We're going to Disney World!!!

 Okay so yesterday my mom calls me to ask, “What would you think if I took Noah & Jeremiah to Disney World at Thanksgiving?” I told her that would be amazing but my only worry would be how to explain to Elijah that he didn’t get to go. “What if I found a way to come with you and you and I take all the kids?” And just like that! Guess what??? We’re going! My mom is taking me and all four of our kids to Disney World for Thanksgiving! I am so excited! I’ve been getting teary eyed since I found out.

Okay…I’ve already 3x been around the issue of whether I should take my single stroller, my double stroller or buy an umbrella stroller…I’m currently residing at double stroller. I figure the more storage room the better, and that is going to be A LOT of walking…chances are HIGH that Elijah or even one of the older two are going to need a short break in the stroller.
I plan to start training for my Disney World marathon now. Tons and tons of walking….my kids are going into training as well because they are going to have to do tons of walking too. Maybe I can download the a Disney mix to my MP3 player so we can listen to it while we train.
STOP! Before any of you start feeling bad for John that he has to stay home and work, please wait. That is part of what makes this entire experience SO perfect! He doesn’t want to go. All of our marriage, he has expressed a hatred for Disney…since we CANNOT afford a trip to Disney it was never a real issue. Still occasionally one of the kids would express a desire to go there and he’d say, “I will NEVER go to Disney!” I would tell him, “Babe, if by some act of God our children get a chance to go to Disney, you HAVE to go and give them that opportunity.” Nope. He was dead set against it and had NO desire to ever walk through that magic gate. Well this is perfect for him! Our children get to go to Disney, and he doesn’t have to go! Not only that but he is a HUGE holiday humbug. I drag him to every holiday gathering threatening him within an inch of his life to keep his Grinch-like tendencies to himself! This year on Thanksgiving he can just stay at home ignoring the fact that it is a holiday and be by himself! He already said he’s either gonna fry a turkey in his turkey fryer and eat it all by himself or he’s gonna go eat dinner at the Rescue Mission. He’s tickled. “Just take TONS of pictures,” was his only request.
My mom called and found out that air fare is like $400 each. I said, “Why don’t we just drive my van?” I am SO relieved we are driving now! I was planning to start my nervous breakdown over flying with four children aged 2 – 9 in late October in order to be appropriately frenzied by Thanksgiving. So when my mom jumped on the driving bandwagon I about passed out with relief. I don’t care how many hours the drive is…it will be WAY LESS torture than flying. If you’ve known me at least 5 years than you know about the last Florida trip in 2002: Jeremiah’s screaming most of the plane trip, other passengers requesting to be moved to other areas of the plane but there is really nowhere to get away when you are trapped on a plane with a SCREAMING 16 month old, snot all over my shirt, his tears and mine mingling until we both collapsed asleep…yes it was NOT fun.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I can’t wait to meet Cinderella!
As a part of this dream, I’m hoping to make a stop in Atlanta to see the Stancils (the family I lived with when I lived in CO…they now reside in Atlanta)…that would be awesome…we’re driving right through Atlanta anyways so I’m hoping a stop for a visit will work out.
(Seriously feel free to stop reading my ramblings and resume at a later date if I’m freaking you out, but I have literally been dreaming of it, planning it, getting weepy about it, and creating different scenarios regarding it ever since my mom brought it up 22 hours ago. I’ve googled the trip directions…including a stop in Atlanta…I’ve looked up the parks website I think I’m gonna have my November homeschool unit be on Disney…biographay of Walt, the history of the park, research each of the theme parks, EVERYTHING!)
Ohmigosh! So last night after my mom called to tell the boys, “We’re going to Disney!” the kids are conga dancing around the house, “Disney, Disney, DisNEY!” within 15 minutes Noah comes up to me and says, “Mom are we gonna swim in the ocean?” “Yes Noah” “But mom there are sharks in the ocean.” And before you know it they are ALL crying (seriously crying tears), “I don’t want to swim with the sharks and get eaten!” ohmigosh! I am going to LOVE the next three months….possibly even more than the actual trip  A wise woman told me anticipation is half the fun.
In conclusion, Noah did say to me last night, “Oma shouldn’t have told us until the night before we are going! I don’t know how I’m gonna make it till then!” I for one am going to soak up EVERY SINGLE minute until then! Thank you God for Oma! Thank you for the chance to go to Disney! Thank you for the amazing moments that are already burned into my mind as fond memories of our Disney experience…I really believe that the anticipation will be more than half the fun.

Oh I can't wait to meet you! Hannah's going to look so great in your picture together!