Disney daze

It's been a while now since we had our 2 days of nonstop fun at Disney World. I was planning to write a long post, but think at this point, I'll just leave it to a list of favorites and some pictures :)

Overall, we had a really good time. The first day was better than the second -- cooler weather, shorter lines -- and I think I preferred the "old" method for fast passes, but the Magic Kingdom still definitely brought the magic.

Molly had just as much fun this time as she did the first. She kept her hands in the air from start to finish on every ride, even "it's a small world" -- ha! And Jason and I had fun just watching her.

Favorites:

• Molly's favorite: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (see below ... we almost didn't get to ride it!)
• Jason's favorite: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (we rode this at least twice, maybe three times)
• My favorite: Splash Mountain (even though I ended up getting soaked!)

Dumbo ride -- ready for takeoff

Overpriced buffet at the Crystal Palace -- worth it because Molly loved meeting Piglet and Tigger :)

Watching the Christmas parade -- my favorite part

Cinderella castle selfie

Carousel selfie

Loving the festive decorations

Can I get a miracle? We were about to leave on the second day without riding the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (lines were always ridiculously long and fast passes were never available!) when a Disney worker handed Molly a free fast pass ticket. We got to cut the line on our way out and it ended up being Molly's favorite ride! 

Looking forward to going back in 2017 ... and hopefully checking out some of the other parks!

Home again, home again

I'll get to the Disney post eventually, but we're still kind of readjusting to life post-holidays and -road trip. We made it back home Saturday night after 2 weeks away and approximately 3,000 new miles on the car. We went from 80-degree weather in Florida to 20-degree weather in Evanston and a door that had so much ice on it we couldn't even get inside at first. Still, it was good to be home after all that driving.

We had a magical time at Magic Kingdom, got some much needed rest and relaxation at my parents' house in Palm Coast, explored a new city (Savannah, GA), and spent time with family near and far. Here are a few highlights from the trip home:

Best family photo we could get. No Dad (he's the photog), half of us are in PJs, and both James and George are trying to make a run for it, but we're happy and together

Molly in Savannah. Although this was not the official Forrest Gump bench on Chippewa Square, you can catch a glimpse of what makes Savannah so charming

Celebrating New Year's Eve at the Pirate's House Restaurant 

Stopped for a nice visit with my Grandparents (Molly's Great Grandparents) in Tennessee. We also made a stop in Louisville to see Tom's new house and congratulate Erin on her graduation 

Now we're home and just trying to catch up on everything. The house is a disaster and we haven't really unpacked, but Downton Abbey is back, so I think everything else will have to wait!

One for 2016

I think I may have been overly ambitious with some of my past New Year's Resolution lists ... I completely forgot that in 2015 I was supposed to take Molly to a new park every month and pick her up early from school twice a month. Whoops. Sit ups 3 days a week did not happen either. Jason and I were pretty good about the one date a month rule, but I think we did miss a couple of months in there when things were hectic.

So here's what I'm going to try to do for 2016. ONE resolution that I think will have a nice ripple effect into other areas of my life:

Lose the snooze.

Yes, I am going to try to stop hitting that snooze button 2-3 times every morning. I'm going to try to take back that half an hour and do something with it .., work out, make Molly's lunch, get a head start on email or the news. Plus, it's the gift that keeps on giving. Jason will get back 30 min of sleep every day and hopefully feel more refreshed and rested. He'll need it if he succeeds in giving up coffee :) 

To help with this resolution, I think I'm going to have to make a little sign for my alarm clock or something that reminds me that I'm not allowed to keep delaying the day by 9 minutes. I'm hoping that eventually this resolution will just turn into a new habit. Wish me luck!

Merry and warm

My post on Disney will have to wait until I copy some pictures from Jason. But for now ... Merry Christmas from Florida where it's 80 degrees and doesn't exactly feel like Christmas. We still managed to find some Christmas cheer though.

