We celebrated his birthday earlier this month at the Fun Factory! He had lots of fun!
On his actual birthday he chose to go to Chuck E. Cheese! The kids all had fun playing games and eating pizza!
Tuesday, April 30, 2019
Happy Birthday Brooks!!
Last Monday Brooks turned SIX! Our baby boy has turned into a big kid right before our eyes! He is ALL boy...and if you have a son, you know what I mean! I love it! He has the sweetest, tender heart. He is always picking flowers and bringing them to me, telling me he loves me loves me a million times a day and he likes to hold my hand. He also likes to run around wild like a banshee monkey and tackle his sisters! See, he keeps himself balanced. :)
We celebrated his birthday earlier this month at the Fun Factory! He had lots of fun!
On his actual birthday he chose to go to Chuck E. Cheese! The kids all had fun playing games and eating pizza!
We celebrated his birthday earlier this month at the Fun Factory! He had lots of fun!
On his actual birthday he chose to go to Chuck E. Cheese! The kids all had fun playing games and eating pizza!
Wednesday, April 10, 2019
Spring Break in Disney: Days 3 & 4
Disney day 3 was spent at Animal Kingdom! This is when I tell you how extra we are! hahaha! My kids haven't been to Disney since Pandora opened. Flight of Passage is one of my favorite rides EVER. We had a fast pass for it later in the day BUT I knew the kids would want to ride it more than once so we were at the park at rope drop and we had extra magic hours that day! We RAN to that side of the park and still waited over an hour! I was shocked at how long we had to wait but WORTH IT.
After that we rode Everest which is another fav of mine! Then it was on to the safari where we got to see the new baby giraffe! SWOON! So cute! Pretty sure after that we had lunch. It's all kinda running together at this point but we also rode the Dinosaur ride and saw It's Tough to be a Bug. We went to our actual fast pass for Flight of Passage and this is when Noah and Reece realized they could use the people in our party that didn't ride's magic bands and RIDE IT AGAIN. That's three times, if you're counting. Smart kids, I tell ya.
We had a dinner reservation at the Rainforest Café, we couldn't get a reservation at Yak and Yeti-which is MY FAV but Rainforest was really good!! After that my family stayed and everyone else dipped! That's something else about us all travelling together-if some of us want to leave or do something different it's totally fine. Whatever goes!
We rode several more rides including Primeval Whirl. That normally would have made me sick but I was laughing so hard at Griffin and Peyton I didn't. haha! Josh took the littles on the Triceratops ride while we were on that one-I think they rode it 2 or 3 times.
At this point the park closed in like 10 minutes. I noticed Everest had a short wait time. It was a good 10 minute walk to the ride soooooo we RAN like fire. We literally walked into the waiting cue and the cast members shut the doors behind us! whew. Riding it at night was super fun! You could see the park all lit up so it was fun to see!
We ended up being there for 14 hours! We were pooped but had THE best day!!
Day 4 was spent at Hollywood Studios!
We rode the Tower of Terror, Rockin Rollercoaster(Josh's fav!), Slinky Dog Dash, Star Wars, Toy Story Mania and we caught the Frozen show! We had lunch at Mama Melrose and it was SO FRIGGIN GOOD! Yummo! If you haven't figured it out, we are all about some food in Disney!
We had tickets for Fantasmic but my fam opted out and went back to the resort. We were exhausted-probably from the 14 hour day before! haha! We went to the camp fire at the resort and made smores! So fun!!
That's it for days 3 and 4!
After that we rode Everest which is another fav of mine! Then it was on to the safari where we got to see the new baby giraffe! SWOON! So cute! Pretty sure after that we had lunch. It's all kinda running together at this point but we also rode the Dinosaur ride and saw It's Tough to be a Bug. We went to our actual fast pass for Flight of Passage and this is when Noah and Reece realized they could use the people in our party that didn't ride's magic bands and RIDE IT AGAIN. That's three times, if you're counting. Smart kids, I tell ya.
We had a dinner reservation at the Rainforest Café, we couldn't get a reservation at Yak and Yeti-which is MY FAV but Rainforest was really good!! After that my family stayed and everyone else dipped! That's something else about us all travelling together-if some of us want to leave or do something different it's totally fine. Whatever goes!
We rode several more rides including Primeval Whirl. That normally would have made me sick but I was laughing so hard at Griffin and Peyton I didn't. haha! Josh took the littles on the Triceratops ride while we were on that one-I think they rode it 2 or 3 times.
At this point the park closed in like 10 minutes. I noticed Everest had a short wait time. It was a good 10 minute walk to the ride soooooo we RAN like fire. We literally walked into the waiting cue and the cast members shut the doors behind us! whew. Riding it at night was super fun! You could see the park all lit up so it was fun to see!
We ended up being there for 14 hours! We were pooped but had THE best day!!
Day 4 was spent at Hollywood Studios!
We rode the Tower of Terror, Rockin Rollercoaster(Josh's fav!), Slinky Dog Dash, Star Wars, Toy Story Mania and we caught the Frozen show! We had lunch at Mama Melrose and it was SO FRIGGIN GOOD! Yummo! If you haven't figured it out, we are all about some food in Disney!
