This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Soule Mama.

A Special Birthday

Thing 2 just turned 8.  Now you might not say that's a special birthday, and I would agree with you.  It's not hitting double digits, or becoming a teenager, or being old enough to drive.  It turned into a special birthday because we were able to celebrate in a unique way. 

The birthday cake has turned into quite a tradition in our family.  My bestie taught me the basics of cake decorating shortly after Thing 1 was born.  This is certainly a frustrating craft for me but I'm determined at every birthday to make something special for the boys.  Sometimes I fail, sometimes I nail it, but it's always a dramatic experience in the house.  The kids know to leave me alone when I'm working on a cake because I get so frustrated when it doesn't cooperate!  Frosting is nothing like fabric!  I can make fabric do almost anything I want it to.  Frosting and cake seem to have a life all their own.  With this cake tradition, there must be a family dinner to celebrate.  This year it was a small gathering due to a few conflicts and last minute scheduling, but the cake was a hit with the boys.

This might not make much sense to many people, but this is a creeper from the game, Minecraft.  Minecraft is a game that has taken off and they older two play it whenever they possibly can!

The special celebration came during our vacation.  We certainly didn't plan our vacation around Thing 2's birthday.  It just happened to be the only week during summer break that worked for both families.  So Thing 2 had the amazing experience of spending his birthday at Disneyland!  We visited Town Hall on main street where he received his special Happy Birthday button and all the boys received a I'm Celebrating button.  What a day!  He counted.  He received 18 Happy Birthday wishes from Disneyland workers thru the day, rode every ride in the front seat, and was the rebel spy on the Star Tours ride. 

Of course you have to top off your amazing 8th birthday with a large piece of chocolate cake!  This truly was a birthday to remember.

Family Vacation

I know many families that take big vacations several times a year.  Their kids are very well travelled.  Much more so than myself, that's for certain!  Being a family of 5 on one income, large vacations are rare.  We have done our best in the past to do small car trip vacations to have new experiences and spend time together, but big trips haven't been in the budget.  Well, this year was different. 

Conversations about this vacation started this past Christmas.  I had mentioned to my sister-in-law that I thought this might be a good year to take the boys to Disneyland.  Before I knew it we were planning a trip for both our families to travel together.  Five boys, four adults, one week, two theme parks, one museum, and a beach!  My hubby thought we were nuts, and maybe we were, but we had an amazing vacation!

There were many firsts for the boys.  First plane trip for Thing 3.  First rollercoaster for Thing 2.  First time at Disneyland for Thing 2 and 3.  Many first foods tried from calamari to a mint julep.  Virgin of course.  First time seeing the open ocean.  Many firsts indeed.

My head is still full of all the experiences and memories created on this vacation.  Watching the boys faces as they walked into Disneyland for the first time.  Their excited stories as they would come off a ride.  Watching them have wonderful moments with their cousins.  Chasing the waves on the beach and squealing as they got wet.  Trying to dig a hole to China.  Being inspired by the Lego creations at Legoland.  Getting a special behind-the-scenes tour to see how Legos are made.  Watching Thing 3 light up seeing a giant Tigger or riding It's A Small World. Yes, we tourtured the entire family with that ride.  It truly was a vacation I don't think any of us will forget.