There Must Be More To Life Than Dishes and Laundry...

2012-2013 Ski Season is Officially Over

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 15 May 2013 02:50:00 +0000

Now that temperatures are in the 80's and I am ready to turn on my air conditioning I think it's time to update everyone on what we've been up to all winter: skiing and snowboarding!

Everyone is bundled up and ready to go!

2012-2013 was a great ski season for us. We made it up to the mountains to ski several times this winter. The big kids started out the season with a lesson to brush up from last year but finished out the year as independent skiers and snowboarders.

View at the top of the run

View from the chair lift

It was so nice to not have the added expense of lessons all season on top of the expense of skis, snowboards, kids winter clothes, etc. We are blessed to have access to deeply discounted lift tickets through my hubby's work. Eldora Mountain Resort is only 1 1/2 hours from our home. Even better, no dreaded I-70 ski and weekend traffic to fight with.

Nate riding the lift to the top of the mountain

Nate and I during our ski date

Nate and I even got a whole kid-free day of skiing at the end of the season in. I can't wait for next ski season to come around again and explore the slopes.

Soon enough this little guy will be skiing too!

*This post was sponsored by www.winterkids.com and I was compensated for this post. All statements are solely my opinion.

12 Months of Orion in Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 08 May 2013 09:30:00 +0000

Throughout Orion's first 12 months I managed to capture a photograph of him wearing his month onesie sticker I bought off Etsy every month on the 5th. Some months I captured great shots. Some months I captured funny shots. Some months I'm just lucky I have a photo of him looking at the camera in his month onesie. These were the photos I displayed on the clothes line at his birthday party (except for his newborn photo which I had an actual copy of his birth announcement). It is truly amazing how much he has changed over the past year.

Newborn (photo credit Maren Miller Photography)

1 month old, a serious little guy

2 months old, a happy little guy

3 months old, not amused with mom's picture taking

4 months old, getting pretty chubby

5 months old, already great at sitting up

6 months old, at his chubbiest before he started rolling everywhere

7 months old, happy boy

8 months old, look at all those teeth

9 months old, crawling everywhere

10 months old, showing off his new skills

11 months old, a rare moment of calmness

12 months old, what a big boy

Outer Space Themed 1st Birthday Party for Orion!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 06 May 2013 16:59:00 +0000

Yesterday was Orion's 1st birthday and we threw a big outer space themed birthday party to celebrate. I found a custom shirt I loved from Etsy which served as the inspiration for the party theme. I incorporated the primary colors of the shirt into the party decor. I also found a lot of great ideas from Pinterest. I even had a whole board dedicated to 1st birthday party ideas. I also used my Facebook page for my blog to ask questions about the party like whether I could use fondant on a smash cake. I started the planning and prep early since I wanted to do a lot myself. The results were great and we all had a lot of fun celebrating Orion's big day!

Orion's custom birthday shirt

Balloons and "ONE" by the front door to greet guests

Dessert table with handmade backdrop, banner, outer space themed cake, and cupcakes with stars and the planet Saturn.

I love how the cupcakes turned out!

For the cake I made a vanilla cake and vanilla butter cream from scratch but bought pre-made fondant and just rolled it out and used cookie cutters for the rocket ships and big stars. I free hand cut out the small stars.

I used ribbon and clothes pins to display all of Orion's monthly photos from his first year.

For party favors I had custom cookies made with the photo of Orion's birthday shirt. I bought a helium tank and balloons and we attached a balloon to each cookie. Really cute favors for less than $1.50 per child.

Custom cookies

We ordered sandwiches so we didn't have to worry about a main course. I then bought a bunch of fruit and veggies to serve with hummus and ranch.

I hung these brightly colored balls above the drink station to add to the festive atmosphere.

We served martian punch (lime sherbet, pineapple juice, and ginger ale), water with lemon and lime slices in it, and rocket fuel (iced tea).

Target had affordably priced paper and plastic ware in primary colors so I went that route instead of rounding up enough dishes for 50 guests. I love the coordinating paper straws.

The smash cake ended up being a lot of work and was very big. I decided to give Orion a giant piece instead of the whole cake.

He's had a couple tastes of sweets before but he doesn't seem to like them or even many bread products. I was pleasantly surprised that he dug into his cake.

He may not have swallowed a lot but he sure smashed it up.

The adorable birthday boy playing with a balloon (one of his favorite things).

After Orion got a nap and most guests had left we opened presents with Nate's family. Orion stayed interested most of the time and liked checking out all his new toys.

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate! It was a great day!

Mother to a Teenager

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 02 May 2013 21:25:00 +0000

Yesterday my oldest celebrated his 13th birthday. It's hard to believe I am a mother to a teenager. It makes me sound old, doesn't it? I've been a mom for 13 years now and man, the lessons I've learned. Brennan is a great kid. Very smart, inquisitive, loving, and helpful. I know he'll do well wherever life takes him.

Over the weekend Nate took him and his best friend for a day of food and fun at Dave and Busters (Brennan's choice). Yesterday we celebrated with dinner of his choosing (BLT Mac and Cheese), dessert of his choosing (Pumpkin ribbon cake - recipe coming to the blog soon), presents, balloons, and decorations. He said he had a great night so that's all that matters. As an added bonus he also got the day off school as we got a freak May snowstorm and school was closed.

A 2nd Xbox 360 controller

Classic Wynter and Brennan expressions

The only birthday gift he asked for was money and he got a lot of it.

Funny card the girls picked out for him

I like money, cha-ching, cha-ching

He also loves candy!

Yum, pumpkin ribbon cake

Time for a birthday song

and a wish!

Happy birthday Brennan! We love you!

Photography 101

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 16:10:00 +0000

Last month a Living Social deal came up for a Photography 101 and Photography 201 all day class. Since receiving my DSLR as my Mother's Day gift from my hubby last year I've been wanting to take a class. It seemed like every class I found we had a prior commitment that day. Also, up until a couple months ago Orion nursed every 2 hours during the day so being away from him for a whole day for a class was complicated. Now that he is getting older it is getting easier to do these type of things.

Photography 101 was held in a University lecture room. The class went over all the basics: aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc. and how to find the controls on your camera. It was helpful but I'm a hands on learner so I don't think I really grasped the concepts until the afternoon photography 201 class which was outside and task oriented. The teacher gave us a photography assignment, we each spent some time completing that assignment, asking for help as needed, we then re-grouped and he assigned the next task. I liked this format except I was always the first one done. I like to do something, master it, and move on to the next thing.

I captured some decent shots and know SO much more about my camera and how to capture the shots I want. I still need to purchase Photoshop as these photos were all just edited in Picasa. I also need a camera bag so I can safely carry my camera and equipment without feeling like I'm going to break or drop my expensive camera. Right now I only have a 18-55mm lens so a future upgrade will be at least one longer range lens. Another thing I struggle with is juggling a wiggly baby and a DSLR camera which is bulky. Not sure that will get easier but maybe I'll get quicker at setting up the right shot.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from the afternoon Photography 201 class:

The location of the Photography 201 class. The Swetsville Zoo is a sculpture garden made from recycled materials. Admission is free, it's local, and a neat place to check out.

Working on lighting

More lighting

Working on focus

Same shot, just different focus

More focus work

For this assignment we were supposed to take a shot of something and then get in close and take shots of all the parts of that item. Sometimes in the moment you can miss the detail shots which turn out to be some of the best shots.

Up close

More up close shots

Same sculpture

Last one of this guy

This assignment was framing. You were supposed to look for natural framing. I set the shot up to look down the center of the one part. Most of the day it was cloudy and excellent light for photography. At this point in the day the sun came out from behind the clouds and was blaring down. I never did get the light perfect. The bright sun washed the photo out a bit. This is why I decided to edit it with focal black and white to take away some of the harshness of the bright sunlight.

