Snow Day?!?

We had our first ever snow day this past week and what was suppose to be our four day weekend has been cut short to a three day weekend so that they can make up the snow day. Boo! Oh well, I'd rather the kids be in school Tuesday than be extended at the end of the year.

Anyway, back to this snow day business....there wasn't even enough snow to build a real snowman, so we did the next best thing.

I thought it was funny, but the kids were really disappointed that we haven't been able to build a real snowman yet. We missed the first snow of the season when we were at Walt Disney World, but this is the 2nd snow this winter and the kids were disappointed to say the least. 

However, when we walked to school the next day, Madison in particular, was very excited to see that there was still some snow on the ground and that she was going to get to walk to school "in the snow." 

So, that was our snow day story, wish we had more to share, but we did enjoy a nice fire, many books, a movie or two, some hot chocolate and a lot of snuggling to keep warm. I enjoyed the day, even if the kids felt let down. I was able to make memories with the kids that will last a lifetime and I'll be able to share with them "remember that time we had our first snow day...." and all of the love and warmth felt in our home that day will fill my heart. Hopefully, they will one day look back on that day with fondness as well. :)

Walt Disney World

Well, after Alex had returned home from his deployment, we had planned to take a Disney Cruise. After doing a little more research we discovered that since Hudson was under 3 at the time (and not potty trained), Hudson wouldn't really be able to participate in a lot of the fun activities, so we decided to wait until the summer after he had turned 3 (because we were suppose to have 1 more year in San Diego and it was our 10 year wedding anniversary). As you know by now, we ended up moving this past summer instead, arriving at our destination about 4 days before our anniversary after a very long road trip...not exactly what I call a family vacation, maybe a family adventure for sure, but not a vacation.

So, with all of that being said we decided it would be fun to take a trip down to Walt Disney World (since none of us had been) over the Thanksgiving break. We decided to keep it a secret from the kids. We woke up at 4:30 in the morning the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and got ready real quick and then got the kids out of bed and told them we were going on vacation. We still didn't tell them where we were going. We simply got in the car and drove....and drove....and drove. It was pouring on this particular Tuesday, so what was suppose to be a 12 hour drive turned into about a 17 hour drive, BUT we made it!

I had been anticipating the kids' reactions all day long. We had heard that there was a big arch that you'd see as you drove up that said, "Welcome to Walt Disney World." So as we got closer, Alex and I could see the sign, but our poor kids had already passed out...I mean it was almost 10pm at this point. I felt horrible, our kids were excited all day in anticipation of finding out where we were going, they put up with the horrible rain that dumped buckets on us and then they missed the great "reveal."

Once we were all checked into our room, the kids sort of figured out what we were doing, but it wasn't until they woke up the next morning that it really set in where we were and what we were going to be doing. We were going to be spending four days at Walt Disney World!!! I don't know who was more excited!?!?

 Madison loved the big Mickey Sorcerer's Hat

Waiting in line for Star Tours

 Hudson is obsessed with Big Hero 6 Right now, so he was thrilled to get to see Baymax and Hiro.

 We spent a good 10 minutes talking to Mike and Sully. They were great! The kids were over-joyed to see these two.

Toy Story Ride

So, on Day 1, we headed to Hollywood Studios (which is sort of like California Adventure, for all of my California friends). We had a blast. Hudson was finally tall enough to ride on all of the rides with the 40" height requirement. We hung out with Mike and Sully, we rode Star Tours, we went on the Toy Story Ride along with a few others and then that evening we happened across the Osborne Family Lights (we had no idea they were even there). Oh my, it was beautiful! Not to be all cheesy, but while we were in the middle of the street that was filled with more lights than you could possibly imagine, we had hot chocolate in hand, and Christmas music was playing and tears welled up in my eyes. It was perfect.

On Day 2, Thanksgiving, surprise 2 happened. We hadn't told the kids yet that we were meeting Auntie Emma, Uncle Jordan and their cousins Mason and Hope at Magic Kingdom! What a magical morning that was (I mean the whole day was amazing, but seeing the Caro Family after far too long and seeing the looks on all of our kids faces was priceless).

Probably the best picture we've ever had of all of us, plus this is the first time Hope has been in a picture with all of us :)

We actually were able to go on a ride (Big Thunder) by ourselves! It was so much fun and one of my fondest memories!

We wandered all over Magic Kingdom going on rides, taking pictures, enjoying yummy food, watching parades, waiting for the Frozen Lighting of the Cinderella Castle Show, and so much more. It was perfect! (and on a side note Cinderella's Castle is so breathtaking....Sleeping Beauty's Castle at Disneyland is sentimental, but Cinderella's Castle...WOW)!!!

On Day 3, we went back to Hollywood Studios with the Emma and Jordan and the kids. It was another day filled with watching the magic unfold through the eyes of our children. I will forever remember listening to Hudson and Mason talk about Star Tours after they rode it together. Both of the boys (and Madison too) are really loving Star Wars right now...Alex is a tad giddy about that! :)

It was very sweet, we often found the big kids walking like this.

