The Williams Family Blog

Ash Wednesday laughs....

2014-03-05T14:47:00.000-05:00

I promise I'm not becoming a super religious blogger who is trying to convince you to believe what we may believe, but I have to share our Mass visit... Since its Ash Wednesday we headed to noon Mass. I take Burke every year, but I guess he doesn't remember much. Lunch time isn't really the best time to take your 4 year old to Mass (Campbell hung out with Ash and Em b/c there was no chance I could handle both of them at lunch time and alone), but it was better than the bedtime option.

After receiving our ashes, Burke very loudly said "umm.. why did that guy just put dirt on my head?!?" followed up with "yeah, so tomorrow when we come back to church, I don't need any dirt.. I already had a bath." I couldn't help but laugh. It's hard to explain to your 4 year old what Ash Wednesday means.. :)

He did also have the realization today that Jesus died. Out of nowhere during mass he (again very loudly) says "Jesus DIED? WHAT? He's in my heart. He didn't die."

Oh how I love that little boy.

Angels...

2014-03-04T19:28:00.000-05:00

Burke has always been a very spiritual child.. at 2 years old he looked me straight in the eye, pointed to the cross on my neck and said "mommy that man, that man got stuck on that cross... b/c he loves me." Talk about making you cry. I couldn't believe was I was hearing. I had never said those words to him, yet he knew. Wow.

I grew up going to church. I go to church, but we do not go every Sunday and we certainly don't pray as much as we "should," but Burke always catches me at some random moment and shares some deep secret in the most matter of fact way. It's crazy and awesome all in the same moment. I always joke, he's going to be a priest or pastor or deacon.. Maybe simply a lover of Jesus. But the kid knows. He really knows his stuff.

The past few months (let's be honest.. the last year) have been really tough for us. We're not talking finances, which can be extremely stressful and taxing, but instead life. We dealt with a very long summer that kept us apart more than we like, Campbell's mysterious illness (with no real answers), a second miscarriage with D&C, a second hospital stay for Campbell, and an outpatient surgery for Burke. We dealt with the financial toll this took on our family. We dealt with happy and sad times. We continued to work and figure out life along the way. We struggled with the unknown, fear, stress and more stress.

After the new year rolled around, we decided to sell our house and go for a bigger house. I have NEVER felt so much stress in my life. I know this seems silly, but I spent countless nights not able to sleep, nausea, vomiting, real life anxiety. I seriously considered not making the step to sell because it was physically exhausting.. but we decided to go ahead with it.. Unimportant in the big picture, but still more stress.

I decided I needed a real life change and started reading my devotional everyday at the beginning of the year. Boy did it calm my nerves. It didn't fix our problems and life stresses, but it gave me a bigger picture. A picture I needed.

Last week, we suffered our 3rd miscarriage. There is nothing more painful than having something so big (yet so small) taken from you. Life is precious no matter how small or short. It doesn't matter if its your first or 5th.. it doesn't get any easier.. It may even get harder. The frustration, stress, questions.. It's miserable. Yes, I am very fortunate to have 2 healthy (if you can call Campbell healthy ;)) boys at home. I am VERY thankful for this, but it doesn't lessen our pain. The same day as we found this out, my mom found out she was laid off after 35 years with her company. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!? Life is not fair. No one ever said it was, but man we could REALLY USE A PICK ME UP SOON!

We've suffered, we've prayed, we've cried...We need something..

Insert Burke. This morning we are making our way to preschool like we do every morning. Just your normal Tuesday morning singing some Frozen and dancing to the beat. Then Burke says mid-song "Mommy, angels make Jesus bigger" What? "Angels make Jesus grow..." (Wow..) Who told you that? "Nobody.. The Angel just told me when she came to visit..."

I think it's safe to say God sent us a message today. Much bigger than angels (although I love angels and long to see one). I think he was saying.. "I'm here and I'm here to stay." He's with us ALWAYS. And I think I needed Burke to tell me this.

I know God has a will and a way. Sometimes I really wish I knew what that was. I know it's not my place to know or to even ask, but it doesn't change that I would love to know what is ahead for us. Instead, I will sit back, ride this roller coaster of life and know he's standing next to me.

And I'm sure Burke will have another message for me when I need to hear it. The 4 year old with the simple answers.

Bring on November!!

2013-10-31T21:41:00.002-04:00

October was easily the worst month of our lives... It started with the scare of our life with Campbell.. We watched our best friend's daughter have skull reconstruction surgery and ended with us finding out we had another miscarriage and having a D&C. Campbell was issued a Blood Glucose meter today (Halloween - irony?!) and we've spent most of our new house fund on medical bills. I have never been so excited for a new month. A new start. Bring on November and happy things!

Our sweet, crazy, cuddley, red headed boy... Oh I'm sure we're in store for a lot of stress.

2013-10-15T22:17:00.000-04:00

It is so amazing how very different my kids are. They are getting to a really good age of playing well and I can totally see them being best friends soon, but how different they are.

Campbell will be the one to send me over the top. Campbell will push us to our limits and come running back with a huge hug. He's so loving and mean at the same time. Oh how I love that kid. But Campbell, that sweet thing gave us the scare of our life 2 weeks ago... I don't go 15 minutes without thinking about it.. Here's a recap...

