Disney World October 2015

Has it really been almost 2 months since our Disney vacation!? Wow. Life keeps us busy! Hopefully I can recap pretty well still, share some pictures, pointers, and create a blog full of memories!

We joked about going to Disney world early this year. We became more serious in the summer, and actually researched some package deals, realized Corbin is still free at the age of 2 and is not required a dining plan! We were hooked ;) When Corbin was about 4 months old, on one of the delirious sleepless nights of being in the recliner, I signed up for a credit card. Shocker, being as we're anti-credit cards! BUT it's one where you earn points to Disney and get huge discounts! So we had quite a bit taken off the total trip thanks to free points, and gift cards we'd bought throughout the year (they never expire, and if you have a "Disney Gift Card" you can't really go pull it out and spend it like you could if you had "$50" in cash.

When we went: October 25-October 30th. We wanted to return home before Halloween to enjoy Corbin's first year of Trick-Or-Treating. We still didn't time this whole thing well. We had his Mickey Birthday party on the 24th at our home, (previous blog). And as stated in the previous blog...it rained, and rained...about 5" that day at our house to be exact! We drove up to Houston that night after a huge Stroller ordeal and stayed at a La Quinta that was near IAH, took their shuttle, paid a whopping $5 for our car per night and away we went on the 25th mid-morning.

The stroller ordeal...you see, we specifically bought a bigger stroller, it's a nice jogging stroller that rolls so smooth, and is very comfortable for Corbin to stretch out in. Well, we rarely use it in the big picture. One, I don't run... Two, we rarely go anywhere that it becomes necessity. We knew though, that the front tire needed air. We just didn't REMEMBER until we're packing a very-fussy-no-nap-had, 2 year old and trying to hit the road. Finally after multiple trips to Wal Mart, we get the tire fixed...we're good to go! Fast forward to the 25th, fly out day! I've never ever checked a stroller, well, we checked it...and when we got it back in Florida it was missing the tray that goes on the front of it! It wasn't on the plane at all. Meaning, someone who loaded it into the cargo, disregarded it and it was in Houston. Since it really held no value (like, $20) and strollers aren't covered under their policy, no one was very eager to help us. AND honestly, I am perfectly okay with them working harder and longer on lost luggage, than this. So, that was the one downfall to our trip. We never checked lost and found once we returned, we wrote it off...the stroller still worked great and probably even better without the tray...all was well!

Note the tray that his cup & breakfast are on...

(Corbin enjoying bfast at IAH before his first plane ride!)

 

 

The plane ride: We had a bit of time, but Corbin was SO fascinated with the big planes & trucks on the tarmac that time went by quickly! 



 

He didn't know what to think of being on the plane! He was just excited it had TV and Mickey was on it! (Eventhough we came fully prepared with an ipad & shows!)

Stuck on the tarmac for a little while, they had to unload freight from another plane! Of course, STILL raining!!!

Waiting to take off, keeping themselves occupied

This momma had a bag full of tricks. Coloring pages he'd never seen before, new markers, new stickers, Mickey tape, an ipad with tv shows, enough gummy bears to feed the plane...and this is what he did before we even took off, and stayed this way until we landed in Orlando! Score!

 

We're here!!! On the Magical Express! If you're going to Disney, staying on property...and flying in...take advantage of the free transportation! Oh, and the luggage tags! (They send you special tags, and you check your luggage before you fly out at the airport, and it will arrive directly to your room!)

Momma's a bad photographer, chopped off the big dog's head in the picture :(

We stayed at the All Star Movies Resort! It was a nice, quiet, and inexpensive! ($98 per night!)

The first day Sunday, the day we arrived... we went to Epcot for a bit and explored...then we ate at the Polynesian resort, our favorite from our honeymoon...OHANA! It's a Polynesian style food, they bring around skewers of steak, chicken, shrimp...you get a platter of dumplings, noodles, and other goodies...and it's all you can eat! Included in our dining plan, so we just had to pay for Corbin's drink & tip! :D

 

Day 2: Monday! We hit Magic Kingdom! We had a blast on the teacups, goofy's barnstormer roller coaster, Dumbo, and other fun rides! 

The classic Teacups selfie

(Flashback to 5 years ago on our honeymoon!!)

 

 

 Okay, back to present time! We ate at Chef Mickeys! Corbin was, well...you'll see...

