The whole show is about wishes, dreams and emotions.  It is a story about the triumph of good over evil.  It reminded me of my own childhood.  I experienced a memory rush of thousands of wishes I have had throughout my life.  Many have come true.  Some were pipe dreams.  I am not actually a princess, for instance.  I am not an actress on Broadway, although I suppose this is still within the realm of the possible.  I was impacted as much by the moving script on wishing as I was by the splendor of the lights above Cinderella’s castle. I was moved to tears as I listened to wishes from Pinocchio to princesses and gazed at the awestruck faces of my own children tinted with the colors of the sky.

It was incredible to reflect for a moment, in that beautiful place, on all my dreams and think that my children are just starting their journey.  They have their whole lives in front of them.  All of their dreams are possible.  They can be anything.  The “Wishes” song playing while we watched the finale moved me.

Ohh, a world of wishes, A world where dreams come true. So make a wish, see it through. Dare to do what dreamers do.

We’re all just children, Reaching for our dreams. They’re shining high above us, And even though it seems so far, We put our faith and hope on a shooting star.

Wishes…Dream a dream. Wishes…Set it free. Wishes… Trust your heart. Just believe.

As I watched the shooting stars, I believed.

As we sat on the bus on our way back to the hotel, I held a sleeping Violet in my arms.  Sophia fell asleep in her Daddy’s lap while Miles talked to him about the awesome fireworks.

Me?  I closed my eyes and wondered…What is my greatest wish?  It is certainly not for a bigger house or more money or great vacations or an iPad, although I have wished for all of those things.  My greatest wish is not even for my children’s education or their future careers, though I wish them all the success in the world.

More than anything, my greatest wish is for love to fill our lives.  I want my kids to know how much they are loved and I wish for their lives to be full of love.  With love in our lives we can do anything.  Love brings happiness and acceptance.  With love in the world comes peace.  I believe that love really can be the driving force in a positive life.  When I think of love I smile and my heart swells.  When I think of my children I think of love.  When I think of the world I think of what good love can do.  So, my greatest wish is for us all to be filled with love.  To live our lives filled with it and to give love freely and fully as we go about our daily business.  Yes, we may open ourselves up and become vulnerable but being open will allow us to let love in and live a more fulfilled life.

Some may think I am silly, but I take love seriously.  It is not easy to love.  Love is good and hard.  It is worth the work.

So I wish upon a star for love.  For me, for you, for our children, I wish a life and a world filled with love.

That would be truly spectacular.

So tell me, what is your greatest wish?  And hey, throw in something you would just really like to have too.  Just for fun!

We do not use condoms.

My husband had left minutes earlier for a work meeting. 

I trust Ross completely but standing by the door with an open pack of Trojan’s in my hand I wondered…is this how women find out?  Is there an immediate feeling of knowledge?   Do husband’s leave their wives and children in a hotel room and go find some action on the side?  Are there women who wouldn’t say anything, afraid to rock the marriage boat?  Just thinking about these questions made me sick.  I know women who have had that fear be real.  I know women who married cheaters.  I hate cheaters. 

I spent time pondering these questions and then I snapped back to my own reality.  Whose condoms was I holding? Where is the missing condom?  How the hell did it get in my grocery bag?  Was I being naive to trust my husband without hesitation?

The facts:

We are in Orlando because my husband has a conference.  When we found out the conference was here we jumped on the Disney opportunity.  The free hotel called us to the mouse.   Happy family vacation.

Ross travels a lot and never before have we accompanied him. 

Ross has a bunch of meetings and shmoozing to do so my in-laws came down to help.  You know, three kids in a park and one gets lost…I needed help.

My in-laws brought some groceries in for us since they have a car.  I did not see if anyone touched the grocery bag  after they dropped it off.

Having  3 kids so close together does affect the sex life.  We have a lot of little people to juggle at all hours of the night.  I’m just saying, sometimes it is hard to be alone.  And we don’t do it in front of the kids you know?

My in-laws think they are funny, but they would never think to buy condoms as a joke.

There is no way my in-laws still need condoms.

Basically we are so in love but overly busy and underly sexed and we don’t get to see each other a lot of the time.

So the minute he came in I asked him.  He thought I was kidding.  I told him to look in the bag.  He asked why his parents brought condoms.  I decided to just tell him I wondered a lot more than that and see what happened.  It was all very much less dramatic than I imagined as he laughed hysterically.  I laughed too.  After a little talk we went to bed.  I am so glad I can trust my husband.

