I know, I know - I'm behind

Okay, so we've been back from Disney for a month, and I'm finally getting around to uploading my photos. A lot's been going on since our return - I have a new dedicated computer just for photography, I've entered in to the world of Photoshop (and am seemingly paralyzed by my new options), the boys started t-ball (in two different leagues), I was sick for a week, traveled to DC and also entertained my parents for a weekend. But, enough excuses . . .

Disney was AMAZING! Yes, we froze every morning. Yes, it was one of the coldest weeks on record for that time of year, but nothing was going to deter the Andersons from making the most of it darn it! I have to admit I was a bit of a slave to my little Weather Channel app on my Blackberry praying somehow the forecast would change, but eventually I got over it and just piled on the warm clothes I did manage to pack for us.

This was longest amount of time I've ever spent at the Magic Kingdom (a week!), and it was worth every second. We got to see Grammy and Grandad, my brother and his family, we ate and ate, park-hopped every day and saw just about every Disney character ever created. I don't know what it was - maybe the time of year - but they were everywhere.

It really was a special week. There was no drama, the sun managed to shine, the hotel and other services were great, the boys were SO well behaved (and boy we saw some doozy kids while we were there - Veruca Salt comes to mind), we worked the Fast Pass system to the n-th degree and we all pooped out by 9pm every night (that's not lame, right?). And, for those of you who know how my husband feels about Disney (I mean the evil empire), even he managed to enjoy himself, "through the eyes of the boys" of course.

And, because I indicated this was our first family trip to Disney, we also got some fun perks: a voicemail from Goofy welcoming us to the hotel for our first family stay, a postcard from Mickey hand-delivered by a castmember wishing us a fun first stay, and a special escort on our last day to the front of the line (and boat) of Pirates of the Carribean by a castmember who noticed our first visit pins (yes we wore them). I just love all the ways Disney tries to make everyone's stay unique and special.

Anyway, here are a few pics from the trip. They're a bit all over the place - I've been playing with Photoshop and am still finding my way. Jenna if you're reading this I may call you for a quick tutorial. :)

Enjoy!

Pardon me boy, is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo?

So off to Chattanooga we went for my 3(mumble mumble)th birthday. It was a lovely trip, jam-packed with rock formations, trains, chimps, jellies, scientific discovery, bungee jumping (in the mall), and a busted lip (Jack, who else?). We'd been planning it for weeks, and even though the weather wasn't stellar, it managed not to rain on our parade.

Chattanooga is a beautiful city quietly nestled in the Tennessee valley. Normally, I don't like ANYTHING Tennessee-related, but I'll give a pass for this one. It was a busy trip, of course, and we managed to cram in the Tennessee Aquarium, Rock City, The Children's Museum, The Chattanooga Zoo, downtown exploration, a trip to the mall (naturally), and a dip in the pool -- all in an extended weekend.

Highlights - Sam and Jack bungee jumping in the mall; singing a family rendition of John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt as we marched through Storybook Cavern in Rock City; Jack not being afraid of snakes or goats or any other animal he could get close to; Sam looking earnestly for gnomes around every turn of Rock City; the kids' faces when they realized the Chattanooga Choo Choo was really real; breakfast included (gotta love that) and spending quality time as a foursome.

Lowlights - Jack's busted lip (ON DAY 1, hour 3 of trip - ask me, the story is easier to tell), no photo evidence of bungee jumping because I left my Blackberry and camera at the hotel, frizzy hair and high humidity, and Sam reminding us every day that our truck smells like mustard (don't ask).

I think it may be worth a repeat trip next year! We had such a great time, and the kids now have a ton of great stories to tell their friends at school. The scene of the crime. Wet concrete + flip flops + tiny front teeth = busted lip

Good thing Jack's a fast healer!

In the fish bowl . . . of sorts

Lookin' for gnomes in Rock City

Famous for their bird houses. They're so cute.

Beautiful downtown

At the zoo!

I brought these gnomes home with me.

Cool cavern in Rock City

Lookout Mountain and Lovers Leap

Choo choo!

