Splash the Puddles

The other evening I was in the grocery store with my boys grabbing a few items I needed to complete a meal we were taking to another family.  I used the self check-out because we had few items.  I decided at the last minute to grab some "cash back" with my check-out, so I pressed the $20 option and completed my transaction.  I loaded my groceries from the bagging area into the cart, convinced the littlest one to stop spinning the balloon stand 'round and 'round, yanked my receipt from the machine, and headed out the door.  I was sitting in the turn lane at the red light of the intersection when it dawned on me that I hadn't grabbed my cash back. I whipped the car across the (thankfully empty) next two lanes, circled back around, knowing that my cash was probably gone.  A small part of me held onto hope that it would still be there, in that drop down slot, waiting for me.  I went back in and the registers were empty, as well as the cash slot that should have held m

     Two years ago, our family visited Disney World for the first time as a family of four.  (Except the one day we spent there when Will was very newly growing in my tummy!) We realized at some point during the planning that this would be our very first trip we had taken as a family of four that didn't include other family members or friends.  Mixed emotions of excitement and an expectancy of complete and utter exhaustion filled us.  Disney tends to be 24/7 on the go, and we wouldn't have back up.    It turned out to be the trip of a lifetime for our family.  There was a noticeable absence of sibling arguments and harassment.  Standing in lines, something that would normally spark complaining and whining, was about as enjoyable as could be.  (It helped that strategic planning on the front end ensured that no wait was longer than 15 minutes for us...)  We laughed.  We learned new things about each other.  We ate a lot of yummy treats, rode a lot of really fun rides, saw some