After all

Madsen was singing "it's a small world" to himself as he was playing today.  it made me happy.  I knew as his head was bobbing back and forth that he was remembering the ride that he'd been on a little over a week ago where he'd heard that song for the first time.

Taking a small child to a Disney theme park is very much like experiencing Christmas through the eyes of a child:  everything is magical. 

I knew Madsen would have fun on this trip with us, but I underestimated how much he would "get" the magic of Disney.  The first ride he experienced was Pirates in the Caribbean, which he loved.  His next ride was It's a Small World.  It was so. much. fun. to watch his eyes light up as he noticed all the movements and details of this little boat ride.  He was beaming and pointing and smiling and just in awe.  I was amazed that he quickly figured out there was a sun in every scene, and that the moon in the last country meant the ride was all done.  

 

 

 

 

In contrast, Ray was groaning every time we slowly came around another corner and he could get a glimpse that there was yet another country we had to sail through.  "Another one?!!  When is this ride going to end?!!"

If the ride for me wasn't about watching Madsen's reactions, I would have been right there with Ray, though.  Man, that ride was as outdated as they come. 

Sure enough, when Madsen said he wanted to go on the boat again as soon as we were finished, more than a couple of us quickly redirected him to another ride.  :)

food, glorious food

well, since you asked, Brooke:

I would have to say I was slightly disappointed with the food, but only because I'd read so many rave reviews about how awesome all the food is on a cruise.  Since we dine out at fancy restaurants all the time, I guess my palate was just more sophisticated than all those people who reviewed the food as 5-star quality.  (that's a joke.  we pretty much rotate between the same 3 restaurants every date night)

so the food was great.  not excellent, but definitely good-quality. 

The thing about the food, for me, was just the simplicity of it all.  Think about the worst part of being on a vacation (or the best part, depending on your personality):  making decisions about what to eat, when to eat, how much do we want to spend to eat.  To have all of those hard decisions taken from me was tremendously freeing.  So much so, that I didn't mind that the food wasn't 5-star quality.  The benefits of having my kids go eat breakfast and lunch and get snacks wherever they wanted and whenever they were hungry was probably the best concept of the cruise.  It meant nobody was waiting on me to make a decision.  It meant nobody crossed over that line of being too hungry to function cooperatively (including me) and it meant I didn't care at all what my kids ordered or ate because it wasn't ever going to be a "waste of money" or a "one shot deal":  you eat now or you'll miss dinner. 

Sometimes a few of us would eat breakfast together, but we were mostly on our own to eat breakfast and lunch (and soft-serve ice cream in between) somewhere on the ship, and then we all met up for a sit-down dinner with Bruno and Tomo every night at 8:15.  Something else I remembered that Bruno did that increased my love for him was that he made menu decisions for me every night.  I am not a great decision-maker, particularly at restaurants I've never been to.  And I really hate trying to read my own menu and also seeing what's on the special kids' menus, while simultaneously answering everyone's questions about what I think they should get, at the same time I'm trying to make sure Madsen doesn't dump his water out and Ray doesn't "accidentally" throw something.  It's not the best part of eating out for me.
Enter Bruno to save the day once again.  At a moment's hesitation, Bruno stepped right up and would make a decision for me.  Not because he was annoyed that I was unsure, but because he was so confident in the foods that we would like.  He was usually spot on.  And it really made my personal dining experience much more enjoyable.  He even convinced a few of the kids to try new things that they normally wouldn't be willing to try.  Emma actually ordered snails...and liked them!  On the last night, he strongly recommended a dessert called Baked Alaska.  It wasn't the most appealing thing on the menu to me (it had the words sponge and cake in the description), but Bruno raved about it and told me it was the best thing on the menu.  I explained that I wasn't a fan of cake and really wasn't a fan of something soggy-sounding like sponge cake and went ahead and ordered the baked apple-blueberry crisp anyway.  Bruno was so confident that I'd love the Baked Alaska that he brought out both desserts for me.  He was right.

