Our Royal Quest

We basically did Magic Kingdom from 9-8 the first day. This was a LOOOOONNGG day for the kiddos, and therefore it was even longer for us! By the end of the day, we were all dragging. (AND we do not have strollers anymore. We planned to rent one, but they were $31.00 for 1 day! That is 3 days of parking! The first night we went to Wal-Mart and I bought 2 umbrella strollers for $30. AND we could use them the rest of our trip.Aren't we frugal and resourceful?) But we did accomplish A LOT. Most notably, meeting lots of PRINCESSES and FAIRIES! This was the Royal Quest that I referred to earlier.


OK. So most little boys are not fans of princesses. I actually saw a little boy who did not want to get in line to meet Aladdin and Jasmine because it was "girly." His mom did point out that Aladdin was a dude, and he reluctantly stood in the line. Spencer is not that little boy (yet). So this trip to Disney World, our whole family was excited to meet any princess we could. . .


A quick word on how awesome Disney is. To meet the characters, you do have to stand in line. At first, that seemed ridiculous to me. BUT after seeing the way they do it, it is awesome! I love the way Disney has everything set up. They have photo pass photographers at each character to take professional pictures for you. While you are waiting in line for rides or to meet characters, they make it fun. There are sometimes videos, and the areas are always decorated to sort of get you in the mood for the character. In line for the princesses, the walls were pink. Everything felt "royal" from the chandeliers to the carpets. And they take you a handful at the time into the room where your character is located. They make the kids feel special, and it is such a personal moment. I was even a little teary-eyed when we first walked in and saw real live princesses standing in front of us.


They were SO COOL! They talked in princess voices and said things like, "What kingdom are you from?" And Jessa would say "Ft. Stewart, GA." And they said things like, "Oh, that sounds like a long horse ride from here!" And Jessa was so chatty and excited. She would walk up and just sit right down with them - like they were old friends. Spencer was excited, too, but he got immediately shy. Thus, I am in almost every picture. He was not scared. He wanted to meet them so much! I told all of them that he was just shy around all these pretty girls!

Our first Princess friend, Aurora aka Sleeping Beauty -

Jessa chatted and made herself at home and Spencer was in love!


Our second Princess friend, Cinderella

It's Really Her - you should have seen her glass slippers!

When Jessa walked up to the actual Belle, the actual Belle said to Jessa, "Hello, Princess Belle!" Jessa was so excited that Belle recognized her Belle dress!! And Belle asked Jessa if Spencer was a "beast" sometimes. Jessa giggled and said, "YES!"

The Belles comparing notes. . .

Next we met the Fairies. This is a newer attraction since the Tinkerbell movie just came out last year. It was more crowded, so there was a longer wait. BUT the waiting area was so cool! Since Tink and her friends live in Pixie Hollow, we had to "shrink" to fit. So when you walk into a long hallway, it appears to get smaller while all the bugs, leaves, trees, and grass get bigger. A very cool touch, I think! These Disney people have imaginations and creativity to spare.

Getting to know Iridessa, the light fairy

With Tink and Fawn - they were so cute and energetic and excited-

just how you would think a fairy would be. . .

With Aladdin and Jasmine in Adventureland.

Jessa with Ariel in her "grotto." Spencer fell asleep in line.

And Ariel taught Jessa a "mermaid pose!"

And the last princess we met was Snow White. We saw her at Epcott a day or so later. This was VERY exciting because as Spencer says, "Snow White is my faborite!" We were all excited in line. But then Spencer got sort of upset. I asked what was wrong and he said with a pouty voice and face, "I want Dopey to go away!" I said, "Are you jealous of Dopey?" He nodded. Bless his heart!

So we get up to her - it is finally our turn. And I am telling her that she is his absolute favorite! So she asked him, "What do you like about my story?" This is a toughie. We have seen Snow White on DVD, but only because David bought a bootlegged copy in Iraq to send to us. But to be perfectly honest, I am pretty sure that he loves Snow White because she is the one Jessa likes the least. Whenever they play princesses, he always gets stuck with her. I did not think I should say that, so I told Snow that I was not sure why, he just loves her!

