A Disneyland Vacation...Walker Style - Part III

Our second day in Anaheim began with a bang!  The kids woke up early, scarfed down their breakfasts, and jumped into the strollers, unfortunately a couple hours before the park opened.  Farmer kids.  What are you going to do?   

You start pushing  them down the sidewalk toward Downtown Disney!  That's what!  I love this picture of the caravan of people and kids that is my family.  

Once in the park, Little G and Ellie worked on getting all strapped in for the wild ride of strollering around Disneyland!  I like that word.  Strollering.  I'm keeping it. 

Our first stop was Disneyland's California Adventure Park.  Viewing Mater, Lightening McQueen, and the shop tools made my little J.D. a very happy boy indeed.  

From Grandma D's expression you might assume this bumper car is really zipping around the old track, right?  Um...no.  Check out Little G.  Yeah, pretty mellow.   But I have to say, despite her apparent joy at riding in this incredibly slow moving car, she also took on some pretty crazy rides when the little kids weren't around!  Tower of Terror, anyone? 

This part of the park was devoted to A Bug's Life.  So the whole area was created to look like we were bugs, and we were seeing the world from a bug's point of view.  Giant leaves covered our heads from the sun, huge pencils jutted out of the ground, and this ride looked like one handcrafted by ants.  We sat in a seat that looked like a take-out box being held in the air by sticks.  The kids dug it.

Then the kids met Chip 'N Dale.  Chippendale?  Say what?  

Safari Mickey was there, too.

We were pleasantly surprised at how much we loved California Adventure Park.  I hadn't heard just great reviews from fellow parents of kids under six, so I hadn't gotten my hopes too high.  We had a fabulous time!  

Riding on the swings was definitely a highlight.

But the best part had to be the princess lunch at Ariel's Grotto.  Oh, how exciting it was to see all the little girls dress up to meet and gather autographs from the princesses.  This is such a great shot of Little G and Ellie.  I love that my daughter is the sporty princess, complete with velcro tennis shoes and socks, while Ellie is completely gorgeous and coordinating.  I mean, Ellie IS Tinkerbell, and Little G IS Snow White's soccer playing little sis.

Meeting Ariel was a thrill, especially for Cubby.  She wore her Ariel dress especially for Ariel to see.  Cubby feels a special bond with Ariel because they both have red hair.

   

Cinderella was a special treat for the girls to meet, too.  Even though Emma appears to be grabbing Cinderella's rear, and prior to this picture, Little G looked up Cinderella's dress to check to see if her shoes were really glass, the gracious princess still signed our autograph books and smiled for the camera.

Then the princess parade continued with Princess Aurora.

Belle

Snow White

Princess Cubby

Princess Emma

Our lunch at Ariel's Grotto was fabulous.  So what's wrong with these guys?  Lighten up a little!  It's a princess lunch, not an episode of the Sopranos!!

Ellie made a new friend with a stuffed Dumbo.  What a sweetheart!!

And then it was family picture time.  I love this shot of my sister's family.  

And there we are!  This was such a fabulous, wonderful morning at California Adventure!  What could possibly top this?  Well, just you wait, this afternoon is pretty exciting.....see you next time for Part IV of the Walker Family Disneyland Vacation!!!

A Disneyland Vacation....Walker Style! Part II

Our first day at Disneyland continued with the making of more special memories.  What follows are pictures of the second half of our first day at the happiest place on earth. 

We scarfed down that first lunch at the park.  Afterwards, Emma concluded that bald grandpas need a LOT of hats to ward off the sun's rays.

Uh-oh!

This is one of those sweet grandpa/granddaughter pictures that makes my heart melt.

J.D. enjoyed his rice and beans.

But mostly he enjoyed hanging out with his dear old dad while sipping juice.

Up to this very moment, I had always thought people who put their kids on leashes were mentally unstable.  So, basically, I have officially joined the dark side.  These leashes were amazing!  The twins loved them since they felt like they were wearing cool little backpacks.  The big girls enjoyed having a new fun pet to lead around.   And the adults enjoyed the security of knowing that  the 2 year olds were tethered to someone.  

The resulting discovery:  Leashes+twins+Disneyland=WIN.WIN.WIN

Here's a rear view of the kiddos waiting to board the Mark Twain steamboat.  Little G chose the monkey  backpack and leash, while J.D. preferred the spotted dog.   I am happy to report that no children were lost or even momentarily misplaced during the course of this vacation.

Grandpa D and J.D. checked overboard for ducks.

  

Cubby smiles her biggest smile.

After the exertion of the steamboat ride, it was high time for some ice cream.

 I love this shot of J.D.'s piercing blue eyes, as well as Little G digging deep into the ice cream cup in the  background.  

Delicious.

Eating a gigantic sundae became a daily Walker/Disneyland tradition.  

Our family fell in love with the train ride two years ago.  We made several trips around the park just to ease my aching back, and the girls loved the non-threatening atmosphere.  So here we are again, two and a half years later, and all is well!

