Christmas at Disney World!

Christmas at Disney World!

Well, the time had finally arrived! It was time to take the kids to Disney World! We had been planning this trip for over a year. I was just happy that it was not too close to my due date!

We arrived in Orlando on Christmas Eve day and awoke on Christmas morning to a few small gifts from Santa then we headed off to Magic Kingdom for the day! We had to get there early to ensure that we made it into the park before they reached there capacity. We had heard that this would be the busiest day of the year for Disney World. They were not lying! It was packed but the weather was nice and we were full of energy!

The girls we so excited as we drove up to the big entrance. They were in awe of the crowds and the tram to get to Magic Kingdom. They could not talk fast enough as they pointed out everything they saw.

Despite the large crowds we got to see many wonderful shows, parades and go on many rides! Of coarse, I stuck to the smaller rides and Bill took Mack on the big rides. Mack also got to hang out with my boss, Kendra's son for a day. They took him Universal Studios for the day so he could experience all the big kid ride and attractions. This gave a Bill an entire day to spend with the girls and myself. We all stood in line for about 2 hours to let the girls have a special meeting time with Rapunzel and Flynn Rider. (They just saw the movie so they were excited for this, I was just as excited too!) The girls got to color a picture and then dance with Rapunzel in a secluded area before each kid got to go up on stage and meet her for a photo opportunity. Laney and Elli were the last kids of the day to meet Rapunzel so it was very special for them.

My parents were troopers and did a great job keeping up and helping with meltdowns when they occurred.

The girls got so see many Disney characters. It was precious to see Elli meet her favorite princess, Snow White on our last day at Disney.

The Rainforest Cafe was a hit as well as the Tea Cups.














So many wonderful memories were created! We are so blessed to be able to spend these moments with our family and give our kids memories they will have forever!

Christmas Time!

Favorite Christmas Picture of the Kids!







We celebrated Christmas with my parents, Bill's parents, Matt and Jodi a bit early this year. We had a huge feast of ham (prepared by my wonderful Mother) and all the traditional side dishes, drinks and of coarse a huge spread of deserts!

Santa even made an appearance to hand out gifts!



My Grandmother Davis sent the kids a recordable book of the "Night Before Christmas". She recorded herself reading the book. Laney started listening right away. I actually got emotional when hearing her voice. This is the first Christmas that I did not get to see her. This was a great gift and the girls love listening to her tell the story as they turn the pages. This book will definitely be a holiday treasure to have forever!


Laney received a fun dress up outfit so she spent the entire evening in this purple dress!

It was wonderful to spend time with the family and watch the kids open up their gifts.

Since we celebrated early I had a sense of relief the week of Christmas. I had to keep reminding myself that Christmas had not actually happened. I would go to stores and be thankful that I was not one of those people stressing out about getting everything done before Christmas came. I could concentrate on spending time with the kids and getting prepared for Disney!

Organization....finally!

This is just one of the many projects that have been going on in our house. After Bill tore up all the flooring in the living, kitchen, front room, office and bathroom he worked hard at laying beautiful hard wood floors and new carpet in the living room and installing a new back door.

I forgot to mention the step before the hard woods...Beazer came to fix the window that had been leaking and cleaned up the mold and drywall that had rotted due to water damage caused by bad windows. :(

Our wonderful and talented neighbor built this amazing mud room unit for us. I have been dreaming about this for a long time. It is finally here! A place for everyone's shoes, coats, and school bags. No excuses for not putting your stuff away! There is enough room for everyone, even the baby has his own hook and cubby. (this pic does not show this off very well)

The last step...hard woods floors for the office. I can't wait!!!!

I had to add a few photos from our Holiday photo shoot. The kids did great and there was so many to choose from but I limited myself to only a few.

No candy canes in the pictures this year!!!

I was not planning on being in any of the pictures but got talked into it. I am so glad that I did. It actually turned out better than I thought it would.

The best pictures are on the Christmas card so I do not want to post these until I send them out to everyone. Anticipation is the best feeling!

Family Fun Time!

Thought everyone would enjoy a few pictures from Halloween. Bill and I took the kids to the Zoo Boo along with Uncle Matt and Auntie Jodi and Addison. It was warm and the animals were out and active. It was great!


The girls had a Halloween Parade at school and received a bag full of candy. I thought after that they would be worn out for the actual Trick or Treat night but they were so ready for more candy. It was great this year because Laney was tall enough to reach each doorbell so our job was much easier this year.

Below is a clip of Elli's dance class performing a short ballet routine for the parents. So sweet!

Soccer Season- The Killer Weeds!

Soccer season has come and gone. Mack really enjoyed playing soccer. He was a great defensive player as you can see from these pictures.

It was so fun to watch him work hard and have a good time with a team sport. He got tons of action as a defensive player.




We loved that all his practices and games were right down the road at the Zionsville Soccer Fields. Mack has already expressed many times that he is sad his season is over.


Even though his team never won a game his spirits were high and they fought till the end. The last game was 0-0 so they had improved.



He is already looking forward to next session!







I have to include this picture of Laney and her gymnastic team -mates.
She had in her first "practice" meet. She is on the far right. I am a proud Mommy!

Gymnastics Time!

Had to share a shot of Laney and her team mates. She has her first "mock" meet this Saturday. Excited and nervous for her. She has been excited to practice her routines every day. She is on the far left of this photo.

Grandsparents are officially here, for good!

Well, my parents are finally in their new house. It is the perfect size for them with a small yard. They are taking their time unpacking, because they can! They are already helping my with the kids and baking cookies!

Here is a picture of all the grand kids in front of their new house.

The baby is my brothers' little girl, Addison. She is 4 months old and the girls now argue who is going to hold her first. That is a good sign!

Next month we get to find out if the kids will be having a brother or sister. The girls have already convinced everyone that it is a "sister" baby. Of coarse Mack and Bill are hoping for a boy. Me? It would be fun to add a boy to the mix.


School is going great great for everyone. Mack is busy with soccer, Elli is taking ballet and tap class, and Laney has officially joined the gymnastics pre-team at my gym. Bill is busy tearing up all the floors and putting down hardwoods. So excited!!!
Warning: Do Not come over for a visit as our entire downstairs is a complete mess!

Stay tuned for soccer and gymnastics pics of the kids. Maybe I will throw a pic of the baby too!