A very Merry Christmas

I just realized that this never posted! Oh, boo. Thanks for taking a family pic, Dad!!! And Owen finally made a decent face for this one. :)

We had a very Merry Christmas - lots of nice gifts for all and plenty of time with family. It's a little sad that it's all over. It seems like we just got the decorations all out and now it's time to think about packing it all back up. The kids are thrilled with all of their new toys - they're having a blast playing with everything. Happy New Year!

Watching Clone Wars in the new sleds

Cool Video

They played this video at the fire department party on Friday night - pretty cool.

Monday...Monday...Monday?!

Another week begins...there's a ton of snow, it's freezing, and the pile of work on my desk is ginormous. Oh, and Christmas is in 2 weeks. Yikes!

I'm doing very well on my shopping. I've more than overspent on the kids (surprise?!) and have made a nice dent in the adult shopping on my list. I do need to get some ideas for Brian - what to buy for the guy who wants nothing?

The boys and I spent a nice day visiting friends and family yesterday. It had been months since we'd seen Kristin - this lunch was long overdue. We had a great time chatting and catching up. And Kristin introduced me to my new favorite restaurant. OK, PF Chang is still my #1, but this was just as good and about 1/3 the price. YUM! (The kids were not impressed)

We then headed over to visit with Grammie and Grandpa - I had photos of the boys to drop off. They were decorating their tree, so we hung out and chatted with them, and we got ourselves invited to dinner. Free food is always a bonus, but free chicken divan is extra-super-duper-ultra awesome!

We're back to the grind...but add in the holiday prep of planning menus, baking cookies, wrapping gifts, and finishing the shopping. I wish that I had a trip to Florida to look forward to.

Owen's Preschool Photo

OK, so ignore the crummy "pic of a pic" on my phone. Love this year's picture!

Building monster trucks at Ridemakerz

The boys loved building their own cars at Ridemakerz. Owen built a monster dump truck and Jared chose a Dodge Viper.

It's beginning to look a lot like ...Christmas?

We tend to put off our visit to Santa until Christmas Eve. December is so busy...the mall is insane...and the line is too much. We were shopping today and saw that Santa was already at the mall. The boys were presentable, so we stopped! It's a tad early, but they loved it.

waiting to vote

Here are the boys waiting in line with us to vote this morning. Owen asked us "are we voting for 'barackobama'?" (all one word) When I asked him how he knows that name, he said "he's on TV all the time" So true.

He then proceeded to chant "I want barackobama" over an over - Little Dem had better zip it or he's sleeping in the garage.

Starbucks released their red holiday cups today ... coincidence?

Enjoying a Donut

Visiting the Cider Mill

Two Little Ghosts

First Day of Preschool

Owen did great for his first day of preschool this year. He was very excited to see his friends and his teachers. Once we got there, he was a little apprehensive, but he found his hook, hung up his Hulk backpack and lunchbox, and headed into Circle. He found a friend to sit with and gave me a watery smile - but he sat down and was listening to the story.

Jared had his first day of swim practice last night and did great! There are a TON of kids this year (likely a Michael Phelps phenomenon) so we may switch him to the later time slot. Fifteen kids sharing a lane is just TOO crowded!

We started Cub Scouts last night too, which should be another fun year. Our little Wolves were excited to get together again.

First Day of Second Grade

Jared started second grade today! (And please ignore my dead flowers, thank you!)

He's a little nervous about a new year, new teacher, and new class. His best buddies aren't in his class this year, but we went to Open House and met his teacher and saw the classroom. His friend from Cub Scouts is in his class and right at his table, so it should be a great year.

He's excited to start swim team next week and Owen is starting soccer tonight.

This summer was crazy busy with lots of trips to Grandma Camp, overnights at Brooke's, and playing outside with their friends. Mommie's been busy with work lately, so I apologize for the lack of postings. I try to keep the pictures updated!

Happy Fall, everyone!

Visiting with the Storm Troopers

owen loves mcdonalds

mmmmm...chocolate chip pancakes

Fresh Haircuts!

Learning about pulleys in Scout Skills

Cub Scout Fun

Hanging out at our campsite, doing a little whittling.

Cashed Out

Yes...it's 1:00 PM and he's still in his PJ's.

DQ is Messy!

Sprinklers at Independence Lake

Owen Wasn't So Cooperative

A Great Check-Up for Jared!

Bein' Silly

This kid is crazy.

Owen's Mohawk

After his bath, Owen begged me to style his hair into a mohawk - pretty cute kid.

look what i made!

just hangin' around

eatin' a donut at the park

We kicked off summer vacation with a trip to the bakery for a donut and then a picnic at the playground. Owen still just eats the frosting off the top and leaves the donut part.

Summer vacation is tiring!

Beach Bums

The boys loved the waves and beach at Hilton Head. And the weather was gorgeous! Not too sunny, but nice and warm. They had a blast!

Picnics, Soccer, and Fun!

We had a very fun weekend! We kicked it off with the end-of-year picnic at LOTWA. Owen sang in the Celebrate America show, we watched the first raising of the flag on the new flagpole, and the boys enjoyed the carnival games, hot dogs, face painting, and the playground. I took a few pix - some of my favorites:





Saturday was the big Soccer Saturday extravaganza. The boys had a blast in the mini-games, fire truck spray, and at the picnic.

Later on Saturday we had the end of year party with the Cub Scouts - the boys had a blast and got soaked AGAIN at that one. I'd say Saturday was a WET one!

