"YOU" MAKE IT MAGICAL \\ FLASHBACK TO OUR FIRST TIME AT WALT DISNEY WORLD: MAGIC KINGDOM...

reposting from 3/2/20 // it’s been yet another cold winter day and we are starting to feel wrapped in cabin fever as if it has arrived to stay for a while. our days have been full of fort building, fruit battery testing, cardboard creations, karaoke concerts and legos… LOTS of legos.

yesterday, brian came home from work and swept us away to our community center to swim for a few hours. I watched as it seemed that the water swept them away to a different place. a warmer place with sunshine and seagulls. a place with seashells and sandcastles. I should have joined them. even if only to close my eyes as the water moved around me, it was probably just what I needed to sweep all of my cares away.

i’ve worked a lot over the last several months. a lot of work that most will never see. work that has very little to do with outward success and rather work that has been necessary for my heart and soul to remain rooted in love. asking myself tough questions and challenging my own efforts and motives in order to yield a pure return. as we launch into all that we’ve planned for 2020 it is a foundation that all other things must be built upon and it’s vital to me. this family IS my dream. and these adventures we’ve planned are full of purpose and intent. I don’t want to mess this up.

while the cold weather is currently keeping me curled up on the couch in my robe and longing for warmer days, I thought I would spend a little time finally loading a few photos from our first time at disney while I chat a bit about the message hidden in our memories and the magic of these moments .…

just a few months ago, the five of us stood in front of disney’s cinderella castle and tried our best to take a picture to match our excitement to be in such a magical place. in less than 30 seconds we snapped a few and hoped for the best as we hurried away to find just one corner, any corner… that wasn’t completely surrounded by the chaos of crowded places.

^^ walking through 2020 with all the lessons we’ve learned in a sparkly pink backpack but not looking back, also known as princess unbothered, lol!!! ^^

my very first time meeting mickey and minnie mouse with my four loves!

watching this handsome one take a selfie with my baby made me all kinds of happy! im the one that keeps all the memories around here and this guys almost NEVER takes out his camera (no shade boo, just #facts 😉)

these two handsome little men of mine spent a lot of their first time at disney hunting down all the princesses and patiently waiting in lines to watch their baby sister giggle and smile, so you can be sure that we will find all the ways to make our next go around just as magical for them too!

i prepped four/five unit studies in order to keep them at the forefront of our hearts and minds as we head out on our LIVE & LEARN TOUR Adventures. one of them was completely inspired by this trip of ours and this little lady helped me dream up all the details. my forever memo to me: "let them play a major role in the process".

I brought our art books and watercolor pens along. the hope was to spend time art journaling after a full day of fun instead of unwinding with devices because ... it happens 🤷🏽‍♀️.
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it worked the first night and the kids loved it. it worked , mainly because i mustered up every bit of energy I had left to push through and be the patient and disciplined homeschool mom that i always hoped I could be. let’s just call that a victory because I can’t say the same for the following nights 🤦🏾‍♀️... it was just tew much, lol.

on our adventures this time around, we’ve got lots of beautiful libraries weaves into our travel plans. the perfect stops to take a break from reading in the car, on the go and on our devices... to spend a little time book borrowing in the aisles of book covered shelves along the stops of our tour. sounds so good, right?!

“the only thing you absolutely have to know is the location of the library.” -albert einstein

even better when the “library” is literally in the palm of our hands! the goal in our adventures is to lace learning with play so much so that they become one in the same!

smart, creative, funny, kind, courageous, empathetic, imaginative, dynamic, joyful, irreplaceable little girls were pink- glitter-sparkle shades and rose gold ears 💕✨

one of my favorite memories from our trip and I actually got in on video. after meeting ariel she struts away and screams “she was real! she was real”!!! i smiled so hard I think I cried a bit.

and then there was that one time Tiana simply stole our hearts ✨💕 the boys just sat back and watched as this little lady made her way to meet all the princesses BUT they're was no denying that their smiles became just a bit brighter when Princess Tiana waved us over 😊…

I learned so much about them on this trip. actually, we learned so much about each other. disney world was a tricky place for this introverted mama to navigate. focusing in on the beauty amidst the madness… i’m learning that these are the things that make life magical. these are the things that i’m learning to first strengthen myself such that I may teach them to walk in the same and these are the very things that get me excited for our adventures to come.

we can’t wait to get back for a second time around.

with all the love,

syreena