Our time at Disney World was… I’m going to say it… magical.

Lots of family time, and lots of being silly.

We were spoiled by the amazing Social Media Celebration staff, and one of our generous gifts was a PhotoPass+.

I’m sure if you have been to Disney, you have seen the PhotoPass photographers around the park. They’re at all of the park icons (the Hollywood Studios hat, the castle at Magic Kingdom, etc…) and in front of several rides. They’re also at several dining locations. Oh, and those silly photos they take on the rides? The ones that catch you at the scariest part of the ride? Those are also linked to the PhotoPass.

The PhotoPass+ is the newest, most comprehensive PhotoPass product. Buying the PhotoPass+ ($199.95) gives you access to all of the photos on the following Disney World attractions: Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Tower of terror, Rock ‘n Roller Coaster, Expedition Everest, and Dinosaur. Also, the following Disney World dining locations are part of the PhotoPass+: 1900 Park Fare, Ohana, Spirit of Aloha Dinner Show, Chef Mickey’s, Cinderella’s Royal Table, Tusker House, Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue, Princess Storybook Dining.

The part that is the best for me, though, is that the PhotoPass photographers are included. I love that I can be in the picture, and not just behind the camera.

Having the PhotoPass+ gave us the opportunity to be super silly, and get some very memorable photos. I loved that the most stressful decisions of the day were “what should we do in this photo?”

And now… for the pictures of our trip that make us smile the biggest…

See what I’m talking about? Big smiles all around.

The fun part about the PhotoPass is that you can share it among families or groups. I’m sure you noticed Amy’s wonderful family up there with us!

If you’ll be in the parks for any length of time, the PhotoPass+ is the way to go! Being in the photo instead of behind the camera is what makes magical memories!

 This post is the second in a series about theWalt Disney World Social Media Moms Celebration and our post-conference vacation. Come back next Thursday to hear all about the fun of navigating the parks with two older children! If you would like to view the series of posts, click here. 

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Our family was invited to the 2012 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. In exchange for a conference fee, I was provided with room accommodations, park passes, several meals, and admission to conference events. I was not asked to write about our experiences at the conference.

That’s what we used to say when I was in basic training. We knew exactly how many times we had to wake up in that place before we were about to go somewhere better.

This isn’t exactly the same, but we’re counting down…

Steve would like to announce that he’s giving up his Hawaiian vacation to take his family to DisneyWorld! 

Well, maybe he didn’t say it like that… but we were heading to Hawaii in October, and now we are heading to Florida in April. I promised that he wouldn’t be disappointed. And there still may be a trip to the islands in it for him. 

For the past few years, DisneyWorld has hosted bloggers and their families for a social media celebration. Lots of family time, lots of meeting and greeting old and new blogging friends, and a whole lot of enjoying DisneyWorld at it’s best – resort style.

The boys are over the moon excited, and I am humbled that we received an invite this year.

We took Spring Break as an opportunity to plan our trip to Disney. The boys are a little out of the character meeting stage, and more into the scary rides and fun experiences stages. Steve and I are excited to take the boys at an age that we can all enjoy the park without strollers, inconvenient nap times, or height restrictions.

Jack and I made a visual countdown calendar:

Also, I have been working on a Pinterest board {DisneyWorld With Tweens} that features all of the things the boys want to do or see while we are in Florida. It has been fun (virtually) exploring the parks and picking out their “must see” attractions and rides.

Now I need your help.

For those of you who have been to DisneyWorld, what are your “must see” attractions? We will be there for a week, so we need recommendations!

If I’ll be meeting you at the #DisneySMMoms celebration, please leave me a link to your blog! I’d love to visit.

I went to the University of Arizona for six years and never went to one basketball game. They’re kind of famous for their stadium, and their team is pretty good, from what I hear.

As I’m not a sports fan, it took me a bit to realize that we have something here that not every town has. With the university right in the middle of Tucson, there are 1,000,000 fans running around. About 2/3 of the locals wear red and blue on game days, and every cashier is asking for game updates when you leave Target and Home Depot.

Since I had never been to a game as a student, I didn’t realize that the UA pride exploded inside the stadium. Michael and I went to a game just before Christmas and we had a blast. I did notice, however, that the fans in the stadium were… um… not very nice to the opposing team. There was no courtesy cheer when they scored, and no clapping for a great play. As a mom of young ones (and someone who had never been to a college game before) I was a little bummed about their lack of sportsmanship.

I had no idea…

As a Christmas gift for the family, we bought four tickets to the University of Arizona (UA) vs. Arizona State University (ASU) game on New Year’s Eve.

The rivalry between the two teams is crazy.

Crazy.

And the rivalry? It starts right in our house.

I went to UA. Michael roots for UA.

Steve? He’s getting his master’s degree from ASU right now.

