i think we have a problem

like an obsession kinda problem.
a disney obsession. 
like a we-could-go-every-six-months kinda obsession, but show a little restraint and waited eight.

is it because we love to fly a direct flight in the cheap seats?

or is it because 75% of us love the tower of terror?

and 100% of us love to cruise autotopia...

and sort of the smell of orange trees as we soar over california?

or is it because we love looking ridiculous on camera...

or getting so wet you have to wear your hoodie as a skirt?

aidan might say that it is the major gains in personal endurance that get you to come back.

you endure it's a small world for your mom...

and she will endure space mountain for you.

even if that means you have to rub her back while she maintains a fetal position.

nadia might say it is conquering her fear of the ferris wheel...

and tony might say that it is riding california screaming like a stud.

ok. it probably isn't any of those things.

but those things are great... 

and so are monsters...

and awesome grizzly river runs...

and swinging like a maniac...

and shooting the crap out of little light up thingies...

and just being totally cute...

maybe it is the discovering new things that keeps us hooked?

like disneyland's petting zoo! 

which, in case you were wondering, has the cleanest bathroom in all of disneyland.

oh yea,

and things like a dole pineapple whip.

they have some sort of restorative powers that are pretty much unbelievable. 

thank goodness for people like lindsay & karen who let us in on this must have.

but maybe that's it.  the whole shared experience thing.

that magical togetherness of waiting in lines.  not the lines that take an hour and a half in the blazing sun with a whistle blowing kid on one side and a group of ridiculous teens on the other.  but the lines where you people watch and tell stories and play the finger five game and talk about the future and what flavor of ice cream we are going to have for dinner.  those lines that put the four of us in a little pocket of time. 

 and the magical togetherness of brother and sister.

 and daddy-awesomeness. 

 and more togethery-togetherness. 

 sure that familyness can happen anywhere. 

but maybe that is why it's called the happiest place on earth?  because it is lots and lots of families doing that familyness all in the same place and maybe that is what makes it magical and makes us want more the second our feet step back into reality. 

we've been living

dear kids,

i know i said i'd write it all down on this little memory keeper, and believe me that i have been trying to keep it all stored up in my noggin...and my phone...but we have just been so busy living;



 living by chasing papa,

 and mel,

 and busy living it up with our friends,

busy rockin' the summer mohawk and working on life skills,

busy devoting 10-11 am every weekday and a beastly four hours to each meet,

 and we've been living the good life too,

 we've been living and loving some sushi and some best friends,

 and holding up tradition celebrating the fourth at the grand 'ol parade,

mixing it up by party hopping,



 and winding it down with the river of fire,

and we have been stealing moments away for just your parents,

 and we have been so busy living it up...

and loving all of this time together that i haven't done my best and getting it all on here. 

sorry kids. but the sun is calling, so let's just pretend that all of these phone pics are kinda the same thing, k?
you're the best.
love,
mom

baseball lessons

these two crack me up.  aidan with his pants all hiked up and his tight lipped smile.  nadia with her grin so cheesy it squeezes her eyes closed.  and playing baseball together, forget about it.
too stinking cute.

aidan loved day one of the cougar baseball camp, but a migraine on day two kept him home with me.  i want to punch migraines in the face, hard, with brass knuckles. 

nadia was the only girl in a sea of 9-14 year old ballplayers.  she worked twice as hard and even hit a home run grounder.

i wanted to pick the coach up and put him in my pocket and bring him right home with me.  at the end of the day his focus was on the importance of being responsible for yourself and your things and how that will make you a better ballplayer.  he preached the importance of being competitive, but not to beat others; competitive to make yourself better.  he reminded the kids to be unselfish on the field and at home and most of all to thank their parents. 

i guess that means we are stuck with this baseball thing for a while.  -sigh-

the dad

to tony...
there are a million reasons why you are the perfect dad for the two little lovely leapers from our loins, but may we just this time focus on one?
it is the most important after all.
it is the thing that made you & i an us and which because you are so very good at math might have guessed, made them ours.
it is your sense of humor.....

"you see that pony?  he was going to perform tonight, but he can't.  he's a little horse"

every blessed time we pass a pony, this is what we here.  this and tony's stifled giggles. 

every time people. 

the little guy above sits in our kitchen window. i am sure it looks a little silly up there, all smug and important in it's giant bell jar.  silly like the look on the tonester's face when he cracks himself up over his joke.  knee-slapping funny, that guy is.  and we can't help but laugh, and roll our eyes just a tiny bit.  and do you know that we love it?  and we love him to pieces and pieces and pieces.

slow down

we are only 5 days into summer vacation and i feel like it is flying by already.  our summer bucket list is nearly finalized and our journals are primed and ready for short travels.  now if we can remember to just slow down and enjoy it...

vaulting

what might make a nadia smile like that?

well, you see, nadia is thick with megan, hannah and the squish. 

annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnndddd......

megan is q's sister and tracy's daughter.  tracy is super cool because she is also the pe teacher, but megan's dad is awesome too because he teaches woodshop which nadia just knows is going to be her favorite class.  the squish is really sienna and is hannah's little sister, but most importantly is just one of the girls.  hanna and sienna have  a super brad dad who teaches science with nadia's mom in a long distance kinda way.  super brad dad is also dad to spence and auzzie who have very little to do with this story but are always worth mentioning.  this really starts with hannah's mom who is really sienna's mom too and is all kinds of genius in her own right.
staying with me?
it was hannah's mom who initiated the super cool tradition of a birthday surprise instead of a birthday party.  for two years running, she has listened and plotted and planned and came up with the best birthday experience that her girl hannah could ask for.  a perfectly picked non party, party if you will. 

tracy carried the torch back in march for the meg-arama's 9th birthday and passed it on to me for the nani-nonster.




and that is why you see my little nani b standing on a perfectly good horse right there. 

yesteryear...

i used to do a lot of this...

i know it looks glamorous,
but i didn't do it for the fame, or the accolades or even the super soft lanonlin hands... 
i did it for the money.

and sometimes i would do this too...

but not for money...
just because i really wanted to gross my mom out.

now i just do it to hang out with my dad and get my mom to cook for me.

(ok, and because my kids love being at there and because it is really funny to watch tony wrangle a sheep)