Enjoying his yogurt...

Until Minnie Snuck up! The characters were amazing. The staff themselves were amazing! They catered to us, and to Corbin and his likes/dislikes. We told Corbin "cry all you want, Mommy & Daddy are taking pictures with the characters!) Minnie had an idea, she was aggressive and it worked haha!

My all time favorite...Goofy!

Travis likes him too :)

Travis & Corbin as we ended our evening at Magic Kingdom, riding Barnstormer (roller coaster!) for the 2nd time in a row (per Corbin's request!!!)

 

 

We watched the parade, it was nice! Corbin loved it.

Mandatory Castle selfie...Corbin would be in it but the little stinker fell asleep waiting on the fireworks! And slept through the entire fireworks show!

One of the ride pictures on Buzz Lightyears ride!

 

Enjoying the monorail taking us from Chef Mickeys to Magic Kingdom!

 

Corbin & I on the Barnstormer, this was round 1!

 



 Day 3: We had fun just exploring! We went to Animal Kingdom & Magic Kingdom again & ate at the Coral Reef for dinner! There were scuba divers in the tank and a HUGE turtle keeping us company!

Ready to watch Finding Nemo the play! Corbin fell asleep!

Riding the flying dinosaurs with Daddy

Arcade games...each of us won a prize, Corbin even won one himself!

 

 

Day 4 We had a "lazy day". This was the first day it rained on us so we just hung out mostly at our hotel during the day. We started the day at Animal Kingdom with a safari...ok, TWICE! Corbin liked it, and the line was short! 

By afternoon all was good, we went to Magic Kingdom and rode the Haunted Mansion....Corbin actually did good!

His favorite was getting to drive the car...

I love my family :)

He picked up a new friend (We've had goofy...)

 

 

Day 5: We ended our trip at Hollywood studios! Toy Story Mania! 

 

(Another 5 year flashback!)

 

 OK ok, back to present time! Corbin LOVED the big crayon!

 Getting ready for the stunt show

 Corbin really enjoyed the cars!

 Hollywood Studios :)

 

We took advantage of rider swap and the not so busy lines on our last day...Splash Mountain, after riding 3 time, I finally got some courage!

 And obviously Travis lost his lol

 

 

And as they say...all good things must come to an end. We had a great vacation. A lot of people told us Corbin wouldn't do good, he wouldn't be able to do anything, he wont remember it...Well, true! He won't remember it. But we have a TON of pictures to show him when he's older. And he keeps a picture of all of the characters beside his bed :)

 

Ready for the plane ride home

 

see ya real soon....

 

 

 

 

A 2 year old...

Repeat after me...we have a TWO year old! He's simply amazing. I am pretty sure on the day he turned 2, he developed this super high pitched, very annoying and deafening scream. Unlike any other I've heard come out of his mouth before! We joke and say he should have been a "Sour Patch Kid" for Halloween. He's talking so much, in fact...in church we barely make it though communion before we retreat to the "cry" room...for the sake of those around us to pay attention & not have to listen about Mickey, Minnie, Snacks, how Dada has his money, and whatever else sparks his interest for the day.

October 22, 2013 was the scariest, and one of the happiest days of our lives. The unknowns of going in for an induction, the losing his heartbeat not once, but twice. The fact that no one would tell me what was going on as they were promptly switching over my nasal cannula to a mask and rushing me to an operating room---without my husband. Two hours later, I'd wake up and ask "Is he cute?". Seriously? Yes. I said that. Shameful enough...but he was. And our family was complete.

Now, 2 years later, we've made so many memories with our little man...and have had so much fun watching him grow, develop & learn. With that being said, we had a heck of a time at his Birthday party & festivities this year! He is totally into Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and the gang. His favorite is Goofy, and who can blame him?

We made props, bought food, and prepared for months for this amazing outdoor birthday party. We have a sandbox, the fence is complete, the shed is built, the patio even got stained...the yard looked good, the piñata was filled, 300 plastic balls for a DIY ball pit (in his blow up pool from summer) was ready and plans were made...but God had other plans. It rained, and boy did it! 4" of the wet stuff on Saturday! SO, we moved the party indoors! Travis & I decorated, converted the play room into a Ball-pit-palooza, and we made alterations to have an "indoor piñata" We had a great turn out despite the rain, including some Aunts & Uncles (including mine from Louisiana!), friends and family!

