Happiest Place on Earth? I think YES!

We started planning our trip to Disney World in Florida about 9 months ago. I have wanted to go since we moved here and we finally decided it was time to go. We started saving Christian's piano student money and put it into our Disney World fund. We told Berkeley we were going to Mickey Mouse's House for months and he has been asking about it constantly!
We had been to Disney Land with the Gentry clan close to Christmas a few years ago and I decided that was the time to go because it is double the magic (not to mention in Florida the weather is in the 70's in December)!

After what seemed like waiting FOREVER, the morning finally came. Our flight left at 7 a.m. so we woke little Berke up at 5:00 a.m. I told him it was time to get up and asked him if he knew where we were going? In his tired little state, he got a huge smile on his face and whispered, Mickey Mouse House! I told him I had a surprise for him and showed him a new Minnie Mouse doll (something he has been asking for for at least 5 months). He looked at it, grabbed it and hugged it; quickly he grabbed Mickey and was the happiest lad of all time. He wouldn't let these two mice down and we ended up taking them all the way to Florida with us.
Here is the early morning shot.
(Seriously one of the cutest moments)

Our flight touched down at 10:30 a.m. and we headed straight to Disney World. We decided to go to the Animal Kingdom. There was saw a great Lion King Show, The Finding Nemo Musical (Berke is officially now OBSESSED with Finding Nemo), went on a Safari and saw lots of cool animals. We even ran into Mickey, Goofy and Pluto. Berke was excited but apprehensive of his bigger than life sized friends. After the first day he was giving hugs to all his friends and SO happy to see them all. He couldn't stop talking about all the characters he met (and still can't), it is pretty stinking cute.

The next day we got dressed in our Target (much cheaper) Mickey gear and headed to Cape May Cafe to have breakfast with Minnie, Goofy and Donald.

Berkeley enjoyed his Mickey Mouse waffles while watching the characters and waiting for them to get him. I am pretty sure this smile says it all. This kid was in HEAVEN!

His favorite gal pal Minnie. He would have taken his Minnie doll everywhere with him if I would have let him.

Donald!
Berke ran and gave him a hug which was a huge step for this shy little monkey.

After Breakfast we wen to the Magic Kingdom! We started off in Fantasy Land where Berke enjoyed the classic Dumbo ride, Peter Pan flight, spinning tea cups and he loved It's a Small World with all the music and dancing.

His favorite ride was the Buzz Lightyear ride. We had to go on that one twice.
Meeting Mickey and Minnie was a huge highlight. We went into their private studio and had some nice time with them. Berke gave them both hugs and was happy to finally be at Mickey's house. He didn't quite comprehend that Disney World was Mickey's house, her literally was looking for his clubhouse I think. I was able to talk him into this room being part of his house so he finally felt we had been to Mickey's house. Kids are so literal!

We had a great time watching the parades, meeting more friends and dancing along to the shows. We met up with a friend from Brandies who was gracious enough to let Christian and I go on a few "big kid" rides while she watched Berke as he napped.

We attended the very Mickey Christmas Party where they lit up the beautiful castle! There was an amazing parade, hot chocolate, cookies, we attended a dance party with Goofy and Pluto, and enjoyed some snow on a 70 degree night.

The next day we went to Epcot. Berke was just waking up from a nap as we arrived as you can see.
This was a cool place, but my least favorite of the parks to attend with a small child. It had a great Nemo ride that Berke loved, but it was designed more for the older crowd if you ask me.

We did manage to find Daisy at the park.
Afterwards I told Berke we had met everyone; Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Donald and Daisy! Berke then said, but what about Chip and Dale. This kid doesn't forget anyone!

Wouldn't you know who was just around the corner right after he said that! These two chipmunks are the most adorable characters! They are so good with the kids. Berke was super excited to see them. He was so formal in his pictures, he cracks me up.

If I had a $1 for every time someone told me my kid looked like the kid in Jerry McGuire during this trip I would have at least $100 bucks.

