So, do you want to see it? Thought so. (Note: When Dizzle's guesses that we were going to see Katye, she meant Katye from Long Legs on the Loose. And watch the video of the end. The last thing Dizzle says makes me laugh every time.)
Good stuff, right?
Once we arrived in Orlando (we were also joined by my mom and sister, Angie Pants), our "relaxing" vacation became anything but. We spent almost every waking minute at the parks getting our fill of rides, shows, attractions and unhealthy foods. It was magical.
Over the course of our nine day trip we ...
swam.
ate things like this (I did manage to run 37 miles to counteract these indulgences).
went on safari.
traveled by boat.
waited.
posed.
kept our kids up WAY past their bedtimes.
reconnected.
goofed around.
played.
played.
and played some more.
took the best family portrait ever.
Anyway, this trip reaffirmed a few things for us.
1. There is no question that Dizzle and Doodle are adrenaline junkies. They LOVED Tower of Terror, Big Thunder Mountain, The Haunted Mansion and Expedition Everest.
2. Dilly proved that she is an endurance athlete in the making. Her 23 month old legs WALKED the vast majority of the time.
3. J and I are big kids. We had as much, if not more fun than the girls.
4. I am done with giving the girls "things." I would MUCH rather give them these experiences. To show them the world and create memories that they will cherish for so much longer than some gift they unwrap on Christmas morning. And I know that if they really thought about it, they'd feel the same. Trust me. I saw their faces when they saw Cinderella's castle light up ...
looks like so much fun! great pictures!!
ReplyDeleteOMG looks like you all had a blast! I totally agree with #4...we did a cruise last xmas where DD swam with stingrays and held baby turtles and baby alligator and to this day she still talks about it. This year was not the same.....staying home and unwrapping a pile of gifts is not giving he any life experiences in my mind, next year we will definately travel again at xmas!
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome trip!!! I agree, giving the kids amazing experiences over toys and other things that will soon go forgotten is so much better!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat video!
ReplyDeleteI agree with giving them experinces. My younger sister is so great at doing that with her ONE child. I say one because it was easy when I only had ONE, I applaud you for doing it with THREE little ones. Your kids will always remember THIS Christmas. What a great example you and J are in what to give your kids.
Amazing! What a blessed Christmas!! That gift they will always remember!
ReplyDeleteI love how J turned it around when there were tears in the car. What a great dad! And holy guacomole...what a great time it looks like you had! LOL. And if we are being honest, yes I would have given my kids meds too and told them to suck it up....it's Disney for goodness sakes!!
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing trip and memories that will last a lifetime!
ReplyDelete"I want to eat myself". lmao!!
ReplyDeleteI made my kids go to a character breakfast at 1900 Park Faire, while #2 was sick, and she literally laid on the ground behind me and went to sleep. We have a series of pictures of sleeping #2's back, with character's making a sad face next to her. I know EXACTLY what you mean.
LOVE LOVe LOVe this! Holy Guacamole!! :) Love that. When my 3 year old gets really excited about something, she says "this is off the hook!" I totally agree with you about giving your kids experiences more than "things" . We just went to Disneyland in September...sooo special and magical. I think I had more fun than them. Thank you for sharing. Love your pictures too!
ReplyDeleteOMG. They're so FREAKIN' CUTE. Of course she made that up! Tee hee hee.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you all had a great time. I think the experiences beat the presents every time.
Winks & Smiles,
Wifey
Welcome back! Glad to hear you had so much fun. I think giving experiences is always better than giving things. Those memories will last a lifetime!
ReplyDeleteYes, these adventures are the best! We took the boys on a ski trip one Christmas and it was wonderful - definitely considering that one again next year!
ReplyDeleteok i haven't even looked at the rest of it but that video is the perfect display of your kids! omgsh loved it! although a trip to my house would probably be as fun as disney.... oh and i love how Doodle gets mad and says "Ariel won't even be there!". omgsh i love your girls.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great Christmas gift to your girls! Totally jealous! If all goes as planned, Husband and I will be making a trip this summer. Can't wait until I have kids to surprise with a Disney trip like that one!