One of the days, Damon and I had brunch at an adults-only restaurant called Palo.  THAT was some excellent food.  Among many other things we tasted, the eggs benedict Oscar, the veal, and the grape-gorgonzola pizza were standouts. 

Something that made me laugh was that Ray and Nolan would leave the decks that they were on (some of them serving food) and come to our room specifically to place a room-service order just for the sake of placing a room-service order.  One of the times, I walked in on them waiting for their newly-ordered food in our room. 

me:  what are you guys doing in here?
Ray:  we just ordered room service and we're waiting for our food
me:  oh.  what did you order?
Ray:  I ordered macaroni and cheese.  Nolan wasn't really hungry and didn't know what to order so he just ordered cookies. 

for my boys, ordering room service was pretty much the coolest experience ever. 
and one they will probably never experience again.  haha

---------
current events:

Ray is my newest (and 3rd kid in 18-months) braces-recipient.  He got his brackets and expander placed today.  They definitely make him look older, but the slurping noises he is constantly making due to food getting stuck in his expander are making my skin crawl.  Nolan and Savannah never made these sickening noises when they were adjusting to their expanders on the roofs of their mouths.  I'm not sure I'm going to be able to handle this noise.  It's awful. 

thank goodness he's cute with his gold and purple bands (his teacher's alma mater colors).

slurp!

you had me at

"Can I cut Ray's steak?"
--------

Every bit of research that I did told me the service on the Disney Wonder was unbeatable.  The best in the industry, even the best of Disney's 4 ships.  It's not that I didn't believe it, but I just didn't get how service could be that great.  I mean, that's their job.  And all they're doing is bringing you food and keeping your water glasses filled- right? 

After our first dinner together in Animator's Palate on the first night, I thought I understood how people could rave so much about their waiters.  We loved ours:  Bruno and Tomo.  Bruno was our head waiter and was from India.  Tomo was from Indonesia and was Bruno's assistant.  Even though we would eat dinner at a different restaurant each night, Bruno and Tomo would be our waiters at each restaurant. 

The moment I "got it" was when they were bringing out our first meals we'd ordered.  Most of us had ordered steak.  And Tomo asked if he could cut Ray's steak for him. 

Um, yes, please. 

These guys did everything for us.  Somebody dropped a utensil, they wouldn't let Damon or I get up to retrieve it.  Someone needed a wipe, they wiped that child's face or hands.  Someone was demanding to sit in dad's lap, someone was told they could have a Mickey ice cream bar if they stayed in their own seat and let dad finish his own dinner. 

Bruno and Tomo talked with the kids, one on one.  They weren't annoyed in the least bit that we had 5 of them.  or that we weren't ordering alcohol.  or that Madsen was usually beyond tired by the time we were sitting down to dinner at 8:!5. The kids were excited to see them every night.  They greeted each of us by name and asked us about our day.  I wanted to invite them to do stuff with us during the day; they felt like a part of our family. 

 

 

What I didn't know was that I didn't really "get it" until the final night at dinner.  When Bruno was feeding Madsen bites of his vegetables (that I couldn't come close to get him to eat) and Madsen was opening his mouth right up, happily, every time Bruno offered him a bite.  When Madsen stayed in his own seat throughout dinner, patiently waiting for that (horribly messy) Mickey ice cream bar- with Mickey sprinkles and marshmallows- that Bruno faithfully brought him every night after he ate his macaroni and cheese (that he also faithfully ordered every single night).

 

 

 

 

 

When Nolan teared up a bit at the realization that we wouldn't be seeing these fun, caring, amazing friends we'd made anymore.

 

When I actually felt like I wanted to cry because it felt like we were saying goodbye to a close family member that we had come to visit.

  

 

 

 When the only picture that Madsen willingly smiled for all week
was the one we took with Bruno and Tomo.

 

and that's when it occurred to me that the key to great service was to love my children and treat them with the same respect you treat your "real" customers with. 

 

and that's how they do it on the Disney Wonder, folks.

