Thankful Hearts

We truly have so much to be thankful for! I feel like I say that a lot, but I never want to take for granted what I have. The past two years have put so much into perspective and I feel that my outlook on life is so different from before. From the newness of life and then losing a loved one, I see each day as a treasure. W. T. Purkiser said, “Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” I'm grateful, thankful, and living each day to the fullest.

 We decided to spend Thanksgiving this year at Disney World. I mean, why not? We typically spend the day at Grandma Glenda's house and we always go to see the Christmas decorations, so we decided to put the two together. The equation made for a delightful day in the parks. Our first evening in Orlando we went to Downtown Disney and the line to see Santa was very short so we thought...why not?! Our picture with Santa from last year belongs in a photo contest with the extreme look of terror on Connor's face, but this year he was truly delighted to visit with the bearded man. He even said "Hi, Santa". So sweet!

 Being that Connor has such fine blonde hair, the little man has had very little need for a real hair cut ever. I have in the past cut off his little duck tail, but I have never ventured into cutting the top. I loved being able to see the hair he was trying so hard to grow. That hair was starting to look like a comb over and we thought it was high time for a big boy hair cut. Enter the Main Street Barber Shop where they give you such perfect treatment and even save the first cuts and put them in a little bag. It took two years before Connor needed a cut, and I personally love that I don't have a hairy baby. My blonde bundle of joy is just perfect for me. They spiked the little ends on top and he even got special Mouse Ears to commemorate the event. I still can't get over how perfectly still he sat. He was such a good boy, and the lady cutting his hair was smitten with him. Too bad he didn't need a shave, we had the two bits ready!

 After his fancy big boy hair cut we headed over to the new Fantasyland that is still experiencing it's soft opening. Though not as exciting as Disneyland, it is nice that WDW is offering something new. They have gone to great lengths to put great detail into this new section of the park. I enjoyed all of the Beauty and the Beast design and found the Ariel ride to be exactly like the ride in California that we went on 6 weeks ago. Yay Belle, Eh Ariel. Connor got to enjoy LeFou's Brew at Gaston's Tavern and couldn't get enough of it. The bigger kids couldn't get enough of our lunch at the Be Our Guest restaurant, and now we just have to wait for our reservations for dinner! Perfect details everywhere you looked. It brought back so many memories of performing this great show in college. Uncle Casey and I thoroughly enjoyed the piped in music straight from the broadway show. Human Again, Home, and If I can't Love Her were of course being hummed and sung along with the accompaniment. We all got the last meet and greet with Belle after combing over her sweet little cottage. Aunt Kaitlyn played a perfect shivering Papa, Uncle Casey was a shining knight, and Mommy was the high belting wardrobe. We laughed and played, and met a perfectly chipper Belle.

 Connor can never get enough of the Carousel. Without a doubt he giggles the entire time, with shrieks of pure joy! He also can't get enough of Mickey Mouse. He can name all of his clubhouse friends, but "Mittey" is by far his favorite! When the mouse opened up his arms Connor went running right in and the proceeded to give him a big kiss! He couldn't stop talking about him before we saw him, and couldn't stop after we left. You know it was a highlight for him! He points out Mickey wherever we go, and always wants more of his dear friend. Don't worry sweet boy, you will see a lot of him being in this family!

 We even got to show a little LU Alumni pride (vote for our picture here in the contest I entered it in) with the Mouse Man and then headed off to Hollywood Studios for the evening.

 We never fully understood the draw of the Osbourne Family Spectacle of Lights when it was first described to us. We would continue to end our evening around the world at Epcot until one year we ventured into new territory. There is no going back. The lights really are spectacular and watching the lights dance to music is even more festive. The songs are perfectly suited to the show, and it gets everyone's toes tapping. Connor's dancing is my favorite and I giggle just thinking about his silly moves! If we could all just dance with abandon like that of a child, and if Christmas music played all year long........ (we would probably live in Who-ville!)

 After the dancing lights we went to eat our yummy Thanksgiving feast at Ohana. It is certainly a favorite among our family, and something we look forward to. There was no better restaurant on our list that we would want to eat at. We ate and ate until our little hearts were content, very much like every family on Thanksgiving day, except we didn't have to cook or do dishes!!!

Once dinner was over we thought, "oh Magic Kingdom is still open, let's go"! We definitely closed down the park, and it is always so magical being the last ones around. It is very rare to look out in every direction and only see a smattering of people, most of which are park employees cleaning up for the evening. We're hard core I tell you!

We have so much to be thankful for. I count my blessings daily, and I am in awe of the life I am able to live. My family is amazing, we have a roof over our heads, we don't have to worry about our next meal, we have clothes on our back, we have access to fresh clean water, we have good jobs, and at most we have first world problems. Life is all about perspective. What perspective we take on each situation, and how we view our world really dictates so much. I am blessed. Blessed to be a wife, mother, daughter and sister. Those that are my opposite are my dearest treasures.