We rode magic carpets and played with everything the gift shop had to offer in Akrabah.  Trey was REALLY tired so I took him back for a nap while Haley and Hayden got some time in the park together.  They rode the jungle cruise then took some pictures of Haley in her dress before coming back to the resort for some time in the pool.  The pool staff had the party going on!  Dancing, hoola hoop contests, water balloon toss, and more!  Hayden LOVED the water slides.  We had a relaxing afternoon and headed back to the Magic Kingdom for more rides and dinner.  The weather was perfect and the lines were practically non-existent in the evenings.  We took full advantage of this and ran from ride to ride.  Being so carefree and non-scheduled was exactly what Hayden and I were hoping for and that is what made our trip so special. 

On our way out of the park, we saw that the line to meet Rapunzel was REALLY short.  This was a first and we jumped at the chance.  Meeting Rapunzel gets it’s own paragraph because this was a true highlight of our trip.  Haley was SO excited and couldn’t stop talking in line about things they could discuss.  When it was our turn Haley was in awe.  Trey was jumping up and down.  Haley and Rapunzel compared hair color- it was the same- and did some twirls together.  It was a precious time.  As we left, Trey was blowing her kisses until we couldn’t see her anymore.  I was jumping up and down too because I was so happy to see the kids experiencing the magic of Disney.

Day Three was our day at Hollywood Studios.  This was an exciting day because we were going to have lunch with JAKE!!!  (from the Neverland Pirates)  Other characters were there too, but he was definitely the MUST SEE.  We got to dance and sing with Jake while we ate lunch…it was really fun and the kids couldn’t get enough…and I still have the songs in my head.  June, from Little Einsteins, was there too.  Haley thought she was so clever because while we were about to leave she asked if she could go ask June one quick question… “was her birthday in June?”  The characters couldn’t talk to the kids but since that was a “yes” or “no” question, I let her run to ask.  June nodded yes.  Haley walked away like she was such a clever cat, smiling so big.  She said, “that is why her Mommy named her June, I guess!”  I told her that was probably true and that I was changing her name to March.  She loved it.

After standing in line for 40 min (they had fun photo ops along the way), we got to meet Buzz and Woody too.  This was not the highlight.  The minute it was our turn, our kids got totally shy and wouldn’t even get near them. Luckily, this was the only shy experience with characters.  We hung around the park the rest of the day (although there wasn’t much for kids to do there.)  Hayden and Trey took a nap on a bench while  Haley and I explored some.  We had to wait till 5pm to go home because we wanted to ride the Toy Story ride-our fast pass was for 5pm.  It was really fun!  We were glad we rode it, but were ready to get home and rest.

(Disclaimer: this will take several posts…probably more than you
want to know about our trip, but it’s our way of chronicling our
adventure, so bear with us or bypass the next few posts- they will be
long.)

We just got home from the best vacation we’ve ever been on as a
family.  Hayden and I took Haley and Trey to Disney World as a
surprise and spent six wonderful days exploring all the Magic we could
find.

It was killing Hayden and I not telling the kids.  We would lay in bed
and just talk about how excited we were-weeks before.  The packing,
planning, and dreaming really built up the anticipation for us.  I had
been collecting Disney t-shirts and treats for Mickey and Minnie to
leave every day for months.  The morning of our departure, we woke up
early and had everything already packed and hidden.  We blew up
balloons and attached them to a present, from Mickey and Minnie that
was left on our doorstep.  The kids ran to the door to see who it was
and were excited to find a present.  (actually more excited about the
balloons.)  When Haley got the gift opened and found
embroidered-with-love (by Mom) Mickey t-shirts with our names on them,
she said, “UH! Clothes.”  It was apparently very anti-climatic and
quite the let down.  Luckily, a treasure map had been included- the
redeeming aspect of the gift.  It was a map showing our car, the route
to the airport, an airplane…then it was ripped.  So, we decided it
would probably be best to put on the shirts and follow the map.  Haley
navigated us to the airport.  In the car, we found the missing part of
the map!  That is when the kids were told where we were going.  After
big smiles all around, Haley got real nervous because she had heard
that Disney World was really loud and she got scared about riding on
an airplane.  The smiles were gone until we got to the Park It Here
lot and rode a bus to the airport.  Bus rides are super exciting and
we sang “Wheels on the Bus” til we got to the airport…the bus driver
chimed in and almost forgot the words to “the driver on the bus
says…”  We were able to jog his memory!

