Cruisin' on the Disney Dream... Planning and Driving to Cape Canaveral

Back in January on a whim, we decided to do a Disney cruise with another family.  This was actually a big deal for Jamie because he doesn't do ANYTHING on a whim.  I happened to mention how fun I thought a Disney cruise would be and found a pretty decent deal right before their peak season began, so I text (or is it texted?) my friend to see if she and her family would be interested (they said YES immediately) and within 3 days, we booked it.  We had never been on a cruise, much less taken our boys on a cruise but we were incredibly excited about a new experience.  Thankfully, there is much less planning that goes into a Disney cruise than a trip to Disney World and other than booking the cruise, there wasn't too much else to do except patiently wait for the next 4 months to pass by until our trip.... which wasn't easy!  I did have a slight panic attack one night while trying to go to bed because it hit me that I didn't really think things through for Noah before booking the trip.  Would they be accommodating to his needs? Would he be allowed in the Kids Club with Collier and the others? How would he handle the movement of the boat?  Swimmy diapers aren't allowed in the pools so would Noah have to stay out of the pool the entire trip? etc etc etc.  After getting on my computer and googling way to many sites about special needs and disney cruises until the wee hours of the morning, I relaxed... I mean, after all, it IS Disney! The whole reason we did this was because how incredibly special they had made our trip to Disney with Noah the previous fall.  The next day, I called DCL (Disney Cruise Lines) Special Services department and spoke with an incredibly nice man who calmed most of my worries and set me at ease for our upcoming trip.

Finally May rolled around and it was time for our trip! We decided to break the drive to Cape Canaveral into two days and checked Noah out of school after lunch on Friday, and hit the road.  We somehow managed to turn a 5 hour drive into a much longer drive by running into the Summit in Birmingham for me to make a clothing exchange at a store that we don't have in Florence, having to make several potty stops (I could blame it on our newly potty-trained 3 year old, but Jamie is just as bad with his pea-sized bladder and the big gulp diet coke that he gets at every gas station stop), as well as stopping to eat dinner at a restaurant.  We rolled in to Dothan around 10 pm and checked into our hotel room and went straight to sleep.  We weren't in too big of a hurry the next morning and got on the road around 10:30am for the remainder of our drive.  We anticipated about 6 hours on the road, however once we were a few hours outside of Orlando, we had to take a detour due to a terrible car wreck that had the interstate closed down.  The detour added a few hours to our journey thanks to having to drive through several small towns, terrible traffic (since everyone on the interstate had to take the same detour) and lots of traffic lights.  We had originally planned to stop in at Downtown Disney for dinner but we had to cancel since we wouldn't be able to make our reservation and after the extra hours on the road, we just wanted to get to our hotel.  When crossing over into Cape Canaveral the first thing you see is the cruise port and all of the huge cruise ships!  We had booked a Park and Cruise package with the Four Points by Sheraton in Cocoa Beach, which is just a 5 - 10 minute drive from the cruise terminals and it ended up being a great deal.  Our hotel was really fun and kid-friendly with a large floor to ceiling aquarium in the center of the restaurant and the sleeping rooms were large and very nice.  Apparently, it's right on the beach and has a fun pool but we never saw either of the two.  We had dinner surrounding the aquarium and the kids enjoyed getting to point out the different fish.  Collier found Nemo, Dory and several others.  After our dinner, our friends, the Cowley's, checked in to their room and came up to ours so the kids could play for a little bit.  Their oldest Charlie and Collier are buddies and had been eager to see one another the whole day!  After letting he kids burn some of their energy, the Cowley's headed to their room and we got our boys fast asleep and eagerly awaited the next day when our vacation would officially begin!

This is how we started our journey... Jamie driving, me and Noah in the back seats with Collier on the 3rd row (even though he's never set back there.) I thought it would make it easier for distributing snacks and entertainment with me in the back with the boys.  WRONG.  The newness of the 3rd row wore off fast for Collier and we played a little Chinese Fire Drill in Moulton in the Subway parking lot.

Our hotel in Cocoa Beach, Four Points by Sheraton, which is located right beside the infamous Ron Jon's Surf Shop.  

The boys were having fun wearing the hats that I had packed for our cruise! 

