First Vacation as Monk Family of Four

July 25th-31st: Disney's Saratoga Springs

Rich and I have been on many amazing vacations in the last couple of years. We have gone for medical conference or with extended family, but we had never planned and gone on a road trip as just our core little family. So, when Gigi offered us a last minute opportunity to go to Disney, we jumped at it!! We thought it was the perfect way to cap off our July with Daddy!!



This was a perfect vacation for us! While we stayed on Disney property, we did not actually go to Disney world.

All of the Disney world resorts have different themes, Saratoga Springs is based on a popular resort and horse racing town in upstate New York at the turn of the century.



Our resort had 5 pools, 2 big water slides, 1 little kid water slide, 2 splash pads and a wet playground. Blakely loved being a water bug all week.

We had an amazingly relaxing vacation with two babies. We  slept in, we cooked, we read and we swam. It was perfect.

At the big Springs pool, Blakely went down the little water slide easily 100x. She loved it! When she would come down, she would yell "another one!"

Katy Ellis chilling pool side. She really loved swimming this week too. She especially loves to splash.



We also discovered the secret to making KE giggle on demand.



Secret weapon: Eskimo kisses and raspberries between her cheek and neck.

Love this little giggle box!!

After a very, very long car ride (10 hours) and being a very, very good girl, Blakely was very, very excited to be out of the car and in our villa.

She immediately came in and started finding all the "Mick-E's" (translation Mickey Mouse Heads) and the Cinderella's Castles on the coasters and stationary. She was so excited!! It is probably going to blow her mind come January when she gets to meet Mickey Mouse, Cinderella and go to the castles!! (But SHHHH!! Don't tell her, it's a surprise!)

We are not sure why, but she also immediately claimed this phone and started talking to GG and Auntie!!

I love the hand on her hip... where did she get that from???

Another great thing about our resort was that it was a quick walk or water taxi ride to Downtown Disney, and it had great walking trails.

This little pumpkin loves her some Minnie Mouse!! (and Gray of course!)

KE had fun, but I look forward to when I have two little girls who are excited about vacation and Mickey Mouse! (but I also don't want them to grow up! Am I a ball of contradictions or what?)

We got stuck in Downtown Disney too late one night, and both girls fell asleep on the water taxi home.

This Mommy and Daddy had a great vacation too!! Sad that he has to go back to work next week.

As a surprise for being really good, Blakely got Disney Princess pool/bath toys. She was (and IS) mesmerized by them. Hours and hours of fun!!

I love her little imagination. She had a whole story going on. What is really funny is to hear Blakely say Aurora ("Awawa!!"). I'm gonna miss her sweet voice when she grows up!

Our favorite spot was the Paddock pool wet play ground!!

It had two little water slides, which Blakely LOVES!!!

We aren't sure why, but Blakely ALWAYS sticks her tongue out while water sliding! We keep warning her that she is going to bite it!

She was so proud of her independence!!!

That tongue!!

Blakely really loved wearing her magic band (not that she ever used it), and didn't take it off for a week after we got home!

Put that tongue in, Crazy!!

Splash down!!

In the evening's we would either sneak to the pool after dinner or pack a picnic to eat pool side. We loved coming to pool after 6pm, because we had it all to ourselves!! Blakely would beg Rich to do the water slides with her (FYI he is WAY over 48 inches!!), saying "come on da! come with me! come on! come on!" How could he resist?

This little girl has LOVED having her Daddy home all day/ every day for the last month!! Have I mentioned how much we all needed the month of July?????? Ha!

Blakely will now say "Cheese" and "smile," but I am not sure it is photo worthy yet!! (We are working on it!!)

This picture cracks me up!! Blakely (WHO HATES HAVING HER PICTURE TAKEN) asked ME to take HER picture!! I am not sure you understand... this child has HATED the camera and pictures since 9 months old! I have not gotten 1 posed pic of this child in 22 months!!! It was like a Disney Miracle!!! She asked me to "Take a picture with Cin-er-ella!!" I about fainted, but you KNOW I HAD to stop and take this sweet girls picture with her favorite princess!!

Monday of our vacation was my 32nd birthday, so we went out to eat at the Rainforest Café.

Blakely loved seeing all the animated animals, bugs and trees. She loved the real fish tank, but she was still a little afraid of the "thunderstorm" in the Rainforest. We had a great night!

...and I didn't have to cook or clean up!!

Cannot believe I actually got a picture where everyone is clean, dressed and looking at the camera!! Birthday miracle!! (Smiles are a luxury item we obviously can't afford yet! HA!)

Rich had even baked me a cake for my birthday!! Blakely loved cake!! If she even sees a 9x13 pan, she starts saying "Please!! Please!!" She is a little disappointed at times, when it turns out to be a casserole.

So glad I got to spend my birthday with my favorite girls!

One of the coolest things that happened on this vacation was that we discovered that Blakely was big enough and brave enough to ride the BIG water slides all by herself!!

Initially, Rich would put her on at the top and I would catch her at the bottom. She loved it and was so, so proud of herself.

This tag team method worked well until Katy Ellis had to go back to the room for a nap, and Blakely kept asking for "another one!!"

This sweet Daddy timed it and figured out it took her 22 seconds to get to the bottom. So, he would put her on at the top, run down the stairs and jump in the pool to catch her!!

He did this over and over and over again!! During one of KE's naps Rich counted that they did the slide 35 times!!
BEST DADDY IN THE WORLD AWARD WINNER HERE!!

And she LOVES her Daddy to the moon and back!!! Love seeing the sweet bond between the two of them. Reminds me of my own wonderful Daddy (PopPop), and all the CRAZY things he has done for us Tober kids in the name of fun!! Love you PopPop!! So blessed to have so many wonderful Daddy's in our lives!!

We had an amazing vacation, and we discovered that we have two good little travelers!! Looking forward to all the Monk family vacations we will be taking as just the 4 of us in the future!!!