Harvest Party @ Preschool

Hannah's preschool celebrated with a harvest festival today. The kids had cupcakes, fruit kabobs, made spider webs, and the read a special book.

Fall @ the Science Center

Last Sunday we went to the Science Center with Molly and her family. They had just opened the new Dinosaur exhibit. The girls had a great time. The boys weren't huge fans but the survived. We will definitely be going back but most likely not until the spring.

We got there too early since it didn't open until noon. So they all sat in the back and watched A Land Before Time to prepare for dinosaur.


Jeff and Hannah and Molly and her mommy.


Molly and Hannah having some dinosaur fun.

My State Boys

So NC State stinks but my boys are still pretty cute... check it out!

Cookie Bakin and Photo Taken

Last week it rained... alot. We were stuck inside for most of the week without a lot to do. One day we made some pumpkin shaped cookies. They were alot of fun to make but Hannah loved decorating them the best! Enjoy the cookie pics and photo shoot!


Rolling out the cookie dough.
Having such a good time.

They sort of look like pumpkins.
Hamming it up for the camera.
Wishing that he could eat the cookies too!

Fair Fun

Last week the state fair was held in Raleigh. Jeff and I have gone to the fair every year since we were married. This year I was being a party pooper and felt that it was too much trouble and money with 2 small children. Jeff however was insistent. He took half a day on Friday and we went to the fair. Here are some pictures of our adventure:
Hannah and Daddy on the pony. His name was Ike and Hannah kept calling him Joke.

The dizzy dinosaur ride. Hannah was too short for most rides since she still isn't 36". Oh well, maybe next year!

Eating roasted corn... by far the best food that we got.... it all smelled alot better than it tasted.

Mommy and her boy... yes Drew came too.... there just wasn't as much to photograph of him!


It definately was an expensive day. It cost $10 just to park and $14 total to get in... so before we ate or rode any rides we were already at $24! Anyway, we saw the animals, rode some rides, ate some fair food, and spent the day as a family! The last part of that statement is invaluable.... and dispite my gripes about money I would do it again in a heart beat if it meant another day of Daddy, the kids, and me! Hope you enjoy the pics!!

Time is Flying

So tonight as I was nursing Drew it suddenly hit me and I started to cry..... he's not going to be a baby forever. He's heading toward toddler hood whether I want him to or not. He's 6 months... such a short time that he has been with us but such a huge impact that he has made and I feel like I am missing it. For the last six months I have prayed so hard for him to sleep through the night. Tonight however it suddenly hit me that I'm not sure I want him to sleep through the night. It is really the only time that it is just him and me. With Hannah I had all day to play and love on her but with Drew the daily tasks and Hannah are in the way of our love fest. Our nursing sessions are not as much of a bonding time between us as they are a battle to make room on my lap for him, Hannah, and the dog. (My lap really isn't THAT big!) It's a battle to keep his attention to focus on eating instead of laughing at his sister and dribbling milk all down his face and onto my leg. And it's a battle to find the time in a crazy and hectic day. Yes, those middle of the night feedings are our special time. The phone isn't ringing, Hannah isn't yelling for my attention, and I have no where else I need to be. It is time for us to snuggle together. For him to hold my fingers while he nurses and smell the sweet smell a baby has. We rock and I pray and the world just seems right. I know I have another 6 months to nurse him (as I choose to stop at a year) but these 6 have gone so quickly. I want to hold on to these days... drag him away from toddlerhood. Yet he seems to be progressing so much more quickly towards it than Hannah did. He's already on all 4's and rocking back and forth. It's just a matter of time before I have a crawler on my hands!
So my baby Drew-Drew I love you and I am more than happy to get up with you at night. There will be years ahead for both of us to sleep. But I embrace this time together as our special time. My date night with my little boy. See ya at 2am bub!

PS- now that I have come to this conclusion he will probably sleep through the night!

Pumpkin Patch

So I know I haven't finished the Disney experience.... but if I don't keep up with our current events it's going to become like my scrapbook (a never ending battle of being a year plus behind).
Anyway, last week we went to the pumpkin patch. On school days Hannah can't nap she just can't come down from all the excitement. So after school on Tuesday we decided to take a trip to Hillridge Farms. It's an awesome farm that has a hayride, corn jump, hay jump, huge slide, animals, bouncy houses. It was amazing. Below are some pictures.

Yep, we officially have a sitter! He also is rolling and army crawling EVERYWHERE!!


But he is still oh so cuddly!

Hannah loved the hayride!

Going up the hill to the giant slide!
Both kiddos!

Couldn't you just squeeze him!
Bouncin!
Checkin out a pumpkin!

Day 3- Sunday

So after 2 days of no naps and a terribly LONG drive and early start we decided that we needed a break. We didn't go into the park but rather enjoyed a peaceful day of just hanging out. We went to the grocery store in the morning and then went to the Ohana for breakfast with Lilo, Stitch, Mickey, and Pluto!
Breakfast was delicious and our little princess got to lead the parade around the restaurant while holding Mickey's hand! She was beaming... it was like the best present ever. I wasn't sure she was going to let go of his hand when it was over!
Here they are waiting for our table at the Ohana.

