Sunshine and Family 2014 (pt. 3)

More beach days, pool mornings, afternoon naps, laughter...

bedtime stories on the swing

visiting with Nagymama's friend, Margaret

On Cory's last day, Ashley arrived. The girls were so so excited. She stayed with us through the end of our trip. Before Cory left, we showed Ashley the ropes. Since it was her first visit to Mama's house, we initiated her with an afternoon swim and an uber-competitive game of UNO that night.

Sunshine and Family 2014 (pt. 2): Disney Day

This year, Nagymama decided to combine all of our birthday gifts and give us a shared experience together, so she took us all to Magic Kingdom for the day! We had a nice time together making memories, especially the girls who soaked up every bit of the magical Disney experience. We had fun watching the girls eyes light up at the sight of a princess or Mickey!

As we walked into the park, the morning parade began. We had front row seats to some of their favorites and our girls were wide-eyed and smiley.

 

 ...and then Uncle Cory's childhood dream came true when we saw Woody! (though he might not be quick to admit it)

 

We didn't get on many rides with the long waits and small children, but the ones we did everyone loved. Our first was the merry-go-round.

 One of the best parts of Disney is meeting the characters. I love seeing how the people interpret and stay in their role the entire time you are talking to them. Everything from their expressions and gestures to the tone of their voice and the references they use from their movies match up. They do a great job! It even draws the adults in!

Remember a couple of years ago, when we let Abby watch Mary Poppins for the first time and she cried hysterically at the end because Mary Poppins flies away? Can you imagine how special it was when we got to meet Mary Poppins and her penguin friend? It was sweet.

Check out Ella's face. She is not sure what to make of the waddling penguin!

The video is blurry. For some reason, it didn't translate to YouTube well, but it gives you an idea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAWIVkk74NU

Before it was our turn to meet Cinderella, we got to meet her stepsisters and stepmother. We got in line right away, but as Abby started thinking about it, she wasn't so sure. She asked me if they were going to be mean to her like they are to Cinderella and if they are then she doesn't want to go talk to them. The worker behind us assured her that they wouldn't, but they might ask Uncle Cory if he was on the market because they are both still looking for husbands.

They were a total riot! I'm not sure Abby knew what to do with the bickering sisters, but they cracked me up!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK0C0fCSks8

The girls loved Ariel's Under the Sea ride. We all did! It helped that it was amazingly cool in there when we all wanted a much needed break from the heat.

Look at how sweaty we were!

And now...the moment we have all been waiting for. Well, kind of. That moment probably would have been meeting Anna and Elsa, but the wait was two hours long. So, equally as exciting was meeting Cinderella and Rapunzel. Abby was asking all day if it was time. When we walked in the workers greeted us as "your highness" and "your majesty". The girls felt like they in a real deal castle waiting to be seen by real deal princesses.

waiting their turn

Rapunzel was playful and whimsical. She talked to the girls about their favorite games to play and told them how much she loved to play in the grass ever since Flynn Ryder rescued her from the tower. She talked about her little lizard, Pascal, and how she loves to play hide and seek with him. The best part is watching all the little kids nod in understanding because they know the details of these Disney movies so intimately.

 

Cinderella was fancy, elegant and graceful, as you would expect. She glided over to the girls and talked with them quietly in her princess voice. Abby brought a princess story book along for the characters to sign and she turned to the page of Cinderella in a pink dress for Cinderella to sign on. My favorite part was when Cinderella looked at the page and said to Abby, "Oh, I love that dress. Did you know it was my mother's?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDxT9yixOD4

Abby, Daddy and Uncle Cory went on some more rides together. We enjoyed lunch and some other sweet treats. Then, we decided (as we all melted in the sun) that our last event would be the afternoon parade. Abby couldn't meet Anna and Elsa, but she was determined to see them while she was there. It was really fun to watch and a great way to end the day!

 

 It was a billion degrees that day, so we only lasted until about 3:30 before we thought we would all collapse. We were dumping bottles of water on ourselves (the girls included).  By the time we got to the car, everyone was crumbling. Mama and I were the only ones awake on the car ride home. One minute Abby was excitedly listing off all of the people she got to meet, the next minute she was passed out! Thank you Mama for the great experience and the magical memories!

Sunshine and Family 2014 (pt. 1)

We've been home from Florida for about a week now and we are still trying to get over the fact that we aren't there anymore. I speak for all of us when I say that was the best family vacation we've ever had together. Every part of it was wonderful. Our days were filled with beauty, rest, family time, sunshine, memories and peace. Every part of it was life giving. And as always, the time spent with Nagymama was refreshing and special.