Here we are with Snow White - I had to stay between Spence and Dopey to prevent a fight!

AND then without warning, she grabbed him and planted a HUGE bright red kiss on his cheek! We were all shocked, but I think he was more than any of us! David tried to get a picture of the lipstick mark on his cheek. We missed a photo of the kiss because she surprised us all. . .

Spencer's first date with Snow White! Look at that kiss!!

We enjoyed our brief encounters with royalty. The princesses were all of our favorites. Both kids had moments of fear with the other characters since they are larger than life in costumes and they cannot talk. So our royal quest was a resounding success!

More Disney fun to come. . .

Are you tired of it yet? I hope not!!

The Disney Report

Let's talk about DISNEY WORLD!

Mickey Mouse Ears are a must - although Spencer was somewhat reluctant.

We were so excited!!

Driving into the gates of the parks. . .

On the Monorail, watching for the castle.


THE CASTLE!!

I mentioned before that I am going to do a series of posts on the trip. I do not want to bore everyone, plus, I cannot spend all day on the computer. The kids would probably love no supervision, but the house is in bad enough shape. . .

Today I am going to focus on the first part of our day at the Magic Kingdom. I wish I had a tape recorder with me all the time because the days were so busy and long that my memory did not keep up with everything. I even tried typing them in the computer every night so that I would not forget, but sometimes, I have already lost them. I should also note that Jessa left the hotel in a Belle dress that she wore about half the day. It was the hottest day we were there, plus, getting in and out of rides was tough in the fancy dress. She was a hit, though, there were lots of little ones in gowns. AND I saw a precious family with 3 kiddos and brave parents. Their 2 girls had on princess dresses, but their little boy also had on a princess dress! I thought it was so awesome that they let him wear what he wanted. Not sure if David could have handled the stares if Spencer had wanted to wear a princess dress. . .

Our Princess, on the carousel.

Let me start by saying, my children have bladders of steel. This can be a really good thing. We do not have to stop very often to go potty on trips. In fact, I almost always have to force them just to try to potty. They can usually go, but it can be frustrating for all of us! Each morning after dragging their tired little souls out of bed, we would go to a delicious breakfast at the hotel. After we were finished, we would head back up to the room for a potty break. Jessa calls this "emptying her tanks." I have no idea where she came up with that. When I ask if she needs to go, she will usually shake her head and say "But mom, my tanks are not full." There was one morning that the whole show was held up by a 3 year old in hysterics because he did not want to go. (He finally did, whew!)


But they are both leery of public restrooms. We have to survey many stalls and find the best one. I must pause to say that they come by this honestly. I am not a fan of public restrooms, and I am pretty sure I would wet my pants before I went in a "Porto-Potty." But I am always asking them if they need to go to avoid the moment all parents dread: You have been in line for an hour, it is almost your turn, and a whining child's voice asks to go to the bathroom! The first full day, we were at the Magic Kingdom. We had finished the sack lunches I had packed, and David had just brought us our first Mickey Ice Cream treats. My sweet boy looks up at me and says, "Mom, do you think I could use Disney World's Bathroom?" Wanting to waste no time, I grabbed his hand, and we took off. A bit of advice, do not head to a crowded public restroom with a little boy and 2 chocolate covered Mickey Ice Cream treats. He is still not wanting to stand up to potty, so we had to clean the seat, get him situated, and all with not 1 but 2 delicious ice cream treats. I was covered in melted, sticky chocolate. So then I decided to take advantage of us being in the restroom. While it was my turn, he was standing in the stall, eating his ice cream. And he said, "Mom, my Dad is a nice boy." I said, "I think so, too, but why now?" And he said, "'Cause he got me this ice cream." So sweet!

Relaxing after lunch at the Magic Kingdom.

The delicious chocolate ice cream that caused all the trouble!

