A Disney Thanksgiving

First I just wanted to update everyone on Catelin.  Her surgery was Tuesday and it went very well.  Her eyes and forehead remain very swollen as expected but it should only improve from this point on.  We hope to be home from the hospital tomorrow- the surgeons say she is a fighter and doing even better than expected.  I will do a whole post on this later; thank you all for your prayers during this time.



Right now, I am remembering happier times as I blog on our trip to Disney!  My side of the family decided to have a reunion in Disney World over Thanksgiving.   Unfortunately Uncle Jeff had to work but Ann and Camden were able to make the trip.  We left the Sunday before Thanksgiving and came back on Thanksgiving Day.  The kids were so excited to see their Disney goody bags in the car!





We stayed at Disney’s Art of Animation in the Cars part of the hotel – Ty was especially excited about that



The first evening we went for dinner and a couple rides in the Magic Kingdom.  We woke up on Monday and headed back there for more fun!  Before we left to go to the park I tried to snap a couple pictures of the kids.  Catelin wasn’t in the mood for pictures AT ALL that morning as you can see.




We tried to get a Christmas card picture for my parents but with 4 grandkids under 5 this was what we got…



We had a character breakfast at Ohana that morning- the kids had a blast seeing Lilo, Stitch, Pluto and MICKEY!





We went back to the hotel for a couple hours so Catelin could nap- the boys went to the pool with Uncle Eddie and then we headed back to the Magic Kingdom.



On Tuesday we woke up and headed to Hollywood Studios.  There are two major height cut-offs at Disney: 40” and 44.”  Luckily MJ is 45” so he could ride basically all of the rides; Ty is right at 40” so he got to ride a lot more stuff too (even the Tower of Terror)!



MJ’s favorite ride of the whole trip was the Star Wars ride in that park.


We headed over to Animal Kingdom for the majority of the afternoon and had an awesome time riding Everest, checking out all of the animals, and riding the river rapids!









After a busy afternoon we headed back to Hollywood Studios to ride the Toy Story ride- it is so popular that our fast passes didn’t get us in until evening!



Wednesday was our last full day so we decided to start it off at the Magic Kingdom and ride Ty’s favorite ride- Big Thunder Railroad.







And here is a picture of MJ getting off one of my favorite rides- Space Mountain!



That afternoon we headed over to Epcot so we could ride Soarin’ (and a few other rides of course).  Poor Catelin was so tired she fell asleep on two wooden chairs at dinner.



And if you can believe it somehow we found the energy to head back to the Magic Kingdom that night to watch the parade.



It was an amazing trip but we were absolutely exhausted when we got home!!!!

She's got the moves like Jagger

Bring on the Reptiles

We had a Ninja Turtle themed birthday party for MJ last weekend.  I hired the Reptile Guys to come perform a one hour show, and since it is geared to ages 4 and 5 (and above) we decided to just invite MJ’s friends from school. 






I originally planned on having the whole party in the backyard but it turns out that the reptiles have to be at a temperature of 68 degrees or above…so we rearranged our living room furniture and had the show up there.  It was awesome; they did such a great job engaging the kids and making it interactive.




He brought a lizard, turtles, a huge tortoise, snakes, a monitor (komodo) dragon, iguanas, a baby alligator and more. 








MJ was a little afraid of feeding the dragon so he made Ty do it first.  Ty was very brave and walked right up to it with the banana.  After sacrificing his little brother and making sure it was safe, MJ went up to feed it with daddy.  :)




The Reptile Guy also had fun with Grandma and Uncle Eddie…




And then he brought out Banana – not the kind you eat, but an enormous yellow Burmese python!!  A few of the kids were brave enough to touch it.  Then we got a family picture- which was hilarious because Catelin was scared to death and screaming the whole time. 






At the end was the petting zoo session where all of the kids got a chance to hold the reptiles and even ride the tortoise.




Then it was time for cake...







Happy 5th birthday MJ!

Happy 5th Birthday MJ

Five years ago today…

“We are ready to start pushing!” The doctor announced before she briskly walked out of the room to get my nurse and prepare for the delivery. 

I turned to your father and I will never forget the look in his eyes – a perfect blend of joy, fear, anxiety, and excitement that mirrored my own thoughts.  He gently grabbed my hand and gave it a soft squeeze.. “It’s go time!” he exclaimed, knowing that in a few minutes our lives would change forever.

And then, “IT’S A BOY!” …You came into this world and a love I have never known consumed me- it was the most natural, amazing, indescribable feeling I’ve ever felt.  In an instant I loved you with all of my heart.  On November 5, 2008 you gave me the most precious gift I have ever received – the love a mother has for her child.  



You have grown into such an amazing little boy.  Your daddy and I could not be more proud of the person you have become.  You truly love life and embrace every day with an innocent and unbridled joy I pray you never lose. 



You are one of those people that lights up a room the moment you step foot in it.  People are drawn to you – I believe they can feel the kindness in your heart and your ability to love everyone.  Yes, you can be full of drama, and yes you have bad days, but that is what shapes and molds you – not what defines you.






I admire so much about you but what I admire most is the way you have whole-heartedly embraced being a big brother to Ty and Catelin… I know you will continue to be an incredible role model for them. 



I wish I could freeze frame time.  I dread the day when my kisses will no longer heal all of your boo-boos, the day when blowing me kisses in front of your classmates isn’t “cool,” the day you realize I am not Superwoman and I definitely don’t have the answer to everything.  And yet I love watching you grow and become your own person.



This morning I sang Happy Birthday to you through my tears…

"Mommy, are you sad?” you asked. 

“No, baby.  I am happy; I am proud of you and I love you so much.  I just can’t believe you are five.”  I replied.

“I know, I’m getting big.  But please don’t cry mommy.”  You wrap you arms tight around my neck.  “I love you to infinity and beyond.”

“To infinity and beyond.”  I replied.

A love that was born five years ago today.

Halloween Fun

The boys were obsessed with jack-o-lanterns this year so they couldn’t wait to carve pumpkins with daddy – I was pretty impressed with how well they turned out…





My kids just love blow-ups.  Any time we ride by a house with blow-ups in the yard we have to drive slowly or turn around so they can see them again.  We went to see the famous “blow-up house” while MJ was in school last week- it did not disappoint!




The boys showed off their costumes (Ty was Leonardo and MJ was Rafael) during their school parades…please note that Catelin is in the forefront of both pictures – she is their biggest fan!




Catelin was the cutest bumble bee I’ve ever seen.

 




Getting ready to go trick-or-treating:




The boys got pretty large stashes of candy and Catelin even walked up to quite a few houses this year (we won’t mention who ate her candy).  :)

And here I am dressed up as a Georgia Tech cheerleader…well, actually it’s me wishing I was still on the sidelines with my pom-poms!

 

Me, Whitney and Heather at Homecoming- GT cheerleading alums!