At the end of any trip, we are usually all ready to get back to normal life, but this time Nagymama had to drag us all back to the airport when it was time to go. Joe was looking at real estate across the water from Mama's and dreaming away. Abby decided she wasn't going home unless Mama and Buffy were coming with us. Ella even tried to halt the process by jumping falling into the pool ten minutes before we had to leave. I was choking back an ugly cry at the airport when I hugged Mama goodbye and Ella was clinging to her neck.  No one was ready to go. A big part of it was leaving Mama. Part of it was leaving one our favorite places in the world. Part of it was leaving the delightful, focused days together and the sweetness of it all.

Of course it's nice to be back home, but Nagymama's house feels like home too. We came home to NY, but left home in FL.  So, this week has been a bittersweet transition, which might be why it has taken me a week to look through all of our pictures without being sad. If I was reading someone's post about vacation and it sounded this dramatically great, I would probably wonder if the person was over romanticizing or exaggerating it. The funny thing about our vacation, this post, is that it's not any of that. That's the best part...it's true...no sugarcoating needed!

My heart is full. As I record the memories and look through our pictures, I'm overwhelmed by how blessed we are by the eleven days of memories we made together on vacation and I never want to forget the delight of it all.

ready for the first flight she can remember

Tomorrow is finally the day we have been counting down for.

We headed down to Papa's for Father's Day dinner and a sleepover. He was driving us to the airport early the next morning! We were officially on vacation.

The girls were pretty happy for a 4:30 am wake up all. Even Uncle Cory was less grumpy than expected at that hour. They came downstairs into the kitchen to find a special surprise from Papa for their Florida trip. Anna dolls!!! That was a really big deal. We loaded up in Papa's big van and headed to the airport. 

We were boarding the plane before the girls were even hungry for breakfast, but the girls gave some cereal and milk a try.

 

We learned on this flight that Ella and Abby have very different airplane styles. It wasn't surprising really as the differences line right up with the every day differences in their personalities. Let's just say Joe was in charge of keeping Ella occupied and SITTING STILL. I was in charge of coloring, playing sticker books and watching the Food Network with Abby. One of us had the much more challenging job on a two and a half hour direct flight. Even at Ella's age, Abby would sit completely content for long periods of time with good snacks and new stickers. On the other hand, Ella was talking to everyone around us, kicking chairs, taking the foam off of her headphones, accidentally spilling drinks and effectively keeping Daddy from falling into his favorite airplane naps. It might have taken a bit more work, but she did a great job. The flight went by pretty quickly.  JetBlue is a very enjoyable airline to fly. Though, I am interested to see what it is like in August when I have to fly with both girls by myself...

 

The much awaited reunion had finally arrived. The girls ran into Mama's arms. It was such an exciting day!

 

When we got to the house, we sat poolside and had one of our favorite welcome home meals, Rakott Krumpli (Hungarian Layered Potatoes) and Cucumber Salad. Then, it was time for our first swim. 

Just keeping it real...runny mascara and all!

In the morning, Abby would wake up before all of us and read books or play my phone for twenty minutes, until she heard Mama wake up. Abby would grab a pair of shoes and run out to join Mama on her morning walk around the neighborhood with Buffy. The first morning, when I came out of my room, I didn't know where they were, so I walked around the house looking for them. I found them walking back. It became their thing. Mama said Abby talked the ENTIRE time.

I've spent many years looking out over this water. Each time of day has it's own look with it's own memories. The morning is calm and so peaceful. It's not too hot and everything seems new. You can sit right here and watch the flying fish leap out of the water or the quiet alligators creeping by. I've spent lots of time with the Lord right here, lots of time reflecting on mornings like these. The afternoon has a different feel, but I love it just as much. To me the afternoon sun means spending all day in the pool, playing, reading and soaking up the sun while the loud music plays.  

This is the morning view. In the stillness, when I sit right in this spot, I think of all the life that has happened in this spot and in our family. I see the beauty and the struggles and the beauty in the struggles. When I look out, I am reminded of God's word.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;^[a]
    his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
    “therefore I will hope in him.”

~Lamentations 3:22-24

 

Joe's favorite thing to do is make breakfast right in front of it all. Breakfast sandwiches with lots of bacon next to the water makes him a happy man.

Last visit, Abby played with this dollhouse solo because Ella was still in my belly. This time, the girls did everything together. They played for hours with their dollhouse, in the pool and all over the house playing imaginary games together.

While Daddy was outside cooking, Abby was inside helping Mama with the pancakes.

It is no exaggeration to say many days we woke up and never really got dressed. We were either in PJs or swimsuits. That's how low key and restful it was. We were total fish just hanging out in and around the pool. The only things that gave those days structure were the location of the sun and meal times.

 

There's nothing like long days in the sun and water to make you extra sleepy in the afternoon.

 

It wouldn't be an evening at Nagymama's house without some intense games of Uno. We are serious about our Uno games. 

We spent three beautiful mornings at the beach. The girls were apprehensive about the water at first, but by our last trip they were swimming in the ocean. They especially enjoyed playing down by the water in the wet sand.