Army Strong

This week (Thursday and Friday) Bill, the kids and I attended my brother Ian's Army basic training graduation in Fort Jackson, SC. My brother's wife Angela (6 months pregnant), daughter, my dad, and step-mom drove up from Miami/Tampa, respectively, and my oldest brother Joel drove down from Philly. Lucky for us it's also only about 35 minutes south of where Bill's sister lives so we've seen a whole lot o' family on this trip. Unfortunately, we were just shy of everyone -- missing my brother Jason et al who is home recovering from surgery. Nonetheless, it was great to see everyone who made the trip.

The last two days were amazing. While I consider myself patriotic, I've never been one to pay that much attention to our military. Shame on me, I know. My dad, grandfathers and uncles served, and I've had friends join various branches of the armed services, but I didn't really have that strong of an opinion one way or another -- it certainly wasn't for me personally. But, after this week, I feel much different.

Ian (28) has slowly but surely gotten himself together over these last few years. He's gone back to college, married, taken on responsibilities as a step-parent and matured before our very eyes (although he'd still prefer someone else to do his laundry). And, while he's still that same kid I've known all my life, I believe the Army has helped him take that next step -- as I'm sure it has for all of those 1,300 young men and women I saw before me yesterday and today. These are courageous, self-sacrificing Americans who enlisted during wartime and who take their new role as protectors of our land and people very seriously. I'm so proud my brother has joined their ranks. He still has 20 more weeks of training (and safety) before he's stationed somewhere (hopefully Georgia, as in state of) for his next post, and this will come either immediately before or right after the birth of his first child, Liam, this September. That's a lot for this young family or any family to handle, but I'm confident my brother is prepared.

Anyway, below are some pics from the trip. My boys are so excited they have a real live "army guy" in their family. Come to think of it, I am too. Way to go brother!
Above was the soldiers' entrance. No one was on the field at the time -- it was quiet. Then, someone yelled over the loud speakers, "ARE YOU READY TO SEE YOUR SOLDIERS???" as colored smoke bombs were lobbed from the forest that lined the parade grounds. Seconds later 1,000+ soldiers and their drill sergeants came pouring out through the trees and smoke. Now, I ask you -- is your hair standing up on the back of your neck? It was incredible, and of course I immediately burst into tears. The roar of the crowd was deafening.

First hug with mom -- thank goodness for a long lens. I was so afraid I was going to miss this!

Hold on tight

I love this photo of my dad and Ian. Goes to show you that you're always a kid to your parents, no matter how old you get -- I just love that. I really thought my dad was going to explode with pride.

Private Jack, and

Private Sam

Pamela and Ian. Never get tired of seeing Vandervalk in print on a uniform!

Easter in the Northeast

I know I haven't written in a while, and there are a ton of reasons I could say have caused the drought: work, life, laundry, curtain fabric field trips. But, any way you slice it, I need to be better about posting and staying up to date. My portrait photography is starting to perk up again - including a booking with a local preschool - so I hope to have more session pics to show soon too.

The boys and I just returned from a six (should have been five) day trip to Philly/NY to visit my family for Easter. The extra day was courtesy of US Airways and some ridiculous cancellation system at Philly International. (Hooray! Five hours in the airport with two boys under 6 - sans biz tripping Bill - waiting to learn our flight's fate - fun times!)

For this trip I basically wore the boys (and myself) out starting with a 3:45 am wake up call for our 6:20 am Saturday flight (after a midnight bedtime for me following an amazing Sugarland concert). I don't think any of us really recovered the whole time we were home, and it didn't help that we spent a full day exploring NYC on foot (Jack's first time to the Big Apple). Nevertheless, we had a great time, rode the train and the touristy double-decker bus, braved the Spring Break crowds in NYC's ToysRUs and had an $86 (before tip) round of desserts at Max Brenner: Chocolate by the Bald Man. Sheesh! Below are some pics from the trip. (Sugarland fans - unfortunately no pics from that night. Show was incredible though.)
Coloring eggs turned into "let's see how many colors we can mix up in these bowls"
Hugs for Pop-Pop

Sam makes for a good head rest

Oh, he looks so sweet

Lots of "wow" moments for Sam on the train to NYC

"Hey, there's people on that train too!"

Littering at the Museum of Natural History - where the dioramas come to life at night ;)

Quick break and time for a long gaze into Central Park from the dinosaur room