Sign in table with "Ears"

My living room converted to party central!

All the decorations in place...

Thank you pinterest!

This was prior to "set up", but it was a DIY cookie bar!

Drinks

Coloring with some friends

 

Hot dog bar!

Everyone eating!

Make a wish sweet boy...

Cupcakes & cake for all!

 

Ball pit--complete with slide :)

Photo booth fun :)

PRESENTS!

Some of his cousins & friends

Yes, I did. I had to be the piñata distributor! When it rains, you cut a hole in matador and shake it like no other!

Making sure some of the smaller kiddos had a chance ;)

Mimmie, Pappy & Corbin!

Grammie, Paw-paw & Corbin!

Momma & Daddy with the birthday boy!

 

 

 

He received many gifts, love & had a blast that day! Seeing him so happy & having fun made all of the hard work & long hours in decorating & planning TOTALLY worth it!

 

Once the party was over, we got our house back in order...and then it was a whole new adventure! I'll start the beginning of the next blog on here...

 

So, we went to Disney World. I am such a planner, I didn't pack anything before Corbin's party---and we were leaving after the party for Houston to fly out the next day.

 

We go to pack, Travis can't find his suit case...we never found it. But we remembered where it was, once we were on the road to Houston, after he purchased another one at Wal Mart (this was trip 2/4 made that day)

 

He bought a new suit case, while he was gone I packed my bag, and Corbin's bag. We get ready to go, the stroller (we bought a new jogging stroller with durable tires when on vacay this summer in East Texas...specifically for Disney) well, the stroller had a flat front tire. It'd been low, and we'd been meaning to put some air in it...so Travis does, and it does nothing. Yep, we needed a new tire! So he undoes it all, we go to Wal Mart, he goes in and gets what he needs, we go back home...not the right thing. So he grabs what tools he needs, we go back to Wal Mart, he gets what he needs and fixes the tire (meanwhile, it's raining this WHOLE time & Corbin was fussing!) We're finally off! Well, it's dark. We're tired, and it's raining. Houston is flooding, we're going 50mph down hwy 59, cars are off the road left and right...FINALLY we make it to our hotel. It was a La Quinta I booked through hotwire ($70! Not bad, AND $5 night parking with free shuttle for the airport, score!) From here, things went smoothly! We get to the airport, all is well...eat our breakfast, check our bags (they're going from Houston--directly to our hotel room thanks to Disney's Magical Express & luggage tags!)  We check our stroller at the gate and away we go.

 

I was prepared. VERY prepared. I had everything under the sun for my kiddo to keep him occupied and happy on the plane. What happened? We got stuck on the tarmac for a few extra minutes due to unloading of freight at a neighbor plane...so he falls asleep!!! He missed the WHOLE plane ride! Even the free juice we got for him! He woke up as we landed in Orlando. It was perfect ;)

 

We get off the plane, get our stroller...uhoh...somethings missing? The tray that goes in front of the stroller (his cupholder and a tray to keep him somewhat-contained without having to buckle in each time) well...somehow, somewhere it got lost between Houston & Orlando. :( I spoke with some people, and since that piece was unmarked, it was hopeless...but we didn't let that ruin our time! We were off to find our Magical Express & begin our week of fun at WALT DISNEY WORLD!!!!

 

Until next time...

Why, hello October...

Well, where did that September month go!? We were busy, as usual, but made a LOT of great memories and had wonderful family time.  We started off September with Travis having to work Labor Day wknd, and I had my first Vendor show in Port O' Connor! It was a great success, met some wonderful people, and had a blast! Here's my set up from the show :)

As stated in the previous post, we ordered a shed! Well, it took a few weeks for it to come in, so we decided to plant some grass in the dead areas of the yard. Once the shed came in, Travis began to build the flooring immediately, and thankfully his Dad helped him construct it.

Within a few weekends, we had a shed! WOOHOO! You should see the difference in our garage! We can walk in there now. We still need to paint it, but that's not a "hurry up and do" kind of thing.

We had a few birthday parties in September. We celebrated Izzy's first birthday, and then at Hangtime Trampoline Park for Nik's 2nd Birthday! We loved it so much, the next weekend after visiting with Travis' grandparents, we took Corbin for some fun!