Once we got to the gate- the kids VERY excited to pull their own
suitcases, we got to watch the airplane get serviced before take off.
The excitement really started to build and Haley was telling everyone
around us about how Mickey and Minnie sent us shirts AND a treasure
map and how we were following it all the way to Disney World…and
that it was her first time to go.  When Haley gets excited, it’s
non-stop talking.  So cute (for a little while!). She had a few tears
of fear on the plane before take off, but Trey was all for it.  He
ain’t scared!  It helped when I told Haley it’s like when I step on
the gas of the car and make it go really fast and the kids say, “again
Mommy, again!”  Both kids loved looking out the window and did really
well on the plane.

We didn’t waste anytime once we landed in Orlando.  We followed the
people wearing Mickey gloves and they led us right to the bus to our
resort…plastering us with stickers along the way.  (Trey’s dream
already coming true…the boy loves stickers!)  We took a little rest
in the room before hitting the park.  First stop, Magic Kingdom! 

If you notice in the picture, the dark clouds were rolling in but it didn’t give us pause. A little rain wasn’t going to stop this parade! We
were all amazed at the Castle, and everything else we got to see.  We
ate dinner first because we were starving, then hit the rides.  First
things first- It’s a Small World!  Next was the Peter Pan ride- a
family favorite that would be repeated several times before leaving
Orlando.  Haley knew the park was called the Magic Kingdom but kept
saying, “Let’s go to Disney World!”  She had in her head that the
castle was Disney World.  It was closed off our first night there but
we had planned for a Royal Breakfast- invited by Cinderella, of
course- for the next day.  I asked Haley what she thought we’d be
served and she said, STEAK!  She was right. Not only was the
atmosphere and food amazing, but we got to spend a few minutes meeting
several princesses.  Haley wore her Rapunzel dress so she fit right
in.  The girls got magic wands and the boys got swords.  Both of those
gifts could not have been more perfect and rarely left the kids’ hands
the rest of the trip.

Haley was Hayden’s riding buddy, and Trey was mine.  This was decided
by Haley because Hayden convinced her that he was very good at driving
elephants- the Dumbo Ride.  She was a little nervous about going on,
but since Hayden is an expert, she thought it’d be okay.  He taught
her how to drive the elephant and she talked about it ALL NIGHT.
Every time we got in line for a ride she’d ask Hayden, “Dad, do you
know how to drive this ride?”  He ate up all the attention and
preference she showed him. Trey was up for all of the rides.  He loves
adventure.  We laughed just trying to imagine what it was like for him
taking it all in…it was sensory overload for us…he was just
turning his head right and left in amazement.  We were glad to have
the stroller, he would have gotten lost in a second, not watching us
but trying to look at everything around him.  He was too cute watching
TV come to life.

Hayden and I were OVERLY impressed at the characters playing their
parts so well, the cleanliness of the park, how organized the staff
was, and how Disney really does feel magical.  Our Haley is a VERY
literal child (example- her yellow blanket is named “yellow blanket”;
her big maroon blanket is named “big blanket”) and she also is very
quick to point out how movies and shows are in the “pretend” world.
This is only Part I of our Disney post, but I come to tears thinking
of the last memorable comment said on our trip that completely summed
it up- As Tinkerbell flew down the zip line away from the castle and
the fireworks were about to begin, Haley said, “Mom, the pretend world
is REAL at Disney World!”  I looked at her and thought of all the fun
we’d had and said, “YES!”

Needless to say, the kids slept very well that night!

A large chunk of the past few months has been consumed with the Singing Christmas Tree at Bellevue.  I had a very minor part in the production, but had plenty of practices nonetheless.  And I’m not complaining about the practice.  Bellevue’s productions are second to none…so I knew going in that there would be a lot of work.  We put on 7 shows over 5 days with between 4,000 and 4,500 in attendance at every show.  Not too shabby of a turnout.  I definitely enjoyed it, but am glad it is over too.

The kiddos are wrapping up their school year.  They had their productions a week or so ago.  At the end of the song they sing, each child says their name into the microphone.  Haley’s class went something like this:  Jimmy, Susan, Jessie, Megan, Haley Michelle Pirate Simons (followed by laughter).  Sweet Haley girl really is a pirate at heart.  Trey did a great job.  It was cute to watch him get into doing the hand motions to the “Reindeer Hokey Pokey”.  I think his favorite part was “Put your backside in, put your backside out, put your backside in and you shake it all about.”  Videos of the kids songs are below.  They’re only about a minute each.  (which as a parent, I can appreciate very quick programs…nothing worse than having to wait through two hours of kids you don’t know singing songs).

This past weekend we went down to Brandon to have Christmas with my parents, grandmother and Laura/Ryan/Seth/Caleb.  It was a special time since it was our first chance to meet Caleb!  I had a fantastic time doing some hunting with dad and we really had a special time hanging out with family and catching up.  While we were there, we managed to have a quick photo shoot for Caleb.  I’ve still got to finish editing the pictures (my Sister’s going to kill me if it isn’t done soon).  But there were a few that stuck out.  One is below.