Bird's nest inside one of the sculptures

Our last assignment is a shot that is hard to get but a fun one to practice. We were supposed to get a shot of a fast moving car (approximately 55 MPH) and capture the car but blur the background to emphasis the motion. The teacher even said you'll probably only get 2 good shots for every 10 you take but with digital you can take as many as you want without worrying.

Another car zooming by

I can't wait to practice more now that I have the tools to become a better photographer. Not sure how much time I'll be able to devote to photography but I love taking pictures so why not take good pictures!

Almost One! Orion's 11 Month Update.

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 23:38:00 +0000

11 months old! In less than 3 weeks he'll turn one. I really can hardly believe it. This baby that I hoped for, longed for, and so patiently waited for, is not only here, he's going to be one year old. He's slowly becoming less of a baby and more of a toddler. We're definitely done having kids and this milestone feels like the end of an era, no more babies in the Brown house. On the positive side, the sleepless nights will someday be a thing of the past. The feeling of someone needing you and only you 24/7 will slowly become less and less. We still have many years of our household full of laughter and smiles and the special joy that only children can bring. Orion's almost one!

I'll lay still mama but not for long!

Waving "hi" and showing off my teeth

11 month old Orion is definitely on the move. He can stand for 10-15 seconds independently and does it throughout the day. He took his first independent steps 4/13/2013 and he hasn't looked back. He is regularly taking 2-3 steps all day long and sometimes takes as many as 5 at a time. When he's not taking steps alone he wants to walk all through the house holding on to one finger. With less than three weeks until his birthday I think it's safe to say he'll be walking by his first birthday.

Look at my ball

Yum! Tasty ball

His verbal and communication skills are also starting to take off. He clearly says: mom, dada, no no no, night night, and ball. He is starting to try to copy words you say. He also points and whines at things he wants and shakes his head "no". He is working on learning how to say: FiFi, Wynter, and Brennan. It seems like he is starting to call Brennan, bubba but it isn't consistent. He signs: milk, all done (about half the time), and has signed please and thank you a couple times. I am working on teaching him the signs for: eat, more, bath, sleep, and book.

Just relaxing

I love doing puzzles

Regardless of what he's learned. He sure is cute. This mama is planning a big celebration for his first birthday. Post and pictures to follow in a couple weeks. Until then if you head over to Pinterest you can peek at the Orion's birthday board and get a sneak peek.

Easter Celebrations

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 02:38:00 +0000

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter. We had a nice time going to church, celebrating our Lord's resurrection, enjoyed a nice meal, and had a relaxing day with family. I wanted to share some photos from our Easter celebrations.

Egg dyeing time!

Cheeseburger smile!

All the pretty colors

Wynter checking out her loot

Phoenix isn't sure she can reach the eggs

Orion was checking out his Easter basket too

Phoenix loves candy

Phoenix's Easter bunny she colored at school

Happy Easter!

Orion found some eggs too

Orion dressed in his Easter best!

He loved his puppy book from the Easter bunny

Walt Disney World Day 6: Animal Kingdom

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 03:32:00 +0000

Day 6 of our trip was our day at Animal Kingdom. Nate and the big kids were very excited for this day. Wynter loves giraffes and she was really looking forward to the safari. We were at the park before it opened. The cast members let us in through the turnstiles early and we were allowed up to the entrance of Discovery Island where they had it roped off waiting for the 9am rope drop. Expedition Everest and the Safari were our top two rides in this park. We lined up heading towards Everest with plans to hit the Safari second and use a fastpass if necessary.

Big kids all ready for a day of adventure

Little guy ready for his day of adventure

Everest had no wait. We grabbed baby swap passes and went right on. Even after swapping there was still no wait so we went again. The big kids got to ride Everest three times, lucky kids! The roller coaster was a bit intense but in a good way. It definitely was one of my favorite rides of the week.

Orion and I waiting while Nate and the big kids rode Everest

Even with no wait riding Everest three times took up some time so we packed up and headed for the safari. We did stop to have some photopass photos taken. During the trip I wasn't sure we had got a lot of good photopass shots but once we got home I was pleasantly surprised. Definitely worth the $17 I paid for the share.

Family photo

Yay!

We headed towards the Safari but decided to get fastpasses since the wait was already at 30 minutes. Our return time was only about an hour away so headed over to Dinoland USA to ride Primeval Whirl and Dinosaur while we waited.

Nate and the big kids rode Primeval Whirl twice. There was no wait so the cast member didn't even make them get off. I wondered what was taking so long and kept trying to spot them on the ride but never did. Next we headed to Dinosaur. We grabbed baby swap passes and I went first with the big kids. There was no wait which was nice. It was a fun ride. It reminded me of the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland but with a different theme. After we got off Nate, Phoenix, and Brennan went to ride with the baby swap pass. Wynter decided to stay with Orion and I because she thought the ride was a bit scary with the dinosaur trying to eat you. The ride broke down just as they got loaded into it so they got fastpasses that could be used at any time later that day. Nate was pretty bummed he didn't get to ride since the rest of us liked the ride. At this point there was probably only 20 or 25 minutes left on our fastpass return time so we decided to make our way back to the Safari.

Nate and Orion ready for the Safari

Our safari vehicle

Right as we were getting ready to load Orion started having a huge melt down. The cast members and other people in our car looked at us like we were crazy taking a screaming baby on the ride but I knew he was hungry and tired and as soon as I could sit down I'd nurse him and he'd fall asleep.

Nursing Orion on the Safari was interesting. It is a bit bumpy but Nate drives a lifted Jeep with bigger tires and I've gone four wheeling with him many times so it wasn't that big of a deal. After Orion was done eating he quickly fell asleep in my arms. Holding him steady, while asleep on the bumpy ride was also a challenge. Eventually I passed the sleeping baby off to daddy so I could take pictures since I was on the outside of the car.

Me and a sleeping Orion

This tired baby didn't wake up even when passed off to daddy

The big kids loved the animals

The safari was neat and we enjoyed seeing the animals. Our guide pointed out the different species and it was a nice, long ride. Before riding it I thought it might be more exciting and less rushed but it was still nice. On our next trip we plan to stay at the Animal Kingdom villas and I think we're all very excited about being able to see animals from our hotel.

The kids and I with Everest in the background

Next stop was Kali River Rapids. It was hot that day and we were excited to get wet and hopefully get a short break from the stifling heat and humidity. It was a fun ride but not super exciting. Splash Mountain is my favorite Disney water ride.

I did get pretty wet from Kali River Rapids

We took a break to get some lunch from the Flame Tree Barbecue quick service restaurant. It was very yummy. One of my favorite quick service meals of the trip. I would recommend it and will eat there next trip.

After lunch we wanted to try to see the Nemo show and the Festival of the Lion King but knew it would be a tight squeeze to fit both in based upon the times they were playing that day. We went over to camp Mickey and Minnie and got there just in time for the Festival of the Lion King. The show was inside and air conditioned which was a nice treat. The show itself was wonderful and we all really enjoyed the singing, dancing, and costumes.

I used my snack credit to get a funnel cake outside the show and then we headed out. On our last trip to California Adventure we had missed the It's Tough To Be A Bug show (though I had seen it on a previous trip) so Nate really wanted to see it. It a fun show but if you're scared of bugs it is a little scary and definitely would scare some younger kids (at age 5 Brennan loved it but he's all boy).

Once we left It's Tough To Be A Bug there was only about 25 minutes until the parade, not enough time to see another attraction so we set up shop in a somewhat shady spot and waited. Nate and the girls got antsy and decided they'd try to use their baby swap pass from Everest we had saved from earlier since there was no line. They hurried over to Everest, assuring me they'd be back before the parade started.

