BIRTHDAY AT DISNEYLAND: B + O

Prior to our trip to Disney WORLD, I did a thing (WAIT. I'm going to stop you right here and have you click THIS LINK because I JUST realized that I originally only posted maybe six pictures from our trip??? Oops... I fixed it). Anyway, prior to our trip to Disney WORLD, I purchased DisneyLAND tickets for each of the six kids. But instead of a full family trip, I wanted to take the kids two at a time for their birthdays. It didn't take much convincing to get the mr. onboard, either (primarily because the two of us are going WITHOUT kids in Feb). For months, we kept this set of Disneyland trips a secret. A secret, that is, until one of my daughters overheard a private phone conversation with a friend a mere 10 days before the first of the Disneyland trips. Instead of asking her to keep it a secret, we decided to let the kids know that they each had a birthday trip to look forward to. 

First up, the youngest two. After school on Friday afternoon, we flew to Orange County and caught an Uber to our hotel (the Uber experience was by far the most stressful part because I could not, for the life of me, get the app to work). We stayed at Castle Inn & Suites, which is within walking distance of Disneyland. On Saturday, we hit the park as soon as it opened and spent 15 hours doing all of the Disney things! Jungle Cruise. Pirates. Breakfast at Jolly Holiday. Thunder Mountain. Star Tours. Astro Blasters. King Arthur Carousel. Tea Cups. Small World. Storybook Canal. Lunch at Pizza Planet. Pirates, again. Thunder Mountain, again. Blue Milk in Galaxy's Edge. Smugglers Run. Cokes in Galaxy's Edge. Rise of the Resistance. Haunted Mansion. Dinner at Jolly Holiday. Star Tours, again. Matterhorn. Space Mountain. Indiana Jones. Pirates, a third time. 

Hanging out with these two was a BLAST. The kids had fabulous attitudes all day, walked over 11 miles in total, and the only hiccup was a hat getting lost (and then found) on a ride. I'm grateful for their willingness to try rides that scared them - more often than not they walked away smiling. We didn't get to bed until just after midnight and had to be up by 4:45 to get a ride to the airport and catch our early morning flight home, but it was worth it. This trip was perfect.

365.5: WEEK THREE

JANUARY 17TH - JANUARY 23RDWell checks at the pediatrician for the youngest two. Orthodontic appointment for the oldest. Painting fingernails. Waiting to board our evening flight. DISNEYLAND with the youngest two! Breakfast at the airport before an early morning flight.

365.5: WEEK TWO

JANUARY 10TH - JANUARY 16THParent/teacher conferences. Bike weather. First National Academic League match (they won!). Black cat. Playing games on the Switch. First 10+ mile run in a looooong time. Birthday boy. New responsibilities at church.

365.5: WEEK ONE

I can't believe that I'm doing this again. For a FIFTH year. I pour so much of myself into this project (whilst simultaneously driving my family nuts), but it is so worth it. I have some incredible photos from over the years... My husband's grandfather's funeral... The birth of babies... My children GROWING. Irreplaceable. So here we are. At the start of 2022 and at the beginning of another year captured from my viewpoint. But this year, I plan to do things a little differently. I've decided that the stress of taking a photo every. single. day. is something that I have no desire to inflict upon myself. So instead, I'll take photos when I feel inspired to do so throughout the week. Some weeks I may have ten or more images to share. Some weeks I might only have two or three. No labeling of dates. No expectations on myself. Here's to setting goals that allow for growth and flexibility!
JANUARY 2ND - JANUARY 9TH
Lighting smoke bombs and fireworks. Pretty kitty. Getting a haircut. Back to school. First piano lesson. Holding a friend's new bunny. First tumbling lesson. Seventh birthday! Celebrating birthdays.

BIRTHDAY BABY

Okay. She's not a baby anymore. BUT she is MY baby. Ollie Dolly. My little ray of sunshine. This girl is a lover. She is fiercely independent and has been since day one. A LOT of personality packed into a little, bitty body. She loves music, art, and animals - especially cats. Wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up (though she pronounces it vetitarian). And she’s SO EXCITED to be celebrating her golden birthday. Little does she know, I’ve got a special little something planned for her (and her brother) in two weeks… HBD to my cherry on top!