Posing by the tree after meeting Santa and one of his elves

Riding in Santa's sleigh. Ready for another latte Molly? (Just kidding, it's hot chocolate :))

It wouldn't be Christmas without Christmas PJs! A rare pic of all 3 cousins together and looking in the same direction

We had a fun morning opening gifts, and now we're back to normal Florida life. Pool, beach, tennis, eat, rest, repeat.

O'Griswolds on vacation

We're officially on our way to Disney World! It's day 2 of the drive and we have about 6 and half hours to go. I feel like we're almost there, even though this last part is as long as a drive to Cincinnati. Hopefully the worst is behind us.

Molly has been a trooper so far. We left after work on Friday, so even though we had to fight through Chicago rush hour traffic, the first half of the drive was at night and Molly slept through almost all of it in a sleeping bag on the floor of the car. I know it's not exactly safe, but remember doing the same thing as a child. History repeats itself.

I drove the first 3 and a half hours yesterday, getting us to Lafayette, Indiana. Jason got us past Nashville, listening to Serial podcasts to stay awake. We slept from about 2am to 8am and were back on the road shortly after 9. Molly did not do as well this morning, with the sun shining through the window on her face and she even got car sick right before lunch. Ew.

So now she's back on the floor and attempting to nap. I can see the Atlanta skyline in the rear view mirror and the open road before us. Disney or bust!!

Can you feel the love tonight?

Well, we're rethinking the whole surprise thing now. Holiday surprise #1 was dinner at a fancy restaurant (Italian Village ... not actually as fancy as we remembered) and tickets to The Lion King. Molly was pretty excited when she found out what we were doing. She loved dinner and the first half of the musical. But then when she didn't get a snack at intermission (lines were too long), she started pouting and practically ruined the night.

It didn't help that the show was long -- over 2 hours -- and she was already tired from the weekend. Jason and I also had high expectations for the night. WE were excited, so it just added to our disappointment when Molly started acting like a ... spoiled only child. She earned herself a lecture on the ride home, which ended in tears, and was still kind of out of sorts this morning during breakfast.

I think we're back on track now. We're enforcing a "no treats, no videos" rule until the drive to Florida. She seems to have snapped out of her bad mood and we've been doing a lot of talking about making people feel good, being grateful, and dealing with disappointment. Tough lessons for an only child who doesn't often have to share.

She's still a sweet girl ... and she's still probably going to get all of her Christmas gifts (I seriously thought about returning the Barbie camper van though!). But we're rethinking the whole Disney surprise. We're still planning to go, but think we're going to tell her about it ahead of time. I think it might be better for all of us if she has time to think about what's coming and knows that she has to act the right way to earn it!!

The night started out well

Being fancy at a fancy restaurant

Excited for the show

NOT happy that she didn't get a snack during intermission

Even though Molly spent the second act pouting, I still thoroughly enjoyed the show! The costumes were amazing and the dancing was wonderful. I highly recommend going ... just leave your sulky five-year-old at home!!

A season for surprises

The Christmas tree is up, we've been shopping, addressing envelopes, and listening to holiday music. You could say we're feeling pretty festive. Molly had a few very specific requests for gifts -- a Monster High doll and a Barbie camper van -- and I plan to deliver on those gifts. But she has no idea about 2 very exciting things we have planned for December.

First, we're taking her to see The Lion King musical downtown next weekend. Molly looooves The Lion King movie, she loves the music, and she's spent hours poring over the program her great-grandmother brought her after seeing it on Broadway. Jason and I bought Molly a new dress and tights and hope she will be as excited as we are to dress up and do something fancy downtown.

The second big surprise is that we're going to Disney World for a couple of days before Christmas. We've had this trip planned for so long, I don't know how we've kept it a secret. But we have, and I'm fully expecting her mind to be blown when she figures out what we're doing. I don't know if she'll recognize the hotel (it's the same place we stayed last time), or if she'll spot the Disney signage from the car, but I kind of hope we can get to the gates before she fully realizes where we are.

Two weeks to go ... let the countdown begin!