Disneyland, after vacation!

(May 3, 2013)

You read the title correctly...it says, after vacation.  Remember, Disneyland is just a regular happening for us. :)  We wasted no time in getting back to Disneyland after our trip to Oregon.  In fact, only one full day went by before we couldn't take it anymore and had to get our fix!  This was also going to be our last opportunity to go before I went back to work, taking care of 4 kids.  In other words, it was a necessity for us to go.

Rather than write too much, I'm just going to overwhelm you with fabulous Disney pictures, because that's what I'm really good at. :)

Ladybug ride at California Adventure

Bumper bugs....too bad Mommy can't follow the rules - apparently we were supposed to all be driving in the same direction.  Well, we had fun - I don't know about all the people we bumped into! ;)

Our attempt at a family photo failed, so we settled for what we could count on. 

Master of Ceremonies.

Geoffrey's favorite character in the entire parade.  Seriously, the boy gets all giddy!

I just like this picture because it shows that my camera is capable of taking action shots, like this fast-flowing skirt.  Oh, and it reminds me that I would LOVE to be a salsa dancer.

Maddie spotted her best friend, Rapunzel.

And Rapunzel spotted her...and captured her heart.

One more picture for my personal sake...can't you just picture me out there?? Man!  I just want to get up and dance right now!  (I've seen this parade a lot.  I mean, A LOT, and it never gets old.  I am always holding myself back from jumping out in the street and dancing right alongside everyone.)

Maddie finally decided that she was ready to go on Casey Jr. again, after a very long hiatus from the ride (cause, unknown.  She just flat out refused for the longest time, to go on the ride - even though she loves trains and had been on it so many times before).  Regardless, it was a momentous occasion, and so much so, because she hadn't been with Geoffrey on the ride since he was old enough to appreciate it.

Everyone is excited about the ride - this is before the train has left the station.

The train conductor just announced, "All Aboard!"  Geoffrey's smile completely vanished.

This one just cracks me up.  Geoffrey is having to brace himself against the two of them, as the train starts to move.  He enjoyed the ride, in a very cautious and quiet manner, being sure never to let go of Daddy.  (This was not his first time).

Maddie mingled with the princesses.  She was in heaven.

Ariel loved Maddie's hair.

Sweet new friends.

Pose and curtsy, like a princess!  She even has the head tilt down.

Royal hugs.

There was no line, so as soon as we exited the building, Maddie and I ran right back into the entrance.  Each princess was delighted to see her again.

Sorry about the dark picture.  But I had to include this one... Ariel was giving more posing tutorials for Maddie.  She was a fast learner.

Twirling lessons from Aurora. 

As we were walking along, Maddie decided to put her new curtsy skills to work!

Still curtsying. :)

Ready to ride the Toon Town roller coaster.  Its been a long time, and she finally got her courage to do it again!

Up, Up, Up!  (4th car back)

Hard to see, but look for Brant in the blue shirt, and a tiny little girl next to him...she was holding on, that's for sure!

SO proud of herself!

"Mommy!  Mommy!  I did it!!!"

I did not ask her to pose.  She just caught herself on the rock as she had sprinted toward me, and this is the shot I got. :)  We were so proud of her being brave!

While Brant took a ride on the Matterhorn, I tested out our new camera to see what it was capable of capturing at night.  The amazing thing about this picture, is that the blue sky was not that bright in reality.  I thought it was pretty remarkable to depict it this way.

Tea Party at night.

Waterfall on the Matterhorn.

Goodnight, castle.

Cookie-dough play-dough

Grandma Kris and Maddie made "cookie-dough play-dough" on our last day in Portland.  The concept is exactly as it sounds - play dough that tastes like cookie dough (although the consistency is closer to play-dough), because after you play, you put it in the oven to bake and later, eat!  The adults didn't like it too much, but Maddie was crazy about it.  It made for a great snack for her, as we had to wait in the terminal for our plane, later that day. 

It all starts as a ball of dough, waiting for creativity to strike.

She took it all pretty seriously.

Grandma and Maddie, beginning their work.

Starting to get the hang of it.

:) Now you're wishing you could jump into this scene to figure out what they are so amazed about!

Sweet.

Maddie loved their creations.

Meanwhile, Geoffrey woke up from his nap, so we snuggled for a bit, while the girls played.

