- Disney: Part II -

Ahem...

A [very long] standing ovation for all those who do Disney parks multiple days in a row, because after closing down the park at Hollywood Studios, we woke up at 8:53am the next morning like:

Disney hangover who?!  

I forgot to mention in the previous post that my parents, also as part of their original plot, donated some points from their timeshare for us to book this trip with!  Thank you soooo much, Mom and Dad; you truly made this trip possible!!!  ...So while we weren't staying on Disney property, the resort was only about 10 minutes away from all the parks, and we took Uber rides to/from the airport and parks in lieu of renting a car.  This was another huge savings!  Which reminds me, I took down a few one-sided conversations our social butterfly daughter had with some of the Uber drivers...

In Uber #1 from airport to resort:

Quiet driver: *silence* 

Harper:  "I like how you drive!"

Quiet driver:  *silence* 

In Uber #2 from resort to Hollywood Studios:

Non-English speaking driver: *silence* 

Harper:  "Ummmm.....I like your car!"

Non-English speaking driver:  *silence*

In Uber #3 from Hollywood Studios to resort:

Harper:  "Mommyyyy, I'm about to 'frow up because I'm so sweaty..."

Nervous driver:  *blasts A/C immediately*

In Uber #4 from resort to Magic Kingdom:

Harper:  "Ummm, Daddy, why are all our Uber drivers boys???"

[Another] male driver:  *chuckles* 

In Uber #5 from Magic Kingdom to resort:

Harper:  "I hope he drives kinda fast, because when we get to the hotel I needa go potty RULLLLLY BAD." 

Cloth-seated car driver:   *swerves into resort parking lot and unlocks rear doors before coming to a complete stop* 

And then, on our last Uber ride, a 65+ year-old man in a minivan picked us up.  The inside of the van was decorated from corner to corner with twinkling Christmas lights, holiday window clings, and other festive tinsel and decor; he was smiling from ear to ear when we hopped in the vehicle.  He clicked through his phone a few moments before a Disney playlist came up on his Pandora app, and he was nodding his head and driving along so joyfully as Harper sang along to all of the songs.  Finally, he parked to let us out and turned around with a big, red Rudoloph nose strapped to his face:

Best Uber driver ever:  "I hope you and your Mommy and Daddy have a very Merry Christmas!" 

Harper:  "You too!  You look like Rudolph!  Merry Christmas!" 

...There should totally be more people in the world like this!  So kind, so joyful.  Ahh!

Ummmm, where was I going with all of that?  Oh, yeah, the timeshare points!  So ANYWAYYY, the 'rentsies booked us a room at this awesome resort complete with 5 towers of rooms, 8 pools, 6[?] restaurants, and a multitude of other luxurious amenities!  We had planned to spend the second day here swimming and exploring ...and most importantly, resting up in between our days at the parks!  <-- And that we did!

Between breakfast, lunch, and dinner all on the property, we also enjoyed walking the large loop around the pond, playing at the park, and checking out all the beautiful native trees and flowers!

...And then we hit the pools!!!

All the pools and lazy rivers were advertised as "heated"...and while it was plenty warm to walk around the property in swimsuits, it was a little frigid in the not-so-heated water!  Harper didn't seem to mind a bit, and Brian braved the pools with her much longer than her wuss-of-a-mom did...

After hours of swimming, we hit up the resort ice cream shoppe that was boasting "make-your-own sundaes!"  OF COURSE, we indulged rull hard in that!

When the sun set, we hit the hay as early as possible, because:

MAGIC KINGDOM COMIN' RIGHT UP! 

[Stay tuned for Disney: Part III -- coming soon!]

- Disney: Part I -

Way back when, my parents proposed a WILD idea that, when the house was finished, Brian and I should take Harper to Disney World for a few days.  We were in the thick of construction at that time with an end date that seemed like it would NEVER come, so I laughed it off and said we'd consider it sometime.  Long story short?  Months passed.  Stars aligned.  And with an AMAZING amount of organization and planning and all-around wonderfulness from my cousin Laura at It's A Small World Adventures.....

...we found ourselves on a shuttle to the airport...

...and boarding a plane that was headed to Orlando...

...because -- what what? -- this lucky princess and her two crazy parents are actually truly really DISNEY BOUND!!!