Saturday morning we woke up late for our own Yard Sale. I yelled at Brian and pushed him out the door.. I waited for Chad to bring Emery and woke up the boys to rush to the yard sale. When I got Campbell out of bed I noticed he was wheezy. This is typical Campbell and we weren't alarmed. Campbell has the early stages of asthma. Whenever he has any runny nose, he's needing breathing treatments. He's experienced pneumonia twice, and it's just how it is.. Anyway, we ran to the yard sale and set up with 3 kids in tow. I then sent Brian home with Campbell to give him a breathing treatment. It didn't really do much, so after a day of albuterol, I took him to Med Express for some steroids.. I knew that would open him up. He was acting fine and skipped dinner, but we weren't alarmed. We gave him a breathing treatment and sent him to bed...

Then the nightmare began.....

We did nothing different than normal. We put both boys to bed, watched a little TV and headed to bed ourselves. I was able to actually sleep in, which was unusual and nice! At 9am I woke up and on my way down I noticed Campbell was still asleep. I stopped in his room to make sure he was okay. He was sleeping peacefully so I left him to sleep. We had been out late at MedExpress, so I chalked it up to that. About 30 minutes later, I went back in and this time made noise. He opened his eyes and reached with one arm for me. I picked him up, snuggled him and took him down stairs with his blankey in tow (which usually stays in his bed). I snuggled him while I read the paper on my computer and he fell back asleep. I didn't think much of it. After about 15 minutes, I went to lay on the couch with him and noticed he didn't even budge when I moved.. WEIRD. Then I laid on the couch and thought he seemed cold. I yelled to Brian to get the thermometer. His temperature was 96.6. I handed him to Brian, literally RAN upstairs, got on clothes and ran out the door with my baby. Brian asked where I was going and I yelled the ER. I don't know if its my training or what, but I knew he needed to be there and I would be way faster than a rescue squad. I YELLED the entire 6 minute drive to the ER trying everything to get him to stay awake. He just wouldn't. I called on my way to the ER our friend Kristen on the phone and told her to meet us at the ER to get Burke. Thank god for good friends. As I ran in with my lifeless baby, I began yelling and they almost immediately had nurses standing there. We ran into the room and there had to have been 12 nurses and a doctor working on our baby. I cried and cried.. No one knew what was wrong. Kristen made it there before Brian and sat with me while we watched in horror. They said he would scream when they put in the IV. He didn't move (i cried more.). After what seemed a lifetime, Brian got there, they took his blood sugar and found it to be 35. DANGEROUSLY LOW. They immediately started shooting him up with glucose and he finally opened his eyes. Thank you God. Although he never cried or moved, but he finally looked at me. They were relieved, we were scared. His body temperature was 95.

Our pediatrician came running in.. she started with theories and tests she wanted to run.. spinal taps, etc. She mentioned sepsis, meningitis, she even tested for strep. Ashley came and sat with us. We were scared and hopeful. She warned us if there was any indication of cloudiness on the spinal tap we would be headed to Roanoke. If she couldn't get it, we would be in Roanoke. They wouldn't let us watch. We waited outside. Horrible gut in your stomach. Miserable. Then they said it was done. Campbell was sitting up crying, thank you Jesus. I hate to see him in pain, but he was alert. She came back in and said she got it fine, but she was concerned that he didn't fight her. She's had 6 month olds fight harder. Her worry, worried us. We knew it before she had to say it, we were headed to Roanoke.... Everything pretty much came back normal. Some slight elevations, etc.. but nothing crazy... by 2pm, we were in an ambulance on our way to Roanoke. Burke was super jealous, if only he knew.

10 am... How he was when we got there.

10:30am, eye contact but nothing else.

2pm - First and hopefully last ever ambulance ride

When we got to Roanoke Children's Hospital, they checked us in and we immediately saw A LOT of doctors. No one had answers, no one really knew what to do. They finally gave Campbell the opportunity to eat whatever he wanted. And he ate. and ate. and ate. He was finally up and moving (which was hard with an IV pole). Kristen brought Burke to visit that evening and Campbell finally seemed to be back to normal. We didn't know anything except we would be in Roanoke for a minimum of 48 hours, possibly more.

3:30pm - FOOD!

It is near impossible to sleep in a hospital. Beeps, crying, 4 hour checks.. you name it, it keeps you awake. We sent Brian and Burke home for a good night's sleep and we tried to sleep, played ipad, watched movies and made it out to play in the playroom quite a bit! It was a very long night for us, but we made it!

Daddy came back Monday morning after he dropped Burke off at preschool. He missed the doctor rounds, but we didn't really find anything out. They were still at odds at what was going on and talked to the endocrinologist multiple times, who assured them she could do nothing without blood tests, which could only be run on the "sick" blood. We didn't have any extra from the ER, so we were told he just had to wait. NOT REASSURING! I ask a ton of questions (thank God I'm an RD and know a little about metabolic disorders!) and got few answers. The pediatrician did agree that we should do some glucose testing and cut off the IV since he was getting constant sugar through his IV. The testing ended up being a bust because the nurse forgot to turn off the IV, until I told her. Then the nurses and doctors never told us they were doing it through the night (a 12 hour+ fast), so he snacked during our nightmare IV replacement, so he wasn't fasting.. perfect. But in all, the lack of IV was huge for the little boy to be able to move around. They also explained if nothing changed we would leave Tuesday around noon. We were ready to get out!

