Candid Moments of Mason

Here are my favorite photos from Day 1... And they all happen to be of Mason. I think the reason why I am fond of these snapshots is that they truly display his personality and how much he has grown. It is hard to believe that my little boy turned nine just two weeks earlier.

Mason wants to be an oceanographer when he grows up. He looks so at peace studying the sea.

My Little Man

Can you guess who is not having fun at this LOUD party?! ;-) Our boy is not a fan of noise and crowds. Poor child comes by it honest. I might look like I'm having a blast, but I too was ready for a bit of peace and quiet.

A Rocky Start

We have never been on a cruise before, and had no idea what to expect. Since it was Disney, we did know one thing to anticipate for sure… long lines and lots of them. So we were not surprised to enter the cruise terminal which was filled with queues in every direction. While the boys stood in one line for the kids’ on-board GPS tracking system wrist bands, Morgan and I could not resist standing to wait our turn to meet Captain Mickey. I must admit the departing procedure went well and before we knew it our family name was being announced as we all set foot aboard the Disney Magic. Due to boarding early, we were able to eat lunch on the ship before we embarked. Within minutes after inhaling our food, we were exploring our room, discovering what TV channels were available, and diving into The Navigator – the ships daily “newspaper” listing all of the events to expect on a given day. Soon after that, we began exploring the ship to uncover those important things we needed to know… no, no – not where the evacuation routes and infirmary were located, but those REALLY important things like where to eat and drop off the kids! LOL! We also made sure to visit the costumer service desk to set up additional events for our on-board entertainment like the Tea with Alice, wine tasting class and dinner at Palo’s. Then it was off to unpack, get settled, be on Deck 4 to learn evacuation procedures, and make it to Decks 9 and 10 for the big Bon Voyage party with Mickey and friends. We are not big crowd people, so we observed the party from a distance, but got some great pics in the process. Dinner was next, and it was then when the day truly hit us all. Since it was our first cruise, we had no idea how the motion of the boat sailing on water would actually feel. I was SO nervous when we were trying to reach our table and I could not gain my balance. The motion was pretty rough. The kids were complaining, and then we were seated at a table for eight. We quickly asked why we were not at a table for four, and our only explanation was that well, we were unable to get a private table. Apparently the other family felt the same way we did and well… let’s just say we were all a very quiet bunch. Long story short, our first dining experience and cruising on the open sea was pretty rocky – literally and figuratively! Thankfully our server helped us out as much as possible, and we all managed to make it back to our rooms without anyone getting sea sick.

Operation: Disney Magic

We have heard from so many friends and family how fabulous it is to cruise on a Disney ship. And thanks to a wonderful friend (and travel agent) we were able to get an amazing deal on a seven day Western Caribbean one with ports of call at Key West, Grand Cayman Islands, Cozumel and Castaway Cay the week of Morgan and Scott's birthdays. And I got the bright idea of making it a huge surprise... Normally that is no problem. We are good about keeping a tight lip, but we bought the cruise in September 2010. Let me say, it was quite hard to keep quiet for six months, but we did it and below is the video to prove it. Special thanks to friends, family and teachers for not spilling the beans!

Break Time

It has been way too long since my last blog entry. Boy, have I missed writing. Last time I was on here, football season was starting and life as The Womack's knew it was ending. Simply put we were going at warp speed with no time for rest. Halfway through the season, I did manage to get a break, but not the kind I wanted. Long story short, I broke my right arm. I bet you're thinking things started to slow down after that. Oh how I wish that was true! We actually picked up more after school activities as well as keeping up with the demands of the new photography business. Homework increased and so did the hours spent helping my 3rd grader after school. Add in physical therapy for the arm, holidays and numerous sleepless nights of editing photos, and well - you've got a recipe for burn out.

And so I have found myself desperately seeking to slow things down, reassess my life and rediscover what is important. So many little things can take over in your life, and next thing you know you're consumed by it all. I thought a great way to try to get back on track and off of the rat race pace was to do something I thought I could never do... deactivate my facebook account. It is a temporary thing because I do feel that facebook is a positive and crucial way to stay in touch with friends and family, but this "little thing" can also take away valuable time and focus. If you think I'm crazy, just hear my out. Here's a couple things that happened on Day One of no facebook: 1. Normally I'm looking through fb while in the morning car loop line, but instead actually cleaned the inside of my car. 2. I BAKED blueberry granola bars!!! Last time I baked was almost a year ago. And what am I doing on Day 13 - Blogging for the first time in six months!!!

So hopefully I'm back on track and using my "breaks" to mend back my life. Here's to finding a better and slower life pace!

Going to Great Lengths

On August 4^th, Morgan had her first hair cut ever! She was so happy and excited to donate the 14 inches Ms. Kendra cut off to Locks of Love as well as getting a new look. I think I made a big mistake taking her to the Prive Salon. She keeps asking me when she’ll get to go back! I told her when she grows out 14 more inches. She looked at me and said, “You mean I can help out even more sick children?!” Yes, Morgan, yes you can. And so we are going to great lengths to help out yet again! I wonder how long it will take this time…

Hit the Line Hard…

In life, as in a football game, the principle to follow is: Hit the line hard.

Theodore Roosevelt

And in life, during the month of August we did just that, but ended up getting tackled by the line literally and figuratively during the first few weeks. Mason and Morgan have eagerly talked about playing tackle football and cheer for over a year now. So we geared up for it… We went to all the team meetings, read all the league emails, heard all the stories from seasoned football parents and knew all about the six hours of practice (10 during the first two weeks), but it did not truly “hit” us until the inaugural LNJL practice sessions and season began! During those first few weeks, there were some aches, pains and complaints… but never from our kids! (That would be from us! LOL!) Never once has M & M complained about playing in the cruel Florida August heat! I also “hit the line hard” by signing up to be one of the assistant cheer coaches for Morgan’s squad. I had NO idea what I was getting myself into, but the learning process has been an incredible experience. There have been some ups and downs both on and off the field, but overall it is amazing to see these boys and girls come together as a team as well as parents and coaches working hard to instill knowledge, training, encouragement and support. As I look across the field each week, I can’t help but smile thinking that these players will most likely play together through high school. They are creating more than just memories, but friendships, bonds and skills that will last a lifetime. And in the meantime, we will continue to hit the line hard every week from now until the last game of the season! Go Lions!

Houston, we have a birthday!

On July 18^th we had the pleasure and honor of celebrating the 9^th birthday of one awesome kid named Max! We love it when the Dotson’s come over to Orlando for a visit, and even more so when it is to commemorate a very special day! Here are some photos from the event!

Happy 9^th, Max! We had such a blast!