July, the month we (well at least I) have been waiting for all summer long. This month would be our second trip to Seal Beach CA. this summer, and our first Disneyland visit!

The beginning of the month was furniture shopping, desk building, parks and play grounds for the kiddos.

Then we all were whisked away for a 7 day vacation!  Back to sun, sand, breakfast burritos, outdoor showers, chilaquiles, sea shell/ sea glass hunting, TankFarm, and the sea

This trip was different from the last in 2 very significant ways 1) Eric and Harper got to come spend about 5 days with us and 2) this would be Evan and Harper's 1st Disneyland trip! First if I haven’t mentioned it lately how crazy lucky are we? 2 trips in fewer than 2 months pretty perfect, pretty awesome

A few times in the trip, I was able to step back and just kind of reflect on the moment and snap a mental picture; my favorite time had to be when all of the kids were heading down to the beach. Evan on my shoulders Maddie and Harper holding hands while Eric and I talked about, whatever lol. The waves rolling in on the shore, 2 cute little girls in sparkling swimsuits running in the sand, a cool little due on my shoulder, complete with trucker hat, and my Brother by my side now that is a little slice of heaven. As we splashed in the surf and build sand castles (Arendelle to be exact) the smiles on all of our faces were impossible to control. Honest, sincere and grateful all of us, from the kids to the parents we all were just enjoying the time together. Cousins playing like only cousins can; wild, loud and intense lol not too unlike how Eric and I played with Josh and Jared, from sun up to sun down Maddie and Harper were literally side by side with Evan tagging not too far behind.

Then the day we had all been waiting for finally came, DISNEYLAND! A huge event for any kid and adult Madeline has been a few times already and knows the layout of the land; this would be Harper and Evan’s first visit. The whole experience did not disappoint from the kids perspective everything was perfect, the ride lines were short, the candy and snacks were plentiful, the souvenirs flowed almost continuously and the all got to meet Mickey Mouse and Goofy! From the parents perspective things were pretty darn perfect the smiles and excitement on the kids’ faces was worth every penny, and the rides were still amazing even more so as the little one next to you giggled and shrieked with excitement. We almost ran from ride to ride from “Land” to “Land” to “Town” we experienced all the landmark rides, at least the ones appropriate for our kid’s ages, and got to check out a cool new spots in Toon Town I didn’t know existed. My favorite part of this experience had to be waiting for Mickey Mouse , we were lucky enough to stumbled into Mickeys house just about the time he arrived back in his Movie Studio for pictures. We did have to wait awhile, maybe 45mins, but it was worth it Evans reaction is one I will remember for the rest of my life :) Another mental picture snapped another experience captured and sealed away in my memory vault to be treasured

As I mentioned the wait for Mikey was the longest we experienced on the trip and as I reflect I think it was a pretty good analogy for life, which I might add the kids took in stride with no melt downs or complaints. Sometimes luck plays a hand in what you’re able to experience not too unlike our lucky timing when visiting Mickey’s house. Lucky or not nothing worth having comes easily; we had to wait to see Mickey, and that’s hard for kids 2-6 yrs old, on a normal day forget one where they are hyped on sugar and have been outside running and gunning for about 4 hours already. But they made the wait and they learned to self-entertain, play with each other and interact with all of the cool decorations and props in Mickey’s house.  The before they knew it we got to see Mickey Mouse, the big reward and pay out, the girls got a really cute pic and Evan gave Mickey 5 and then it was over back outside onto the next adventure.  What I didn’t mention yet was there was an adult (40ish) years old behind us complaining the whole time about the line, and then her kids ( 9-14ish) started complaining too, they started trying to squeeze ahead to see the line length and report back to their annoyed mother. Meanwhile they were missing out on all of the cool, clever things around them in order to try and make their Mom happen, which wasn’t going to happen lol.

I’m glad we have the perspective that we do, I am really realizing the way we see things is vitally important and I want to pass on our perspective on life that you are in control of your own destiny, you have the power to change your situation, you can choose your reaction to life’s events and you should be grateful for all you have, are given and acquire.

What a great month, a great vacation, great Family, and as always great experiences