Again we are blessed with great friends who took care of Burke. Ashley and Megan split time with him on Monday and Megan brought him and dinner Monday to the hospital. Poor guy had some hard and fun days, but was exhausted! Campbell was so excited when Burke was at the hospital and so sad when he left. Burke was also sad to leave all of the awesome toys and asked when he could go back to the hospital.

Tuesday came and we waited to be discharged. All of Campbell's tests came back normal and we have no answers. Everyone agrees they feel there is a metabolic issue, but it can not be detected unless he is sick. I'm holding out hope it was just a crazy fluke. They've assured me that's likely not the case.. We have a long list of tests to be run the second his blood sugar is low again. It is stored in my phone so I have it if we ever end up in the ER again. The doctors have it in his charts to check his glucose every time we come in just in case... Oh the joys...

Best sign ever.. and Best smile ever.

I will say, Roanoke was a great hospital and the nurses were so good with Campbell. They are a children's hospital, but my kid ran around at all hours of the day playing cars, riding the cozy coupe and they were so patient. When we finally went to leave, a nurse we didn't have told us how much she would miss seeing Campbell running around. Roanoke was great, but I have to say how impressed I was with Lewis Gale Montgomery ER nurses. They called multiple times to check on him because they were so concerned. We stopped by to visit them the Wednesday after we got released and the nurse that spent the most time with us was there and cried when she saw him. She was a peds nurse who had just left Roanoke to be closer to home, so I think she was truly touched by a little boy being so sick.

But when it's all said and done... I'm scared out of my mind. And constantly wondering if it will happen again.

And to any doctor's reading this.. It is NOT reassuring or funny to tell a parent their child is a mystery.

But yes, lil C is totally back to normal and 100% healthy! And here's to hoping he stays that way!

Day 7 - Our LAST full day. So sad.. Hollywood Studios, EPCOT and Kaitlin's BIG SURPRISE!

2013-10-11T16:22:00.000-04:00

The last day of vacation is always the worst. The dread of heading home is never fun. But we were definitely excited for the day ahead!!

We started out our morning at Hollywood Studios. We were happy that Kaitlin met us at the hotel super early so we could be there at rope drop. Hollywood is one of the only places we always hit at rope drop. And lets be honest, its for Toy Story Mania. If you get there at rope drop, you can grab fast passes very quickly and still get on the ride before it becomes an hour long wait!

We almost ALWAYS ride Toy Story as it opens, go visit Buzz and Woody then hit it again with our fast passes. This trip was no different. Campbell was getting better with the characters, but still not 100% sold.

After we did our Toy Story things, we headed towards Star Tours. On our way, we ran into Donald Duck, Campbell and I decided to stop and say hello, while the boys and Kaitlin rode Star Tours. He did like Donald and kept saying "quack, quack"

The boys rode Star Tours, then we headed over to check out a few more characters. Unfortunately, we couldn't find many yet as it was still early. After a few more things, we headed to MK for lunch and the Buzz ride. Yes we are crazy, but it was our last day and the boys needed to ride Buzz one more time. We ate at Casey's for hot dogs and nachos then hit up Buzz a few times. After Buzz, we headed back to the room for a rest. We had a big night ahead and definitely needed a good rest! While the boys all napped, I did a lot of packing so we would be ready the next morning.

After nap, we headed over to EPCOT for a little fun. The big boys did Test Track while Campbell and I got a Starbucks treat! We happened to run into Kaitlin and Reid before heading back to Test Track, which was a nice surprise. They were celebrating their anniversary at EPCOT (with a surprise to come later). Test Track took a little longer than we were hoping because it was raining so it wasn't running. We then headed over to Soarin'. While the big boys rode Soarin', Campbell and I hit up Innoventions and the Disney VISA Character Meet and Greet. I am SO glad we did it because Campbell fell in love the Mouse. They danced together and had so much fun. No one else was waiting so he got plenty of time to party! If you have a Disney VISA you need to go! You get one on one time with characters AND a free picture :)

dancing with Mickey

picture time!

After our adventures, we headed to dinner at the Land again. We then hit the Coke Refreshment place. I love watching people try the gross drinks :) We let Campbell have his first taste of watermelon soda. He loved it. We don't allow soda in our house and Burke can't stand it because its "spicy" but it is Disney World :)

After we hit the Coke stand, we rushed to meet Kaitilin and Reed for the illuminations show. Reed had reserved a special area. We did stop for light up toys and learned the outside stands take cash only. BIG MISTAKE. NO CASH? Luckily we found some inside and then traded for outside toys :)

We finally caught up with Reed and Kaitlin and enjoyed a great fireworks show. The seating was amazing and as the fireworks ended, we witnessed Reed propose!!!!!!!!!! It was so awesome! Kaitlin was so excited and so are we!

My phone died so I didn't get the ring picture, but it was pretty awesome!! Its the Disney Rapunzel engagement ring. Very fitting :)

After a very fun day, we sadly said good bye and headed back to our room. We had to catch the bus at 9a back to the airport, so we needed to get some rest! As we walked to our room Campbell stopped at every car and kissed it goodnight. He's so cute!

What an amazing trip! We had so much fun and I am SO glad we went. I love Disney World so much, but I love time with my family even more!

Day 6 - Magic Kingdom, EPCOT and Rain Forest Cafe fun!

