{"id":9043,"date":"2015-05-24T18:40:25","date_gmt":"2015-05-24T23:40:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=9043"},"modified":"2015-05-24T18:40:25","modified_gmt":"2015-05-24T23:40:25","slug":"emma-and-eli-april-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/?p=9043","title":{"rendered":"Emma and Eli: April 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

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April started with me wrapping up an amazing mission trip to Guatemala with North Cobb Christian School. \u00a0Clint is always so awesome with Emma and Eli when I\u2019m gone and they were such an encouragement to me during the trip. \u00a0Thankfully we had wifi, so we were able to FaceTime in the morning and evening a few minutes to check in and pray together. \u00a0I love my crew and I\u2019m so grateful for the technology that allows us to be \u201ctogether\u201d even when we are in different countries!<\/div>\n
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My flight from Guatemala returned in time for me to get home around 8pm on Friday, April 3 (Good Friday). \u00a0I did some quick laundry and we headed out at 4am the next morning to go to Disney World for Spring Break. \u00a0Our kids had no idea\u2026they didn\u2019t even know we were going anywhere! \u00a0Clint drove and the rest of us slept the first few hours in the car. \u00a0After breakfast Emma and Eli started asking lots of questions, but they still didn\u2019t figure it out. \u00a0We stopped for lunch at Moe\u2019s in Orlando and then headed towards our hotel. \u00a0Emma has become a really strong reader and she started studying the highway signs. \u00a0The moment she saw the Disney World sign\u2026she and Eli both got so excited! \u00a0Clint and I love being able to have awesome experiences with our kids\u2026the look on their faces for this one was worth every penny we saved to make this trip happen! \u00a0On our first day we went to Downtown Disney and ate at a pizza place near our hotel.<\/div>\n
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We stayed off property and enjoyed the hotel we picked. \u00a0It was large enough to spread out for the 7 days we were there. \u00a0Most days we opened and closed the parks, but a few days we came back to the hotel to rest, do laundry, and just cool off. \u00a0We went to the Magic Kingdom all day on Easter. \u00a0It was Emma\u2019s second visit\u2026we brought her just before she turned 2\u2026and Eli\u2019s first visit. They loved the Magic Kingdom and we loved watching them enjoy it! \u00a0Emma was a HUGE fan of Space Mountain and we all rode it multiple times\u2026while Eli waited with one parent or the other and enjoyed snacks. \u00a0After a full day in the park, we ate dinner at Chili\u2019s and stopped by Krispy Kreme for dessert since the hot sign was on (vacation Mom is much more fun!).<\/div>\n
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Monday we woke up early and went to a character breakfast at Tusker House in the Animal Kingdom. \u00a0Eli said the area that was decorated like Africa was alright\u2026but not as authentic as they thought. \u00a0The character breakfast was entertaining. \u00a0Emma loved the characters. \u00a0Eli loved when they walked away! \u00a0We had lots of fun on the rides\u2026especially Expedition Everest. \u00a0Around mid-afternoon we headed to the hotel to swim and just relax. \u00a0We woke up Tuesday morning and headed to Epcot for the day. \u00a0This was one of the hottest days and there isn\u2019t a ton to do for little ones there. \u00a0Emma really enjoyed Test Track and Eli enjoyed Spaceship Earth and a few of the shows we went to. \u00a0We left Epcot mid-afternoon and walked around Downtown Disney for a while. \u00a0We visited the Lego store to get the free Legos they giveaway the first Tuesday of the month and ate dinner at the T-Rex restaurant. \u00a0It was pretty fun and we decided we were rested enough to head back to Epcot for the evening. \u00a0We did a few rides and then stuck around for Illumination…the Epcot fireworks\u2026really fun!<\/div>\n
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Wednesday morning we went to Hollywood Studios. \u00a0Emma wasn\u2019t too sure about the Rockin\u2019 Roller Coaster at first, but she ended up really loving it and rode it over and over again! \u00a0We rode the Tower of Terror which Emma has since renamed the \u201cTower of Terrible\u201d. \u00a0She rode it multiple times before declaring that she really didn\u2019t like that ride! \u00a0We checked out all the rides, ate dinner at the park, and then stuck around to watch Fantasmic\u2026their fireworks show. \u00a0It was really good!<\/div>\n
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Thanks to a tip from some friends, we got to Hollywood before it opened Thursday so we could be first in line to RUN to the Toy Story ride. \u00a0We are so glad we did! \u00a0The ride was a blast\u2026but even waiting in line was enjoyable with all of the vintage game decorations they used in the waiting area. \u00a0We rode the Rockin\u2019 Roller Coaster a few more times and then we decided to take the afternoon off to hit the beach. \u00a0We drove about an hour and a half to grab lunch and Moe\u2019s and then spend the afternoon at Cocoa Beach. \u00a0It was a beautiful day and we loved the beach! \u00a0It was just the break that we needed! \u00a0We found a fun beach restaurant to eat dinner and then we wandered through Ron Jon\u2019s Surf Shop before heading back to the hotel. \u00a0Everyone slept pretty well that night!<\/div>\n
