365:58 - haircut

365:58

This shaggy boy was in desperate need of a haircut!

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365:57 - learning

365:57

Learning and coloring :)

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365:56 - first love

365:56

Many afternoons, the boys and I will go outside and the boys will play with Miss Lauren! Today was no exception. Benjamin is really showing more interest in Lauren. Today he would not let go of her hand, walking her around the yard. It was quite the sight and so precious!

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365:55 - shorts

365:55

Besides the amazingly cute kid and awesome sun flare, the point of this photo was to show that we are definitely in shorts and t-shirt weather! What's weird about California is that you could need jeans and a significant coat in the morning and evenings, but be in a bathing suit during the day! I'm looking forward to even warmer (but not brutal), summer days :)

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"Happiest Place on Earth"

Growing up in Florida, I had many opportunities to visit Walt Disney World and experience Magic Kingdom! I have such great memories with my parents and sister that I will always cherish! This past Saturday, Joshua and I had the amazing privilege of introducing our own children to the magic that is Disney when we took them to Disneyland in Anaheim, CA! What a fantasmic (I'm pretty sure that's a Disney term) experience! The bright smile that came across our sweet Samuel's face every time he saw a new Disney character in person or rode a new ride brought so much joy to my heart. I honestly had no idea that going with children (with all the chaos that that entails) could actually be more thrilling than going without them! It is a day that Joshua and I will forever remember and hope that Samuel does too! 

Donald was the first character we found as we entered the park! It was actually convenient that Samuel wasn't able to  officially meet him right away (Donald had a strict schedule to follow…) because when Samuel followed him away, he followed him straight to the "CAST MEMBERS ONLY" door. WHAT A TREAT he got himself into! Being there early and stumbling upon this door, allowed Samuel to be the first child to meet each character as they came out (or in) the door!

 Samuel wasn't the biggest fan of Daisy, but enjoyed the hugs…

Chip & Dale were heading back in when they, too, stopped to show some love to Samuel before the greatest part of our day………...

 See that HUGE smile on Samuel's face? That is what made any hard thing about the day completely worth it!! Minnie decided Samuel was going to be the apple of her eye for a few minutes and boy did he feel special.

 Not only did she kiss him…

 …and cuddle him…

 …but she proceeded to take Samuel under her wing and give him the special treatment…

 As Minnie was walking around, holding Samuel's hand, he spotted the one and only MICKEY MOUSE walking around! She could tell he was so eager to see him so…

 She hurried him straight over to Mickey Mouse himself and presented Samuel to Mickey before any of the other children could reach him. Joshua and I were SO very excited for Samuel! When we think about the entire day, we can definitely say that the first 20 minutes of our day was the absolute BEST!

 Our first ride (and Samuel's favorite of the day!) was the Astro Orbiter! The line was super short (compared to later in the day when Samuel insisted on riding it again) so they almost got right on. We were planning on it being just Samuel and Joshua but last minute, we tossed Benjamin in the mix and I think they all had a great time!

 Toontown was such a great place for little kiddos! Here, they were able to run around and be more free (especially in the earlier morning hours)

 Meeting Mickey for the second time…definitely not as climactic as the first encounter ;)

 So many great things to see!

 Benjamin waiting for the parade to start while brother took a quick cat nap.

 So many things to see during the parade! It was so nice to take a minute, sit, and enjoy some entertainment! 

 We watch parts of Lion King probably once a week!

 I had to get a picture of The Princess and the Frog float because it has a special place in my heart ;) The movie had just come out around the time that Joshua and I got married so the day after our wedding, we were staying in Orlando and Joshua took me to see it in the theaters! It was our first "married" date! 

 I love this kid's fascination!

 Between "Buzz" and the "Rockets," Samuel chose the rockets to be his last ride of the day. It was getting late and the sun was setting so we thought just one very long line would be enough. Throughout the day, the boys got to experience some great attractions: Pirates of the Caribbean (he LOVED this one, too), Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, and more! Lots of walking, eating, and family time!

 Classic.

 Love that face.

 The sky was so magical as the sun was setting behind Sleeping Beauty's Castle (made me miss Cinderella's castle in FL!) See my earlier post about Abba and the balloon!