The case of the missing condom (and the two that remained) was still open.

Today Ross went to his conference and I went to Animal Kingdom with the kids and the in-laws.

After a very long day I was sitting at dinner with my father in law and my kids and I thought about the missing condom again.  So, exhausted and no longer thinking straight I said…

“Jo, did you put a partially used package of condoms in our grocery bag?”

He laughed and asked if I liked them.  Yes, my father-in-law found it funny to plant the condoms in our grocery bag.  Yes, I talked to my father-in-law about condoms for the first time (and may it be the last).  We laughed and I asked where he got the condoms.

He told me he found them in the hotel room drawer and thought it would be funny to give them to us.  Yuck.

All that deep thought and the mystery was all some horny couple at Disney who found themselves too tired at the end of the day to use the whole pack.  Now that I can totally relate to.  I’m impressed they used one at all.

Our first topic was Courage.   The second was Happiness.  Today’s is Memory.

If you are already a regular Mommy Words visitor, I hope you enjoy these posts.  If you are here as a part of the Five for Ten, welcome!  I can’t wait to get to know you.

Many people laugh when they hear all the places we take our very young kids.  Some say “Why go through the hassle?  They won’t remember”.  Some people’s mouths drop open.  There are even crazies who imply we “force” them to do things they aren’t old enough for.  I say…as my mom said before me…”PSHAW!”

My kids are 3, 2 and 15 weeks. I readily admit, I do not remember the days before about my 4th birthday, but I am sure glad my mom did not  think it was a waste to take me to the zoo or a museum for the first 4 years of my life just because my little brain might not forever remember blowing out my first birthday candles or petting my first goat or walking into my first day of pre-school.  Likewise, I’m sure glad she decided to have me at all, seeing as I don’t remember my birth and all.  I think I probably liked being born and all that birthday cake and goat petting and stuff.

We drag take our tots as many places as possible because I believe that even if they don’t remember, these experinces help their precious minds to grow.  Going lots of places also  aids in social development and has helped me to teach important lessons about acceptance, patience and even money!  As an extra benefit, the more active we are, the less bored I am and the more likely it is they will nap.  I am not the only one who thinks that really cool experiences plus a really great nap makes for great days. Right?

Yes, it is often tiring and takes a lot of planning.  Yes, sometimes we have massive meltdowns and contemplate never leaving the house again.  Yes, these trips are primarily for the kids and usually lack the sort of relaxation and fruity cocktails that are nice on a vacation day.  But I have no regrets.  I just have thousands of wonderful memories.

I capture all of our experiences with my camera or Flip Video and we spend lots of time picking out our favorites, making albums and sending them to family and friends.  We re-live all of our experiences by talking about each trip for days on end.  Many therapists think this kind of repetition, where children learn the words to associate with their experiences, will actually help them remember.

I have to honest here.  While they may not remember, I WILL.  If I am wrong and my kids do not get any social, intellectual or physical benefits from all of our activities over the past 3 years, I am creating memories that will last for my whole life.  These experiences with my kids are precious to me as I see them open their eyes and hearts to the world around them and watch the huge smiles spread across their little faces.

In the spirit of getting to know me, here are some of my favorite memories with my kids out and about the country.

We alwasys go to the zoo.  Actually, I think we go to every zoo and aquarium whenever we are within 90 minutes of one.  Asheboro, Columbia, Charleston,  Baltimore, New Orleans, San Antonio, Orlando…where there are animals you will find us!  We have done this since Sophia started pointing to animals.  The kids love animals and have a fabulous time.  I have a ball watching them have a ball.  It makes us all happy!   How could I miss this excitement on Sophia’s face at 1?

A 1 year old thinks it is pretty awesome and very silly when a gorilla picks his nose and eats it.  So do I.  You should never get so old that this does not make you giggle.  And your kids are almost never too young to find this funny.

At the Reston Zoo in Virginia, Miles got licked by this camel when he tried to kiss it.  Unforgettable and yes, he stil tries to kiss animals.  Sheep, cows, horses…he has smooched ‘em all.

We usually go to Charleston, S.C. for New Years and find so much to do with the family.  When Sophia was 2 and Miles was 8 months old we went to Patriots Point, home of the U.S.S. Yorktown aircraft carrier and TONS of airplanes.   We explored the ship and then ran around the flight deck on a cold winter morning.  It was wonderful!