A little background on the “I Surrender All” picture.  About this time last year, Laura and Ryan were pregnant with their 2nd child.  Kate was going to be her name.  Laura went on bed rest about half way through her pregnancy.  They were in the process of building a new house and life was centered around this gift that was about to arrive.  Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.  She went in for a checkup and the tech couldn’t find a heartbeat.  Laura had to deliver Kate, stillborn.  Of course Laura and Ryan took it hard.   Laura and I took it hard.  My parents took it hard.  But amazingly, after briefly grieving, Ryan and Laura showed strength, faith and perseverance like I’ve never seen before.  The truth of the matter was, they didn’t lose a child.  They’d already given her to God…it was never theirs to begin with.  The little hand that you see in the picture below is Caleb’s.  He was born two days before Kate’s birthday- they brought Caleb home from the hospital on Kate’s birthday.  That significance was not lost on any of us- God is so good, has perfect timing, and children are a reward from Him.  And they’ve surrendered Caleb to God as well.  Their work, their money, their marriage and themselves…they surrender.  I couldn’t think of a more fitting way to pull this together into a photo.

I was even more proud because I got to show her off in St. Louis this past weekend.  My Grandpa Platten had his 90th birthday on Sunday and we had a fantastic time visiting with family.  Of course, we missed Hayden because he was in Honduras, but Julie was a huge help in juggling the kids.  We stayed at John and Margie’s and were treated with John’s famous french toast!  I finally got to go to Fast Eddie’s in Alton, IL, as a kick off to the weekend.  The ride over catching up with Grandma Platten was a highlight for me.  The band was good and the food was great (and cheap!).  Saturday was the big party at Lou’s blast-from-the-past-pad.  No words can describe the decor…I felt like I was on a movie set for an 80′s themed movie.  Not only was it fun to spend the evening catching up and re-living memories, but the Cardinals won their game!  Imo’s topped off the weekend with lunch on Sunday before driving back.  Everyone did a great job honoring my Grandpa.  We are all so blessed to have such a wonderful man in our lives.

Fall is here!  We are loving the fall weather and have started our daily search of pumpkins.  The kids love driving around neighborhoods looking for "spooky" decorations and spotting pumpkins.  There was a small festival at the Agricenter two weeks ago and we enjoyed the hay ride, pumpkin painting, and cotton candy!  I’ve got several more fun fall recipes and crafts lined up for the kids too. Haley is a great leaf collector- she picks up flowers, leaves, rocks, and any other "treasure" she can find…for me to hold.    Of course, Trey is right there with her marveling at the things she finds.  He’s more likely to go for the rocks and sticks.  They are too cute when they are getting along- which is most of the time.  But, don’t let me fool you.  They are definitely brother and sister and need space from each other.  Haley cracks me up, "Tell Trey to stop looking at me!"  "Tell Trey to stop talking to me!"  He intentionally aggravates her by repeating "huh?" or "Haley?"  It amazes me how young it starts.

Not only am I proud of the pictures here, but also proud of myself for being on my own with the three kids!  We even left the house a few times!  I had great help from KJ and Jason while they were visiting.  They were proud Aunt and Uncle taking the big kids swimming so I could go to the grocery store and holding Avery, after meeting her for the first time.  I think their first fight as a married couple was about who’s turn it was to hold the baby!

Nesting has been in FULL effect at the Simons house.  Each pregnancy I am more amazed at the things I (we) can get done before a baby comes…especially with the extra weight/baby bump.  Haley and Trey are spending a few days with Hayden’s parents and I am taking full advantage of relaxing, visiting with friends and family, dating my husband, and getting things done. 

Kathleen’s wedding is 9 days away and I could not be more excited for her or proud of her and Jason.  She is going to be the most beautiful bride and wonderful wife.  We are so excited to spend next weekend with family and friends as we celebrate the union we’ve been anticipating for years!  Pray for the both of them as they take their vows and begin their life as One.

A CT scan revealed that things weren’t as they should have been in my head.  Apparently my brain is crammed so full of intelligence and humor, that it pressed into my sinuses and caused some trouble there.

I had the surgery on Friday of last week and was a complete dope-head for about 3-4 days.  Bless Laura for taking such good care of me and for putting up with my ignorance.  I’d think the dumbest things were hilarious.  Laura took it all in stride.  Luckily, my parents were up to help for the first few days of it.

It should be another month or so before I really start seeing the benefits, but so far so good.  I can tell I’m breathing a little better now…and for only a week after surgery, that’s a good thing.

