The Happiest Place on Earth!

A month or so ago I came across a deal for some Disney tickets. The glitch? They had to be used by mid May. So I talked to Rob about it and we decided we'd take P during his Spring Break, just the 3 of us. P and I researched different parks and found the ones he thought he'd like best. We left Wednesday when Rob got off work and made a whirlwind trip out of it. We spent about 6 hours at Epcot the first day and 10 1/2 hours at Magic Kingdom the 2nd day. Our last morning there was spent at Downtown Disney, where we rode a tethered hot air balloon above the Disney Bay. P also built, race and won a Lego car race at the Lego store. We were exhausted by the time we left Orlando but it was so worth it! It was such an awesome vacation full of fun memories and LOTS of laughter! It was everything I'd hoped it would be and then some!! P was young enough to find the magic in it, the lines weren't too long, P was brave about going on all the rides, the weather was beautiful....
I went back and forth about taking my professional camera but decided in the end not to because I didn't want to spend the time stressing about it. So 95% of the pictures were taken with my iPhone and I'm just as okay with that because I spent more time enjoying the moment and less time worrying about being a photographer. Here are just a few of the pictures I took from our amazing time at Disney........

view from hot air balloon

P's Lego car on the right, which won the race

One pooped puppy

First roller coaster ride

Buzz Lightyear ride

We HAD to have some pool time!

The Disney hot air balloon ride

Jungle Cruise

He thought he was a pirate after riding the Pirates of the Caribbean ride

Tea cups

Speedway race (He was a terrible driver!)

When he first saw the Disney entrance

Fire engine at Epcot

One of his favorite things at Epcot? The Monsters Inc playground

He liked the hotel we stayed at way more than Rob and I did.

Sun setting on a beautiful day at the Magic Kingdom

Easter

My boys and I have a lot of fun together, especially around holidays. I try to make their childhood as memorable as I possibly can, creating memories every chance I get. Sometimes, however, that means I get too carried away with the commercialism of Christian holidays. I try my best not to, but being a big kid at heart, I do. On Friday night I laid in P's bed with him and told him the detailed story about the Crucifixion. Afterwards I was pretty tired so I went to bed, not thinking much more about the conversation. Saturday morning, while I was getting things set up to dye eggs, P bowed his head and said, "Dear Jesus, help me to remember that Easter isn't just about egg hunts and candy. Thank you for dying on the cross for me." Wow! Talk about a reality check from a 5 year old!! It stopped me in my tracks and made me bow my head to ask for forgiveness because I had got too caught up in the commercialism of Easter. The rest of the weekend, although we did a lot of fun Easter related things, I kept repeating that simple prayer that my 5yr old had said.
Then this morning, I walked into church and saw, "HE LIVES" across the sanctuary platform and I got chills, knowing that not only did Jesus die but He is risen! That's what it's all about! Yes, the boys and I had a fun weekend. From dyeing eggs, to egg hunts, to having good friends over for Easter lunch, we enjoyed our time together. But, I'm thankful for my son's reality check that made the Meaning of this weekend much more special!