Our Last Day

So much has happened since our return from our trip to Disney. It has been a whirlwind of activity and catastrophe the past few weeks.  Probably, the most momentous of all our events has been my foot injury that happened a couple of weeks ago.  I fell down a steep step while wearing heels and badly injured my left foot.  When it initially happened, I wanted to scream out in pain but I was proud of my myself, because I refrained. (Whenever I feel pain, I tell myself, "I can do this, I've done natural child-birth, after all."  All I have to say is that I am very thankful that natural childbirth doesn't last for two weeks.)  Tears filled my eyes, but I was able to hobble to my car and drive home.

I was optimistic a good night's rest would fix it all up, but instead, the next morning, I awoke up to terrible pain.  I was unable to put weight on my injured foot.  Brad was an amazing support and quickly made an emergency appointment with the orthopedic surgeon for that morning.  They did x-rays and thankfully discovered that there was no breaks, but what we did discover was that I have an "extra bone" in my foot.  The navicular bone in my foot is one regular sized bone along with one smaller bone, instead of one large bone, which makes me extra susceptible to injury.

The doctor has prescribed a boot for me to wear for 6 weeks, along with crutches (which I am supposed to be using right now)! Unfortunately, I am terribly uncoordinated with the crutches, so in an effort not to get hurt further, I have been trying to hobble with my boot on.    My whole body aches (my back, legs, hips, especially my foot).  My foot still gets badly swollen many times in the day and I am not especially hopeful my recovery is going that well. I am exhausted!

Please pray that God miraculously heals my foot and that I do not have to have the most extreme course of action: surgery!   Worst case scenario, if I continue to have chronic pain, the doctor will remove the smaller bone from my foot.

Brad had a bit of bad news himself when we got back from our magical vacation! He discovered he had two cavities that require two root canals and two crowns for a whopping cost of $2500 (my injury is not fun, but it's cheap). ;-) Anyway, Brad went to work early this morning 3:00 AM, so he could take the minimal amount of time off of work today for his root canal!   (I took all three of the girls last night to AWANA and told him to go to bed. He fell asleep at 7:00 PM last night and was able to get a full night's rest, but I am sure by 7:00PM tonight, he will be done for the day.)

When Brad got home at lunch time, he offered to take the girls on a Daddy date to Chick-Fil-A (so I could have some time to rest-up)!   All that to say... I am home in the middle of the day all by myself! :-)

 I couldn't resist taking this time to write a letter to my toddler, Anna who becomes a 3 year old "little girl" tomorrow!  It's mostly an update of what is going on in her little life in the last month

This last month has been a difficult season for our family but Anna brings so much joy to us.
She is a precious little gift and I wouldn't trade being her mommy for anything in the world.

March 21, 2013

My Dearest Anna Girl,

You bring so much JOY to your daddy’s life, your big sisters’ lives, and to my life. 

We have finally convinced you that the potty is not so scary after all.  You have been pretty stubborn about not wanting to get dirty on the potty. I actually sat with you in the bathroom for 2 and ½ hours waiting for you to make some tinkles, then daddy took over for another hour before you did it for the first time last Wednesday!   Since then, you have consistently been using the potty to make pee-pees!!!

We are so proud of you! 

Last night, as a reward for all your hard work, I gave you a special surprise. The two of us went on a Mommy/Anna date to Target to pick you out some big girl panties.  You had several choices: Dora, Repunzel, Princesses, and My Little Pony! You chose the Pony ones and for the rest of the evening proudly carried them all through the store with you! Today was your FIRST day to wear them. You were so excited, jumping up and down with glee! Any onlooker who saw your contagious enthusiasm would have thought we had just given you the moon! :-) 

I recently sprained my foot and was given a giant boot to wear for six weeks.  I have tried my best to mostly stay off of it, but admittedly, I am not the best patient all of the time.  You, however, have been so sweet and compassionate to your mommy! You always tell me, “It’s alright mommy. I take care of you.”

You love books and we spend a LOT of time reading and re-reading your favorites while we cuddle on the couch together. Two of your favorites right now (they are always changing) are Mary Engelbreit’s Fairy Tales and a collection of Harold and the Purple Crayon stories.

You also like to do your math for school.  This week, we worked on counting animals and circling the right number.  You kept asking to do MORE and MORE pages of schoolwork! I hope you always have the same enthusiasm you have now for learning!

We recently went to Disney World as family for a winter break vacation! You had the time of your life and periodically will tell me, “Mommy, Disney World SO FUN!” with the biggest grin on your face. You have such an appreciative heart and your world is filled with so much love and wonder. 

