A few more Disney pictures...

I missed a few pictures! 

Here is the new Disney Skyliner!

This was worth riding, even if you weren't going anywhere.

Epcot- 

Disney Vacation 2020

Before things closed down and Coronavirus took over the news, we managed to squeeze in our semi-annual trip to Disney!  I'm glad we got to go!  We went the last week of Feb and by the time we got home...things were starting to shut down.  SOOOO glad we didn't get trapped on a cruise ship.  Even trapped on the Disney Cruise would've gotten old after a while.

Our stateroom:

This trip was all about finding hidden duckies. 

Ooohhhh.  I love dessert. 

Disney Springs- 

Epcot- 

Hollywood Studios.  

A chance to drink some of Luke's Blue Milk. 

I talked the girls into letting me do their hair like Rey's.

I thought it was so cute!

I loved the details in Galaxy's Edge! 

The Millennium Falcon!

Smuggler's Run was super cool!

Visit would't be complete without seeing Mickey! 

That's a Wrap!

By way of a catching up, here is the tail end of 2019.

It's funny, as I was going through the pictures from December, I realized I took very few.

I should try to do a bit better with that for sure!

The girls joined Homeschool Orchestra this year!  Kayley played cello, Maggie the violin.  They enjoyed it very much.  They learned a lot and made several new friends.

They played a great Christmas concert which was standing room only!

Of course, by March all classes were canceled and we have been unable to go back since.  Hopefully we will be able to attend in-person classes next year?

We also took our very first trip on The Polar Express.

We had a great time! 

Meeting Santa. 

Christmas was as great as always! 

We made a trip to Bennett Springs during Christmas break.  It was fun to have my brother, his wife and my nephew here!  The weather was gorgeous and we didn't even need a jacket by midday.

Kayley also was given the privilege of dog sitting for a couple weeks.

She loved it.  I learned that I do not want to get a dog anytime soon. LOL! 

And that ties up the loose ends from 2019!

To Blog, or Not to Blog?

I sat down today to try to recover some old photos from Picasa (which is where all my blog photos are currently archived).  As I went through the old albums I was lost down memory lane for at least an hour.  I really enjoyed blogging.  For the longest time I loved blogging.  But, as the girls have gotten older, I just haven't done it as much.  It has become such that, I don't necessarily want my girls pictures plastered all over the internet.  And, they don't necessarily want me to plaster their photos all over the internet anymore either.  

As they have become young ladies, their adoption stories have become their stories to tell.  Not mine.  I have to respect their privacy, their wishes, and the level of openness they are willing to share.  It has been a transition of sorts, but an unknowing one.  

Things became a lot quieter here too when I stopped reviewing with The Old Schoolhouse, Mosaic Reviews, Propeller, and Deseret Book.  I chose to stop mostly because my girls lost interest in "trying out" so many new curriculums when they just wanted to focus on studies of their own choosing.  I miss reviewing fun things.  Maggie enjoyed it sometimes.  Kayley enjoyed it rarely.

We also have been using the same computer for years and it just runs slower...and slower...and slower, to the point where it can take quite a while to upload pictures.

And I always enjoyed blog tours...which, doesn't seem to be much of a thing anymore?  But they prompted me to blog, even if I didn't have much to say...

BUT -

I also realized that, going back through my blog...our lives have been thoroughly documented since well...since 2007? 2008?  What an amazing, delightful record of our family!  As I have slowed down, there appears to be big gaps in our lives.  What HAVE we been doing for the last 6 months?  It looks like nothing...(and with Coronavirus quarantines, it kind of HAS been nothing.  LOL)  But really, we have done some things.  Things that would benefit from being documented.

So, with that, I am going to try to get back into the swing of blogging.  Because I miss the record of our days...  :) 

Thanks for swinging by!

The Christmas Jars {$50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!}

I am so excited that I have been given an opportunity to participate in a blog tour to review a brand new movie produced by BYU-TV called Christmas Jars!  Christmas Jars is based on the New York Times bestselling book,  written by Jason F. Wright.

Abandoned as a small baby, Hope is again struck by tragedy when her adoptive mother dies of cancer.  As an aspiring reporter, Hope focuses on just keeping busy and looking for an opportunity for a big break in the journalism industry.  She lands on the perfect story when, in the wake of a burglary at her apartment, she finds with a mysterious jar full of change.  Labeled as "Christmas Jar," Hope is determined to find out where it came from and why.  A little research leads her to discover that the Christmas Jars have been going around for years, always left anonymously and to someone in desperate need.  As she launches herself further into this mystery she realizes she might have stumbled upon the story that could kick-start her career.

To find out what she can about the Christmas Jars, she goes "undercover" to find out more about the family who began this selfless tradition.  What begins as little white lies to get to know the family unfortunately escalates until she becomes terribly entangled in her own confusing web.  As she grows to know and respect the family even more...she wonders how she can ever tell the truth, without hurting the family she has come to love.  

My girls and I enjoyed watching Christmas Jars!  It is a perfect feel-good, Christmas-y, movie to get you into the holiday spirit!  A story of redemption and hope that we will enjoy adding to our annual Christmas Watch List!  

You can purchase Christmas Jars from DeseretBook or on Amazon.com (And Readers!  It qualifies for prime and if you order promptly it can be delivered in time for Christmas!)

Learn more about the bestselling author, Jason F. Wright by visiting his website at Jasonfwright.com, on Instagram or find him on Facebook where you can read stories of real people who are givers and recipients of Christmas Jars this holiday season!

Now for the good part!  I am excited to be able to share this opportunity for YOU to win an Amazon Gift Card valued at $50!  Enter using the Rafflecopter below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer:  I received this DVD free of charge in exchange for an honest review.  

All opinions here are my very own.