Where've we been?!

Hello Friends and Family!! So where in the world have we been since May?! First and foremost, may I apologize to our loyal followers that have no doubt been cursing our names each and every time they went to check up on us and we were either still in Disney World or celebrating with my brother on his wedding engagement. :-) Life has been BUSY but FANTASTIC!! I believe I'll pick up where I left off with Disney Day 3.
Katie LOVED the fresh pineapple. She got super sticky, but was super happy...so it was totally worth it.

Here's Tyler digging in to the pineapple as well. Yum Yum!!!One of the coolest parts of Disney Day 3 was when James (how hot does he look in his wet suit?! yumm!) and my brother Jonny (on the left) got to celebrate their graduations by going scuba diving INSIDE the aquarium at the Living Seas in Epcot! Dad (on the right) went as a chaperon for these two wild graduates, but he ended up being just as wild as the other two- in fact he will likely be featured in a number of photos of Epcot visitors that day, as people kept asking him to pose by the glass and he would kindly swim over and smile. It was awesome! :-) (ps I just learned that chaperon can be spelled chaperone as well, but blogger considers the latter misspelled.) They all sounded like they had a blast and a half. We had a great time looking at them in the aquarium- it's pretty cool that you can see 6 foot wide turtles and enormous sharks swimming around... and then your husband swims by and waves. Here are some cool pics of us looking at James through the glass.
Katie thought it was awesome to see Daddy!
The boys had a blast as well. They kept telling kids that would come look in the glass that their Daddy was in there swimming. :-) Tyler especially tried to impress this little girl- first with counting to five, then by telling her he had a brother, and then by pointing out that his dad was in the tank. I wish I had it on video. She seemed thoroughly impressed. ;-)

JONNY"S ENGAGED!

Hey Folks- I just got home from another fun summer getaway, and I HAD to post the great news!! My oldest younger brother Jonathan (Jonny) is getting married!!! I am THRILLED for him! He is a fantastic guy and he's going to make a GREAT hubby! From what it sounds like Erin is perfect for him- we're so excited for them!! And just so my faithful followers know, I DO plan to get back to posting the millions of pics I have from the summer once school is in...but for right now I'm enjoying the rest of the break! Hope you're all doing the same!! CONGRATS JONNY & ERIN!! (Their wedding blog is on the right under 'jonny and erin's wedding' if you're interested.)

More Disney Day 3

If you plan to head to Disney World in the summer, might I suggest a water squirting fan. Logan LOVED his- and it kept him quite cool...as you can see.
Logan is a very creative guy. In this picture, you can see Logan's 'creation' with his pasta noodles- he has placed a number of them in the pasta sauce. When the waiter came to see if he could clear Logan's plate, James replied, "No, he's...uh....making art." James was so proud. I could NOT stop laughing! :-)
Even big guys get tired after a big day of fighting the Dark Side and creating masterpieces with lunch. Logan took a cat nap in the stroller- a VERY rare event.


I love James. I love that he agreed to a trip to Disney World- I couldn't imagine the 'Happiest Place on Earth' without him. Thanks Honey!

Disney Day 3: JEDI DAY!

Who WOULDN'T pick these two adorable little Jedi wannabes? We made it to the first show of the Jedi Training Academy, wore Star Wars clothing, and of course packed the light sabers in hopes of the boys getting picked to fight the actual Darth Vader and become Padawans. We were THRILLED when the boys were BOTH picked!!!
Logan was very proud- and all business as he learned the moves he would need to pass his test.

Tyler was all smiles- you could NOT wipe the smile off of his face as he was given a robe, a light saber, and then taught the sequence of light saber moves. Watching the boys do this was the highlight of the trip by FAR! We came for Star Wars weekend- and it was better than we could have imagined!
Here's Tyler using "freestyle" moves...that sequence was alot for a 2 year old to remember! :-)
Logan knew all the moves and did them with conviction. He was the first one to fight Darth Vader- and was VERY proud to receive his certificate that proved he was now a padawan. :-) Way to go my sweet little Jedis!!

Disney Day 2: Animal Kingdom

The Lion King Show, Birds of Wonder, Dinosaurs, a Safari, fanTAStic fruit, and a gorgeous peaceful atmosphere among other things made for an amazing day!!

Katie adores Uncle Jonny. :-) This was taken right before he hit me in the face. hahaha It was an accident, though, so I'll forgive him. We're waiting for the dinosaur ride. (Logan earned a dinosaur to take home because he was so brave on this ride!....I honestly didn't remember it being that scary.)
My brave men.

Can you see the red shirt? That's my honey!! Look closely and you can see Dad and Jonny too! James even convinced ME to go on this one... I was pretty convinced I'd be dead if I rode it, and said goodbye to each of my kids. Luckily, I didn't die- SHOCKING (or rather NOT shocking...thank you Electra) I know. Anyway, it was awesome, and I felt VERY cool having done it. It took me back to the good old days when I went on roller coasters all the time. I wouldn't have even thought to go had my bro Alex not said he went on stuff like that all the time...crazy kid.
Logan tried on Papa's hat...a souveniere he's had almost as long as his Maid of the Mist poncho, but way cooler! :-) (no idea why this caption looks like a link to something...)
Tyler tried on Papa's Indiana Jones hat, too- he pretty much does everything his brother does. ;-)

Katie just tried to keep cool...the soaker fan sure helped!

