Have a Magical Day!

So much has happened since my last post - from a first haircut to the holidays to our first family trip to Disney World! It was an awesome time!

Here are some highlights from our vacation with "the" mouse!



Nate asking.... "Is this our new home?" and telling me "that is not a good idea" when I told him we were flying home on Saturday.


We took Nate on a few rides that were perhaps a bit too "old" for him! But, he hung in there. After riding Thunder Mountain, I was holding him & he was clearly upset, so I asked, "Was that a little scary?" Nate replied... "NO - it was a LOT scary!" Later, after Pirates of the Caribbean (where he thought the pirates were real), we went to ride the classic, It's a Small World. He was a bit hesitant and asked... "Are there pirates?" No. "Is it dark?" No. "Is it fast?" No. Then, he said "ok." And as we sat in the boat, he looked down at his hands and said to himself... "No pirates. No fast. No dark.... No pirates. No fast. No dark." Poor guy! Fortunately - he LOVED small world, and then we finished the night with "Wishes" Fireworks show! What a magical night and week!




Patrick arrived at Disney World a 5-year-old boy. He left a Padawan! Patrick's highlight was definitely Jedi Training. After waiting in line, Patrick (and 14 other boys) took the stage with a Jedi Master. They learned a light-saber routine that later saved them in battle against the villain of all villains.... DARTH VADER. I'm quite sure he'll remember this one for life!

Ethan was incredible. Never could we have imagined he would do so well. He slept great, taking naps in his stroller and was happy as could be to watch the parades, fireworks, bands and characters. He's now ridden Pirates, Pooh, Buzz Lightyear, Nemo, Imagination and more (all before age 1)! But his highlight was Donald Duck. Donald loved Ethan at our Chef Mickey's brunch. He played peek-a-boo & gave him hugs. Ethan also had fun playing with mamaw & papop! Our little E does it again, as the happiest baby we know!




We even saw some of our best buds, Jake & Zack! What a magical place!






"Never let your memories be bigger than your dreams." ~ Walt Disney

Thank you Walt for dreaming so big!

Halloween, Haircuts, Hiding & Hockey

Halloween: Awesome! We had so much fun enjoying Halloween in Beam Reach with our wonderful friends and neighbors. It was ham & beans, bonfire, lots of kids and lots of candy. Patrick was Jenga Fett (Star Wars), Nate was Robin (aka batman & robin) and Peter Pan (the costume was green, so he decided he would be both characters) and Ethan was the cutest Yoda of all time.

I think this holiday was made for kids like Nate. He dresses up nearly every day! He probably felt like the rest of us were finally seeing the world his way... Here are some pics from the weekend!

Here's Max (ninja) and Patrick!


Nate & Zach at school...

I just love that face...

Here's Nate - showing me how full his pumpkin was of candy. How sweet.

The best part was his buddy Sam or aka Batman. They were truly the dynamic duo. They got into character immediately, only responding to Batman and Robin. They made quite a catch that night!

And, our little E.

Haircuts: Well, it happened. And, I'm not really that surprised that it happened with Nate. He's such a curious George!! The funniest part was when I asked him if he cut his hair, he said "no." Then, I asked him to show daddy where his hair was... and he did! We cracked up. Fortunately for him, he has a lot of hair and the curls hide it pretty well. But, still... oh my Nate!

Hiding: Ethan is enjoying his mobility (although Patrick and Nate aren't so sure!) Here's Ethan, as he worked his way between the chair/table & cabinet. We were cracking up. He was so happy and content just hanging out there...

And Hockey: I don't know where to begin on the hockey. I think it's going to be quite interesting (I've already received 2 emails about a parent session on "how to handle concussions" SERIOUSLY), but watching Patrick and seeing his excitement is the best. He's been running around the house doing hockey moves for 2 weeks. And, now that he has his equipment - he's sleeping with his hockey gloves and elbow pads. Fortunately, our neighbor loaned us his old hockey gloves, so Nate has some to play with as well. He says "look - I have gloves just like Patrick." He's such a fan of his big brother! I'll definitely post more on the hockey happenings.... (apparently, the hockey organizers think "once they have us, they've got us for at least 4 or 5 years." Ummm... ok... I'm just going to say it one more time, "They're 5!") Oh the joy of kids... who knew?! Here's Patrick - preparing...

Who knew so much could happen in one week? I love this life.

:)

Love the Pumpkin Patch!

We had so much fun last Sunday at the Pumpkin Patch at Stony Creek. The weather was perfect and we played for 3 hours!

Here are the kids as we first entered... they're holding hands as they go to explore the hay stacks! How sweet is that...Animals are always a hit! They loved the goats, horses, turkey, chickens, pigs & cows. Here is Nate telling me "come on mama!"

The turkey was really neat. But, later in the day it gave Patrick quite a scare!! He was kneeling down when out of the blue it started gobbling profusely! We all jumped and Patrick soared as he ran to hide behind my legs. It was hysterical!!

I love this one of Nate... he's "thinking" as he puts his finger to his chin....who knows though what goes through that child's mind!

Ethan loved it. He loves to be outside and especially giggles when the wind blows.

Here - we tried to get a photo with the kids... trying to get all of them to look and sit still is an adventure in itself!

Look at Nate's face here...he's thinking something mischevious I know!

Sweet baby.

Oh my Nate!

And to the pumpkin patch we go!

Nate had a tough time selecting a pumpkin...he got frustrated a few times. I think he didn't know what he was looking for.... here's a picture of the boys wandering - you can see how it might be overwhelming for a 3 year old!

At one point, Nate wanted this pumpkin...until he realized he couldn't lift it! Then, a-searching we had to go....again!

On the hayride back to the festivities!

The boys loved bouncing on the "air pillow." In fact, when their turn was over...the pillow was cleared, except for Nate, who was laying down crying, begging for more time. That kid can bounce forever!

Jumping in the hay is always fun... we ended with one last jump! Nate was singing a superman song as he soared, leaping from the top again & again! Patrick loved it too!

Now for Halloween!! Nate's been practicing his trick or treating for 2 weeks now. Saturday should be fun!! Happy Halloween!