Hollywood Studios--Day 3. One of the best days of my Life!

So there is a long story to go along with these photos! As we were entering Hollywood Studios there were signs everywhere for auditioning for the "American Idol Experience." Since Adrian loves to sing and so do I, we decided to go check it out. Adrian was super excited, I was thinking there was no way we could get on, but we would check it out. So we went to the check in for auditions and they told us it was for ages 14 and up only. Adrian was bummed so I asked if I auditioned could my son come through the process with me and see what it was like? They said he could come so I decided to try. I really thought it would be go audition and they would tell me no. SO we went to the first "audition" room to sing for a producer. You had to sing 30 sec a cappella and then they would talk to you. So I did that and he asked me to select from their approved list of songs for the show. He had me sing 2 songs. From there he told me I was selected to go to the next round. WOW. Really? SO I texted Tom and said maybe this was gonna take longer than I thought. He took the other 3 kids to see Muppets 3D. So then I had to go to a room with an ipod that had all the arrangements of the songs with lyrics and without and had to practice as many times as i could til they called me into the next audition. Now I was super nervous because I didn't feel prepared enough! So I go into the next producer's office and he has me sing with a screen behind him so I can see the words. (Like Karaoke.) So I sing both songs which were, "Part of this World" and "Colors of the Wind". I HATE the song "Colors of the Wind", but they kind of lead you to what they want you to sing. Not all the songs were Disney songs, but as most of you know, I have that softer kind of voice so they fit me best. So he tells me he liked "Colors of the Wind" best and said ok. Then he said I have a message for you and a pre-recorded video comes on the screen and it's Ryan Seacrest saying "Wow. Thanks so much for coming out today. We really appreciate your time and I just want to let you know (I'm thinking "oh here it is him telling thanks for trying.") that you've made it on today's show!" SAY WHAT???? I wasn't really sure what had happened, but they said I made it to the show!!!! HOLY CRAP!! I was mostly nervous because Tom had taken the other 3 kids for a good part of the morning during this and now I have to break it to him, that this is just the beginning of the day. So the "show" is just a replica of the actual AI show. They run it just like the tv show, but audience members are other patrons of the park to come watch a "show." So after a couple hours I had to go back for hair, make-up and a vocal coach run through. It was really awesome! The kids got to come with Tom to the dress rehearsal and then be spot-lighted during the show. I had 2 other competitors and we got judged and the audience voted for the winner. There are 5 shows that run in the day and the winners of all the shows compete in the finale at the end of the day. I really and truly didn't want to win because that would mean a whole other show for me to be at. Luckily, a 50 some yr old guy really wowed the crowd and they voted him through. I know many of you know it has always been my dream to be on AI and i have never been able to meet the age requirement. (It has changed multiple times since the show started.) So this was really a dream come true for me to get the "American Idol Experience." Unfortunately we were only allowed to take pictures and Tom only had his phone, so I don't have great photos, but the memory will forever be burned in my mind!

After all the AI excitement we got to go see Beauty and The Beast, which was amazing! And the boys went to ride the Tower of Terror. Tom and I passed and hung out with our girlies whiled they rode!



I really have the best husband in the world!

Animal Kingdom Day 2

We had worn ourselves out so bad on day 1 that the kids were pretty tired by day 2. We found so many fun things to do at Animal Kingdom we almost forgot how exhausted we were already!! First of all, it was so empty that we pretty much had the place to ourselves. (I know it doesn't look that way in many of the pics, but it was pretty awesome!)

Kids super thrilled I had my camera out again!

We got to see so many characters at Animal Kingdom because it was so empty. The kids thought this was the best!

This is one of my all time favorite shows called "It's a Bug's Life!" You had to walk through all these underground tunnels like ants do until you finally get the theater, but all the faux wood carvings were amazing! They were like trees inside, but had really intricate carvings of all kinds of animals. The girls really loved this, but pretty much hated the show!! It was pretty scary for little kids because they filled the room with fog, your seats moved, it felt like things were crawling under you and you got sprayed by bug spray--"water", but tons of kids were getting taken out because they were screaming. I loved the show and it ended up being one of my top 3!