We got together with our friends on Sunday - we took the kids to Zukey for lunch. After that we came back and the kids ran in the sprinklers and played in the kiddie pool while Julie and I officiated. For some reason, the guys stayed in the A/C - and Doug even got in a nap. How does that work?

Excuse the Phone Pix

But I did go back and add some commentary on the Disney pix. Enjoy!

The Wedding!

I don't have any pictures of the wedding since I was so busy that day. Even though the day started out with some rain, it dried up a bit and we had a very nice day to be on the beach. It was cool, very little wind, and we were all dry!

Thursday morning we met for breakfast (just the girls - me, Sarah, Kristy, and mom) and then worked on the dinner room. We set up the centerpieces - which were very pretty - Sarah's design. She had nice square mirrors that went in the center of the table, and then put low, round dishes in the center of the mirror that she filled with a bit of sand, a pretty white pillar candle, and some seashells. At the corner of the mirrors she put glass holders with either cornflower or teal tealights in them. When all of those candles were lit, they looked amazing.

We all then went back to the condo where Brian and Justin were coralling the kids. The girls were all due at the salon for hair, makeup, and nails, so Kristy was kind enough to play chauffeur to us all.

Afte spending hours getting gorgeous, we all met back up at the condo to get dressed. Mom, Justin, Kristy, and the kids left early while Dad, Sarah, and I finished getting ready. I wish that I had a picture of Sarah in her dress to share - it was PERFECT for her and she looked stunning.

Dad drove Sarah and me over to the hotel where we made our way out to the beach. The wedding location was set up with a white trellis with vines/flowers and white chairs for everyone. It was a bit of a hike (especially in a long dress and flip flops!) but we were down the beach so we wouldn't be in the midst of all of the vacationers.

The ceremony was nice - short and sweet - and Sarah and Dave said their vows loud and clear. I know that Carol and others have some snapshots and I'm sure that the photographer captured it all on film for us.

We did the traditional photos after - lots of family shots, fun candids, and Carol shot some video. I can't WAIT to see all of the pictures from the photographer.

Dinner was AMAZING! Yummy tomato bisque soup, salad, steaks/chicken/fish (depending on what you ordered), and good bread. The desserts - YUMMY! I had this chocolate thing that was so yummy-rich!!! Awesome dinner.

After dinner we made our way into the bar where the band playing was more than happy to play a first dance song for Sarah and Dave. They got a kick out of the kids - and were nice enough to let them stay in the bar even though it was after 9 pm. We all danced and partied away.

Hilton Head was gorgeous - a perfect spot for a romantic wedding get-away.

The boys earned their pilot wings

the beach

The Atlantic Ocean

Snoozin' on the way to Hilton Head

Wednesday – we got up early, took the shuttle back to the airport, and rented a car to drive up the SC. The drive wasn't bad, but the freeway was lined with orange barrels, which, in the south apparently, means that you must drive 50 mph.

We checked into our hotel and headed to the beach to see the ocean. The kids had a blast wading a bit and just running off six hours in the car's worth of energy. We just did pizza for dinner and then met my parents on the beach for a nighttime stroll. There was a guy fishing in the shallow water and catching little sharks. Ew.

Breakfast with Piglet

Tuesday – we went back to MK early and did some of their favorites and also got to do some other stuff like the rockets, Toon Town, etc. We had a late breakfast seating at the Crystal Palace with Pooh & Friends which was MY favorite. I love Piglet, so I thought this was the best character meal. The breakfast buffet was yummy and the place wasn't crowded because we were between b'fast and lunch servings.

We made our way out of the MK through the shops and went back to the room for a nap and a swim. Then we headed back to Hollywood Studios for another ride on the Toy Story Midway Mania ride and did Star Wars again, shopped for Power Rangers, saw Lightening McQueen & Mater again.

Build Your Own Lightsaber

Happy Memorial Day!

Monday – we did Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM). The boys really liked Star Wars and the Indiana Jones show. They liked the Muppet 3D movie and the Backlot Tour. The Great Movie ride was a big yawn. They LOVED the new Pixar Toy Story ride – and I have to say that was my favorite also! Very cool 3D video game/carnival spinning ride combo.

They liked the Beauty and the Beast show a lot. We had lunch at Toy Story Pizza which was yummy. They liked sitting outside and just running around for a bit. They also LOVED seeing the Power Rangers and Lightening McQueen & Mater.

We went back and swam again in the quiet pool which was nice. We then visited Downtown Disney, had dinner at The Earl of Sandwich, and shopped a bit.

New Pin Collector

Disney is exhausting!

Disney is exhausting! Dinner at Chef Mickey's tonight.

Enjoying Epcot

Sunday – we did Epcot and this time got a stroller. But, at $15 a day, was it worth it? I don't know, ask Brian – he carried Owen on his shoulders the rest of the trip! Epcot was fun – we did not do the countries part of it. We did the shows, Brian & Jared rode Test Track and Mission to Space. We got yummy ice cream cones for lunch. But we left around noon and went back for a swim at the hotel, which the kids LOVED. And Brian and I got the BEST frozen drinks at the pool, but man was it pricey!

We had dinner at Chef Mickey's on Sunday, and it was also very good. And the kids loved seeing Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto at dinner. Their buffet was good and HOLY DESSERTS! Wow! Ice cream sundae bar, brownies, rice krispie treats, key lime pies, etc.

We went back to the MK for the night parade and the fire works. The boys liked both but were tired by the time we got back to the hotel at 11.

Jammin' at the BBQ

Magic Kingdom - 12 hours

Magic Kingdom - 12 hours, no stroller. The boys are troopers! Animal Kingdom is a bust. Way too hot!

Cooling Off