Magic Kingdom Day 2

We were much more organized on day 2! I installed an iphone app on my phone with a map of the park and it allowed us to prioritize everything we wanted to do, and check things off as we did them. (It also showed us our location and where the closest restrooms were located!) Hannah and Daddy got to ride the racecars. Their car ran out of gas, but they both loved riding them. Hannah even got to drive. We met the princesses in the princess tent, and Hannah got to meet her favorite princess, Princess Tiana. Jay let Ben use his money to buy some pirate gear. We called him Captian Hook the rest of the day!!We spent about 8 hours at the park on day 1 and 6 hours on day 2, and we were all exhausted by the time the day was finished. We had a blast, and we are so glad that Hannah got to have this experience. She told us as we were leaving on day 2 that maybe the characters are real, but they are just shy and don't like talking. YES!!!

Magic Kingdom Day 1

Our first day at Magic Kingdom was busy! We didn't have a much of a game plan and we ended up feeling like we spent the whole day waiting in lines. Hannah told us that her first priority was meeting the characters. We stood in long lines so she would have the chance to get their autographs and a picture. When we got back to the condo that night, she told us that the characters weren't real. They were just people dressed in costumes. We asked her how she came to this conclusion and she told us that they didn't talk. She never doubted that the princesses were real because they can talk to her!

Downtown Disney

On our first full day in Orlando, we decided to visit Downtown Disney. There were lots of cool things to see including lots of statues of characters. We ate at the Rainforest Cafe, and both kids enjoyed the indoor thunderstorm. Hannah was afraid of the snake when we first arrived, and even after she realized it was pretend, she still didn't want anything to do with it. Ben enjoyed watching the fish and listening to the animals make noises. He even copied some of their noises!!

Potty Time?

Hannah wants Ben to start using the potty when he's 1. Wishful thinking Han! We have been cleaning out our house to get it ready to sell and we found Hannah's Dora potty. Ben thought he would test it out!

Snow!

Hurray for snow!! We have about 3-4 inches of snow on the ground (the most we have ever had at our house!) Hannah could not wait to get home so we could play in it. She wanted to make a snowman, a snow angel, and go sledding. Luckily we got to do all 3 things on her list! All Ben wanted to do was explore the snow, but he's not steady enough on his feet yet (and his shoes are made for inside only) I won't mind being snowed in this weekend because we have SO much to do!

Ben is 10 months old and walking!?!

Yesterday Ben officially turned 10 months old! He also started pushing the "push car" to help him walk around! We were all clapping and cheering him on. He gets so proud of himself and gets a sweet smile on his face! He is such a sweet little boy. He loves playing with his big sis and making BIG messes in her room. She doesn't always appreciate that. We have been taking care of Oakley and Ben loves to watch her and Champ play around the house. He is usually all smiles unless someone has taken away his toy or you are not getting the food to his mouth fast enough. He will then let out an angry scream to get your attention. We feel so blessed to have this little man in our family!

Snow Day!

We had a great time playing in the snow this evening! We had an early release at school, so the kids and I were home by 2:00 just in time to see the snow start coming down. We waited until we had some snow on the ground before we went out to play. Hannah was running all around the yard with the dogs, and Ben was anxious to get his little hands on some snow! Hannah was running around so much it was hard to get a good picture of her!

Happy New Year!

It's hard to believe it is already 2010! We have had a very busy holiday season. We spent 3 days at Christmas traveling around Alabama visiting family.

Once we arrived back home, Hannah started complaining of a sore throat. We took a visit to the doctor to find out that she had strep throat AND Ben did too! I had 2 grumps on my hands for a couple days, but things finally started looking up on New Year's Eve.

Today we are taking care of a sick girl again. Hannah is running a fever and is not feeling well. I'm hoping she has a little virus and that the antibiotics are still working for the strep. So far 2010 has been off to a rough start!

Christmas Morning

Merry Christmas! Hannah was so excited to wake up this morning and open her presents. She waited patiently for Ben to eat before we went out to the living room to see the gifts from Santa. Hannah's gifts were all wrapped in princess paper and Ben's were wrapped in car paper. Hannah got lots of things from The Princess and the Frog. Ben got lots of "boy" presents like dump trucks and cars. Hannah spent most of the morning trying to get her brother to leave her alone so she could check out her gifts!

Christmas Eve

Last night we spent Christmas Eve with Nana, Pops, and Uncle Mike. We went to the children's church service at our church and came back to Nana's house to open gifts. Hannah was so excited to open presents and Ben was just excited to eat the paper and cause trouble! Nana and Pops got Hannah a camera, and she has been taking lots of pictures. Maybe I will let her post some on the blog!

Almost Christmas....

For Christmas this year, we got a new family computer. I am trying to update our blog and make it look fancy! Christmas is almost here and Hannah could not be more excited! She is using her teddy bear to count down the days until Santa arrives. The kids opened presents from their aunties and Auntie Heather got Ben a train that spits out balls. He loves to try to grab the balls before the train eats them. After opening presents, he realized that wrapped packages have fun things inside and decided to start opening the other wrapped packages under our tree! Luckily we only have 1 more left with unopened boxes!

Surprise....Happy Birthday Daddy!

Jay is having a big birthday in a week, so his parents and I decided to surprise him this weekend with a day filled with family, friends, and football. He loved his party and getting to spend time with everyone. Hannah loved spending time with her buddy Emily, and Ben loved showing off his moves. The kids love their Daddy so much, and really had a great time celebrating with him!

Ben at 8 months

We can't get over how fast our little bear is growing up! He is usually a happy little guy who loves to get into trouble. He is into everything, including all of his sister's things. It is rare to see him without something in his mouth while he is cruising around and exploring. He is starting to pull up on things to get a better look, and has taken several bumps to the head! He is always on the go and is keeping Mommy and Daddy VERY busy!

Little Mother

We were trying to get some 8 month old pictures of Ben last weekend, but Hannah insisted on holding her brother. We tried to get them both to smile, but Hannah's "holding" soon turned into a head lock and we had to take a break. Hannah loves playing on her computer, but doesn't like being disturbed. Meantime, Ben is busy getting into all of Hannah's toys and eating them!

Our Trip to the Farm

On Tuesday we went on a trip to a dairy farm. The kids got to see a cow being milked, baby calves, and a dog herding the cows toward our hayride. The tour was great, but the farm was having problems with bees. While on the hayride, Mommy got stung by a bee. When we were trying to get the bee's stinger out of my hand, Hannah got stung twice. Once in the corner of her eye and once on her hand. Hannah was the bravest girl! She never even cried. Luckily, with some Benadryl, Hannah was fine. Sadly, Mommy found out that she is allergic to bees and had to spend the rest of the afternoon in the doctor's office getting some medicine. It would have been the perfect day without those pesky bees!!