Disneyland... My Happiest Place on Earth indeed!

Well, the countdown started early for our Disneyland trip, and truth be told it was more than just another "much needed vacation". I'm not sure how many of you know, but for Allan and I, Disneyland has been "our" place since we started dating. We enjoyed going every year together for the first three years that we were together, and then became an every other year place to go once we settled down and had kids. When Ethan was 18 months old, we had decided we were ready to take him to Disneyland for his VERY first time. We were SO excited, and what had made it even better, was I had just went through a layoff at work, and was looking forward to starting up my daycare business, so it was a nice little treat to make that trip. We went with Grandma and Grandpa Christopherson, and it was at the time, our most favorite time going. And it still holds a lot of awesome memories that we truly love to reflect on. now some would say, that's too young to take a child, and I disagree. But to each their own I suppose. So as Maddie was approaching her second birthday, and as we were realizing that there was a possibility we'd be able to go, we planned our trip out. We booked our trip at the end of July, and started making our plans for our September get away. We had our reservations of flying restless kids, and how things were going to work out and all of those things, but we held our heads high and planned away, and made our way. Then, on Friday night, at 7:30 pm, our flight was in motion, and there was no turning back. The kids did AWESOME on their flight, with only a few hair pulling moments. But then, at 9:30 pm, we arrived at John Wayne airport in Santa Ana, and rushed to our shuttle to get us to our hotel. We stayed at the Fairfield Inn (a Marriott resort) and our view was of the amazing Matterhorn Mountain. We were there. Breathing in the not so fresh California air, and anticipating the next morning, when we'd rush our way over to Disneyland! The kids were so excited. I truly felt like that little kid from those old commercials. "I'm too excited to sleep!"And then we were there. Only a block and a half away from the main entrance! The kids were so happy and excited. I couldn't wait until they saw their first character, went on their first rides, and to get as many pictures as I could (ended up with 1600... you're jealous aren't you!?!) After the bag checks, the stroller rentals, and the ticket checks, we were in! And the memories of Ethan's first walk down Main Street became more real, and more exciting, as I saw his little sister following in those foot steps that he once took.
And there it was, my family, in the happiest place on Earth. What an awesome experience. One that I hope to recreate so many times more in my life. As we walked in, we went straight to the Disney Imporium store, because it was time to get the kids their autograph books. Because I didn't want to be unprepared for those moments, because I had been looking forward to those moments since the last time we went. It was also exciting, because Ethan had been saving up money in his piggy bank, that he wanted to use to buy special toys at Disneyland (he saved up $75 if you can believe that!). So we had to trade his money for "Disney Dollars" which are the coolest looking things in the WORLD! (too bad I didn't save one for his scrapbook)

Then we were off to start our adventure, signature books, Disney dollars, and camera in hand. The first character we saw was the Queen of Hearts. We got some great photos of Ethan with her, and then continued on our adventure. We continued down Mainstreet, where we decided which direction we would head. Ethan saw the Astro Orbiter, and that was his first big decision. Maddie would enjoy her first ride on at Disneyland, on the exact same ride her brother went on first when he was just two months younger than her.
And then the days just continued. Many ups, few downs, and lots of adventures. We were there five days, and took advantage of every minute of it. One of the things we had decided would be our biggest goal, was to meet as many characters, and get as many signatures as we could. We visited friends at Pooh's corner, and enjoyed meeting Mickey and friends in Toon Town. We chased down Captain Hook, and searched high and low for Buzz, whom we didn't actually get to meet until our very last day, and just minutes before we had to leave. One of the nice things I think they've added, was special spots to meet certain characters. We were excited to get to meet the Princess' at their special kingdom in the parks. We got some of the MOST precious pictures of Maddie in those moments. And they also have "Pixie Hollow" where you can meet Tinkerbell and other fairies, which was awesome because Maddie was wearing her special Tinkerbell costume for those pictures. It was just an awesome experience to get to participate in those memories. Maddie LOVED all of the characters, and was so anxious to be able to run up and hug and give kisses to everyone he came across. In addition to being dressed up as Tink, we also dressed her up as Minnie Mouse, which was SO cute. Maddie of course LOVES Mickey and Minnie Mouse, and so when we saw them walking around, she just RAN up to them, screaming their names, and wouldn't leave their sides. She was probably even found in quite a few other people's photos. But we don't mind!

Ethan's favorite ride was, amazingly enough, The Pirate's of the Caribbean. A ride I was not too fond of the first time I went to Disneyland. But he would beg us to take him again and again, and learned the song very quickly. He also enjoyed Small World, the Tea Cups, The Buzz Lightyear ride, and the swing ride at California Adventure. But Allan was DETERMINED that he was going to take him on most every ride that he was big enough to go on. One which was Splash Mountain. Ethan went on the ride VERY hesitantly. I was nervous for him going on it, because of the lack of straps and what not, but Allan assured me it would be okay. Allan said he did VERY well with the ride, and as they approached the top of the big drop, Ethan kept saying, "We're not going in to the water, we're not going in to the water" - - poor kid... he just had no idea what was coming his way!