Madison was captivated by her Uncle and I was so thankful to capture this sweet moment shared between them.

The Bigs

Our traditional picture every time we get together.

On Day 4, we started the morning at the restaurant inside of the Wilderness Lodge. Oh my goodness, the food was AMAZING!!!! Emma and Jordan had suggested it and well, since they are veteran Walt Disney World Property gooroos, we listened and boy are we glad we did! Man, not only was the food amazing, the resort was gorgeous and the waitress we had was hilarious. If you ever go there, just remember to ask them for ketchup! ;)

The kids' breakfast...too cute!

One last group photo before we say "until next time"

Day 4 also came with the bitterness of having to say good-bye to Emma and Jordan as they were not visiting any of the parks that day and we still and one more ticket in our park hopper package to use up. So, we hugged, cried, laughed and hugged again and said "until next time" even though we don't know when that next time will be at the moment due to the Marine Corps not having told us where we're going to be moving to next, but we will be making every effort to see them sooner rather than later because let's face it...we need more Caro Time in our lives. :)

Anyway, we finished up our fourth day back at Magic Kingdom and felt like we really did everything that we had left on our "to do" list, including going on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride (after a 90 minute wait) and the infamous Peter Pan Ride (which poor Hudson slept through and still asks why we didn't go on it). We even were able to get fast passes for the Electrical Parade which gave us phenomenal seats and I got to see DOPEY (one of the only times you'll even see him inside of the park)!!!!

Our poor little Hudson sleeping through Peter Pan.

This was an amazing family trip that created life long memories. We are so thankful that God blessed us with the ability to spend time together enjoying each other in this stage of life as well as to spend time with our amazing friends to finally getting to meet our niece, Hope. This was a trip that won't soon be forgotten.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

So, I know it's colder in other areas in the country, but this is cold for us. Today's high is 26 and the low is 9. It's only suppose to be colder tomorrow, and I hear that this is just the start of the cold weather. Yikes! We still braved the weather and walked with Madison to school today. I snapped a quick picture of my kiddos all bundled up because well, let's face it, little kids bundled up so that they can barely see is pretty darn cute, so the few extra seconds spent outside for this photo was totally worth it.  :)

Needless to say, there has been a lot of hot chocolate and hot tea drinking (oh and that stuff called coffee that Alex is addicted to). :) Our fireplace has been getting a lot of use too, in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening...well, pretty much any time we're home and have time to sit in front of it...it's on.

Something else that has been warming my soul (at least something is warm right?!?) is this amazing song by Natalie Grant. If you haven't heard Desert Song from her Love Revolution Album, you must take a few minutes and listen to this song. I LOVE it!!!!



Hope you're all staying warm :)

The Box with a Smile

So, I have a confession.....

I am addicted to receiving those little (or big) brown boxes with a smile. Now that Christmas is over, they will be slowing down their appearance at our home (or so I keep telling myself), but yesterday I received one of those boxes and it contained the next book for my Women's Bible Study that I am apart of out here. This is an amazing group of ladies that despite what we're all doing, we stop and get together Tuesday mornings to laugh, to pray, and to be real with one another. For this season of my life, they are my only consistent friend time during the week and it's always much appreciated.

Anyway, I wanted to share our next study with you, in case you were interested in doing with too. It looks like it's going to be a great study and that it's going to go deep. I completed the intro and day 1 of session 1 today.

If you decide to join me on this journey through 1, 2, and 3 John please let me know! 

Happy New Year

Last night we just had a quiet evening in enjoying each other as a family. I honestly can't remember the last time that we didn't have a house full of people for New Year's Eve, but this year it just didn't happen.

We spent the day shopping, cooking, playing with the kids, watching the kids in a hilarious battle of Just Dance Kids. Hudson finally is getting the hang of it and giving Madison a run for her money. :) It might be time to find the next edition of Just Dance Kids, as I am sure we will be having snow days here very soon and most days I find that it's already too cold to take the kids to the park.

One of the things Alex and I have done for years is always pick a new book to ready together as we start the new year. It gets us focused on putting each other first in the midst of our crazy life taking care of kids, running errands, going to school, etc...

This year the book we chose was "You and Me Forever" by Francis and Lisa Chan. We love the books and studies that we've ready by Francis Chan in the past, so when we found this one, we basically stopped looking. I am looking forward to starting this with Alex. We like to put the kids to bed and then sit down on the couch and go through the book together. We often stop and ask each other questions or answer questions that naturally come up in the book. We make a point to do this before we do anything else such as watch TV, read our own book, do homework, or whatever else may be on our "to do" list for the day. I truly cherish this time with Alex.