As evening approached, we figured it was time to purchase a couple of giant balloons.  I just love this picture of Cubby looking up and smiling at the floating balloon with Emma alongside.  I can't help but picture my sister and I at this same age!

Bedtime for babies.

Bedtime for big girls.  And apparently nose-picking time, too. 

See you next time as our adventure continues on day two of the Walker family Disneyland vacation!

A Disneyland Vacation....Walker Style! Part I

My sister, mom and I decided a few months ago that it was time for a family vacation.  

So for Christmas this year, we weren't so interested in big wrapped gifts.  Oh no, it was all about the Disney gift card.  Ah the Disney gift card.  I raked those puppies in left and right, and I hoarded them away in my secret stash drawer (it's only a secret because that's also where I store my gum.  Two year olds and gum?  Not a good idea) until the time of our departure to Anaheim.  

We planned the trip, booked the hotel, and on that first day of vacation, rolled out of town at 7:30 AM.  

We made it to Anaheim so fast!  I haven't been out of town in so long that I had exaggerated the miles of a pretty insignificant distance to constitute traversing days and weeks to a distant land.  We arrived at the park an hour before lunch.  It. Was. Awesome.

Now just a tiny bit of background information might be necessary.  Danny and I took the girls to Disneyland two and a half years ago, in April of 2008.  The twins were born two months after that trip. So my last memory of Disneyland wasn't just perfect.  I limped around that theme park with a gigantic belly in front of me, always with the doctor's orders in the back of my mind to "Rest!  Sit down every 10 minutes!  EAT tons of ice cream!"  That last one may not have been the doctor's voice.  Anyway,  the miles I walked on that trip may have led to my subsequent need for bed rest, then oops!  Pre-term later.  Wow....I really digressed there, sorry......back to the happiest place on earth!

Yay! We made it!  The girls are sooooo excited here.  The babies don't get it all.  They are just wondering why I am stopping to take their picture when it is so bright outside!

Isn't Main Street Disneyland beautiful?  This was a great moment.  

And then who should we run into?!  Grandma D & Grandpa D?????  How on earth? What are the odds... Just kidding, you know I phoned them the minute I walked into the park!  Four kids under six need the proper ratio of one on one in a giant, overpopulated theme park!  My parents took the twins and Danny and I set off with the girls to go on the "big rides," you know, the teacups and stuff.  

My two big girls did this totally spontaneously.  It was seriously magical.

Danny and Emma checked out Aurora's castle.

While walking through Fantasyland, I looked over to see my only son looking quite serious astride his noble carousel steed.   He was apparently preparing mentally to complete some handy man work, if the need should arise.  

It's a classic!  The girls promised they wouldn't turn the wheel in the center, but once we got in there, they wanted to spin, baby!  I'm getting dizzy right now just typing about it.

Then Danny and the girls got arrested and thrown in Mickey's jail.  It wasn't pretty, but once I'd bailed them out.....

the girls met Minnie Mouse in her house in Toon Town!  

Mickey showed up too!  

This was the highlight of that first day.  We went on a little roller coaster in Toon Town.  I would call it the a perfect first introduction to roller coasters for a little kid.  Short, fast, and not dark or scary at all.  We went on this twice.   Cubby is our family speed demon.  That girl only wants to go on the thrilling rides!  She even loved Thunder Mountain Railroad!

We caught up with the twins in Minnie's House.  The fridge and oven were a real hit with the little ones. This first day at Disneyland was such a fantastic time!  We crashed out in our hotel room late, and the kids could NOT go to sleep, they were so wired and excited!  The next day was even better! I can't wait to share it with you...

Going Cold Turkey

Last Sunday evening, after the kids had gone to bed, Danny and I lounged around in our family room, talking about all the big stuff in our lives.  Work.  Children.  Future.  But most of all we talked about God, and His relation to those things. Where do we put Him?  What should our lives really look like according to His word?  How do we raise our kids to follow Christ...really follow Christ?

We have these big talks every so often, and it is always a good thing.  We reconnect on this road called life.   As a husband and wife we attempt to whittle all the daily little things that keep us running on a treadmill down to what's really important.   It's wonderful.  As a woman, with the desperate need to release thousands of words daily, these talks are exhilarating, I have to admit.  Anyway, the talk was great.  You get the point.

My portion of the big talk consisted mainly of complaining about how little time I have to myself.  And on top of that, of the few moments I have to myself, I really didn't like the way I was spending that time. "My time" consisted of reading up on other people's news on Facebook, catching the last few minutes of a ridiculous show on TV, or nibbling on something decadent.   I didn't want to do those things anymore. I would rather spend my time working out, reading the Bible and completing my Bible study work, and doing more constructive/fun stuff with the kids.  But how, oh how would I make those changes????