2013-10-10T22:14:00.000-04:00

On day 6, we hit up MK early in the morning. We try to get to every park during the morning on our trips. Early morning before lunch is usually a quieter time and you can get most things done. The closer you get to the lunch, the more busy it gets.

This time we had fast pass + so we headed for Peter Pan. It wasn't a super long wait so we actually got to ride it back to back. The boys really enjoy it. The stand by line wait is usually 45+ so we always get fast passes. After we rode, we ran into Peter pan and Wendy and had to stop for a photo!

We then headed to Belle's Enchanted Tales. Again, the line is always super long and we have boys so we've actually never waited, but since I could schedule the time, we went for it :) It was super cute and the boys really enjoyed it. Belle takes pictures with each child but doesn't sign anything.

Campbell clearly seems thrilled.

After our visit with Belle, we hit up the new Ariel ride. The boys are scared of it but I have NO idea why. After Ariel, we of course rode the Buzz ride 4 times and then hit lunch. The boys LOVE Cosmic Rays for the entertainment, we enjoy the food, so it works. After lunch, we hit up Buzz one more time, stopped on Main Street for ice cream, then headed back to the room to rest.

Right as we got the room, we found out where Kaitlin would be working and so Burke and I headed out to EPCOT to see her in action. Most of the trip she spent with us, which was nice, but we couldn't miss the chance to see her making money!

Waiting for the bus!

YES!! We found her :)

Have I ever mentioned how jealous I am of her? She works with Mickey Mouse every day!

After playing at EPCOT in Innoventions for a bit (Burke loved the video games, fire house game and the fire truck) and then hitting Space Ship Earth, we headed back to the room to meet up with Campbell and Daddy.

Although Burke and I could have definitely used a nap, we had to head out to Rainforest Cafe at Downtown Disney for our dinner reservations. We had never been and really enjoyed it. The boys loved the atmosphere and we loved the food. We've done TRex a few times and the food was mediocre but here it seemed much better?

Concentrating!

After dinner, we did a little shopping in DTD for our friends back home. We didn't spend too much money on this trip, but we had to bring our friends some treats! Preschoolers would be sad if they didn't get a Mickey Lollipop! We also hit the LEGO store and let the boys pick out something before heading back to the room for some MUCH needed rest!

Day 5 - EPCOT, 'Ohana and more MK!

2013-10-08T16:10:00.001-04:00

I always have these GREAT plans of blogging our vacation and trying to have a good journal of what we did. I start great and end terribly. EVERY SINGLE TIME. Although much delayed, I WILL get through our entire vacation.

Saturday's stop was to EPCOT. This isn't most people's favorite place, but we have some must do places and we do enjoy it! It's more kid-friendly than most people think, but it's no Magic Kingdom. On our last trip to Disney as a family (January) Burke was 39.999 inches. This meant he was able to ride the 40 inch rides sometimes (star tours was fine the whole trip). Sadly this was not the case when we tried to get him on Test Track. He was DEVASTATED. He stood in place and said "well, fine. I'm not moving until I grow up." (we laughed, he cried.). So we were NOT going to miss it this time. He was so very proud that he was tall enough. Some lady we met downtown Blacksburg last weekend tried to convince me and Burke you shouldn't got o Disney until you are tall enough to do everything. Oh crazy lady how wrong you are!

FINALLY!! Big enough :)

Designing his own car.

Here we go!

As suspected, he loved it! Campbell and I enjoyed the cars and other things GM has set up at the end of the ride. Then we switched and Brian stayed with Campbell and Burke and I went. Burke got to ride twice! Rider swap rocks!

After Test Track, we headed over to see Minnie, Mickey and Pluto for some pictures. Campbell was still traumatized by the Beast so he had a hard time. But I will say, Minnie was great with him and he was much better with her!

After character spot we headed to The Seas with Nemo. The boys enjoyed the ride and LOVED the aquariums. Its no Sea World, but its fun and we got to see dolphins :)

We stopped in the Land for a ride on Soarin. Campbell and I road the boat ride while the big boys did Soarin. Rider swap didn't work out on this ride because the Fast Pass line was way too long. I gave up my turn and opted for lunch. The land has the BEST quick service on property and we always try to eat there. After lunch we rode Spaceship Earth (one of Burke's favorites) and headed back to the room for a swim and rest!

Since we were staying on property with the biggest pool, we couldn't resist a trip to the Nemo pool. The splash area was fun but the pool was a huge hit! The boys loved being in the water and were not pleased when it was time to go! We had the normal afternoon nap before heading to dinner at 'Ohana. 'Ohana is inside the Polynesian and easily our FAVORITE restaurant on property. All you can eat family style and grilled meat galore. Whats not to love? I can't say the service was awesome this visit but the food is always great.

After dinner, we couldn't miss the chance to go to MK and ride the Buzz ride. After a quick trip, we headed to the room for BED! Another fun day!!

Day 4 - Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios Friday the 13th Party - Family Vacation Disney Edition 2013

2013-09-19T21:22:00.001-04:00

On Friday the 13th we headed for Animal Kingdom first thing! This isn't always my favorite park, but we always end up having a blast when we get there.

We stopped in for a quick breakfast at Pizzafari and it was pretty delicious and completely EMPTY. Great stop! Then we headed straight for the safari. We always pick this first as early in the day you will see the most animals. The elephants and lions are always our favorite. The boys were especially excited to see the lioness up and moving around. They are almost ALWAYS asleep.

