Disney World 2011

We had the BEST trip to Disney World last week! On Saturday, Feb 19th we loaded up the car and headed to the airport. The boys were going to be flying for the first time! Jake sat between Alan and Noni and mostly slept or ate his Chexmix. Sam sat by the window with Pappy & me. When we took off ("blasted off" as Sam called it) Sam was interested in looking out the window but once we got near the clouds he closed the window and waited on his peanuts! After 4 bags of peanuts we landed in Orlando!!

We stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort in Disney which was fantastic. Our rooms were within walking distance to the pools, beach, and restaurants! We had dinner reservations Saturday night at another resort so we hung out at Downtown Disney until it was time to eat.

Sunday we went to Seaworld! We had the best time seeing the animals and watching the shows. Sam liked Shamu the best and came home with a stuffed Shamu just like Uncle J use to have. Sunday afternoon we headed back to the resort where the boys went swimming! YES, swimming in February because it was 80 degrees and sunny everyday we were there! The pools were incredible for boys. The small "baby" pool was actually a huge pirate ship that had slides and a 20 gallon (or more) bucket on top that filled up with water and every few minutes would dump it out. The boys loved playing in the pool. The other pool had cannons that sprayed water and a waterslide.

Monday we went to the Magic Kingdom. The boys had no idea what to expect and I think it blew their minds. We rode on Aladdin's Magic Carpet ride first and Jake absolutely loved it. He did not want to get off the ride. We went on a few more rides and watched the street parade before we had lunch at Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh and friends. Then it was on to Tomorrowland, where the boys rode on the Buzz Lightyear ride and the Peoplemover. After a fun day at Magic Kingdom we headed back to the resort.

Tuesday we went to Animal Kingdom. Sam had heard all about the dinosaurs at the Animal Kingdom from his buddy Tyler, so of course we rode all the dinosaur rides. After a Finding Nemo musical, which was awesome, we had lunch and went on a safari ride. Then later that afternoon they had the best parade and then we had our pictures made with Mickey and his friends. Then it was back to the resort for more swimming!

Wednesday we went to the Contemporary resort for breakfast with Chef Mickey and friends. It was great! The boys ate good and then Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Minnie, & Pluto came by our table for pictures. After breakfast we rode the monorail to Epcot. We were all really tired at Epcot so after a few rides we decided it would be best to head back to the resort to rest.

Thursday was our last day so we headed back to the Magic Kingdom to ride everything that we did not get to on Day 1! We started off riding the racecars and the Buzz Lightyear ride at Tomorrowland and then headed for Fantasyland. AC & the boys rode the Teacups which I learned my lesson a long time ago that the teacups are not my thing! We waited in line for the Dumbo ride for what felt like an hour but I'm glad we did because Jake says that was his favorite ride! After a few more rides and an extremely tired little boy (Jake) we headed back to the resort.

On the way back to the resort Sam informed me that once we got back home he was going to be saving his money (change he finds) for our next trip to Disney! They were definitely not ready to come back home after a great trip!

THANK YOU to Noni and Pappy for taking us on an unforgettable trip to Disney!! Sam has his autograph book and pressed coin book ready for our next trip!!

Jake's 2 Yr Birthday Party

Jake had a great birthday party Saturday! We had it at the house with close friends and family. I had a Mickey Mouse theme since we are getting ready for our Disney World Trip in 1 month!! I had planned on having a moonwalk for the kids but not knowing what the weather would do and because we had a few kids not able to make it to the party I decided against it. Instead I pulled the train table out of the playroom and put it in the den and let the kids play with the trains. Jake got some really cool toys that he has played with constantly since the party!

Jake's super cute cake from Edgars!

Jake, Parker, and Owen playing with the trains!

Alan had to hold Jake back because he wanted to dig in!

Jake eating his cake with a fork! The one day he could eat messy and he does not!

I asked Jake after the party if he had fun and he said yes which is all that matters to me!

A reunion of sorts for the 3 Amigos!

Jake is TWO!!!

Two Years Ago...

NOW...

Jake is two years old today! These past two years have gone by so quick but we have loved every minute of it! Having two boys at the house is crazy at times but they are the best of friends and we have loved watching Jake learn from Sam.

• Jake is definitely more outgoing than Sam and is not afraid of ANYTHING! There is not a week that goes by that Jake does not have a bruise or scratch from playing so rough.