We had tickets for Fantasmic but my fam opted out and went back to the resort. We were exhausted-probably from the 14 hour day before! haha! We went to the camp fire at the resort and made smores! So fun!!
That's it for days 3 and 4!
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Spring Break in Disney: Days 1 & 2
My sister and her fam and my Dad went with us. Most people couldn't travel with that much family, but it's our jam! We are already planning a HUGE trip for next year!
Day 1 was our travel day! We had a super early flight and were in Orlando at like 9. We went to our resort, Port Orleans-Riverside, then caught the boat to Disney Springs! The boat was SO fun and we were glad we didn't have to travel by bus. We ate lunch and shopped for several hours before catching the bus back to the resort. We had a dinner reservation at Chef Mickey's so we wanted to freshen up!
Chef Mickey's was loads of fun, but the service was TERRIBLE! They made us wait 45 minutes for a table when we HAD A RESERVATION. Then the wait staff was SLOOOOWWWWW. Um, hello, do you see all these 7 kids at the table? Get with it! It was made up for when the characters started coming around. The kids-even the teenage ones-had the best time!
After dinner we called it a night because we had a full day at Magic Kingdom the next day!
We are ALL about getting to the parks early. At rope drop or VERY soon after. This is huge, people. The crowds are low and it's not so hot.
The first thing we did at MK was ride Pirates of the Caribbean. Mia was terrified. Everyone else enjoyed it but for the rest of the trip she was reminding us she hated it. haha! The next thing we rode was Splash Mountain. Well, the cool kids did! haha! Wet that early in the day was a no-go for half of us. Y'all know I was down for it no matter how wet I got.
And we GOT SOAKED. I've never gotten that wet on it before. I told my sister before I went to get on that she was a party pooper and wouldn't even get that wet because she was not riding. When I came back she laughed. haha!
We planned 2 days at MK and this day we tried to stay to the left side of the park. We rode Big Thunder Mountain, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Jungle Cruise, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Haunted Mansion....I can't remember what else. Basically all the things. OH and we did the Hall of Presidents! Don't miss this when you go!
We had lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern...It was delicious!
I think that pretty much sums up days 1 and 2!
Tuesday, March 19, 2019
Jamaica
Josh and I just returned from my very favorite place-Jamaica! My parents traveled with us all over the Caribbean when my sister and I were growing up. Of all the places, Jamaica has always had my heart. The people, the culture, the beauty of the island...I could go on and on and on. I could live there. I'm serious when I say that and probably will one day. We are already planning a trip to take the kids next year. We may not come back!
Back in January Josh and I decided to plan a getaway. At first we planned to stay in the states. Then quickly turned our heads to somewhere warm! Jamaica was the top of the list because he had never been. We booked the trip on a whim and counted down the days! :) I knew he would fall in love with it too and I couldn't wait to see it happen!
We had super early flight on Wednesday and arrived in Montego Bay, Jamaica around noon. We pretty much went straight to our resort's jerk chicken hut. HEAVEN! The rice and peas took me straight back to my childhood. We spent the rest of the day at our resort learning our way around and such. I wasn't really feeling well because I only slept 2 hours the night before. It rained later in the day and we called it a night!
This is me...running to see the view from our room! haha!
I
The next morning we woke up ready to go! We made our way downtown to the hip strip and pretty much ran to Starbucks. haha! After coffee we walked around and shopped a bit and waited for Margaritaville to open. We were the first ones there and had the place to ourselves. I immediately regretted not having my swimsuit on! GAH. Not a smart choice, April. We hung out there for a while and decided to go back to the resort and swim. As soon as we got changed it started raining. Shoots. We still had fun in the rain! We ended the day with dinner and yummy drinks!
Dr.'s orders! LOL No, we did not.
Friday we headed to Ocho Rios to go to Dunn's River Falls. This is what I was MOST excited about! Google it for details but basically you climb this beautiful water fall 900 feet up from the beach. It's so pretty! The water at the falls is SUPER cold. It didn't even matter. At all. haha!
After spending some time there we left and headed to lunch at Scotchie's. (We had hired a driver for the day, he spent the whole day with us. He is our new best friend. lol He and Josh hit it off big time.) Lunch was SO.FRIGGIN.GOOD. They are known for their jerk chicken and they did not disappoint! I made a kitty friend at lunch because the men folk were talking about cars. haha!
When we were finished eating we headed to Falmouth, to raft down the Martha Brae River! When I did this as a child I rafted down with my sister and Big Mama! The rafts are handmade out of bamboo and made for two people to sit on. A guide moves the raft down the river with a pole. Now, here I was all these years later with my love and not a thing had changed! I loved it so much! It was super quiet and relaxing. We were on the river for 3 miles, which lasted about an hour or so.
Our driver picked us up at the end and took us back to our resort. At the end of the day I had BIG regrets on already having a different driver for the next day. We have his phone number now, so when we go back we can use just him! And, if you are headed to Jamaica anytime soon, please get his number from me! You won't regret it!