The parade was fun and the costumes were neat but it wasn't the best Disney parade I've seen and unfortunately it was the only parade we allowed time for this trip. Next trip we'll definitely make time for the two Magic Kingdom parades and maybe the Hollywood Studios parade.

Just one of the many neat costumes

They did feature guests in the parade which I thought was neat

Nate and the girls didn't make it back before the parade started so we played phone tag trying to figure out where the other person was. They did get to watch the parade but just couldn't get back to us because it was roped off. Nate still really wanted to ride Dinosaur since it broke down earlier and we had fastpasses. We had time for one more ride so we headed that way. Nate got to ride with Phoenix and Brennan then we had to head towards our reservation at Boma. I know some people say Animal Kingdom is only a half day park but I disagree. We were there from before opening (8:45) and left about 30 minutes before park closing and didn't see the Nemo show, didn't ride the conservation train, didn't get to walk the trails, didn't get to see the animal exhibits, and didn't get to see the boneyard. We definitely know what we need to hit first next trip.

I had made 5:00pm dinner reservations at Boma, knowing Animal Kingdom closes early. We got on a bus to Animal Kingdom and were on our way. Since our reservation was early it wasn't very busy and we got right in. The food here was amazing. Hands down my favorite table service food of the trip. I love ethnic food and trying new things so it was right up my alley. I was in heaven with a full spread of unique foods I'd never tried. I took a taste of tons of different things and enjoyed most of it. They also had quite the sampling of desserts. My kids aren't too picky either and did a good job of trying some new things.

After our dinner we caught a bus to Downtown Disney so we could take a boat back to Port Orleans. That is the one downside to the Disney transportation system, you cannot go directly from hotel to hotel. This isn't a problem most of the time but when you have dining reservations at other resorts it adds quite a bit of travel time.

We were back to our room at a decent hour. We decided to take a swim at the main pool. The big kids swam and Nate and I drank a beer while Orion hung out with us in the stroller. My big kids love the pool and will swim regardless of the temperature. I complained about it being hot all week but by 8pm at night and in the dark it was a tad cooler than I prefer to swim in. We got back to our room by 9pm and were all quickly asleep. We had to get some rest for our big day at Magic Kingdom tomorrow and our before park opening dining reservation at Crystal Palace.

In case you want to catch up on the rest of our trip, here's: Day 1, Day 2 Epcot, Day 3 Islands of Adventure, Day 4 Resort and Downtown Disney, and Day 5 Hollywood Studios.

Little Comedian

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 17:57:00 +0000

Everyday at dinner Orion starts blowing raspberries and doing his best to get his brother and sisters to laugh at him. Of course they start laughing and then he amps up his antics even more. Silly baby!

Walt Disney World Day 5: Disney's Hollywood Studios

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 23:44:00 +0000

Day five of our trip was our day at Hollywood Studios. (Day 1 Arrival, Day 2 Epcot, Day 3 Islands of Adventure, and Day 4 Resort and Downtown Disney if you want to read those first). We were out of the resort on time and at the turnstiles 15 minutes before opening but the cast members were already letting people in. We stopped to take some Photopass pictures as we entered.

Ready for our day!

Our first stop was Toy Story Mania for fastpasses. Even though it was before 9am the fastpass return time was 12:00-1:00pm. There was even a short line to get fastpasses.

Planning our next stop

It's more fun than a barrel of monkeys

Fastpasses in hand we made a beeline for Rockin Roller Coaster. There was no wait so we grabbed baby swap passes and Nate and the big kids rode while Orion and I waited at the exit. The kids loved it. It was one of their favorite rides! Phoenix and Wynter rode with me with the baby swap pass. Having the baby with us allowed the big kids to ride most of the big rides more than once. Rockin Roller Coaster was fun but a bit bumpy for me. I think I'm getting old because I used to love thrill rides but this trip there were a few rides that were fun but a little more intense than I prefer.

Rockin Roller Coaster

The wait was about 15 minutes for Tower of Terror so we grabbed baby swap passes and Nate and the big kids rode while Orion and I grabbed a cup of coffee and relaxed in the shade. After they rode I took Phoenix and Brennan back for a 2nd ride. Wynter wasn't a fan of Tower of Terror at Disney's California Adventure but I told her to give it one more shot. She used to be a very cautious kid and scared of everything but we've found it we give her some gentle encouragement she finds she likes most things, even thrill rides (Rockin Roller Coaster was one of her favorites). After riding with Nate she didn't want to ride it again. Tower of Terror used to be one of my favorites but sad to say it was a bit intense this time but still fun.

All 4 kids in front of the Chinese theater as we walked by.

Up close

Next stop was the studio backlot tour. We ended up waiting a good 15-20 minutes for this ride. Not a horrible wait but longer than a lot of things this trip. At least in the first queue there are TV's and things to look at. Timing wise I think we got there right as one was starting, then we barely missed the cut for the next one but soon enough we were on our way. I was born in the LA area and still have family there so I've been to Universal Studios numerous times but it has been 14 or 15 years. From what I remember the studio backlot at Universal Studios Hollywood is a much better tour. I think part of the problem at Hollywood Studios is there isn't a lot (if any) real filming going on. The tour was fun though.

The intro involves audience members and fire and water. It was neat to see up close.

Mickey water tower

After we exited the studio backlot tour we happened upon a meet and greet with Mike and Sulley from Monsters Inc. There was no wait so we stopped to say hello.

Brennan giving Mike a hug

Phoenix was not sure about these monsters!

All six of us

Mike wanted to say "hi" to Orion too.

We don't have a lot of pictures from the rest of the day. The only reason I can think of was the torrential downpour and rainy weather the rest of the afternoon. Next it was time for our fastpasses to Toy Story Mania. I was really excited to ride this since during our last trip to Disney's California Adventure all the fastpasses had run out and there were 90 minute waits so we never rode. It was so much fun. The decorations were cute and the ride was a lot of fun. Orion rode with me but I'm glad I had him in the carrier because it would have been hard to play and hold on to him tight enough since it whips around the corner pretty quickly. Toy Story Mania was my favorite ride at Hollywood Studios. I would have rode it again if the line wasn't so long and fastpasses hadn't ran out right away.

We stopped by Little Mermaid but we had just missed it and the next show was 20 minutes so the cast member encouraged us to come back. We then went to catch the next Indiana Jones Stunt Show. I was worried it would be too loud for Orion but I figured I could just leave if it was and meet Nate and the kids at the stroller. It was way too loud so I left a minute in. After the first scene a huge thunder storm rolled in and the show was cut short for safety reasons. It was starting to rain but not too bad yet.

We grabbed a baby swap pass to Star Tours and Nate and the big kids rode that. The rain was really starting to come down so I had to try to find better shelter. I had my poncho on and I had Orion's clipped to the stroller. It was raining so hard and he was pulling on it so on the way to the bathroom the poor kid got soaked. The temperature really dropped during the downpour and we were both freezing. We hid out in the bathroom for awhile. I got him a clean diaper, dry clothes, and warmed him up a bit. I couldn't reach Nate on my cell because the bathroom was basement level and I had no cell coverage. People were crowded into every area with a roof over it so the entrance to the bathrooms was a mad house. I decided to make a run for Muppet Vision 3-D. I got the stroller parked and Orion and our stuff to the entrance. I kept trying to call Nate but he wasn't answering. The cast member said the show was starting and I needed a dry place with a seat to nurse Orion so I went in without Nate. I told him to hurry and try to get in. While waiting for the show to start I figured he was too late but low and behold I see Nate in the kids in the back corner of the waiting area. We were able to all sit together. I was able to nurse Orion. The show was cute and all was well.