Bruno and Tomo, you will be missed. 
but you are the reason we will be back.

PDD

Post
Disney
Depression.

I'm torn between feeling a just-back-from-an-awesome-vacation-depression and a just-back-from-an-awesome-vacation-high.  I have hundreds of photos I need to sift through and lots of memories I want to recount.  for now, I'll start with a general overview.

things that were perfect:

• the concept of a cruise, in general, is simply brilliant:  unlimited food/entertainment already paid for, freedom/general safety of letting kids go/do whatever they want, the novelty of being on a huge cruise ship
• the weather
• child swap and express pass at Universal Studios
• Madsen's reaction to riding Dumbo
• Bruno and Tomo (our waiters assigned to us for all of our dinners).  I can't say enough good things about our experience with them.  simply amazing.
• scheduled live shows and scheduled dinner times every night
• getting "dressed up" to go to show/dinner every night
• the kids' excitement over swimming with the dolphins in Cozumel
• kids' experiencing snorkeling for first time; damon's patience in teaching them
• Nolan's enthusiasm for his tween club, the Edge, and pretty much everything. 
• Elli and Emma meeting lots of new friends from all over (OK, mostly the east coast)
• Ray getting his sweat fix up on the sports deck
• dance parties with the Disney characters
• Emma's thrill for Madsen's first experience with Disney
• my binder that kept me organized
• the United States magnetic puzzle I made for Madsen's plane ride from thrift store finds
• the grape and gorgonzola pizza we had at Palo
• Madsen being admitted to kids' clubs unexpectedly- even though he wasn't 3-years-old
• Madsen's love for the characters, particularly Minnie and Daisy Duck
• Madsen's adoration for the ocean
• getting Madsen's silhouette done at Disney World to complete our family collection we had done after our Calvin Disneyland trip in '09.
• the unlimited soft ice cream cone station on deck 9
• complimentary room service 24 hours a day
• everyone staying healthy for the entire vacation (minus the first travel day for me); what a freaking miracle.
• no motion sickness (with the exception of a partial day for Elli when the waters were particularly rough)
• finally getting to see Saving Mr. Banks and Frozen... for "free"
• participating in the FE group (gift exchange on cruise).  a definite highlight for all of us
• paying for our cruise with discounted Disney gift cards

things that were imperfect:

• the lines and under-accommodations for child swap at Disney World. 
• Ray feeling a little left out on cruise because Nolan's age qualified him for an older kids' club that Ray wasn't old enough to participate in
• boys' adverse reactions to wearing shirts with collars and pants that were not made of knit
• leaving our Surface tablet on the airplane on the fight home
• very long travel days:  3 connecting flights each way.
• the amount of money we spent
• feeling rushed because we were cramming Disney World and Universal into 2 short days.  I wouldn't bother adding that onto another cruise trip.  I would either allow for more time or go when it wasn't as busy.  a wasted expense, in my opinion.
• not taking advantage enough of the photo opps onboard the cruise
• the kids having to make up for 5 missed days of school
• coming home.

I am really not sure I'm capable of summing up how wonderful our cruise adventures were.  I truly cannot wait to do this again. 

imperfections included, what a perfect vacation. 

universal

highlights:

• upgrading to express passes
• no rain
• harry potter and the forbidden journey
• harry potter dragon one
• 2 parks in 8 hours
• madsen's scream of having to get off Damon's lap turning into a scream of delight on his first ride (harry potter dragon roller coaster)
• pressed pennies
• the Hulk
• the Mummy ride
• kids not really being interested in souvenirs
• at least 2 kids thanking on me on more than one unsolicited occasion for taking the to universal studios
• choosing to keep it simple and light and leaving our camera at the hotel
• harry potter butter beer
• Nolan finally getting a churro
• child swap areas.  brilliant
• 4 of 5 children asleep before we even hit the freeway on our way back to hotel
• our matching sweatshirts really coming in handy with the unpredictable cooler, windy weather
• getting exhausted BEFORE we cruise
• being one day closer to the real reason we're here. 

