Home is Sweet in Every Way

We're back from a week away to Disney World and couldn't justify blogging about it until our suitcases were unpacked and I had at least SIX loads of laundry washed, dried, folded and yes, put away. So here is a little bit about our first family vacation since our fifth member was added (over 16 months ago)...

Home sweet home! We have returned from Orlando and are REALLY appreciating the dry, cool air that Connecticut is giving us this holiday weekend. Florida was exciting, stimulating and adventuresome. We loved every minute of our days spent at Walt Disney World and saw and experienced more than we ever imagined a family with three small children could experience.

The above photo is us standing on the pier leading from our resort to the ferry landing. We rode the ferry to many of the Disney parks. That is Disney's "Boardwalk" in the background.
These are our little Mickey Mouse pirates! We rode "Pirates of the Caribbean" as a family... while Elias was intrigued, Sophia and Nicolas were terrified of the very life-like pirates and prisoners in the "cave". Tears were shed and howling echoed as our boat splashed through the dark and gloomy waterway. Half-way through the tears ended and they started to find the characters silly (especially the wife chasing her husband around in circles with a pitchfork aimed at his behind!!! This was of course Nicolas' favorite scene.). Afterwards, Nicolas chose to spend his "Disney Dollars" on a pirate sword and a very life-like musket. Very cool I have to admit.
I just LOVED this scene from "Singing in the Rain" and had to pose for a photo. The kids found it funny that Mom was having fun too! Imagine that... a picture of the mother on a family vacation (usually in our family I am BEHIND the camera!).
Who are these to lone beach combers? Sophia and Nicolas just loved the "beach theme" of our resort. A lake and beach, lagoon-style pools that lead eventually to a wading pool with sand bars. Perfect for them! We were able to lounge on the sand bars and just watch them swim. A lot easier than carrying Elias on my hip in a four-foot pool. Sophia got the hang of swimming underwater for a good distance. Nicolas was really loving holding his face under water and running knee-deep through the pools. And Elias, well he is certainly proving to be the most daring of our children. He insisted on wading chin-deep unassisted through the water. And despite a dozen plunges UNDER the water, he kept of going. By the end, I swear he was holding his breath!
There are about 200 photos that were taken during our visits to the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom. I am still sorting through them but wanted to share a few shots. There is SO much to share in the way of pictures and stories, but we'll save those for our face-to-face visits with our friends!

We are thankful for the long holiday weekend to give us a chance to unpack and get back to our "normal" routine. It feels strange not to head off on a shuttle bus or ferry first thing in the morning to experience adventure and newness. I will take it. There is nothing as comforting and contenting as the feeling of "being home".