The beginning of our safari!

Who doesn't love a good elephant? It's so cool to see in real life :)

After our safari, we headed to Rafikis planet watch. It's a train ride out to the middle of nowhere, where you can explore different things. Kailtin and Burke did a little scavenger hunt, we met Rafiki, saw surgery going on on a bird and learned about other things. They also have a petting zoo with sheep, etc. The boys elected to skip it to get to the Dinosaur Dig Playground faster!

Kaitlin and Burke looking for all of their items in the scavenger hunt.

My silly boy!

The Dinosaur dig playground is the boys favorite thing at AK hands down. I don't mind it, but it does stress me out a bit, because the boys are so young and I hate to take my eyes off of them. It's a huge playground with tunnels everywhere. I also don't love it when its so hot out! After too long at the playground, we stopped at Yak and Yeti for lunch. I've never eaten at AK before (other than Tusker House) and I was very impressed. It was a great quick service and we will likely go back!

After our AK adventure, we headed to our NEW hotel. We switched over to the Art of Animation after 3 nights. We couldn't get a suite for the whole trip so we split it. It was by far the best decision ever! We had an awesome suite and the boys LOVED it.

The Nemo pool is the largest pool on Disney Property and we really enjoyed it!

The Pool

The "road" through Radiator Springs was great. Disney themes things so awesome.

Sally and McQueen were right outside our room.

Our kitchen table that also turned into Burke's bed. He LOVED that it was a table too :)

Living room and Kitchen - there was a TV, etc also.

Hallway bathroom/boys bathroom

Master bedroom

Master Bathroom

We stayed in the suite for 4 nights. The ONLY downside was EVERY time we walked by the cars (and they have EVERY car from the movie) the boys had to stop for a picture.

After a rest in our new suite, we headed to Hollywood Studios for the Friday the 13th party. All I can say is, it was a MISTAKE. I have been to Disney on 4th of July, Christmas, New Years, etc. and I have NEVER seen it that crowded. I guess that's what you get when you do a free event with characters you can't normally see?? I am thankful that we had fast passes thanks to fast pass+ so we could do some things. We also got word that some characters may just pop up, so we were waiting and very excited to meet Hook!!!

We headed back to the room relatively early because it was just too crazy, but it was a great day!

Day 3 - Sea World Surprise!! Family Vacation Disney Edition

2013-09-18T13:52:00.001-04:00

On our 3rd day at the Happiest Place on Earth, we headed to Sea World for a family first!! Each trip I try to find something new for us to do and with Burke loving the ocean I thought it would be perfect! I've never taken it on before because we don't rent a car and I don't want to deal with carseats, but with my sister living here, it was a no brainer!! We also found tickets for $50 (almost half off!) so I jumped at it. I actually bought brand new carseats from Walmart and has them shipped. Cost me $40 total, much cheaper than a rental car or taxi!

Anyway, we headed out to be there at opening and boy were we excited!!

Our first stop was to see the penguins! I'm glad we did, because when we exited it was already a 40 minute wait! It was a great first stop and the boys really liked it.

We then made our way to the dolphin slow. Brian and I were very impressed! The boys really enjoyed it too, but not the wait. They did a good job of mixing acrobats and a story with the dolphin jumping.

We then stopped by to see the turtle show and manatee. The manatee were awesome but the turtle show scared the boys so we left a bit early.

Campbell could have watched for hours.

We slowly made our way through the shark exhibit, which scared my kids to death. Not the actual sharks but the fake ones. It was kinda funny and sad at the same time. Then we were off to see Shamu! A huge must do at Sea World. I loved it!! I was surprised they had so many whales. This was by far Burke's favorite!

By the end of Shamu, we were getting tired and hungry. We are NOT 12 hour park goers. Many people are, but we do mornings then rest then a few more hours. We can not handle all day! we decided we definitely wanted to see the polar bears and stingray before we left.

We went to the kids play area to ride the train and playground. After a while we headed towards the polar bears. I'm sad to say we were there the last day he was alive :( we found out Friday morning the Bear died in his sleep. I'm glad the boys got to see one though!

After the polar bears, we stopped by the sting rays. Burke was pretty scared to touch them!!

We had to have a picture with the shark teeth ;)

We absolutely loved Sea World! Burke asks to go back everyday. I hope we can take them again next time!

After Sea World, we stopped by the outlets for lunch and a lil shopping. We actually bought NOTHING. We met up with Kaitlin and Reid after and she took me behind the scenes to some special cast member stores. It was pretty cool.

After a little rest, we headed to Downtown Disney for dinner and shopping. Fun day!!

Day 2 - Family Vacation Disney Style

2013-09-15T07:28:00.001-04:00

I had EVERY intention of sleeping in. kids had other plans! Since everyone was up early and no one wanted to go to the pool (I know I know, we're at Disney World! but I wanted a low key morning) We instead headed to Magic Kingdom

I decided to see if we could do haircuts at 915a instead of 130p. It would make our day work better and in true Disney fashion, it was no problem!

Before:

After:

I'm actually devastated as she cut way way way more than I asked, but it will grow back! And they're so so so good with the kids! And budget friends, it's only $15 (with tax) and you can have pixie or pirate dust (my kids don't like)!