I didn't realize it right away but at some point in the poncho on, poncho off, running in the downpour I lost one of my diamond earrings. I thought it was most likely where I had parked my stroller. We back tracked and I didn't see it there. I asked the cast member and they hadn't found anything. They were 1/4 ct TW so pretty tiny and really could have fallen out anywhere. The cast member encouraged me to call the main lost and found tomorrow as sometimes a janitor will find an earring cleaning up. The earrings weren't that expensive and were many years old at that point so I wasn't too upset, just a little bummed. I think hubby was more upset than me because they were his graduation gift to me when I graduated college.

It was still raining but lightly so we moved on. At that point I was over riding Star Tours so we headed over to Staring Rolls for a highly recommended treat. It was late afternoon at this point and the selection was slim. If you want a cupcake there I'd recommend going earlier in the day. I did get a carrot cake cupcake that was amazing but the kids couldn't all find something they wanted so a couple of them saved their snack credit for later in the day.

We caught the afternoon show of Beauty and the Beast and really enjoyed it. The theater was outdoors and I was hoping for an indoor theater with air conditioning but we survived.

Beauty and the Beast

We then went on the great movie ride. We had the gangster on our ride. I just learned this week that there is a cowboy version too. It was a fun ride.

It was getting close to our 5:30pm dinner reservation at 50's Prime Time Cafe so we headed over and checked in early. 50's Prime Time Cafe has mostly good reviews but some people complained about the food. I thought the big kids would love the banter so I booked it. The restaurant is decorated really neat and there are TV shows from the 50's playing. It feels like you are in a kitchen/dining room from a home in the 1950's. Our waitress was fun and gave the kids homework to do while we waited for our food but I wish she teased the kids even more. My kids get a kick out of these kind of things. I ordered the fried chicken and collard greens and they were delicious. Nate got the fish special, Wynter pot roast, Phoenix pot pie, and Brennan fried chicken. We were all happy with our choices. On the dining plan you could get a shake for our drink and a dessert but I think most of us chose soda or tea for a drink because it is so much food.

Our waitress checking our homework

Fantasmic and American Idol were both on our to-do list for the evening and squeezing both in was going to be a challenge. We hit the finale show of American Idol (7:30pm) which was 25 minutes long. Fantasmic started at 8pm. American Idol was a lot of fun and we're glad we didn't miss it. All the singers were really good. I loved that the winner from the day got a front of the line pass to try out for the show when auditions came to their area. As soon as the winner was chosen we hurried out of the auditorium on our way to Fantasmic.

As were walking up to Fantasmic it was announced over the loud speaker that it was standing room only. We kept going, figuring standing room only couldn't be that bad. We quickly parked our stroller and were ushered not to standing room area but nearly front row on the far right (score!). Our seats were great and we had an awesome view of the entire performance. This was the only night time show we planned due to making rope drop every day and having a 4.5 month old baby in tow.

Fantasmic did not disappoint. It was a great show and we all loved it. Unfortunately my point and shoot camera does not take good low light photos so no photos of Fantasmic. I had heard that if you rush for the buses after Fantasmic you'll be waiting for a bus forever. We decided instead to take our time and wander out of the park slowly. We took some pictures and looked in the shops. Eventually it seemed like we were the last people in the park and were kind of being shooed out so we made our way to the buses. We waited less than 10 minutes and were the 2nd family in line. We all got a seat and the bus wasn't very crowded. It was definitely worth it to take our time.

Rockin Roller Coaster at night

Being silly

Howdy partner!

Overall we had a great day at Hollywood Studios. We made it to the turnstiles before they opened, saw most everything we wanted to see, had a yummy dinner, and enjoyed a nighttime fireworks show. Once we were back at the hotel we went to sleep quickly because tomorrow we had another big day, Animal Kingdom!

So Grown Up

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 17:15:00 +0000

There are certain moments in time where it hits you, where has the time gone? Last week Wynter went to a Valentine's dance at her school. She borrowed a beautiful dress from a friend and asked me to curl her hair. She usually dresses cute and fashionable but dresses and curly hair are not her thing so I was excited to oblige. She looked beautiful and so grown up. This year I will have not one but two teenagers (yikes!). Before I know it they'll be in high school and off to college. Time needs to slow down a bit.

All ready to go

Beautiful

The back of the dress

The hair

Walt Disney World Day 4: Downtown Disney, Chef Mickey's, and Resort Day

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 18:30:00 +0000

Day four of our eight day trip was our rest and relaxation day. We had a character breakfast at Chef Mickey's, time to explore, Downtown Disney, and resort time planned. On our two trips to Disneyland in California we learned that a non park day in the middle of the trip is essential. Disney is a fun place with so much to see but it is exhausting! For our family two parks days in a row is truly our limit to happy touring. With Epcot and Islands of Adventure under our belts today was our day to rest.

Our Advance Dining Reservation (ADR) for Chef Mickey's was at 10am. I chose that time so we could have a nice slow start to the morning and so we could do two big meals that day instead of three. Part of our package was free dining that included one sit down (table service) and one counter service meal, and one snack per day, per person. Wynter and Brennan were adults for dining and park ticket purposes so they got to eat off the adult menu all week. We shared quick service meals and used our extra quick service and snack credits to cover breakfast so we spent almost no money on food the entire week.

Chef Mickey's is at the Contemporary resort, near the Magic Kingdom. We were staying at the Port Orleans Riverside resort on property so we took a bus to the Magic Kingdom and walked to the Contemporary from there (less than 5 minutes).

Chef Mickey's

Once inside we had to ask where Chef Mickey's was and were directed to the upper floor. The high ceilings and glass windows were impressive. We didn't have much of a wait. The kids traded pins with other kids who were waiting and soon we were having our picture taken and sat at a nice table near a window.

Donald Duck

Soon enough the characters were making the rounds and the kids had a lot of fun. The food was a breakfast buffet. The food wasn't bad but honestly I wasn't impressed. The breakfast buffet at Crystal Palace later in the week was much yummier with puffed french toast and breakfast lasagna. The characters all came to our table. Some seemed more rushed than others but Goofy was definitely the best with my kids.

Minnie Mouse signing autographs

Orion spent a lot of the trip in his BabyHawk mei tai so it's hard to see his face in the pictures.

Mickey Mouse

Goofy, being well, goofy!

More silliness!

Phoenix thought it was important that Duffy got in the picture with Orion, Goofy, and I

Last but not least, a visit from Pluto

After we left Chef Mickey's we spent some time in the gift shop. Orion got his first souvenir, a baby mickey with a rattle inside. He loved it! The monorail runs right through the inside of the Contemporary so we decided to check it out. We had no schedule or time table for the day so we set off exploring. We did a loop on the monorail but decided not to get off at any of the other resorts. We had been told the PB & J milkshake at the Disney Swan and Dolphin was not to be missed. We got off the monorail at Magic Kingdom and headed to the Dolphin bus.

It started pouring rain so it was a quick run off the bus and into the Dolphin. The hotel was nice but seemed stuffy to me. We didn't see another family there, mainly business travelers. I believe they hold a lot of conferences at the Swan and Dolphin. It took a bit of wandering around before we found The Fountain.

Since The Fountain was not part of the dining plan we ordered our shakes to go and got 2 shakes for the 5 of us to share. We had to try the PB & J shake since it was so highly recommended and we also tried a peppermint shake. I'm going to be honest, neither shake was worth going out of way for. They were good but the PB & J shake wasn't my favorite. Oh well, we had some exploring under our belts. We tried to get on a boat to leave the Swan and Dolphin but it was lightning so the boats were not running.

Orion's first Mickey ears

We waited for a bus to Downtown Disney since we wanted to explore that area today too. At this point it was pouring rain and it was 2 or 3pm. How did the day get away from us? The first thing we did at Downtown Disney was get Orion some Mickey ears. We looked in some shops but since it was alternating between drizzling and raining hard we didn't want to spend too much time outside.

