Twins First Trip to Disneyland

Sean received his MBA back in February, but last week we flew to Anaheim to watch him walk across the stage at his graduation! Of course, when we found out there was going to be a graduation ceremony in Anaheim, we started planning our trip for Disneyland as well.

Let me start by saying that I am extremely proud of Sean. He has worked so hard to accomplish his MBA. It wasn't easy (we had newborn twins while he was still in school) but, he managed to do it all! He’s a rockstar & he deserves to be recognized for all of his hard work.

Those that know Sean & me know that Disneyland is special to us. It’s where we celebrated our honeymoon nearly eight years ago & where we went to celebrate Sean’s graduation from nursing school six years ago. We were so excited to take our boys to Disneyland!

The boys did absolutely amazing on both of our flights; they slept the whole way each time. But, our first night at the hotel was really rough.

To make a long story short, we arrived at our hotel way past the boys’ normal bedtime & Boden had a really hard time going to sleep. The only way I could get him to stop crying was for him to lay on me until he fell asleep. We have never, ever co-slept with our boys. Not once. Until this night. But, after three hours of your baby refusing to sleep in a hotel room, you gotta do what you gotta do!

We spent a total of 2.5 days at Disneyland & it was so magical seeing Wyatt & Boden’s faces light up from everything going on around them. My favorite had to be watching Wyatt during the fireworks & the Fantasmic! show, he was so mesmerized by it all.

We were able to take the boys on several rides, we wish we could have taken them on more but we ran out of time. Since it was pretty hot during the day, we tried to limit their time in the park to the mornings & the evenings. Thank goodness for my parents who would take the boys back to the hotel so Sean & I could continue to have fun in the parks! The boys loved going on the rides & they never cried or got scared while on them.

The boys rode on:

1. Storybook Land Canal Boats

2. Mad Tea Party (Teacups)

3. Pirates of the Caribbean

4. Peter Pan’s Flight

5. Pinnochio’s Daring Journey

6. Dumbo the Flying Elephant

7. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride

Some products that really helped us on this trip were Boon Nursh bottles & our Nuna Demi Grow stroller. These bottles were nice because I only needed to bring one bottle for each boy. The nipple & the silicone pouch are removable so I can just place a new one inside the bottle when they get used. I used Boon storage “buns” to place fresh pouches & nipples in so the boys always had clean bottles while we were away from the hotel.

We have a great stroller, I love it. I am so glad we decided to bring our stroller instead of purchasing two umbrella strollers or a double umbrella stroller (which I almost did). It’s easy to fold up & maneuver. Disneyland is crowded & I am thankful that we didn't have two strollers to push around or a side-by-side larger double stroller.

Overall, the boys did so great on this vacation. There were only a couple of meltdowns during the course of the trip, which is phenomenal considering they are only six months old & it was their first time being away from home (or someplace unfamiliar) for an extended period of time.

Thank you, Sean, for graduating so we could go to Disneyland! :) Also, thank you so much to my parents who helped tremendously with the twins. Traveling with babies is hard & we were so lucky they were able to accompany us on this trip!

What's in My Suitcase? Maui Edition

Sean & I had a great time in Maui earlier this year! (You can read about our vacation here). My favorite items I took on this trip included some dresses, a sun hat, sunscreen, rash guards, travel blowdryer & of course my Cuyana tote bag & travel wallet.

If I had to pack again, I would only bring dresses!  I found that they were so convenient for throwing over a swimsuit, took up less space in my suitcase (we only take carry-ons) & were so comfortable to wear in the heat.  I love this dress (in black) from Nordstrom & this one from Vans. They were both perfect for this trip!  I also have my eyes on this dress & this romper to take with me on future hot weather destinations.

Sun protection is very important to me.  Being that I am so fair & have had skin scares in the past, I always protect my skin while out in the sun.  I like to wear hats to protect myself & this flat brim straw hat from Billabong did a great job!  Also, wearing a sunscreen is so crucial.  I hate the smell of sunscreen, it literally makes me sick.  But, we found Sun Bum sunscreen one day & decided to try it out.  It smells like bananas, no sunscreen smell at all, & the consistency is very nice & easy to blend in.  Another great protectant from the sun are rash guards.  These were perfect for days when we were out in the ocean snorkeling & needed that extra coverage.  I have this one as well as a long sleeved one. 