THEN, I learned another reason not to bring delicious chocolate covered ice cream treats into a public restroom. Sometimes, the chocolate falls of onto the floor. I look down and thought to myself, "Gross! I have to clean that up because everyone who comes in here will not know that we had 2 delicious, chocolaty ice cream treats in the bathroom." So I leaned down with a wad of toilet paper to clean it up. I tossed it over my shoulder into the pot. I did not get it all, so I kept working on it. When I was finished, I realized that the chocolate toilet paper had not all made it in. NOW I have to clean the potty because, folks, it ain't looking like chocolate!

David laughed at us when we got back and said, "I would have held them for you, but you rushed off too fast." You live and learn.

Another silly part about our day at the Magic Kingdom will be brought to you by Miss Jessa. We went to the area where all the characters are. We saw Mickey and Minnie's houses. They were most excited about this. They went running up to the house, so happy to meet Minnie and Mickey. Well, the houses are darling and look just like where you think your favorite mice would live. Jessa was so convinced that the house she first entered was Minnie's that she ran in the front door and immediately started calling for her at the top of her lungs. "Minnie!" "Minnie!? Are you home?" We were so tickled (as were many other visitors to Minnie's house)! It got funnier when her little brother started yelling for Minnie, too!

Looking for Minnie at her house.

Minnie was no where to be found! Oh No!!

Unfazed by their not finding Minnie at her house, they went running into Mickey's house, calling him, too! I think not finding them in their homes would have been way more upsetting if they had not found a big tent in Mickey's backyard with both of them waiting inside!! It was so cool! I swear, I was almost as excited as they were! It is like meeting a rock star, you know?

Chatting with their new friends, Mickey and Minnie!

OK. I think that is enough for today! I promise that I will try not to drive you all nuts with my many posts on this subject. But this was a big trip for us! We all had so much fun, and I want to share all of our fun. More to come. . .

A Special Guest Post

Hello, all my faithful readers!
One of my oldest friends asked me if she could submit a guest post on my blog, I was truly honored to be able to do something to help her and her family. I will not go into too much detail because I think my dear friend Heather and her mom did a great job telling their story.

And most of you know what my family went through with Lucas, his Lymphoma, and stem cell transplant, so we knowhow much the support and prayers and strength of your family and friends can mean to the whole process.

Please take a few minutes to read their words and hear about their cause. Go Team Pink Peace!! I love you HB!

Thanks to Dana for letting me do a guest blog!! I have known Dana since elementary school – since I split my pants in 6th grade and my mom wasn’t home so her mom brought me pants so I wouldn’t be mortified (thanks Mel!). I have so many treasured memories but we’ll save that for another time. I stand amazed at Dana’s strength and resolve as a mom and loving, supporting Army wife. She is truly amazing and I love how over the years we’ve gone from split pants and sleep overs to dealing with kids and husbands and parents and life…but that’s how God works…….and that’s sort of why I’m “here” today….I wanted to share with you a story…..a story of how God works…in His time…..with an amazing outcome….the story of my mom’s battle with breast cancer. You see, God works. He works in everything.

My name is Heather Freeman….I live in Chicago…oh blah blah blah….let’s get to the good stuff. The following is my mom’s story about her fight with breast cancer and her testimony through it. It is my hope that this will touch someone, maybe someone that has a personal connection with this terrible disease or someone who just needs to be reminded of God’s love and how powerful He truly is regardless of the situation. Here goes…it’s long, but her touching words are worth it……

Nearly 7 years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer……and from the moment I found out I knew that I had nothing to fear.

Because of my faith, I know that nothing touches us that God does not allow. Quite simply, if He allows it then He also has a plan. Of course, I didn’t know what that plan was but I know that He knew about this cancer before I was ever even born. For that reason…..from day 1, I asked God to use this for His glory. I knew that if I could trust Christ with my very soul then I could certainly trust him with a mere tumor. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that it was something that I wanted to go through or that I would ever want to go through again….but God pulled me close and gave me a peace that is unexplainable. . . one that took me from the moment we got the diagnosis to the moment I was declared cancer free.