 Love them!!!

Such a happy day at the "happiest place on earth!!"

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365:54 - chocolate shakes!

365:54

Because I'm lazy today and haven't even pulled out my camera, I'm posting a phone photo! This is from this afternoon when we went to In-n-Out for lunch and Joshua and the boys shared a chocolate shake! However, once it hits Benjamin's lips, it's pretty much his. 

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365:53 - Sneak peek of our day at Disney

365:53 

So I missed yesterday because we got home pretty late from our spectacular and magical day at DISNEYLAND! We took Samuel and Benjamin for an early birthday celebration (his real birthday is March 24th). It was SO much fun and I have plenty of pictures to prove it (though I'm saving them for a separate post). Here is one that captures the day. It is just as the sun was setting and Joshua had just bought Samuel $8 worth of helium a beautiful balloon that he had been wanting all day! I say this captures the day because Joshua was so generous and patient all day! There were moments when I thought I might collapse or that I became frustrated with the circumstances (long lines, heat exhaustion, whiny toddlers, etc.) but Joshua remained calm and excited throughout the day. I was so impressed (not that I expected anything else) by him and his fatherly love toward his little boys! I am so thankful for my husband and what an amazing dad he is! God is represented so well through him!

Stay tuned for some pretty awesome photos and sweet stories from our fantastic day!

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365:52 - excitement!!!!

365:52

Tomorrow, we are taking the boys to DISNEYLAND for an early birthday present for our Samuel! We got a GREAT deal on tickets through the college because it is Disney Day and the boys get in free! We've been pumping Samuel up by asking him where Mickey lives and talking about his favorite characters! I even bought these shirts for the boys to wear tomorrow! We are very, very excited to share these memories with the boys! The goal is to have FUN with little expectations to get it all in or have the perfect day. So, I think it will be a success!

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365:51 - life coach

365:51

Samuel and Benjamin having a bonding moment. Samuel was coaching Benjamin on the serious things in life.

And just a cute picture of Benjamin.

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365:50 - third trimester

365:50

We are in the third trimester as of today! Can't believe how fast this pregnancy is going by and can't wait to meet our little guy!

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365:49 - Abba's home!

365:49

 A pile of sticks… a boy's dream.

I feel like each day has become a mini-photo shoot which I love! Today, we spent a lot of time outside (LOVING this weather) and when abba came home, the boys ran straight to him! They love him!!!!!!!

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365:48 - fiddle fun

365:48

 Again, we have the best landlords a little family like ours could have! We were just about to go outside to play when our landlords came out with their fiddle and banjo! The coolest thing was when Samuel said "I'm gonna get my instrument!" and I said "what instrument?" and he brought out his tambourine! He LOVED hitting the tambourine and trying to keep a beat. It was so sweet to see his enthusiasm! We might have a musician on our hands! ;)

{iPhone video}

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365:47 - trains

365:47

Playing with the train set…that usually becomes a game of throwing the track pieces in the box and dumping them out again.

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365:46 - Chelsey

365:46

{iPhone photo}

Today, I was able to see my precious, sweet friend Chelsey WANG (she recently got married!!!) She is one of my dearest, most encouraging friends and I am so thankful for the bond that the Lord has given to us over the years! We met while doing our MABC in 2008 and she has since been such a special friend to me!

We met at a cute little Bistro in Santa Paula, ate great food, and laughed a ton! I love my Che Che and thank God for her!

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365:45 - Valentine's Day

365:45

Last night, we celebrated our 6th Valentine's Day together, the 5th one celebrated at P.F. Chang's! It has become our Valentine's Day tradition and we look forward to it every year! 

Joshua surprised me after work with a dozen roses :)

On the way to our dinner, we listened to the Wicked soundtrack! One of our first dates was to go see the Broadway musical and we have always loved listening to the music in the car. It brought back lots of fun memories :)

We got the 4 course meal for two! So much food that we both brought half of our meal home!

We enjoyed dinner and then headed to IKEA to pick up some things for our little home! We had a great time walking around without the pressure of our kiddos ;) We are SO grateful for the generosity of the Lotz family, Tammy Adrian, and Becky Buck for watching all our kids while we enjoyed a great night out!

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