We made it!

Yes, we survived Florida. We survived the extremely hot, humid weather, the thousands of people at Disney World, the long lines at every event in each park, and traveling with an 18 month old and a 9 year old "Diva".

I will admit, Brynn was a trooper! She didn't cry or scream on the plane rides(thank you for all of your prayers - hehe), she fussed a little during the hot, sweaty days at the parks(but we all did), she took her naps when she was tired, and she adjusted well to all of the excitement and riding in her stroller all day every day. We were pleasantly surprised how well she did.

Kaeleah, on the other hand, was the one we had some issues with. For someone who we thought was OVERLY excited about going to Disney World, seemed to complain more than anything. All we heard was, "it's too hot", "I'm tired", "when are we going swimming", and "this is boring". Yep, you read that right..."THIS IS BORING"! UGH!! Of course she got the lecture on how there are 1000's of kids who would do anything to be here and how lucky she is. I guess it must have sunk in eventually, because she just LOVED Sea World. Of course her favorite day was when we went swimming all day (go figure). When we left on Sunday, she didn't want to go, so she did have fun. It's just in her nature to complain. *rolling my eyeballs*

Billy and I have decided from here on out we are going to take vacations that revolve around swimming, since this is all our kids want to do anyways. We are thankful to Farm Bureau for the wonderful experience in Orlando, but from here on out which ever location they give us that has the most to do with swimming, that's where we are going(they give us 3 locations to chose from each year). This will actually benefit all of us. The kids will be happy to swim and we adults will be happy to just sit by the pool and relax(hmm....maybe our kids are on to something). :o)

Well, I will be posting some pictures later on in the week after I get all caught up on laundry, work, and putting all of our stuff away. We are very thankful that we were able to go on this trip and that we made it back safely. Even after dealing with the extreme heat and complaining, we really did have a good time. We are, however, very happy to be home and to be able sleep in our own beds. All we need now is a vacation from our vacation! :o)

Disney World, Here We Come!

Tomorrow is the big day! We have all been looking forward to this day for months now, and it is now upon us. We are all very excited to get away as a family, but our one concern is Brynn. When we first booked this trip, she was quiet, she sat nicely, and did what she was told. Today is a totally different story! She screams at the site of Kaeleah, she doesn't like to sit still, and she says "no" to everything. Needless to say, the plane ride will be interesting. I have toys, books, snacks, movies, songs to sing, etc, etc. but I can only hope and PRAY all of my back up plans keep her entertained throughout the four 2 hours plane rides. If not, we have a slight feeling we will be thumbing a ride to Orlando when the pilot kicks us off of the plane for the blood curdling screams coming from our beloved child. We are hoping that since she is so cute, people will turn the other cheek, but being cute only gets her so far. We need LOTS of patience and entertainment!

Tomorrow we will definitely find out whether or not this trip was worth it. I know once we get to the resort and see all of the wonderful things Disney World has to offer, it will be worth it. But right now, the plane ride is making me nervous. Please help us pray for a safe trip, all of the passengers on the plane if Brynn screams, our sanity, and that we actually get to stay on the plane. Ha! Just kidding.

I will post pictures of our trip once we get back. Until then, have a wonderful week! ~ The Russells

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Just the two of us!

For the past 24 hours, our home has been unusually quite. I'm not complaining, but I will admit that I miss Billy and Kaeleah. Brynn and I just don't know what to do with ourselves. Usually Kaeleah is trying hard to keep Brynn busy during the day by playing with her, while Brynn screams and doesn't want anything to do with her. But today, Brynn has been wondering where her "big sissy" is. She's been walking around with her hands in the "all gone" position. She thinks her daddy and Kaeleah are "all gone".

Well they are "all gone", but not for good. HA! Billy and Kaeleah went to Des Moines for a couple of days. Billy has meetings until Friday, and Kaeleah wanted to go spend some time with her cousins, Hannah, Adam, and Sam, so she is staying with them, while Billy is in meetings all day. Hannah also has a dance recital on Friday, so Billy & Kaeleah are going to stay until Saturday.

Unfortunately, Brynn and I couldn't go. I have to get some work done before going to Orlando on Tuesday. I also know that Brynn wouldn't sit still during the recital, so it would be pointless for me to go. So we are having to entertain each other since we are both missing our other half of the family.

I will admit, I'm enjoying the peace and quiet and my time with Brynn. I also have the ability to get my work and cleaning done, without any interruptions(except for the occasional melt down from Brynn). I am however, looking forward to Saturday. Until then, I will continue to do laundry and get this house in order before we head to Orlando next week. Maybe I can even sit down and read for awhile. Ah, that would just be heaven.

Long time, No see!

Two weeks ago, I made a quick trip back to Hays. My great-aunt & uncle, Lynette & Jerry, and their family, Sherry, Frances, Scott & Sunita, came to Kansas for a visit. It was so great to see all of them. I haven't seen them in years! I'm so glad that I made the decision to go back to Hays, it was definitely worth the trip. They are all such wonderful and interesting people. They have seen so many things in their lives and lived in some of the most interesting places, I could just spend days just sitting and talking with them asking them questions about everything they have seen and lived through. I do hope they enjoyed their time in KS! I'm looking forward to the next time I get to see them. Hopefully next year I will get to see them in their neck of the woods when we take our family vacation to North Carolina!

Sisters ~ My grandma & Lynette

The family together again!

My mom & Brynn

Clint & Afton

She must be from Nebraska...

Brynn just LOVES corn on the cob. The first time I gave it to her, I did what every other mom does and cut it off of the cob. Well, she didn't want it. She wanted my corn(which was on the cob). So, ever since then I've been giving Brynn her own corn on the cob and she just devours it!

No, this isn't all that we gave her to eat. Ha! She had eaten before us, but like I said, she LOVES her corn, so we gave her a cob and she was happy as ever.

A Weekend of Fun

This weekend Billy's sister and her family came to town. We decided to have some fun with the kids, so we went to Fun Plex & the zoo. All of the kids definitely had a great time. Kaeleah was a little traumatized after riding the Tilt-a-Whirl at Fun-Plex(see pics below), but overall, we all had fun. The zoo is always a hit with the kiddos. The adults, on the other hand, were hot and miserable. HA! As long as the kids had fun, it's all worth it. :o)

Brynn showing Adam & Sam the fish.

Adam, Brynn, Hannah, & Kaeleah checking out the sharks.

Billy & Brynn looking at the sharks in the aquarium.

Kaeleah looking at the fish in the aquarium.

Samuel and Brynn holding hands, I just thought this was the cutest thing.

Daddy showing Brynn the monkeys and the fish. She got to feed the fish too, but she had to fight the urge to eat the food herself. HA!

She was WORN out! It was a long day at the zoo.


This picture is perfect for a Cingular commercial. "Raising the Bars"

Waiting patiently for some tickets. They couldn't wait to ride the rides.

Kaeleah in the bumper cars.

Brynn wondering why she can't ride the rides too.

The meltdown. Kaeleah after she got off of the Tilt-a-Whirl. She screamed the entire time while she was on the ride, but she INSISTED that she go on it. I don't think she'll be going on that ride any time soon.

Recovering



I think the "Older Kids" had more fun then the little kids. I KNOW the guys secretly want to go to these places more than the kids do. Hehe.

Billy & Kaeleah driving the Go-Karts
Kaeleah had fun on the Slide Track.
I think she has fully recovered from the Tilt-a-Whirl. ;o)