Hannah wasn't so sure about Stitch since she hadn't ever seen him before.
Pluto was a different story. She loved him!! She asked if she could pet him... but he petted her instead!
I was supposed to be nursing Drew... but Lilo decided to uncover him.... thank goodness I hadn't started yet. Lilo didn't actually eat him... it just looked like it. Drew rather enjoyed his time with Lilo.
Here's Hannah when Mickey asked her to join him in the parade!


After breakfast we went back to the hotel to swim and have "lunch" which consisted of chex mix and peanutbutter crackers. NICE! Hannah though it was the best day ever. When then convinced her to take a nap... which ended up being 3 hours long!!! WOW!!
We managed to get up in time to go to dinner at Boma! It was an African feast that was delicious. (Minus me choking on steak and almost needing the hymlick!) We then looked at all the animals and played the drums at the Animal Kingdom lodge and went home to go to bed early. Nice relaxing day....Disney at it's finest! (The Animal Kingdom Lodge was my favorite... but it was a little too far from the Magic Kingdom... otherwise it would be my first choice of hotels. Awesome theming and the kids were amazed!)
The outside of the AKL.
The lobby.
Zebra Domes... the best thing on the buffet!

Day 2- Saturday

Hannah was up bright and early... with the promise of Mickey on her mind. We all got dressed and checked out of our less than comfy hotel room and headed to the All Star Music Resort. After a long drive, little sleep, and a shabby hotel.... I was nervous about this hotel. It was a value resort and far from the Magic Kingdom and we had been spoiled last year staying at the Contemporary. I was more disheartened when our room wasn't ready when we arrived..... but it was like 8am.... what did I expect?
Anyway, we got our tickets and decided to head into the park. We were less than prepared. The car was packed tight and we weren't sure where anything was... but we found the essentials and in we went. We had perfect timing too! As we stepped off the monorail the steam train was pulling into the station and Mickey was singing and dancing with Donald and the gang to open the park! I thought Hannah was going to jump out of her skin! With that the confetti flew and the park opened and in we went. Hannah was yelling "The CASTLE!!" the entire way down mainstreet. She was so excited. It ended up being great to be there early. We were able to ride Dumbo, Snowwhite, Small World, Peter Pan, Buzz Light Year, Tea Cups, and the transit authority in less than 2 hours!! We stopped by Casey's Corner for a hotdog lunch and then headed out of the park to check into our room which was now ready.
The ride on the tram to and from the monorail to the car was a pain since we had to fold the stroller but the hotel ended up being worth the drive. We had a family suite which consisted for 2 bathrooms, a small kitchen, a large sitting area, and a totally private bedroom. AWESOME! Hannah was able to nap and Drew was able to nap and they didn't bother either one.
This was the layout of the suite. It sounded awesome... but what we got was AMAZING!!

This was our room. It had a real door that locked and there was a tv, desk, and room for the pack and play.

This was Hannah's room. The red chair pulled out into a single bed and she LOVED it! Mickey gave it to her! It also had a tv in the room and a small table and chairs.

This was the kitchenette. Small Fridge and microwave. It was perfect.
Anyway, after a brief nap and unpacking we headed back into the park for dinner with Pooh! It was a bit of wait for dinner so we were able to ride a couple more rides.

Here are the boys with Eyore.
Hannah's favorite was Piglet... might have something to do with her small stature!
Me and the kiddo's with Pooh!

After dinner it was perfect timing... the parade was starting. Hannah was in love with it. She sat on Daddy's shoulders and watched the whole thing! Drew was exhausted... he and I strolled around while they watched the parade. When it was over we decided to hit a couple more rides while people were watching the fireworks. The only problem was when we got off Pirates it was POURING rain!! I mean pouring!!! I had ponchos and rain gear for the stroller... unfortunately remember how I said we weren't really prepared for the first day.... yeah it was all still in the car! Who knew! We checked the weather and it said no rain!! We tried to wait it out but it was no use. Daddy and Hannah danced in the rain on the way out of the park. We were drenched and exhausted but had a great day!

Vacation Day 1

We're back! It was a great week and we had a blast. We decided that we would use this forum as a site to document what we did. So if you aren't interested in the ins and outs of our vacation and the picts that accompany them.... well check back next week and hopefully I'll be done.

Anyway: We left for Disney at 3am! YIKES! We had planned to leave about 4ish or a little after but Drew woke up at 2:30 to eat and when he was finished there seemed to be little point in going back to sleep for just over an hour..... so up we got. Jeff and I were dressed, the car was packed, and we threw the kids in the car in pj's. We assumed that Hannah would fall right asleep... WRONG! She was up until 6am jabbering from overtiredness. When she finally fell asleep it was for just over an hour. We ended up stopping just south of Savannah for breakfast and to get the kids changed at a little after 8. We all had breakfast and I fed Drew and off we went. We stopped once more for gas and arrived in Orlando a little after 1. I must say I was very impressed by the way these guys traveled!!!
We checked into our hotel...a little shabby but it was only for one night, and it cost $30 so what could you expect. Then we ventured to downtown disney and to explore the area. (No point in napping since we were all in one room.) We got back to the hotel and relaxed a little bit before it was bedtime. (Which in itself was an adventure all being in one room and overtired.) But it worked.... eventually... and we slept.... very soundly!