Disney Wishes Fireworks, January 14, 2009

First, I just want to tell you that the kids are on day 3 of school, and aside from a few complaints about the length of the day from Scoty (he used to finish at 1pm and now finishes at 3pm), they have been happy and even excited to go! Thanks to all who prayed for them! So far, so good!

And now, I thought I'd share a short video clip I took while we were watching the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. My pictures of fireworks turn out mediocre at best, so while we were there I thought I'd try capturing a short video clip of the finale. It turned out pretty good for my little point and shoot camera, and the kids have expressed that it makes them feel like they are back at Disney World! That's what I was going for. Anyway, I thought some of you might enjoy seeing the finale of the Wishes fireworks from Disney World. It was really something to take in!



ENJOY!

First day of school jitters

Oh, I've got the first day of school jitters...for my kids! They begin school here tomorrow morning. They are excited and nervous and anticipating a good year. I'm biting my finger nails off and praying we have made the right educational decision for them. It's never easy to make choices that affect your children.

Prayers are appreciated! Pray for new friends, a warm reception, and a good rest of the year. Oi. Hope I sleep tonight!

Back from Disney World!

I just finished this blog post for our ministry blog and thought it worked here too. For those who read both, sorry this is a repeat! :) Enjoy!

Our latest travels led us to Walt Disney World! My mom had mentioned in passing more than 4 years ago that maybe she would take us to Disney World when we were back in the US. Maggie, who was 3 years old at the time, never forgot! She held her Mo-mo to that "promise," and Mo-mo didn't disappoint!

After months of mad planning by me (hey...it was a good stress relief for me to plan for a fun family vacation!), we finally flew out on January 8. A small, funny mistake? When I booked the flight out of Allentown via Newark, NJ, I failed to notice the little note that read, "Continental Bus Service" next to the Allentown flight. Yep...we were on a bus to Newark! :) The kids were excited, but I have to say the adults on the trip were less than thrilled. We didn't realize it until 2 days before we left!

We stayed at the Disney All Star Sports resort. With it's larger than life sports decorations and fun theme, it made a great place to crash at night. And that's pretty much all we did there! We were on the move!

Staying on Disney property meant we got to use Disney transportation to and from the airport and to and from the parks everyday. It was literally Disney Disney 24/7. It might have been a bit too much Disney for Scot and my Mom, but the kids loved it! And it was convenient.

We were off to the parks every morning at 7:30am and didn't get back to the hotel until 8 or 9pm at night. The kids did well with the long days. We had few meltdowns and nothing more than the usual sibling spats.

It was as magical for the kids as I hoped it would be. Meeting characters was exciting, especially for the younger 3. And even Thomas got excited about a few of them. As we exited the Buzz Lightyear ride at the Magic Kingdom, Scoty spotted Buzz Lightyear. I wish I had a picture of that moment! He shouted, "It's Buzz Lightyear!" and all 3 kids took off running to get in line to meet the Toy Story space ranger. It was fun!

Our days were filled with princesses and pirates, mice, ducks, bears, and dogs. :) We got to ride favorite rides over and over again, meet lots of Disney characters, take in some nighttime fireworks, see parades, participate in some Jedi training, enjoy delicious food and take in lots of Disney shows. It truly was a magical vacation by my estimation. It was a once in a lifetime experience for us, and I'm so grateful we had the opportunity to share it with my mom!

So, now it's back to the grind. The kids had physicals (and lots of shots and bloodwork! UGH!) yesterday, we got them registered for school, and we did a school tour of the elementary school where Thomas and Maggie will attend. We are all anticipating life on some kind of a "normal" schedule. Scoty has a doctor's appointment Monday with an Orthopedic specialist to see what's going on with his tip-toe walking (prayers appreciated for that), and then the kids start school on Tuesday. Please pray for a smooth transition for them.

So, that's where we are! Thanks for your prayers for us. Scot begins his spring tour on February 2 with 2 weeks back in Florida. The remainder of the tour will be done in Eastern PA. We've got lots of speaking engagements lined up. And, of course, our hearts are with our friends back in Palestine/Israel.

