Friday, January 11, 2013

Happy 3rd Birthday Matt!!

Holy smokes, did I really just type "3"?
So in addition to going to Disney World, we still have to have a birthday party!!
 We did a little decorating
 Matt's first question after we tell him "happy birthday", is, "I have cake?"

 He asked all through the Christmas holidays if he could have "Hulk hands" for his birthday

 Hulk Smash!!!

What a Good Birthday!!

Surprise - We're Going to Disney!!!

We decided that being only an hour away from Orlando was a sign that we should maybe try Disney.  I know that we will hopefully come back many times, but this first time was so much fun.  We knew going in to keep our expectations low, and to try to experience everything through the eyes of a 3 and 4 year old!
 Downtown Disney on Friday night
I thought for sure Andrew would pick up on all the Disney stuff, but he never he even asked if we could go to Disney World (fun treat)
 Thanks to Grandma Cindy for the great Christmas presents, the Spiderman & Captain America sweatshirts were very popular!!
 Build your own Light Saber, not sure who enjoyed this more


 Our first ride on the magic carpet, we learned quickly that it could be dangerous (for our stomachs) to let the boys be in charge of the controls
 first snack break of many
 Loving the carousel, it's amazing that some rides you wait 5 minutes, while on others, the wait is over an hour
 It's a Small World
I tried to get in as many "girl" rides as possible, Andrew had no problem telling us what was girly, and what he didn't want to do (note there is no picture of us walking near the castle - too girly)
 Lots of disappointment after not being able to pull out Arthur's sword

 Afternoon rejuvenation all around

 Ariel's clamshells
 Mom was happy to take pictures while the boys spun the teapots
 Quick phone picture on Dumbo
 We saw these after riding Pirates of the Caribbean in the morning, and all day long we convinced Andrew that he needed to look around for toys
We had to make a stop back at the pirate store on our way out - makes for 2 happy boys
 We did get to see all of the Christmas decorations still up
We realized that we didn't see anything Mickey all day, so we stopped by a hedge in the shape of Minnie at the Monorail station

We were at the park from 9-7, and had a great experience.  It's really fun to experience Disney as an adult, but really fun to see the magic as a parent.  We're excited to go back after we save up another small fortune!

Going to Work with Daddy

Brian had to be in Florida for the first two weeks in January, so since the boys didn't have school, we tagged along for the first week.  It definitely beat sitting at home in the rain!
 Checking out Daytona Beach (lots of fun memories from both of our childhoods)
 It was in the low 70's, but we didn't want to brave the water

 Touring the Daytona Speedway - We Won!!
 It was fun to get a tour around the speedway
It was almost a year ago that Brian and I drove race cars at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Checking our balance on the 31 degree incline of the corners

It was an adventure to spend 5 days in a hotel room together, but so much fun!

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Merry Christmas 2012

We enjoyed a really nice Christmas season this year.  We took Andrew & Matthew to the children's service at Church this year, and they were wonderful.  It was really important to us to have them hear the true message behind Christmas, and it was really special to see them paying attention.  Highlight of the church service:  as the usher is lighting Brian's candle for the candlelit singing of Silent Night, Matthew blew out the candle (we didn't even think to warn him otherwise)
 Christmas Eve with Grandpa John
 I never had candy land as a kid, so I was very excited
 the Humeston kids

 we had to wait at the top of the stairs as kids, so it only seems fair to make our kids do the same

 Nerds on a rope for breakfast, yum!
 $$$ from Grandma Caren, we had to count it
 Big Presents: Matt - innotech 2 (his version of an iPad)
Andy - bow & arrow (what was Santa thinking??)

We had a great Christmas together, and we are truly thankful for all that we have.  We know that we have an amazing family (near & far), and we are doing our very best to cherish one another.  We're looking forward to another crazy year!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Here's a little glimpse into some of the things we did to get ready for Christmas this year!!
 Helping Daddy get the tree ready for the stand
 Measuring Matt's hand on an ornament he made last year

 Brautigan gingerbread decorating party

 YCS Christmas Show, Andrew the Shepherd helping to spread the good news
 Lake Lanier Light show
 My favorite Christmas song is "12 days of Christmas", there was a whole display (4 Calling Birds)
 Making pretzel dough

Cookies for Santa