The next morning, while washing my face, I heard a voice in my head say, "Cut out Facebook, TV and sugar for one week."  It was God.  Yep, that still small voice just laid it out.  He probably said the cutting out part, and I'm pretty sure my conscience added the one week part.  Anyway, just like that, I logged onto Facebook (the irony!) to post my final message for a week, that I was going cold turkey.  And in fact that is what one family member responded when she heard I was going off the air for a week.

The TV stayed cold and black for one week. I think I showed maybe one Dora episode for the kids, but they basically had a week away from television too.

The sugar fast didn't go so well.  On the fourth day, Danny and I were out at a dinner function, and I found myself mindlessly spooning vanilla ice cream into my mouth.  I didn't even realize it at the time.  Now this really happened.  I got home from the dinner, and started bragging to Danny about how awesome I was doing on my three part fast.  I started to say how successful my sugar fast had been, when literally in mid-sentence I remembered the ice cream.  We burst into laughter.  Oh well.   Sometimes you gotta laugh.

So what have I done instead with all of my free time......?

I homeschooled Pocahontas.  I mean, Emma.  

I dealt with every red-haired munchkin  that came into my life with tough worksheet assignments. Mainly mazes.  

I watched my son get all dolled up for what appears to be a Dora wedding extravaganza.  Poor little guy.

And I marveled at Little G's fine fashion sense.  She's going to give Emma a run for her money in this department!

We would normally watch a movie, or at least view a couple episodes of their favorite show, but instead we made crafts.  

This penguin mosaic is a favorite. 

The hand print tree is also pretty fun.  

Basically we spent a whole lot more time doing a whole lot more important and constructive activities.  As a stay-at-home and homeschooling mom of four little ones, I tend to look for that daily escape. Even if it's a few minutes to veg out in front of the TV, I looked forward to those moments of thinking about nothing.  I now spend those moments in scripture, cooking, crafting, or reading with the kids, and enjoying the little moments with this blessing called family.  

A New Year, A New Blog Title

Hello again!  Oh, how I have missed the emotional outlet of this little blog.  I have been so busy these last few months that I gave up blogging.  And I have missed this blank page upon which to pour out the sweet/funny/crazy portions of my life. 

So here is where my family is today.  

In my blogging absence the Walker family (and the entire world, for that matter), not only entered a new year, but since my oldest daughter celebrated her sixth birthday in November, my blog now bears a new title, Four Under Six.  Four Under Six doesn't sound nearly as daunting as the previous title, Four Under Five, but four kids under age six is my new reality.  Life truly is not as daunting with a six year old, a four and a half year old and two crazy two year olds.  But let me remind you that only two short years ago, I could have typed Four Under Three, and that would have been my reality!!!

Homeschooling my oldest, kindergarten age daughter this year has been a wonderful, completely life changing experience.  The most major changes? Well, as a family we wake up late, like 7:30 AM.  We eat every meal together.  The kids have become best friends and/or mortal enemies, depending on their blood sugar levels and amount of sleep.  

Here is what I wake up and see every morning

Since I have time, the kids' breakfasts have become more and more extravagant.  Fresh waffles or french toast or egg scrambles have become the norm, not just a weekend treat.  Some rushed mornings are still cereal and scrambled eggs.  Some mornings I quickly down a protein shake and maybe a handful of raspberries and we're out the door.   

Eat up!

The three girls: Emma is 6, Little G is 2 1/2 and Cubby is 4 1/2.  They are super tight homegirls.  I love how they play "house" together now and dress up and play dolls.  Here's a tiny update  on each one.

Emma attends her homeschool academy twice a week with her amazing/incredible/sweet/adorable teacher, Ms. P.  Emma just learned about the parts of the body and we took a hospital field trip.  Church activities, choir and art class round out her busy schedule.  

Little G is a complete and total ham.  She keeps us entertained with her adorable toddler speech and crazy dance moves.  She has become a very willing playmate with her big sisters and also enjoys playing with (otherwise known as taunting) her twin brother.  

Cubby is all about activity and action!  She gets up in the morning and the first thing out of her mouth is, "What are we doing today?"   She loves experiencing new places and meeting new people.  She loves hanging out at the grandmas' houses and completing art projects at home. She can run faster than any four year old on the planet, and is up for a race any old time!

And here is a little update on J.D.  Two-year-old brother J.D. has expanded his early focus from only tools to vehicles.  His tools are still #1 though.  If I need a tool, say a screwdriver or the measuring tape (which he freely and regularly steals out of my kitchen drawer), I ask him for it, and he knows exactly where it is, allows me to use it, then takes it back to his tool box for safe storage.  J.D. is now at the point where he can regularly go out to the ranch with Dad to "work" in the afternoon.  He even refers to himself as "Nano" which is "Armando" in James-ease.  He looks up to any and all field workers.  Give me a man with a shovel, I'll have provided another role model for my youngest son.  He is a working man!

So that's the update!  I so look forward to getting back into the swing of regular blogging.  We have a whole lot of fun over here and it's time to start sharing that once again!