Another item that I'm glad I brought was my blowdryer from Drybar.  I use the baby buttercup, which is a travel blowdryer but I use it everyday.  It's as powerful as a full size one & is about the same size.  I like to bring my own blowdryer when I travel because I feel like the ones offered in hotel rooms do not work that great.  I love that this folds nicely & takes up minimal space in my suitcase, plus it comes with a bag to store it in.

I love my Cuyana tote bag, it goes everywhere with me.  It's the perfect size & so functional.  I take it on airplanes, to work, use it as an overnight bag & sometimes I even use it as a purse.  I cannot say enough good things about this bag.  It's the best!  Same goes for the travel wallet.  It has enough room to hold airline tickets, my passport, all of my credit cards & much, much more.  Love them both!

These were some of the items that I was really happy to have on my trip.  What are your must have travel items?  XOXO

Maui Vacation

This post is long overdue, but life happens & we've been busy!  At the beginning of June my husband & I went on a much needed vacation to Maui, Hawaii for ten days.  We did lots of exploring & adventuring, but best of all, spent some great quality time with one another.  With our busy schedules, it was an amazing way to reconnect as a couple.

This was an exciting trip (for many reasons) but one being that Sean had never been to Hawaii and it was so awesome to see him enjoy it for the first time.  We spent the first part of our trip on the south side of Maui in Wailea.  The hotel we stayed at was beautiful & great for relaxing.  The vibe of Wailea overall was very tranquil.

For the second part of our trip, we stayed in Kaanapali, where there was a lot more action.  I'm glad that we had the opportunity to stay in two different areas of the island.  That way, we got to experience different atmospheres.  Both of which were beautiful!

I really enjoyed walking around Lahaina.  Seeing the banyan tree, visiting the art galleries/museums & eating the best shaved ice ever were just a few of the things that we loved doing in Lahaina.  I got a beautiful print from Lahaina Printsellers & we got to learn about some Maui history by visiting the local museums.  

There were so many things that we did on this trip that are worth mentioning.  For the sake of keeping this post on the shorter side, I will just share my most favorites activities :) in no particular order:

Sunrise Haleakala Tour:  Haleakala crater is one of the best places (if not the best) to see the sunrise or sunset in Maui.  We decided we wanted to go for sunrise.  We ended up going on a tour which was a great choice for us.  The shuttle picked us up at our hotel at 2am so we could be up on the summit & ready to see the sunrise at 5:40am.  We were exhausted & it was pretty cold, but we were able to witness the most beautiful sunrise!  As the sun was coming up, someone sang a ceremonial chant.  It's an experience that we will always remember.

Road to Hana:  One of the most famous roads in Maui is the Road to Hana.  Hana is a small town on the eastern side of the island that is pretty isolated.  The easiest way to get to Hana is via the Hana Highway; a long, windy, often one lane road.  Our drive to Hana took a whole day, starting early in the morning.  There is so much to see along the way!  Beautiful beaches, waterfalls, trees & rainforest.  Although the town is uneventful, it's really the drive that most people go for.  We followed along with an app that was very helpful & mentioned which areas were worth stopping at and which ones were not.  

Snorkeling at Molokini:  I think this might be my favorite activity that we did!  We went on a snorkeling trip which took us out to Molokini, a partially submerged crescent shaped volcanic crater that offers a wonderful area for snorkeling.  Those that know me, know how much I love to snorkel.  This was the first time I was able to snorkel with Sean!  He equally loved it :)  We were able to spend a good amount of time in the water & were served a great lunch on our excursion.  We would have easily gone for a second day if we had enough time!

Luau at the Hyatt:  While in Kaanapali, we stayed at the Hyatt Regency.  Turns out, they have a fabulous luau!  We saw Drums of the Pacific Luau & all I can say is WOW.  It was amazing.  The food was awesome & the show was extremely entertaining.  From fire dancers to traditional Polynesian dancing,  this show did not disappoint & was well worth it.  Highly recommended! 

It's safe to say that we had the most wonderful time on our Maui adventure.  We already talk about our next trip back & can't wait to visit again one day.  Aloha!  XOXO