Memories of a Modern Mommy

Center Grove Orchard 2014

2014-10-11T19:42:00.000-07:00

Another year, another visit to the Center Grove Orchard in Cambridge, IA. We never got around to visiting a pumpkin patch last year, so it was super vital we got to one this year. We had so much fun on our last visit in 2012 that we wanted to go back, and they have added so much to make it even more amazing. There were dozens of activities for the kids and I love how spread out everything is, other pumpkin patches that I've been to have felt so close together, like they're trying to pack as many people into a small space as possible.

There are so many animals to pet and feed, it's usually what sways our decision and gets the kids most excited.

In addition, the corn pool is always a favorite of the kids, we usually have to drag them out of there after an hour of fun. Something they've added is the large eating area, there are yummy sandwiches, soups, a full cafe of latte choices, and of course, the amazing apple cider.

The kids had so much fun jumping on the giant jumping pillows, and took endless turns on the huge slide. In addition to these awesome attractions, they also have a pedal tractor race track, a hay maze perfect for little people, a giant, rope spider web, bounce horse play area, and a concert venue for weekend shows. It's, literally, hours of fun and that's before we even got to the corn maze.

There are a bunch of spots throughout the grounds that are perfect for photo opportunities.

The only thing that would distract Charlie from the corn pool was getting on the tractor to go to the corn maze.

Next stop on the tractor ride is the pumpkin patch. They've been open for a month and they still had plenty of choices. There were HUGE pumpkin, baby pumpkins, gourds, and regular sized pumpkins. It was so much fun and it's become a wonderful family tradition to pick our own pumpkins.

On our way out we stopped and got some sweets from their shop; candy apples, pumpkin bread mix, apple pie, and honey. It put the cherry on an already wonderful day. I will always highly recommend the Center Grove Orchard.

For more information on the Center Grove Orchard, please visit their website here.

To view my blog post from the last time we visited the orchard, which has a lot more photos to see, please click here.

Graduation Day

2014-09-25T09:25:00.004-07:00

I forgot to post one of my proudest moments, my college graduation! On May 18, 2014 I finally became a college graduate. It was a fantastic day filled with family, friends and a long awaited flood of relief.

Message from Peggy's, the recently closed student bar on campus.

Shedd Aquarium-Chicago

2014-09-23T16:13:00.003-07:00

If you're planning on traveling to Chicago one of the have to attractions is definitely the Shedd Aquarium.

Ok, here is my top suggestion for going to this aquarium, pay attention, because I read this tip previously and didn't listen, and I should've. GET THERE BEFORE IT OPENS!!!! Oh my word, this line is absolutely INSANE!!!! We got to the aquarium 30 minutes after it opened and the line was already crazy. However, once we were in, it was AMAZING. It was absolutely fantastic, even with an eight year old who was suffering through a fever and ended up going back to the truck with grandma so sleep while little Charlie and I finished the aquarium and went to another museum.

So the good about waiting in line, the good about waiting in line, look around, what are my options? Turning around and *BAM* we're standing in front of any incredible view of the Chicago skyline. I hoisted the kiddos on the ledge and had a little photo shoot. Well, that killed about five minutes of the endless we were waiting.
Even more fantastic luck, there was a race going on that we could see perfectly from the ledge. People were running by below us, which made for a perfect place to cheer them on, which is what they did with grandma while I waited in the line from hell.

Once you get past the line you realize what all the fuss is about. There are endless exhibits for you to walk through, endless photo opportunities and a HUGE gift shop to splurge in. Even feeling under the weather, Faith loved what she saw. Charlie probably could have spent the entire day wandering around, but we had to get to the next museum before we left to drive home.

If you're interested in visiting Shedd Aquarium and would like more information, just click here!

One Direction Concert

2014-09-05T19:44:00.002-07:00

When you're younger you mentally make a list of all the things you want to do for your future children to make sure they have an awesome childhood. When I was in sixth grade N*SYNC came to town and every girl, I mean EVERY girl, seemed to be going to see them. Well, every girl except myself. My mother couldn't afford tickets and I was embarrassed and lied to my friends and told them I was going, which ended up biting me in the butt because my friend ended up with an extra ticket, but didn't invite me because she thought I was already going.

This has haunted me ever since, I didn't go to my first concert until I was a senior in high school and Alicia Keys was at the Iowa State Fair. Needless to say, my daughter's first concert was going to be epic, something she would never forget. So, when I heard One Direction was going to be in Chicago I knew I had to take her. On August 29 my little girl's dreams came true as we sat in a sold out stadium and watched Niall Horan, Harry Styles (my man), Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, and Zayn Malik shake their booties while serenading us under a glow of fireworks. She loved it and before we left we made sure we bought just about everything in their swag store.

Ready to get this party started!

Gorgeous view while we waited.

The stadium was gorgeous, aside from having to look up and see 15 year-olds stripper dancing in the private boxes.

Swoon!

