Disney World Recap with our 2 year old (!)

Hi friends! Just showing my face here to prove I still exist... I'm not sure what it is about a vacation, but it takes me weeks to get my act together once we're home. Our latest trip was no different, but I blame our crazy schedule while we were there for just totally wiping me out after!

In a span of five days we managed to drive to Florida, spend two days in Disney World for Rowan's 2nd birthday, celebrate with our friends at their rehearsal dinner and wedding, and then drive home. It was 110% exhausting but totally worth it.

Rowan is the most cautious child I know, so we spent some time prepping him for our trip. I was worried he would be scared of the rides so we showed him videos of the more popular ones before we left. That got him so excited that every time we left the house he was upset we didn't end up at "Mickey's House." On the other hand, he ended up loving the rides so maybe it helped?

There were so many new things at Magic Kingdom since the last time we were there pre-baby, like two Dumbo rides instead of one, a Winnie the Pooh ride (a huge hit for our little Christopher Robin!), a Little Mermaid ride, and new restaurants. We were lucky to have fast passes to all of the rides  (Thanks to a friend, you're the BEST!) so we were really spoiled and avoided long wait times. I have some fast pass tips below though!

Rowan was a bit clingy with so many people around but he requested to go on Dumbo twice and cheered after every ride, so it made my mama heart so happy.

The first day at Magic Kingdom was a long one and we somehow managed a stroller nap so that gave my husband and I a chance to check out some of the new food spots and an excuse to sit in the air conditioning. If you go, you have to check out Gaston's Tavern for the ham and cheese pretzel! The LeFou's Brew was also a hit for a hot day.

We also learned that our child likes the idea of characters, but he draws the line when they get within 20 feet of him. He did pretty good at the Winnie the Pooh character dinner (the breakfast was booked up waaay in advance) though, provided Eeyore didn't come anywhere near him and the rest of the crew made it a quick table visit.

The second day after breakfast and exploring the Animal Kingdom Lodge a bit, we headed to Epcot. Probably not the most toddler friendly of the parks but we couldn't miss the rides there for our little Nemo, Dory, and Frozen-loving toddler. The old troll ride in Norway was converted to a really great Frozen ride... I think that was my personal favorite actually!

Once we got back to my in-laws' house, we celebrated Rowan's official birthday with breakfast birthday cake and presents before my husband left for groomsman duties that day. We kept the Disney theme going with a Dory cake with an ungodly amount of colorful frosting... but it was delish and Rowan was crazy about it so that's all that mattered!

Quick tips for conquering Disney World with a toddler:

+ If you're planning a trip, I highly recommend getting the Magic Bands. They are included if you're staying at a Disney resort because they function as your room key. You can link your park tickets, Disney photos, fast passes, and use them while shopping or eating in the parks. It was so convenient!
 
 + We used to live in Florida so I knew that February (or basically anytime other than holidays and summer) would have lower crowd sizes and better weather. We still had 80+ degree days while we were there though!

 + Use the Disney World app to set up fast passes, see interactive maps of the parks, find showtimes and parades, or make dinner reservations.

 + Fast passes: You can have 3 fast passes scheduled at one time, an hour apart, and then once you use them you can get more. The app makes it super easy to set up more as you go.
 
+ Unless you want to spend a minimum of $60 for photos by the Disney staff, make sure to ask them to take photos with your phone or camera as well. We thought we could buy one or two separately but no, that is definitely not the case... so we have no photos of the three of us!

+ We stayed at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, which was so different than any of resorts I stayed at as a kid. Although we didn't have a lot of time to explore there on our short trip, I would definitely go back! The pool and playground were great for toddlers and they even provided a full size crib in the room!

The rest of our trip was so much fun but so freaking busy! Sadly my husband and I did not take a single photo from the rehearsal dinner or wedding! I think we were so excited to have two date nights in a row that we totally forgot we should document it. At the very least I wish I had proof that I do in fact still wear heels from time to time...

I did find THE most perfect dress for the upcoming wedding season though, so stay tuned this week for all of the pretty details!!

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Disney, Weddinging, and the week of no sleep

Y'all it feels so good to be home!

We had a wonderful long weekend in Florida but there is something about getting home and back into the swing of things that is rejuvenating.

I mentioned last week that Rowan was congested (thank you mamas for all of the recommendations!) but he is still feeling under the weather so we've got a Pediatrician visit, mountains of laundry, and errands on the menu today. Not only is he still sick but we think he is also cutting another tooth and going through separation anxiety as he would not sleep the past week unless we were holding him. So basically what I'm saying is give me allllll of the under eye cream and coffee today.

And despite all of this, Rowan was still his happy self during his Disney visit! We love the Epcot Food and Wine festival so we used it as an excuse to take Rowan to meet Mickey.

I'm pretty sure he recognized the characters since we let him watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while he eats his solids during breakfast and it was so funny seeing his reaction. It went from excited (babbling and smiling), to unsure as the characters got closer to him, and then to trying to grab and eat their noses. ha!

Rowan passed out for most of the trip "around the world," which was great because I got to stuff my face with spanikopita at the Greece tent, some delicious chicken dish I couldn't pronounce and sangria in Mexico, brats in Germany and pierogies at the Poland tent. Oh and a pumpkin spice funnel cake in the America section. So.freaking.good.

Nothing like taking family photos after you sweat in the Florida heat for a few hours. But seriously, this kid is such a ham I love him so much!

We also headed to the most beautiful wedding in Boca Grande on Saturday. The food was probably the best I've ever had at a wedding and the venue was straight out of old Florida. Think Rayburn House from Bloodline with a golf course view instead of the ocean mixed with Lilly Pulitzer. There were a lot of ridiculous dance moves that night.

