It's Beginning to Look...

... a lot like Christmas!

It took me a little longer than normal, but our house is officially decorated for Christmas.  It's so fun to have little helpers!

Everly liked watching Walker.  He actually did a pretty good job of putting on ornaments!

This is his favorite one!

After we got our decorating done, we went to see Bunny and RayRay... We had a fun dinner followed by a visit to Santa!

It was a family photo.... the kids weren't too excited to be with "ho ho ho" by himself!  I plan to take them to see Santa at the mall later.... I have a feeling it will be an interesting photo!

Walker got to enjoy more bounce house fun.

And, got a reindeer balloon hat.

Everly's hair didn't agree with the balloon hat!  Either that or she stuck her finger in a socket!

They had a great time checking out Bunny's tree.

And, giving her some snuggles!

It was a great way to end the holiday weekend!

Thanksgiving Fun

We had a great time at the farm on Thanksgiving!  Walker and Everly LOVED playing with their cousins.  In fact, Walker may officially be a big boy... he got to play hide and seek with the big kids!  It was really adorable to watch!

I have lots of pictures... of course!  The little Longhorns... ready for the big game!

If it's Thanksgiving on the farm, that means there's a hay ride!  Walker and Everly both loved it!  Look at all the cows.

Whoa!  Is that Bevo???  Or as Walker says... "hogmores"!

Nanna and Bubba with all five grand kids!

Smiley Everly and Nanna.

Everly loved bouncing on the hayride.  Big smiles all day.

Still smiling... this time with Bubba.

So, what can top a hayride and Longhorn victory?  Bounce houses!!!

Walker loved the slide.

And, we even got a picture of Walker and Everly with Kyle, Anna and Aidan.

And, one last fun activity... riding the four wheeler!

Can you believe all these activities happened in just two days!  No wonder the kids love going to the farm!!!

Potty Time!

Mark this down as a topic that I never thought I would blog about... the potty.

But, the potty is very important in the life of a two-year old.

Walker is going potty!  He isn't potty trained, but he goes several times a day.  The next step will be keeping him dry in between.

What's so fun about all this, it was totally his idea.  Typical Walker.  He gets two M&Ms every time he is successful.  He is always so proud of himself and is usually yelling "CANDY" before he is even done.  It really is amazing to watch him realize that he is accomplishing something!

Little sister really wants to go potty and get candy, too.  Do you think I can potty train them at the same time??

The Magical Adventure!

So many pictures!  I apologize in advance, but they are too good to not post!!!  I have a feeling most everyone has already seen these pictures on Facebook, but I must have them on the blog as well!

We stayed at the Grand Floridian, which was absolutely beautiful!  The kids enjoyed exploring... check this out. Walker hugged his sister:

We went straight to the Magic Kingdom!  I really love that place.  But, it was a lot more crowded than I remember!

Walker's new favorite word is CASTLE!

The next morning, we went back to the Magic Kingdom... we arrived right as a parade started.  It was great!

And, we have to have family photos in front of Cinderella's castle!  Too bad Walker wasn't in the mood!

We rode a bunch of rides.... Small World, Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan, Snow White... but, I think this was Walker's favorite:

Everly liked it too, but we don't have a picture of her flying... this one works:

Our next day was very busy... we started with breakfast with some of Walker's favorite characters!

He liked them... as long as they weren't too close!!  He kept yelling at Oso, but when he arrived at our table he got scared!  But, he and Everly were both troopers!

My favorite part of the trip... meeting Buzz and Woody!  Walker LOVES Buzz and Woody.  And, Everly was excited, too.

Walker was less afraid of these guys than all the rest.  I guess they felt familiar!!

 

I love that they take pictures for you, with your own camera.  Very cool to have the whole family, with a few additions, in a picture!

And, then we were off to Animal Kingdom!  This park is great for kids our age.  Walker is very into The Lion King and animals right now... it was great.  Love this picture of my guys.

Walker loved seeing the elephants, giraffes, and hippos!

Very cool gorilla!

Waiting in line for a Lion King show... Walker was "fake" sleeping.

So cute!

