Disney Vacation 2016

It was almost a year ago that Brian came home from work and told me he had put a deposit down on a Disney cruise. WHAT?! I have never been to Disney World and would have died perfectly content without doing so. I have no desire to walk around a hot park with a bunch of screaming children. So when I heard the word "Disney" I was a little turned off. Butttttt.... the cruise part seemed pretty awesome. I have cruised before and figured what the heck.

Well guys I can't say I am down for the park anytime soon, BUT I am completely sold on Disney cruises. My sister was teasing me this past weekend. She said she had never seen me this excited about a vacation and wouldn't be surprised if I showed up with a mini van tricked out with the Disney stick figure family on the back. (Let's not get crazy! Me. In a mini van. HA!)

I can't say enough positive things about our trip. We have even went ahead and reserved our spot next year. I have learned so much from this trip that will help make next years even better! I am hoping to put together a small cruise 101 post since so many people have asked for the run down, especially since 18 month old Brady was along for the ride.

We boarded the boat around 11:00 and went straight for the buffet. Talk about amazing food! Seriously anything and everything you could possibly want to eat was available for the taking. After getting settled in our room around 2:00 we got Brady dressed up for the first night's dinner. Not all families do costumes, but our friends' were dressing their little girl up as Tinkerbell so we thought a coordinating Peter Pan outfit would be fun!

HUGE kudos to Grammy for making an awesome outfit complete with felt sword! We took it pretty easy the first night and learned the lay of the boat for the most part.

We woke up in Nassau, Bahamas the next morning. I had previously been to Nassau and wasn't overly impressed. Any of the Atlantis excursions were either crazy expensive or not kid friendly so we opted to stay on the boat. I am SO glad we did. We basically had the whole place to ourselves and Brady was able to have free run of the splash pad and pools. We ate tons of food and I headed off for my spa day complete with massage and facial. Totally worth every penny spent. 

Day three was my absolute favorite of the trip. We spent the day on Disney's private island, Castaway Key. Brian joined in on the 5K. Brady and I hit the beach around 9 am and did what we do best.... laid out. The water was a little chilly for me, but Brian and Brady could have cared less about the temps! 

It was absolutely the most beautiful weather with clear, sunny skies and 75+ temperatures. Disney has two large Cabanas that serve a picnic lunch with all the fixings. We headed there around noon and stuffed our faces with bbq, burgers, fruit, and of course ice cream.

After much needed naps we headed out for Pirate Night. I am not one for dressing up, but my sister had a beautiful pirate costume she let me borrow. It was so fun seeing everyone's costume. We got our picture with Mickey and after dropping Brady off in the kid's club we headed to off to meet Jack Sparrow. (One of the major highlights of the trip for me. And yes, I know it wasn't Johnny Depp. Brian only reminded me a million times.) 

We picked Brady up from the Small World Nursery and debated on whether to go to the Pirate Deck Party. Brady was still awake and semi happy so we chanced it. It started around 10:30 pm which is pretty late for little guy, but the amazing Pirate show and fireworks were totally worth it! Poor buddy fell asleep in the middle of the show and slept through the entire fireworks finale.

Our last day was the day at sea. We hung at the pool (and buffet) and watched what I am pretty sure was every Disney movie made. I truly did feel like a kid again experiencing so many of the wonderful memories of Disney characters I had with my own siblings growing up. We have to give a huge shout-out to the Hester family for letting us tag along and for helping make our trip so amazing. I can't wait to make this trip happen again next year! As always feel free to message me with any questions! 

Happy New Year!

It feels like it's been awhile, but that's probably just me recovering the holidays. I have spent a lot of time reflecting over the last year and setting my focus on what's to come for 2016. So when Brian told me he was going in for his five year evaluation at work I had to stop and think, "Has it already been five years since we moved to Charlotte?" Holy. Cow. That flew!

Five years ago we were broke and jobless and mostly living off love and McDonalds (we still do some nights.) Oh, how far we have come in five short years. It reminded me that seasons are short and that the old saying "this too shall pass" speaks volumes. But back to 2015. This time last year we were newish parents and were worrying ourselves sick that baby boy wasn't hitting milestones and wasn't growing adequately. We went through series of tests and doctors and finally got into a groove of PT and neurology visits. I didn't think we were ever going to come out on the other side. Our long terms goals included sitting up, standing unassisted and walking. Once Brady was walking we would finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Well summer came and then fall. Not much progress in the standing/walking department.  We were tired and worn down. I just needed to be more available to my family. That's when we finally made the HUGE decision that I would quite teaching and start my own business. We prayed and made the decision to do it and wouldn't you know it; God dropped SIXTEEN new students in my lap. It has been an adjustment, but such a sweet, sweet one. There has been so many situations that could have brought strife that God has just surrounded us with grace. I have been so blessed to only work two and half days a week and I have gained the most amazing families as clients.

We have felt so at peace and so content over the last few months. The second the stress melted away Brady seemed to just flourish. And just a couple of weeks before Christmas he did the one thing we have been waiting for the last few months. He took his very few steps! Can you believe I caught it on video?! (Consistency paid off since I have about a million 'baby fail' outtakes before capturing this one.)

This precious little video makes me tear up every single time. It is so symbolic of not only hitting a major milestone, but more so a lesson on what hard work and persistency can do. Seasons in our lives can be tricky and messy all too often.  But when we put our faith in something great amazing things will happen. I never would have thought my son's first steps would have taught me such an important life lesson. 

As we begin a new year my resolution is to focus on my own growth. Growth not only in my business and in my relationships, but mostly in my faith and personal testimony. I want those around me to see someone that is persistent and hardworking. I want Brady to see me as the mom that never gave up. So as we begin a whole new year of introducing Brady to new foods, words, and behaviors  we know that there is going to be so much more he teaches us about ourselves. And to that I think we can all say "Salud!"

Happy 2016!