lowlights:

• leaving our hotel almost an hour later than i'd planned
• being on east coast time in sleep-deprived west coast bodies
• paying for the upgraded express passes
• the stupid (non-stop chanting) cheerleader group that was surrounding us while in line (forever) to buy tickets
• the line to get your bag checked, the line to buy tickets, the line to get into the park.  seriously.  i'm all about security, but there has to be a better way to streamline things for this many people.  ridiculousness.
• the mandatory locker situation at harry potter's forbidden journey (who designed that layout/setup?)
• the way my body aches right now
• not pre-buying our tickets online; would have save us at least an hour of waiting in line
• rides being shut down due to high winds (pteranodon flyers and rip ride rock-it)  :(
• being 40.  (rides were hard on Damon and me.  had to sit out several at the end due to motion sickness getting to us)

highlights of a long travel day

• hearing the excitement of the Nolan and Ray... just to be on an airplane
• madsen finally falling asleep on the 3rd flight
• personalized magic bands
• meeting other education hill family
• potbelly in Chicago
• ASL basketball team in Chicago
• madsen and the moving walkways
• madsen and the states puzzle
• 18 pieces of luggage/backpacks fitting in our rental car
• the smell of Florida's perfectly cooled air
• selfies with palm trees
• actually arriving
• damon doing most of the madsen entertaining
• special security line in airport
• new bright yellow moccasins

lowlights:

• 3 am wake up call
• weather delays
• V35
• being wide awake at 1:40 am (florida time), even though I woke up at 3 am
• toll booths
• weather forecast rapidly changing
• target closing

didn't get my wish

I'm sicker today than I was yesterday. Lame.
I'm currently in my bed, Kleenex shoved up my nose, right eye weeping just enough that I can hardly see...while Emma is giving my toenails a Disney makeover.
so I guess life isn't so bad.
and it's about to get better.
improving my situation by at least 25-degrees tomorrow.

for a girl who has been preparing

for the past 9 months,
I sure had a LOT of stuff to do today.

finished up my gift exchange stuff (with a little vinyl help from my friend, Sierra)

 

 

finished up our gift holder that we will hang from our stateroom door so others can leave gifts for our family:

 

 

 

 our family sweatshirts:

 

 

Ray decided at the last minute he wanted to make loom band bracelets for every single kid in his class for Valentines Day (even though I had already checked his Valentines off my list a month ago).  I thought it was pretty sweet so I got on board with it and helped him achieve his 25 bracelet quota.  Love his "boy touch" he added to my simple Valentine idea.  :)





 

 

 and I finished most of the packing (that I have control over)

 



 

I also made some really cute magnetic games for Madsen for the flight that i'm super excited about (no pictures of that stuff)

 

and on the list for tomorrow:

 

clean up all the messes that have been accumulating for several weeks now. 

 

and kick this stupid cold to the curb.  ugh.  

this isn't

this isn't what it looks like outside right now. it's a picture that was already on my phone from earlier this week.
in fact, it's been snowing.
snowing enough that lots of churches were cancelled today (not ours) and lots of meetings/other happenings were cancelled tonight (ours).

I can't help but feel extra blessed that we get to leave the snow this week and land in the sun.  it's quite a perfect send-off.

but after so much preparation and anticipation for this trip, I am almost sad to go.  I almost don't want the actual days to get here because it means it will then be over.  over.  I am scared to think of my post-vacation life.  what ever will I do with myself? 

he's always been

a good dad.
right from the start.

but something is different this time around with Madsen.  Madsen adores him, just like all the others did and do.  Life starts for Madsen when Damon walks through that door every night, just like it did for all the other adoring Barry children when their daddy came through that front door. 

but something is different this time around. I have pondered this for months and months.  There is a calmness and patience and acceptance in fatherhood in Damon like I've never noticed before.  And Damon is all of those things:  calm.  patient.  accepting.  with or without the label of father.  so it's not like becoming a father brought those qualities out in him. 