You are the most outgoing of our three girls. You love meeting new friends!   But without question, your best friends in the world are Jillian and Faith! Your big sisters are very doting and you adore them in return!  “Jill-yun” and “Faif” are a lot of fun and you love being a part of their make-believe world of doll houses and tea parties! 

You also have a very special place in your heart for Aunt Michelle! Whenever we go over to the Smith’s house, you run into the house with wide-open arms and give her the absolute, biggest hugs.  While we are at their house, we always make lots of yummy treats together! You love cracking the eggs, stirring the ingredients into the bowl, and even icing some of the treats! I think you have become a pretty gifted toddler in the baking department.

You have fine blonde hair and the bluest eyes of anyone I have ever seen!  You have a beautiful dimple on your cheek, just like your daddy. I love seeing your smiles!  You recently got glasses and have done a beautiful job adjusting to them (though at first, you tried to look over them instead of through them)!

You have a sensitive heart and a desire to love and be obedient to your mommy and daddy! You are a beautiful girl, inside and out, and you are loved so very much….ALWAYS AND FOREVER! Whenever mommy or daddy ask you, “How much does your mommy and daddy love you.” You spread out your arms wide and reply “TOO MUCH”! I hope you always know the love your mommy and daddy have for you! We love you “too much” for you to even know!!!

Love,

Your Mommy

A Farewell to Disney

On our way out of the park, we returned to the Sunshine Seasons food court in the Land Pavilion to use our last quick-service meals.  They had a great selection and I was able to order three to-go dinners.
I chose two southwest chicken wraps, one fruit and cheese platter ( I had crackers in my backpack to go along with it), along with three orange juices, and some yummy desserts too!

We enjoyed a "picnic" dinner in the airport before our departure at 6:00 PM.


For dessert, I chose two Mickey red velvet whoopie pies.  They were delicious! 

And for Jillian, I had a special surprise....


A Phineas and Ferb Rice Krispie Treat!  (She had been wanting one really badly!)

She was happy to share her massive treat with her sisters and was so excited to get this one last taste of Disney World!

Then, it was time to say our farewells to Disney World!


Jillian was a little emotional as we left Disney World! She said, "This has been the best family vacation ever!  I never want to leave Disney World."   I have to agree with Jillian, it was the best family vacation the five of us have ever shared together (it's also the ONLY one we've ever had).  :-) But my tired feet told me it was the perfect time for us to go home! It was a incredible, memorable trip with our family and I am thankful. 

Biergarten: Germany

For our last sit-down meal at Disney World, we ate at Biergarten, a German restaurant! It was my favorite meal at Disney World; the food, atmosphere was incredible! And because of my high, high recommendation, our family friends, who are going for spring break, have already made reservations to experience it too! :-) I am so excited that I am going to be able to live vicariously through them for a second time at the Biergarten.

But before lunch, we made a quick stop at Karemell-Kuche for some hand crafted caramel treats to bring home with us.


I met Lakshmi who is from Weisbaden, my mom's birthplace! I was very excited, and she seemed to be too! :-)

I purchased two bags of caramel popcorn (one for our friends and one for our family)! It was AMAZING popcorn. Even Brad, who is not normally a big fan of caramel popcorn, loved it.

Then we went to Biergarten to wait for our table! 

A family photo of us at Biergarten.

I first went up to the buffet and grabbed a sampling of foods for the girls to try. They really enjoyed the breads, pretzels, meatballs, green beans, and tomato salad. They weren't as big of a fan of the sauerkraut, but I thought it was really good! Brad loved the warm German potatoes (not pictured). 

All the food was AMAZING and just seeing the photos again makes my mouth water!

I tried brussel sprouts for the first time in a long, long while! My mom always made brussels sprouts at Christmas with hollandaise sauce. And I sadly have to admit that I never was a big fan of it. But now that I am grown-up, it wasn't nearly as bad as I remembered it to be.  It  actually tasted pretty good this time around!  I know my mom would be so proud. :-)

It really felt like we were in a Bavarian village in Germany.

Then, we had a sampling of desserts to try! They were ALL AMAZING! 

Little Anna was so appreciative of the bites of yummy desserts that she gave me a spontaneous hug! :-)

The music was fantastic! 

The girls loved the show.

They used all kinds of different instruments.

They even invited everyone to dance! 

Watching all three of my girls take turns dancing with their daddy...

and with one another was one of my all time favorite memories! It was the perfect way to say good-bye to Epcot! 

