Our Trip to Disney World!

Well, we were officially bitten by that Disney bug. THAT PLACE IS SO MAGICAL. I am already plotting a way to get back, to soak in more of the merriment and glee and charm. There is just nothing quite as wonderful as the silliness of getting dressed up in full-on Mickey gear every day, spending the entire day playing with your kids in the greatest amusement park on Earth, and celebrating in between with treats. Just because, Disney.

My Mickey angels.

That morning monorail commute.

I'd live there.

My baby by the pool on one of our off-days. He did so great at Disney, I was super proud of him!

I have a thing for good landscaping. And the Grand Floridian has GOOD landscaping. #goals

This is what we did when we weren't at the parks. We loved our hotel so much! Details in the next post ;)

He wanted to chase those ducks.

Don't get me wrong - Disney is a trip, not a vacation. But we honestly had so much fun together. We were super tired, but blissfully happy, too. PS while I am typing this Stevie has been out of town for a week and OMG he has to come home. I miss that handsome piece of man.

Everett met Mickey twice and LOVED him. Daxton hated every character he met. Please note both of their faces in the next few photos - they couldn't feel more differently about meeting characters. Pretty priceless.

Meeting Mickey for the first time! Prepare yourself for Daxton's reaction...

This will be shared at his wedding.

Seriously. I should feel bad for him but I'm still dying laughing. Poor second children, they really don't get the same empathy from us.

I asked if she wanted to switch dresses. I don't think she heard me over Everett's compliments of her gown.

Dax tolerated Cinderella. Everett legit fell in love. And don't let Stevie fool you - we was a tiny bit enamored too.

... which made me feel a lot better about asking Prince Charming what he was doing a little later. I might have frightened him. I'm 30 now, apparently that's cougar status ;)

After he met Cinderella he crawled into my lap and played with my hair for a full 5 minutes. Something about meeting the princess made his little love-struck heart so tender! I already know I'm going to be such an insane mother-in-law because HE'S MY BABY FOREVER.

Our hotel lobby! So cool!

So many treats. I'll highlight my favorites in the next post.

I was overwhelmed by how excellent everything is at Disney World. Yes, the rides are a blast and there is something for everyone (our 10-month old loved it just as much as our 3-year old!) But the true magic of Disney is in the immense attention to detail - there is literally no trash on the sidewalk of Main Street. The characters and cast members are phenomenal, treating each person with such importance and care. When we got our Magic Bands on the first day, the man who gave them to us at the Admissions office looked at Everett and said, "Are you Everett?" Everett nodded to him shyly. The he went on, "Oh! You're Prince Everett! Mickey told me to look out for you. Welcome to Disney World, Prince Everett!" The rest of the day, Everett held his head so high and proud. He felt so special at Disney World. It's not just that Disney is charming and fun - it really is a special place that makes each person feel a personal significance. It was so beautiful.

And the shows! Coming from a former actor nerd, I can honestly say that he shows are truly Broadway-esque. Especially "The Lion King" at the Animal Kingdom - it was a stunner. Disney's approach to excellence and follow-through is truly astounding. And the experience of staying at a Disney hotel, using the Disney dining plan (oh my word, the FOOD!!!), and playing in the parks for 3 days was honestly such an experience that I just want everyone to go and laugh their brains out with their own family. It's seriously good for the soul.

But don't get me wrong. You've got to be prepared to go on a trip like Disney. You can't just let Disney happen to you, because it can easily take all your money and leave you with nothing but exhaustion. You gotta play the game smart. Thankfully, we had a dear, dear friend of ours plan our entire Disney vacation, from the hotel to the tickets to the fast passes to the meals and everything in between. Alyson Pitzer is a Disney travel agent and is compensated by Disney to plan trips, so we didn't have to pay her anything, but she took care of every single detail. I am sharing this with you so that you can reach out to her, because believe me, unless you are a Disney insider and you know all the ins and outs of that world, you are going to want some help. This post isn't sponsored in any way (but gosh, Disney, feel free to sponsor me ANY TIME AT ALL), but I really wanted to share her info with you guys so that you can get a leg up and have the most magical trip experience of your life.

I'm going to share a few most posts this week with our itinerary and my personal tips and tricks at Disney, so make sure to check back here for those. There was just no possible way to squeeze all things Disney into one blog post! Also, if you have any specific questions, please leave them in the comments section so I can address everything! I have lots to share but I know for those of you planning a Disney trip, there are a lot of questions you probably have in your mind. This is the week to ask me as I compile everything! xx

SPRING BREAK 2014: Orlando & St. Augustine

Spring Break.

The Sunshine. My nephew and his brand-new little sis. Relaxation. Faux cocktails. What do all these things have in common? Pure Heaven, that's what. I had the privilege to tag along on my husband's work trip last week. Well, actually, the conversation went more like this:

Him: I've got a week-long work conference in Orlando.

Me: Um, I'm gonna need to join you.

Him: Tickets might be kinda expensive to fly you down there...

ME: I AM GOING WITH YOU.

