Disney...Take 2

One month later, we packed up to go to Orlando for a family Disney trip....thanks to Tutu and Poppy!  "Auntley" and Chad flew in from Houston with the boys and we got to spend four days with the family!

Before we even made it into the park, the girls got to take their first monorail ride.

Maysie was the brave one this trip while Railey opted to sit out most of the rides because of the Tower of Terror incident.  You can't quite see it in this picture, but Caden and Maysie were on this ride.  Caden has his head in Chad's lap and Maysie decided to get on the floor of the boat.

And while everyone else was on the ride, Railey and I decided to play a little game of dress up with Chance.

Lucky for me, Uncle Chad was there to help with my girls.  He may be smiling in this picture, but that is A LOT of extra weight to push around....

This trip was a HUGE step for the kids.  Caden and Railey got along great (most of the time).  They slept in the same room with NO problems.

Railey and Caden holding hands on "It's a Small World"

And Maysie was still obsessed with baby Chance....who isn't much of a baby anymore.

We met a bunch of the characters

And Dad mastered the art of the "photo bomb"

We got our faces painted and met another character. 

Luckily, Railey decided that she no longer has stage fright and decided to participate in the Jack Sparrow show.

So long for at least a year Disney World!

Railey's "First" Concert

To this day, I still remember the first concert I went to.  Whitney Houston, circa 1988, at the Tallahassee Civic Center.  So naturally, when Railey expressed interest in an artist other than Zac Brown Band, I decided that we HAD to jump on it.

Of course, Railey still doesn't understand the perks that she typically gets.  A couple of days before the concert she asked if we were going to meet Taylor before or after the concert.  Ummm...neither.  So then she asked if she could watch the concert from onstage.

Some people called me brave, others called me crazy, but we invited Kenley and Britton to join us, which left me as the responsible adult to keep everything in line.  Needless to say, panic set in about noon on the day of the concert and Paul made a last minute call to get us parking.  At least now I wouldn't have to navigate three girls through the rain on the busy streets of Atlanta.

We got there a bit early and grabbed dinner.  Railey was beyond excited when we ran into our neighbors and I, of course, couldn't resist but to take their picture in front of a bar.  Did I mention I was the only responsible adult?

Everything was great.  We grabbed dinner, then cotton candy and popcorn, and headed to our seats.  The girls were beyond excited.

And even though they won't show when I get my blog book printed, I HAVE to include these videos.  The first reflects the girls perfectly, Britton checking her phone, Kenley smiling, and Railey, well being Railey. The second shows that these youngins didn't quite know when to stop...check out the crowd.

As I am sure you can imagine, I was getting a little bit confident about how easy my night was going.  Five seconds into Taylor Swift  coming on stage, Railey AND Kenley were crying hysterically because they couldn't see Taylor.  No problem, I picked up both of them and Railey stopped crying.  Unfortunately, at this point, Kenley was still upset because the concert was too loud.  No problem, the NICEST usher offered to go and get us earplugs for the girls.

Despite a few tears and a little pouting, the girls had a great time.  And now Railey can never forget her first concert....Taylor Swift, circa 2013, at Philips Arena.

Stagefright

Railey had her first Sope Creek performance this week.  As one would expect, she was all smiles and happily performing in the bleachers with the other Kindergarten classes.  Then, it was the Glowbugs turn to go up on stage for their spider song.

If I hadn't been there to see it, I would NEVER believe it.  Especially after her performance with ZBB last year.  A few minutes into the song, I saw her leave the stage crying with Mrs. Irrgang....Railey got stagefright.

After school, I asked what had happened.  She said that once they started singing AND dancing, she got nervous and had to cry.

Luckily, she bounced back and was all smiles once the show was over.  HUGE thank you to Chris Crawford for taking pictures of my girl!  Mama was busy videotaping the show for Daddy since he was on the road.

So True

You will never have this day with your children again

Tomorrow, they will be a little older than they were today

This day is a gift, breathe and notice

smell and touch them;

study their faces and little feet and pay attention.

Relish the charms of the present.

Enjoy today mama.

It will be over before you know it.

-Jen Hatmaker

Easter Fun

With Daddy in Australia for two weeks, Jane and John came to town to help with the girls and celebrate Easter with us.

The first afternoon we decorated Easter eggs with Celie and the Green boys.  Celie and Maysie have become close lately...which means that either they are playing together for hours on end with no problem or fighting like sisters.

Add Cade to the mix, and these three are more fun and trouble than anyone can handle!

We tried our best to organize the Easter egg dying, not very successfully.  But the kids had fun, and that is all that matters.

Oh Jake...

After the eggs were gone, the kids decided to dye anything and everything in sight.  Their hair, flowers and even Bailey.

The next morning we went to Railey's softball game.  I PROMISED her that they would be hitting off of a tee...and was wrong.  But she got a great hit her first at bat....that's our girl!

Maysie is a huge fan of the ball fields...

The Easter bunny came Sunday morning!

Then baby Downing came over for Easter brunch and an egg hunt...unfortunately the weather didn't hold out and we had to move the hunt inside.