My first surgery was 15 hours because of complications. Then, just two days later I had to go back into surgery. I didn’t understand but I told God that I was just giving it all to Him and trusting Him. He had certainly comforted me before, but this is when He really started to move. My mother was there for that second surgery. See, my husband and I had been praying for my mother for over 35 years….praying for her to come to know Christ as her savior but it was not something she was interested in talking about. For the entire 35 years, we never gave up on praying for her. I had a very deep burden for her salvation and I had asked God several times to use whatever it takes for my mom to come to Him. As my husband was walking me into surgery I asked him to go back to my room while I was in surgery and give my mother the gospel once again and to make it as clear and simple as God made it for us. I can remember being taken back to the recovery room after the surgery and I could hear the nurses in the background saying you can’t come in here yet….and then I could hear my husband’s voice saying “and you can’t stop me.” He walked over to me and kissed me and said “Your mother just trusted Christ as her savior”. I then remember looking at him and saying that it was all worth it. God knew this was the time and I am so grateful to have a husband that loves the Lord so much that during such a difficult time for him he was willing to put his feelings aside and share Christ’s love with my mom….to continue with the effort for which I had had a burden for so very long. My mom went home to be with Jesus the following year. God heard our prayers.

This cancer thing…..it was a difficult time but a time that Christ pulled me so close and taught me so much. He blessed me with so many wonderful friends who provided meals and house cleanings and so many other needs. My family was wonderful…..my husband, son and three daughters. They cared for me with such love and compassion and they did things for me that I never wanted them to have to do but thanked God that they were willing to do whatever it took to get me back to good health. He worked such a work in their lives also and taught them so much about the power of prayer. To this day I am so thankful for everything from them and from God.

When God works, God works big! He didn’t just leave it there….one night during the middle of my chemotherapy treatment days, He woke me up in the middle of the night and I knew that He had something very important that He wanted to tell me. I was so tired and sick but I knew I had to listen. I got up and went to sit on the couch. After a few minutes I picked up my bible and began reading where I had left off earlier. I had been reading through the Gospels during the chemo and left off at John 9. As I began reading, it was a story I had read so many times before but this time it took on a whole new meaning. It was the story of the blind man. “As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?” “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” I knew that my loving God was waking me up to tell me that my cancer was for his glory. I never have to wonder or ask why because he let me know. Was it for my mom’s salvation or for some other reason? I don’t know. But I do know that God received the glory. I often think what if I had chosen to stay in bed that night and not listen. I would have missed out on such a big piece of this journey.


I will be walking in the Chicago 3Day walk for breast cancer. I am walking to raise money for those that are going through or will be going through this terrible disease. It will be a prayer walk for me. I will be asking God to let me share what He did through my cancer and be able to share his love with the thousands that will be walking with us. I am so excited about walking with my 3 wonderful daughters who have been such an amazing part of my life. I love them more than life itself and am blessed to have them in my life. I also will be walking with one of my dearest friends that God has recently brought back into my life after many years when I needed her friendship. God is so good!

The name of our team is called “Pink Peace”. We want to be able to share the peace that can only come through him even in difficult times. We are walking to Overcome!
John 16:33 says “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Each of our team members needs to raise $2300.00 to be able to walk. We are committed to raising that amount and more if possible – we have set our team goal to $25,000!!! If you would like support us in this journey, even with a dollar, every cent helps fight this disease! If you are unable to contribute financially, please support us in prayer – that God will get the glory and that He will MOVE during this 3-day walk. If you are able to contribute financially, please visit the link to our team page below, where you can make a donation to any team member as we are committed to helping each other out.

Pink Peace Team Site:
http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/Walk/ChicagoEvent?pg=team&fr_id=1293&team_id=67160

Team Members:
Cindy Bryant – Mom
Heather (Bryant) Freeman – Daughter
Erin (Bryant) Minnihan – Daughter
Megan (Bryant) Garrett – Daughter
Pat Snyder – Dear friend of Mom’s


Thanks again Dana for allowing us to post this story and “solicit” help in our journey. We truly believe sharing this story can have an impact on those who have gone through or are currently going through this kind of ordeal.

In Him,
Heather (Bryant) Freeman.

Guess what?!?

I will let the kids tell you. . .

