Monday, April 12, 2010

some fun in the sun

We kept a pretty good secret from the little men this spring.

My man was bound and determined to go back to Disneyland before Squirt costs a butt-load of money as well turned three years old.  The only other time we were there was when Squirt was four months old and Rufus was still free.

This trip was kept top secret until the actual day we left.  The boys saw me packing the car and thought we were going on a camping trip (in the snow? yeah, right.)

Long story short, Kenyon was on a business trip and met us in Las Vegas.  Once we met up with him, we presented them with a crossword puzzle to solve that included enough clues for them to guess where we were headed.

And the big boys said, "So, we're not going camping?"

Lesson learned:  Don't look for satisfaction in reactions of your children.

P1050234Unfortunately, little Squirt had a terrible cold and every time his nose began to run he would scream, "NEED A TISSUE!!!!"

Those tissues gave him the sorest nose I have ever seen and he was just flat miserable for the first day and a half we were there.

Thanks to some good sleep and a lot of Aquaphor slathered on his face, he perked up and really enjoyed his time.

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It's a Small World was a huge hit with our little guys.

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Like father, like son:

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All of my men know that their leading lady is a lover of all rides fast and scary.  Tower of Terror anyone?  It was a really fun experience to have most of my boys big enough to go on these rides with me.

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All in all it was a great little get away to the southern California sunshine.  We badly needed some warmer temperatures to thaw our well wintered bones.P1050238

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I don't think we will be going back for quite some time though.  As parents, we observed two things on this trip that will affect our future destinations.

First, Disneyland is very much a sedentary vacation style.  Although there seems to be a lot of walking, there is also a lot of standing in line, waiting, and EATING.  We feel much more at home on a trail in a national park or in a tent in the woods.

If I'm going to be sedentary, I want my butt in a beach chair with my husband on one side and my sister on the other, drinking rum and Cokes while watching our children build sand castles in front of us.

Second, Disneyland is a place that makes everyone feel and act as if, "it is all about me."  Unfortunately, I saw that come out in my children.  There was very little eagerness to compromise or desire to put others' wants before their own.  Disappointment was exaggerated and overall, they lacked contentment because there was always something else they wanted.

Our next major trip will be a well thought out effort to serve others.  I have already started looking into possibilities, but I am determined to open our children's eyes to the needs of others and take their focus off of themselves.

I firmly believe that the earlier they learn to "die to self," the better.

5 comments:

  1. Um. Love this post for so many reasons. "Don't look for satisfaction in reactions of your children. " Learning that. Learning. That.

    What a special trip for them. Love the pictures. What awesome memories though.

    And so true on the observations. I worked at a camp in CA and took the kids there, the 'me' mentality grew old, real fast. {Funny, it doesn't grow old when I feel that way..mmmm}

    I'd love to hear your ideas for future family trips {like to Nebraska...just say'en}

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  2. Yay, finally got to see the pictures!

    And I really liked your thoughts and observations about the trip. (Maybe the "me" mentality in D-land is correlated to the hefty entrance fee$$$?)

    Sitting, beach, coke and rum. That does sound good. =)

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  3. Glad to see you could escape all that snow! I love your post and what you said at the end. It made me think of the scripture: "God set eternity on the hearts of men." We can spend all our time and money trying to make this life "it" but we will never find the satisfaction our heart longs for until we see His face. I have seen in the past year how investing in eternal things here and now are the only thing that brings me lasting joy. I know you have experienced that too. I can't wait to see where God leads your family next! I know one organization that offers plenty of trips! :) Jules

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  4. I so appreciate your insight!! I have never really been a lover of Disney, took the boys when they were very little and have very little desire to go back. I often wonder if I'm preventing my kids from making some great Disney memories. I considered going when I thought we could go for free with the Give a Day, Get a Day volunteer campaign. I barely missed the cutoff and have to honestly say that I was not all that broken up about it. The last time I went, I just couldn't get over that fact that EVERY attraction dumped you into a gift shop! The commercialization on steroids just really rubs me the wrong way. Anyway, just saying I'm happy to have a like-minded friend. In my world of seemingly Disney-crazed Floridian friends, I was starting to think there was something wrong with me!

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  5. So glad I found your blog! I, too, am a lone lady surrounded by men. Fabulous pictures!

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Messy and wonderful perfectly describes my life as a wife and mom of five. I'm passionate about advocating for orphans by telling their stories and encouraging adoption and orphan care. My schedule is messy and wonderful as I am charged with four sons and one daughter. We love living in our little mountain ski town. We do a little camping, a little skiing, a little hunting, and a lot of laughing and loving. Life is dirty and loud around here but we wouldn't want it any other way. Okay, maybe a little less dirty!

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