Our Disney Vacation

As you may have seen from my previous post. Its been on my bucket list to go to Disney with my husband and kids, especially since none of them had ever been before. Well I finally got to cross that off the list! My wonderfully amazing husband took all of us for mine and Lilly's birthday!

Day One: Disney Hollywood Studios.

Our first ride of they day was "Star Tours" and then we started working our way around the rest of the park with the "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure", then went to meet Buzz and Woody (but the line was too long), Then we went and Lilly got to meet Princess Sofia, which pretty much made her whole day. After that we decided to go see the "Voyage of The Little Mermaid" show, followed by lunch at PIZZA PLANET, where the food was good and Lilly got to play some games with Mr.W. Once we finished lunch we went and got our fastpasses for "The Great Movie Ride" "Tower of Terror" and "Rock 'n' Roller Coaster" between the movie ride and tower of terror we attended the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and Light, Motors, Action! car stunt show. We finished our day by catching the early show for "Fantasmic!" and then headed back to the hotel for the night.

Day Two: Disney Animal Kingdom

We decided to start by getting our fastpasses for the day, then made our way over to "Expedition Everest" and did one of the trails where we got to see some tigers and bats! We then headed over to see "Finding Nemo: The Musical" and I must say that it was pretty adorable. Then we went to "Adventurers Outpost" where we got to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse! We then had lunch at the "Rainforest Cafe" once we finished we went on the "Kilimanjaro Safaris" Logan slept through the whole thing and we got done just in time to catch the PARADE. Once the crowd cleared we went over to DinoLand me and Mr. W rode "Dinosaur" and took lilly on "Triceratops Spin" and met Goofy and Pluto! Then we made our way over to the tree of lfe and watched "It's Tough to be a Bug!" we also went to "Rafiki's Planet Watch" where lilly met Chip and Dale and then we headed out for the day.

Day Three: EPCOT

Our day started with a ride on "Spaceship Earth" followed by a visit to "Innovations" where Lilly got to put together an emergency kit, and me and Mr.W designed a rollercoaster on "Sum of the Thrills" we then went and got our fastpasses starting with "The Seas with Nemo & Friends" then walking around the aquarium. We then went to the Electric Umbrella for lunch, and then began our walk around the world showcase we got to Norway and found the line to meet Anna and Elsa from Frozen We took turns standing in the 3 hour line to meet them, but it was definitely worth it to see Lilly so happy. Once we were done with that we went over to "Test Track" and "Mission Space" followed by watching "Illuminations" and then heading out!

Day Four: Magic Kingdom

Once we were inside the park we walked over toward Tomorrowland and went to the "Laugh Floor" and then "Space Mountain" after that Lilly and Mr.W went on "Dumbo"  we walked around over toward the castle so that Lilly could meet Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty then we grabbed some lunch from Casey's Corner. Then we went on "The Barnstormer","Under The Sea", Lilly got to meet Ariel, "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad", "Peter Pan's Flight", "It's a Small World", "The Haunted Mansion" Had dinner at the Tomorrowland Terrace followed by "Stitch's Great Escape" "Incredibles Super dance Party" and then the "Main Street Electrical Parade" and then "Wishes nighttime spectacular" and that was the end of our amazing trip!

It was so much fun and I couldn't be happier that we were able to go. The kids had a blast. Even though Logan slept through parts of it, and Lilly was so excited she could hardly function, I can hardly wait to do it all again in a few years!

Jet Lagged

So as most of you already know we went back to the states, for leave, last month. And we had a BLAST!!! We went to Florida for 2 weeks and Michigan for 2 weeks. We went to SeaWorld, Disney World, the beach, deer feeding, snowman building, and had a bowling party for Lilly's Birthday. But now we are home and the kids are having a difficult time adjusting to the time change again.

The first night was fine. Everyone was so tired that we were all in bed by 10pm. But every night since than hasn't been so easy. I'll try and put them in bed between 8-9 like usual but Logan wakes back up between 1-3 am and is awake for a couple hours at least. Lilly wakes up too, but she just hangs out in her room watching movies or playing with her toys. Last night was the first night in over a week that they both actually slept through the night. IT WAS A MIRACLE!!! 