As part of their original plot, my parents kept Scarlett at their house for the 5 nights/4 days we were gone.  Part of my momma heart shattered at the thought of leaving her behind [surely she would enjoy Disney, too?!], but as soon as we arrived at Hollywood Studios on the first day with one very active 4-year-old who didn't require daily naps and bi-hourly snacks, I knew it was the best decision!  Our first FastPass there was at the Voyage of The Little Mermaid, and I may or may not've teared up midway through the show at the sight of our baby girl smiling from ear to ear while experiencing the true magic of Disney [...and to think, this show was just the tip of the iceberg that would foreshadow all the other exciting events to come].  The light and sound effects were all so amazing, and I don't know, I guess it just brought back such fond memories and flashbacks of being at Disney with my family when I was a kid.  To be a momma now and be able to watch all the magic through my child's eyes was a feeling I'll never forget! 

^^ After The Little Mermaid, we also did the Frozen Sing-Along and Muppet Vision 3D shows that morning, which of course Sister Mouse thought were the coolest things ever.

While the shows were already a huge hit, we weren't sure how Little Miss would do with the rides...

...but Toy Story Land did NOT disappoint...

...and the Alien Swirling Saucers and Toy Story Mania rides were quite a thrill for the 2/3 of us who don't mind spinning/swirling rides!  [Still a little dizzy just thinking about it!]

Harper started getting tired around 3pm, so we rented a stroller to save her some steps. Soon after, she and I parked our booties inside the Beauty and the Beast theater for a rest while Brian went on a few of the bigger rides solo.  She had alllllmost drifted off to sleep in my arms when the fireworks boomed to signal the start of the show, which triggered her to shoot up wide-eyed and participate in the performance with excitement.  Harper's the name, NO NAPPING's the game!

With a stroller and a snack under her belt, ain't nothin' that can put baby in the corner now!!!  This wild girl is a mini-Energizer Bunny!

As we were thinking this place couldn't get any better, night fell and the park came to life with special Christmas decorations and lights and "snow" [which I thought was really neat, but Harper was quick to exclaim, "Mommy, that snow is pretty but I think those are just bubble snowflakes and not real snow!"].

The Tower of Terror was lit up as a gingerbread house, and there were festive decorations in EVERY direction we turned!  Now that the sun was down, we cracked our pre-packed Dollar Tree glowsticks [#momwin] and purchased a Little Mermaid music-playing/light-up/bubble-blowing super fancy wand from the park [#dadwin ...and that right there explains why he's #alwaysthefavoriteparent].  Then, Brian and I switched off riding the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster with some last-minute FastPasses that Laura scored as Harper [im]patiently waited for Fantasmic to start at 8pm...

...and then thatttttt, unsurprisingly, turned out to be quite fantastic fantasmic!  Seeing our favorite princesses close up on a boat was so great!

Considering we arrived to the park at 8:30am and had been on our feet for a full 12+ hours at this point, we were thinking Harper might be ready to go home.  But nope! No, no, nope... She plopped down in her stroller and voted to head toward the center stage for another fireworks and music show at 9pm...

...followed by MORE RIDES inside Toy Story Land!  People were flocking out of the park after the fireworks, so between 9-10pm was when we really got to enjoy the park without 60-120 minute lines at all the rides.  And THEN...drumroll...Laura let us know that we could still ride Slinky Dog Dash roller coaster as long as we were standing *in* the line by 10pm, so at 9:59 we coasted in...

...and came out on a HUGE high to end the night!  I was so worried Harper would get on the ride and not like it, but [one month later!] she still reports it to family and friends as her favorite memory of the day! 

We made it back to the hotel shortly before 11pm [just in time to order a pizza before the resort's delivery service closed!] and FaceTimed Sissy to say goodnight.  The chipper little night owl was happier than ever to see us appear on the screen, and the feeling was mutual!  We missed her so much but knew she was having the time of her life back at home with Grammy and Papa! <3

Approximately 45 seconds after inhaling an XL cheese pizza, we all three exchanged our park clothes for PJs and melted into our king-sized bed.   So! Exhausted!  But also so thrilled that day 1 was a huge hit and soooo excited for everything else that is to come in the next few days!!!

[Stay tuned for Disney: Part II -- coming soon!] 

- The Christmas Letter: 2019 -

Not a single soul revolted against the inaugural family Christmas letter last year, so here we are again for round numba two! I'm so behind on archiving our lives [just published the Thanksgiving blurb a few days ago, blah!], but what they hey...here we go!

Ahem... 

*****
Hello/goodbye to the -FASTEST- year of our lives!

I'm finding it really difficult to wrap my mind around the fact that another Christmas season is here.  Hours and days and even months have literally flown by in the blink of an eye, and the past year feels like a blur.  Organized chaos <--- a [newly acquired] Fleming family specialty!