Don't I look adorable with my Mickey ears on?

Brennan looked scared of the dragon

It's amazing to me how detailed and large of things can be built with Legos!

Seven Dwarfs

After looking around the stores and getting rained on some more we decided it was close enough to dinner time (maybe 4pm?) so we'd use a few quick service credits to get dinner at Wolfgang Puck's Express. Wolfgang Puck's did not disappoint and the food was very good.

Phoenix looking cute!

Downtown Disney

We then set off on our first boat ride of the trip and Orion's first boat ride ever. There was a bit of a wait but the boat ride back to Port Orleans Riverside is so much more relaxing. The scenery is more enjoyable and you're not crowded on a bus for 20 minutes or so. We had a good captain, who was friendly and nice and told us tidbits of information along the ride.

My kids had to sit right in front

Orion found the boat ride very interesting!

Self portrait on the boat

Cutie Pie on the boat

Nate and Wynter started the self portraits

The view from the boat as we entered Port Orleans

It was still raining when we got back to the resort and the pools were closed due to lightning. We checked out the store and played a bit in the arcade. We decided to check out the campfire and roast marshmallows. It was fun but a bit anti-climatic since we camp often and live near the mountains. Eventually the main pool re-opened. It was later in the evening (maybe 8pm?) and the features (slide, fountains, etc.) had been shut off. Since it had been raining off and on all day and was later in the evening it was cooler than I prefer to swim. I spent a little time in the hot tub and watched the kids from the side. I had hoped Orion could swim some during our trip because he loves the water but the only time we made it to the pools was late in the evening when it wasn't quite warm enough for a tiny guy like him.

After about 45 minutes at the pool we headed back to our room to try to get some sleep. The plan for the next day was rope drop and Fantasmic, so a long day. Orion never did sleep in the Pack N' Play so after the first two nights we just gave up and put him in our bed to start. He still woke up 4-5 times each night but at least he nursed and quickly fell back asleep. He does not sleep well in new surroundings.

Next up...Hollywood Studios

Previous Days:

Day 3: Universal Studios Islands of Adventure and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Day 2: Epcot

Day 1: Arrival Day

9 Months Old

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 23:06:00 +0000

9 months on the inside, 9 months on the outside, where has the time gone? You're sweet as can be and are just starting to explore. You started crawling right at 8 months and are getting faster by the day. Just You recently started pulling to standing and your favorite thing is to stand up on everything. Just this week you learned to clap and wave "hi" and love all the attention it is getting you. You've been saying "mom" and "dada" and signing "milk" for awhile now.

Here's a little sneak peek into what our days look like, 15 minutes with Orion:

Just sitting in a laundry basket eating my snack. No big deal.

Reading, I mean ripping up mom's Parents magazine.

Standing up on everything.

Hi Mommy! I'm coming to get you!

Mom, I think you forgot to cover these outlets.

You have to put me in baby jail to get a picture with my 9 month sticker on.

Look at all those big teeth!

Biting everything!

Chewing on an electrical cord. What's the big deal?

Looks like he keeps me on my toes, doesn't he? Happy 9 months Orion Alexander! Mommy can't believe you'll be 1 year old in 3 short months. Mommy loves you so much!

Vegan Pancake Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 04:24:00 +0000

No, I'm not vegan but I am beginning to wonder if Orion may have a food allergy. I recently cut egg and dairy out of both of our diets for a two week trial period to see how he responds. Finding baked goods without dairy or eggs essentially means vegan baked goods. In searching for a vegan pancake recipe to make for the entire family I came across this recipe on food.com which I used as the base for my recipe. The pancakes turned out amazing! Much better tasting than any pre-made ones I've tried. Even the rest of my family members who aren't on the restricted diet loved them.

Vegan Pancakes

Makes approximately 15 pancakes

Ingredients

1 3/4 cup organic white flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour

2 TBSP sugar

1/3 tsp salt

4 TBSP baking powder

2 1/2 cups vanilla flavored coconut milk

5 TBSP canola oil

1) Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl (both kinds of flour, baking powder, sugar, salt). Mix well.

2) Add the coconut milk and canola oil to the dry ingredients. Whisk well.

3) Cook just like regular pancakes. In case you haven't cooked pancakes (anyone?): heat large pan to medium high heat. Once thoroughly heated reduce heat to medium. Brush pan with oil to prevent sticking. Use measuring cup to pour small portions of batter into hot skillet. Wait to flip until pancakes are bubbling and edges are starting to firm up. Cook both sides thoroughly. Repeat, repeat, repeat, until all your batter is used. I often have to turn the temperature down even further once I've done a few batches and the skillet has gotten warm.

Enjoy! These are delicious!

There Must Be More To Life Than Dishes and Laundry... Now Has a Facebook Page!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 02:49:00 +0000

Click over, join the conversation, continue to the fun, interact more. Follow the link to "like" the page I just set up for my blog. Can't wait to see you on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/ThereMustBeMoreToLifeThanDishesAndLaundry

Walt Disney World Day 3: Universal Orlando Islands of Adventure and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 03:08:00 +0000

We spent day three of our eight day Disney World trip not on Disney property but at Universal Orlando Islands of Adventure. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was a huge motivator for us to visit Islands of Adventure. Brennan is a huge Harry Potter fan, he's read the entire series at least 3 times, Nate has read the entire series, and Phoenix is currently on book 5 of the series. I've never read the books but I want to and I've enjoyed the movies. Wynter isn't that interested in Harry Potter but you can't please everyone.

Since we were staying on Disney property and used the Magical Express free transfer service to and from the airport we did not have a rental car. I priced out options for a family of 6 and a cab ride was the most economical. Adding one day at Islands of Adventure was not cheap. The entire day cost us around $700 for park tickets, two meals at the park, and round trip cab fare. Adding another day at Disney would have cost us $59. Seeing Harry Potter world was a must do for us though so we made it happen.

Crossing the bridge from the City Walk area to Islands of Adventure

The first thing we did was head out to the bell hop at our resort to get a cab that sat 6 and had a car seat. There was one waiting and we were quickly on our way. The cab ride was much quicker than I thought and we arrived at Universal very early. We got a Starbucks and walked around the City Walk area and then headed back to the main gates about 30 minutes before opening. Good thing we did because they started letting people in 15 minutes before official opening.

We had to bypass Suess Landing in the morning but came back to that area later in the day

We used a touring plan from the Unofficial Guide and touringplans.com. Crowds were low though so the most important part was making a beeline for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. After that we explored the park as we saw fit as crowds weren't too high that day.

Dr. Suess

The entrance to Hogsmeade Village

So amazing! Looks just like the movies.

We bypassed the village at first and headed straight for the Forbidden Journey. There was no wait. The only bad part is there is so much to see inside the castle and since there was no wait I felt rushed to jump on to the ride. Universal does their baby swap different than Disney and there is a waiting area near the ride entrance for the big rides. It typically is covered and or air conditioned with some benches and a movie for little kids going. It was nice to wait in line with Nate and the big kids then just be separated while they were on the ride. Since we had the baby swap, two of the big kids got to ride every big ride twice which was great for them!

Inside Hogwarts castle

More pictures from inside the castle. It really was SO neat!

Orion was not impressed though.

Last picture from inside Hogwarts

Nate and the big kids rode the other two rides in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, The Dragon Challenge and the Flight of the Hippogriff. Orion and I tried to find a shady place to nurse because it was probably only 9:30am and it was already miserably hot and humid. My one complaint about the trip was the heat! It was so hot and humid it was exhausting. I found myself dying for air conditioning at many points throughout the day. We are planning a return trip to Disney in 2013 but have opted for early December mainly to escape the heat (and see Christmas decorations).

