Disney, the good, the bad and the magical

A family of 6 takes a bit of luggage!  The kiddos got their own sets for Christmas and lord knows that they have packed!

Our trip to Disney started off with Brinley's first flight.  She did great.

We arrived to a gorgeous resort and sunshine.  The kids instantly got in the pool and Brian and I headed out to the race expo.

We enjoyed dinner on our first night at Chef Mickey.  Brin had no idea that this is that we meant when we said "Let's go see Minnie"!!

Pride

Brian and I are occassionaly stopped by complete strangers who want to compliment our kids.  Okay, so this actually happens all the time, really...  Most of the time we just say thanks, sometimes we roll our eyes and let them know how it really is, and every once in a while we try to sell one or all to this person who doesn't know any better. 

This weekend when someone would compliment my kiddos, I whole heartedly agreed with them.  I even would expand on their compliment by adding some of my own.  You see I was so very proud of each of them for being the amazing and perfect kids that they are.

Emerson received the most compliments this weekend, as she was the co-star of an amazing wedding.  She was absolutely perfect in every way.  She was a little lady at the spa and bridal luncheon, listened intently at rehearsal and was poised and ready for the wedding.  She got all dolled up and looked like an angel.  She smiled courtly and walked gracefully down the aisle.  I was so very proud.

Avery had some important jobs too, one being program distribution which she took very seriously.  She practiced how she would greet the guests and got to her post in plenty of time as to not miss anyone.  I had someone tell me what a lovely, polite young lady she was, and I had to agree.  Although she and I clash sometimes (often) she really is a wonderful girl and I'm so proud of who she is turning out to be.

Cole was thoughtful the entire weekend.  He got along with his little cousins from the first second, acted goofy with Zane and showcased his mad dance moves at the reception.  But what warmed my heart the most is what no one else could see.  He visited the hotel gift shop and I'm sure he found tons of things that he wanted or needed...  He even asked his grandma for some money (smart boy, she of coarse gave him some).  He used the money to buy a book that he knew I had been wanting to read, the same book that he borrowed from his teacher and I gave him a hard time for reading it before me.  "Here mom, now you can read it too".  Wow, what a guy!!  Yes, he is amazing, I completely agree!!

As for the littlest member of our family.  We were told over and over again how cute she is, even when she yanks her ponytail out.  And she sure is a cutie, I agree!!  Unfortunately we weren't getting any compliments on her behavior, if we had, I would have certainly set them straight!!

Run, Julie, Run!!

So I'm thinking about running a half marathon...

(pick yourself up off the floor, its not that amazing)

Specifically, I'm thinking about running THIS half marathon:
http://espnwwos.disney.go.com/events/rundisney/wdw-marathon/index?page=walt-disney-world-half-marathon

Looks like fun, don't it?


The family and I will be at the Magic Kingdom in January so Brian can do the full Marathon. It just so happens that the half is the day before. I mean, I'm going to be there, I might as well right?

I can't even say that I'm thinking about doing the half, I have pretty much already made up my mind to do it. The only thing standing in my way of running the half marathon is the actual running part. You see, I'm NOT a runner, nor do I ever plan to be a runner. Now I'm not saying runner like a bad word here, I have all respect for you crazy people who get up at the whee hours of the morning to run umpteen miles. Its just not for me!! I just want to be apart of the Disney experience, to run through the castle and to have the characters cheering for me. I want to be able to say that I did it, even if my time is the slowest possible. I want to run Disney.

So back to the training part, I found out there might be a few things I need to overcome if I'm at least going to be respectable at the half. #1 being my inability to hold my bladder when I'm bouncy (or when I sneeze or laugh for that matter). Another being my desire to do ANYTHING instead of running in this shitty weather, and I guess choosing to start training in October for a January race will give me more shitty days than good ones...

Luckily for me, my wonderful hubby is super supportive of me, a little skeptical but supportive none the less.  I've been running/walking/running/walking and I'm up to a mile now.  I think I will be running officially on Thanksgiving, and registering for Disney soon.  Fingers crossed...

Emerson and Tiaras

I'd like to welcome to the stage contestant number 28, Emerson Marie Bautsch.

Emerson does not normally enjoy being the center of attention but seemed especially excited to be in a beauty pageant.  And since she already had this stunning flower girl dress, her mom thought "why not".  Emerson completely nailed the beauty portion of the pageant, walking gracefully and posing on each x.  She earned a place in the top 7 finalist.  She then had to answer a question on stage.  She was the last to go and we are so proud that she didn't puke or pee her pants on stage.  She also didn't earn the title of Little Miss Marysville... oh well...  next time I guess!!

 Emerson and a friend from her school backstage!!  Don't they look lovely!!

 I could tell she was exhausted from the stress of the pageant, cause when it was all over she just fell into her daddy's arms with tears in her eyes... She was so proud of herself and knew she couldn't hold it together much longer.  What an amazing girl!!

Emi will always be a beauty queen in our eyes!!  If you try to ask her about her pageant experience now, she will firmly tell you "I don't even want to talk about it"...

Where were you?