• He started playschool this year and loves it. His teacher tells us all the time how good he is and how well he plays with the other kids, which of course is music to my ears!


• He has really started talking more. Some of his words are: Momma, choo-choo, shoes, Batman, No-No, yeah (for yes), cheese, Nana, Roll Out (thanks to Transformers and Sam), Two (when asked his age), Big, Help, Broke, Bob-Bob (Spongebob), Juice, Car, etc...


• Jake loves playing and has such an imagination. I can sit and watch him play all day. He and Sam play well together for the most part but like brothers they fight alot too!

• Since the fall he has been sleeping in a big boy bed! He started sleeping in the bottom bunk of the bunk beds right away and has never wanted to go back to his crib!

I don't have any "stats" from the doctor because they are holding off on their wellness visits until March because of the amount of illnesses going around the past month. Jake was not scheduled to get any vaccines this checkup so I was fine with that! I sure don't want to risk him getting sick!

Jake's birthday party is tomorrow so I'll update after his Mickey Mouse Party!!

Christmas Vacation

I can't believe I am already back at work after a great 10 days off! This was by far our best Christmas because both boys were really into Santa this year. Not necessarily sitting on Santa's lap but they love the idea of Santa and like seeing him from a distance!

Christmas Eve:

Christmas Eve was spent at Noni & Pappy's house with JJ and Issa. We had a great time opening gifts and eating Noni's awesome gumbo! Alan got a gift that he has been wanting for YEARS...a Play Station 3! I can't believe we were able to surprise him! This was the Christmas for bikes! Sam and Jake both got a new bike from Noni & Pappy and loved them!

Christmas Day:

Christmas Morning was so much fun! The boys woke up about 7am and when they went into the den they had opposite reactions. I think Sam was still asleep because he just stood and stared for a second but Jake went running to his new Batman Big Wheel Bike. He jumped right on and started to ride it through the other toys that Santa had left for them. Sam then ran to his new Autobot Transformer Bike and jumped on (pictures below of bikes)! Now both boys have bikes at our house and Noni & Pappy's! I think I know what they will be doing once it warms up! They got a lot of other toys from Santa, however I think Santa is a big Batman fan or at least the boys are because they got ALL of the pieces and vehicles that go with their Batman Cave that they already had!

About 8:30am we loaded up and went to Grandma & Poppa's house where the boys got more cool toys (Sam - Optimus Prime Transformer that talks & Jake -Dancing Mickey Mouse). Jake is so funny with his Mickey Mouse. He wasn't sure about it at first but now he loves to push the button and hear Mickey sing and dance but if anyone else in the room dances he points at them and says "No, No, No" like Mickey is the only one allowed to sing and dance. It's hilarious!

About 11:30am we left and headed over to Nanny & Bop's house for Christmas lunch with everyone. We have always given gifts to the cousins however once you get married you are put in the "adult" category. The "adults" decided to change things up a bit this year and do a Dirty/Silly Santa gift and draw names. At Thanksgiving the names were drawn and now it was time to open the gifts! There were all kinds of gifts given from Obama Chia Pets to a Camo Snuggie to an Oregon Ducks t-shirt (just in time for the National Championship Game!) but the funniest gift was the Strawberry cake from Savages. Doesn't sound very funny but when the gift was given to my uncle who works for Edgars it becomes funny! I don't think he expected to open a cake! We had the best time opening the gifts and I think we found a new tradition! Melissa, I have to give you credit for getting the best Dirty/Silly Santa gift!

After Nanny & Bop's house we headed home. Within minutes the boys had our den looking like Toys R Us exploded! They got so many new toys and could not decide what to play with. I let them keep their toys in the den for a week before they had to go to the playroom...I just needed to know I had a floor under all the toys!

I was off work the entire next week which meant lots of time to play with the kids. Tuesday night Mom, Dad, and I took Sam to an Alabama Basketball game. For those that don't know Sam has been calling people "Catfish Bottomfeeders" lately. I'm not sure where this came from but his usual target for this name is Uncle JJ! Well, we took Sam to dinner at Bottomfeeders in Tuscaloosa and we made sure to take a picture of the catfish for JJ!!

The rest of the week was spent resting and playing at the house! On New Years Eve it warmed up enough for the boys to go on a bike ride in the neighborhood! They love their new bikes!