I loved taking the kids to the Angel Oaktree believed to be more than 1500 years old.  It is enormous at 25 feet in circumference and providing 17,000 square feet of shade.  It is also breathtakingly beautiful.

We rocked Washington D.C. while visiting my mom last year and hit the best parts for little kids in most of the National museums.   The National Building Museum was the kids’ favorite.  Why?  You can actually build things and run around in this giant open hall!

The Smithsonian and the Natural History Museum were not far behind.  We all had a BLAST at the National Air and Space Museum.  Little kids are pretty impressed by big airplanes and oh yeah..space ships.  We learned how to dye wool at Mount Vernon and watched a sheep being shorn.  She may not really remember it, but I will remind her how cool she thought the Washington Monument is…even at 3…she could see that Obelisks pretty much rock.

Our best and most recent trip was to Disney World.  After4 days, 3 parks and thousands of pictures I would say we made memories that will last a lifetime.

So now you know.  My tagline really could be Have Kids…Will Travel. 

I think we can make wonderful memories with our kids in much simpler ways too.  We are blessed to have family in so many wonderful places and be able to travel with our kids to add these very special experiences to thir early years.

I would love to hear where you have made your favorite family memories and would LOVE to hear what your child’s earliest memory is.  I mean come on – is there any chance they will remember any of this?

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The Lights Begin!

From the first floats we were mesmerized.  I felt a rush of anticipation as the parade officially began.  We sat right across the Liberty bridge and had perfect views of the parade..and seats at a table where Miles had his first taste of fried dough.  Is there anything better?

Introducing Spectromagic

After the introduction the parade of sparkling Disney characters began and my kids were swept away with the magic and excitement!  I did feel for those around us as Sophia and Miles screamed out the names of each character as they came by and my little girl squealed with glee at the “most beautiful stuff ever.”  The parade was priceless and my kids were loud but precious.  It was a night I will never forget.

Sophia Sees Mickey - The Parade Begins

Mickey was channeling Elvis in his snazzy getup. I loved it! The kids went crazy when they saw him!

Mickey the "King" of the Parade

It was perfect when we saw Merryweather as we told the kids the fairies were making the castle change colors before the show!

Some Blue Magic

We saw the Genie in all the parades both day and night.  It was a special treat because he was not in any of the character greetings.  He is a special favorite of Ross’.  I mean come on, Robin Williams rocked as Genie and Aladdin remains one of our favorite movies.

Make a Wish!

The characters kept coming and we loved every one but I especially liked Ariel and her villain, Ursula.

Ariel & Flounder

Ursula was HUGE!  And so cool looking!

Ursula Looms Large

Sophia kept asking about Cinderella and Minnie Mouse and she was not disappointed!  We saw Cinderella with Jaq and Gus in her carriage.

Cinderella in Her Bright Carriage

And as the parade drew to an end all of Mickey’s friends, including the Queen Minnie, made their way across the bridge.

Minnie Mouse in Lights

The Spectromagic parade made us all happy.  Very happy.  It was truly an enchanting experience and I would give it a not to be missed ranking in things to do at Disney World.  After the parade we hightailed it back to the monorail to catch the fireworks from afar at the Polynesian, where they play the fireworks music while you watch from the beach.  It was a perfect evening.

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Cinderella's Castle

Rose Colored Castle

Purple Castle

The Castle Blues

Citrus Castle

A Castle in Two Colors

Dreamy Castle

I am writing a series of posts on our experience with pre-schoolers at Disney World with lots of great tips, itineraries, and tons of photos!  Stay tuned for the Mommy Words Disney page!

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The Castle Before a Show

Many people looked at me like I was a looney bin when I told them we were taking our kids to Disney World for 4 days and 3 parks.  Sophia is 3.  Miles celebrated his 2nd birthday at Disney.  Violet was just 13 weeks old.  I am here to say that each and every day was magic.  I saw more smiles in that time than in the last year as my kids enjoyed rides, met characters, saw amazing shows and explored the different lands of the Magic Kingdom, Epcot and the Animal Kingdom.

There is a whole side of Disney that is made for little ones, perfect for encouraging imagination, getting their first thrill of a ride, learning about different places around our country and our world and yes, practicing patience.  Disney has a whole program called Magical Beginnings for their smallest friends and they treat every little girl and boy like the prince or princess we all know they are.  Disney made my kids feel like their dreams came true! 