There's a different level of maturity.  And a different kind of love.  And maybe even a deeper level of enjoyment in being a father.  Does it come from aging?  from experiencing a child's death right before Madsen was born?  from lessons learned as our older children have phased out of "childhood" and into "teenage-hood"?  Is there just a deeper appreciation for the privilege of parenthood in general? 

Probably yes.  I actually don't have the answer

There was a time where parenting required lots of adjustments and constant selfless decisions.  And there still are adjustments and a lot of selflessness required, but it seems to come much more naturally for him this time around.  He doesn't even hesitate when Madsen wants him to read a book, he just does it.  He doesn't shoo Mads away when he's brushing or flossing his teeth or shaving and Madsen is demanding to be held by him; he just leans over and picks him up and keeps on brushing or shaving.  Madsen is at his side or in his arms from the moment he notices Damon in the morning until he leaves for work and then again the minute he walks back in the door until bedtime. 

There is not a morning that goes by that I don't notice what a great dad Damon is and what a perfect bond he has with Madsen.  It's beautiful to watch.  I'm so grateful that he rarely shows the side of fatherhood that is exhausting and frustrating (because I know there are those times).  I'm grateful that what Madsen and all the kids see is how much their dad loves them and is willing to do for them and just what a great dad he is.  period.

 

I adore this picture of Madsen at Damon's feet, lovingly looking up to his daddy.

 

But my first thought when I saw this picture was that the Superman cape was on the wrong person. 

sleep-eating

{experiencing technical difficulties}

 

I have always wondered how this happens. 

 

I noticed the early stages of sleep-eating while I was driving home

from the pool today (and McDonalds).

It's a pretty poor quality video (first half is mostly dark),

but it cracks me up how determined Madsen is

to keep taking bites of his hamburger, even though he literally can't keep his head up.

It's also worth noting how quickly he goes from

taking a bite of hamburger (does it get swallowed?)

to outright snoring. 

 

UPDATE:  gave up on uploading this through blogger; just uploaded to you tube;
please comment if this link doesn't work for you

 

Madsen sleep-eating

 

 

 

new friend

Madsen met a new friend today. 
He is totally in love with him.
His name is Elliott.
He has some really unique talents.

• he has a trunk.  how cool is that?
• and he has a lid that comes on and off (and on and off)
• and he is always "looking" at Madsen
• and he is completely willing to let Madsen explore him, inside and out

but the best part about Madsen's new friend is that he blows a cool mist out his trunk, which we are hoping will kill Madsen's annoying smoker's cough he's suddenly come down with. 

 

At the very least, he kept Madsen entertained for several hours today. 
I'm hoping tonight he'll do more than just entertain. 

p.s.  I really miss windows live writer.  blogger is a nightmare for sizing pictures.  gah!
p.p.s.  the stupid scar on his forehead is killing me! 

micro-blogging

damon keeps telling me I should do it.  sounds heavenly.  especially tonight. 

this is how I spent the majority of my day:  "watching" an entire season of Dinosaur Train and snuggling with sickie Madsen. 

even though I had to delay a billion things to hang out under the covers with my Madsen, it was just what I needed today. 

Seahawk pride

"Amylovesdamon, your team just won the Superbowl!  Now what are you going to do?!"

We're going on a Disney Cruise!

Yep, it's finally made it to the top of the to-do list. 

I am overwhelmed with excitement and lists.  lots and lots of lists.  this is going to be an extremely busy week.  but it's going to be busy with things I want to be doing for my family (making lists for them!!) instead of all kinds of other obligations to divide my efforts and confuse me. 

I think I have also decided that blogging (daily) over the weekend is not something I want to commit myself to right now.  so if time allows or there's really something I'm dying to say on a Friday or Saturday, I may post.  But I'm not going to bend over backwards to get a post in (usually about how I don't have time to post) on an already crammed day.  What does Lucy think about that?

But really- how about those Seahawks? 

pulling a brooke tonight.

I have finally completed my day.
and I have a headache.
ouch.