I will make separate posts for our trips to Florida and Michigan soon.

BYE

" If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It"

So I stumbled upon something recently that has triggered a sudden obsession, and its an obsession shared by many people of all ages... I want to go to...

Its #2 on my bucket list, and it all started when I saw this completely adorable and pretty irresistible purse on the Disney store website.

 

(I'm keeping my fingers crossed in the hopes that I get this beauty for my birthday in a couple of months.)

But that was it... the trigger. Ever since I saw it I am all things Disney. Lucky for me, I have a three-year-old daughter so I can get away with my little movie marathons. But I'm stuck. 

 I even found and decorated this box to start my fund with.

 I just started it this month, but I'm thinking that if I keep saving for the 2 years we have left in Italy, we can take a family vacation to "the happiest place on earth" once we are living back in the states.

Wish me luck                  

Race for the Cure

On Sunday I participated in my first official 5k run. It was for a very good cause and I feel I did a very good job. My goal was to finish my run in less than 40 minutes and I did it (just barely, but I did it!)

The run took place in Bologna, Italy. The only thing that would have made it Better would have been if it weren't raining.

After we finished the run we were able to wonder around town and eat for a couple of hours. We found a nice pizzeria, a bakery, a very expensive mall, and just took in the sights. 

Here are some pictures from the day:

(From left to right - top then bottom)

1. We found a €21,000 Prada bag. 

2. My race bib

3. My running buddy, Stephanie.

4. A map of the run and my time.

5. Me before the run.

6. Our celebration cannolis and cappuccinos

Torre di Pisa

So this past week Mr.W had a few days off, so we decided to take a day trip to Pisa and Camp Darby.

It was a few hours away but the drive through the mountains was beautiful. We stopped at Camp Darby and grabbed some snacks and then headed into Pisa. While in town we stopped to see The Leaning Tower a.k.a.  Torre pendente di Pisa.

 It was a fun day and it was nice to get away for a bit.

PCS Update

So originally we were told we were going to Vicenza, then Mr.W got orders to Livorno, and now we are going to Vicenza again. Hopefully the army doesn't change it again.

Mr. W is flying out at the beginning of February and sadly me and the kids won't be able to go right away because we have to wait on Logan's passport and visa to come back, and that will be a minimum of 6 weeks wait from now. It sucks that we are going to be separated again but at least it won't be for too long.

Our house is being packed up at the end of the month and will be in Italy sometime in march hopefully.

I'm really excited to go to Italy but the process of getting there is becoming more and more stressful and I can't wait until we are finally there and all settled in!

Jumpy, Jittery, And Just Plain Nervous

For the past few months I couldn't help but think about how uncertain our future was. Mr.W was getting out of the army, we were having another baby, and no plan on where to go or what to do after the army. we had about 6 months to figure it all out.

Well that problem is solved. Mr.W has decided he wants to re-enlist, which I am absolutely fine with. So at least now I know that Mr.W will have a secure job for the next 4 years. However, what I am still trying to wrap my head around is where we are going in about 5 months...

Italy.

Yep. We will be PCSing to Camp Ederle in Vicenza, Italy.

Don't get me wrong, I'm very excited to be able to go somewhere that we could only dream of going before. But I'm very nervous at the same time. We have NEVER PCSed before let alone moved internationally. So along with the normal stress of moving with a 2 year old and a newborn, we have to worry about transporting our car, our belongings, and ourselves. We have to get passports and visas, new licenses just so we can drive our car, makes sure our pets are up to date on shot and have multiple copies of their records, and so much more. 

Maybe I'm over thinking all of this or maybe I'm in the right to be so nervous about all of this. its just nerve wrecking to know all the things we need to do with only 5 months to do it and no official orders yet.

Someone HELP ME!

Sunday Report

So I haven't blogged since Tuesday and I wanted to fill you all in on my eventfully last few days...

