Final Post and Goodbye

As Hayden, Payson and Madison are just a few short weeks away from entering Kindergarten, I have decided to write my final post on the Melker family blog. I originally planned to end upon their 5th birthday but I had enough requests to post our Disney trip that I kept it going for a little longer. And boy was that a lot of information to share! But now I feel like it is their story to tell. And who knows, I bet there will be at least one little Melker for sure who will have her own blog one day. 

The original purpose of my blog was to inform friends and family of my and the babies' progress during my high-risk pregnancy, bedrest and days in the NICU. But it quickly turned into a way to connect with other moms of multiples who were looking for guidance or just someone to relate to. Thank you to my family, friends, friends-of-friends and beyond who have loved and supported us along the way. I hope we brightened your day or made you smile from time to time! God has been good to us and, while we have our struggles with raising triplets, we are incredibly blessed to be on this wild and unique journey that God has set before us. May God bless you, comfort you and reveal himself to you so that you may know the richness of His love and grace.

I will leave you with some spring and summer highlights. Thanks again everyone!

Summer vacation was divine in Watercolor, Florida.

Payson proudly joined Hayden in learning how to ride his bike without training wheels.

Payson accepted Jesus Christ into his heart last fall and shared his decision with the world through baptism.

Madison and Hayden danced beautifully during their ballet show at their dance recital. And got their groove on during their Hip-Hop performance!

Payson had an incredible T-ball season and was bit by the baseball bug. Hitting a double...

Madison was the first little Melker to lose a tooth!

Preschool graduation. They were so proud!

We had a blast at Mother/Daughter camp with the cousins!

 Payson had his fun at Luke's "messy party." Such a mess and so. much. FUN!

Texas bluebonnets.

Tea time!

Celebrating Easter!

Hunting Easter eggs was a riot!

We camped as a family for the first time with some friends.

XOXO,
Jessica

Magic Kingdom #2 (Day 5)

We did Disney, and we did it big! We knew we couldn't hit everything- and didn't want to- but with two 5-year-old girls that love Disney Princesses, we knew that one day at Magic Kingdom wasn't enough.

I must say that we planned it perfectly. We hit the must-dos at Magic Kingdom on Day 2 and had more time for tooling around and window shopping the second time around.

One of my most favorite surprises was with the talking trash can outside of the exit of Stitch's Great Escape. It's one of those random things that comes and goes, and maybe even moves around, but my kids were SO tickled by it! The man with the headset microphone speaking nearby went completely unnoticed by the kids and the trash can's interactions with them was hilarious. Definitely one of the kid's most talked about experiences!

Here we are riding the classic Mad Tea Party teacup ride!

We spent some time in Storybook Circus, opting to watch the water fly from the animals in the water park instead of getting wet in it!

I love, love, love the bright, colorful and creative treats around Disney. So cute and yummy!

Mickey ears are always on the menu, of course!

With hands up the girls are ready for a thrill upon Goofy's Barnstormer roller coaster!

Upon a big win and being named MVP of Super Bowl XLVII, Joe Flacco exclaimed, "I'm going to Disney World!" It just so happened that we were there too and caught the celebratory parade with Mickey and Flacco riding and waving to the crowd.

Back on Main Street we captured a nice family photo in front of Cinderella's Castle. It was nice that Flacco had come to Magic Kingdom because there had been a giant crane directly beside the castle everyday leading up to his arrival and was finally taken down for just a few hours during his visit. It made for a much better photo op.

See what I mean? But thanks to photo editing, it wasn't too big of a deal for pictures anyway.

It's hard to tell with Spiderman, but that is Tinker Bell there in the girl's hands!

Hayden loved these balloons and this scene felt very Walt Disney World-esque to me!

What's that? Yep! Another parade and opportunity for Mommy and Daddy to SIT!

Madison was so proud of herself after using her money to buy her very own (and expensive) green Arial dress just like Arial wore around WDW. And she was giddy with excitement when Arial spotted her and her matching dress and blew sweet Madison a kiss!

Well, hello, Tiana!

On our way to meet more princesses, we took a break by a TV near the Town Square Restaurant and Theater. It only took a few minutes for our littlest princess to crash out.

Hayden had all sorts of important things to discuss with Rapunzel.

Meanwhile, the real sleeping beauty (i.e. Madison) was unknowingly greeted by Sleeping Beauty, the character.

She slept through all of her meet-and-greets until she heard Cinderella's voice. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in front of a TV only to wake up just a few inches from her favorite princesses' sweet voice and smile. I've never seen her wake up happier!

For dinner, we dined at the new, popular Be Our Guest restaurant inside the Beast's Castle. It is quite a hot ticket to get your hands on.

We sat in the West Wing where we experienced the sounds of storms and thunder, the flashes of lightning and the falling of petals off of the enchantress's rose. Strawberry cream cheese, triple-chocolate cupcakes and cream puffs in chocolate cream or passion fruit were our dessert options- how can a princess ever choose?

And the Beast was our host, of course!

We were able to overlap our trip with a few friends so that the kids could attend sweet Claire's 5th birthday party at Goofy's Candy Company in Downtown Disney on our last day before departing. So we met up with them for the three big evening shows at Magic Kingdom on our last night.

Here are some of the kids all gathered and ready to enjoy the Main Street Electrical Parade!

Tink waving to the kids!

Although we had watched the Wishes nighttime spectacular firework show from our hotel room each night, nothing compared to being able to view the Celebrate The Magic nighttime show that played upon the castle walls accompanied by music. Experiencing the magic of Disney up close and personal like that was the perfect way to end our trip. Absolutely beautiful and thoroughly entertaining.
(See Madison's little Minnie ears?)

Goodbye, Walt Disney World! Thank you for the memories!

Epcot (Day 4)

Destination: Epcot. Time for some science and culture!

Kids? What kids?

First stop: Soarin'. Twice. Our favorite Epcot ride!

Daddy and Hayden ridin' the clamobile through the The Seas with Nemo & Friends.

Turtle Talk with Crush was the coolest interactive experience at Epcot. Such a funny dude! No pictures allowed inside so here are the kids checking out the real Nemo in the waiting area.

Here we are testing our custom vehicle on the Test Track ride as a family. The kids were quite brave as many of these rides at WDW aren't for sissies (or 5-year-olds, really)! 

My favorite part of the day was our picnic lunch and playtime on the lawn between France and Morocco.

Giggles.

Exercise.

Playtime. (Where's Hayden?)

Games.

Hayden sure loves Paris a lot for a girl who has never been there. But this Eiffel Tower made for the next best thing!

Such a fun day! Goodnight for now!

 UP NEXT: Magic Kingdom #2