rides!

he loved wandering around and just taking it all in!  to be honest, so did we!  after he got bored with that, he was all about those rides!  though the lines were a bit long, he was usually up for waiting as long as he got to go on a cool ride.  we made sure to take advantage of the fast pass as much as possible, but there was still some line waiting.  ledge was really good about it cause he knew the fun that was at the end of every line!
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beauty and the beast land

my favorite disney movie of all time is definitely beauty and the beast.  by far.  so when we were wandering through the magic kingdom and we found ourselves in the middle of belle's small town i was thrilled beyond belief!  diana shares my love for the cartoon, so we both had a lot of fun looking around and checking it all out!  it was kind of small, but anything was better than nothing in my book!  they had a little food place that was designed to look like gaston's tavern- which used antlers in all of its decorations, naturally.  ledger didn't quite share in our excitement, but thats only because he hasn't see the movie yet (diana and i are waiting to show it to him until he is old enough to appreciate just how amazing it is).  for the rest of the day i just wanted to come back here and be a part of it again!
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be brave!

here it is, the thing at disney world that ledger was the most excited about: the haunted mansion!  he was a little worried that it was going to be too scary for him, so in preparation for our trip, we found a couple videos online from people who filmed the ride.  he watched them a few times and thought he was probably brave enough to try it himself.  so on the day we were there, he gathered himself together, and said he was ready to give it a try.  we went into the first room of the ride and the pictures started to stretch and i felt a couple little hands tighten around me...  sure, he was brave, but he still needed is mama and daddy!  we double checked with him, and he was certain that he was brave enough to handle it, so we headed in to the ride itself.  he ended up totally loving it!  did it terrify him? certainly, but that's what made him love it even more!
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disney world!

we drove over to the house david and diana's mom rented for the whole family and got to see everyone.  we were the last ones to arrive, and we didn't get there until pretty late.  there were many hugs and welcomes, but soon after ledger was tucked in to bed- it was a pretty big day for him, after all!
the next morning though, we couldn't calm him down!  fortunately, we didn't need to- his cousin tavish was there, just as hyped!  the two of them were almost vibrating with excitement at the prospect of going to disney world.  we quickly downed our breakfast, and then we were on our way!  we had plans to visit most of the parks during our visit, but the first on the list was the magic kingdom.  as we arrived, david dropped us off at the front gate where we hopped on the tram that took us to the park.  there were tons of people there and we were excited to get started, especially ledger- his eyes were as wide as saucers!  fortunately we had prepped and trained the two of them to stay close no matter how excited they got.  that came in handy, because they were chompin' at the bit to run around and explore!
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go orlando

we touched down in orlando and were thrilled to be in florida- one step closer to our disney adventure!  we got our bags and made our way over to the car rental desk.  unfortunately, so were about 400 others...  sure, we had a reservation for a car, but that apparently doesn't mean that we will actually get one.  so, we waited for about an hour and a half before they came through with a car for us.  while we were waiting we got some dinner and ledger even made some friends with another family that was waiting like us.  the kids had the run of the place and spent the time playing hide and seek, tag, and just plain being silly!
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ledger's first airplane ride

once we made it on the plane, ledger was really excited about what it was going to be like to actually leave the ground.  we made sure to give him the window seat so he could really take it in as we were taking off.  once the plane started moving he was giddy with excitement!  'are we flying yet?!?  are we flying yet?!?' ledger kept asking.  i made sure to let him know the second we left the ground.  he loved watching everything get smaller and smaller!  he kept claiming that he could see our house from up here!  he was equally amazed when we rose up over the clouds- 'it looks like cotton candy!'
as thrilled as he was, after about five minutes the novelty wore off and he was bored, so out came the padpad...
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flying high

its been years in the making, but its finally here- we're going to disney world!  ever since ledger was 3 years old his grandpa told him that he would take him to disney when he turned 5.  well, now is the time for that promise to be fulfilled!
we've been looking forward to this for about 8 months- ledger especially.  with all the exciting things to look forward to over the next week, the first on ledger's list is getting to ride in an airplane!
james and barbara came to our place and the five of us headed to the grand rapids airport together.  ledger was really excited the whole way over.  we parked and car and headed in for the whole checking in rigmarole.  when we finally got to our gate ledger kept looking out the window for our airplane.  when it finally pulled in he was so excited- 'look daddy, that's our plane!'
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chad visits

with the recent health scare for papa, chad and miyuki decided to come up and see everyone.  papa's health has taken an uptick, so he was actually transferred back up to grand rapids.  that gave us an opportunity to all get together at the hospital and see each other!  we got some pizza and made a party out of it!  ledger always loves any opportunity to see uncle chad and (especially) aunt miyuki, so we headed over to celebrate papa's improvements together.