Disney Sneak Peak

Well, this is the first time I've been on this computer this week! I can't believe it either! :) We've got a lazy morning tomorrow, so I thought I'd take advantage and get a few pictures posted and let you all know we're having an amazingly wonderful time! The weather's been great everyday. Today we had some sprinkles, but nothing major. The rest of the time it's been warm and sunny! We've seen all 4 parks and are heading back to Epcot for dinner with the princesses and then ending our vacation at the Magic Kingdom on Wednesday.

Highlights so far? Toy Story Mania, Rockin Roller Coaster (managed 3 trips on that with a trading off fast pass and then rode in the single rider lane), Expedition Everest, Crush chose my kids during the Turtle Talk with Crush show, Scoty and Maggie got to be in Jedi training, we had ringside seats for the Block Party Bash parade at Hollywood Studios, dinner at Ohana was delicious, and getting to meet lots of characters without any long waits in line!

And here are a few shots (sorry...no time to edit!)...more to come, so check back soon!

Disney Dreaming

After all the planning and dreaming, the time has come for our trip to Disney World! We are staying with Regina to catch our 6am flight out of Allentown tomorrow.

We're so excited! I can't wait to experience Disney through the eyes of my kids! I know it'll be magical!

I don't know if I'll be online while we're there, but I'll be sure to share pictures when we get back!

Happy New Year!!!!

Between travels and family visits and SICKNESS, I've been out of touch these last few days! I've missed my blog and my blog readers! :)

Happy New Year to you all! I pray for you a wonderful, blessed New Year, full of joy and happiness! I anticipate God doing some pretty amazing things in our lives. May we all take the time to notice Him in the everyday things.

Our adventures have led us to Maryland to visit with my Brother-in-law and his family. Aside from me getting a weird stomach bug that hung on until yesterday and pretty much ruined my New Year's Eve, it was a great visit! We have 2 adorable nephews and it was a joy to see them playing so well with our kids. Georgia and Joshie took to each other and played and fought like brother and sister. And Isaac and Scoty, cousins of the same age, played really well together too. Uncle Wade checked and cleaned all of our teeth, and I even got to assist with Scot's cavity filling! As our lifelong friend, Mara, said yesterday, that's like some kind of awful nightmare you have when you are young: your older brother and your wife both hovering over you with sharp inplements and a violently strong sucking instrument while you lie helpless on a dental chair! :)

We got to catch up some and just hang out and have a little birthday cake for Scoty. I only wish they lived closer! As we drove to Walmart yesterday, heading in the same direction we drive when we visit Maryland, Scoty shouted, "Can't we just go to Uncle Wade's house in Maryland again!" :)

Yesterday Mara and her husband, Chad, came to visit! It was great to see them and just be able to hang out and catch up! We laugh a lot together, and I can honestly say that no one, aside from my sister, has as much of a connected history with me than Mara. She and I were together constantly from 3rd grade right through college! While we were talking, Chad was enjoying some major Wii time with the kids! They had a blast!

It's been a good New Year so far...and it's only going to get better!

CHOOSE JOY...December 28...

Today I am celebrating family! We got to visit with my sister at her house near Allentown. My parents tagged along. We went down Friday afternoon and spent the night. We brought the Wii and Scoty knocked us all out in boxing (check Mo-mo out in action!)! Then, after the kids were in bed, we got to play The Office trivia game with Regina. You really have to be an Office fan to play it, so it was great to have someone else as crazy as we are! After a lazy morning and some delicious bagels, we hit the ground running.

We were off to Scot's Aunt Norma's house for the Dressler Family Christmas Gathering. It's a house full of Dresslers! Aunts, Uncles, cousins, siblings...it's always a crazy time! Yesterday there were 50 people attending! Here's a picture of us with Scot's brother and some of his 1st cousins.