Turkey Travel Abroad

2014-09-04T22:57:00.000-07:00

As I said in my previous post, I went to Turkey. I traveled with the same professor I went to Egypt with and had another amazing adventure. We traveled all over, started in Istanbul, went to Ankara, Bursa, Cappadocia and ended back in Istanbul. Let me get into my favorite part, the pictures! I'll start with our time in Istanbul, since that's where we spent the beginning of the trip. The mosques were incredible, the detail work was mind blowing.

The professor arranged for us to take a boat ride, which gave us a fantastic view of about 15 different mosques. As we went under a bridge we were told that the land on the left was Europe and on the right it was Asia, which I was so excited about.

Earlier that day we visited many mosques including the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, which is now a museum, formerly a mosque.

I had to do a lot of stretching to get this picture out of a high window facing the Blue Mosque from Hagia Sophia.

Amazing view for our meeting at the Chamber of Commerce.

Spent the entire day at the Grand Bazaar. You can't even imagine how much I purchased, I had some great barterers with me and walked away without spending too much.

I bought a few of these, the blue ones in the middle were mine after a few minutes of back and fourth with the owner.

I loved these strands of colorful elephants. I bought
some for the kids to hang in their rooms.

Rules and regulations for entering the Mosques.

On the outer deck at the Chamber of Commerce.

Bursa/Ankara

Meeting in the Prime Minister's office.

In Ankara we stayed at the dorms on the
TOBB University of Economics and Technology campus.

Taking the ferry on our journey from Ankara to Bursa.

The sufi dancing was easily one of my favorite parts of the trip. The passion in their eyes, the focus as they twirl, it was mesmerizing.

Add caption

He became a good friend while on the trip. Joey shopping at the Bursa silk market in the same store that Queen Elizabeth bought her silk scarves from when she went to Bursa.

Walking through the silk market.

Cappadocia

First of all, the hotel was so cool, I mean, it was literally built into the side of the mountain. It was like sleeping in Batman's cave, but in a comfortable, soothing way.

We decided to take a long hike to see some of the larger, more detailed carvings. Within a few steps of getting off the bus I slipped on sand and scarped my leg….classic.

We took a tour through a long cave system, it was an entire city built into the lower portion of a mountain. It was incredibly claustrophobic, but worth it.

Love you, Lisa, but this was my view as we went through the connecting tunnels.

This was one of the professors on the trip, also the Dean of Students, whom is about 6.5 feet tall!

Rome, Italy for the Day

2014-08-20T21:03:00.001-07:00

So, I haven't posted in a while, but in March I was asked to join Drake University's study abroad students who were heading to Turkey. Ooooobviously, I said yes. It was a nightmare journey getting there, I mean, I literally stayed awake for just over 36 hours, because I can't sleep on an airplane and I can't waste a perfectly awesome opportunity to travel when I have a super long layover. My first layover was in Chicago, which was eight hours long. I landed at 8 AM and had my dad pick me up so we could explore the city. At 4 PM I was back at the airport to spend the next 13 hours flying to Rome, Italy.
The plane was delayed an hour, and I only had two hours in-between flights, which ended up not being enough time. I missed the next flight to Istanbul and the airline had rescheduled me on the next flight, which was nine hours later. Ok, I'm sitting there, at Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino airport with nine hours and nothing to do. I grabbed my bag, my passport, and two girls I met on the plane and headed out to explore. We received some incredibly confusing directions to the Colosseum and left. Needless to say, I would rather spend nine hours eating gelato at the Colosseum any day.

Besa, such a bright, spirited girl, perfect
personality for adventure.

I NEVER thought this is what I would be doing during my Italy layover. I was so thankful, for once, for my ticket transfer.

The boxers made me giggle.

When in Rome!

Taking the subway to get back to the train station.

Thankfully, we found the train station after being completely turned around and confused for longer than we expected.

I would say we had an incredible day, completed with lemon and strawberry gelato. I've always wanted to try it, but not until I was actually in Italy. Blessed!

Des Moines Downtown Farmers Market

2014-08-20T20:17:00.002-07:00

We had a super awesome time with our friends at downtown at the farmer's market. There is so much yummy goodness I usually end up dragging all my heavy bags back to the car. There is always live music, live performers, and lots of healthy treats. We found so many great photo opportunities for Faith, Charlie, and their friend, Melvida, to pose with. I love the mixture of art, fresh produce, and fun, I think you'll love it too!

Yes, that is a giant dutch letter….i'll take one to go, please.

My mouth is watering just looking at the pic.

There is something about farmer's market flowers that make my heart leap.

Especially the mixed wild flowers.

This guy's tap dancing was fantastic!

Enjoying a Twinkie, minion cupcake
on the way out.

The market is from 7 AM-Noon every Saturday going on now through October 25. If you want a list of vendors, a map, or anything else about the Downtown Des Moines Farmers Market just click here!

Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

2014-08-20T19:45:00.001-07:00

We haven't been to the Omaha Zoo for a few years and it's only 2 hours away from us, so I decided we should jump in the car and go. It was just as much fun as I remembered, we used to go annually with my husband's family. It wasn't busy at all, so it was even nicer. The zoo is known for so many things, but one of our favorites is the Desert Dome. It's exactly what it sounds like.

The aquarium is pretty new and it was incredible. The kids spent a good 30 minutes watching the penguins, Charlie loved "high-riving" them as they torpedoed past the viewing window. I loved the photo opportunities at the floor length shark and stingray tank. The kids seemed to be interacting with the rays as they swam up to the edge of the aquarium.

The kids laughed and said this fish looked like Gru from Despicable Me.

Classic Omaha Zoo picture.

The Lied Jungle is the biggest indoor rainforest in America. There was so much to see, monkeys everywhere, bats occasionally scaring me half to death, parrots, HUMONGOUS fish, koalas, and anything else you can think of that lives in the jungle. Unfortunately, the little cross bridge was closed, but that's pretty cool, the classic 'Don't Look Down' wooden bridge is another fantastic photo opportunity.

I hate that you can't really see them, but my husband is standing in the bat area, there were, literally, hundreds of bats flying all over the place and hanging in a big cluster just above us on the wall.

Ultimately, it was a fantastic day, the kids loved everything and they both ended up passing out before we even left the parking lot, which wasn't a hassle to exit. If you're interested in planning a visit to Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo you'll find plenty of information on their website right here!

5th Anniversary Gift- DIY Wine Box and Custom Label

2014-08-20T19:00:00.000-07:00

I truly enjoy the tradition of the wedding gift and the 5th anniversary is the wood anniversary. For some reason it was incredibly difficult for me to come up with something that I thought would really wow my husband. He is a chef and is really smart about wine and what foods you're supposed to eat with certain types of wine. Thus, I decided I wanted to make him a wine box. I found the perfect inspiration from Something Turquoise, the only difference is she turned her box into a wedding ceremony box to be opened at a later anniversary. On my box I simply added two hinges to the side, which you can slightly see in the picture on the left. In addition, I spray painted my letters a darker color, which wasn't intentional, I wanted them light, like the box at the inspiration website, but I totally didn't stick my letter stickers on hard enough and it bled through. I sprayed the hinges the same color as the letters so everything looked put together better.

So, once the box was created I needed something to put into it. I didn't want to just give him an empty box, seemed like a bit of a let down, here's a wine box, but no wine. The wine bottle needed to be as special as the box, so I decided to make my own label. To get the winery label off I simply put the bottle in a sink full of water mixed with dish soap. After about 20 minutes the label came off easy with the swipe of my sponge.

After, I designed a label using Photoshop. I ended up printing them on Avery Weatherproof Package Labels, the size that has two per page 5 1/2 x 8 1/2. I added our wedding date and part of the lyrics of our song.

I think it turned out pretty well and he was super surprised.

Remember to check out Something Turquoise for instructions on creating the box. They are super detailed with specific color stain used, and a visual on the sized of wood needed, which I love.

Winterset City Park

2014-01-21T17:48:00.002-08:00

Last fall Dario and I wanted to take the kids for a walk, but I wanted it to be more then just a regular walk to our park down the street. A few of my friends suggested going for a walk at the Winterset City Park, because there would be an exciting surprise for the kids at the end of it. Be warned though, it was a super long walk, I'm not sure of the exact distance, but there were a lot of cars passing us.

Getting to the top was a little steep, but once you get there it is totally worth it!

Can you believe these views!?!?

It was such a great experience all around. Lots of animals, beautiful views, awesome little castle and fresh air. The kids had so much fun and loved how long the walk was. We highly suggest a day at Winsterset City Park. I wish we had brought food for a picnic, something to remember for next time.

Chicago 2013

2014-01-17T20:52:00.000-08:00

I love visiting Chicago for so many reasons! It's clean, it's fun, it brings up the warm fuzzy memories of my childhood, but the biggest reason is my family is there. Visiting Chicago means my dad, my stepmother and my awesome, giant little brother. I say giant, because he's been a whole head taller then me since he was 11 years old. Dario was given an extra weeks vacation from work when he was promoted and he suggested we use it during Christmas time in Chicago. He knows that's my favorite time to be in the city. I love seeing the windows at Marshall Field's...yes, I realize it's Macy's now, but it will always be Marshall Field's to me!

The kids love my dad's cats. If only my throat didn't swell up and cause impending death, we could get one too...

The kitty snuggled up to the kids, rolling on them slowly in
attempts to wake them up.

We went to Marshall Field's, like usual. We try to see Santa when we visit, but unfortunatly the line was four hours minimum...not happening...but, the windows made it all worth it.

My dad gave my stepmom the sweetest looking German Christmas shadow box made by Käthe Wohlfahrt. They told me they just bought it at the Christkindlmarket in Chicago, so I immediately decided we were going.