looking good!

for some reason ledger has recently become obsessed with bow ties.  i'm not sure why, but he totally loves them!  we were shopping with him the other day for some new clothes for him, and he noticed that they had bow ties for kids.  oh, he was all about that!  not wanting to miss out on just how cute that would be, we of course indulged him and picked one up!  when we got home he put it on and showed off his dapper new look.  he definitely gets his appreciation of fashion and dressing up from his mother, because i try to avoid anything that would make me wear a tie!

hospital papa

so, papa hasn't been doing too well lately.  we've known this for a while, ever since the doctors informed him that he needs a liver transplant.  he had a pretty rough week, so they checked him in to the hospital at u of m in lansing.  ledger, diana, and i knew we weren't going to be able to visit much, with our impending vacation, so we made sure to stop and see him for a while.  fortunately, papa was in good spirits and we caught him on a good day.  mom has been having a harder time with it, stuck at the hospital with him, two hours away from home.  she has been a strong rock for him, but is understandably struggling under the weight of all the uncertainty and stress.
we did our best to give her a little break from the storm and ledger provided a much needed respite from the heavy reality of the situation.  his cheery mood and optimism helped lighten everyone's spirits and bring a few smiles to his proud grandparents! 
we know god is going to take care of papa in his own time, but the waiting is certainly the hardest part!

jedi pier

last time there was a new star wars movie (the skywalker ones) we went with miranda and levi to navy pier in chicago to see it.  figuring we would make it a tradition, we made plans with the two of them to do it again when last jedi came out.
well, there was a little big of a change in miranda and levi's life, so it ended up being miranda and her friend leanne instead...  we went anyway and had a nice time.  the visit to navy pier was unfortunately a bit underwhelming.  the place itself is really cool, but it seems like we picked the exact wrong time to go there- about 3/4ths of the place was under construction, so there was hardly anything to do there!  about the only places that were open on the pier were a book store and mcdonalds...  fortunately the movie theater was up and running, so we at least got to do the thing we drove two hours to see!
the movie itself was a ton of fun, and really cool in the huge 3-D imax screen, so that helped alleviate some of the disappointment...
(good grief, just take a moment and appreciate how beautiful diana is.  sometimes it takes seeing her in photos like this for me to remember, but i always do remember!)

baldwinning!

its time to go back- back to the cabin!  the five of us gathered once again for our annual trip up north to the great town of balwin where we do a whole lot of nothing- and love every minute of it!  this year adam wasn't able to make it, but that didn't slow us down one bit, the rest of us were ready to rock!  we were all supposed to meet up at aaron's place, per usual, but jeffry lee was running late, also per usual, so dusty, aaron, and i headed out and met jeff and jon up there.  when we all arrived we had a couple issues with the generator, but soon got that resolved and jumped right it to the fun and frivolity! 
we made our annual pilgrimage to sporties bar for some 'delicious' food, and then the real fun started!  we always have a blast just chilling out, playing games, and chatting the night away.  the next morning, as has happened before, we had a little issue with the vehicle we drove up...  this is always super scary- if we can't get out of here then we are screwed!  its an hour and a half from home!  fortunately, we have aaron and jeffry lee along with us- two guys who know their way around a broken down vehicle!  this time the truck had an issue starting up.  aaron slid under the engine, gave it a well placed tap, and it was running again!  we didn't want to jinx it, so we immediately packed up and headed out, making sure not to turn off the engine for anything!  all went well, we got everyone home safe and sound, but after everyone was dropped off, i brought it straight to the shop to get fixed!
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