Wow,  10 years ago, how much simpler my life was...  I was just a baby, with a baby of my own.  Cole was nearly nine months old and I was babysitting another little boy, a few weeks younger than C.  Back then I could choose what was on the television and every morning I would watch (or at least listen to) the Today Show.  10 years ago today, I watched... Intently, with little interruption.  Those 2 boys were very cuddled that day but very neglected.  I'm sure I didn't interact with them.

I like to pass along news, but this day I hated to be the one to break the story to Brian and my mom, who in turn had to share the devastation with their offices.  Information was hard for them to get, Internets were down and TVs were hard to find, so I was continuing to describe the awful things that I was seeing on the television to them.  In horror.  In disbelief.  I was numb.  That day and for many days to come.  It was very hard to get back to life, to find it worthwhile to do anything normal. 

I went to mass at my church and held a woman's hand.  Her son was on his way to NY to help.  I didn't even know her name but we both cried while singing "America the Beautiful"  I left a scrapbook crop in the middle to stand out on her driveway to light a candle.  The 6 ladies there stood outside for 10 minutes in silence before blowing out the candles and continuing with our photo albums which seems so much more meaningful now.  Flags were half staff for a very long time.

And here I am, 10 years later... Life has gone on.  But I still cried during "America the Beautiful" this morning.  I held my daughter's hand and thought back to how much simpler my life was then.  Before America lost its innocence.  Before the towers fell.  Today I am numb again.

You make me smile :)

This weekend Cole's U11 soccer team went to a tourney in Bowling Green.  They played in the U12 age bracket in the highest possible division.  This is quite ambitious since they haven't played a real game on the bigger fields 8v8 yet.  But we have a big State tourney in a few weeks and needed some trial by fire.  This was the best way to meet some great competition.  On the drive up, Brian and I briefly discussed how the boys might handle this tourney since they are used to winning and bringing home hardware.  So we quickly told Cole that getting the big trophy was not our goal for the weekend, that there was a bigger and better prize waiting for them.  This was just for practice and just to have fun and learn.  We had no expectations.

Well those little stinkers didn't like that plan.  They went ahead and won every game, proving that they belonged there.  They played new positions, dominated boys taller and bigger than they are, and brought home the championship trophy.  We are so proud! 

Things that made me smile this weekend:

Sharing the World's best kettle corn with my great friend.

Seeing the little sisters in their cutie shirts.

Tailgating in the parking lot with my soccer family.

High fiving all the amazing plays and goals.  What a team!

Seeing my cousin who is a Senior at BG come and support Cole!  Luv ya Jess!!

Spotting a new soccer dad with the most amazing lens on his camera, I'm so excited to include his pictures in my annual photo book for the boys.

Watching my boy get switched over to guard a real wringer on the other team, and Cole shut him down!!

Finding a Culver's on the way home for a little snack.

And you can believe I was grinning ear to ear when Cole accepted his Championship trophy by kissing it and holding it above his head.

Bringing Joy Back

Okay, so I'm back (again, get a life Jeremy). Since my last blog entry a lot of things have changed in my life, namely my attitude and perception. I have come to some realizations, found my own successes and am now content with the outcomes. My amazing hubby has helped me stay in check and my friends helped to pick up my broken pieces. Glad to be moving forward, finding myself and making my own niche. And this has been a great summer!

Just a recap so we can move forward!

Cole:

Big man stayed super busy this summer. He attended many sports camps including local soccer and basketball and soccer academy at UD. His baseball team won first in their league and won their end of the season tourney. He played on a 3v3 team and they won runner up. He spent some time at the pool tanning his body and avoiding the girls. He is now starting his fall soccer season. Their team is being coached by our high schools varsity coach and is playing in the Buckeye Premier League which has the best teams in all of Ohio and Kentucky. Lots of traveling in store for us starting with next weekend when we will go to Bowling Green for a tourney in which they will play in the u12 (they are only 10) age group in the highest division. Yes, they are that good!!

Avery:

Avery too spent a big portion of her summer at various camps. She attended gymnastics camp, cheer camp and an intensive with the Dayton Ballet. She loved the technique and style of dance that she learned there, we were researching new studios to give her more options. She will definately be going back to Dayton next summer for their program again. She celebrated her big 9 year old birthday this summer with out any fanfare, she is amazing like that! I wish I had her personality, never a care in the world, doesn't ever ask "what about me?". Love that girl!

Emerson:

Our little peanut has really come out of her shell! At the end of the season dance recital she was making new friends and having fun shining on stage. She enjoyed time at the pool most of all where she learned how to swim unassisted and jump off the diving board with no bribing on my end. She went to dance camp, soccer camp and gymnastics camp this summer, learning new things and making new friends everywhere she went. She is eager to start Kindergarten next week and welcome the school days chapter of her life. I'm ready too!!

Brin:

Brin is by far our most fearless child. She is constantly climbing or jumping, always testing out her boundaries. She still doesn't have a lot to say, at least nothing that we understand. She too loves the pool, has no problem jumping in sometimes when you aren't even looking and getting her face wet. She has entered the "its mine" and hitting to get it back stage. Lovely!

So loyal blog readers (Jeremy et al) there is no more need for concern. I'm seeing clearly now, loving my family and grateful for my friends that I have. See you again in 6 months.