On Saturday we headed to the Appleton Rum Estate! It is about a 2 hour drive from Montego Bay but we weren't concerned because you get to see SO much Jamaica that way! We had to go on a crazy, insane mountain road and y'all....April gets motion sick realllllyyyyy easily. Not fun. About half way there we were basically shoved onto a dirt path by police because "dead man in de road". Our driver turned to us and said that he didn't know this road. Most people would get scared but me??? Heck to the YES, let's go! haha! We got to see the country mountainside that most people don't get to see. It was beautiful. We kept having to stop and ask for directions. We eventually made it to the rum estate. We learned all about how they make the rum, took a tour and had a tasting. We were there about an hour or so and then headed back to our resort.
As soon as we got back to the resort we threw on our swimsuits and caught a cab to Margaritaville. I was determined that I was going to slide down that slide before I left Jamaica! And that's just what we did. That thing slings you out into the ocean. lol sheesh. After that we headed back to our resort and caught the night show. It was....a tad raunchy. There were kids there and I was thankful mine were not.
We had ourselves a pity party and stayed up late. We had to leave the next day. Five days is usually enough for me when I travel. Not this time. We were NOT ready to leave. At all!
Pity party for 2!
We had a late flight on our final day so we enjoyed the jerk hut one more time...
And I had myself a coconut straight from the tree! :)
We love you, Jamaica! See you next year!
Back in January Josh and I decided to plan a getaway. At first we planned to stay in the states. Then quickly turned our heads to somewhere warm! Jamaica was the top of the list because he had never been. We booked the trip on a whim and counted down the days! :) I knew he would fall in love with it too and I couldn't wait to see it happen!
We had super early flight on Wednesday and arrived in Montego Bay, Jamaica around noon. We pretty much went straight to our resort's jerk chicken hut. HEAVEN! The rice and peas took me straight back to my childhood. We spent the rest of the day at our resort learning our way around and such. I wasn't really feeling well because I only slept 2 hours the night before. It rained later in the day and we called it a night!
This is me...running to see the view from our room! haha!
I
The next morning we woke up ready to go! We made our way downtown to the hip strip and pretty much ran to Starbucks. haha! After coffee we walked around and shopped a bit and waited for Margaritaville to open. We were the first ones there and had the place to ourselves. I immediately regretted not having my swimsuit on! GAH. Not a smart choice, April. We hung out there for a while and decided to go back to the resort and swim. As soon as we got changed it started raining. Shoots. We still had fun in the rain! We ended the day with dinner and yummy drinks!
Dr.'s orders! LOL No, we did not.
Friday we headed to Ocho Rios to go to Dunn's River Falls. This is what I was MOST excited about! Google it for details but basically you climb this beautiful water fall 900 feet up from the beach. It's so pretty! The water at the falls is SUPER cold. It didn't even matter. At all. haha!
After spending some time there we left and headed to lunch at Scotchie's. (We had hired a driver for the day, he spent the whole day with us. He is our new best friend. lol He and Josh hit it off big time.) Lunch was SO.FRIGGIN.GOOD. They are known for their jerk chicken and they did not disappoint! I made a kitty friend at lunch because the men folk were talking about cars. haha!
When we were finished eating we headed to Falmouth, to raft down the Martha Brae River! When I did this as a child I rafted down with my sister and Big Mama! The rafts are handmade out of bamboo and made for two people to sit on. A guide moves the raft down the river with a pole. Now, here I was all these years later with my love and not a thing had changed! I loved it so much! It was super quiet and relaxing. We were on the river for 3 miles, which lasted about an hour or so.
Our driver picked us up at the end and took us back to our resort. At the end of the day I had BIG regrets on already having a different driver for the next day. We have his phone number now, so when we go back we can use just him! And, if you are headed to Jamaica anytime soon, please get his number from me! You won't regret it!
On Saturday we headed to the Appleton Rum Estate! It is about a 2 hour drive from Montego Bay but we weren't concerned because you get to see SO much Jamaica that way! We had to go on a crazy, insane mountain road and y'all....April gets motion sick realllllyyyyy easily. Not fun. About half way there we were basically shoved onto a dirt path by police because "dead man in de road". Our driver turned to us and said that he didn't know this road. Most people would get scared but me??? Heck to the YES, let's go! haha! We got to see the country mountainside that most people don't get to see. It was beautiful. We kept having to stop and ask for directions. We eventually made it to the rum estate. We learned all about how they make the rum, took a tour and had a tasting. We were there about an hour or so and then headed back to our resort.
As soon as we got back to the resort we threw on our swimsuits and caught a cab to Margaritaville. I was determined that I was going to slide down that slide before I left Jamaica! And that's just what we did. That thing slings you out into the ocean. lol sheesh. After that we headed back to our resort and caught the night show. It was....a tad raunchy. There were kids there and I was thankful mine were not.
We had ourselves a pity party and stayed up late. We had to leave the next day. Five days is usually enough for me when I travel. Not this time. We were NOT ready to leave. At all!
Pity party for 2!
We had a late flight on our final day so we enjoyed the jerk hut one more time...