There was a lot of planning that went into this trip to make sure we got the most out of every day.  I am going to write a series of posts on planning your trip with small children and I will give you my super successful itinerary for each of the parks we visited.  If you can, put Disney World on your list.   You will be tired at the end, but you will never forget the magic.

Why?  Because kids this young BELIEVE the magic.  The kids think that Mickey and his friends live in Toon Town.  They think Cinderella and her friends live in Cinderella’s Castle at the Magic Kingdom or Akershus at Epcot.  They believe that each and every day all of their favorite Disney friends have a huge dance party and that they were invited.  Sophia was astounded that Minnie invited her to the dance party by the castle and that Belle invited her to breakfast.  Miles gave priceless bear hugs to giant fuzzy characters that he knows are his friends.  He loves them.   

Sophia was a Princess and met Belle, Ariel, Snow White, Mulan, Cinderella, Pohahontas and Sleeping Beauty.  Hello?  Could anything be better for a 3 year old?

Sophia and Belle at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

Miles finally rode Dumbo (which he has been watching of YouTube for months) and got to see Dumbo in front of the castle.   You cannot see Miles in the picture.  Kids must sit on the inside.  Still, Ross is having a blast!

Ross Enjoys Dumbo with Sophia and Miles

Miles is 2 – so even the little Iron Dumbo was awesome for him! 

Miles and Dumbo the Elephant

Lest you think we forgot our littlest princess Violet – nope!  She had a great time snuggling with Mommy, riding rides (yes, there are tons of family rides) and meeting the princesses and fairies like her.  Actually, Violet was a huge hit with all the characters.  Mommy LOVES the pictures!

Violet Meets Tinkerbell's Friend Fawn

We loved our Disney vacation and I am trying to plan another trip as soon as possible!  I will be posting all my juicy travel tidbits, reviews of rides and attractions, tutorials on making your own rockin’ character autograph book and of course, my itineraries so stay tuned!

Should you take pre-schoolers to Disney?  My answer is a resounding yes!

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Ready to See me Rock?

On our way back from Disney (henceforth to be known as the Most Magical Place to take kids) hubs felt he had to stop at the beach.  Who was I to argue?  I mean I think God did at least as well on the lovely beaches as Walt did on his theme parks.  We all love the sand and the sun and the pools so we made reservations for 2 nights at our regular beach getaway, Wild Dunes.  Can’t beat the time outside and the free food for kids 3 and under.  It rocks!

We were all excited.  Especially Sophia, who asked me to film a million takes of her “Beach Dance”.  She may not be ready for So You Think You Can Dance (the best show on the planet and yes we will be forcing her to dance so she can be on it and mommy can be in the audience) but we think she rocks it out. 

The rest of us had a blast too. We just don’t have those moves at a moment’s notice, ya know?

Miles Wins the Seashell Hunt

Girls on the Beach

Sometimes you just need a good long nap and then a vacation from your vacation.  This was another perfect couple of days!

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Sleeping with Princesses and Cars

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For those of you who do not know me yet – yes we have kids and yes – we will travel and we love short trips as much as long ones.  Sometimes a day or two with little kids is perfect.   The beach is a 3 hour drive for us and it is alwasy worth it.

I want to take my babies to wonderful places even if it is a little painful to get there with the little ones.  In truth – I want to be that family that goes around the world with my kids.  But with a 5 week old, the beach was enough.

We had one day of sun and one day of rain and we packed in a ton of fun and laughs and we got  little wet – in the pool and in the rain.  It was good to get away!

The best part – momma got pictures! 

This is, in fact, the first picture our our entire new family.  It is sad that we have not had anyone take our picture yet.  I tell you it is tough with 3 kids 3 and under to get any pictures.  It is clear why.  Ross is physically holding Miles back and Sophia stopped mid run to take the picture.  Violet doesn’t get that she has to look at the camera.  Oh well, I will cherish it as I am sure family pics will be few and far between!

First Family Picture

I got a couple pictures of my precious Violet – she seemed confused by the bright sun and the wind but she was happy.  Sunshine does us all good!

Violet's First Beach Visit

Miles had a blast in the sand and gosh I just think he is so handsome.

Miles Loves the Sand

I am not sure he is that bright yet – or maybe he was just really hungry.  He kept eating the sand.  Gross!