ReplyDeleteYou guys had such a great trip. The pics are fantastic and it will be hard to decide which one to frame.
ReplyDeleteI keep telling myself that I want to take my boys to Disney. Trips like yours just convince me that much more.
Dizzle was crackin' me up! Does she always talk that much??? lol And is Dilly always that quiet? That's my kind of kid! hahahaa
ReplyDeleteloved the video. Hilarious! So glad yall had a great time. I cant wait to be there in less than two weeks for the marathon!
ReplyDeleteI am so with you on the experiences thing. i would much rather go to disney than get some junk!
Oh how much did I love it when she said "Holy guacamole!"!?!? I always say that - and that was right after I told my mom how much I like her because she wanted her own popcorn!
ReplyDeleteToo cute!! Glad you all had a fantastic trip!
what a fantastic way to spend Christmas with the family. Experiences are definitely better than material gifts. :)
ReplyDeletelooks perfect!
ReplyDeleteHow NEAT! Disney World is incredibly magical!! :0) Looks like y'all had an awesome trip!
ReplyDeleteI am SO jealous! This trips looks amazing and I agree with giving memories and not "things". We go on a little trip around the holidays and buy small gifts. Glad you had a blast.
ReplyDelete*I would have made my kid "suck it up" too
Fantastic pictures!
ReplyDeleteThat is so awesome! I'm glad you all had a great time!!
ReplyDeleteI love the picture of your two girls in the water...awesome!
I agree with giving experiences over things. Looks like a fun trip!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a priceless Christmas present to me!!!
ReplyDeleteThat was the BEST CHRISTMAS GIFT EVER!
ReplyDeleteThings are easily forgotten - but trips are made up of memories and they last forever!
ReplyDeleteWe took our boys to Disney twice and they loved it . . . well actually my youngest went the first time when he was only 2+ months old - so obviously he doesn't remember his first trip. ;-)
Looks like you had a great trip! That food(junk) looked yummy.
ReplyDeleteI am in LOVE with these pictures! So precious.
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome trip!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back to reality. ;o)
Kudos to you/DH for doing this trip for your kids. They look like they're having a blast;-)
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!
very cool! looks like you had a wonderful time!! My mother in law is taking our fam to Disney in Feb. I have to get some of those DISNEY head bands for my girls!!!
ReplyDeleteThat video is one of the best things I've ever seen. The kids reactions are perfect!
ReplyDeleteAMAZING... I love the video and we too started making memories for their birthdays instead of presents... I like the idea of doing that for Christmas too...
ReplyDeleteLove this, absolutely priceless!!!
ReplyDeleteI gave my kids Disney for Christmas... but we're not going until February... I didn't get hardly any reaction at all... I guess it works much better if you just GO the day you tell them. ;-)
How fun!
ReplyDeleteI LOVED the reaction-especially the crying because "I wanted to guess!" too funny! What an awesome Christmas!
Wow, that's awesome. Never having been to Disney, I just don't get what's so magical about it...but watching that video and seeing their excitement made me understand! What a great trip you had!
ReplyDeleteSuch a GREAT idea to give experiences.. Maybe if I had done that my house would be clean.. UGH!!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe your kid stole my catch phrase.... holy guacamole is totally my thing. ;) What an awesome gift!!! :)
ReplyDeleteLooks like you guys had a fantastic time!!
ReplyDeleteGood for you for fitting 37 miles in while on vacation- that must have been difficult with all of the activity!
LOVE the video!! priceless!!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe your little girls went on those rides!!! Good for them! Looks like the trip of a lifetime.
ReplyDeleteThat video is fantastic!! My middle child would have cried for the same reason as Doodle! what a great time. We had the same awesome time at Disneyland in October! Magical even in the 110 plus degree heat. :)
ReplyDelete