Now that's what you call some GOOD sleep!

My Little Cupids

The week of Valentine's Day we were forecasted to have SNOW so school was cancelled for not 1 but 3 full days!  On Tuesday, we were pleasantly surprised to wake up to a beautiful blanket of white fluffy snow.  The boys couldn't wait to get outside and play so we bundled up with as many layers as they would allow and headed out into the cold.  Collier had a blast playing in his first snow (or at least his first snow where he was old enough to play in--the last snow was when he was just 3 months old) and before I knew it he was covered from head to toe in the white powder.  He climbed up on the trampoline and loved bouncing and rolling around in it.  Noah has ALWAYS loved being outside and was happy just walking around and checking it all out.  After awhile, both boys had rosy cheeks and runny noses and luckily it didn't take too much convincing for them to come inside to warm up!  Later that day our beautiful snow melted into a muddy mess but the next evening, more snow came in it's place.  However we never got the chance to get the boys back out in it before it melted away again.  

Friday, February 14th, Noah only had half a day of school for Teacher In Service day so they had a small Valentine's party following lunch, right before school let out at 11:30.  Since it was a small thing, parents weren't invited, but I did provide some treats for his classmates.  Collier's class party got postponed until the following Tuesday because of the snow days.  His teachers also did a low key party for the kids where the parents each provided bags of candy and treats and they put together snacks bags for the kids as well as let them pass out their cards for one another.  

Thanks to a sitter, Jamie and I celebrated our 12th Valentine's together with a delicious dinner at Sweet Basil Cafe.  It was a perfect evening since the restaurant had a small, intimidate dinner set up with a band providing entertainment.  As soon as we arrived our table was set and waiting for us so no long waits like at most restaurants on Valentine's night!  Some friends of ours also had dinner reservations there so we were able to visit with them and since they only accepted a certain number of reservations, there was no rush for us to leave and we were all able to enjoy each other's company.  And the food was delicious... quite possibly one of the best steaks I've had in a long time!

The next week, Noah came home with this belated Valentines gift for me... he painted it completely by himself and I ADORE it.  I have actually been working with him to sign 'I Love You' so when I received this gift, my heart melted.  I know I've said it before and I'll say it again.. I am so very blessed to have these 2 precious boys and my amazing husband in my life.  I love them more than words can express and they make my world complete.

Home Sweet Home and the Holidays

The last few months of 2013 went by in a flash!  After coming home from Disney World we had a week to pack up our belongings and then we moved into our new home.  I am grateful that we were able to live in a rental home that my father-in-law owned, as opposed to living in an apartment but it still made for cramped quarters.  One of our biggest mistakes was not renting a storage unit, but instead piling 75% of our belongings that were kept boxed up, into the living room and foyer area of the home.  It was quite the mess really and somewhat funny now that I can look back on it.  Jamie had all of his clothes hanging on hanging racks lining the living room, surrounded by boxes of our stuff in every corner and crevice.  Our kitchen table was right in the middle of the room with stuff piled on and under it, since the kitchen was too small for a table.  Mind you this was ALL Jamie's idea!  The living room became a storage unit/Jamie's closet.  He had to move boxes around every time he'd go in there to get dressed.  And since our table was in there as well, we ate our meals in the den on the couch.  Jamie has since admitted that if/when we build again, we WILL rent a storage unit and make the 6-8 months of temporary living a little more comfortable.  However, it's behind us and we got into our home the last week of September.  Thank GOODNESS it's behind us!

 

This was the weekend we moved in however I don't have a new picture of the exterior.  

We do have sod and a fence in the backyard now.  Maybe in the near future I'll get some updated

 pictures of the house on here!