Spent some wonderful time walking around the city. Seeing it up against the lightly falling snow was....amazing. I saved you guys the endless amounts of photos my husband took of scenes from the movie Transformers. I swear, every time we're in the city I have to hear about it. Oh, that's where Optimus Prime fought this guy, oh, that's where Shia defeated this guy, oh, yeah yeah yeah, got it babe.

We finished the busy day in the city by sitting in on my dad's radio show at the Tribune. The kids were really tired at this point, so if anyone was listening to his show on December 14, that was my son screaming in the background from tiredness, they aren't torturing children.

I love the layout of the set. My dad gets to communicate with
the people walking by outside the building.

I was pretty excited for the evening entertainment. We went to the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, Illinois. We saw Mary Poppins in a circular theatre, which I love. It was a fantastic show. Let's just say, Charlie sat through the ENTIRE thing. We were in the front row and the usher told us we wouldn't be able to get up once the show started for anything. Nothing terrifies a mother of a toddler more then telling her she CANNOT get up for anything during a live show....that you're in the front row of. Still, I was able to enjoy the show.

...and here's a hilarious photo of my son knocked out after the wonderful day...that didn't include a nap.

Ate breakfast here before we headed home.
Awesome snowman pancakes with rainbow
M&Ms.

For more information on the Christkindlmarket, click here!

For more information on my dad, Bill Moller's, radio show, click HERE!

If you would like information on the Marriott Theatre you should click here!

Dia de los Muertos Festival at the Des Moines Art Center

2014-01-17T19:21:00.000-08:00

I have this fascination with the Day of the Dead. I think it's so beautiful that people do so much to remember their loved ones who have passed away. It's fairly comforting when thinking about death. Anyway, every year our local Art Center hosts a Dia de Los Muertos Festival and we've gone to it every year. They have the coolest mariachi band from Omaha, Nebraska called Mariachi Zapata. Every year there is music, dancing, food, beverages and a lot of other fun entertainment in addition to the regular beauty of the Art Center.

The year the festival honored Warren Morrow (1977-2012) there was a display and short video shown on who he was and his life.

The mariachi band was so lively, ignore the pun, festive and incredibly talented.

Day of the dead bread was served for free, along with hot chocolate.

Making day of the dead crafts.

We made skull flags and the traditional tissue flowers.

As I said, the beauty of the Art Center is always a fantastic bonus.

I know it's graffiti, but it was pretty cool looking.

For information on Mariachi Zapata, please visit their website here, or visit their Facebook page here!
For information on the Des Moines Art Center just click here!

Maryland & Washington DC

2014-01-16T19:05:00.000-08:00

I hadn't seen my Aunt Jaana and cousin Ville in 10 years and wanted to take Faith and Charlie to meet them. Dario couldn't go because of work, so it was just the three of us. We booked the flights and planned the trip a few months in advance, and with my luck the government shut down landed on our weekend there. We'd never been there before, so we at least had fun walking around and seeing stuff. I also got to see my Uncle Jeff and cousin Erik, but it hadn't been as long since I had seen them.

My Aunt Jaana is from Finland, as is my cousin Ville. In the future, maybe next year if she goes, I am hoping to travel with her to Finland with my family. My aunt makes the best sweet rolls and Faith had so much fun helping her make them.

The last time I was in Maryland visiting Jaana and Jeff I was a little kid. I remember getting $10 from my grandmother to spend at the Amish market and I ran out of it quickly after getting a strawberry shake, candy and cinnamon sugar pretzel. I was so excited that Jaana was taking us back to that same market, especially when my kids walked into the candy area.

She wanted me to hurry and take the pic so she could browse the candy.

We were only with my family for a few days, so we could only afford to spend one day in Washington DC. We started off by visiting the Eastern Market where we bought coffee and browsed the home made goods.

Uncle Jeff!

Cousin Ville! Starting our day in DC with hot coffee.

Aunt Jaana!

From there we went to the White House where a massive protest was happening outside the gates. We got a group photo out front and after a few shots of the White House a police officer came up to us and said we should get the children out of there, because they were going to start throwing tear gas into the crowd. So, we left. I'm glad I got to see the White House, and it was important for me to see it while Obama was still living there, just made it that much more special.

I'm sure my list of locations is all messed up, I can't remember what order we saw everything, so next I'll just say we saw the Capitol. For some reason, Charlie really enjoyed this. He decided the only thing you can do when you're outside the Capitol is to do Karate.

Then we decided to get a little something to eat in Chinatown. We did a little driving around before we decided on a place to stop, which was cool because I got a quick tour of the city.

Pretty blonde woman on the left is my cousin
Ville's girlfriend, Christina.

The Smithsonian, like everything else, was CLOSED!! Grrr!

The next day we did some shopping in Annapolis. So many cool, nautical treasures, I stocked up nicely. After the kids and I took a walk to the park near my aunt and uncles house, where there was a little beach and a great place to watch the sailboats.