Hogshead Tavern with our butterbeer

Once we had rode all the rides inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter we were ready for a break with some air conditioning and a cold glass of butter beer. Nate bought some frozen and some regular butterbeer. We each had favorites. I much preferred the frozen but the regular butter beer was good too. I even had a 2nd frozen butter beer later in the day when we came to explore Hogsmeade Village.

Orion was also not impressed with the heat!

We explored the other islands in the Islands of Adventure. We rode the Jurassic Park ride twice (lots of fun), Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls (another fun water ride), Popeye and Pluto's Blige-Rat Barges. We looked around and explored the park too. We had lunch at Thunder Falls Terrace and it was really good. We shared 3 adults meals and it was more food than we could eat. We got a turkey leg, a rib and chicken combo, and a chicken wrap.

Wynter on the Caro-Suess-el

We then explored Seussland. The big kids went on the carousel while I fed Orion. The longest wait of the entire week was for the High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride. I really wanted to ride it so the 20 minute wait was okay but honestly we could have just skipped it.

Brennan used some of his own money to buy a custom hand pressed medallion with a traveler's symbol and an eagle.

We all got in line for the Poseidon's Fury special effects spectacular. The wait was a bit long because I think a show had just started when we got in line. Orion was having a complete meltdown in the line. There was no one who worked there in sight. It was hot and I was tired so Orion and I walked back out the way we came in. I looked for an air conditioned place to nurse Orion and was directed to the First Aid center. Islands of Adventure doesn't have baby care centers like Disney so it was an emergency room exam room but it was set up with a rocking chair and most importantly it had air conditioning so it worked. All four days at Disney I never even set foot in a baby care center but I think this was the hottest day of the week.

Hogwarts Express train conductor

After I met back up with Nate and the big kids we went back to Hogsmeade Village to get more butterbeer and explore the shops. The attention to detail is amazing. Everything is just like the movies (which is close to the books I hear too). We had a lot of fun checking everything out and feeling like we were part of Harry Potter's world.

Honey Duke's Candy Shoppe was a favorite. The kids each bought a chocolate frog.

We didn't eat at Three Broomsticks but I had to take a picture.

The Hogs Head Tavern where we consumed several butterbeers earlier in the day.

Nate and Orion waited outside while the big kids and I went inside the Owl Post.

Brennan ended up buying the elder wand (Dumbeldore's wand) at Olivander's

Next we headed over to the Marvel super hero area. Nate thought this part was very neat. I'm not into super heroes and comic books much and wasn't as a kid so I wasn't overly impressed. The theming was neat though. Nate and the big kids went and rode the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman. Orion was ready to eat so I decided to find a shady place to feed him and skipped the ride. Nate and the big kids said the ride was amazing afterwards so I wish I would have rode it but oh well.

Phoenix wanted to ride Dr. Doom's Fearfall but was about 1/2 inch too short. Brennan and Nate rode it still. They both said the ride was okay but the wait was much too long (about 20 minutes). At this point it was getting late (maybe 5:30pm or so) and we decided to make our way back to our hotel. Catching a cab that sat 6 and had a car seat was very easy again and I was pleased with my decision to take a cab rather than spending more money (and certainly more hassle) to rent a car for one day.

We really enjoyed our time at Islands of Adventure. I was worried the rest of the park besides the Wizarding World of Harry Potter may be lacking but it wasn't. There was plenty to keep us busy for an entire day.

If you want to read day one of our eight day trip, go here, day 2 go here. Up next, resort and rest day. Chef Mickey's, Downtown Disney, Exploring, Time at Port Orleans Resort...

2013 Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 04:22:00 +0000

It's three days into 2013 and it's time to post my goals on my blog. It's a bit of a tradition around here on There Must Be More to Life Than Dishes and Laundry.... In 2011 and 2012 I posted my goals on my blog and updated throughout the year as a way to help hold myself accountable. So here are my goals for 2013:

1. Get finances on track. Update YNAB (You Need a Budget, budgeting software) at least every other day. Stick to the budget we have set up in YNAB. Try to save money and cut expenses from budget where possible. Make only weekly trips to the grocery store and twice monthly trips to Target and Walmart (you can't spend money if you aren't at the store). Menu plan on Sunday and make list to prepare for Monday shopping trip. Stick to list when shopping.

2. Get housework under control. Since Orion has been born this is the area I am struggling most with. There simply are not enough hours in the day when you have 4 kids, including a demanding baby. I know the housework can wait (and it has) but being better organized and proactive in this area is one of my goals.
-Wash, dry, and put away two loads of laundry daily.
-One small task daily: Mon. grocery shop, Tues. and Wed. work at church, Thurs. sweep and mop living and dining room, Fri. wipe down cabinets, sweep and mop kitchen and bathroom, Sat. clean bathrooms, Sun. vacuum master bedroom and Orion's room.
-Assign 2 small additional weekly chores to each big kid in exchange for $1 extra weekly allowance.
-Big kids now responsible for starting at least one load of their laundry per week with goal by end of the year to have them each washing their own laundry.

3. Teach Brennan and Wynter to cook better. Both enjoy cooking but I need to work with them more so they have experience making meals on a regular basis. For 2013 each of them will pick out and make a dinner every other week. So far this is working great and they are both very excited about it. I think learning to cook is an important life skill and at 12 it's time for them to learn more than they already know.

4. Attend church at least twice per month. In a perfect world my goal would be 3 times per month but Nate works 1-2 weekends per month and we do things like ski or other special events on the weekends sometimes too so twice per month is a realistic goal.

5. Go on monthly dates with Nate. Moving towards every other week dates as Orion gets older towards the end of 2013. Be more engaged with each other on a daily basis. We both have a bad habit of spending time doing separate things side by side. This year I want to talk more and spend more quality time on a day-to-day basis.

6. Sew more. I bought a sewing machine last year. I've sewn a few things but I'd love to learn to sew better or at least attempt more projects this year. Sewing is still very intimidating to me.

7. Take a photography class. I got a DSLR for my mother's day gift from hubby. It take amazing pictures but I don't know how to use it so I'm hoping a class will help.

8. Get back into running! I love running. I truly do. Finding time and getting started is hard right now with everything on my plate. My goal is to run the May 2013, Bolder Boulder 10K. I think having a race to train for and finding running partners will be key in me keeping this goal.

Hopefully by publishing these for all to see it will help keep me accountable.

Orion's First Haircut

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 14:18:00 +0000

Orion got his first haircut for Christmas. Daddy has been asking mommy to cut his hair for a few weeks now. The top and back of his hair was fine but he had long hair growing over his ears. Mommy manned the camera and daddy manned the scissors and on Christmas Eve we got the job done.

Looking cute even with my crazy hair

Snip, snip

Afterwards, much nicer!

Another after shot

For the baby book

Quick Favor

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 23:34:00 +0000

I am tied for first place in a photo contest for Whole Foods Market Fort Collins. The prize is $250 gift card to Whole Foods and 2 tickets to a Colorado Eagles hockey game (minor league). I never thought I'd win but voting ends Friday and I just need to finish strong to win. 3rd place entry is way behind so it is really between me and one other person.

It is really easy to vote for my picture. Click the link which takes you to my entry in the Facebook contest: http://bit.ly/VhjFFI If you are not logged into Facebook it will prompt you to log in, next it will prompt you to "like" Whole Foods Fort Collins FB page, you then can vote for my photo (simply liking the photo does not count).

Thanks so much! I appreciate your time.

7 months old!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 05:17:00 +0000

Orion Alexander, it's hard to believe 7 months have gone by. Some days are long but my time with you as my tiny, sweet baby sure is going by quickly.

