Disney

Way back in October, we took a trip to the most magical place on earth.  My parents and sister joined us for a few days, and Big Sister had a blast taking them on all her favorite rides.  Since they came down a few days into our trip, we decided to let Little Bud ride down with Papa and Grams, giving us a few days to spend time with Big Sister.  It was fun to be able to ride rides together with her (last go around we had to take turns riding with her, while one of us waited with Little Bud).  Big Sister loved having us all to herself, and Little Bud had the best time spending the night with Grammie and then heading to Florida with Grams and Papa (he even visited with family in Apopka before they met us at Disney).

Neither of the kids knew that Jamie was flying down for the weekend, so when she showed up they were so happy!  My Aunt and Uncle met us at Epcot one day, and it was nice to spend a bit of time with them too.

Overall it was a good trip.  This year was a bit more challenging than last (Little Bud fully understood that he was getting left behind when he wasn't big enough for a ride and he isn't a big fan of riding in the stroller or waiting in lines), but both kids have talked about the trip almost non stop for the last few months, so I guess that means they are treasuring the memories we made.  Little Bud has told me countless times that Jamie and/or Papa and Grams are going to take him back to Disney World, and every time we drive past the Shelby County Courthouse, he tells us that it's Donald Duck's castle!!

We've found that sometimes it's hard to see the forest through the trees when it comes to vacationing with little kids.  It's hard work, much more challenging than "normal" life, but once you get home and think back, we find that there's always good memories to treasure.

John says that our next trip to Disney will be when both of the kids are tall enough to ride every ride, which will be at least 5 years from now.  I'm hoping that we'll take a motorhome trip to California in a few years, and we'll make a stop at DisneyLand while we're there :)

Our first night we joined Cinderella and her crew for dinner!

Big Sister loved riding by herself in the back of the bus

Big Sister's FAVORITE ride.  She rode it no less than 10 times!

Gymnastics

Over the past year Little Bud has spent many afternoons watching Big Sister have lots of fun during her gymnastics class at our local gym.  A few months ago I put him on the waiting list for the 2 and 3 year old class, and they called last week to let us know they had an opening for him.  When we told him, he was SO excited!  

I think the timing of the opening was perfect for him too.  He's communicating so much more lately and is able to listen and follow directions more too.  He's also been a better "friend" and hasn't had a hair pulling or biting incident in a while.  Hallelujah!

He was so proud going into the gym for his first class (his class is at the same time as Big Sisters), and he did SO well. He listened to his teacher and got to try out all of the equipment.  

that happy little face steals my heart!

forward roll

 

Pirate and Princess Pumpkins...take 3!

3 years ago my cousin posted in her blog about her boys decorating pumpkins with Mr. Potato head like pieces, and their pumpkins looked so fun that we decided to get some of our own.  So, after checking out the selection at our local Target, Big Sister decided on the princess set and she chose the pirate set for Little Bud (he was too young to care!).  We've used those pieces to decorate pumpkins the last 3 years, so it seems like it's turned into a fun little tradition.

2012 Pumpkins:

2013 Pumpkins:

Another 1/2 Birthday Celebration

Earlier this week we celebrated Big Sister's half birthday.  She is beyond excited to be officially be 5 and 1/2!  We started the day off with pancakes for breakfast.  She asked for 6 candles in her pancake, since she wasn't just 5 anymore ; )

We had a nice day together at home, and for dinner Big Sister requested nachos and "pupcakes".

She has grown up so much since her birthday 6 months ago!  I'm enjoying our school year this year; her ability to learn constantly amazes me.  Her favorite subjects seem to be history and science (we're learning about US history and the human body in science), but she is doing well in every subject (even math, which gave us a bit of trouble last year).  She has such a kind heart, and is always making little presents for us.  She sometimes even surprises me by making our bed or helping with other chores around the house.  She's growing taller and her face is looking more grown up with each passing day.  She's such a big girl and loves her independence : )

Big Sister was super excited to get 2 new Peppa Pig shirts and bows to match