As I said, my aunt is from Finland, and Finnish people enjoy their saunas. Faith wanted to try the sauna in their basement, which ended up being wonderful. It was very relaxing, but Faith was a little nervous about the loud noise that came from pouring water on the stones.

For more information on the PA Dutch Market, please click here!

For more information on the Eastern Market in Washington DC, please click here!

Visiting the LifeFlight Rescue Helicopter & the Pleasant Hill Fire Station

2014-01-16T15:36:00.002-08:00

I no longer work in the hospital's emergency room, because I wanted to focus on a job that would benefit me after I graduate, so I'm now interning in a marketing department. However, I still love and miss the people I used to work with, and luckily I still get to see them. My friend Tina, who is on the LifeFlight crew, invited me and the kids up to see the helicopter. I jumped at the chance, because Charlie loves rescue vehicles and Faith would think it was cool too.

Tina also works for the Pleasant Hill Fire Department. Lucky for us, because she also gave us a private tour of the fire station. The kids loved pressing the buttons, sitting in the big fire truck and setting off the lights. Our friend's Connor and Jill came with us again! I loved seeing Faith dressed up in the gear.

Thanks Tina!!!

Exploring the ambulance!

Rusty Wallace Racing Experience at the Iowa Speedway

2014-01-16T15:16:00.003-08:00

My husband's birthday was August 19th, and I had planned something really fun for him. Through a Groupon I bought him the Rusty Wallace Experience at the Iowa Speedway. Dario loves cars, so I thought this would be cool. He had a lot of fun, he even bought himself the commemorative plaque to hang in his 'man cave.'

That's my husband driving!

It was a lot of fun, the kids came to watch and cheer him on! It was pretty cool to see my husband drive like the professionals! There was a 45 minute class, there was a lot to learn, but Dario said once he got out on the track he felt great. He highly recommends taking the opportunity to try this, something you don't do everyday.

For information on the Iowa Speedway please click here!

For more information on the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience, click here!

Disney World- Hollywood Studios!!!

2014-01-16T14:55:00.002-08:00

I wasn't sure what to expect when going into Hollywood Studios. I didn't want to do too much research, because I really wanted to be surprised by everything. I'm so glad I did, because Hollywood Studios warmed my heart. The theme is old Hollywood and I loved it so much, because I am a big old Hollywood person. My husband tells me all the time I was born in the wrong time period. It was so cool to feel a little bit like I was in the 50's. The tall, skinny palm trees, the old fashioned stores, I loved it. The kids even had fun in the Walt Disney museum. They loved seeing where it all started.

Something I wish I had known, keep an eye out for the character visit times. This was the last park we went to and at all the other parks the characters were out greeting until 9 pm. That's not the case here, many of the characters at Hollywood Studios are done at 6. Something we didn't know until we were looking for Mike and Sully at 7 pm. Luckily, it was the Monster summer, so they came out at night and did a cool show, so the kids got the opportunity to see them. Few, because this is what Charlie was talking about, Mike and Sully, Mike and Sully, for the months leading up to DW, Mike and Sully!

Daddy and Faith went on the Hollywood Tower of Terror. We didn't get the ride picture, but all you see is my husband hugging something in the corner, and these two, giant eyeballs popping over his shoulder in terror. She still doesn't like talking about it.

This is so cool! Last summer they were doing a big Monsters University theme, we went just in time!

The kids had never heard of Honey I Shrunk the Kids, which changed as soon as we got back home. Prior to that they didn't understand why this play area made me so excited!

I was excited for the kids to see Pixar Studios. Charlie's top five favorite movies are all Pixar's, so I knew this would be a lot of fun for him, and I was right!

It says redeemable from 6-7 pm, just a note, I got them at noon. By 4pm all of the FastPasses were gone, what does this tell you? Get the FastPass ASAP!!!

We went to the 'One Man's Dream' museum, which was on my 'have to' list, because I enjoy learning about how it all started.

Charlie thought it was a play area for bugs.

After a lot of excitement, it was really nice to just explore the names on the sidewalk, get a bite to eat, pace ourselves.

After some exploration we watched the Monsters University concert! It was pretty cool, a really nice surprise. The lead singer came down, interacted with the kids, danced with them. We loved it.

Disney World- ANIMAL KINGDOM!!!

2014-01-16T13:40:00.004-08:00

Animal Kingdom was refreshing. After being at the super busy Magic Kingdom for an entire day, going to the far less busy AK was really nice.

I was especially excited to meet Pocahontas!

And, of course, again with the turkey leg! This was cool though, as we were eating cranes kept coming up and begging for food. Reminded of me being at home with our dogs!!!

Loved these magic photos! The kids were so surprised when we went over the pictures after we got home! After a little exploring we made our way to the parade!

I have to tell you, these parades are well thought out. The color, the movement, the interaction is all very attracting to the kids. Charlie was up and moving the entire time, and we're talking about a kid who can't even sit still for 10 minutes.

And we had to go on the Kilimanjaro ride, I've heard only awesome things!

Disney World- MAGIC KINGDOM!!!