In May, we sold our home and took up residence in Brian's brother's duplex.  Admittedly, I was a [tiny] bit sad the last time we stepped foot inside that little place, as we spent our newlywed years under that roof and also brought our two sweet babies home to thrive inside those walls.  Our first humble abode saw countless laughs and a whole lot of love!  But all good things must come to an end, and so! So long, Bayfield Drive...

...and hi-ya Cabernet Lane!!!  It's fairly surreal to say after 16 very long months of building, but we are finally moving in one box at a time and should be officially living there soon!  Being married to the general contractor -- who also has a fairly demanding 9-5 job, by the way -- was not for the faint of heart!  Hop over to our blog to read all you ever wanted to know [and more more more] about the construction process and see photos of alllll of Brian's terrific work! 

Aside from a full year of house excitement, several more big changes came in August as I cut back my work hours, Harper started Pre-K [three days/week], and Scarlett started a new daycare [one day/week].  The transition to "all things new" was almost seamless, as Harper is loving her new school and Scarlett and I are loving the first 1:1 time we've ever had.  Cheers to great changes for all!

In September, we took a break from the busyness and spent a week in Destin with the Fleming family.  Brian's sister rented a luxurious house on the beach for all of 23 of us, and we had a total blast!  Then again, how could sand + waves + family ever disappoint? :) We are looking forward to heading back to Florida next week with our oldest princess for her first trip to Disney World!

Long-windedness is my strong suit, but in a valiant effort to wrap this up: I just want to thank you, sweet friends and family, for loving us through the storm! Despite Brian’s long work hours and my wavering sanity this year, we have been constantly supported by all of you. This means a lot!  I've realized more than ever that it truly "takes a village," and we are grateful for ours.  We most certainly count your love and friendships among our greatest blessings!

May the spirit of Christmas fill your homes and hearts with joy!

All our love,
Brian, Bridget, Harper and Scarlett  

- Santa, can you hear me... -

...I have been so good this year!  

La-tee-dah, la-tee-dah...

...Santa Claus is comin' to TOWN for another round of hearing the Christmas wishlists of a bunch of Croatian cousins.  Croatian Lodge Christmas party 2019 was a success!

Thanks to all who organized for a great time!  Ho ho ho!

- Chicken Day 2019 -

And juuuuuust when you think you have me all figured out...

...I swoop right in to throw a dirty wrench in the plan!  Everyone who knows me well knows my T-Day traditions run strong [click link above if you're not brushed up on my predictable preferences]...

But!  Due to having no cable/antenna at the duplex this year, we had to suffer through Thanksgiving morning without tuning into the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade!

And!  Since we very luckily snagged a newspaper + sales ads on Thanksgiving Eve, Brian didn't want to venture out and make the trek to Starbucks...

OH NOOO, say it ain't so!  

However!  After finding some festive holiday music on Pandora and brewing up some coffee in the pot, we carried on like #nbd and still enjoyed our Thanksgiving morning together to the VERY fullest extent!  Nothing better than uninterrupted quality time with the nuclear fam! ;)

As Brian and I were browsing through the paper, the kids snatched up some toy ads and decided to make a "wish list" for Santa.  Only 70% of Scarlett's circled wishes made it onto the ad [the others somehow scribbled onto the hardwood floor, so thank goodness for lemon essential oil to remove!].  Hopefully Santa can provide; these two have some hefty hopes!

Then, per usual, we bolted off to celebrate the holiday with family!  Harper was so excited to arrive to the parties and wish everyone a "HAPPY CHICKEN DAY!" ...which we corrected to "Happy Turkey Day!"  [The well wishes were also extended to all of her friends at school and all of the shoppers at Schnucks the week prior to Thanksgiving ...#socialbutterfly who is #nothermommasdaughter but #idigress.]

Thanks to Brian's aunt and uncle for hosting lunch and my aunt and uncle for hosting dinner.  We loved spending the day with all of the people we love the most!

^^ My mom started this family tablecloth several years ago [I thought its debut was 2012 or 2013, but I couldn't find our signatures from way back when so clearly my memory is failing me yet again!].  Still, I love looking back at this and finding our names from each year; it's so weird to think we signed "Baby Fleming" and "Baby Fleming #2" and I had no idea at the time I was toting around a little Harper and a little Scarlett! :)

And 16 hours later, thattttttt's a wrap!  Happy Thanksgiving, all!