Next day: Hollywood Studios
Such a cool place, but the crowd was CRAZY!! Until that day the crowds were very manageable and we never waited more than 10 minutes for any ride. Until Sunday at Hollywood Studios; apparently the kids were out of school and everyone had arrived for the holiday week. It was NUTS! We did manage to meet some great Pixar and Disney Jr. Characters but didn't wait for any rides that had a wait time of 120 minutes.
Berke did enjoy a fun show of Disney Jr. Playhouse. He even got pictures with Handy Manny and Jake the Pirate. He loved these two, even though the only time he watches Disney Jr. is when we are on vacation (the hotel or my parents have cable).

Lightning McQueen and Mater

We had such a fun vacation! Each day was long and full of fun. Seeing my little boy so happy and enjoying every minute made it all worth it. Twice during our time at Magic Kingdom he just randomly grabbed my face and said, "I love you Mommy!" and then kissed me.
I love this little boy so much!

I can see why they call this place the Happiest Place on Earth; Berke's face told that story oh too well.

Thankful...Gobble Gobble

I am so thankful for my family (even if my 2 year old wont stop crying the entire time we were paying good money to have our family pictures taken; I just stuffed smarties in his mouth so at least he isn't crying in the picture).
I love these three boys more than words could ever describe. I am thankful that they go along with me on all our silly adventures. That they make me laugh on a daily basis and laugh at my dorkiness. They really are just the best and I am so happy to have them in my life.

I am thankful for my parents, parent-in-laws, brothers, sibling-in-law (pretty sure that is a made up word), grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews.
I love that they are just there for me when I need them.

I am thankful for my friends, cause quite frankly they are the BEST! There is always a fun time to be had with the crowd I hang with.

I am thankful for chap stick, cause without it my lips would hurt real bad. (no seriously I love chap stick!)

I am thankful for my inhaler, cause without it I could not run or workout without coughing for hours on end. Even though my inhaler makes me feel like an old person, I love it for helping me breath!

I am thankful for my i phone, cause it has changed my life. I work with a boy from the Sudan whose mother has to walk 5-6 hours to get to a phone to talk to him. WOW, and I have an I phone, is something wrong with this picture? So if I am not grateful for my i phone that I am just plain selfish. I have so much!

I am thankful for my jobs, 1- as a mother, 2- as a social worker, 3-a wife, and 4- a friend. Yes they all take work, and yes they all make me a better person.

I am thankful for my car as it takes me to and fro in my daily life and on my fun family trips.

I am thankful for life, and try to live it without any regrets. We are blessed to be here and must take advantage of the blessings we have while we are here.

I am thankful for my new headband, my new warm socks, peppermint joe joes, eggplant, candles that smell yummy, my running group, amazon.com, computers, books, new couches, Mad Men, country music, air planes, dunford chocolate donuts, memories, my camera, toothpaste and lots of other really important cool stuff.

Hope Everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! I hope you remember to at least think about what you are thankful for on this day of feasting!

Thanksgiving in Utah

My parents, wanting to see their grandson, and not wanting to fly to Boston, decided to buy us tickets to Utah instead, for Thanksgiving this year. We usually stay home for the holidays and travel in the summer, but since the tickets were free and we were ready to experience the FREE grandparent babysitting I have been hearing so much about, we went.
Berkeley did very well on the 3 out of the 4 flights. The last stretch home, he was DONE being confined, but all the other flights he was a champ. Everyone comment on how well he did and of coarse how adorable he is.

We arrived in Utah on Wednesday evening and ate at my favorite...CAFE RIO!!! Then Christian, my brother, Stevie and I got up early Thanksgiving morning for a 5k Turkey Trot. It was FREEZING while waiting for the race to start, but once we started running things were good. I am glad I ran, because it was the only exercise that occurred on our trip and we did a whole lot of eating. It is weird, how much I have come to love to run (short distances). After I ran my first 5k in Louisville I never thought I would run again; but hey this year I have run 3, so never say never.
Thanksgiving was delicious and fun to be with my entire family. It is nice to be with family for the holidays; it has been awhile.

