Vacation Education

Some things I learned about traveling and Walt Disney World recently:
1. Continue to plan ahead, but be very flexible about said planning!
2. Buy the case of water before you leave town. You will be glad you did. Florida water is not the most palatable and Disney water is not the most economical.
3. If staying "on property," buy the refillable mug. It's around $13. It can be refilled during your stay with cocoa, coffee, hot tea, even soda. (Notes: Coffee=Nescafe in Disney, hot water tastes better than cold, the cocoa is actually ok, caffeinated soda is quite helpful to a Mommy missing her morning mocha!)
4. Take the boat to the Magic Kingdom. It is not to be missed and really relaxing.
5. Some children will not "sleep through the night," while you drive through the night.
6. Take time to relax. We forgot this on the 2nd day and ended the day with tired, cranky kids and tired, sore feet! Oh, and it felt FREEZING that evening. *Lesson Learned!
7. Ask at your resort about the "not-so-well-known." We spent a relaxing time watching the Electric Water Pageant from a balcony at our resort.
8. Switch drivers when it has taken one driver 90 minutes to travel 40 miles due to construction and traffic. I am so grateful to my DH for taking over at this point. (We drove straight through, with lots of "switching drivers" moments.)
9. Smile.
10. There are so many things to be learned on a trip like this. One that stands out to me: Even though we are on a relaxing vacation, our manners are not. Being kind to others, respectful, considerate and thankful make it a better experience for us all.
I am thankful that we had this time as a family. We made so many warm memories. What a wonderful gift for the holidays.
~Tracy ---I couldn't resist a few photos of my sweet girls!

The girls starting out with "Humphrey" at the Mercantile.

Meeting Tinker Bell!
And Iridessa.

A Princess Must Have Her Palace

...and it must be cleansed...

While visiting my parents, DD6 announces that she is cleansing her palace as she takes a drink of water. Apparently, my mom has been teaching some very fine dining skills. Time to get out the fine silver and goblets!
~Tracy

...They'll be no living with them now :o)

A reason to like skunks?

It seems that skunks like to dig up yellow jacket hives. I never knew this about our striped friend.
It is funny how a tiny yard in a small neighborhood can yield so much knowledge about nature. (Birds, deer-2 sets of fawns this summer!, raccoon, insects of all sorts...) Our latest knowledge has been gained out of necessity. We discovered yellow jackets had taken up residence in a mole hole right next to our house!
It has taken 3 visits from the exterminator. Today he said, "That's a big hive." (I get a little concerned when the experts refer to something as big.) He pulled the rest of it out of the ground and I am pretty amazed at the size of the hole. I really want to look inside it, but cautious as I watch the few stragglers swarm around. Hopefully, we can now fill the hole and be finished with this latest adventure.
~Tracy
***I always thought skunks were kind of cute. Now, I learn that they are much braver than I.
Local Wildlife: (Update--the little guy on the far right just appeared on our driveway with his antlers this week! 11/11/08)

On winning:

In the family van today:
DD3: I beat you!
DD6: No, I beat you!
DD3: I won!
DD6: OK, we tied. (My little diplomat)
DD3: I tied first.
That was the last of it, since Mommy started laughing.

A practical prayer

My DD3 last night:
"..and Father, thank you for our house. It has lots of stuff in it that we can use..."
I think I have discovered a practical streak in my youngest. (And possibly the need to purge more "stuff" from our house that's not so useful :-) )

Fanciful thoughts of a 2 year-old

This past week, my 2 year-old announced to her daddy:
"Daddy, I weighed myself and I three now."
**It seems that the scale tells you what you want to hear. I wonder where that setting is, because I haven't found it :-)


Later in the week, she appeared with a bandanna delicately balanced on her head and said, "Argh! I'm a pirate!" Then she giggled, placed the bandanna back on her head and repeated. I am not sure how many times, but she continued to laugh every time.
I love that her latest "thing" is to crack herself up.
I love the laughter of my children.
I love that even when sadness comes, they bring laughter--what a gift!

A Sigh and a Smile

While riding in the van today, my oldest said, "Mommy, I love being home-schooled." I sighed and smiled.
Then I said, "I love it, too. I get to spend so much time with you. I like learning about new things with you."
What a warm fuzzy for a tired Mommy on our craziest day of the week.

Mary Poppins in the Play Room

Overheard in the play room today:
DD2: "I just finished me bwasses, (brasses) what's next?"
Oldest daughter then gives more directions...Yeah, it is possible that we have seen Mary Poppins a few too many times.
(***It's one thing to quote Mary Poppins, but when you start becoming one of the lesser known characters I begin to wonder...)