Our Last Day at Epcot

On our last morning at Disney World, we woke up a little early to get all packed and be out of our room by 7:30 AM. We were successful and checked-in for our flight (at the resort!) and then put all of our carry-on luggage in complimentary storage. Then, we checked out and hopped on the bus to Epcot!

We were excited to be at Epcot at its opening!  Faith was a little anxious at the beginning of our vacation, she didn't like the idea of us being away from our house for so long.  But she was a completely transformed little girl by the end of the trip! I think she can honestly say now that she likes family vacations! :-)


First thing we did was go to Soarin' (this is the image that was on the brochure for Epcot).  It really was an exhilarating experience, we felt like we soaring over the most beautiful areas of California.

First, Jillian, Faith, and I rode it, while Anna and Brad experienced Living with the Land boat ride! Then, Brad, Jillian, and Faith experienced it with the fast pass, while Anna and I watched the film Circle of Life in the Land Pavilion.

Then, we found Captain E-O with Michael Jackson! For some reason, it was something that stuck out in Brad's memory and he really wanted to experience it "again" with the girls! Turns out, his parents have no memory of him seeing it as a child while he was at Disney World. So, who really knows?

Anna and I started out in the theater with everyone else, but Anna didn't really enjoy the movie that much. She was not upset, but I thought it best if we made an early exit. Instead, the two of us spent an enjoyable time outside with the fountains! 

Then, the rest of the family joined us. 

And then the older girls got into the action of enjoying the fountains too! 

Then we went to Imageworks to the "What If?" Labs! 

We played Figment's Melody Maker.

Then, we played with the stepping stones (they made sounds as we stepped on them).

'
We took a break to try the Flavors Around the World! 

This is a photo of Brad after he tried Italy's very bitter soda, Beverly! 

Every time we pushed the button, it filled up the entire cup with cola, so the girls split each cup! 

Anna's favorite drink was Japan's VegitaBeta! :-)

We experienced colas from Japan, Isreal, Mexico, China,

Mozambique, Costa Rica, Italy, and Germany!


Then, we returned to the World Showcase at 11:00 AM, but this time, we began on the opposite side at Canada.

We saw the beautiful Victoria Gardens,

as well as the totem poles in daylight!

Then, we returned to the beautiful Great Britain.

Jillian posed with a Royal Mail post office box. 

The girls stood in the telephone booth!

***Recollections of British Phone Booths:

Recently, our care group listened to a message on-line about marriage and the importance of prayer. In the sermon (by Greg Matte), it was stated that there is only 1 divorce out of 39,000 couples who know Jesus and pray together! Isn't that astounding?

As Brad and I were reflecting on that, Brad remembered calling me from one of these booths in England while I was pregnant with Jillian. During the precious (and little) time we had on the phone, we spent a lot of our time praying together!  Those prayers were the most "expensive" prayers we have ever had to pay for but also one of the most meaningful investments into our marriage! They are sweet, sweet memories!

And for my souvenir from Disney World, I bought a British red phone booth key chain. :-)  

Back to present day (a month ago), little Anna decided she wanted to make a phone call to someone in the photo booth! 

And then we went into one of the quaint, little shops in Great Britain and we came across this. I know that no one is in as much shock as I was..but that's my NAME!  

Isn't that the coolest?   My middle name is Elizabeth and I love its meaning, "consecrated to God".  I also especially enjoyed the last line, " Live life to the full, this is her motto."

I love my first name too, because I share a part of my mom's name!  :-)

We also came across this great ornament. For the most part, the British people are more reserved and don't show as much emotion, as us "crazy Americans".  I always thought "Keep Calm and Carry On" was the perfect slogan for most of the British! :-)

Isn't that just perfectly quaint?

It was also beautiful walking up to Paris from across the bridge! While in Paris, we decided to enjoy the French cafe one more time with a sampling of two more delicious French pastries!

Then, we went to America and enjoyed a drums and fifes performance! It was perfectly fitting for our recent studies of early American history.

Then, we went to one of the Venetian bridges in Italy! 

We had fun with a quick photo shoot of the "big kids"! :-)


Then, it was time for our lunch reservation in Germany at Biergarten (a separate post is to follow).


Then we visited Mexico for the first time!

We enjoyed the Mariachi band.

They were an excellent band and they made me a little home-sick for Texas (there are awesome Mexican restaurants in the plenty there).

We also admired the pyramids!

And the girls were very excited to get their very last stamp in their passport! All eleven of the countries at Epcot's World Showcase were completed! Hooray!