You are super sweet. You love your mama more than anything in the world. If mama is holding you or close, all is right in the world. You're still a shy boy but you like to flirt. You smile and bat your eyes at someone then bury your head in mama's chest.

Month 6 was horrible for sleep and month 4 and 5 weren't great for sleep either. The last two weeks of November were the worst yet with 4-6 wake ups per night and horrible screaming from teething pain. Just when mama thought she couldn't take the sleep deprivation anymore she tried a few new tricks (super early bedtime and sleeping with both our doors open instead of the monitor) and like magic you started sleeping great. Going to bed at 6pm and starting the bedtime routine at 5:30pm isn't easy with three big kids in the house. We've been doing 4:45 or 5pm dinner and daddy's been helping drive the big kids to and from their activities but we're making it work. You are such a happier baby now that you are getting enough sleep.

Speaking of teething. Man, those teeth coming in sure bother you, sweet boy. Your top left tooth finally cut through November 19th after a week of misery. Mama was certain your 4th tooth was only days behind since it looked so swollen and inflamed but it still hasn't cut through yet.

You're also becoming quite the good eater. Well, you've always loved your breastmilk but this past few weeks we've started solids with Baby Led Weaning, which should be a post of it's own. Typical of Baby Led Weaning babies you had a slow start with solids, not swallowing a ton, and gagging a lot, but food before one is for fun and breastmilk is your main source of nutrients so I didn't worry. You still nurse 6-8 times per day. Your favorites so far are baked potato, baked sweet potato, roasted butternut squash, carrots, and avocado. You've also had plums, pears, apples, applesauce, oatmeal, bananas, peaches, mango, watermelon, and broccoli, plus tastes of our food like meatballs and rice and chicken pot pie, though I don't think you've swallowed a ton of our dinners. You like your veggies for now. You can also now have small amounts of water and drink well out of a straw and sippy cup.

You didn't roll tummy to back until right before 6 months but once you did we were in trouble. You are now all over the place. You roll non-stop and can also scoot. You scoot better on the hardwood floors and move backwards better than forward but if there's something you want across the room you'll go get it.

You've been sitting well since 4.5-5 months so you do a lot of play time sitting up when you're not rolling around the room. Some favorite toys right now are ones you can play with sitting up: the cookie jar, the singing flowers, the drum, and the laugh and learn house. You also chew on everything so soft toys or things that are good to chew on are your favorites too.

Mommy has been practicing sign language with you several times per day the last month and this last week you started signing "milk" back to me. You did it three days in a row too. Mommy is so excited and can't wait to teach you more signs. In fact today mommy showed you the signs for "eat" and "drink".

You're growing like a weed. Some of your 9 month clothes are starting to get too small and you can already wear some of your 12 month clothes. What a big boy! Mommy isn't sure of your weight but surely over 18 pounds. I think now that you move so much your weight is going to slow down a little but you're still getting tall quickly.

Mommy loves you so much Orion. Every day with you is such a blessing! Happy 7 months my cutie bear.

Orion's First Teeth

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 11:00:00 +0000

Just a quick update and sharing of a few pictures. My little guy is getting so big! He got his first two teeth just shy of 5 months. On October 1st, hubby and I noticed both bottom, center teeth had popped through. Getting a picture of the teeth was hard but I finally did last weekend. Orion sure looks cute with his little teeth.

The chubby cheeks, the sweet smile, and the too little teeth, are just too much. Such a cutie!

Enjoying a nice fall day in Colorado. Orion was so excited to be taking pictures with his brother and sisters. Love that I was able to capture a picture of all four of my beautiful children.

Walt Disney World Day 2 Epcot

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 04:04:00 +0000

Day 2 Epcot (Day 1 here)

After Orion finally fell asleep at 3am I turned off my alarm. After a night like that I knew we weren't making rope drop. We all woke up at 8am. Hubby asked if we could do Epcot another day and just rest. We had dinner reservations at Akershus and not a lot of flexibility in our schedule so we just tried to get ready as quickly as possible. We were on the bus around 9am and inside Epcot around 9:45am. We headed right for Mission Space and the standby line only had a 5 minute wait. We grabbed a baby swap pass and Wynter, Orion, and I looked in the gift shop while Nate (hubby), Brennan and Phoenix rode Mission Space orange. Once they were back Wynter, Phoenix, and I rode Mission Space green. It was not nearly as intense as I thought it would be and wish I would have tried the orange. Having to do baby swap on the big rides did slow us down some but the big kids got to ride a lot of the rides with height restrictions 2 or 3 times which was great for them.

Orion's first time seeing Duffy

One of the many faces of Orion

After Mission Space we headed to Ellen's Energy Adventure. I needed to feed the baby so a place to sit was necessary and air conditioning was a plus. About halfway into the intro video we almost walked out thinking it was just a movie not a ride but I'm glad we didn't because it was a cute ride.

Spaceship Earth

Next stop was Soarin' Fast Pass booth. The return time was almost 4 hours later so we went to check out World Showcase. Since our morning was rushed we didn't have breakfast just granola bars and dry snacks in the room. We started in Morocco to have lunch at Tangerine Cafe. This was our favorite quick service meal of the entire trip. The food was amazing!

Tangerine Cafe, Morocco

Orion liked our lunch too!

We checked out Morocco, Japan, France, UK, and Canada areas of world showcase. The kids liked the kidcot stops and getting their Duffy stamped and having their name written in different languages. In France, Brennan and Phoenix used their snack credit for a chocolate mousse at the French bakery. We watched the film in France which was good. In Japan, Brennan bought a Japanese soda which he was excited about. In the UK we saw a street comedy show and a bagpipe band. We also happened upon Tigger and Pooh with no wait in the back of a gift shop in the UK. This was by far my favorite character interaction of the whole trip. All the cast members were wonderful. They took a bunch of pictures and I didn't feel rushed. The baby loved Pooh and Tigger. It was so sweet! This is one thing about Disney that I love, sometimes your favorite memories are simple things or things you didn't plan on doing.

Group shot (Wynter was the photographer for the day)

Brennan, Phoenix, and Wynter in the archways in Morocco

Nate fighting a ninja in Japan

Japan

How many kids can you fit in one telephone booth? UK area of world showcase

The most wonderful thing about Tiggers...

Is Tiggers are wonderful things...

All the kids and I with Pooh and Tigger

Bagpipe band in the UK

Brennan is a percussionist in the school band so he bought himself some drumsticks

Wynter's self portrait, Canada area of the world showcase

It was time to do Soarin with our fastpasses. The baby and I found a spot in Sunshine Seasons to enjoy the air conditioning and so I could nurse him. I also used my snack credit to get a strawberry shortcake that was really good. It took a long time for Nate and the big kids to ride Soarin' so I suggested moving on to the Living with the Land. I have rode Soarin several times at Disney's California Adventure and knew it was the same ride here so I was ok to skip it.

In front of The Land.

Yes, I know I'm cute!

Next we had just enough time to do the Agent P's World Showcase Adventure before our reservation at Akerhus. The big kids love Phineas and Ferb so this was a lot of fun for them. The cast members set the mission to Norway since we were headed that way. On the way I stopped in Mexico for a frozen fiesta margarita that was delicious. We grabbed fastpasses for Maelstrom so we could hop on after dinner.

Phineas and Ferb

My girls are 9 and 11 and not that into the Disney princesses but I made our Advance Dining Reservations at Akershus because I wanted to try Norwegian food. Orion was overtired and fussy at this point and just cried during our entrance picture with Belle. Instead of a family or kids picture we have one picture of the three big kids and one of the three big kids and I. Both pictures turned out really well though so it wasn't a big deal. I forgot the kids autograph books in the hotel room so they didn't get any signatures. The camera batteries died after my first picture and soon after my phone battery died so we didn't get many pictures. Good thing I wasn't paying for this character meal (we had free dining) because I wasn't prepared. The food was good but definitely not my favorite meal of the trip. I got the meatballs which were good but not spectacular. Hubby got the fish and he really liked it.