 

Travis' room mate from Texas State, Zack, got married! Travis & Zack dormed together, and then moved into an on campus apartment where they stayed together until Travis' graduated from there in 09'. Talk about total opposite majors. Travis was pre-PT, Zack was a music major. But they got along great, and we became great friends with Zack. Zack is a very successful man, he is in the band "Blue Water Hwy Band" and they are, well, amazing! And on their way to the top!

So, we went up to San Antonio on Friday after Travis' got off work, I spent my day off cleaning our house top to bottom, packing and all that goes with that! We LOVE the Drury hotels. They are always clean, comfortable, free nice breakfast and this one in particular has an indoor pool! Saturday morning we took off and did some shopping before the wedding, Corbin LOVED to ride the Escalators at the mall! He'd get off, "I ride, I ride!" SO Travis got to ride the escalator with him, um, about 50 times? Hehe.

 

 

The wedding was beautiful, as was the bride & groom. We didn't stay too long at the reception because when you have a almost 2 year old who's going on a 30 minute nap and not slept well the previous night, it's time to pack it in! haha.




We have an even busier October. The reality of us going to Disney in a few short weeks is SO real. I'm so nervous, anxious, excited, and READY for quality time with my guys. But first, we will have a house full of family & friends, well, hopefully a yard full if the weather cooperates...for Corbin's 2nd Birthday Party! Which reminds me, I've yet to prepare anything for it. Ok, I lie. I may have stuffed the piñata already, and I have things bought. But I haven't "planned" every single detail down to the last picture on the table...much different than last year. :)

Anyways, Thanks for taking the time to read about our September...here's to just 3 months left of 2015!

Updating

As I sit here at my laptop in my office that my husband so kindly built for me (I have an awesome craft desk and shelving units he hung recently to help me organize & have a place to craft!) I think...man, I am only ever in here to pay bills, work on my Jamberry stuff, or upload pictures! Life is busy, and that is that. But I have SIX unpublished blogs I've started, never finished, or just kept as a draft on here! So I'm going to take a few minutes to UPDATE since my last post was in June!

 

My office! I love my white/pink chandelier we found for $25 at Lowes! Score, and it's super bright compared to the ceiling fan that was in here prior! 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a great 4th of July. We went to Travis' PawPaw's house on Lake Echo and had a great time with family. Did some fishing, took Corbin to the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, did some shopping, fishing, & shooting and saw some awesome fireworks!

This is one of my all-time favorites of him, at 4th of July. Coincidentally it's the same one we chose for his 2nd Birthday Invites (that were just sent out recently!) I have this picture along with various others on my desk, and patients always ask if that's the same kid! He's changed SO much this past year!

Ready for his first boat ride on the lake!

Had some time to go shooting!

LOVE my gun! Had my Jam's going on for the 4th!

 

 

So in July we didn't do too much, we went to Splashway a couple of times. Had a blast!

 

We ordered our next project...a SHED! Yay! It arrived mid-August & my husband has been working on putting it together! It's HUGE. 12x10 to be exact. Our backyard's NOT massive, so this thing is something else. I joke & tell him a bed & mini fridge will fit in there perfectly for him :)

 

We've been playing in Corbin's little pool we have for him, it's big enough for us to set up/take down in a day, his little slide fits in it to make a water slide, or most recently a "tunnel for playing alligator" haha.

 

Been trying to catch up on projects. I've alluded to the fact that I will N-E-V-E-R scrapbook the 100's of picts I have stacked on my desk...so I purchased photo albums! And one day, I will put them in there! hah. We are sprucing up the play room with "READ" letters on the wall, décor and just making it a nice room for Corbin to hang out and play in with all his bazillion toys. And it gives his tent a home that his Mimmie & Pappy gave him when he was sick last winter!  I found some cute sayings on "cloud" signs at Hobby Lobby with "clap your hands" and songs as such. I made his curtains and now, keeping it organized is another story!

He will eventually have a couple of shelves on the wall beside "READ". Love his little rocking chair my Dad made for him, it's just like the one my Dad made for me :)

 

 

 

We have a certain someone's 2nd birthday party coming up. I was all about having it "Puppy" theme, then he took interest in Mickey & we're going to Disney, so we switched it up! I'm not going "all out"...so I say... ha.