2014-01-16T13:03:00.000-08:00

This is what dreams are made of! We went to Magic Kingdom on the second and fourth day, because it was so massive you'll need two days to just get through the whole thing.

You have to get there by Ferryboat, which is pretty cool. You get to see some of the resorts, which looked awesome.

We got to Main Street and, because I'm such a great planner, I knew we had 30 minutes until the parade started. Everyone says this is the best time to find a spot to enjoy the show, which was right, because right after we sat down the entire sidewalk filled with people. I had Dario guard our stuff while I went off to find goodies with the kids.

Here comes the 'A Dream Come True' parade!!! It was a lot of fun!

This guy waving at the kids, it's the little things
that make this place so awesome!

Family enjoying the excitement!

We were able to get onto rides really quickly. I used the Fast Pass on the Ariel, Under the Sea Ride, and we got a bonus pass for Winnie the Pooh! Awesome!

Classic ride, love this picture!

A little lunch break with Gaston! My husband is all about the turkey legs, so he was greatly satisfied!

Bahahaha, I laugh every time I see this!!

Charlie was so excited for the Dumbo ride! We had to get FastPasses for this ride too, because it was a three hour wait and that was NOT going to happen!

And now some time for shopping! This Castle Couture shop was great. The cast members inside went around and sprinkled the kids with sparkles. They make it a big production, as if they were casting a charm on them for lots of fun and great memories!

Be warned, on the Toy Story ride they take your picture, try and look less tired then I did!

This was one of those magic moments for Faith. We got in line for Jasmine and Aladdin just before they left for break. Well, daddy held our place in line while we went shopping. My mother gave me some spending money for the kids and I told Faith that if she wanted something she would have to call grandma and ask her. Well, she really wanted the Jasmine costume, which was more then what grandma gave her, so she called to ask if she could borrow a little more. As she was talking to grandma asking, Jasmine and Aladdin came out from their break. She spotted Faith holding the Jasmine costume up to her body for sizing. Jasmine started talking to Faith about how she should buy that, so they could be twins. Faith explained it was up to grandma, so Jasmine had Faith put grandma on speaker phone so she cold talk grandma into buying the outfit. Needless to say, after grandma talked to Jasmine she ended up buying Faith the costume, the shoes and the matching purse.

Faith loves this picture, as do I! She was in total shock that a PRINCESS stopped and had a discussion with her.

One of the greatest discoveries at Disney! DOLE WHIPS!

Time for the Jungle Cruise! This was a lot of fun, fairly relaxing and the guides were cheesy, but hilarious!

The boys made sure they took a trip back to Tomorrowland to get a ride in. I'm glad they did this together, made for a great memory for daddy.

They have the PhotoPass photographer in front of this, I suggest waiting until the end of the day to take this photo. If we had taken the photo when we first got there we would've waited about 30 minutes in line, and there would've been A LOT of people standing behind them. Notice, the perfect timing in the kids' photo, the train is passing through at the perfect time!

Disney World-EPCOT!!!

2014-01-16T11:57:00.001-08:00

Alright, after almost 8 months of planning for this trip, we were there!!!

Look at those muscles!

For our first day we headed to Epcot! We had a princess breakfast at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Norway. It was an amazing way to kick off our week at Disney. Faith got to meet Aurora, Snow White, Ariel, Jasmine and Belle. Just before we left the princess came around and asked all the little children to join them in a small parade. They take them around the tables at the restaurant and sing while the children get to hold the princess' hands. The food was yummy, and we left the meal with wonderful photos. I HIGHLY suggest reservations! We waited for about 5 minutes outside, went in, ate and by the time we came out the people who were waiting with us before were still there.

CANADA

This was so cute, I love Martin Short and the one ride they have in Canada is narrated by him. You walk into a theatre, no seats, and you're surrounded by screens. The setting is like you're actually in the scene. They must have used a 360 degree camera to get shots on all sides, because that's what you're looking at. It made me want to travel to Canada!

UNITED KINGDOM

This was one of my favorites, but that's because there was an area of the store that was all Beatles stuff! Also, we love Mary Poppins in this house, so getting to meet her was on my list of things to do while we were here!

Um...can I get this at my house?

Hilarious interactive performance on the street. It was a wonderful break!

I loved the way Alice talked!

FRANCE

Being in France we had to get some wine. It was yummy and the lady let us pick a few wine corks from her bowl to add to our collection. I loved the art and it was a great teaching experience. We saw Aurora here and it was great, because we happened to be resting right where she stands. Out of nowhere she came and we were automatically first in line!!

MOROCCO

We were shopping in the little store when a downpour started outside. Luckily, it lasted about 3 minutes and then the sun came back. Morocco was my favorite for architecture. Walking around inside you really have to pay attention to the details. It was perfect for some photos.

JAPAN

There was more wonderful architecture in Japan. My husband loved it, because he loves dragons, anime, all that jazz. The kids loved it, because there was a lot of yummy Japanese candy.

