Disney Vacation... Part ONE

I just want to start today's post by taking a moment to remember those families who are missing their loved ones today. You and your families will always be thought of and prayed for by our little family. I am so grateful for the men and women who worked and served to help NYC ( and the rest of the nation) recover from such a horrific day! God Bless you all...from the bottom of my little heart!!

We just got back from our Disney vacay, and I must say that it is extremely bittersweet. I don't miss sweating to death (while holding a sticky toddler) or the long lines, but Disney is just "magical"....truly!
We were so blessed to tag along on Gabe's "business trip". We were able to enjoy some time with friends and family while we were there! There is nothing like hopping on a plane to go to a different state, and seeing some sweet friends at the airport who are taking the same flight.....especially when you are a really slightly anxious flyer :) Amara did GREAT though. I couldn't have asked for a more well behaved child. Suckers, Ipad and short flight....thank you, Lord!

Disney has this Magical Express service that takes your bags from baggage claim straight to the hotel. Dreamy right? Considering that I had a toddler in tow, a stroller that was sent to baggage claim that I was NOT going to, and a huge diaper bag full of toys she played with for all of two seconds each needed on the plane. Well, apparently, if it rains....everything shuts down at the airport. Therefore, my 3 hour wait time for the delivery of my bags turned into a 10 hour wait for our bags. Extremely frustrating  not being able to put jammies on Amara or comb our hair out after a shower or simply go to bed before 2 am. My husband is a better man than me. He was so patient and nice to those sweet Disney workers! I let him handle all of the 4-5 calls we made to them wondering when we would receive our bags.

When we arrived at our hotel, we got to see more friendly/family- like faces. Amara was still running on some sort of energy. She hadn't napped a bit, but you know how it is when you get to a vacation destination. You get your second wind for sure! We had little time to just relax! We went straight to meet up with my mother - in - law ( who was also there for work) for dinner at Magic Kingdom. We hung out until it was time to watch daddy sing.

The band performed in front of the Disney castle, and it was pretty amazing to watch. I had the best seat in the house, which was watching that little toddler of ours dance and clap her little heart out while wearing her Minnie mouse ears that lit up. Sigh! Our sweet friend, Tony, held Amara the majority of the show. I am so grateful for that man. He will sweat and dance with Amara until the very end. His poor arms!! It is so nice to get to watch Gabe perform and not be holding her the entire time though.

Here are some of our pictures from that day....mostly blurry, night-time Iphone photos...sorry:

 ^^ taking it alllllll in... ^^

 ^^ sweet friends ^^

 ^^ I put her on the bed to go to the restroom, and came back to unwrapped chocolates ^^

 ^^ Monorail rider! ^^

 ^^ Amara selfie....1 of 12 of the exact same picture. You can't leave her alone with your phone for too long or this is what you get! ^^

 ^^ Watching daddy! ^^

 ^^ Tony.....Amara's favorite dance partner! ^^

^^ My favorite part of the show right now....the drum sequence. ^^

^^ The perfect ending to ANY kind of crazy day! ^^

TGIM ( Thank Goodness Its Monday)

I am sitting on my couch watching television/staring at all of the ribbon and wrap on my dining room table so that I can actually wrap gifts while Amara sleeps, but I just can't seem to muster up the energy!!
We had our first week of being SICK, SICK and SICK. I am surprised we made it almost 15 months quite honestly. We were driving home on Wednesday ( the day of the week Gabe leaves for his shows) when I hear a choking baby in her car seat. She was throwing up, but her car seat isn't tilted up enough for her to get it out. SCARIEST MOMENT of mommyhood so far. I just pulled over, ran over to her door and yanked her out of her car seat, and let her just release on the side of the road. I felt so bad for the little thing....

BTW...Thanks to the sweet lady that pulled over to ask if Amara was okay, and if she needed me to call anyone! SO sweet!

Anyway, I had a sick/mopey baby for about 2 days, and then I woke up at 6:30 am with what I think was food poisoning. My mom, sister, and I all went to eat the night before with some friends, and all 3 of us woke up that morning throwing up. I literally could NOT move. I was getting sick every 30 mins. Somehow, my mom pulled it together and took care of all 3 of us. I was so grateful and I couldn't have done it without her. Amara had her energy back that day, and I just knew I wouldn't be able to keep up.
We have recovered from a rough week, but daddy comes home tomorrow!!! That is all these two girls could ask for. All things are made right when he is here... Mondays are our favorite!

We had a little time out today walking around Downtown Franklin with our friend Christy taking in the Christmas scenery.....perfect weather. How can I be okay with no jacket in December?? Kind of weird, but it was one less thing to have to wear. Baby is enough sometimes!