 

Other than that, trying to lose some weight, get in better shape & spend time with our little guy! They started doing more arts & crafts at daycare, so I'm super excited when I pick him up, I have a little "gift" Makes my day!

 

He LOVES for me to fix his hair.

Us before church one Sunday, when Daddy had to work! :(

 

Hopefully I'll post again soon, if not, until next time...



 

June Updates

The 21 day fix is going, well...it's going! It's so hard to stick to it sometimes...especially with holidays & family functions. I have managed to lose & keep 6lbs off going into week 3. I'm okay with that, considering how awful I have eaten a few days out of the last 2 weeks! My goal is to do better each day...and see what can happen. This week I will follow my normal plan, and then next week (July 4th week) I will do the 3 day fix...which really restricts eating & focuses on exercising, to wind up the 21 day fix. Once 4th of July is over, we will hit it again for another 21 days...and we plan to continue this lifestyle indefinitely! Cheating & junk food is a must on some occasions! Gotta live, a little at least! ;-) 

Time is flying by...tomorrow our little man is officially 20 months old. FOUR months until he turns TWO. Speaking off, I placed the first order tonight for favors for his "Oh Two-odles" birthday party! Lets put it this way..."We've got ears, say Cheers" sums up what I ordered ;-) I need to control myself this year, last year was a bit...over the top. Haha. Oh well, I'm just "That" MOM! 

He has such an amazing personality, loves animals & balloons. Being outside, playing in the dirt & water, riding his 4-wheeler & driving his different cars (He seriously has a collection going...) He's talking a lot more & loves to say "NO!" but we've gotten a few "Yes"'s out of him lately! He has learned to open the fridge...which poses a problem when he wants to eat lunchables & cheese all the time, or when he's walking around licking a frozen pizza roll...oh yeah, never a dull moment! We have child locks on our pantry & exit doors to our home now, because yep...you guessed it, he's conquered the door opening 101! He's in such a routine when it comes to bedtime...it's so stinkin cute, I wished I could video it to always remember how cute this little man is, walking through the house butt naked before bath & then in his cute jammies on his way to bed. He must have Goofy (he has 2...a small one that we got him & a medium one from Jennifer, Jose & Tommy... he must have BOTH with him) and his little puppy that his Aunt Karen & Uncle Ted & Mason gave him for Christmas last year. And his silky blanket & his taggie...and he gives tons of kisses & it's just precious & heart melting! 

I don't see how anyone could not like being around him. Or any child who's of that age, with this type of personality (Not going to lie...the whiney, fussy, loud kids drive me crazy!) But he's pretty mellow most of the time. It's actually sad that some people, just don't want to be around him. But, it's definitely their loss! We love him, he's got a lot of family & friends who love him & enjoy being around him...and those are the people who matter to us! :D 

Anyways...here's some pictures since I just love making posts picture heavy...

My cute date with his "big boy haircut" before church :) 

We got to go to the beach last weekend when Aunt Sue was down, we went crabbing & he went swimming (not planned, he just has no fear apparently!) 

Isn't this just like "Hm, wonder what life will be like today?" Pose!?

LOVED the (nasty) beach water!

And of course...enjoying some rain puddles dumped on us by Tropical Storm Bill! First Tropical Storm to go through in our house & with Corbin...and it wasn't very bad. Our neighbor lost a big chunk of their tree, and we just got quite a bit of rain making our grass so very green we can't complain! 

Until next time...

Week 2, 21 day fix

Hey! So, officially 9 days completed of the 21 day fix! It's going really well for both of us. I weighed in on Friday, we both did...and for once, my results trumped Travis'! I had gone from 218, to 208! TEN lbs, in ONE week. Amazing. While I did the shakeology for breakfasts, I never found one I was "oh so in love with", no matter how I blended, mixed, froze, all were just not for me. So I decided to whip up some scrambled eggs with veggies to get me through the rest of the week until I can try a diff protein drink to weigh my options. Shakes are just faster for me, I can drink it on my way to work or to drop off Corbin at daycare. So we did 3 work outs last week. Shameful, I know. But still saw amazing results! We had my Aunt Sue in from Louisiana, so we did eat out more than we were planning. We plan 1 cheat meal a week...and while we ate out 3x's, we still controlled ourselves...at least I did. haha.