USA

Right when we walked up we were welcomed by this wonderful parade. It was very patriotic, especially since we got some funnel cake right after.

ITALY

GERMANY

Being German, I loved being in Germany. However, you'll notice how after Germany I look significantly redder, and that's because I really wanted the kids to get a private session with Snow White, so I ended up standing in the sun for about 30 minutes. To make me feel better Dario took the kids to get drinks and brought me back this awesome, German souvenir cup! In the picture I look a little worn out though.

CHINA

Looking back at these pictures, I can't believe how detailed each location is. I took detailed shots of the different buildings in China. Dario loved all the dragons in the shop and I loved the kids meeting Mulan. We were second in line after her break, another 30 minutes of waiting in the sun, but it was worth it, because she used her fresh lipstick to plant a big kiss on Charlie's cheek! There was also a great performance put on by street performers. The kids were completely transfixed on the entertainment.

NORWAY

We were able to get a better look at Norway after our breakfast there. The line for the ride was a bit long, but nothing too bad. It was a fun boat ride through the history of Norway. Charlie got a little scared of the polar bear, but was quickly distracted by other sites. The kids also enjoyed seeing the historic swords and weapons.

MEXICO

Ok, this was my favorite location for shopping. There was an awesome collection of Day of the Dead stuff for buying. It was also perfect for our last location, because Mexico was located inside a 'Mayan Temple'. This means is was AIR CONDITIONED!!! It was a wonderful welcome. The thing I love about Epcot it the mix learning with fun. Each location had a mini-museum to give the kids, in a fun way, information about the country they are visiting. In Mexico there was art, war gear and a lot of other fun things, see below for Faith 'carrying' the Mayan calendar.

We finished our day with a trip around the lake on the boat that takes people from one side of Epcot to the other. It was a sweet way to calm the children down.

It's Been Too Long..

2014-01-16T11:04:00.000-08:00

It's been eight months since my last post. I'm in my senior year at Drake University and it's gotten a little crazy. I'm going to catch everyone up, starting with last summer, which was awesome! If you've read my blog before you would know that I was planning a trip for my family to Walt Disney World. Well, we went and it was amazing! When people say they make a magical experience for the children, they aren't kidding.

This was the kids' first flight EVER and my husband's first flight in 20 years. So, this was really exciting. Everyone did great, although after 10 years together I now know my husband hates flying.

So, the day we left ended up being our four year wedding anniversary. We were flying and getting settled the majority of the day, so I painted this little guy and snuck it into Dario's peanut bag. He loved it, we turned it into an ornament to remember such a great trip.

We stayed at the Westgate Resort in Kissimmee, Florida. I would highly recommend it, it was inexpensive, spacious and there was a bus that dropped off at Disney daily. There was a really nice kitchen and with little children it was especially nice, because when they were homesick I could make them something we would make at home.

Ignore the mess, we had literally just walked in the door.

My children thought the potty in the closet was especially hilarious.

The bigger couch pulled out into a queen sized bed, perfect for the kids!

Amazing view, it was so nice to relax on the deck after a long day at Disney.

My husband had never seen a palm tree!

The resort also provided a wonderful list of activities for families. Before our first day at the beach we decided to get a little mini golf in. There was also bike riding, paddle boats (swan and regular), game rooms, and, my favorite, Starbucks on site. There was also a little grocery store, which we frequented!

The kids loved seeing the lizards! A little added bonus!

Ok, so I did a ton of research before we left, because I wanted to make sure we went to the best beach. I wanted somewhere not too busy with a cute little town area for shopping and eating. Well, I found it. We decided to go to Anna Maria Island. It was incredible, there were so many shells, the water was Caribbean blue, we found a great restaurant, literally, on the beach and the people were so friendly! This older, retired gentleman saw me taking all the pictures and he came over and said I needed to be in a few. So we set up for a cute family pic...10 minutes later he handed the camera back....not one picture was actually taken. He was so sweet though, he wanted me to make sure they looked ok, so I just said they looked great!

This was my favorite picture from the day at the beach!

Love my boys! Can you see all the shells on the beach?

View from the restaurant!

My mouth waters every time I see this pic!

There will be pictures from Disney World on my next post. I've shown off so many pictures already I don't want the post to be too long. It's easy to add so many when I am look at 75 degree weather while sitting in -5 degree weather!

Disney World Autograph Books

2013-05-20T18:50:00.000-07:00

This July my family and I will be flying to Florida to spend time with the most famous mouse on the planet. Since the entire trip is expensive on its own, my husband and I are finding any possible way to save money. Even if its on something small, like an autograph book. We were going to wait to buy one at the park, but one of my friends told me the nicer books start around $30. That's quite a bit for this family to spend on something like this, so instead we headed over to Michael's Craft Supply and purchased the necessary items to make our own books.

