surrender

Going to Disney World was a HUGE blessing for our family. We were able to escape all the real life stuff and just focus on some fun. Although it would be a dream come true to just pick up and go live at disney world...that is not an option. 

We got back home and sure enough life was waiting for us. Bills, doctors appointments, school, the calendar. None of that went on vacation. So here are some highlights of our post disney blues.

This month I get to celebrate the life of my beautiful mother. It was 4 years ago that the world lost her big brown eyes and hilarious personality. It is strange to me that it has been so long. Sometimes it seems like it has been longer and sometimes it feels like just yesterday. I know that I got to be a part of some of her very best years, and for that I am grateful. What I mourn the most is what my kids will miss out on with her. Bryce remembers less and less of her and it breaks my heart because he was pretty much her favorite person in the world. I am reminded so often that our life on earth is just a blip on the radar. It is just a tiny crumb on the buffet. I know that God restores our broken hearts and broken bodies and washes us clean, but it sure is the pits to be left behind. It has been extra difficult these past few weeks as I watched my best friend prepare to lose her father. My heart breaks all over again for her loss. He calls us to be weak, for it is then that we rely on Him most. Nobody has the right words for times like these...and that is just how He wants it. 

And your faith will not rest on the wisdom of man, but in the power of God. 1 corinthians 2:5

The time of "rest" in Disney was also in great timing regarding Justin's newest health developments. I will spare all the details for now, but my guy will be undergoing heart surgery sometime soon. Justin suffers from some unusual (and VERY bothersome) side effects that Dr. F has had a hard time linking to any of his diseases and/or medications. He sent him into a cardiologist to test him for pulmonary hypertension. While it was a huge praise to find out Justin does NOT have that...something else was discovered. It will need to be repaired very soon. We do not have info on when this will be yet, other than it will be soon. They will go though his leg (don't even get me started on that...I had to have the dr draw me a picture!) and he will only be down and out about a week. While surgery is never ideal for Justin, we are grateful that this doctor was thorough and found something that needed repair. It is discouraging to know that Justin has yet ANOTHER issue that is completely unrelated to all the others. We just do not understand how one persons body can be so filled with so many separate disasters. Proverbs 3:5 tells us not to depend on our own understanding and to TRUST the Lord with ALL of our heart. Thank goodness for that...because I got ZIP in the understanding department. I surrender. 

And on a lighter note...

I helped host a diaper shower for my sweet friend Chantel. She is having baby number 3 and she doesnt know what it will BEE! Is this not the cutest cake you have ever seen in all your life? 

We are gearing up for the One Less Race!! I suggest you stop what you are doing and head on over to register. This year it's gonna be ORANGE. Seriously...do not miss out on this. 

www.onelessrace.com

We got to hang out with our fun friends Heath and Sarah! They have the MOST exciting house in the world. Bryce finally got a chance to try out his dirt bike gear. We all have such a great time at their house...pretty sure they would think our house is a total snore :)

Bryce had his last basketball game. He had a great time playing and I had a GREAT time watching. I never realized quite how boring baseball can be (which he has played for 3.5 years...both fall and spring) until I got to watch basketball! I am happy we decided to encourage him to try some new sports. Bryce's super hero Josh even came out to watch him play once. Now THAT was exciting! 

that's all for now!

disney!

The Disney post is FINALLY happening! I have been planning a trip to disney since the second I became a mommy. It was so so fun to plan. We chose February for several reasons...the cost is lower because it is not a peak time, which also means the crowds were lower (major bonus), Justin is actually allowed to have days off in feb :) and we knew the weather would not be too hot or too cold (either extreme is really hard on Justin). It ended up being a great choice. It only rained one day while we were there and the rest of the time we were in shorts. I have a lot of die hard Disney friends and there are a LOT of disney blogs. And when I say a LOT, I basically mean like one million. It is overwhelming and ridiculous. My sweet friends gave me lots good pointers and I was able to pick up some money/time saving ideas from the never ending disney mommy blog land. We really took our trip slow. We did not do and see every single things and that was OK. We did what we were able to do without wearing out Justin and the littles and it was completely perfect. So here is our trip!

riding a taxi to the airport! brax LOVES taxis (and I am not really sure why) 

so that was a fun start to the trip. 

in true mac style...our trip was NOT drama free. we had a SEVEN hour flight delay on our way there. brody's shirt was very fitting for the day. 

we stayed at the art of animation resort and LOVED it. we went back and forth on value resorts vs moderate resorts and we decided that separate bathrooms and bedrooms trumped location. we stayed in a nemo suite and it was absolutely adorable. 

here is a pic of the pool. it was heated so the boys actually got in one night!

our first stop of the trip was the magic kingdom! 

there are just no words to describe the...well...MAGIC of this place!

Our first purchase of the day was an autograph book for Bryce and hats for the little boys. 

 first character sighting was chip and dale! all the boys loved the characters...but Brody was a whole different story. brody thought each one had come straight from the TV to the park specifically to meet HIM. precious beyond words!

lucky justin got pulled from the crowd to be in a little show. you know he just LOVED that!! this little gal with the orange hair wanted him to be her boyfriend :)

we had dinner the first night at the kona cafe in the polynesian resort. it was SO yummy. 

we were VERY happy we chose to do the dining plan. it really seemed worth it. 

we were good about planning nap time and taking our day slow, so we were able to make it to the light parade on the first night. 

day two we headed to hollywood studios. we had a character breakfast with some disney junior stars. these were certainly not MY favorite characters...but the little boys loved it. And it was all you can eat bacon so Justin and Bryce were happy :)

 I had some REALLY cute shirts made for the boys before we went. My very talented friend from high school has a facebook page for her creations. (sewn by shannon) I just sent her pictures of what I wanted and she made them and shipped them in no time at all! 

day three we headed to animal kingdom. 

the lion king show was awesome!

we had a great character lunch with mickey and his friends at the tusker house. 

we spent lots of time at epcot. we had heard that this may not be as fun for the boys...

but we loved it! it was very relaxing and there was plenty for everyone to do and see. 

at the polynesian luau. the boys had their faces painted at epcot! 

the boys did NOT want to get off the stage!

                                      

ok the rest of the pics are totally out of order. so sue me. 

our volcano dessert at the dinosaur restaurant in downtown disney