It was a fantastic trip.  Walker and Everly were so good.  I stand by my philosophy that our kids are actually too young for Disney... but, we still had a fabulous time.  We went with no expectations and had a blast with what we could do!   I'm proud that the kids are excellent travelers... it makes me excited to go on more family vacations!  Our next trip is already booked.... a Disney cruise!  After this successful trip, I know that one will be even better!

We will go back to Disney World.... in five years!

Disney World Quick Takes

I promise to blog more about Disney World this week... but, I wanted to list out a few quick takes while they are fresh on my mind.  These are in no particular order.
1.  The kids are wonderful travelers.  They were REALLY good.  Last night they didn't get to bed until almost 11.  Neither one of them has seen past 8... EVER!  They handled it like pros.

2.  I do not believe there is a recession.  WAY too many people at a very expensive place.

3.  I'm not really a fan of crowds.

4.  Traveling as a family of four is a lot harder than traveling as a single person.

5.  Disney really is magical.  I think I probably liked it more than the kids.

6. Anything Lion King related is awesome.

7.  Seeing Buzz and Woody in person was my favorite part of the trip.

8.  Walker likes "characters" as long as it's from a distance.

9.  The double stroller is the greatest invention in the world.

10.  I cannot imagine making that trip with three children.  Excellent birth control.

11. A flight attendant told me that I was an "excellent" mother today.  Made the trip totally worth it! Yippee for awesome kids!

12.  Continental is a total rip-off.  Our bag wasn't "oversized" going to Florida.  But, it was "oversized" coming home (even though everything we bought was in our carry ons).  After paying the $25 bag fee, we had to pay an additional $100 "too heavy" fee.  REALLY??  There we are at the counter and the lady says, "you could get another bag if you want.  That would help make it cheaper." REALLY?  Here I am standing with my two toddlers trying to catch a flight, but let me run over to the store and buy another bag and re-pack everything. Or maybe you will just hold me hostage and MAKE me pay the extra ONE-HUNDRED dollars.  Ugh.

Even with the bag drama, it was a wonderful trip.  I will post pictures soon!

Everly's First (real) Haircut

The girl is officially a girl!  She had her first beauty appointment!  Her hair was pretty uneven and her bangs were in her eyes, so it was time!

Big brother was excited for his sister...

He held up mommy's iphone so she could watch a show!  I thought this was so cute.  He watches videos when he gets his hair cut, so he wanted her to have the same experience!

She was such a big girl!  She cried for about 10 seconds when she first sat down, then she was fine!

After the haircut, she even sat through a blow dry... with a round brush!

The final product.... she looks so cute!

Such a big girl!!!!

The SnowMan Mile

It almost seems funny for me to blog about physical activity... I was never one to enjoy working out.  But, over the last several months I have found joy at the gym.  Seriously, I enjoy it.  And, since I found out Googie was sick, I've had more intensity than ever.  It's a place for me to get my anger out.  It turns out I'm not the only one.

A friend of mine, who wishes to remain anonymous, sent me this email today.  It is just too powerful to NOT pass on...

We have our own ways of dealing with what Chris is going through. I met a runner years ago that taught me something really valuable. I, in turn, have passed it on to others. He said his inspiration came from Chuck Yeager, the famous test pilot who would fly planes past their capability. Yeager said he wanted to see where the demons lived. This runner would run until the demons came. What he meant by demons is the pain. He would go chase demons and then chase them more and more.  It doesn't really matter what sport or exercise one does, the demons will come. The fear of pain or demons is what keeps us on the couch, out of the gym, off the road or bike, etc...

I've used this guy's attitude to help me train for a marathon. The SnowMan Mile is my own personal way that helps me cope. 

Aside from my training schedule for my marathon, I tack on one extra mile to every run... the SnowMan mile... as hard and fast as I can. Sometimes I don't finish it running, but I'll finish it every time. I usually have to stop and vomit about half way through it. Knowing the suffering that Chris is going through, I feel like a big wuss if I don't leave every ounce of effort out there, everyday. When I finish my assigned run and then do my SnowMan mile, I know in my heart that I met that demon and kicked its ass.

The demon lost again today. And that demon will lose everyday until Chris is healed.

I am totally inspired by this... I may not be a runner, but I can still use the SnowMan mile every single day.  I'm going to the gym right now.  Demons beware!