Florida Fun!

Thankful this week for....

Gingerbread Day!
Thankful for this day for so many reasons. One is for the pure joy that these kids had during this project. They might have had a little sugar rush for most of the morning...but on Friday before break... we just embrace it and smile... Some of these kids couldn't bring in any frosting or candy, and others had never made these houses before, and my heart just beamed that I could  involve them in something so fun and festive.

 That sweet girl in purple never smiles... so seeing that HUGE grin.. made me smile even bigger ... 

 This silly boy in the striped sweater, not only needs prayer, but needs hugs, love & consistency. His aggression and anger is too much many of the moments in our class, like way too much....but during these hands on activities, he is an angel... now to make all our days this much fun?! Hmm...

 I love when parents come in to help!

Thankful for fun gingerbread STEM activities: making LEGO bridges, and hopefully they were constructed correctly so that their cookie did not get wet :) 

Thankful for Matt's awesome company that shared Chicago Metallic and Hershey baking pans with him months ago.. at that time I was dreading the new stuff .. with an itty bitty kitchen, an abundance of baking goods created a sense of panic.. sad but true.. but thankfully we figured it out & stored them creatively. And now, when it's cookie baking time... I was thrilled!! Yay :) 

Thankful to have crammed our 2 weeks worth of STUFF into this.... disclaimer- we did take a food bag, and each kiddo got their electronic device bag, and stroller... less bags = less stressed daddy... and although that term "happy wife happy life" is very true ;)... there needs to be one about dads too... his motto is less is more, and the not too jammed trunk- made him very happy.. but a major mom fail was when I left his bible bag, with both our bibles & printables... by Hudson's charging iPad... sigh... can not even believe I forgot all that stuff.... man...thankful for Amazon's 2 day shipping & cheap bible prices. 

 Thankful for a sense of organization... this road trip we got the big H's ipad minis, and then realized they fit in lunchboxes!! So they got lunchboxes to house their gear...headphones,ipads & chargers: always together in one spot. This type of genius parenting is new to me ;) but wow, it's awesome to be organized finally!

Thankful for manis and pedis with this girl. XO

Thankful for safety as we traveled... something that we did not take for granted, especially with the many staties we saw with people pulled over ... We spread the trip out for 2 nights, and 3 days. We began Friday after work and drove til Louisville. Next night we drove to Macon, Georgia & then Sunday we drove to Kissimee. We ventured into the unknown, which is new to both of us as far as our hotel... We always have stayed at my dad's condo in St Pete for all our FL journeys, but this year we didn't. The hotel we booked is 1 mile from Disney, and close to many attractions which is ideal and the pool was empty today! Although we miss the space of the condo, and all the friends that would make our pool time so much more enjoyable, it is nice to do our own thing for the 1st time in forever ;)  We leave Sunday for a resort on the Gulf side, because we need some beach time! The resort looks amazing & I can not wait to experience another new place & hit up our old time fave Crabby Bills. 

Thankful for happy travelers. Something we also don't take for granted, and SO thankful that Hudson did not grace us with his puking self this trip!

Thankful for our kids being awesome sleepers in the car & in the hotel. 

Thankful for beginning our week off with a bang! Gatorland was tops on the kid's list, and it was a perfect day for it. And this mom got chosen to hold the python! Even with a kid on my lap and avoiding eye contact- it didn't work, I got picked & I live to tell about it, but look at the guy next to me! He seriously screamed like a girl & wouldn't touch it! We ended day 1 at Celebration FL, and watched the soap snow come down, after a delish sushi feast. Day 1. Done. Fun. 

Ready for Disney manana!!