Today was a visit to our home church followed by Scoty's 6th birthday party. The grandparents were here, of course, and my Na-na, who'd been sick over the holidays, was able to come, which was a blessing for all of us!

So, today, I celebrate family. It's good to be close to our families, at least for a little while...

CHOOSE JOY...I missed a few days! :)

Looks like I missed out on my chance for the prize...but I had a good couple of days and a wonderful Christmas, so I've got a lot to be joyful about!

Christmas Eve was a fairly calm day. The day ended with a Christmas Eve service at our church and the annual opening of the Christmas ornaments. Unfortunately, Georgia Kate konked out during the service and could not be awakened. She slept on the couch while the ornament opening chaos ensued! My mom was there to experience the Dressler Family ornament opening.

Christmas Day started early for us. At 3am, Georgia Kate fell out of bed and bloodied her lip. We actually had the "Does she need stitches?" discussion. At 4am, Thomas was up, asking if it was okay to be awake. We sent him back, hoping to fill his head with visions of sugar plums. He was back in 5 minutes. So, we compromised. Normally they have to stay in bed until 6am. Because it was Christmas, I told him he could get up at 5:30. So, while he was standing there and I was desperate to get more sleep, I told him if he went back to bed, he could get up at 5:15. He was happy.

We were up at 5:15am on the dot. :) The kids were pretty much spastically excited. It was fun! And the Wii wasn't as big a hit initially as we thought it would be. Turns out our kids had no idea what it was. Now they know. And they haven't moved from the living room, wanting to try every game. Boxing and baseball have been the favorites so far. That thing is going to be addictive! I am glad to know I still have some baseball talent. My kids were amazed, asking me how I could be so good at batting. :) Yeah, I'm no athlete, but I never struck out when playing little league softball. I was the go to hitter. My kids now think I'm cool...or at least cooler than I was before.

We went to my in-laws house and got to open gifts with our nephews, which was crazy and fun. This visit was followed by a visit to my parents' house. My mom wasn't feeling well, which was kind of a bummer. But, we enjoyed a delicious meal and opening more gifts. My Dad took over the cooking duties and did a great job!

We were suppoed to visit my Na-na and Papa Joe, but Na-na has had a stomach bug and was still sick. Even today she wasn't able to handle the tornado that is the Dresslers, so we'll visit her tomorrow. It was disappointing to all of us, but better for her to feel good before we descend on her house.

And today we are headed to my sister's house. She had to work Christmas Day, which was a real bummer. But we're going to sleep over and hang out with her today and tomorrow morning. Tomorrow holds a Dressler Family gathering at Scot's aunt's house followed by a quick visit to Na-na and Papa Joe, if Na-na's feeling better. We are on the move.

How good it is to be home. I'm feeling tired, but happy. We are blessed. Life is good.

CHOOSE JOY...December 23...

Today wasn't a particularly eventful day, but it was still fun. We went to get the boys' hair cut, but the barber shop had closed for lunch, so we drove to Friendly's, which is actually quite a drive for us. Maggie had been asking about going to Friendly's. She remembered going there over 4 1/2 years ago and drinking blue soda. It was a must visit. Well, the kids were so excited and we all laughed a lot. They enjoyed their meals (though I'm not sure the food was as magical as they remembered! :), and then we drove back to the barber and got nice, Christmas cuts. The day ended with the older 3 kids decorating a gingerbread house with Mo-mo (my mom). They chattered about that nonstop. It was fun.

Yep. Another day where choosing joy was easy. :)

CHOOSE JOY...December 22...

Today I got to spend the day with my sister, Regina. Aunt Danni came to town to hang out with us, make some cookies, visit and just have fun. The kids loved having her, especially since she has to work on Christmas day. It was nice to have her come before the holidays to see our tree and just be with the kids. We'll be visiting her on Friday to spend the night and open some more presents.

I'm thankful that we're close enough to just hang out. I love to see how much the kids love having their Aunt Danni around. It's an extra special blessing. We are abundantly blessed.