 I've always been told that building is a learning process and no matter what, you will always find something that you would like to do differently next time.  And while that is true and there are a few minor things I will do differently next time, I can honestly say that I love our new home! I'm so grateful that we were able to build a home that is almost perfect for our families' needs.  One of our main goals was to build a one story home for Noah, so that he could access all of it without assistance.  At our last home, it was a main level with a full basement, so the playroom was downstairs and to go out to the backyard to play, you had to go down a flight of stairs off of our deck.  It made things difficult for Noah and for me, trying to get 1 newly walking child and a toddler down stairs safely.  And if I ever had to run back up the stairs to grab something from in the house, Noah would get upset, thinking he had been left behind.  It just wasn't ideal for our situation.  Our setup now is a 1 story house with a bonus upstairs.  Our main level has 3 bedrooms on one side of the house, our master bedroom on the other side and the boys have a playroom off of the den.  Its a very open floor plan with the kitchen, den and dining all being open to one another and large windows that all look out into the back yard so I can keep an eye on the boys.  I also LOVE that I can open the back door in the kitchen/den and the boys can go in and out to play and if we're all outside playing I can run in and grab whatever I need quickly without upsetting Noah.  The boys both seem to love the new house, especially their backyard and playroom.  Noah seems to have more independence since we've moved here.  He isn't as clingy to me and doesn't have to be right by my side like he has in the past.  He is doing better about going off to play with Collier and entertaining himself for a little longer periods of time. It's taken some time to get everything in it's new place as well as finish up any last projects.  We still don't have shrub beds but that's partly due to all the rain we've had the past several months.  It seems like it's rained or been brutally cold at least 1x a week and things just haven't worked in our favor to finish up the landscaping.

A few weeks after we moved in, Collier turned 3 years old so we had a small family get together at home to celebrate.  Jamie's brothers both already had tickets for the Alabama game and his dad was at a Nascar race so it really turned out to be my family and Debbie, Jamie's mom, which was fine since I literally threw it together the week before.  He has really grown and changed in the last few months and has lost that baby/toddler look.  He is definitely a little boy now, which is a little bittersweet; I love our all the conversations and things he does but it's sad to no longer have a little baby.  His vocabulary has exploded and he talks non-stop.  He's really funny and loves to be the center of attention in front of those he's close with, however he's pretty bashful in front of people he doesn't know as well.  He has made friends at school this year and comes home talking about them; he loves race cars and construction equipment and can identify the difference between tractors, backhoes, bulldozers and more.  He loves to 'build a house' with blocks and move the dirt with all of his construction toys... someone was paying attention while we were building our house!  He is very into movies now that he and Noah have their own tv/dvd player in their playroom and I wake up regularly to him in the playroom watching a movie, without even letting me know he has woken. He has figured out how to turn on the tv and start the dvd player... he doesn't need my help at all although a few of our DVDs have been scratched up or broken from him handling them.  His favorites are Cars and Toy Story 1, 2, 3.  He still loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse the best but also likes a few other shows such as Henry Hugglemonster, Doc McStuffins, Jake and the Neverland Pirates and Handy Manny.  He loves to quote his movies and his favorite quote is: "But you are a TOY!"- Woody/Toy Story and "Ka-CHOW!!!" - Lightening McQueen.  He knows his alphabet, most colors, counts to 15, knows most shapes (and can use his fingers to make the shapes, such as a diamond, triangle, square and "cirtle") and has learned his left from his right.  He's a happy, bright, FULL of energy, funny little boy and is just a joy to be with!  Now with that being said, he DOES have his challenging 3 year old moments and is very opinionated and stubborn.  Three has definitely proven to be the most difficult stage so far but his sweet little kisses, hugs and apologies wipe away any memory of a preceding fit that has been thrown!

  

My COOL 3 year old!



We had a fun Halloween despite the rainy weather and made the rounds visiting the family and were able to squeeze in a little trick or treating without getting too wet! The days of cute costumes are over and the boys are now into choosing their own costumes.  Collier was really into robots at the time so I found a super cute robot costume early in the month, but to my avail wasn't ever able to get him to put it on. On Halloween day, Noah was able to dress up for school, so he wore his batman t-shirt and cape. Of course, Collier then decided that he needed to be a superhero as well.  Halloween morning we set off for Target in hopes that we would be able to find a costume.  Luckily, we were able to find a Superman and a Batman costume in both boys' sizes and everyone was happy... and Jamie may or may not have been jealous of Collier's Batman mask. 

