Disney 2017

In January I pulled the boys out of school for a week and we flew down to Florida to go to Disney with my parents. I love Disney. I grew up going to Disney and I still find it magical. Part of that is just because of the nostalgia it holds-- but there really is just something about it that I adore. And I want the boys to grow up with the magical memories of Disney too. Daniel, however, does not hold the same affection for Disney that I have-- so we left him at home :)

It was a whirlwind trip but we had the BEST time. Here are some of the highlights:


Getting to travel by airplane instead of car is always a big hit with the boys. They were even able to chat with the pilot and see in the cockpit!

Carver has a bit of trouble with his ears on airplanes so our first night was a little miserable for him. We spent the evening at Disney Springs and he was distracted from the pain some, so that helped. By morning he was back to normal!

Bubble baths in big tubs are always a big hit.

Granddaddy and Carson working on a Lego project.

On Tuesday we headed to the Magic Kingdom!

Pure joy.

Carver's first time on Thunder Mountain-- he loved it!

Splash Mountain was definitely Carson's favorite ride.

It was an exhausting, but perfect, day :)

On Wednesday we took a break from theme parks. We went swimming at the pool and then I headed over to visit Courtney and (finally!) meet her sweet new baby, Hadley. We so love this family.

Oh my goodness. Love her and her big sister. And her mama.

Both of my boys love and adore babies :)

 After a too short visit we headed back to our hotel and did some night swimming.

On Thursday we went to Animal Kingdom. This was my very first time at that park and we had a great day!

Everest. I hated it. Carver loved it.

They LOVE seeing characters so we went to the character meal at  the park and it was great-- the food was good and the boys loved all of the attention from their Disney favorites.

Train ride!

Waiting to watch The Lion King!

After we left Animal Kingdom we stopped at Outback for dinner to celebrate my dad's birthday. This cheesecake was a highlight of the week for me :)

On Friday we headed back to the airport after a quick lunch at Red Robin.

And goodbyes are oh so very hard. Especially for the littlest one. He cried big heaping tears when he had to leave his grandmama.

Sweet boy cried all the way through security, the entire time we waited at the gate and finally settled down when he realized it was his turn to sit by the window on the plane.

And just like that our whirlwind Florida trip was over. I'm already dreaming about our next Disney vacation.

But this time we might brave the crowds and go during a vacation from school the amount of make-up work Carver had to do almost killed us both.

And just for fun... Carson at Disney two years ago...and this year. This picture makes me feel a whole lot of feelings.

January Phone Dump

Mid-year we began to struggle with homework. Struggle A LOT. Carver is easily frustrated...and apparently I am too. Thursday nights were our hardest, when we had to work on his reading journal. We both had trouble staying calm and pushing through it. 

Sweet Baby Winston. He doesn't get enough face time on the blog.

Snow! Lots and lots of snow. 

Snow Day activities.

The boys love playing with Carson's new veterinarian kit. 

Breakfast Date with Carver at Blue Ridge Biscuit Company.

Being creative.

Mountain Play Lodge and then lunch at Tupelo Honey Cafe.

In mid-January I took the boys out of school for a week (more about that later). This was us working on Carver's OBSCENE amount of make-up work. #neveragain

While going through my old jewelry to find pieces to pass along to Bailey, both boys pulled out a lot of bling to keep for themselves. 

He's an interesting combination of pure sweetness and insane stubbornness. 

Dear Carson, On Your Fifth Birthday

Dear Carson,

You have been over the top excited about your birthday this year. You are thrilled to be turning 5. And I love to watch your enthusiasm because it just fills your entire little body. You are exuberant when you are happy-- it lights up your whole face, you jump and dance and wiggle around and just glow.

Every year I am a little sad around your birthday; because you are the baby of the family and it is a little hard for me to watch you grow up and not start thinking about your "lasts." (Like yesterday was your last day of preschool and I was kind of a wreck). But, I also love every single minute of seeing how you have changed and grown over this last year.

You are hilarious. I have written down so many quotes of things you have said over the last year. I call your Grandmama almost daily to share the funny things you say and do. You make me laugh all. the. time.

You have an enormous imagination. I love to listen to you play independently with your toys. You create these elaborate story lines with characters and dialog and so many details. You assign names to almost every thing you come across-- toys, rocks, trees, pillows, blankets, bugs-- literally everything has a name. But your very favorite toys are Puppy and Jumpy. You sleep with them every night, include them in your games, and in general, take very good care of your special friends.

You ADORE your Daddy. You love me too, for sure. You tell me all day long that you love me "super much," and you like to sleep snuggled up beside me. But you have a special closeness with your dad. You love to "fight" with him, and visiting him at work is one of your favorite things to do.

You loved school this year and did so well, both academically and socially. You get along with everyone and are consistently kind to others. You name every single person in your class as one of your friends. Your teachers have so many sweet things to say about you and your daddy and I are SO proud of how you behave when you are away from us.

You still have a pretty large dose of stubbornness and defiance in you :) You are usually easy-going and affable, but there are times when you are absolutely impossible. If you do not get your way you can be insane. We will look back on it one day and laugh about your stubbornness-- but for now you keep things just a little bit wild. You struggle to listen and follow directions if it goes against something that you really want to do, but we're working on it.

You love to hug and kiss and be held. You like to sleep super close and snuggled up. You love going to church and school but you also really like being home with me and Carver and Daddy. You make friends everywhere you go and you will talk to anyone. You like to ask questions and meet new people and you have joy that is just infectious.

The best part of this last year has been your growing interest in God, and Jesus, and salvation. You ask so many good questions and you already have such faith and love for Jesus. You have a heart for Jesus, I can see it already. You are seeking for sure and I can't wait to see how you continue to grow this year. I am convinced that God will use you in mighty ways.

This year the word I am praying over you is compassion. Not because you struggle with this, but rather because I think it is one of your very best qualities and I hope it continues to grow in you. You care so much about others. You love me so well. You are an encourager to everyone-- you tell me, or Carver, or Daddy, every time we do something good or well. You are a cheerleader and have a genuine love of people. This is such an incredible character trait. I pray that you will continue to be compassionate, that your heart stays gentle, and that you never stop your exuberance for life and the kindness you show to all people.

You are gift. The absolute best kind of gift and I am so incredibly thankful for you. When I look at you my heart is FULL to the brim with love. You encompass so much of what is good in the world and you give me such hope for the future. I pray that you grow and learn and seek more and more about life this year. That, above all else, you know and love Jesus.

You are so loved. By me and Daddy. Carver and your "big" and "little" cousins. By Grandmama and Granddaddy and Nana and Papa. By Uncle Lyle, Aunt Courtney and Uncle Michael and Julia. And even by my friends-- who all love you too. You are exceptionally special and our family-- immediate and extended-- is so blessed by you.

Happy Birthday Carson!

I love you to the moon and back a thousand times over.

Love,
Mama