Yes, we went on a BIG, yet spontaneous trip to Orlando. We could not prepare too much since we had no idea when David would be back or when he would have leave. David was a miracle worker and got everything booked and squared away in a matter of hours! He is the best!! AND thanks to Disney's new salute to the troops, David even got in completely free. And our tickets were greatly discounted. We never could have afforded it otherwise. Thanks Disney!

We left Ft. Stewart on Friday to go to Atlanta. We had to go to Mom's house "on the way" to drop off the animal children with Momma. After all, they are family members, too, but we knew they would have more fun at May's house!! Then we left bright and early Saturday morning on our way to the happiest place on earth. David and I had not been since we were little. We have wanted to take the kids before, but we held off. We wanted to wait until they were both old enough to enjoy it. Boy was it nice to go on a long trip with NO DIAPERS or PULL-UPS!!

Jessa has been saying since David left that we should go to Disney when he returned. Lots of fellow army brats that we know go to Disney "when Daddy gets back from Iraq." So to Jessa, that is just what you do. So when we made the big announcement that we were going, she was not at all surprised. After all, that was what she had been planning all along.

Do not take her lack of surprise for a lack of excitement. Jessa and Spencer were so EXCITED! Actually, we all were pretty fired up. David was really emotional just thinking about the prospect of taking them for their first Disney experience. And I had butterflies like crazy!

NOW, we were gone for several days of jam-packed, non-stop action. Which of course, makes for LOTS of funny and cute stories to share. And we all know how much I like to take pictures. Plus, David has his camera, so we were double trouble!! Seriously, I averaged over 125 photos per day with my camera alone. . . I know, I have a problem. And our Disney Photo Pass account was also full of photos. We definitely captured the moments. . .

So I am going to do a series of Disney related and Disney focused posts, OK? I am sorting pictures and trying to remember all the silly cute things that were said. So stay tuned for more information and exciting updates on the Key Family taking Disney by storm!

Football is back!

I blogged last fall about the fact that I miss football when David is away (which was code for I miss my football-loving husband!). Well, it is BACK! I am looking at him right now, decked out in his Gator jersey, watching the BCS championship. Bless his heart, he is serious about his Gators and serious about football. He planned the whole week around grilling ribs tonight in preparation for the game. As soon as he got home from work, he put on his jersey and his game face.

The best part is that the kids are all excited with him. He has wanted this for a long time. He has tried to get them to watch before, but they are not always interested. Yes, from the beginning of their lives he has tried to share his love of the Gators with his children. . .


When I was pregnant with Jessa and staying at mom's,

David had this outfit sent to me. She was not even BORN yet!

Isn't that the cutest?? Our second little gator. . .

My father had similar hopes for his children. I am sure it broke his heart when I sat in Sanford Stadium on more than one occasion with my back to the field while I cleaned out my purse or painted my fingernails. It is amazing how I could use the concrete seat as a work surface and just sit on the floor. (sorry, Daddy.) Luckily, at least with Lucas, it took.

Jacksonville bound GA fans: Daddy, Lucas, and Lucas's friend, Bama

Now, they are still not glued to the game. They are fired up, though, and Jess has not gotten out any nail polish. They also enjoyed our pre-game feast. And when Spencer heard the pre-game announcer say something about "Florida" he perked up and said, "Dad, he said Flar-dah!" And Jessa is drawing and coloring footballs, goal posts, and even a gator.

It says "I heart U" and that is a gator.

Spencer has burst out in spontaneous, "GO GATORS!" several times. Whenever they get excited, I see this sweet look of pride and love and bliss come across my David's face.

He has dreamed of this!

Jessa has her big gator out to cheer them on.

Spencer had no nap, so he conked out in my lap.

So no pics of him. But he is dreaming of football, I am sure.

Jessa made up the "sweet legs"dance early in the game. David credits her "sweet legs" with helping the Gators.

So even though I am not a huge fan of football in general, I am a fan of anything that brings such joy to David and brings the kids closer to their Daddy. And no matter who wins (please let it be the Gators), I will be happy that my favorite 3 people had a great time watching the game together. Welcome back football (and more importantly DAVID)!