 At our church's Fall Festival

 Jamie and I got in on the superhero spirit

  

We enjoyed the month of November and stayed busy almost every weekend.  Jamie and I went to Tuscaloosa to the LSU game and had a great time! It was my first game to attend since the Championship game in New Orleans at the beginning of 2012 so I was more than excited to be there.  We met up with several friends as well as 2 of my cousins before the game and then cheered on the Tide as they beat LSU.  The following weekend we had several couples over, as well as their children to watch the Bama - Miss. St. game.  We had fun, but it was crazy with 8 kiddos among the 6 couples.  The guys watched the game on the back patio, while us girls tried to watch the game but mainly played with the kids and just enjoyed one another's company.  Then the next weekend the Clayton's came into to town from Nashville.  They brought their girls and the boys had a great time playing with them that afternoon.  Later that day, we met Chenequa's aunt and uncle in Rogersville so they could take the girls home with them and us adults were able to go out to dinner (we had a sitter keep the boys).  They spent the night with us and left the next day to get the girls and head back home.  It was fun catching up and spending time with one another, especially since it's been awhile since we had hung out last and they are about to add another little girl to their family! 

Since we hosted the Brink's Thanksgiving at our house this year, I made sure to get the Christmas decorations out prior to Thanksgiving.  It was fun getting to decorate our new house for Christmas, however, I didn't do nearly as much decorating as I'd like..... having just moved and put everything away, I wasn't quite as motivated pulling stuff back out!  I will definitely do better next year.  I was actually sick during Thanksgiving and felt nauseated and dizzy the whole week.  After 5 days of feeling this way and pretty much staying in the bed, I went to Express Med, convinced my thyroid meds were off.  They did blood work and sent it to my endocrinologist in Birmingham, who told me that my numbers were still good, and I must have had a bug.  Even though I never actually got sick, being nauseated and dizzy all day long for 5 days was anything but enjoyable.  Before we knew it, it was December and we went to Nashville for our annual Christmas shopping trip.  Normally we go with Jamie's family, however his mom got sick so it was only me, Jamie, Wes and Haley that went this time.  We still had a good time and got a lot of our Christmas shopping done.

Before we knew it, it was Noah and Collier's last week of school and we were having class Christmas parties.  Noah's was on Wednesday the 17th and me, Jamie and Collier joined his class for a pizza party and yummy treats.  Collier's was the next day and they just did a small party where they all brought candy for one another.  Thursday ended up being Noah's last day of school because Friday was a half day, however he woke up that morning and threw up so I kept him home.  We had plans to go to Birmingham to see my mom's family for the weekend so I kept an eye on him that day.  He didn't get sick and acted completely fine the rest of the day so we went on the Birmingham.  As we pulled off I-65,  out of the blue he threw up in the car.  Once we got to my aunt's house and got him cleaned up he was fine.  I was afraid he had a bug but he never got sick after that and he was acting like he felt fine all weekend.  On Saturday, my aunt, mom and I took the boys to the Galleria to meet Santa.  I'm not sure WHAT was going through my mind when I thought going to Riverchase Galleria to see Santa the weekend before Christmas was even a remotely good idea but the mall was NUTS.  Surprisingly the Santa line wasn't too bad and we got through it without any tears and I walked away with a $25 5x7 picture of Noah not smiling and Collier half smiling.  Memories, right?! The only thing Collier told Santa that he wanted was a tractor (he only has about 5 other tractors at home).  After our picture, Collier begged to ride the choo choo train that they had conveniently stationed right next to Santa's post (clever, huh?) So another $10 later and me and the boys were happily stuffed into one of the cars on the train, chugging through the massive crowds of people at the mall.  After that, I discovered my aunt and mom planned to do some shopping so the boys and I quickly exited the mall.  The boys rarely do good shopping when it's a non-holiday season much less during the busiest retail time of year!  Later that evening, we enjoyed a dinner with my family and then loaded up and went home the following morning to get ready for a visit from Santa Claus!

We had a great Christmas! We made our usual rounds beginning with our annual Christmas Eve breakfast at my grandmother's house.  Its always so much fun seeing my (very large) family and letting all of the kids play together. Later that evening, we had a delicious Christmas Eve dinner with Jamie's family and before we knew it, it was time for the boys to get in bed so Jolly 'Ol St. Nick could pay them a visit!