The only picture I got with the princesses before my camera died

Orion on the royal throne

We had a busy but wonderful first park day. Next up, Day 3, Universal Islands of Adventure and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter...

Walt Disney World Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 13:09:00 +0000

We just got back from an eight day trip to Walt Disney World. We had such a great time and made a lot of memories. We stayed on site at the Port Orleans Riverside Resort. It is a moderate resort and we loved the amenities and decor of the resort. We chose the third week in September due to the low rates, low crowds, free dining, and hopefully less hot and humid weather (not so much).

Disney World Bound!

I didn't sleep great and was up early finishing packing. We left for the airport around 8am and grabbed Chick-Fil-A for breakfast because I didn't leave much in our fridge in preparation for our trip. We got to the airport early, headed to long term parking, and caught a shuttle to the terminal. Not sure how but I fit everything I needed in 4 checked bags, 2 large, 1 med, 1 small. The security line at DIA was minimal and we were at our gate with plenty of time. We boarded during family boarding and got 5 seats together near the back. Orion did amazing on the flight. He nursed, fell asleep, woke up, played a little then nursed again. We had a 1 hour 15 minute layover in Nashville where we grabbed some food. He nursed at takeoff on that leg of the flight, stayed awake some, nursed again, then fell asleep. No extended crying or screaming fits and minimal fussing.

Orion during our layover in Nashville

We landed at 7:30pm and made our way to the Magical Express. It was very nice to not have to lug our 4 checked bags. Orion was overtired by this point and screamed for 5 minutes straight before falling asleep on the Magical Express (Disney's free shuttle from the airport). Check in took a few minutes and by that point I had a tired baby and I was a tired mommy. We checked out the quick service restaurant at Port Orleans Riverside. As part of our dining plan we got refillable mugs for unlimited coffee, tea, and soda during our length of stay. We then headed to our room. The location was slightly different than I requested but worked out great. I preferred being close to the main resort facilities and the south bus depot where buses picked up first. We were in a building next to a quiet pool and the parking lot, both of which I thought would be too noisy but we were on the side of the building not facing the pool or the parking lot so it was fine. I requested a 2nd floor because I didn't want to hear people above us but I didn't think about the stroller and should have requested first floor (first rookie mistake).

Orion and I on the Magical Express

The resort was beautiful and I am glad we stayed at a moderate resort. The greenery, main resort areas, playground, pool, etc. were all so nice. I also really liked the look and feel of the buildings at Port Orleans Riverside. The food we had at the quick service restaurant was all really good and convenient to eat at the hotel. We didn't eat at Boatwright's (table service at Port Orleans Riverside) but we should have since we were staying at Port Orleans Riverside.

We made it!

Our luggage was slow to arrive and we were all exhausted. The kids went to bed but after waiting the quoted 3 hours (10:30pm) I called to check the status of our luggage. Bell services said it had just arrived. It made it up to our room around 10:50pm which was fine.

Nate and Orion

Orion was up half the night screaming. I was exhausted so I was not as patient as I normally would be. All 6 of us were in a tiny room so his extended screaming was stressful because he was waking up the big kids too. He normally is a happy baby and a good sleeper so it was out of character for him. Finally at 3am I needed a break so I woke up hubby and asked him to take Orion for a walk outside in his stroller. He likes he stroller and occasionally will fall asleep in it so it was worth a try. Hubby walked laps around the 2nd floor of our building and eventually brought him into the dark room awake in his stroller and he finally fell asleep in his stroller until 8am.

Baby in Bed!

Next up, Day 2, Epcot...

Orion 4 months old

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sun, 23 Sep 2012 22:27:00 +0000

Orion turned 4 months old on September 5th. He keeps me busy and I rarely get to sit down at the computer so I haven't posted many pictures of him so far. I did take his 4 month pictures and wanted to share them.

At 4 months Orion loves toys, loves to chew on anything: toys, burp cloths, his fingers, he has figured out cause and effect (if he hits a button on his toy it lights up or sings), he can roll to both sides but doesn't roll a ton and hasn't rolled all the way over, he can sit up for a minute or two if balanced (tripod sitting), he loves standing and being upright, he eats every 2 hours throughout the day, he was sleeping 8-10 hours at night but hasn't been sleeping as well the past two weeks, he doesn't really nap, a lot of days he only naps 3 times for about 30 minutes at a time in my arms, he laughs, he giggles, he smiles a ton, he loves his brother and sisters and when they talk and play with him, he is quite the mama's boy and usually cries if someone else holds him. Mama thinks he is the cutest and sweetest baby she has ever seen but she may be slightly biased.

Happy 4 months Orion!

Always On

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 04:14:00 +0000

These past four months since my sweet boy has arrived have been filled with more joy than I could have ever imagined. He is just perfect in every way and I love him so much.

There has definitely been an adjustment period as evidenced by the lack of posting to my blog, cleaning of my house, washing laundry, and generally keeping up with the day-to-day stuff I had under pretty good control previously.

Orion is a pretty easy baby. He is not extremely fussy, though he has his days (today was one of them), and he is much more fussy in the evening than in the morning. He has been a good sleeper, increasing his stretches of night time sleep from about a month on. Up until last week he had been sleeping through the night for 9 weeks but those of you with babies know that can change. He likes to be held a lot but he is smiley and happy and playful and truly a joy.

BUT...

Taking care of a baby is hard work. Taking care of a baby with 3 older kids in the house is hard work. Taking care of a baby and three older kids while your hubby works a bazillion hours is hard work.

The first month was definitely the hardest. Day-to-day was hard. Orion ate more often, he ate all night, and he cried more. I was still not 100% physically and definitely not emotionally. Getting the hang of breastfeeding and learning to nurse while running around with 3 big kids to all their activities takes time. Looking back though around a month things started getting a little bit easier and by 6 weeks I really felt like we had hit our stride. Orion and I knew each other better. I knew his needs and special cries and knew his likes and dislikes.

The part I struggle with most is that I always have to be "on". What do I mean by that? I mean that while I can rest while the baby rests but my mind is thinking of all the other things that need done. I mean that he may be sleeping now but I know in 30 minutes he'll be ready to eat again. I mean that as soon as he fusses or needs something I have to be "on". There is no sick days or I'm too tired or many breaks. Really and truly I'm always "on". I jump up when he cries. I hold him in the evening when he fusses because he'll just cry for daddy. I do bedtime routine. I do grocery shopping with a cranky baby because trying to etch out time in the busy schedule of a family of 6 for me to shop alone is difficult. I'm always on.

I realize some of this has to do with the dynamic of Nate and my marriage. I know not every mother feels this way but I think a lot do. I know Nate could give him bottles occasionally to give me more freedom but honestly it is more hassle than it's worth with all the pumping, cleaning, preparing, sterilizing. Breastfeeding is easy and natural for us now. This is the child I waited many years for and also my last and I know it goes by in a blink of an eye (my oldest is 12, something I cannot believe most days) so I want to savor every moment I have with Orion. Some moms don't love the newborn phase but I do. I love when they are teeny tiny and just love to be held. I love that I'm Orion's favorite person in the whole world and if no one else can calm him down simply being in my arms is enough to bring him calm.

Despite all that sometimes I just wish I could have a day off. Not a whole day away from my baby but a whole day without responsibility. A day I didn't have to be "on". A day I know someone else would take care of what needed done. A day to just relax and enjoy and just be. I guess that is parenting though. Mixed emotions. You don't want them to grow up too quickly but you need a break too.