Poor Jack is stuck in the middle and switches his team loyalty every 5 minutes.

We should own this flag.

 Michael is the best trash-talking fan the UA has. Especially to his Dad.

So… if I thought the UA game I took Michael to was bad, the UA/ASU game was awful.

In a good way.

As we walked into the game, the nice man who took our tickets made a comment about Steve being allowed in even though he is “uneducated.” He said it with a smile.

Michael has told Steve before that he’s going to UA because he already knows how to read and that’s what ASU teaches you. 

We asked a nice couple to take our photo and after the gentleman said “sure!” his wife said “Wait… do you see his shirt? Oh. Wait. You’re all in blue and red. It’s just him in maroon. Ok, hon. You can take it.”

Then they ooohed and aaahed over Jack’s cute House Divided shirt. He was happy to have both logos on him.

We found our seats and ignored the looks Steve was getting. I posted this photo on facebook and a friend was nice enough to point out that Steve was covering the UA side of Jack’s shirt with his hand.

And his hand? Can you see it?

It’s in the shape of a pitchfork, matching the devil’s pitchfork on Jack’s shirt.

Ha. Ha. Ha.

It’s almost as funny as Michael’s shirt was.

When the game started, UA fans didn’t sit down until ASU scored their first point.

When ASU got the ball on their side of the court, UA fans waved their arms in the air and made loud annoying noises that I can’t describe. Just to distract the opposing team.

During the game, the UA fans booed (loudly) when ASU scored.

Nice? No.

But to be honest, it was kind of funny. I guess this Phoenix vs. Tucson rivalry has been going on for quite some time.

Michael kept his trash talking to a minimum throughout the game.

Steve cheered confidently for his team among the sea of Wildcat fans. He didn’t even get yelled at.

We won, of course. By a lot.

And it turns out that basketball is the one sport that I like to watch. I understand what’s going on and they don’t move too slow.

Season tickets may be on my (and Michael’s) Christmas list this year.

Happy Holidays to each and every one of you!

In this house, Sunday is laundry day.

Well, Sunday is the day I wash and dry the laundry.

It usually takes me another day or two to fold it and put it away.

But today, my one and only helped me out.

So right now, the laundry is washed, dried, folded, and put away.

Yippee!!

Except for one thing.

I just looked in my closet.

Take a look:

Do you see what I see?

I see 12 pairs of black yoga pants (in various lengths, of course).

Oops.

Obviously, this post isn’t about my fashion sense.

I wear what’s comfortable.

And yoga pants are comfortable.

Last fall, I gave Steve a hard time after I counted his shorts.

He has 28 pair.

Me: ”You could wear a different pair of shorts every day for almost a month and never double up!”

Steve: “No, I couldn’t. Some are dressy, some are for yard work, some are for golfing…”

I bet if I tried hard I could come up with a reason to keep all 12 of my black yoga pants.

Me: “Some are older and faded, some are nice, some are strictly for running or going to the gym.”

And I can hear it now…

Steve: “But still, you have 12 pair of black yoga pants!”

Oh.

I just noticed something.

Crap.

13.

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This post was originally published on 2/28/2010.

And yes, I have purchased a few more pairs of black yoga pants since then.

Do you see these feet?

They have never touched snow before.

And these feet right here?

They have never touched the snow either!

(They had to touch the snow because his brother’s feet touched the snow.)

All this freezing foot action happened after the freezing sledding action.

Yes, freezing.

In Tucson.

And the freezing sledding action happened before the freezing snowball fight action.

Which happened after the yellow snow action.

Snow.

In Tucson.

It happens once a year :)

This Wordful Wednesday post is linked to Parenting by Dummies and 7 Clown Circus. Go visit them :)

Do you see this?

That guy… the one in the silver helmet..

…the one pretending to lasso his go kart…

…and whack it on the butt to make it go faster…

…the guy who raises his arms in triumph when coming in from a few laps…

…the guy who turns to tease his friend and ends up in the dirt…

…that guy? That guy is my hilarious, fun-loving, super handsome husband.

Steve (left) with his friend Kenny. For every ounce of showboating that Steve did, Kenny matched it with very. serious. concentration. Which is why he was always in front of Steve. :)

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This post is linked with Parenting By Dummies‘ Wordful Wednesday Carnival.

The temperature here?

Perfect.

85 today.

The pool temperature?

Not perfect.

67 today.

But that didn’t stop the boys from doing an experiment that they have been dying to try.

Last weekend, we borrowed this “beverage tub” from a friend of ours because it was perfect for the party.

And as soon as the boys laid eyes on it, they wanted to turn it into a boat.

Jack went first.

Do you see who finds this hilarious??

Daddy tells Michael that he’ll give him 2% of his allowance to go in the boat like Jack did…

Michael is still learning percentages, but thought it sounded like a good bet.