Here's my breakfast, snacks, & lunch for tomorrow. For supper we're going to do ground turkey/beef mix and either do spaghetti with it or make meatballs...something. haha. Below is: Ziti pasta, Grilled Chicken, Squash, Carrots, Cucumbers, Watermelon, Yogurt w/ fresh strawberries, my "omlette", a cliff bar & in the orange container...peanut butter! My after dinner snack for when my sweet tooth kicks in!

I decided on Monday to take my 2nd picture in front of the mirror...wearing the same outfit that now is loser on me. I can totally tell a difference in how my clothes are fitting. All of my athletic shorts are becoming large on me, to the point my husband makes a comment (compliment) every day. I wear uniform scrubs to work...and kind of the "turning point" for me was when my scrubs were tight. Tight to the point of ..."Maybe I shouldn't squat THAT far..." and one of my co-workers has had huge success with the 21 day fix, so I inquired more and ordered the goods. My scrubs are BIG on me. To the point of..."how much tighter will this drawstring REALLY go before my pants just give up & fall to the floor?!" Ok...so maybe not THAT severe...but pretty close. I have SOOOO much more energy. Trust me, when someone sits beside me at lunch with a bag of crunchy cheetos I want to pounce on them like chester...but I know better. I know I'm seeing results, and I know my food is VERY good tasting & good for me, and leaves me feeling hyper/happy/energetic...vs how those "delicious at the moment cheetos" do! that being said...I am already brainstorming our 'cheat meal' this week. I guess it'll depend on the number on the scale. We worked out last night and tonight, last night we did the cardio video, tonight was Yoga. Tomorrow & Thursday we will have to hit the arms/legs again, and my legs are probably STILL sore from those crazy moves last week! BUT it'll be totally worth it in the long run. Here's week 1 picture vs week 2. I will take measurements again at the end of 21 days.

Until next time...

HERE WE GO!

Hey everyone! SO, Travis & I decided to take the 21 day challenge with Shakeology & Beachbody! One of my co-workers has had amazing results and became a coach recently, so I ordered through her. We began on Monday, June 8th...the 21 day fix with the containers & work outs. I am drinking a shake for breakfast, but Travis isn't. I'm so excited. The work outs are only 30 minutes long, which is PERFECT. Because frankly, working out for any longer than that will NOT keep my interest for very long. I always get "bored" or just find something "better" to do. Haha.

So I'm getting my water in, working out now, and eating a LOT healthier. It's only the end of day 2, and yes while I feel like my legs may fall off & my arms burn...I am feeling 100% better. I can already feel & tell the differences with my clothes & energy level.

I'm hoping to post at least once a week, maybe more if I have time..during this 21 day fix! I want to be held accountable, and with Travis participating as well that makes it SO much better & easier for me!! I don't have to listen to him go on about how good Whataburger, Grandys or Chick Fil A sound! hah!

So, I'm willing to put my stats out there. They are embarrassing! Maybe that will hold me more accountable??! When I weighed in on day one...I weighed 219lbs. Most people don't think I weigh that much and usually make me stand on a scale in front of them to prove it (silly, I know...why would I make myself weigh more!?) I am tall-ish and I feel like I do carry it well. However, I know I am over weight...and not eating healthy. Life is busy, fast food is EASY. But the lack of energy and bleh feeling...I had enough! Here is one of my before pictures...so, here's to 19 more days! I'm excited we will finish round one before 4th of July! I'm just nervous because my Aunt Sue comes down tomorrow for a week...luckily I work all but the weekend while she's here, if not I'm sure I'd be very tempted to eat bad with all the good cookin my Mom will be doing!

I hate the fact that I still have such a "baby belly" pouch! Time to CHANGE that!

Day 1. Let's do this!

2 days of my meals! Went with whole wheat pasta, tomato sauce, grilled chicken & grilled turkey/beef mix for my meals. Salad with: Spinach, Kale, Cucumbers, Tomato's, Carrots, and olives. Clif bar for snack, peanut butter for snack, fruit & shakeology for b-fast! It's really a LOT of food! 

My short term goal is to lose 25 lbs-ish. I'd like to be around 195 when we go to Disney! YES we're going to DISNEY WORLD! Not for a few more months though :) Let's do this!!