Home Depot has the cutest free program for kids. Every first Saturday of the month they give the kids an apron, a hammer and a little wood project to build.

This month was a bird feeder. The kids all look so cute with their orange Home Depot aprons on and the dads had a little bit of a blank stare looking at the directions. 😊

Timmy was ready to get right down to business.

He was all about the hammer, that is until they brought out the glue.

Daddy was proud of his masterpiece! Now he’s talking about building sandboxes and forts…

We are big Disney fans. Even before the kids were born we celebrated anniversaries and holidays at Disney. It was always a good time but now with kids we are seeing Disney in a whole new way.

We started the tradition of going to Disney for Timmy’s birthday to try to separate Christmas from his birthday because they are so close. This was the first time that he actually understood where we were, pointing out all the characters and waving with HUGE smiles.

I don’t have a lot of pictures because how many times can you take pictures of the same castle. What a relief it was to enjoy everything first hand rather than trying to capture the perfect picture.

The weather was perfect, the crowds were low, lines short AND not one meltdown from Grace or Timmy. Another plus we only spent $33 – $18 for parking and $15 for a ride picture.

Here’s our secrets:

If you’re going with a baby don’t worry bc they can ride almost every ride at Magic Kingdom. So you don’t have to miss out on the fun with your older children. Don’t forget your baby carrier {I highly recommend the Ergo}. This makes long lines a breeze. There is a Baby Care Center by the Crystal Palace Restaurant. This place has private nursing rooms, changing tables galore and any baby supplies you forgot. I have no shame so I nurse anywhere and I find it way easier to change diapers right in the stroller.

If you want to do anything like eating with the characters or a princess makeover or even first haircuts at the Main Street Barber Shop, plan way in advance. These appointments can be made 180 days in advance and when we tried 6 weeks in advance EVERY character breakfast, lunch and dinner was sold out.

Always buy the 4 day ticket for Florida residents. It’s $179. A one day ticket is $105. So this is like getting 2 days free. We split it up into 2-3 trip because we are so close. You have 6 months to use them.

Check the weather, duh.

If the park opens at 9, plan to be there at 8am. Sounds crazy but it will take you an hour to get from your car to Magic Kingdom gates. Also in hot months it’s better to go in the morning and leave by 2 or 3. Once florida gets hot it stays hot and doesn’t cool down until dark.

If you run into ANY issues go to will call. Explain your situation and ask if there’s anyway they can accommodate you. They want you to be happy so you’re almost guaranteed some fast passes. These kind of fast passes are best because they have no time restraint and can be used on any ride. We got 2 for the whole family for everyday because they charged us twice for our tickets.

The new Fast Pass Plus is awesome! Go to the fast pass kiosk first thing. Everyone gets 3 fast passes for the rides of your choice and you get to pick from all the times available. So no more running around ride to ride trying to get a fast pass it’s all in one place. They do sell out so get there early if you want your favorite ride.

Pack your own food and drinks! Yup Disney let’s you bring your own supplies. We packed a small fabric cooler with nuts, fruit bars, cheese sticks, beef jerky, raisins, a whole thing of peanut butter with spoons, frozen water bottles and pb&j for Timmy. Keep ahead of your toddlers hunger. I think that’s what helped us avoid any crying. And even though its kinda mean, avoid the temptation to buy them that cotton candy or mickey mouse ice cream. I don’t know if its all toddlers but my son on sugar is a mad show and then him coming off of sugar is even worse.

This might sound a little neurotic but bring antibacterial soap. My kids caught a terrible cold from Disney our last trip so now that’s a must have item because 2 year olds have to touch EVERYthing.

Best advice I ever got was watch your kids faces instead of the ride or show.

Best kept secret is this crowd calendar!
http://www.undercovertourist.com/planning/when-to-visit.html

It tells you everything!

What’s great about Magic Kingdom is you can go multiple times and still discover something new. I don’t know how I never knew about the jungle cruise ride. Timmy was a little scared holding on to Tim for dear life when he saw the snakes.

Gracie enjoyed the wind in her face on the Dumbo ride. The dumbo ride is the best because they have an indoor playground for the kids while you wait to go on the ride with a beeper system and everything to let you know it’s your turn.