She loves the rolling pin, especially when she is doing play-dough.

That looks like me - detail oriented and focused on the creation at hand.

And finally, some sibling love.

But I had to include the picture taken immediately after the previous one, to give an accurate depiction of the rankings in our household...watch out, Maddie.  Someday, this will change.

Interupting the catch-up game...

I've decided to take a quick pause in my frantic "catch-up-the-blog-before-we-move-away" game, to post a little bit on the things that are rattling off in my head.  Looking back over the years, I have done this from time to time, and I have found it very interesting to go back and read where my head was.

Well, for starters, I am not sure if I know how to pin-point what it is I am feeling. :)  How's that for kicking this post off?  Any given moment, I can catch myself thinking about boxes to pack (which there are none, so far), wanting to slow down my lifestyle for my kids, preparing for my sister's wedding (role of a matron of honor!), stopping my job (which is far overdue), wishing Brant's schedule didn't have to completely steamroll through our late afternoon/evening rhythm as a family (which he can do nothing about, as it is all the cause of being on jury duty), what will our budget turn into over the next few months (big unknown), where will all of our belongings live over the next year (absolutely not taken care of, yet), the amount of Dutch I am able to speak on my own (translate: zero), getting updated on my blog (which I am currently preventing), the friends I would still like to intentionally hang out with before we go, etc...

I am overwhelmed.  I know this is 100% acceptable, but it still exists.  I have made paper lists, post-it note reminders, to-do lists on the i-pad, notes on the calender, you name it.  Funny thing is, with my memory, I hardly need to do this, as it is all concretely laid out in my head.  Somehow, putting the exact same information over and over again in multiple places, makes me feel like I am organized and going to be productive.  I think that is what is also not helping me too much.  I can make lists, but there isn't much being checked off, yet.  It's still too soon.  We cannot pack up the house and live out of boxes for 3 1/2 weeks, for a number of reasons.  The most important one is our kids.  I am trying to delicately and repeatedly talk with them about our upcoming move.  I'd like to think that we are doing a tremendous job with Maddie (let's face it, Geoffrey is clueless).  We have been talking about this move for close to a year with her.  She knows all the things we are going to do to get to Kampen (transportation wise).  She talks about how we will have a new house.  The thing is, I know she isn't old enough to have a real concept of time.  I'm expecting her to have a period of time, where she is not understanding why we can't "go home."  We will all adjust, but that's still a real thought running through my head today.  And all of our bags will magically get packed, weighed correctly and put on the plane.  We will make it!  But there is a lot to do before then.

Now, let me switch gears, because although the tone I am writing in is very real and acceptable, I can hear its negativity.  I am SO excited about our upcoming adventure.  Truly!!  I am ready to get to Kampen and embrace the new lifestyle that is waiting for us.  I want to see it.  I want to smell it.  I want to taste it.  I want to live it.  It's time, and I'm ready.  I just have to get past this whole "getting ready" part. :)

I guess this is where I am right now.  A bit of this and a bit of that.  I am taking care of myself, through it all.  I have joined an early morning boot camp for my final month in town (I know it, bad timing).  I wake up 5 days a week at about 5:10 in the morning, and go endure a 45 minute killer workout, and have now completed 8 days.  I love it.  It is the only time of the day where I don't have a to-do list screaming at me, telling me what I haven't done yet, or kids constantly around me.  It's also a quiet time of day for me.  I get up and out, before the sun is awake, people still asleep in their houses, and go sweat out my stress.  It's awesome.  I'm proud of the commitment I am making to this for the last few weeks we are here.  I know it is changing me in so many ways.  Even more immediately, I am getting stronger, which will help when I have to learn how to balance a bakfiets bicycle, with 2 kids and a few bags of groceries, nearly everyday. :)  Fun times!

So, I will sign-off at that.  I am stressed.  I am overwhelmed.  I am even anxious.

I am also blessed.  I am not alone.  I am excited.  An adventure awaits.  Call us crazy!

Playin' on the old trombone

We busted out my trombone (now, my dad's trombone), for the kids to try out.  They all were able to "make music" beautifully.  :)  It was special for me to be able to play around on it, myself.  It has been too long.

This one's my favorite.  I love how she is looking at my dad.

Ellie

Ben

Maddie

Geoffrey

Grandpa Pat was very proud (as I was, too)!