Disney World Day 1 and 2

 Remember back on Christmas Eve when we surprised our kids with a 7 day trip to Disney World? 

Well it was finally time for our trip! We feel so lucky that Tyler didn't have to start his job for a few more weeks so we could go on a week long, very much needed family vacation together. We made so many memories and had so much fun along the way. 

We left soggy, wet, snowy Utah on Sunday, January 14. We ate at the airport and then settled in for our 4 hour flight to Florida. The kids were great on the flight and were content to watch shows the entire time.

We got into Florida late Sunday and checked into our hotel. By the time we were in bed it was like midnight. We knew we had to wake up early, and ended up only getting a few hours of sleep that night. We stayed off property at a Residence Inn, so we learned quick that it takes a long time to get into the park. Disney World is huge. Everyday it would take us at least an hour to get into the park from our hotel. We decided our first park would be Animal Kingdom. This park had the earliest closing time and since we were going on little sleep, we thought this would be the best option since we could go to bed early that night. 

I remember going to DisneyWorld with the cheerleaders back in the day when I coached, but so many things had changed, so it felt like a new adventure for all of us. I do remember one of my most memorable rides at Animal Kingdom was Expedition Everest, so we made that our first ride. Disney is great at the details, and we had fun waiting in the short line with all the fun things to look at. 

This ride was one of our favorites because at one point you think the ride is broken at the end of the tracks, but then it takes you backwards on the roller coaster. We loved this ride so much we went on it twice in a row!!

I think my favorite memory of the trip might have been when I would straighten Brynnli's hair everyday and within a few hours it would curl like this: 

Gotta love humidity! Look at these cute ringlets!

Love the Pringle duck lips Caden!

One of the main rides at Animal Kingdom is the safari ride where you can see a lot of different animals. We saw rhinos, giraffes, flamingos, and some other weird animals I have never heard of. 

We watched the animal show and the kids got laughing so hard at the singing parrot who sang "Old McDonald"

We saw Kevin from Up

Animal Kingdom had a lot of fun shows. One of my favorites was the stage show of Finding Nemo and Festival of the Lion King. 

We had to get our iconic picture in front of the tree, which looked even cooler at night. 

Some of the other rides we loved at Animal Kingdom was "Flight of the Avatar" which was a cool 3D flying simulator and Dinosaur, which was very similar to the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland. 

Animal Kingdom closed at 6 pm which was perfect because with the time change and our lack of sleep, we were exhausted! We got Chick-fil-A door dashed to our hotel (which was so ridiculously overpriced), and called it a night at 9 pm, which was 7 pm at home. 

The next day we were up early and ready to tackle Epcot. The only thing I remembered from years ago was that Epcot was kind of lame, but so many people we talked to before we left said Epcot was one of their favorite parks in DW. We got our iconic picture in front of the geosphere. 

Caden is pretty tough to lift it all by himself!

Our first ride had to be Frozen. I love this movie because it reminds me of our kids. Makayla is Elsa, Brynnli is Anna, and Caden is Olaf. 

This ride might have been my favorite. I loved that it was a ride that none of us had ever been on and it was full of surprises, like when we went backwards on the boat and climbed the mountain to Elsa's castle. 

Festival of the Arts was going on so the kids got to be in some famous paintings. 

We met Joy from Inside Out

Tyler said he remembered this part of the park from when he came to DW over 30 years ago. 

We loved the Moana themed water park. You could do these cool moves with your hand to make the water move and dance. 

We restored the heart of Tafiti

And we can't forget cute Pua, one of our favorite characters from the movie. 

Yes, she is just as perfect as Mary Poppins. 

Before we knew it our day at Epcot came to an end, but not before the amazing fireworks show. 