Burke needed one too!

After haircuts, we had to do the Buzz ride, 3 times. We then made our way over to Peter Pan and its a small world. After a few rides, we stopped in for pizza and some AC. After lunch, we headed for the Haunted Mansion then naps!! We pretty much go back for a nap everyday. It helps all of us so much.

After nap time, we went back to MK to meet up with Kaitlin and to eat at Be Our Guest. After our last trip (We were all sick and no one really ate) we were dying to try it again!

I almost cried when I saw her!!! So excited to be visiting!!

Beast's Castle - waiting for dinner Burke refused a picture. He was exhausted!

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner. Brian had steak and I had chicken. The sides are amazing!! I skipped dessert but everyone else enjoyed theirs!

After dinner, you get to visit the Beast. Its the only place you can see him.. I love the picture Burke got!!

Campbell went to visit and "roared" at him. The Beast jumped back pretending to be scared and that scared the crap out of poor Campbell!! He was scared to death!! But it was funny ;)

After dinner, we rode the Buzz ride 2 more times (in 2 days we've ridden it 11 times - obsessed). We then convinced the boys to head to the racetrack and dumbo.

My driver. Scary.

After the playground and ride at Dumbo, we decided to call it a day.. But not before a Starbucks treat from Main street USA!

Apple juice

Venti nonfat Pumpkin Spice Frappe - 1 snack credit! In full disclosure, I only ordered a Venti because of peer pressure from the cashier (1 credit no matter what size),I couldn't finish it!

We ended the day with FaceTime with our favorite girl Em and then bath!!

I'm so excited for tomorrow!! Surprise trip to Sea World!! We've never been!

Day 1- Family Vacation Disney Edition 2013

2013-09-11T20:57:00.001-04:00

Day 1 was a great way to kick off the vacation!! We flew out of Richmond per the norm, since my parents are gracious enough to drive us to the airport and the flights are quite a bit cheaper than Roanoke. Tip 1: Book through Southwest (not Airtran) to get free bags!! So worth it. jet blue rocks too. And you get TV.

"This is what we do if we fall out..."

Peace and quiet. Love TV time.

We made it to Orlando around 1p, headed to the Disney buses and at the hotel by 2! Our room was ready so we checked in and had a nice rest before hitting the parks for fun!!

When we got to the hotel. Kaitlin and Reid had left the boys treats!! I love lil magic moments!

We booked Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party for our arrival day. We were so excited! But also glad I added costumes last minute to our carry-ons since our luggage didn't make it in time!

MNSSHP is the BEST event disney does. I love it! Candy, parades, fireworks and characters!!

We always stop and see Buzz, since my kids love Buzz. I love him too. When we saw him today, Campbell ran so fast to him. It was the cutest thing ever. He did stop and look for me when he realized how big he was!

After a pic with Buzz, we headed for the Monsters University Dance Party. Sully!!!

After some Trick or treating, we hit another DanceParty (with woody, Jesse and Bullseye, rides and fireworks! It was fun to see Capt Jack since he's Campbell's favorite these days.

Hallowishes are my favorite Fireworks at Disney World!! We have the best spot we always watch them.

We did skip the late parade this year, which I do love, but Burke fell asleep and Campbell was on his way. We did however stop in to see Mickey and Minnie..

Fun times were had by all. And both boys were asleep before the buses stopped! Day 1 - Success!

Williams Family Vacation-September 2013 Disney Edition

2013-09-10T06:35:00.001-04:00

Today is the day!! Vacation. We are in need of a vacation. Summer was 3 weeks longer than normal and this family survived but needs time together! If you don't know what I do, I work opposite hours of a teacher. But make that 75+ a week all summer. There are many days I don't even see my kids (I leave before they wake up and get home after they're in bed). We need a vacation!

We are headed to Disney World for 7 nights. 3 at All Star Sport and 4 at Art of Animation in a cars suite! We are surprising the boys with a first time trip (for all of us!) to Sea World! This should be great!! We head to the airport in T minus 2 hours! Check back for daily reports!

Saturday. The best day of the week.

2013-06-23T17:33:00.000-04:00

On a good week, I get one day off. Yes, one day and that day is Saturday. I live for my Saturday off. The only dilemma with 2-3 days off each month is what to do. I would love to sit around in my pjs and nap all day or maybe clean the house (let's be honest, I don't miss cleaning the house). But I also can't resist taking the kids to play and do a million other family things that I miss during the week. Thus our Saturdays end up being PACKED with activities!

I decided Friday night to make my own little summer bucket list. Really just a place to keep all my fun family ideas. I have never done many things since living in Blacksburg and decided this was the summer. We decided on Blueberry picking as our first activity. I was excited to take the kids since they love fruit and might actually enjoy seeing how things grow?

These kids are awesome.

We really enjoyed blueberry picking. Campbell was eating them faster than we could pick them, then resorted to picking his own. When he picked them he didn't mind if it was green or purple or blue. All were fine for him! He also decided to starting picking them up off the ground and eat blueberries and dirt. Burke was a little more picky and ate out of the basket. We did end up going home with about 2 pints, but I'm sure we ate more than that!

After our farm adventure, we decided to take the boys to go putt-putting. Burke went for his birthday with Ashley and Chad last year and has talked about it nonstop since (although he calls it "puppeting"). Putt-putt was a little stressful with Campbell and we didn't really actually get to play much. Burke hit his ball, picked it up and put it down somewhere else. Brian and I took turns chasing Campbell and trying to hit the ball. It was fun nonetheless!