Boys are Nasty

The beach was sunny but not too warm.  At 65 degrees with wind we ran in and out of the ocean and focused on finding our shells and building with sand.  As I got pictures of all my kids I realized that I have been a mom for more than 3 years and all of my kids have been on this beach in the first few months of their life.  It will always hold a place in my heart. 

A Quick Break from the Sandcastle

Just because the beach was too cold didn’t mean no swimming.  There is a heated pool!  As long as the sun is out my little fish will be in the pool.  They loved it!

Sophie on the Pool Steps

Miles as a Shark!

The best thing about Wild Dunes besides the beach is that it is a mere 30 minutes from Charleston – a place with great food and wonderful history that is packed with things to do. 

We hit the Children’s Museum  of the Lowcountry in the early evening.   We are fast becoming Children’s Museum connoisseurs and this is one of our favorites.  There are so many great rooms but we spent a lot of time this weekend in the water room.   Sophia and Miles played Picasso for nearly an hour while running between their artwork and a giant boat in the next room.

My Little Picassos

Across the street from the museum is 39 Rue de Jean is a fabulous little french cafe in Charleston for lunch.  Turns out it is great for dinner too and they were great with kids.   Even my very tired and quickly becoming crabby kids.  Usually they like it here but we were a little beat.  Thank God the table cloths are covered with paper and brand new Crayolas (and man I love brand new crayons as much as anyone!).   I must admit as good as the food was – the kids had small meltdowns and barely made it.  Life with little ones huh!

This is okay but I'd Love some McNuggets

The next morning we woke up to the rain and chilly temperatures and spent some time consoling Sophia, who had packed 3 spring dresses and was devastated.  How did we console her?  With the news that we were going to eat breakfast in the hotel (she loves breakfast out) and that we were going to the aquarium to see the fishies!  After breakfast, which was free for the kids, and made me very happy, we threw our stuff in the car and headed to the South Carolina Aquarium.  We have never met a building full of fish that we did not like! 

The Ocean Wall - Stunning

Baltimore, New Orleans, Charleston we hit aquariums whenever we can.  We also love Sea World and even the little ponds inside many embassy suites and the fish tank in our doctors office.  Got fish?  We’re there.  And boy do they have fish.  And alligators for Miles – who is obsessed.  And sharks.  And this time – the penguins were visiting!

The real  penguins were great but they also had an exhibit where you could see how tall you were compared to different types of penguins.  As soon as Sophia heard that this guy was 37″ she said its the Ikea penguin and was overjoyed when she was taller than it.  You see, she was rejected from the Ikea play world over the summer and was devastated.  They said she was not 37″ even though her doctor said she was.  So, this little penguin showed her that she can now play away while mommy shops.  Good news for all!

The Ikea Penguin

Miles spent a lot of time saying “huh?” when he kept seeing open tanks and we kept telling him he could not put his hands in. He was not so hot on this as he loves at good animal love bite. He has thusfar been nibbled by a horse and a goat, licked by a cow and a camel’s teeth rubbed him on a hayride. What’s a little fish nibble? This boy loves all wildlife and wants to touch it badly!

Why is it open if you can't put your hands in?

We spent the morning at the aquarium seeing the fish and playing in their children’s areas.  They have a fishing boat with a phone – for the little girls like Sophia who are already obsessed with phones.  She was happy talking to her friends on the boats radio and telling them about her trip.

"Look Mom I found a Phone!"

Miles loved the Camp Carolina play area because they had a bouncy bridge over real water and snakes under the floor.  Yep – snakes.  He was in heaven.

Miles Watching the Snakes

When I said it was time to go.  Miles told me no.  And gave me a look that could kill.

Miles Does Not Want to Leave

We did leave, after a great 24 hours in South Carolina.  We packed back in the car, stopped at a Cracker Barrel, stuffed ourselves, bought some candy and got on the road.  My little ones slept until the last 30 minutes and then watched a movie quietly in the car.  A perfect drive with little kids. 

We may not have had perfect weather but we had a perfectly wonderful time.

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          Very Excited People

One Excited Sophia

          Times to the Beach

Ross and Miles on the Beach

Mommy and Sophia in the Ocean

          Times in the Pool

Sophia Strikes a Pose

Miles Learning to Swim

Fun Abusing Daddy!

          Carriage Ride in Charleston

Our Horse Larry

Miles Walks the Ocean Stream

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