We spent nearly two weeks at Disney World in June. I can't even begin to say how wonderful it was! Disney was already my favorite place before kids, but add in these two babies of mine and oh. my. soul. The magic was REAL. We didn't tell the kids we were going until right before we left. They were SO excited.

We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside. It was gorgeous! Such a beautiful hotel. The grounds were huge and so stunning. The rooms were quite a trek to get to, but we loved it regardless. Liam keeps asking when we can go back home to our "Disney World home" and it makes my heart burst every time. 

The kids absolutely loved everything about this trip. Liam was in awe that the place he watched nearly daily on youtube was real! He was the bravest four year old around- tackling the biggest roller coasters with ease. He still is begging me to go back to ride Tower of Terror again! 

We got to announce a super special surprise on this trip... We are PREGNANT! Biggest surprise of our lives! We decided to wait until Disney to tell the family, and it was so magical! We waited in line to meet Daisy Duck and had my family come up for a group photo. At the last second we announced the news to catch their reactions on camera. It was hysterical! No one expected this at all. We were done having kids in our minds. Thankfully the Lord's plans were different. We can't wait until this new bundle arrives! The due date? CHRISTMAS DAY! What a present! We've officially called this summer the "Summer of Surprises." 

Our lives are changing in huge ways this year, and we are so excited to see where the future takes us! 

 

Let's Go To DISNEY WORLD!

This past year has been CRAZY. So much has happened that I haven't had a moment to sit down and absorb it all. Recently my amazing Papa and I decided it was time to start going back to Disney World. Disney World is such a special place to me. It holds more of my happy memories than I can say. We've needed a little boost in happiness, and I'm SO excited to finally be going back to our other home.

Liam asks on a daily basis if we can go to "Disney Wowelllllld" yet. We can't wait to surprise him the day we leave! Kate is going to be in princess heaven. I seriously don't know how I'm going to sleep the next few months with all the excitement! 

Disney with kids is going to be a totally different experience for us. We went to Disney every year as a family for 2 weeks at a time starting as a young teen. I'm excited to see it through the eyes of my babies. 

I just ordered this book and can't wait to read it. We are currently researching hotels for our rather large group. We traditionally stayed at the Contemporary Hotel every year and LOVED it. It's still not ruled out of the cards, but needing two rooms now has definitely made us explore our other options. I'd LOVE to hear from you if you've stayed at other resorts! And especially if you have any advice for traveling with little ones. 

I'm having more fun than anything picking out outfits for Liam and Kate to wear. I'm in LOVE with the costumes from Little Adventures Dress Ups! They are machine washable and not itchy. I want to order Kate everything! It's been a little harder finding outfits for Liam, but we have found some SUPER cute applique shirts with his monogram on resale pages. I am having such a blast! 

If you've traveled with young kiddos, please give me all your tips! From airplane rides to Disney, give me everything! 

Have a magical day! 

-Anna 

Disney At Home: Kitchen Edition

It's no secret that I have a Disney obsession. I love bringing things into my home that include that famous mouse or castle to remind me of my favorite place. They bring a bit more happy into my day, and it is fun to mix them into my decor. My tastes tend to be a bit more on the classy side, but sometimes I throw in a fun item that my 2 year old appreciates in the mix. ;)

1. The Indigo Home Decor Collection by Disney is fabulous. I LOVE the subtle prints (since I don't necessarily want Mickey so obviously displayed in my kitchen. The color is vibrant and so much fun.
2. Mickey Waffle Maker: If you've ever been to Chef Mickey's you know the waffles. It's fun to bring that home. We have a similar one to this, and my son gets so excited when we make them!
3. Mugs. All the mugs. This one is one of my favorites. It's the first one people grab when they stay over my house!
4. The Mickey Popcorn maker: My mom got me this for my birthday, and I'm obsessed. Obviously this one screams "Mickey" a little louder than the others on my list... but it's SO fun. Liam has a blast with this one and loves watching it pop!
5. These "Be Our Guest" chalkboard plates are to die for. I LOVE chalkboard art and think these are so much fun.

Happy Friday! I'm thankful that the weekend is here!

Happy 2nd Birthday Liam!

It was a whirlwind week! Having a baby only a month ago, I wasn't wanting to have a big party quite yet. We decided to have a super small family party to celebrate Liam's 2nd birthday, and it worked perfectly! Liam had a blast and was totally spoiled.

One of my best friends, Brittany, had a Mickey themed baby shower for me when I was pregnant with Liam. She happened to save ALL the decor so let me use it for his party. She put in SO much work with these decorations! She made almost everything on her Cricut machine! It was sweet to use it again at this party, more than two years later. :)

We kept the food simple with subs, hot dogs, and cupcakes. It was sweet to watch Liam blow out his candle for the first time!

For his big gift from Mommy and Daddy, we found this truck on clearance at Target a few months back. He absolutely LOVED it. As soon as he wakes up he runs as fast as he can to find that thing. He's had all of his meals in it, too! This version is so much fancier than the normal Cozy Coupes I've seen! It is a lot roomier, and has a working horn. It even has a seat in the trunk for a sibling! He's going to get a lot of use out of that thing.

Moral of the story? Simple parties make the best parties. We had a blast, and it was a great no stress party for me!

Party Prep: A Look back at Liam's first

With less than two weeks to go until my biggest baby's birthday, I found myself looking back at his first birthday party. Two things: 1. How on EARTH has it been an entire year? And 2. The whole theme of the party was Never Grow Up. Clearly he decided not to follow through on that. Stinker.

I knew that this party had to involve Disney. More specifically, I knew this party was going to be based around his nursery theme: Peter Pan. So. Much. FUN. This party was an absolute blast to put together.

I worked with a wonderful etsy designer for my invitations-saralukecreations. I'm incredibly impressed with her work and quick responses to my questions. I first saw this invitation design on a post of a gorgeous party by Jenny Keller. Seriously. This party was absolutely amazing. Look at the details!

I ordered the Peter Pan movie on eBay (stinking movie vault!) to play during the party. Random fact This movie was playing while I was in labor! Like... as I was pushing. Between pushes the doctor would turn around and watch. So, it's pretty fitting that it was playing at the party as well.

I loved these hats by etsy designer princessbooksbyjmh. I was going to attempt to make them myself, but then realized, "Who am I kidding... I'm never going to pull that off." So ordering it was. They are super cute. The adults ended up wanting them more than the kids! 

Instead of party bags full of candy, I decided to go a different route. I gave each child a Disney's Peter Pan Golden Book! They were cheap on amazon, and I really love the idea of giving out sweet little books.

We found cute straws and plates to match our "nautical" look. I also stumbled upon the Peter Pan poster I was looking for printed on wood for $14.99 at Meijer! SO cool! 

Last but certainly not least- We had this onesie made (with Liam's name of course!) by the incredibly talented LivieQ! 

My favorite part of the party was our makeshift smores bar. They were a HUGE hit with the guests, and we will definitely do it at all future parties! The hot dog boats turned out a lot better than I expected, and added a fun touch. 

Now to plan this years party. I have a sneaking suspicion that this one won't be so well thought out. Perhaps I'm just in denial that he's turning two and am putting off planning as much as possible. ;)