Friday morning, my Mom, Marci and I were crazy and got up at 4:30a.m. to hit the sales for BLACK FRIDAY. I am not sure why, I have never seen Target so insane, it was somewhat traumatic for me. But we did get some good deals and we felt pretty happy about that. Black Friday was also my 29th Birthday. I spent the rest of my day having lunch with many of my friends at Leatherbys and eating lots of ice cream. Below is Joel and I who just happen to share the same birthday, but until this year never got to celebrate together.

Later that evening, we used some of that WONDERFUL FREE grandparent babysitting and went to Wendover with my Dad and Lori to see Dwight Yoakam in concert. It was a fun time for all. Thanks Dad for the tickets!

Berkeley loved spending time with his grandparents. By far his favorite activity was watching the choo choo train go around the Christmas tree with grandma. He was just sit and watch it, it was adorable.

Tristen and Berkeley are cousins and only two weeks apart. They could not be more different from each other, but they both have the cute factor happening for them. It made me a bit homesick to realize how much family time Berkeley is missing out on; he could be so close to his cousins and grandparents if we just lived a few thousand miles closer.

Saturday I got my hair did. I love how cheap it is to get your hair done in Utah and how fabulous it looks when you are done. Oh to feel beautiful again.....priceless. We had the opportunity to get together with the Sorrels family at Chili's as well.

Here is Berke with his Grandpa and Grandma Sorrels. He was wearing his Utah shirt for the big BYU vs. Utah game, but we don't really need to talk about that, other than he wears RED well.

Grandma and Grandpa Sorrels with all four of their grandchildren, next year they will have FIVE. Nope, it's not me adding to the family, it is Stevie and Marci. I love seeing my nieces and nephew, they are so stinkin' hilarious.

My mom really wanted to celebrate Berkeley and Tristen's Birthdays while we were there; the boys started to find joy in unwrapping presents. They also each enjoyed a chocolate cupcake for the occasion. Berke was more interested in using the cake as finger paints than eating it, but he did manage to suck some of the frosting off his fingers.

Maren and Brock recently moved to Provo, Utah; since we were so close we couldn't pass up a chance to see their new house and their adorable kids. Berke was excited to play with his cousins even if this picture would suggest otherwise. We love the Kirwan family.

We went with the Kirwans and my parents down to Temple Square. We haven't visited Utah in the winter time for awhile, so it was nice to do the old tradition again. It really was so beautiful.

We also got to visit the Taft family on Thanksgiving and by taking the famous "Taft Park City Outlet Shopping Trip." There is nothing we Tafts like more than a really good deal!!!

Check this out:
Berkeley with his Great Great Grandma Taft

Berke with his Great Grandpa Taft

Berke with his Grandpa Taft

It was nice to have Berke see all of his family in Utah, even though I think he was a bit overwhelmed with all of the people all of the time. It was a really fun trip and I am so thankful for my wonderful family.
Christian and I realized we are not Westerners any longer; our skin was sooooo dry, we were not used to it at all. I would wake up every morning with a dry throat. Berkeley's cheeks turned bright red from being so dry. We also kept a steady stream of chap stick flowing.
Overall, great trip to Utah. Very busy, very fun, very needed.

Seattle

.day.five.

The last day of our adventure we did Julia and I's favorite Washington activity EVER, headed to the Olympic Game Farm. We took the ferry and drove to our location.

Julia got a new car since we went to the Farm last, she went from SUV, to not SUV. I feel much safer feeding these animals in an SUV is all I am going to say!

We fed the lamas.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture!
This is a huge elk thinking Berkeley is a yummy piece of white bread, Berkeley thinks it is hysterical!

Of coarse we fed the BISON! These creatures are soooo scary. They had babies this time and they use them as bate. We love feeding the babies, so we stop and feed the babies and then the momma bison would come and ram the baby out the way and try to eat our hands off.

We screamed, got majorly slobbered on, and laughed amazingly hard. Too much fun.

In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Julia and I just want you to know:

We had an amazing vacation! I can always have a good time when Julia is around! Seattle is a real cool city; we are forever fans.