A Disney Day

Disneyland, a favorite place for my little ladybugs and I. It is literally a playground of sorts for us spoiled SoCal residents, and I'm sure that my girls don't really understand truly how lucky they are that they have had the opportunity to visit the Happiest Place on Earth almost once a month or more since they were born. Regardless, I intend on spoiling them while I can, and I find the fact that we have the opportunity to "run around" Disneyland whenever we want as a guilty pleasure. No trip is ever the same, and so many memories of ours have been paved on the footpaths of the two parks that lie in the heart of the OC.   The joy in the girls eyes, the excitement in their voices, and the laughter heard when we are at the park are priceless!

And, it has recently become clear to my why my parents bought my brother and I Disney Annual Passes year after year, and took us so many afternoons after school when we should have been eating a snack & doing our homework. When you are at Disneyland, you are a kid no matter your age, you can't help but smile and feel the magic wrap around you like a tight hug. You smile, you laugh, you imagine, you let loose, you enjoy, and you embrace the magic of it all.

So, I have made it my goal to try and share this magical place with my girls on a routinely basis. We make it a special morning, day, or evening. And, as Baby Brother's birthdate quickly approaches I'm holding these times near and dear to my heart. I'm taking the "big" camera, trying new things that we haven't before, exploring parts of the park for the first time, and really just taking it slow and listening to my little ladybugs hearts.

It's my hope that as they continue to grow, they continue to feel the magic of the kingdoms and embrace the wonder for Disneyland even more. Because, as Mr. Walt Disney stated,

"Laughter is timeless. Imagination has no age. And dreams are forever!"

Poodle Skirts, Saddle Shoes, & the 50's Groove

The girls had a Fabulous 50's themed Fashion Show at their school this past Friday evening. When I  received the flyer for the shindig weeks ago, I was on cloud nine. Everyone knows that as much as the Hubster & I LOVE technology and the world today, we were really born in the wrong Era. With his passion for classic cars, and my passion for Elvis, we would have made the perfect pair of teenagers during the 50's. So, of course I had to make sure the girls were decked out from head to toe in the appropriate attire.

I picked up some fabric & embellishments at our local Joann's and their shirts & shoes at Walmart. From my two bags, I quickly transformed my little pile of goodies into two hot pink poodle skirts, two plain white shirts with poodles on them, two black neck scarfs, two black hair scarfs, and of course my personal favorite, the white & black saddle shoes. As their costumes came to life, the smiles on their faces stretched from check to check with utter excitement to show off their style. And, of course having a tad bit of red lipstick dabbed onto their little lips was the highlight of the whole affair.

The show was adorable as the girls sang their hearts out and danced to shake, rattle & roll & the bunny hop. Their faces were filled with pure joy as they entertained the audience, and boy did they strut their stuff down the runway when it was their turn! The 50's surely came alive in 2013 at Mayflower Preschool that night, and it surely made this Momma's heart swoon!!

Adding Another Branch to the Morad Family Tree

Last week when I was visiting Presley's Classroom for the Mother's Day Tea, I turned my head and saw this little gem proudly displayed up on her classroom wall. Instantly my eyes were drawn to the picture in the middle that I absolutely adore & credit to my AMAZING photographer friend Molly Marie Williams ! Then, my eyes continued to sweep the picture reading everyones name, until it came to Baby Brother. Instantly my eyes teared up and my heart was filled with this unexplainable joy!

It may sound strange to some, when I say that looking at this family tree which Presley made at school suddenly made it all seem real! Yes, I've had countless numbers of ultrasounds! Yes, I feel Baby Brother kick daily! Yes, I've pinned & pinned, dreamed & dreamed, and shopped & shopped for this little guy inside of me! However, it just wasn't made REAL until the moment I saw this picture, saw his name, and remembered that even though I couldn't see him physically in it, he was in fact in my belly at the time the picture was taken!

Our family tree of four branches has already been added to five, and I can't wait for the minute that I see my little princes face, hear his cry, and hold him for the first time!

This Moment

There are many moments these days that I take snapshots with my heart so that I can look back and remember the beauty of them, and then there are those that I actually capture and thank God that the shutter on my iPhone was able to blink fast enough for me. This is one such moment that I've been holding onto, saving up, really thinking about how I wanted to share it.

To me, it screams beauty, love, and a bond between a brother and sister already forming. As I sit here right now looking at this innocence, tears are streaming down my face, ya ya I know it's probably the dumb pregnancy hormones and that the tears have been coming so much easier these days, but really truly this moment melts my heart.

You see, my sweet Giulietta doesn't openly talk much about having another sibling, she doesn't really play with dolls or show any real motherly interest, and she doesn't seem to be adjusting to the the new life we will all soon have when little brother arrives as smoothly as we were hoping. So, naturally we've talked a lot about the changes, spent special time together, and really have tried to make her feel involved.

Truth be told, life will be drastically different, our time together will be shared yet again with another person, and my first born will hold so much more responsibility then she already does. But, Giulietta will embrace it & run with it, just the way she did when her sister was born. She'll love him the minute his little eyes look into hers, and when he holds her hand for the first time. I just know it!

Until then, this beautiful moment of her feeling him kick for the first time, and seeing the delight in her smile will forever be imprinted on my heart!