We have so many fun things coming up... a trip to the pumpkin patch with Rowan's girlfriend Violet, visiting Ally's sweet baby boy, family photos, and more. Loving this Fall so far!

Hope you've all had a wonderful weekend!

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Our Fourth of July

There is something about a 3 (or 4) day weekend that is good for the soul. How can I get a few more of those?!

If you know me, you know I'm pretty holiday-obsessed. But the 4th of July will always be special.

This time last year we were telling our parents they were about to be grandparents, and making them swear to keep it a secret from the rest of the family for a few more weeks.

Fast forward a year, and we get to look at this sweet face everyday.

You won't see any photos of the fireworks we watched, the strawberry pie that disappeared before our eyes, or the wine that was consumed, mostly because Rowan had a full schedule and we had to keep up with his appearances.

Said appearances consisted of meeting another great-grandma, meeting my good friends from college including Louise and her sweet babe (instant bffs.. Seriously how are babies so cute together?!), his first trip to Siesta Key, and his first swim in the pool. He wasn't a fan of the beach, I suspect it's due to the 100 degrees with 100% humidity thing like his mama, but we'll try again in a few months.

 

He did tolerate his pool float when he figured out he could eat it so there's that.

Now it's back to the grind... making to-do lists out the wazoo and party prepping for this weekend! I hope you all had a safe and happy 4th of July! Yay, America!

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Weekend Getaway

My husband and I decided we weren't busy enough lately (that's sarcasm in case you missed it) and thought it'd be fun to drive to Florida Thursday night! So after a hectic work week, we got some much needed down time and spent the weekend with his family. 

Since we were so busy I decided to take a mini-blog and social media break, and honestly it felt good for this tired mama! I can't keep up like I used to but I am so ready to get back to regularly scheduled programming... Especially with the holidays on their way. Lots of festive fun coming up! 

As I write this we're just beginning our trek back home, so all I've got for you is my favorite photo from the weekend. I mean, how gorgeous is this sky?! 

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

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Gainesville, UF, and real Gators

Happy New Years Eve!! I hope you all have a fun and safe New Years!! Since we've been doing so much traveling lately, we don't have much planned for tonight. I really wish we had the energy to throw a NYE bash, here is what it wold look like if we were!

I'm trying to soak up every last bit of festive around here and perfect my 2014 goals, so until then I'm finishing up our little Christmas recap with a photo dump. As I mentioned yesterday, our trip for Florida for Christmas started with my first visit to the University of Florida, our Alma Mater, since I graduated in 2009. It was SO nostalgic walking past our old stomping grounds!

The hubs and I walked all around the empty campus with Ruby, taking photos and then grabbing a bite to eat at our favorite spot... The Swamp Restaurant.

I realize everyone thinks their campus is the best, so humor me because I had a hard time narrowing down my favorites!

My favorite spot on campus, next to the "Plaza of the Americas."

Our campus has this thing about art that looks like food, including the "fries" and "potato" in the center of campus.

The next photos were taken near the Baughman Center and Lake Alice on campus. How many people can claim they have seen real live versions of their mascots on campus?! Pretty cool, but kind of dangerous in this case.

After walking around the lake, we headed up to what could possibly be the greatest place on earth... Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, aka the Swamp. "Where only Gators get out alive..." except for this year apparently...

I used to run stadiums here... when I was in shape and the cheap college beer hadn't caught up to me yet. 

After leaving Gainesville we decided that our future children can go anywhere they want for college, provided that it starts with "The University of" and ends with "Florida." Ha!

Have you been back to your Alma Mater since graduating? Anyone else feel totally old there now like we did?!

See you all next year!! :)

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Our Florida Christmas

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and hopefully some extra time off to spend with your loved ones! My husband and I were lucky to have a whole week off for Christmas and although I was hoping for a little more down time, it was such a great week and not at all like the frozen Northern Christmases I'm used to!

After a few (ahem... seven) hours in the car and a quick stop in Gainesville (our alma mater, more on that tomorrow!), we finally made it to my in-laws and enjoyed our first full day with them boating and fishing in Sarasota Bay. Our day was made possible thanks to a fantastic organization based in Sarasota, the Special Day Foundation, which provides opportunities for children and adults with special needs or disabilities to experience a boat tour (among other things) with their family.

Ringling Bridge ahead

My brother-in-law has Spina Bifida, so since this was the first time in a while that the whole family was in town together, my Mother-in-law set everything up for us with the organization. He absolutely loved it and I think the fact that Steve and his sister were there with him was icing on the cake. The boat was large enough for his wheelchair so he was comfortable, we all caught fish (with the help of a great Captain), and it was an absolutely perfect day on the water. The Captain even fileted our fish and we cooked it up for lunch... I honestly can't speak highly enough of him or the Foundation!

I'm clearly not much of a fisherwoman (is that even a word?) since I refuse to touch the bait or the fish. I did get the hang of casting by the end of the day and a little sun on my pasty winter skin. Steve was the last to catch a fish and ended up with just one... which had me feeling pretty good about my 4! Ha!

The rest of our week was filled with family time, Facetime with my family up North, a quick trip to the always gorgeous Siesta Key Beach, fried hot dogs at our favorite spot on the water, the Old Salty Dog, and some shopping and macarons at Le Macaron in St. Armands Circle. If you're ever in the Sarasota area, please don't miss any of these spots!

As great as our week was, its so nice to be back home and get back into the swing of things. I'm not planning on taking down any directions until next week, when I conjure up the energy to do a little pre-spring cleaning and reorganization. I also just can't get over the fact that Christmas is over and 2013 is coming to an end!

So how was your Christmas week?! Anyone else feel totally sad about the holiday season ending, or are you happy to be done with all the craziness?

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