I want S'More, please

OK. We live in SOUTH GEORGIA. And we are in the midst of record-breaking high temperatures. Yet, we have a fire place in our quarters here at Ft. Stewart. We have never had a wood burning fire place anywhere that we have ever lived. David finds this really cool. So cool that he was trying to plan a way to put the TV in the small den where the fireplace is located. We decided against that, but the fireplace has been calling to him.

My Daddy has always loved a fire. We have spent many Christmases sweating, in need of the A/C because Daddy wanted a fire, darn it. I guess it is true that you marry a man like your father. . .And of course, the kids are very supportive of his desire to experience the joy that is a fire burning in the fireplace.

We went to Lowe's today, and David bought firewood and a starter log.

The van said it was 82 degrees outside at the time.

We came home, and yes, he lit the fire.

Ahhh, a crackling fire on a warm Southern evening.

He did wait until it was getting dark and the temperature had dropped:

Outdoor temp is on the top and indoor is on the bottom.

Well, you would think that lighting a neat fire in our neat new fireplace would be enough. But what do you think a fire makes Jessa think of?? Yep, S'mores. And Spencer was immediately on board. BUT we do not have our pantry fully stocked yet, so we did not have the essential S'more ingredients. But Daddy, our hero, loaded the kiddos up and headed out to the store.

Three stores and close to an hour later, the foragers were back with the necessary supplies.

Roasting the Marshmallows with our S'more Chef

Jessa's "S'more Order" included graham crackers and marshmallows. She drew an "X" in the air with her finger to let us know that she did not want chocolate on hers.

Jessa was thrilled with her chocolate-less S'mores, just the way she ordered them.

Spencer's major concern was that it was too hot.

I assured him that it was NOT too hot, but he was skeptical and asked :

"ARE YOU SURE??" note the face - he is seriously worried

He finally believed me and enjoyed his S'more at the perfect temperature.

S'MORE JOY!

And today's lesson learned:

When starting a fire, you need wood, a starter log, matches, marshmallows, Hershey's Bars and graham crackers.

THREE Years Ago Today. . .

. . . And more than THREE weeks earlier than planned, at 12:01 PM, a precious baby boy named Spencer Johnson Key came into our lives! Despite his being early, he still weighed 8 lbs and 9 oz, so as the one who delivered him, I am glad he was early. . . And when people said, "Oh, they must have miscalculated your due date." I smiled and replied that since I only saw David for 14 days out of the last calendar year, I am pretty sure the date was correct!" Yes, Spencer, our R&R baby was born shortly after Christmas after a slight scare. When I was diagnosed with preeclympsia and immediately admitted to the hospital, we abandoned hopes of David making it home for his birth. We were OK, though. As always, my wonderful family stepped up to the plate. Bay and my awesome cousin Nikki took excellent care of Jessa so that May could be with me. And through the miracles of modern technology, David was able to hear some of his first cries over a cell phone in Baghdad!

Spencer Johnson Key

Welcome to the World, Spencer! Meet your sister. . .

And 11 days later, Spencer got to meet his Daddy when he redeployed from Iraq last time.

Hi, Daddy! It's me, Spencer!

My Baby Boy is 1 year old!


Oh no, Spencer is 2!

I cannot believe that he is really "free" years old.

My sweet Spencer. My agreeable, content, so eager to please little man. He loves his sister more than anything in the world (even when she is not always so deserving of his devotion). He is so quiet about his accomplishments - the child potty trained himself without me even realizing it. Always content to be in the background and let Jessa shine. He runs his mouth constantly and is as snuggly and affectionate as they come. And since birth he has always been my good eater, leaving me one less thing to worry about.

He loves Thomas and any train he sees. He can turn a line of green beans into a train. He will be my last baby and he is growing up too fast for my taste. . .

Happy Birthday to my precious baby boy!

P.S. As I was on October 27, I tend to be overly emotional on their birthdays. Please forgive me and all my mommy pride today. . .

P.S.S. His big party will be later. We are still adjusting to the new house and having Daddy home. Bless his heart, he will always have to compete with Christmas and New Year's, and this year, we are extra busy. BUT we are all so relieved that David was actually here for one of their birthdays!!! We'll take what we can get!