We're home from our Disney adventure. It was awesome. But I'm still too

tired for a coherent post. Here are a few random thoughts, in no particular order

-7 days is the max for a Disney trip. By the 8th day you are just too tired.

-Mid-June was hot, as expected. However, no one could ever prepare you for just how hot and sticky it's going to be. No one can prepare you for feeling wet 24 hours a day. And you'd never guess that sweat dripping would become so normal you wouldn't notice it, or that you wouldn't care because everywhere you turn is someone just as sweaty, if not sweatier, than you. You'd also never guess that you'd happily pay $16 for a water bottle/fan thingy that your girls beg for.

But really, you'll buy it for your own enjoyment as much as theirs!

-Mid-June was NOT as crowded as we had thought it would be. We waited longer in food lines than ride lines. And while navigating the crowds while pushing 100 pounds of stroller should be an olympic event (Chris would win Gold in that one) the actual lines were NOT that bad,and

overall the crowds were tolerable.

-A note about strollers - a sit/stand double stroller made for 2 can easily accommodate 3 children (ages 6,4 and 1, approximate weight of 40,30 and 20 pounds) This greatly reduces the w

hining and potential for losing a child. However, it will increase your workload, because pushing 100 pounds is not for the faint of heart.

-Everyone is friendly at Disney. Even total strangers. Even when you ask a stranger if you canbutt into line to avoid standing in a food line 400 people long. That stranger, who will initially look at you like you are a freaking idiot, she will be friendly and chat with you on the bus later that day. We actually met a LOT of people while riding the busses around to different parks and hotels. Richmond VA, Washington DC, Tennessee, North Carolina, Michigan, Indiana, they were all friendly!-Abby attracts attention. One of her favorite activities was to be quiet and standoffish on the bus when strangers would try to get a smile or a wave. But once they'd give up and look

away, Abby enjoyed shouting as loud as she could to get their attention again and would then smile, wave, say "Hi" over and over until everyone was tired of it!

-Katherine is a total Ham. She is so so so funny! She is also only 39 7/8 inches tall. Somehow she was 40 inches on Big Thunder Mountain, and Splash Mountain. But if you ask the folks at Soarin', in Epcot, they'll tell you she's just shy of 40 inches, and therefore not able to ride. And if you want to see a sad, pathetic Katherine, Oh man, that's a face I won't forget. I'll take goofy, crazy, hilarious Katherine any day!

-There is no magic age for Disney. Abby had fun - she'd look around with big eyes, never sleeping in a show or on a ride (except the safari) She seemed to love almost every minute, having only maybe 2 or 3 meltdowns during the whole week. Katherine and Maggie thought everything was magic, and believed in every magical thing that happened. When the Disney photographer told them Tinkerbell was on the loose, but that perhaps she'd land on the girls hands if they held them open, they completely believed him, even saying later "I think I felt her wings on my hands" When Maggie got to "drive" the boat for the Jungle cruise, she believed she was actually driving the boat, and that if she didn't steer well enough we would go into the waterfall or crash into the trees. She still has no idea that she wasn't really steering at all. And at the end of the Epcot Fireworks, they turned around and sighed happily, saying "This is a dream come true"

-Although there is no magic age for Disney, the next time we go, I hope we don't have a stroller.

-Disney, for us, was a magical vacation and we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to go. And, I'm pretty sure that we're all excited to go again in the future!

Once again I'm late in posting. I guess I work better under pressure. Today's deadline is that we leave for Disney World in the morning, and if I don't post now, I'll be way too far behind to ever catch up once we get back next week! Well, that plus Dad gave me some grief. So here you are, a re-cap of the last 3 weeks.

Memorial Day weekend was gorgeous. We spent Saturday morning at Discovery World. We looked a many of the exhibits inside, but we spent most of our time outside, admiring the fire boat that was at the dock, and waiting for the Denis Sullivan to arrive. We also walked through Lakeshore State Park to enjoy the perfect weather, and of course, to strengthen those legs for Disney walking!

On Sunday, we drove to Evanston for some quality time with family - including Meg, John, Edward and Daniel who were in from Iowa for the weekend. Along with Nora, Mom and Dad we enjoyed a beautiful day and celebrated Katherine's birthday. It's always fun to watch the cousins interact. There were many trips up and down the block on bikes, some goldfish sharing, and best of all - an ice cream picnic! I captured this video while we were there as well.

The next week found us celebrating the end to Katherine's gymnastics class. She started in September, a nervous little girl who needed me to sit with her during the warm ups before she'd agree to participate in class. By the end of the year she was doing all of her tricks with confidence and has certainly mastered her "Ta-Da" pose. The video is hard to see, but you get the idea.

The end of the week was Maggie's Kindergarten Celebration. She recited a poem for the letter "A" - and was a star! It was really fun to watch all the kids recite their poems. I've been helping in class every 2 weeks, and so I could appreciate the growth, not just in Maggie, but in all the kids - from nervous kindergarteners to "big kid" first graders!

I'm adding this picture just for fun. The rest of the story is that Maggie and Katherine had been playing here, and actually created a fort for Abby, so she'd stay out of their way in the other room. But Abby is smart. And, as soon as the girls were distracted and left the window, I watched Abby scoot quickly over to where they'd been, and start messing up all of their creations. It was classic!
Maggie's last day of school was June 10.
Of course, it was also my birthday. I got a camera bag and new memory card for our Disney trip! YAY! And Chris and I had a nice dinner out on Friday - no kids! Yippee!

It was also the first day of our Block Rummage Sale. I had never done a rummage,but I figured we had plenty of baby things to get rid of, so why not. It was slower than anyone expected, but we got rid of a bunch of stuff, and made some spending money for Disney - so it really was a win-win.

This week has been so busy that I have no more pictures to share! Maggie's been in Vacation Bible School each morning from 9-12. I went to a conference in Rockford IL on Wednesday and was gone all day. Chris has been busy getting ahead of the game with his church things. Everyone preparing for our week away.

And so that's where I'll leave you hanging. What will happen with our trip? 5 adults, 6 children (6,6,4,4,4, and 1) 7 days at DisneyWorld.....Memories will be made, I can guarantee that! Come back next week to find out! And watch out Orlando, the Griswolds....I mean Seperskys....are coming!