Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

{Disney} Our Favorite Things

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Before we left the driveway Saturday morning, we turned on a promotional video to show the kids where we were going. They were speechless. Speechless. That reaction speaks volumes. My kids are talkers. Cate sometimes refers to herself as a chatterbox.

And not a word.

I’ll take it. Greg and I are terrible at gift surprises. We get excited and give them early. The night before we left felt like Christmas Eve. I was about to explode with the news of the trip they didn’t even know we were taking, but the anticipation was so fun.

Plus I wanted them to sleep before we filled Fall Break with amusement park rides, sugary treats, and all sorts of adventure.

Cate’s first real comment was about someone else she knew was going to Disney. We saw Greg’s grandma who lives next door as we pulled out of our driveway. We rolled down the window and Ben yelled with excitement, “We are going Disney World!”

That’s right. We went to Disney World. 

As we’ve settled back into our regular life, people ask us what our favorite parts where. It’s hard to say, really, but, personally, I was most pleasantly surprised with Animal Kingdom. I loved it there. Ben will tell you his favorite ride was Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios. Cate starts naming roller coasters at Magic Kingdom, but not Space Mountain, where she wasn’t a fan of the darkness. Greg liked several of the shows.

But I didn’t let our reflections start there. Before we even left Orlando, I asked each person to list their five favorites. Even that was difficult (and not everybody could even limit it to five!) because the whole week was so much fun, but we did our best.

Cate’s Favorites

Ben’s Favorites

Kristin’s Favorites

Greg’s Favorites

  • Frozen Sing-a-long
  • Expedition Everest
  • Splash Mountain
  • Enchanted Tales with Belle
  • “It’s Tough to Be a Bug”
  • Toy Story Midway Mania

We also enjoyed our character meals at Crystal Palace at Magic Kingdom with Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, and Tigger; Animal Kingdom’s Tusker House with safari Donald, Daisy, Mickey, and Goofy; and Hollywood & Vine at Hollywood Studios with Disney Jr.’s Jake, Sofia, Handy Manny, and Doc McStuffins.

What’s your favorite Disney attraction, show, or restaurant? 

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There will be more Disney posts coming, so stay tuned! And feel free to throw questions my way. You can see all my pictures here.

I should also note my mother-in-law went with us and is one of my favorite people to travel with. I would have included her favorites, but she flew out of Orlando before us and joined another trip touring the Northeast. Perhaps she’ll join in the reflections when she returns!

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On family tradition in the fall

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Tradition can be defined as a way of thinking, behaving, or doing something that has been used by the people in a particular group, family, etc., for a long time and the stories, beliefs, etc., that have been part of the culture of a group of people for a long time.

One of my favorite things about our family is our traditions. Some have been implemented purposefully and others have just happened based on what we like to do. Many are connected with holidays, but some emerged from daily life.

When we first went to Murray State’s Fall on the Farm in 2008, we had no idea the event would become a tradition for us. But it did – and that was before Ben was even born. The corn maze and barn slide have long been the favorite activities. And there was some disappointment this year that pony rides weren’t available.

We’ve been every year since, except for 2011, when we were busy exploring Acadia National Park, other places in Maine, and Boston. Most years Fall on the Farm was in September, which, looking at the pictures, is usually not actually cool enough to feel like fall.

{2008. 2009. 2010. 2012.}

The first few times we went as a family – which is usually how we do weekends. But last year the kids went with school so I tagged along while Greg was working. Then this year Greg had an all-day commitment, but the kids and I went anyway.

I take tons of pictures. But they help me remember moments. I especially love comparing pictures from the same event over the years. Pictures really are worth so many words and tell stories I know I would otherwise forget.

For us, the fall seems filled with traditions. There are football games and the annual church party and bonfire. We like to vacation in September or October, so I find myself remember trips to Chicago, Branson {2008. 2010. 2011. 2013.}, and the Northeast. Ben’s birthday is near Thanksgiving, so there is plenty of celebrating God’s goodness in our lives.

I hear it’s going to cool down around here. We have soccer games on the calendar through the beginning of November. We’re going to experiment with a possible new tradition – camping – in November.

But, first, we’re going to surprise the kids with one of those vacations we love. This one is to “that big castle before the movies,” as Cate refers to Disney World. Honestly, I can’t believe Greg and I have kept this a secret this long from them. We’re notorious for letting our excitement spoil surprises and prompt early gift-giving.

I’ve seen some people talking about Christmas. But I’m not ready to go there. Fall is just arriving and we have some traditions to uphold before the official holidays.

Does your family have any fall traditions?

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Love Your Ordinary

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There’s one thing I don’t like about Independence Day: It marks the middle of summer. Perhaps I need to a glass-half-full perspective on this, but summer is half way over. My kids go back to school in five weeks. Five weeks from today. 

Summer, slow down please.

I love the ordinary of summer. 

No alarm clock in the morning. Afternoons at the pool. Flexibility with dinnertime and bedtime. The longer daylight hours. Lightning bugs. Snow cones. Impromptu lunches with friends. More afternoons at the pool. Our town’s old-fashioned walk-up Dairy Queen. Reading fiction books, both my girl and me. Ben’s constant request to go outside.

Summer doesn’t have to be fancy to be lovely. That’s what I love about it.

Mixed in with our ordinary days have been a week on Hilton Head Island, S.C. with my parents, an aunt and uncle, and my siblings and their families. We spent time on the beach and around the pool. We ate delicious food around various tables. We talked and laughed and reminisced and planned. {You can see tons of pictures of all that here.}

And then the day after we got home, Cate went to her first overnight camp {two nights!} and had a blast. I wasn’t anxious about it because she was made for camp. After I helped her get her set up, she walked outside with me to hug Daddy and Ben goodbye. And then without hesitation: “I’m going back inside to get to know the other girls better.”

She wanted to stay longer than the camp actually lasted and is already talking about going back next year. When I ask about her favorite part of those three days, she says, “Everything.”

Ordinary summers for us also include a couple vacation Bible schools — one is in the evenings this week and the other is a couple hours each morning next week. We’ve got plans for an amusement park, a visit with a new nephew, another weekend with my family, and hosting friends here.

Ordinary here is the stereotypical summer days mixed with plenty of socializing. I love it here, this time of the year with these people of mine. Ordinarily, I’d write more here, but I’m busy making these memories that matter.

I want to remember the ordinary because I get the feeling I’m going to look back and the little moments are going to be the big moments. 

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I’m linking up this post with Beth Stiff’s Three Word Wednesday, Jennifer Duke Lee’s #TellHisStory, Holley Gerth’s Coffee for Your Heart, and Jill Savage’s Hearts at Home Blog Hop.

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