Some of our other favorite rides at Epcot that didn't get pictures: We loved Remy's Ratatouille Adventure where you feel like you are a rat as you scurry through the dining room and kitchen of the restaurant. We also loved Guardians of the Galaxy ride which is a cool roller coaster that goes spins around 360 degrees. It was unlike any roller coaster we have ever been on and it was so incredibly cool!! One of our favorite memories is riding Mission: Space. We had no idea what to expect with this ride and we were quickly starting to regret it once we were in the enclosed space ship. I was pretty sure if I didn't calm my mind I would panic and start hyperventilating. I could not wait for this ride to be over. Turns out Tyler felt the same way and realized just how claustrophobic he is. We both vowed to never ride that one again... how did the kids do? They liked it... crazy kids.   

One of my favorite memories is the ride back. We had to take a few shuttles back and Makayla and Brynnli both laid their heads on me. I could feel Makayla's head start to fall down and knew she fell asleep on my shoulder. I had Makayla on one side and Brynnli asleep on the other and it was one of my favorite memories ever. 

Day 2, done. 

Welcome to 2024

Well here we are, ready to start another amazing year with our amazing family. We have so many things to look forward to this year. We have some fun family vacations, Makayla will venture off to Oakcrest girls camp, Caden will be starting middle school, Brynnli will turn the big 10, and Tyler and I will celebrate our 15 year anniversary, just to name a few. 

Here's how we got the new year started: 

Tyler officially accepted a new job. He will be working as a consultant for Stantec starting the end of this month. We made the decision to accept the job with Stantec after a lot of thought, prayers, and research. This job is different from the contracting world Tyler is used for the last 12 years, but we feel this is the the place where he will be challenged in his work and where he can settle into a consistent, stable work environment. Tyler will still work from home, and occasionally go into the office. He won't have to travel as much, which is a huge benefit. They were so great to work with Tyler on his starting date which will be Jan 29, so in the mean time, we (and by we, I mean Tyler) have started remodeling our basement. I am so excited for a brighter, updated basement with a kitchenette!! Tyler added can lights to the basement and Caden learned how to wire them. Look at my electricians!

One of the things we have always hated about our basement is under the stairs. It is an awkward space because of the supporting beam, but we wanted our basement to feel more open, so Tyler figured out how to keep the supporting beam in place, but open up the area. What we have imagined is going to be amazing, but for now, here's the progress. P.S. Tyler is lookin sexy in that tool belt and head light. :)

We had so much closet space that we were not utilizing, so Tyler tore out the closets and this is where we will be adding our kitchenette. 

In other news, Caden started playing church ball with the other deacons in our stake. Church ball is intense!!

Caden got ordained to the Aronic Priesthood and was set apart as a Deacon. We are so proud of Caden and the great example he is to all of us. We love watching Caden pass the sacrament each week. 

Caden, David, and Nate are the newest deacons in our ward. 

New haircut for Bella. Who dis cute puppy?

Nothing like a refreshing bowl of snow with flavored syrup on a cold winter day, huh Brynn?

Caden loves protein... nothing like a big breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon. 

Gettin ready for our trip and Makayla and Brynnli were having fun at the store riding their horses up and down the isle. 

Meanwhile... Caden and I went to the Jazz game

These two are the cutest. One of the things I love the most is these two getting ready for school together in the morning. They are so cute and helpful to each other and really make our mornings fun. 

Disney dinners are back! We love jambalaya. 

Makayla is doing a solo this year and Brynnli is doing a trio. We got to see their dances at the Synergy competition. Makayla's dance is a lyrical dance called "Deep End". She is such a beautiful dancer and her dance got High Gold. Brynnli is in a trio with her dance friends Arissah and Pearl. They are doing a jazz dance called "Rosie the Riveter". They are the three cutest and sassiest dancers. Their very first time competing they got Platinum! I can't wait to see them compete again. 

And we can't forget this awesome bother who cheers on his sisters at every competition! Look, he's even trying to master the "Brynnli sass"

Makayla is teaching her siblings the importance of skin care, nails, and Be Real. 

All that beauty prep requires a little beauty sleep. Just kidding. Makayla got sick the last part of the month. Tis the season, right?

Gosh, I love this family!