Wednesday I was woken up by a phone call from Directv calling to tell me that they could install my dish a day early, so of course i jumped on that and was rushing around to get ready for them before I left for work, only to discover that my work schedule had changed and instead of needing to be there at 11am, I didn't have to be there until 2pm. They got here around 12:30 so I was so happy and thought they would finish by the time I had to leave for work....WRONG... when I returned home at 5 he was just leaving! But I have to say...I'm LOVING the service and all the additional channels. (especially Disney Junior for Lilly)

Shortly after I arrived home I had to go pick up Mr.W from work and then pick up some food for dinner.

Thursday was not as eventful. I had to work 12-8 and it sucked... I stood in one spot prepping stuffed crust pizzas for almost 3 Hours, before doing that I was cutting and boxing pizzas for about an hour and after the stuffed crust I got some other dough ready for the night. Needless to say that my feet were KILLING me by time my shift was over, so I came home ate dinner and fell asleep.

Friday I was at work for about an hour when I had an "episode". If your wondering what an "episode" is, let me explain. I'm usually working when suddenly I will become very shaky, dizzy, lightheaded, nauseous, short of breath, having blurred/spotted vision and my heart will be racing. Anyways. The last time I had one of these I called the Hospital to make an appointment to discuss this issue with a doctor. Instead of an appointment I got told to come into Labor and Delivery next time I experienced one of these "episodes" and this brings us back to the beginning of Friday. 

I had Mr.W come get me and take me to the hospital after checking in and being put in a waiting room for about 45 minutes I finally got put in an exam room where I sat with my HUGE cup of water and was strapped to all those awesome monitors so they could keep track of me and baby. about 1 Hour and 32oz of ICE COLD water later I gave them their sample and then waiting to see if they found anything. another 45 Minutes later they gave me my discharge instructions which were as follows:

- Drink plenty of water
- Make sure you're eating enough 
- Rest

It was pretty much a waste of almost 3 hours! They didn't tell me anything I didn't already know! So by time we left and got home I was SUPER hungry and ready for a nap. We went home napped and then went to dinner. It was a nice quiet night with Mr.W and Lilly.

Yesterday we decided to have a beach day and drove down to Holly Beach. It was a little bit windy but we had lots of fun. We even got to take Rocko to Petsmart where he got a new ball for the beach and some treats.

After we finished swimming we found a pet friendly hotel and went and washed everyone up before heading into Lake Charles for dinner and some shopping. It was so nice to get away from Fort Polk for just a day and have some quality family time.

We found a dog park for Rocko to run at this morning before heading home and now we are just getting things ready for the week ahead. Hope everyone else is having a good weekend as well!

The Sunshine State. . . a.k.a. Florida

So for the last week and a half Lilly and I were in Florida visiting my dad and sister. and we had a fun time. Our trip started off kinda rough mostly because my first flight to Atlanta was DELAYED... so instead of getting in to Tampa at 7:20, we got in at 9:30 p.m. but it was worth all the stress and trouble when we finally got there and saw them waiting for us there. and enjoyed our late night dinner at Denny's :)  It was pretty tasty considering we don't have one around the always lovely Ft. Polk (sarcasm intended)

The Saturday and Sunday were shopping / hanging at home days. Sunday night however, my sister was kind enough to watch miss Lillian while my dad and I went to Hooters to watch the Packers pound the Falcons... it was an exciting evening for us. Just wish Mr. W could have seen it (he was working)

Monday-Thursday my dad had to work but was home early-ish to spend time with us and we went out to dinner EVERY NIGHT... it was so nice. we had sushi and even went to Carrabba's as part of my dad's Christmas present. We did some minor shopping during the week... I even found these A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E sunglasses for Lilly...

♥ Such a little diva ♥

 FRIDAY was a super fun day for us. We went to Busch Gardens (free thanks to Mr.W) Lilly really enjoyed looking at all the animals and watching all the rollercoasters. Her grandpa even got her a super cute stuffed giraffe with a hot pink "Busch Gardens" hoodie. Here are some pictures from our day...

Looking at the ducks with Grandpa...

Watching the flamingos...

They even matched...

Posing for some pictures

In the words of Mr. W... "why are you trying to feed our daughter to a tiger?"

LOVING THE TIGER. It was sitting there for a few minutes.

