I woke up this morning to so many positive messages regarding Ella, and our continued struggles with her schooling. It was validating to hear that I am not crazy for thinking that this is not the way things should be. I have since been in contact with the district regarding a change in her educational setting. Let’s see how this plays out. Stay tuned.

When things bring me down, and it feels like my head is barely above water, I always try and remember a moment in our lives that brought me pure joy. I hate to take you all back to our Disney trip, but I did tell you there were some truly magical moments. Today, in honor of Father’s Day, I will share sweet one with you involving Steve and Ella.

Before we left for Disney I told Steve I wanted to bring Ella to Bippity Boppity Boutique for a princess makeover. We looked up the pricing and Steve wasn’t one hundred percent on board. Even the cheapest package wasn’t so cheap, and we had already spent what felt like a fortune on the trip. Ella is also a wild card. There is no way to guarantee her behavior will hold out for an extended length of time. We hemmed and hawed about it, and decided to make an appointment so we had one if we wanted it, thinking we could cancel if we didn’t.

Our appointment wasn’t the first day of the trip so it gave us time to feel things out and see how Ella would handle the long days, and change in her normal routine. For the most part she did great. Only a few major meltdowns that came from fatigue. What’s a Disney trip if a kid is not screaming, right? We had quickly seen the magic first hand through her eyes, and decided to keep the appointment.

I signed us up for the most basic package, and as per advice from multiple Disney fanatics, brought Ella a princess dress from home. There is something about that damn boutique that sucked us all in. The second we walked through the door, Steve handed me the credit card and said, “You get her the most expensive package. We will spare no expense for Ella”. I am happy to report we scaled it back a little, but we didn’t hold back on much. My sister-in-law bought her the gown and we took care of the rest.

We were immediately showered with attention and Ella was truly treated like a princess. She didn’t initially embrace all the magic though. As we picked out her package you could see she was not happy. There were no smiles and a lot of unhappy sounds. It was touch and go, but we were determined to get her through it with a smile on her face.

We sat her in the chair for the hair portion of her makeover and she lost it. Full on breakdown mode. She was reaching for the brush, pulling her hair, and screaming in frustration. The woman doing her hair did an amazing job of trying to calm her down, but Ella wasn’t having it. I took out my phone and put on Goldie and Bear. That was a huge fail. The screaming got louder. I tried to sit in front of the chair and talk to her. She tried to rip my face off. Things were going downhill fast.

Just when I thought it was a bust, Steve walks next to me and politely asks me to move over. If you know the type of relationship Steve and Ella have, you can predict what happens next. After a minute or two, Ella calmed down. She rubbed the top of Steve’s head and held his hand. Two things she does to let us know she’s calming down and things are okay. (Not that I can’t calm her down, but there is just something about daddy that brings her back from her darkest place way faster than mommy). For the duration of her makeover, Steve sat in front of her, holding the phone so she could watch Goldie and Bear, and never let go of her.

She happily let them finish her hair and we carried out our very own Princess Anna to parade around the park and show off. People were so sweet with their comments and Ella truly looked amazing. We even had our princess dinner that night and she got to meet Cinderella and family. The day turned out to be one of the best days we had on the trip. Seeing Ella all dolled up, and the smile that went with it, made every penny we spent worth it. I am not going to lie. I cried that night. My girl was always a princess to me, and for one day, everyone else got to treat her like one too.

Ella’s transformation and happiness was the highlight of the day, but the joy was equally felt among the children and adults. CJ continued to grow his love for rollercoasters, and did not complain once with the seventeen miles (no joke) of walking we did that day. Jack got to people watch, meet tons of characters, and get his first haircut. He even attempted to show off his agility and leap off of the Peter Pan ride, as we got stopped on it for a few minutes. Unfortunately, Liz got soaked on Splash Mountain but got herself some new Disney gear out of it. Steve and I got to see our kids enjoying Disney and made so many unbelievable memories that day.

We all have struggles and some days truly suck, but the good ones far outweigh the bad. Days like that remind me why I married Steve and what an amazing husband and father he is. I wouldn’t have this life, or these moments without him.

When things aren’t always the best, these fabulous recollections of our life carry me though. I am thankful to have plenty more to choose from. I only wish the same for you all!

Follow us on IG @zurlnick_five for daily pics of the family and updates on how things are going.