I am not one that is big on resolutions, but I do like to set goals. So here are a few of my goals for this upcoming year:

1. To go deeper in my prayer journals...to really pray like I believe God will answer the cries of my heart and then sincerely offer up my prayers to Him

2. To be more organized for our upcoming move since we never fully unpacked when we arrived here, knowing that we would only be here for 10 months

3.To continue a healthy eating and work out routine and to not get discouraged when the kids are sick (preventing me from being able to go to the gym) or my picky eaters turn their nose up to a new healthy recipe I may try

4. To read 30+ books (of all sorts...if you have an recommendations please share)

5. To continue our streak of going out on dates more than just once a month, even if that means being intentional and having an at home date night after the kids go to bed where we just play games, watch movies or cook a meal together

6. To be more consistent with documenting our adventures through this blog...my goal is to post at least once a week

Well, those are just a few of my goals for 2015. 

Best Time Of The Year

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! We sure did! It was so wonderful just being home and having Alex and the kids off from school. A few days after they all went on break, my parents flew in to spend the holiday with us! It was so wonderful having them here after not seeing them for a little over six months (the longest I've ever gone without seeing my parents).

There was plenty of baking, home cooked meals, country ham for breakfast (a family tradition...we order it and have it shipped in), game playing, movie watching, and just being together as a family. We also were able to FaceTime with my in-laws, Aunt Kathy, and Mamaw on Christmas Day which was a treat in and of itself. So thankful for this technology!!!

We also were blessed with the privilege, on the day after Christmas, to drive to North Carolina to go visit my Great Aunt and Great Uncle (I hadn't seen them since I was 10 b/c they stopped traveling shortly after that). We all loaded in the car and made the drive to Belmont to visit with them. My Aunt is simply amazing! She didn't look a day older from the last time I had seen her 23 years ago. She had made us homemade banana pudding, mini pecan pies, egg washed oven roasted pecans, Christmas cookie bars and pound cake. We had a wonderful visit with them. Aunt Peggy gifted me several of her amazing cookbooks from years past, one of them has about 15-20 of my Great Great Aunt Connie's recipes in it. I can't wait to try them. She also gifted me a beautiful hand made ceramic tree that lights up. I would post a picture, except I forgot to take one before she put it in the box and she wrapped it so nicely that I hate to undo it and chance it not being put away properly until next year. So, here is a picture of what it resembles.

My Aunt also gave Madison two of the beautiful porcelain dolls (in the picture above that Alex so wonderfully captured) that my Great Great Aunt Connie had made by hand....they were both very very crafty. Maybe somewhere deep down I have a crafty bone in my body, but I haven't discovered it yet. 

My parents left yesterday to return back to California, so now we are sadly cleaning up our Christmas things, but recalling all of the fond memories made this year that will forever put a smile in our heart.

We are looking forward to the fun 2015 will bring and eagerly awaiting the news of where we will be stationed for the next three years. 

I'm back!!!

Well, a lot has changed since I last posted....sorry! My plan had always been to get back to my blog once things settled back down and well, when you have a 3 and 7 year old, things just never seem to slow down.

Thank you to all of you who have continued to write me messages and send sweet notes encouraging me to start my blog back up again. My goal is to try to post something new at least once a week in 2015, especially because we no longer live near family and it would be a nice way to keep pictures and videos easily accessible to all of those we love and that love us.

That being said, let me try to catch you up in a nutshell.

This past July we drove cross country with our kids, our cat and our cars (Alex and I each drove the whole way) to move to Charlottesville, VA. We moved out here for Alex to attend the The Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School (TJAGLCS) to receive his LLM in Criminal Law. The school is only 10 months long, so we will be moving again this summer, but we still don't know where to. We should know sometime in the new year, but I've heard that we could hear as early as February and as late as May, so right now it's just a waiting game. Alex will graduate Memorial Day weekend.

Madison is loving her new school and teacher. She still often talks about how much she misses San Diego and all of her friends and family, but her new gym and new school have made being out here a lot of fun and takes her mind off of where it appears her heart still is.

Hudson is in preschool two days a week this year and is thriving. He just loves school and his social personality has helped him to adapt quite nicely out here. He has friends pretty much everywhere we go because he just has the ability to strike up conversations with anyone, anytime. He still loves our trips to Trader Joe's. :) This Fall he started soccer and wasn't sure about it at first, but then grew to love it. He is looking forward to being on the same team in the spring. At the end of November, Hudson started gymnastics. He loves it and it's been really good for him, as it is often too cold to take him to the park out here during this time of year, so having a place to expend some of his energy has really come in handy. :)

I have been loving being in a women's bible study out here on Tuesdays while Hudson is in school and then on Thursday (again while he's in school) I volunteer at Madison's school and I just love it. It's great to be back in the classroom whether it's working with groups of kids, planning the next class party, or helping behind the scenes with some of the prep work.

Right now, we are all counting down until my parents get here to help us celebrate Christmas.

Well, I have to run...time to get the kids up for school. I'll write more later! Hope you're all doing well and enjoying this Christmas season!