This week I am thankful for: 1. Koen writing sentences. He does not like writing or drawing so I don't make him do it. I don't want to turn him off of school as he still has at least another 12 years to go. He was supposed to write a sentence for a school activity and I heard him sound out the words and write them down. So sweet. `I played baseball'. You can see that he added the detail of freckles to his entire body.
For our final day at Walt Disney World, we had one more park to visit; Hollywood Studios! We first had another taping for Breakfast Television at Epcot early in the morning. It was cool to see the topiaries lit up so early in the morning.
We watched, sang, cheered until 9 am. The DJ was awesome and we all got in on the dancing. Well, not Gary. He had only slept about 2 hours due to a flu bug and was hanging out in the background.
As soon as it was finished, we took a bus right to Hollywood Studios. Our first stop was Toy Story Midway Mania. Our kids all loved this ride. We wore our 3-D glasses and tried to shoot the targets for top points. Kai won (and I tried my hardest!). They probably would have done this ride over and over again. Toy Story is probably the best ride for our family given our kid's age range.
The lineups for the characters were about 10 minutes long so we met Sofia the First.
She was so great with each kid. Doesn't Kai look like he's flirting with her?
It was a bit `young' for Kai and Koen but we all just watched Nya soak it in. She loved all of the songs and it was very interactive with bubbles and gold `coins' coming from the ceiling.
We had lunch at the ABC Commissary. I was super impressed with the kid's meal prices ($5.99) and the fact that they offer apples or carrots with them. Part of our winning package included a $600 Disney Card which we could use for all of our food. I cannot tell you how much I loved having this card. We spent about $450 on food for the four days there. Not bad for a family of 5! Usually I wouldn't let Nya indulge in a sweet treat like this but it was so cute and we had the money for it ;)
She took one bite and it was just too sweet! We all tried eating it but couldn't.
The boys LOVED watching America's Funniest Home Videos and I enjoyed having air conditioning to hang out in while they giggled away. It was pretty hot and humid while we were there.
We got a picture with Lightning and Mater. It's too bad that Koen has passed the car stage as he was in it for a solid 3 years. Nya was sad that she couldn't go inside the cars and lost it for a minute.
One show that all three of our kids like watching (yes, even Nya) is Phineus and Ferb. I know I've said this so many times but I was just in awe how well they interacted with each child according to their personalities.
We did Voyage of the Little Mermaid as a family for Nya. Gary and I just wanted an air conditioned room to sit in (and Gary wanted a 20 minute nap). I can't say that it was that great but Nya liked it. If she was into Frozen, we definitely would have done the Frozen Sing Along. I wish that we had done it but we were running low on energy and still had a few rides to do!
Gary, Kai and Koen then went and did Star Tours-The Adventure Continues while Nya and I wandered through the gift shop checking out new things to add to her `Birthday List'. Next up, I took the boys on the Rock `n' Roller Coaster. It was a really good ride and although Koen's face does not look impressed, he loved it. We all did. The last ride of the day was the Tower of Terror. Kai wasn't feeling 100% so just Koen and I went on it. Koen loved that one, too. I actually thought that the ride was just the `warm up' and that we were going to do a very large drop, but that was it!
We really enjoyed our time at Hollywood Studios. It's probably the hardest park to navigate but there were a lot of attractions there that our family enjoyed!
For our last hour there, we allowed each of the kids to spend $30 using our Disney Card. What did they choose? Kai chose Disney pins.
Koen chose 3 stuffed animals. Nya didn't get to choose anything as she fell asleep in the stroller!
This probably would have been such a highlight for her but I did not want to wake her up! I chose a Minnie necklace for her and we still have money left on our card so she can buy something off the Disney store online for her birthday.
{October is not her birthstone but purple is her favourite colour}
I took the kids to dinner while Gary rested and then we had a final swim in the pool! We had to get the kids to bed by 7:30 pm (in their clothes!) because we had to leave the hotel by 3 am. I'm so glad we had bunkbeds for the boys and a crib for Nya (that she actually slept in!).
The boys enjoyed playing catch with their stuffies in the airport. I enjoyed drinking a coffee.