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We woke up early Friday so that we could be at the Magic Kingdom right when it opened so we could RUN to the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. \u00a0Clint and Emma rode it first while Eli and I went to the Merry Go Round, Peter Pan, and a few other smaller rides. \u00a0Then Emma and I rode it before the whole crew enjoyed several rides around the park. \u00a0We left the park and ran through Chick-fil-A and ate lunch at the hotel before enjoying super long naps. \u00a0After everyone woke up, we went back to the park for dinner, more rides, and the Magic Kingdom fireworks. \u00a0Emma rode Space Mountain five times on Friday! \u00a0Such a fun day!<\/div>\n
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Saturday morning was our last day at Disney, so we got there super early and rode the boat across to the Magic Kingdom. \u00a0We got to see the Magic Kingdom welcome show and then ran to the Mine Train again so that we could all ride it once more before we left. \u00a0After riding a few rides, we went to a character breakfast at the Crystal Palace. \u00a0What a difference a week makes\u2026Eli loved the characters and wanted pictures with all of them! \u00a0After our breakfast we rode all of our favorite rides one more time and then watched the Main Street Parade before getting in the car to drive home. \u00a0We got back pretty late that night. \u00a0We were totally exhausted, but it was such an amazing week full of laughs, smiles, and lots of fun with our crew! \u00a0We can\u2019t wait to go again\u2026in about five years!<\/div>\n
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School started back up after Spring Break and it\u2019s usually a sprint from Spring Break to the last day of school. \u00a0Our family enjoyed lots of fun school events as well as meals and other activities with friends. \u00a0Emma was so excited to use the money she saved to buy her very own Kavu bag. \u00a0She is in a stage right now where she wants to copy just about everything Mommy does\u2026and I have to admit it\u2019s pretty sweet!<\/div>\n
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April had more rain that I can remember in recent years, but that led to lots of fun memories too! \u00a0Emma and I had a chance to go back and visit The Garden with the National Honor Society from NCCS. \u00a0The Garden is a place where women and children can live if they need shelter. \u00a0Our group provides childcare so that the moms can have Bible study and then we provide dinner for everyone. \u00a0It\u2019s always a great time and it means the world to Emma to be able to go and help out. \u00a0We are so grateful for her servant heart!<\/div>\n
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The last Sunday in April was so special as we stood in front of our church family and officially dedicated Eli to the Lord. \u00a0When we brought him home last year, we had just missed the Baby Dedication for the spring. \u00a0It was really special to participate this year after he had been home almost a year. \u00a0Clint and I have been so blessed to get to do this with both of our children at Cedarcrest Church. \u00a0This time Emma joined us and she was about to bust with pride standing up there with her sweet brother. \u00a0We are so grateful for the partnership of both Cedarcrest Church and North Cobb Christian School as they join Clint and I in investing in the hearts and minds of Emma and Eli with the hope that they will live lives for the glory of God and the good of others.<\/div>\n
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Here are some pics from our really fun April!<\/div>\n
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April started with me wrapping up an amazing mission trip to Guatemala with North Cobb Christian School. \u00a0Clint is always so awesome with Emma and Eli when I\u2019m gone and they were such an encouragement to me during the trip. \u00a0Thankfully we had wifi, so we were able to FaceTime in the morning and evening […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,37,12,16,32,18,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9043","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cedarcrest-church","category-eli","category-emma","category-family","category-marriage","category-north-cobb-christian","category-travel"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9043","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9043"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9043\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9043"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9043"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meganstrange.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9043"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}