So, Daddy got the ‘boat’ out (with a little help):

And Michael set sail.

Aaaannd… that didn’t work out so well (but Michael did get his $0.20).

This is about when Daddy decided to have some fun.

I thought it was a perfect time for a fun family picture and told the boys to stand next to Dad.

Before I could take the picture, this happened:

And Jack decided he had enough of the chilly water.

He cheered up soon.

I saved the day with some warm towels and a snack :)

So, what did you do this afternoon?

One year ago today, Steve and I were in Cancun.

Alone.

For a whole week.

And I *stomping my feet like a 2 year old* want to go back.

The worst part?

Our friends leave for Mexico tomorrow, and they refuse to let us in their suitcases.

One week of being treated like royalty,

margaritas and Coronas handed to us every hour,

eating out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,

and the beach…

walking on the beach, swimming in the ocean, lying in the sun…

Did I mention that I want to go back?

Since I can’t think about anything else today, I thought I would make you take a trip down memory lane with me.

(Originally posted as part of What I Learned This Week on October 12, 2009)

I learned that it doesn’t matter how many pictures you take of the ocean. It always seems like you took too many, but none of them capture what it was like to be there.

I learned that even when given the amazing room that you requested when booking, you should always ask if there is a better one available. Just to see what happens. Because asking might give you the amazingly amazing room with this view…

and these fancy rose petals.

I learned that even though I have never liked watching football, it’s really easy to watch while sitting on the beach next to the ocean with a huge blow-up tv screen.

I learned that in Cancun, it’s so humid outside that if you don’t want the marble floors to be (heavily) coated with condensation every time you open a door, you need to keep your hotel room at a chilly 20 degrees Celsius… which is 68 degrees Fahrenheit. I learned this when Steve walked into the room and slid across the floor the first night we were there. I was so bummed that I couldn’t get a picture of it Please forgive the lack of a picture, because I thought it would be a little inappropriate (because Steve probably wouldn’t have been happy about me whipping out the camera as he is sliding across the floor).

Because of the humidity in Cancun, I learned that when you walk outside with your sunglasses, or your camera, they fog up. Really fog up. And then you get pictures like this:

and this:

(pretty bummed about this picture, because I think it would have been my favorite from the trip).

I learned that even though we are in our 30′s, it’s entirely possible to be amused by burying our feet in the sand for an entire hour… if there are no kids around.

I learned that though it seems like it might be embarrassing to have your picture taken with a donkey (Steve’s idea, NOT mine), it’s entirely more embarrassing to show up at the concierge desk the next morning saying “Umm, we had our pictures taken with a donkey last night…”

I learned that it’s really easy to take feet pictures. And even though it’s no secret that everyone picks on my monkey feet, I think the feet pictures are cute. And it’s my blog. So there.

Yes, I know that you saw that last picture last week. But I think it’s cute enough to put in twice. Again, my blog. ;-)

Something else that I learned? Shadow pictures are also cute. Especially when it’s your husband’s idea to take them. I love him.

I learned that when vacationing alone, you get a lot of self-portraits and pictures of one person. But that’s ok.

I learned that down in Mexico, they haven’t had the pleasure of meeting Darcie and her chocolate cake shots.

So we introduced them.

First, we had one with the bartender (see him hiding behind the bar so he doesn’t get fired?).

Then, Scott from Arkansas wanted to try one. So we had one with Scott.

Then, everyone else at the bar wanted to try one. So, the bartender (Elias, because by then we were on a first name basis) mixed up 10 more shots.

And all those shots resulted in yet another self-portrait (cheesy grins just for Darcie).

I learned that there are always people that offer to take your picture when you try to take a self-portrait. So even though we have a lot of cheesy self-portraits, we also have a few good pictures of the two of us. Which is awesome, because normally they are few and far between.

Oh, this last one? Probably shouldn’t be considered a “good” picture of us, but who can pass up the silly photo ops?

Lastly, I learned a very. important. lesson. Maybe not so much “learned” as “was reminded.”

I am still just as head-over-heels in love with this guy:

as I was 12 years ago.

Dear Steve,

I regret to inform you that I am taking tonight off.

Yes, off.

I am aware that this night out comes at the same time as your first final exam of grad school.

Oops.

I (enter sing-songy voice) was invited to my first ever VIBE (Very Important Blogger Event) in Phoenix.

Because, you know, I’m a Very Important Blogger. (hahahahaha!! Are you all rolling on the floor laughing?)

While you are giving baths and giving goodnight kisses, I will be having the time of my life (or of the week, at least) with my good friends @shuggilippo, @childhood, @supersavingsara, and @saving4someday.

Make sure you give those boys a big kiss from their Mama.

Love,

your VIB wife ;)