Daddy's Hole in One!

After our putt-putt adventure we went home for lunch and rest time! We all had a little rest, then I decided to take Burke to see Stuart Little on campus. Roanoke Children's Theater came to VT for a free show. Brian took Burke last year to Go Dog Go! and he loved it. I'm not sure he liked this as much, but he did say he enjoyed it! It was nice to take him to a show alone and have a little date. We don't get to do much without Daddy or Campbell. After the show, the actors stuck around for a little picture session. Burke declined to see Stuart at first, but then decided "stuart wants to see me mommy" so we went back for a picture!

After the show, we decided to get some ice cream at Frosty Parrot. Campbell and daddy met up with us, then we headed to the Blacksburg Summer Solistice Festival. We have gone before and been really disappointed but decided to try again this year. This year they had carnival rides, which were super fun! Daddy and Burke started on the Fun Slide. I wish I had videoed Burke. He was so excited to ride and started out with a huge smile. About half way down, his face turned to terror, then ended with a smile and explained "my tummy sure did feel scared silly!" I guess the little guy has never experienced his stomach dropping. They also rode the train and got in the moonbounce. We also enjoyed a little beach/sand time!

After our adventures, we headed to Mike's for pizza, burgers and subs, then home for bed!! It was a long but super fun day! Can't wait for my next day off!!

Father's Day (early) Photo Dump!

2013-06-22T22:40:00.001-04:00

This makes me smile.

2013-06-14T22:16:00.001-04:00

Summers are really hard because I work 80ish hours a week. Pictures sent to me by Brian on a late night help so much.

I love them.

Batman!

2013-06-09T22:56:00.001-04:00

We had fun this weekend!! Batman joined us for a fun time.. He made an appearance at the pool, Hicks's, movies and mall!! I was amazed at how many people commented on how awesome it was that we let him go out like that.. Why not?!? He's 4 (almost!) and wants to have fun! I love it!!! Please let your child go out in public however they want!!

Campbell couldn't be outdone by his bro.. Picked our his own PJs!

3 year old preschool.. Done!

2013-05-31T00:33:00.001-04:00

I'm still not sure I can believe how fast the last 6 months went ! Burke started preschool in January and loved every minute of it! I was late to jump on board bc I do believe he was socially and academically fine, but I decided in November he was in trouble too much at KidZone because he was bored and it was time! And I'm so glad we did it! He ended up in a class with his best bud, two great teachers and lots of fun things to do! Perfect match.

Burke has grown so much.. He writes his name, knows most letters, etc but mostly he's happy! And that's really all I care about! He had some great teachers this year and I'm sad to see them go but i can't wait until next year!

BUMP is a great place!!

18 months and awesome!!

2013-05-30T23:02:00.001-04:00

This kid... This kid rocks!!

At 18 months... Campbell is amazing!! Writing his name, reading, counting, simple calculus.. You name it, he can do it!!!!

Or one day he will be able to!

He's weighing in at 25.3 lbs (65%), 32 in (50%) and one whopping big head (98%)!! He's in size 4 diapers, 18-24 months clothes and kid size hats ;) he thinks he's almost 4 like Burke and loves his brother more than anything!

He has more than10 words than that doctor needed, strings words together and is just so dog-on cute!

He walks/runs everywhere and is super laid back, but feisty if you don't give him what he wants!

He loves the water, balls, buzz, Emery, dogs and his brother.

He definitely loves to eat! Mostly fruit though.. Which I like! He'll pretty much eat whatever but does prefer junk (but not sweets)

He takes a 3 hr nap in the afternoon and goes to bed from about 7:45-7.

Both boys started a new daycare this week (our summer routine is back!) so it's been quite the transition for us! We'll get the hang of it soon though!!

Both boys are doing great!

Disney Day 4. Part 2...

2013-05-29T21:26:00.001-04:00

After we enjoyed a yummy Lunch at Beaches N Cream, we headed to Hollywood Studios for some rides and fun!!

We started with the Beauty and the Beast show. It's a personal favorite but I never drag the boys in, so it was good to go! I've also heard rumors that they will be stopping the show soon. I suggest you run now to see it!

After a good show, we headed to Tower of Terror with our fast passes! After our ride, we decided to do the animation class.. I'm a terrible artist, but I thought I did pretty good!

Until Kaitlin told me it was a chipmunk.. Oh well..

After HS, we decided to go to DTD for done dinner and bowling! Splitsville is relatively new and a fun place!!

We started with dinner and drinks.. We had some great cheese fries, pizza and daiquiris.. Best bowling alley food you'll ever have!!

We had the best time bowling... So glad we decided to do it!!

18 months!

2013-05-27T22:40:00.001-04:00

It's hard to believe Campbell is 18 months old!! He's a walking, talking, playing, hitting toddler.. Somehow we've lost our baby and now have two kids? They play together, fight together, kids and hit.. The joys of parenthood!

I'm so far behind on life but Campbell is 18 months old, wearing size 4 diapers and 18-24 months clothes.. He's running and acting like he's 4 just like Burke... I love how much they love each other!

We'll be heading to the doctor on Wednesday do I'll update the stats then!