On the plane, the kids were able to watch Big Hero 6! The flight to Toronto went well, and then, well, things went downhill fast. Kai vomited the entire plane ride home (5 hour flight!) and then Nya joined in. If you ever wondered how well the barf bags work, let me tell you, they work very well. Well, not really for a two year old. Nya ended up wearing just a pull up at the end and Gary had no shirt on. I cried. The stewardesses on West Jet was so understanding and encouraging. The rows around us were also so supportive telling us we were doing a good job and giving us supplies to help us out. I can't imagine what I would have done had anyone said anything negative to us at that point. The shuttle and drive home were equally terrible and I'm thankful that Koen waited until we got home to get sick. I won't talk about this anymore but it was sooooooo nice to get home!
I bought a mug for myself to remember this experience each and every day. Home Sweet Home.
As I reflect back on winning this trip to Disney World, I'm so thankful. It was an incredible family vacation and I can't believe we were the ones who were able to do it. THANK YOU to West Jet and Breakfast Television for the memories that we were able to make on this trip.
Here is a video that Gary put together of our trip!
Baby Bjorn is known to produce beautiful, ergonomic, and functional products so I was very excited to try out their latest product which will be released exclusively in Canada; The Bouncer Mini.
Our experience with Baby Bjorn has been with their original carrier. We used it for all three kids and LOVED it. Forward facing, then outward, it grew with them.
Although we no longer have a newborn or baby, I love finding new products to recommend to other parents. This mini size bouncer is for babies 0-6 months and up to 20 lbs. It's not available yet but will be released this summer exclusively in Canada!
I'm always a bit apprehensive about having to assemble equipment but it it took Nya and I about one minute to figure out the three simple steps. There are no screws and the three pieces pop into place.
If you place the - sign on the legs upward, it is for the 7.7-13 lb range. The + sign facing upwards will work for 7.7-20 lbs by being a bit more upright.
The fabric slides easily over the frame and you secure it where indicated. If it needs to be washed, it is so SIMPLE to remove the fabric and machine wash in warm water.
Once the Bouncer Mini was set up we tried it out on Minnie Mouse first. I really like the colour options; grey or pale pink.
It was all good with Minnie Mouse so we were ready to test it with my niece Lucy who came over for a play date!
Lucy is over the 6 month mark but she's just 19 lbs so we put her in. I think she liked it!
Nya was easily able to move her up and down. It is made so that the baby can self soothe by bouncing alone while working on their motor skills (no batteries required!). It provides excellent head support and lays quite far back in the smallest setting.
This Bouncer Mini can be deconstructed in about 5 seconds and therefore lay flat. It's very light so that would make it easy to travel with.
We loved having a bouncer for our kids when they were little and I wish we had this one! My kids used ours when I needed to get housework done so that I could ensure that they were safe. Also, Koen had reflux and had to be kept upright. Kai loved any motion at all so he would have really enjoyed this. You can also buy a toy bar separately which is able to attach to it.
Guess what?! YOU can win this Baby Bjorn Bouncer Mini in either pink or grey valued at $159.95. Please enter in the Rafflecopter below and note that it is just open to Canadian residents. Thank you!
Recently I was reading `Biblical Secrets to a Happy Marriage' and one thing that stuck out to me was the importance of the gift of time. It doesn't have to be a formal date, or deep discussions over dinner, it could just be driving together or sitting in the same room. Geographical closeness.
Over the past year and a half, we have really been working on our marriage. It used to be that when Gary came home from work, I'd go straight to the office to work on photo editing. Now that I've reduced the amount of photography that we are doing, we have so many evenings together!
We only have one tv (okay--we have one in the basement but it's too cold down there!), so that is where we hang out. Gary and I love 7:30 pm as the kids are all in bed and it's our time. We usually clean up, do some work, exercise, and by 9:00 pm we're on the couch watching our favourite shows. We watch on Netflix so that we can find something that we both like (we're currently watching Homeland.)
I used to think that just sitting together in the same room wasn't quality time but my opinion has changed on this. When the kids were young I would want to "escape" a lot. As soon as Gary came home from work or basketball practice, I just wanted to leave the house by myself. "Me time" is helpful but I think it's really important to balance that with spending time together. Sitting side-by-side on the couch is a great time for us to talk about our day and plans for the week. Inevitably, you are going to connect more, physically and emotionally, if you are side by side on that couch!
What do you think about `the gift of time'? How do you spend time together?
Love,
Louise
PS I'd love to have you join me and the discussions over on Facebook and Instagram!
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