You can imagine our surprise when we ran into James' old roommate Brian and his wife Jessica! What a treat! It was so fun to see them and their beautiful family! This pic was taken right around the time that the poor lizard limped away to safety...it's a horrible story I will save for another time.

Here's Logan in 'Africa' playing an instrument.


Tyler's playing one as well! It was very cool.The back of the bus is always the coolest. Ask Logan. He knows all about what's cool now that he's gone to school.
This is his cool face.

And Tyler...you guessed it! Copying Logan. :-) So much energy at the end of the day...how do they do it?!

Disney Day 1: Magic Kingdom

Welcome to our FABULOUS DISNEY VACATION!!! We had a blast...and took tons of pics...let us begin! :-) The first day we walked down Main Street and were welcomed by all the beloved Disney characters we were hoping to see dancing in front of the castle. The boys were enthralled- and the day only got better! I love the live entertainment that always pops up randomly at Disney- and as we rounded the corner, there was a band.

I snapped a shot of the band so I could remember what the kiddos were looking at in the following pic: Look at their little faces! :-) Watching the kids react to things was by far my favorite part of the trip. What a different vacation it is to see it through their eyes!! Katie was the perfect age for this trip- not quite walking, so she didn't feel a need to get out of the stroller unless it was time to eat...which she did conveniently during each and every dark show or ride...she was in heaven! :-) Tyler was also the perfect age for this trip. :-) He was old enough to appreciate everything, but one week shy of turning 3...which meant he was free. AWESOME!
Logan was (you guessed it!) the perfect age for this trip as well. He was a gem- he knew the characters, got REALLY into each of the rides- asked lots of questions, had lots to talk about- he was all grown up...but not too grown up that he doesn't still hold on to Daddy's hand.
Waiting in line for our very first ride EVER at Disney World....It's a Small World!! I thought it'd be a good one to give my family a taste of what to expect during our week at the happiest place on earth. I was right to start here...THEY LOVED IT!! Katie was enjoying every minute of it- look how happy her little face is as she takes it all in!

"Please, Mommy, can we wide dat?" says Tyler.... YOU BET! We all hopped in line for the carousel and the boys immediately named their horses. Tyler's was 'Lucy' after his fave cousin...
Logan (always the funny man) named his 'Poof.' James and I could not stop laughing! :-) Poof because 'he goes so fast it's just a poof and he's gone'... we thought the horse just liked Mexican food. :-)Ariel's Grotto provided a great place to cool off...thank goodness for quick drying clothes and the sham-wow. (Infomercial you MUST see...actually I've never seen the commercial- but I have used a Sham-wow and all I can say is, 'wow!' We used it throughout the week and it never failed to amaze us.)
After a VERY full day, Tyler finally had enough- he fell asleep in James' arms. He slept the entire time we waited in line for the Haunted Mansion...and woke up just early enough to be scared to have to go in. Both boys ducked their heads into James and I, squeezed their eyes tight, and listened to me sing them church songs throughout the ride. They were quiet throughout- so I figured 'Mission Accomplished.' (Probably would have skipped it though, looking back...)
And the highlight of the day?! Nonna, Papa, and Uncle Jonny joined us for the rest of the trip! The boys were thrilled!!! (And not just because they got their birthday presents...though that was certainly fun as well....aaah Nintendo DSs...a gift to parents everywhere who need a guaranteed child-distraction that can tuck in a small purse....)

Cousins Cousins Cousins!

Webkinz are awesome!! Just ask these four little Webkinz lovers...they spent much of their time laughing and playing with their little pets online. If you have yet to discover this wonderful past time, I highly recommend it! :-)
This is little Cayd playing at the water table at the Orlando Children's Museum. The kiddos had SUCH a great time!! And stayed well-hydrated as well ;-)
Katie loved playing in the water!
Logan and Makayla worked on a car until closing time.
They also hung out in a tree house!
Tyler dug up dinosaur bones...
Logan rode on Daddy's shoulders to get a better look at the dinosaur.
Tyler and Logan show off their muscles at the top of a slide!

Tyler was so tuckered out from our drive to Florida that he fell asleep while still holding his crayon. :-) What a wonderful trip we had visiting James' sister Amanda, hubby Bryan, and kiddos! They were so sweet to take us in, Bryan enlightened James on Bonsai trees (B is extremely knowledgeable with these amazing trees- I really think he should teach a class about it!) and I just can't get enough watching and talking with Amanda- she is truly an amazing example. Thanks Guys!! (And a quick shout out to Makayla who shared her room with us- it was so sweet of her. THANK YOU Makayla!!)