So yeah. There was no way I was gonna stick around this town to watch another TWO snow storms blow by (which totally happened). When instead I could take a vacation to the sun. And since it was suuuuuper close, we added onto our vaycay and spent the weekend in St. Augustine, where we got to celebrate my nephew Oliver turning four! I remember when he was a tiny little babe, and now he's big enough to run away from my photographing him. That boy. At least I can still outrun him (for now.)

Getting Real.

I don't think I really realized how hard this winter has been. But on the first day, when I stripped down to my bathing suit and felt the sun warm my pasty skin... I realized how challenging the dark, snowy New York winter has been. Maybe being pregnant and emotional has something to do with it. But this has been the toughest winter I've ever had. It's been a challenge to stay positive, encouraged and motivated, even though I've had the privilege of living in my dream city. Taking this little break down to warmer climate wasn't just for funsies - I realized it was really necessary to re-charge my mindset and let the warmth seep from my skin into my... well, soul? Sounds really silly, but I'm being for real.

It was the dreamiest week. I laid by the pool and SLEPT. And guzzled lemonade. And read baby books. And then when we headed to St. Augustine, I played with my sisters babies and died and went to Heaven.

// I lounged at the hotel during the week. Even made a little friend (lizard, top left). //

// We hit the arcade for my nephew's 4-year birthday celebration. Gotta be honest, we all REALLY enjoyed it. (See the adult in the top left, "Shooting bad guys"). //

// Don't freak out, it's fake beer. But it tasted soooo good. We enjoyed a date night at The Pub Orlando. If you visit (which you should!), get the Welsh Pretzel Au Jus Sandwich! //

// This kid. Seriously, he's so so perfect. //

// Had the best time bonding with this little sweetheart! I miss cuddling with her already. My big sis pretty much schooled me on babies all weekend long. Like, I CHANGED DIAPERS. And did all kinds of jiggling, wiggling, wrangling, cooing and baby-talk to soothe this little one when necessary. //

// There's nothing like the mossy terrain of the northern Florida coast. Dreamy. //

// So sad to leave. For so many reasons. //

The Maturity.

Instead of whining and complaining about leaving... I chose to just be grateful for a week of bliss. Hahahahaaaaaaa did you just believe that? Stevie definitely had to pep talk me about how I need to be grateful and focus on the positive. And not weep for my kin. So... yeah. Still working on that attitude.

Thank you Lord for creating a mossy, mighty land called Florida. And for Spring Break. And for sneaking away for a delight moment in the sun.

Spring Break 2013

I know what you're thinking. We are FAR too old for Spring Break. I would have to agree with you. But I don't really care. My husband was granted a week off from school, so we high-tailed our tushies to the Boston-Logan Airport as fast as humanly possible and got the heck out of this icy, overcast haven of darkness.

We went to see my soulmate: My serene, angelic, petite and patient sister Kara. Her Ralph-Lauren model lookalike son Ollie. Her "my-brother-from-anotha-motha" hubby Brad. These are my people. My role models. My happy place. So although it was rainy and overcast for the majority of the trip (kiss that dreamed-of tan goodbye), I had the BEST time with them. We lounged, read Dr. Suess books, went for jogs and bike rides on the beach and talked a ton.

The amazing thing about family is that the relationships are always enriching, growing deeper and more interesting with time. I've known my brother-in-law Brad since he started dating my sis almost 10 years ago. Ten years! It's been really fun to welcome a brother into our all-girls family. I think he has such a great brain. He thinks out of the box. He's not afraid to try new things. He is truly the best and I admire him so much.

Map.

This Spring Break included two days in Orlando (we stayed at Brad's aunt's house) where we visited the Magic Kingdom at Disney World! Then we drove over to St. Augustine and spent two days at Brad and Kara's beach house there. The pictures speak for themselves. It was divine.

Mmm.

We ate fantastically well, especially at Nonna's and Cafe Tu Tu Tango, but my favorite tasty moment of the trip was cooking at the house. The kitchen at Brad's aunt's house is so HUGE and beautiful and stocked with all the dreamy kitchen tools... ah. It was a beautiful moment for me, personally. I love to cook so much and it was a mega treat to have the space and the utensils to make a simple meal. I like to dream that one day I will have a magnificent kitchen to experiment to my heart's foodie desires.

Moment.

There were so many dreamy moments on this trip. Spending time with my precious nephew tops the list. He learned that I love to hear him say, "I love you", so he started saying it to me like ten times a day. It sounded like, "I love you!" and ughhh, my heart just melted. That little charmer. He's going to be such a heart breaker. Did I mention he's 3?

// Downtown St. Augustine //

// Oh so magical Magic Kingdom. Don't worry, I have more pics to share. //

// My view from the hot tub, overlooking the pool. Yes oh yes. // He reads the paper ON VACATION. Such a student. //

// Biking outdoors and berries indoors //

 // Leapin' leprechaun bros

// Blow wind blow // Sleeping on the plane ride home //

This trip was refreshing to my heart. Somehow my family (and the ocean!) always does that. Stevie and I have exactly 8 weeks left here in Cambridge, and this trip was the perfect way to gear up for the end of our time here. Now we are just ready for Spring to be officially sprung here in New England!