Adrian waiting in a line.


One of the main attractions is a safari and it was really cool. You get on jeep buses and the drivers pretend you are on an actual safari. All the animals are real on this safari, but you never really get close enough to actually be scared that the animals could get you!



Kids with Chip and Dale

One of the most amazing shows we saw was the "Lion King." It was an incredible group of singers, magicians, acrobats, puppets and dancers. It was so spectacular to see! We all loved it! The only bad thing was I accidentally forgot to pack batteries for my camera and I ran out on my good camera. So the rest of the pictures had to be taken on our phones for the day.

Kids with Donald Duck

Another darling show--Finding Nemo. I think this was one of Tom's favorites!

Then we also got to see the Little Mermaid here. Sorry the pics are the best, but it is a good enough reminder of what a great day we had at Animal Kingdom!!

Magic Kingdom Day 1

For our Fall Break this year we got to go the Happiest Place on Earth!! (Well, at least for some of the time it is.) We flew to Orlando, where we rented a car and stayed in a condo just a few miles from Disney World. The plane ride was great. It is always my biggest source of stress. I had a lot of anxiety before we left because I just didn't know what to expect, as this was our first trip here. One thing I will say about Disney is they make it very easy for you. From the parking, to the maps, to the lines, it is very, very easy to maneuver. Our only real mistake the first day was staying a little too long. We ended up being there open to close because we got stuck in the electrical parade and couldn't make it out. But the kids did great anyway!



When you first park your car, you have to take a ferry boat or the monorail to get the actually park. We decided to try the ferry boat just for fun the first day. We used the monorail after that.
Amryn and Emmy with Mickey and Minny

The Wicked Step Sisters--One of my personal favorites.

We had many character sightings. Because it wasn't terribly busy there, we were able to get a bunch of character pictures. Here is us with Mary Poppins

Evan found the sword in the stone and almost had it!



A couple weeks before we went on our trip we watched the original Swiss Family Robinson on TV, so it was super exciting to go in the real treehouse!
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Even though this picture is a little blurry, this was Emersyn's favorite "ride." I think I rode it with her at least 10 times. It was just a little ride that took you all through Tomorrow Land over the top of all the rides. She LOVED it!

Everybody must be getting tired. No more pictures Mom!!

First Day of School

Even though we started school over a month ago, I still wanted to get these pics on here. My youngest, Emersyn, started preschool this year so I have 2 days a week with no kids!! It's actually really exciting and I am enjoying every minute of it! (Even if it is only 3 hrs at a time!) My kids love school and it's been so cute sending Amyrn to school with her brothers now. I actually started crying as I saw her crossing the street on the first day of school. She seemed so small all of the sudden! She is doing great as a little Kindergartner.

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL???

Something you might not know about me is that i LOVE NFL football! I come from a long line of women that love football and sports in general. I was so excited to go to the first free training camp. It got me all excited for the season to begin. GO BRONCOS!!


We got to attend the Broncos training camp at Invesco recently and it happened to be the day for the rookie haircuts. Some of them were sooooo funny. Here is Tim Tebow. It looks like he's wearing a headband, but at a closer look you can see No, that's his hair.

Me and My sister in law Leslee.

A bunch of Tom's family, 2 of my nephews and Tom's dad

Happy 37th Birthday Tom!

Tom was supposed to be traveling this week of his birthday and then he was all the sudden gonna be home. So I threw him an impromptu birthday celebration in our backyard last night and we had a great time! The kids played and played and we ate a whole bunch of junk! Thank you to everyone who came! I am so thankful for Tom and all he does for our family. He is a great father and husband. He is one of the hardest workers I know. In lieu of Tom's cousin losing her husband a few ago, I have been especially grateful for little things lately. None of us know when our time will be but hope to celebrate many more birthdays with him! Thanks Tom! We love you so much!