of transportation.

We got to see the Festival of the Lion King Show. I have to say this is hands down one of the best shows on property. I'm fairly certain that Jill did not blink the entire time and Aaron....well he fell asleep.

After a fun morning at Animal Kingdom we headed home to change into some warmer clothes, meet up with Scott and then headed back out to Hollywood Studios. I love the Studios during this time of the year. I think the Osbourne Family lights are so great and are definitely one of my favorite holiday traditions.


See how excited everyone is to be there??? And can we talk about how pink my niece's camera is? No need for a flash there.

There are definitely a lot of memories at the Osbourne lights. One of my favorite is being there when our friends Matt and Bonnie got engaged a few years ago. It was so cool to be apart of that moment.
Now that the kids are older I cannot wait to keep the memories going and create new ones with them.

Mommy and Me Monday

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Scott had to work mandatory overtime this weekend so we really only had one "family" day. We decided to go to Hollywood Studios since all the tourists seem to be going back home. No offense, but it's nice when you go home.

We hardly ever go to this park, it's mainly shows, which are great, but the kiddos definitely have to be in the mood to sit in one spot for 30-40 minutes. We started by grabbing some lunch at the backlot express, which funnily enough, is where Scott started his Disney career many moons ago.



We went to Muppet 3D next, Jill was not a fan, maybe because she was tired? Or she is inheriting the "I hate 3D gene" from me.

The main reason we went to the studios yesterday was to see the Lights, Motors, Action show. It's a stunt show with cars, motorcycles and lots of explosions. The kids haven't seen it since they were 6 months old, and they loved it then. The only downside to this show with toddlers is that there are a lot of breaks between stunts and they lose interest. However, when the stunts are going on the kids have their full undivided attention.



We even stopped to see the parade, which the kids and I have never seen. We got some seats in the shade, which quickly turned into direct sun, got some popcorn and waited for the parade.



Naturally, the rain came and the parade whizzed right by us. Jill loved it though and waved to everyone she could. Aaron hung out with Scott, he was overtired by this point and just wanted to snuggle, which in weather that feels like 104 is awesome.

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All in all, it was a great day with my munchkins and hubs! Hope you had a great weekend too!



Be sure to play along with Krystyn at Really are you serious?

Also, stop by Lani's blog today for her Blog For A Cure party to help benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

And don't forget to check out my review blog! I posted a new giveaway today, more to come this week!

Hot dog hot dog hot diggity dog

We need to talk about this heat wave that has hit the central Florida area. I'm over it. Technically it's not summer yet, it's really "spring" or as we call it "not super hot". I was sweating just taking the kids to the car. Not ok people!

Anyway, we meet up with my parents at Disney yesterday and took the kids to the Playhouse Disney Lunch. Holy crap was it awesome! Well, minus JoJo and Goliath. I have no clue who they are. Is that show even on? Plus JoJo, you're kind creepy, just saying. Aaron was a little unsure of all of the characters when they came up to him. Maybe he thought they were trying to take his food? On that note, that boy packed some food away at lunch. Thank God it was a buffet! Jill loved all the characters but practically lost her mind when June from Little Einsteins came to the table. Then they started singing the hot dog song from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and both of my angels started yelling "hot dog!", it was hilarious!


After lunch we headed over to the Beauty and the Beast show. My kiddos love this show! Plus, it's out of the sun which in 90 plus degree weather is a bonus. I don't think Jill blinked the entire time. Aaron was really into it too, and the popcorn...

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After the show all of us were done with being in the park. It was just way to hot. Aaron had sweat dripping and all he did was walk to the stroller, so we decided to go back to my parents hotel and go swimming. Dzia Dzio backed out last minute, so Busia, Scott, the kids and I went down to the pool. I completely forgot that this hotel has a splash area and the kids loved it! I have to find more splash parks in our area so we can fully enjoy this in the summer.


Yeah, Aaron was rocking a t-shirt with his trunks. The sun was brutal today and I didn't want his chest and back to get burned. I'm thinking of getting him a surf shirt to wear that way I don't have to worry.

After all the full in the water we went to dinner and the kids were popped. They were out within minutes of sitting down....

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Today is going to be a chill day for us. All of us are tired still from the weekend and I think it'll just be good to hang. Hope you're having a great day!

Staycation Vacation!

Let me start by saying we had an awesome vacation! It may have only been a few miles down the road (hence the term staycation) but it was awesome and felt like a real vacation! Thanks again Mom and Dad for setting that up!

We stayed at Kidani Village at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Scott and I have previously stayed here as a surprise for our anniversary. We knew the kids would love it because the animals are always out on the savanna. We had a one bedroom which includes a kitchen, living room, bedroom and two (yes two!) bathrooms.

It was more than enough space for us and I loved that we had a kitchen so I could make the kiddos breakfast in the morning. The only downside to Kidani is there is no quick service food location, you would have to go over to the main Animal Kingdom Lodge (now called Jambo House) to get a quick bite to eat.

After we settled in we headed over to Magic Kingdom to get Aaron his very first haircut! The Harmony Barbershop is located right next to the Emporium and specializes in first haircuts. We didn't have to wait very long and Aaron did amazing! The only time he really fussed was when Norma pulled out the clippers to trim up his sides. He even got mouse ears and a certificate for being so brave!

He looks like such a big boy now! No more baby face :(

We were able to catch the parade right after the haircut and then went on some rides. We took the kids into Mickey's PhilharMagic for the first time and Aaron actually wore the 3D glasses the whole time! Jill wasn't too sure about them and had me hold them so she could move them if she didn't like what was on the scream. I don't blame her, I'm not a big 3D fan either. We also took the kids on Goofy's Barnstormer which is a kiddie roller coaster. Aaron loved watching it in line, Jill wasn't too sure about it and was rubbing Scott's cross the whole time. One the ride however, the roles reversed. Jill was squealing and yelling "Whee!" the whole time and after the first drop Aaron was yelling "All done!!!!". I think it may be awhile before we go on that one again ;)

It took zero time for the kids to crash that first night, and I couldn't have been happier! I was a little nervous about how they would do in the pack and plays in the hotel, but they were so tired it didn't matter! Jill actually stake claim of one of the pack in plays the moment she walked in, she was that tired.

The next morning we went to Hollywood Studios to see the Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast shows. Scott had never seen the Little Mermaid show and I had never seen the Beauty and the Beast show so it worked out nicely. The kids loved both! After the shows we took the boat to EPCOT to have dinner at Les Chefs de France. The kids were really good at lunch and were showing no signs of slowing down, but Scott and I were ready for a nap!

All four of us crashed when we got back to the hotel and I mean crashed. I think all of us woke up in the same position we laid down in. It definitely recharged us for the night! We went back to Magic Kingdom to see SpectroMagic. The kids have never seen this parade and we knew they would love it!

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I will always have a soft spot for this parade. Scott and I bonded a lot during this parade when I worked for him on Main Street. Really, anything on Main Street brings back memories of Scott and I way back in the day. I love the fact that the place we met will always be there and I can relive those memories anytime I want.

After the parade we tried to beat the crowd and head back to the room before the fireworks. Since it was still pretty early, and we did take a nice nap, we went out to the overlook area to see if any of the animals were still close. We were able to see a zebra that was thisclose, seriously. The overlook area is nice, at night they have a bonfire set up and rocking chairs set up around it.

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Today has just been a relaxed day. We took our time getting ready for check out. By the time we got home the kids were ready for naps, even though it seemed like we had just gotten up. It was a great two days away, but now I think I need a vacation from my staycation. Hope you've had a great week so far!