We really had an amazing trip, with so many memories and stories the come here and there. And we're excited to be able to take the kids again in another few years. It was really hard to leave and come back, but such is life! If you're planning a trip with your kids any time in the near future, I recommend taking them. Even if you feel their too young to remember it, the memories for yourself make it worth it.

Well, that's our Disneyland story! Hope you've enjoyed it. You can look at more pictures on my Facebook!

My long winded start... It was bound to happen sooner or later!

Well... This has been a long time coming. I have decided to get everyone up to speed with the Porter Family. Needless to say, the summer of 201o was not the best for us, but we made the most out of what we could do.

However, we have decided to turn a new leaf, no pun on fall coming of course, and try to focus on all the positives of the fall season approaching. Ethan has started preschool at Emmaus Christian school, and we have had a lot of fun seeing him get started and become acquainted with a structured routine (something we have not been good at establishing with him up until this point). He has had fun learning his new bible verse every week to share with his teacher, and is loving working on projects to give to mom and dad. Though some times it is quite a feat to get him to tell us everything he's learning in school. I guess he thinks that because we're not there, we don't need to know his business. haha... We were blessed to find transportation for him from the class room mom, whom just so happened to need care for her daughter while she was working. So we're trading one for the other. I especially enjoy the fact that her daughter's name is Lindsay. That has been really fun for us. And with Ethan starting school, it has really pushed me to amp up my curriculum for the daycare kids, even though we normally take the summer off. We have also put Ethan in to music classes with "Teacher Tami" which has been awesome. He's still just a little too young to actually learn how to play the piano yet, but he's just doing some basic "music appreciation" learning which so far has really seemed to help his focus, and has made adjusting to a routine a little easier for him as well. At first I was going to classes with him, and have enjoyed watching him, but have also learned that I am too much of a distraction for him, and so now he gets to be a big boy and we drop him off for a half hour, and he has his own special time. It's really hard to see this independence that he's developing, but for those of you who knew him when he was a baby, it's also a joy to see him past his separation anxiety issues. Now he's to the point where he can't stand being around us! haha. Over the summer he took swim lessons for the very first time, and we've decided that we'd like to pick that up again, but originally we felt he was getting overwhelmed with all of his activities, that we gave him a break from the one he liked the least. During the summer he also participated in a week long soccer camp which he really enjoyed. He's been a busy little bee, but he's a real trooper as well. Then there is our little Miss Maddie girl! She is just growing and learning and experiencing life like crazy. We have enjoyed watching her start to form sentences, and learn how to communicate in a way that not only we her parents can understand, but that most people around her can understand. Like her older brother, she has developed a love and obsession with Mickey Mouse and Playhouse Disney. She has decided that all of her stuffed animals are called "puppy", and she is in love with taking care of her "babies". She has one in every room that requires care, and receives unconditional love from her. She has a great love of learning like her brother. She can tell you all of the parts of her face, and has even started trying to figure out the alphabet. She LOVES music like her big brother, and is a HUGE fan of the Imagination Movers (not that she really had a choice!). It's been so awesome watching her become the sweet little lady that she is. I can't believe she's almost two years old. We have lots of ideas and plans in mind for her, but of course we'll just see how things go!

As for Allan and I, we've basically just been completely involved in the activities of our kiddos. Allan is still working for Washington County (let's hope we can survive this economy) and is really enjoying his job. He was able to get away from us for a weekend to get away with his friends and have some time to just be a guy. So that was good for him. Up until August, the summer was really good for us. We were able to take our annual trip to Silverwood Theme Park, and I was able to find some summer kids to fill my school year kiddos. And then August came around...

August didn't start out too well for us. Some of my full time daycare kids switched down to being part time, I was/am having trouble filling daycare spots, and we had recently found out that my grandma Freya was sick and not doing so well. Toward the end of July she had seen a few doctors here and there, and things seemed optimistic, and we decided we were going to face her health issues with a positive attitude, but every time she went back in to the doctor's office, the news progressively got worse and worse. Within a month of her going to see the doctor, and them finding out what was wrong, she had passed away. It was and is still a very difficult time for our family. The grieving seems to come and go. But we're trying to handle everything the best we can. Of course we were hoping that with that, and some of the other bad things we were dealing with in August, would end when the month ended, but you know what they say... when it rains... it poors... But we'll just keep picking up the pieces and moving forward. At this point, it's all we can do. Stay tuned, the blogs will continue! And hopefully I can get back on track of being productive with this. We have PLENTY of stories to tell... Disneyland is coming up next!!!