I was surprised that Timmy liked the Pirates of Carribean ride because it’s a little scary but there he was saying “Mommy look a pirate!”

Grace woke up from her nap in the middle of It’s a Small World ride and was pleasantly surprised by all the colors. Her face kinda said “am I still dreaming?”

Timmy saw all the clubhouse characters and princesses in a show at the castle. Up close he saw Pluto, Minnie, Woody and Jesse. It was so sweet hearing him say, “Bye-bye Woody” as our train pulled away.

Of course we had to ride the train. This child is obsessed. Everytime he heard it he was saying, “Mommy choochoo train?”

It was a perfect day. And we still have one more day of tickets so in a couple of weeks we get to do it all over again.

We were doing bedtime as usual with a story, prayers and kisses. Then me and Grace leave and Tim tucks Timmy in. As I was about to leave Timmy says in the sweetest voice, “Daddy wanna play?” Who could say no to that?

So I’m in bed watching these two on the monitor.

Today was Gracie’s first time on the swings and Timmy’s first time on the big playground. Timmy even pushed Grace in the swing. He’s such a sweet brother.

I have the best memories of my cousins. The great thing about cousins is it doesn’t matter the age difference because there’s just this unexplainable bond. It’s so sad that you grow up and lose touch. Seems like life is busier than it was when I was a kid because I remember seeing my cousins all the time.

I’m so glad my kids get to experience these kinds of relationships. They are so lucky to have Max, Hannah and Halle {I’m guessing in the future there will be a lot more names on that list}. With Max they will be around the same age and growing up together. With Hannah and Halle, since they are older, they will learn so much from them. I remember thinking my older cousins, Dawn and Keri, were so cool.

This week the kids spent a lot of time with their cousins and I find so much joy watching them play.

They helped Max break in his new playroom.

We took Hannah with us to the zoo and she was such a big help with Timmy. I think she held his hand the entire time.

Shhhh don’t wake the lion 🐾

We went back to their house for dinner and Halle got a kick out of playing dress up with Timmy.

Luckily we get to see Max almost once a week. I wish we saw the girls that much. I love watching them love on my kids.

A lot has happened this month. Gracie learned how to crawl and pull herself up to standing. She’s drinking from a sippy cup no problem. She has 2 of her bottom teeth. Eating is not her favorite thing to do but we have tried banana, apple, zucchini, oatmeal and sweet potato. Next we are trying sweet peas. I was brave enough to give her some puffs too. Of all of them zucchini was the most tolerable. She started waving hi and it’s the cutest thing ever! Timmy doesn’t see what the big deal is tho. When I’m like Gracie say hi, he gets in my face and is like “mommy HI!”

She has such a personality. She does this scrunched up nose sniffle laugh that is so hysterical.

She thinks Timmy is so funny. The two of them are playing together so much, I love it.

She’s still in my bed. Most nights I don’t mind but then we will have some nights where she nurses constantly. Other nights I’ll wake up in a panic because she’s not next to me and there she is all snuggled up with Daddy. I think I’m ready to start working on this crib business, but I’ve said that a million times.

Her favorite thing is bathtime. One night I started the tub but realized I needed to change her diaper first. When I turned the water off and started walking out she started screaming bloody murder and I swear when I laid her down on the changing table this girl slapped me across the face! Miss Attitude for sure.

It’s so funny how much she wants to be like Timmy. Already she’s copying him and stealing his cars and crawling super fast to keep up with him.

Here are some {ALOT} of picture from this month. I think she gets more beautiful every time I look at her.

My girl at 1 week and 8 months in the swing.

I was going through the pictures in my phone and they were one after another close ups of Grace. Of course I do take a lot of pictures of Timmy but not enough of just him. So today I did a little GQ photo shoot of my boy and he thought I was totally insane. You can tell in the looks he was giving me.

I think my favorite mommy moments lately are when these two are just hanging out together. It’s too sweet.

It’s official, Gracie is mobile. It’s so funny how one day they don’t know how to crawl and then the next day they are crawling like they’ve been doing it forever. & boy is she super fast. She wants to be down all the time now. There goes my little baby 😢 but I’m happy for her cause now she’s having so much fun with Timmy following him all around!