We had a great vacation but I know the boys were both ready to go back to school today (tomorrow for Jake)!

Sam's Christmas Gift to Mrs. Elaine

Sam told me this weekend he knew exactly what he wanted to get Mrs. Elaine for Christmas! He wanted to buy a wooden cross and then he wanted to paint it. (He has seen me paint the wooden letters that are on their bedroom door.) He then told me that he wanted to paint it...orange and blue. GASP! I know, strange coming from the child that tried to set his friends by what tean they pulled for! Mrs. Elaine is a huge Auburn fan which bothered Sam at first but now he's ok with it! We went to Hobby Lobby Saturday and bought the cross and paint. When we got home he knew exactly how he wanted to paint it (blue all around the edges with orange in the middle - sounds funny but turned out cute)! Once we got it painted he was so proud of his work! I told him we would wrap it up and give it to her at his Christmas Party next week. NOT HAPPENING! He wanted to bring it to school today and instead of starting an argument I let him! She had her Auburn Christmas sweatshirt on today so it was perfect! She loved it and gave Sam a huge hug. She also told him how much it meant to her that he would use those colors. She said she knew it must have been hard for him, but he just loves her!


I wish I had taken a picture of it! Oh well!

New post below...

Jake's 1st Breakfast with Santa

This morning was Jake's first Breakfast with Santa at CCCE. It seems like yesterday when I took Sam to his first Breakfast with Santa. I knew Jake would probably want nothing to do with Santa because we have already tried getting pictures this year so we were really just going so he could be with his class and to "say we went"! I got to the school this morning and had a ton of things going on because I had also volunteered in September to help Sam's class paint their Christmas Program shirts which happen to fall on the same day as the breakfast! I grabbed my camera only to realize that my battery was dead, so all I have are cell phone quality pictures.

Mom came with me so that I could split my time between the two classes. I went with Mom & Jake first to see the setup for breakfast. There was a pretty long line to get breakfast so I went down to help paint some shirts. The shirts are adorable! We painted the kids hands green and made Christmas Trees with their handprints. We then painted ornaments and presents under the tree with a huge star on top! I can't wait for his program.

When I was done helping with the shirts I went back to breakfast with Santa. Jake had eaten vanilla icecream with trix for breakfast. The school has this every year for the kids as a treat and they LOVE it! They also had sausage biscuits but there was no way Jake was going to eat a biscuit with icecream in front of him! We waited in line for Santa and he was great. He watched the other kids and I actually thought that he was going to do this without a fit...WRONG! Mom walked him up to Santa so I could get a quick picture but Jake would NOT let go of Mom. He would not even turn his head to look at Santa UNTIL we told him that Santa was giving each child a reindeer and candycane...Jake turned around quick enough to grab his and then turned his head again! As we walked out the door of the school he started saying, "Santa, Santa". All talk and no action!

Great morning with my boys! By the way, I love CCCE! It has been great for both boys and they absolutely love it!

Jake's thumbprint art work that was on our table!

I love this one of him looking at the tree!

Snapped it just as he was turning around for the candycane!

Pumpkin Patch Express

Sunday we went to the Pumpkin Patch Express with Noni & Pappy! We had a great time! Last year we took the kids to the Pumpkin Patch in Clanton so Sam had not been to Calera in a while and Jake had never been! As soon as we pulled up Jake started yelling "Choo" and pointing at the trains. We rode the train to the Pumpkin Patch where I made the mistake of letting them go in the bounce house first...they did not want to get out to do anything else! We finally convinced them to go on a hayride and pick out a pumpkin but then they were back in the bounce house until it was time to get back on the train! Needless to say they were worn out on the train ride back to the station. Jake passed out in Pappy's lap on the ride back!

Sam & Pappy: Sam doesn't like to smile these days for pictures!

Jake & Pappy: Jake loves to be up high!

Riding the train!

Bounce House!

Jake thinks that anything that looks scary makes a "Roar" noise...even spiders!

Sam talking to the Conductor about the train!

We are ready for Halloween this week. Both boys have their Halloween Parties at school on Friday and then Saturday night we are going to Noni & Pappy's to Trick or Treat since Helena is having their Trick or Treating on Saturday! I have a feeling Jake will beat Sam to some of the houses once he figures out that he gets candy!