Tay Tay and The Ren's Visit

Last weekend my sister and niece were in town for the Disney Half Marathon. Truth be told, my sister just wanted the Donald medal and I'm pretty sure that's the only reason they ran it.

I volunteered for the race and was able to hand out medals. I have to tell you this was one of the coolest experiences. I was able to see the elite runners cross (and medal some of them) and I watched the last person cross the finish line.The entire morning was a blur and filled with a sea of runners. I also had a bunch of friends running the race and was able to medal quite a few of them.

What I didn't expect was to see my niece cross the finish line as early as she did. When she came up to me I had to throw my arms around her. The girl crushed it and came in around 3:07 which is like 20 minutes off of her last time. I am so proud of her and cannot wait to see how well she does next month at Glass Slipper.

Not too long after Lorren crossed, my sister crossed and of course she had to yell, "Ammmmannnndaaaaa, where arrrreeee youuuuu???" And yes, my sister is that short and yes, I am that tall.

I am so proud of both of those girls and seriously cannot fully express how amazing it was to medal them. If you ever have an opportunity to volunteer at a race, do it. It's the most gratifying experience.

After the race, I picked up the kiddos and we headed over to Animal Kingdom Lodge to spend some time with Tay Tay and Lorren. The kiddos were beyond excited to see them and could not wait to head out to dinner with some of Tay Tay's friends at Teppan Edo.

This was the second time the kids have been here and they really like the place. Jill had plain noodles because she's Jill and Aaron noshed on pretty much everything.

After dinner we hung out in the parks and then headed back for our sleepover. The kiddos (Lorren included) loved standing on the balcony and looking at all of the animals. They were staying near one of the main housing units for the animals, so we were always able to see animals. There are also a few viewing areas on the way to the room and we managed to walk past during feeding times so we were able to see a lot of animals at once.

On Sunday morning we had breakfast at Boma which was so scrumptious. Seriously, if you have a chance head over there and have breakfast. After that we went over to Splitsville to bowl. It was a first visit for all of us and it will definitely not be the last. It was so much fun! The lanes put the bumpers up whenever the kids would bowl and they came down when the adults were bowling. I mean, I kind of wish the bumpers were up the whole time, I think we would have had better scores.

The weekend was short, but it was so much fun. I cannot wait for the girls to be back in just under a month.

I have a lot more to post, we have definitely been busy. I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are having a lovely start to the week.

Celebrating 8 years

Scott and I celebrated our anniversary this weekend. I seriously cannot believe it has been 8 years.  Mimi and PawPaw took the kiddos for the night and we were able to dress up for a night out.

Funny story about my dress, I snagged it at Target that morning with Jillian in tow. When I tried it on she asked if the M on it stood for Mommy. I think that's pretty adorable.

Every year we pick a Disney restaurant to have dinner at since we met and were married there. We actually repeated a restaurant this year and went to Jiko at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. We went there on our third anniversary and loved it so much that we had to go again. 

Dinner was amazing, as expected. We even spent some time walking around the resort and were able to sit on the rocking chairs and look out over the savanna. 

While dinner was great, I have to say my favorite part of the weekend was our morning run on Sunday. Yes, both of us went on a run together. Scott began the couch to 5k program on Saturday, so this was his second day. 

I took him to my favorite trail and we took off (or as he will tell you, I took off). We did a complete 5k even though his day 2 only took him to just over 2 miles. I am so proud of him for taking on this challenge, not just the couch to 5k challenge, but the whole healthier lifestyle challenge. I mean seriously, look at the photo of him above, there is a noticeable difference. 

After our run we went to our favorite breakfast place for omelets. All in all it was a great way to celebrate our anniversary.

I cannot believe we are approaching 8 years. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us! 

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!

SURPRISE!

Yesterday was a pretty even keel day for the most part. I went to pick up my sister and niece because they were going to spend the night and watch the kids so Scott and I could celebrate our anniversary early. Scott and I went to dinner at Jiko at the Jambo House at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Dinner was fantastic! If you ever stay at Disney you need to go here and have dinner, it was super yummy! We had mussels to start, which were in a word AMAZING, then I had the swordfish and Scott had the halibut. Words cannot even describe the food, that's how good it was. So before dessert came out I gave Scott his anniversary card. Inside was the best surprise ever! A room key for Kidani Village which is the new resort at Animal Kingdom Lodge. YAY for a night away! And can I tell you I was beyond proud of myself for a) not spilling the beans and b) him not figuring it out! A big thank you to my Mom and Dad for helping with that! Here are some photos from the night....The last photo was the view from our room, how cool is that?!

So the kids did well with their Auntie Cathy and cousin Lorren. After we got home we all piled up and went to the farmers market, which was a little disappointing this weekend. I'm guessing because of the holiday weekend, not a lot of the vendors were there. Then Jill got a big treat and got to have some cake with Cathy and Lorren. More like Jill ate a whole slice of cake! The rain is back, well it hasn't left. I feel bad that whenever my sister comes down in May in rains the entire time. :(
No big plans for tomorrow, just glad it's a three day weekend! Hope you have a happy and safe Memorial Day!