We used:

Sketch book for watercoloring (I think. Basically they had thick enough paper that permanent marker wouldn't bleed through.)
Two pieces of scrapbook paper
Ribbon
Disney Scrapbook embellishments
Alphabet scrapbook stickers

For each of the stickers I added some super glue, that's the last thing I want to deal with in the potential 95 degree weather, little characters falling apart.

Faith loves princesses, so I let her pick her own stickers, already knowing what she would want.

When we get to the park I plan on getting the characters' autographs, and then taking their pictures with the kids. That way, I can glue the picture on the same page as the autograph.

The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden

2013-02-26T17:09:00.001-08:00

My daughter and I found ourselves without anything to do a few weeks ago, so, we decided to explore Des Moines. Faith had been to the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden this past summer with her summer camp group and had a lot of fun exploring. I hadn't been there since my friend held her wedding there almost five years ago, so we went.

Faith loved showing me all the sculptures surrounding the building, this is the one people can see when driving by on the interstate.

There is a fun walkway that takes you all around the garden. The waterfall was an unexpected surprise, Faith especially loved the fish swimming around it.

The botanical garden looks like a giant golf ball on the outside it's fairly noticable when you drive by.

They are starting big renovations on the garden, so I am glad we were able to see it before it changes.

If you would like more information on the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden please click here!

Ken's Coin Cutting and Bead Making

2013-02-25T20:43:00.000-08:00

I had previously mentioned my friend Ken who sells glass beads at local art shows. Well, he also does coin cutting. I had given him some of my coins I brought back from Egypt and he made one of them into a necklace for me. I absolutely love it and people always stop and ask me about it when I wear it.

Here are some examples of the beads he makes. So cute! My mother bought a few pigs. I think he should teach classes on how to do this, but only time will tell.

I had some people email me questions on how to get a hold of Ken. You can reach him by email at coinoperatedks@gmail.com

He's incredibly talented!

Jolly Holiday Lights

2013-01-02T09:15:00.000-08:00

I had planned on taking the kids to the Jolly Holiday Lights show in Des Moines. We had time after the New Years event, so I decided we would take them. It completed a wonderful day and I was so moved, because the car in front of us decided they would pay for the next four cars that followed them, which included us. Pay it forward, we ended up giving them the $20 we were going to use anyway to pay for the four cars after them.

I love the message of Jolly Holiday Lights. The money goes to the Make-a-Wish foundation, which grants the wishes of children living with terminal illnesses. Businesses throughout Iowa donate money and sponsor a holiday lights display. Before we went we bought hot chocolate and it was the perfect topping to our drive through the lights. The kids were going crazy looking out of both windows at the same time.

Working at the hospital I get to know many kids who routinely come for some kind of procedure or are just ill and end up being admitted. I remember this one little girl from when I worked in the surgery department. She came in about once a month for surgery on her brain tumor. She would come in with her mom and grandpa. They were so close, he would tell me about their fishing trips, how she would be sitting out in the garage with him when he worked on the tractor, etc. He would get so emotional, because he knew the procedures would only extend her life briefly. The girl was only three years old and she was a doll. The steroids they gave her made her head so swollen that she couldn't walk because it was so heavy. She didn't talk very much, but I was always talking to her. She tried to hide her smiles when we goofed on her grandpa. I remember they would stay in the Ronald McDonald house for weeks at a time when she came to the hospital. Every other day her mother and grandpa would come visit when she was in chemotherapy. We would have lunch together and on Valentine's Day she brought us all Valentines. It was like they bought everything at Walgreen's to bring to us. She passed away when she was four.

Anyway, the point of this story is that the Make-a-Wish foundation granted her one wish, which was to go to Disney World with her family. I remember when she brought pictures of her, sitting in her stroller, surrounded by all of the princesses. They dressed her up like Cinderella, her favorite. There were pictures of her swimming with dolphins and sipping tea with Alice in Wonderland. I had never seen her look so happy, I cried looking through them. The foundation does wonderful work, these kids look so happy, their dreams are coming true.

I highly recommend the light show, the kids had a blast.

For more information on the Jolly Holiday Lights click here!

Happy New Year 2013

2013-01-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

A new year means a new start. Although, I still have another year and a half of school, so my life will pretty much be the same as 2012, I still have my resolutions. This year I plan on learning Spanish! I have been with my husband for 10 years and have yet to have an actual conversation with a few of his relatives. Also, we plan on traveling to Ecuador in the future, and I would like to be able to talk to his family when we there.

Faith has a picture with every princess now!

I wanted to take the kids somewhere fun for New Years Eve, and ImaginEVE was the place. The kids had a blast going on the inflatable rides and seeing the fun characters. Plus, they were on the news, and that's always pretty cool! We went with my sister-in-law and her family. I love anytime the kids can spend with their cousins. Charlie is usually pretty shy, and he really let loose with his cousins, it was awesome.

L to R (Brandon, Logan, Faith and Charlie) Snow cone kids!

Faith and Brandon with the Channel 13 meteorologist who interviewed them!

Kids and some cool characters. I should have gotten a picture with Batman, darn it!