Watching the elephants and rocking my packers tee

Yelling at the elephants

loving on momma ♥

Yeah, I'm terrified of birds and that green blur is a bird flying right at me... AHHHHH!!!

It was a fun day :D

After we left we went shopping at the "International Plaza." Then we all went home and crashed in bed.

Saturday was another shopping day we bought Lilly some super cute clothes and her Grandpa even got her, her first official Packers tee. WHICH she wore sunday... and this brings us to one of the most eventful days of our entire trip... SUNDAY we woke up and were getting ready for breakfast, but before we left my dad wanted to scan some pictures onto his computer, it wasn't working so he went to check his scanner and leaned on the coffee table (which he and myself have done a million times) but this time the glass top broke and in he process of all of this my dad cut his finger open. When all this happened we had to go to the ER where we came to find out he had severed the tendon in his left pinky, which wouldn't have been so bad except he is a left handed nurse, and might need surgery so fingers-crossed everything turns out alright. after all of this was over we went back to the house got him all cleaned up and headed out to watch The Packers win the NFC Championship game against The Bears... Needless to say Mr.W, Me, and everyone else in Packer nation is super pumped to see them got to the super bowl

Go Pack Go!



But now I am home and doing alright. I even got help filing our taxes thanks to my always helpful Mother-In-Law. And it is a HUGE weight off my shoulders to see how much we are getting back this year.

Lovin My Life as A Mommy and Army Wife

Merry (belated) Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

So Christmas morning I got a surprise phone call from Mr. W. which was pretty much the best present ever. we didn't talk long but it was nice to hear his voice.

Our day started around 10:30ish and we opened our presents and since it was Lilly's first Christmas you can only imagine some of the things she got. Some items include a GIANT stuffed monkey, a "sing-a-ma-jig", and A ball that lights up and moves on its own... cool but kind of interesting. She had fun playing with all her toys but i think her favorite one so far is a little baby doll that her gammy and papaw gave her. She still has another Christmas coming in a couple of weeks when we go see my dad in Florida. By time all of the Christmas presents have been opened Lilly is going to have more toys than she knows what to do with, but i don't think she'll mind.

I hope everyone else had a great Christmas and has a very Happy New Year as well

Catch-Up

So I've been slacking in the blogging department for about a week now but I'm on vacation so can you blame me? anyways.... So last Friday Lilly and I left for Michigan. We flew from LA, to Dallas, to Chicago, and finally arrived in MI... Thankfully there was a nice USO center in the Dallas airport with a nice little kids area with a highchair and stuff so i could sit and feed Lilly in a quiet area. Not to mention how I was lucky enough to have my fabulous daughter be an angel the whole time... there was no crying or fussing on the airplanes or in the airports...

we also made a new friend on our flight from Dallas to Chicago... our flight attendant Christy... she was so sweet...

we finally got to MI and rested up and the next day was shopping and set up the Christmas tree with new ornaments and all. At the end of the night me and my MotherInLaw watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation... "SAY THE BLESSING" was our favorite line of the night.

Sunday and Monday weren't too adventurous. We ended up hanging around the house and wrapping Christmas presents and such, but Lilly did cut her second tooth and time with the family is always nice, especially when you rarely get to see them all. Tuesday was just hanging out at home again but once my SisterInLaw got home from school we made some amazingly cute mini cakes... Everyone got to try some, even Lilly

 and these are only a few.

Wednesday and Today Lilly and I hung out with my FatherInLaw since he has been off work for the holidays... I even made him some Pannukakku (Finnish Pancakes) on Wed. And today we went and did some last minute Christmas shopping and spent time with our cousins and grandparents.

and for those of you willing to try it here is a Pannukakku Recipe:

                    4 eggs                          1 c. flour
                    2 c. milk                       1/2 tsp. salt
                    1-3 tbsp. sugar            4 tbsp. butter

Beat eggs. Add milk, sugar, flour, and salt; beat well. Pour batter into a 12- inch heavy frying pan, which has been heated in a 425 degree oven with the butter. Heat the pan until butter sizzles. Bake for 20 minutes in a 425 degree oven until the pancake is puffed and nicely browned. Serves 6-8.