The kids have been loving life.  They would stay outside forever if given a chance and our fantastic weather and longer days are making that a viable option.  Haley’s getting bigger and bigger.  She surprises me with just how educated her conversations can be.  I’m not sure how we did it, but Haley has a huge love for pirates.  In fact, if you ask her what her name is, she responds “Haley Michelle Pirate Simons” without batting an eye.  Sweet thing really thinks her middle name is Pirate.  Who are we to tell her otherwise?

She’s constantly playing pirate games and watching pirate shows.  She loves “Jake and the Neverland Pirates”.  She names our family after the characters.  I’m Scully, Trey is Jake, Laura is Cubby and Haley is Izzy.  She doesn’t even call Trey by his real name anymore.  Luckily, she loves “Jake” to death and is a fantastic big sister.  She’s very patient with him and here lately, is having a minimal number of meltdowns.

Trey is getting in to everything.  I now understand what my mom meant when she said I always left a “trail”.  Trey will pick something up, carry it 4 steps, put it on the ground, pick something up, carry it 4 steps, put it on the ground.  He’ll repeat this for hours.  I told Laura we should stop picking up after him.  That eventually, after he makes enough rounds, everything will be back in place again.  She doesn’t think it will work.

Trey’s surprising us with his vocabulary growing.  I didn’t think he’d ever speak.  Turns out, he likes to learn on his own terms.  He’s picking up a couple new words a week.  And none of them are the words we’re trying to teach him.  We’ve tried to teach him the color “yellow” for a month now.  He still doesn’t get it.  One word he knows VERY well is “candy”.  The only word he knows better than that one is “No”.

Laura’s been busy making us a new baby.  Not sure if I’ve said it here yet, but we’ve decided on Avery Grace Simons.  Or, Avery Pirate Simons as Haley likes to say.  Laura’s been a rock star with taking care of me, the kids and the house all while lugging around an extra 4 pounds.  Did I mention she looks amazing?  Hard to believe we’ve got less than 3 months until baby number 3 is here!

Here’s a couple of pictures of Haley pushing Trey in his favorite car and of the kiddo’s at the Tulip Exhibit at the Dixon.

Haley was one of the youngest there.  I’d say most of the girls were between 6 and 8 years old.  They had light snacks and a chocolate fountain.  Of course, Haley ONLY wanted to eat from the chocolate fountain.  chocolate chip cookies dipped in chocolate seemed to be the favorite.  Haley wasn’t much into dancing, but we did enjoy playing some hide and seek.  It was a lot of fun to watch her interact with the other girls there.  She wasn’t scared to just walk right up to them and start talking. 

She got a special treat when she realized that here to favorite princesses were there.  Two teenage girls had dressed up as Belle and Snow White and were giving out hand stamps and perfume sprays.  Haley was in heaven.

The end of the night was topped off with a “candy bar” which was essentially a buffet of candy fit for a princess.  They handed out little baggies and Haley got to pick whatever she wanted off of the buffet.  She loved it!

So went my first of many (but not enough) Daddy-Daughter dances.  No doubt that I had the best date there!

We got to Starkville in the afternoon and was able to enjoy our day in the Junction tailgating.  Haley got her face painted, some pom poms, and we enjoyed great barbeque in the alumni tent with Jason and KJ.  It was fun showing Haley how bulldogs like to celebrate game day. 

Sunday was spent bragging to all our friends (a.k.a. SEC enemies!) about our VICTORY over Memphis.  We were quick to comment that we have to celebrate all we can, just in case the season doesn’t turn out as great as we hope!

So, back to the day of rest, Sunday.  While lying on the couch and enjoying the afternoon, I watched at least one episode of Cupcake Wars.  Hayden and I have seen this show before and often pretend to "taste the essence of lavender" in our food.  Well, we were joking around at dinner about the different cupcakes they had made and we got inspired…or should I say challenged.  Next thing I know, Hayden is setting up lights and I’m google-ing cupcake recipes.  Of course a quick trip to Kroger was needed but then we were set.  Lights, Camera, Action.  Haley, Hayden and I got some great pictures making what we thought were going to be the best cupcakes on the planet…Unfortunately, they were very dry and salty…don’t know why they didn’t have sugar listed on the recipe (just called for one cup of brown sugar…which wasn’t nearly enough)!  But the Chocolate Whipped Cream icing was to die for.  So, we tried again today with a little more success.  I think we’ll continue on the cupcake challenge journey until we get it right.  Mostly because it will give me an excuse to keep eating the icing, which is basically Chocolate Mousse.  YUM!  Look out America, we may have our own cupcake show soon!