Day 4 - Part 1. Disney World - Adults only!

2013-05-27T22:36:00.001-04:00

So on Day 4.. It was just Mom and me!! We moved Kaitlin in and in the morning she wasn't interested in park hopping with us... You'll see she later changed her mind!

We decided to hit Animal Kingdom. I will say on this trip I became a true believer in rope drop. We don't usually worry about it with 2 young kids. We usually just get up whenever. This trip we were up so we embraced it.. I love rope drop!

At AK we were able to ride Everest twice back to back, primeval and dinosaur back to back on both rides without even getting off! And watched Lion King all before 1030.

The Tree before rope drop!

I love the Lion King show!

After we hit our faves, we decided to meet Kaitlin for lunch at Beaches and Cream at the Beach Club! We will definitely go back! Tip: they do NOT take reservations.. But we waited 30 minutes for a table and it was worth it!

Mom got a burger, Kaitlin thechicken caesar sandwich and I got the grilled cheese with tomato soup. They loved it.. If I'm being honest. I loved the dessert, but would pick different meal :)

Desserts!! We got the banana split and grillled banana bread peanut butter sundae... delicious!

And the famous kitchen sink!! We did NOT get! But the lil show to present it was fun to watch!

We did so much on Tuesday.. Ill add the second half later :)

Day 3.. Adult disney fun!

2013-05-27T07:59:00.001-04:00

I'm slow in posting since the pool opened but day 3 was all about Kaitlin!! We spent the day getting her ready for real life!! A job with Disney!

I'm so proud of Kaitlin and a wee bit jealous!!!

We helped her move in, did a lil shopping and met her roomies! She lives in a gated community owned and operated by Disney. Her roommates are from the western side of the country and seem pretty awesome!

Mom and I did discover Raglan Toads at DTD and loved it!! I'm definitely going back!! The sangria was amazing and I loved loved loved the garlic chips! We also discovered the outlets.., Disney had some amazing deals!

Lunch and Sangria.. Man.

That evening we headed to Hollywood Studios that evening. Mom and I were able to ride Tower of Terror back to back without a wait. I love tower of terror!!

I still can't believe she is there!

Day 2.. Disney Adult Style!

2013-05-23T23:36:00.001-04:00

Our family picture ;) if you know Brian then you know how excited I was to find this rafiki and Simba!!

Day 1 was a whole lot of driving.. Day 2 was a whole lot of fun!!

We started our day at EPCOT for the flower and garden show.. We've never been during this event so I was excited to catch the tail end. We enjoyed an amazing day with flowers and food!

Mom and I at EPCOT

Awesome flowers!!

Couldn't miss buzz!!

We decided to stop in Mexico for a lil mid-morning snack... We've never eaten our way around the world.. So glad we stopped in Mexico for nachos and margaritas.. I highly recommend the passion fruit margarita!

We slowly made our way through thd world showcase. We usually have husbands and kids with us so it's usually a fast trip around the world. It was nice to go slow and really enjoy the shops.

We found a few of our favorite characters in "USA"

We kept moving around the world and ended up hurrying to Canada for our lunch. It worked out perfectly because it started raining right as we arrived. I've never eaten at Le Cellier. My sister loves it so we made reservations for her congratulations lunch :). I didn't love it, but I'm also not a fair judge because I don't like steak. Here are some pictures of various things we tried :)

The bread basket

The beer cheese soup

Lobster poutine

After Canada, we decided to try some wines from around the world! I enjoyed this part!!

After a great morning at Epcot we decided to head back to the hotel for a little rest before heading to Magic Kingdom. We are famous for afternoon rest time :)

After resting, we decided to head out to MK and enjoy some rides and classic snacks! We decided to skip dinner and share done desserts instead! This was a girls trip!! You can't miss the Dole Whip!!

We also road lots of rides, shared a HUGE cinnamon roll and watched Wishes Fireworks.. Our first day was a great day!!!

Girls Road Trip 2013! Disney World Adult Style!

2013-05-19T21:01:00.001-04:00

If you know anything about me you know I have never gone away sans kids or hubby.. Brian and I have done one overnight trip when Burke was little and that's it.. This opportunity came about and I jumped on board! I'm so excited to be at Disney with Mom as she sends Kaitlin off on her 7 month adventure working for Disney! It's weird being here without them , but super cool too.. Do miss my boys!!

Our adventure took us through 5 states!

Field Trip!

2013-05-15T21:53:00.001-04:00

Monday, Burke's class went on their first driving field trip, so basically every parent was also there. This was the best I could do on pictures. They went to the duck pond, had a scavenger hunt, snack, played parachute and fed the ducks. It's so fun to watch the kids interact. I was shocked to learn that most of the kids are younger siblings and only two are the oldest child, who happen to be Burke and his best buddy Connor. I think the kids really enjoyed it and I thought it was nice to visit with the other moms. These are the days that I LOVE my job :)

Campbell enjoyed it too!! He was able to come on this trip and since he thinks he's 3 too it was perfect! He was able to play with the friends and chase the geese :) I'm having a hard time with the fact that Burke only has one year before kindergarten!!

Burke is unimpressed

Heidi, Burke and Connor -3 musketeers

After the field trip, we came back to the house and Burke helped me work. It slowed the process but was super cute :). Pool season is almost here!

Binding books is super fun if you're 3!

Fun days!!