Disney - Day 4

On day four of our trip, we decided to take a break from the parks to swim our the resort. Believe it or not, the kids had been begging to swim all week...and we were at Disney!!! The pool had a slide, though, and I think it just looked too fun for them not to try out....and, yes, in true Disney fashion--the pools were heated.

That evening, there was a company mixer and the twosome that people wait for hours in line to have their picture made with a Magic Kingdom, Mickey and Minnie, were there. Since we'd already done that, we didn't do it, again, but Pierce ran over to Snow White and the dwarf to love on them some.

Serious milkshake drinkers...

We left the party and headed over to downtown Disney, so the boys could spend the money Nana and Papa had given them for the trip. Bowden was very excited to go to the Lego store and, of course, it was closed. ): He did get to build a pretty cool light saber instead and after a sundae from the Ghirradelli that was so big it fed nine of us, he was over it.

The dragon in the background was made from Legos.

This fence was around the Lego store. I'm guessing they were doing renovations. Jason was trying to help Bowden sneak a peek.

Bowden and Madigan fell asleep on the bus ride home. All the fun had finally gotten to them.

Guess who was still awake!?!

Disney - Day 3

We spent our third day at MGM-Hollywood Studios. We got there when it opened and had breakfast reservations at Hollywood & Vine where the kids got to meet Special Agent Oso, Handy Manny and a few others. Prior to eatting, I have to add that we sprinted to get fast passes for the Toy Story ride and get the kids signed up for Jedi training, both of which filled up quickly. We definitely weren't the only ones running to do the same thing....Pierce was soooo excited to meet Handy Manny....

Bowden's favorite part was the Jedi training and getting to fight Darth Vader.

Pierce didn't get to do the Jedi training, but I think meeting all the characters and getting to do the Toy Story ride made up for it.

This is my favorite picture....we were laughing so hard. I think Patrick even videoed Jason showing off his hula-hooping skills.

Green Army Man from Toy Story

We ended our day at MGM with the parade. It was really fun because the kids got to see characters from their favorite movies.


That evening, the kids played at the kid's club at our hotel and the adults went out to eat at Epcot. It was a lot of fun--I wish we'd had more time to spend there. I would have loved to explore all the countries. Also, the fireworks show was amazing--a must see!

Disney-Day 2

This was our Magic Kingdom day, and as cheesy as it sounds, it was pretty magical. I guess the little girl in me loved seeing the castle. I'm also a big fan of rides and there were plently here. Seeing the kids light-up was priceless. Their enjoyment was worth every step.

We arrived before the park opened, which from what I understand from the Disney regulars is the way to do it so that you can be the first in the doors. Let me just say that we were very lucky to go with our friends, the Matthews. They are Disney Vacation Club members and are very wise in the ways of Disney, so to speak. We would have been lost without them. I would also advise to go with friends or family whose company you enjoy. I don't know about your family, but mine can get grumpy when we're tired. Being with friends makes you be on your best behavior regardless of how you feel. It also makes the time pass as you wait in line when you're chatting with friends. By the way, this was a great week to go. We didn't do a ton of waiting.

Okay, so onto what we did. We started out the day having pictures made with characters. As I said in the earlier post, Pierce loved the characters and tried to form tackle most of them with his hugs. Bowden, on the other hand, was not. (just look at his face in the mickey pic--way too cool!) He did love the pin trading, though. He and Madigan were always on the lookout for people to trade with. After taking some pictures, we took to the rides. Our favorites at Magic Kingdom were the Buzz Lightyear ride and Space Mountain.

We stayed at Magic Kingdom all day and ate with Poo and Friends that night. We saw part of the fireworks show. Another favorite was the light show they did on the castle. It was amazing!

Disney 2011-Day 1

At the airport...

On the tram...
We just returned from a great trip to Disney! The cool part is that we were able to keep it a secret from the kiddos until we got there. We told them we were going to Milwaukee for the week on a business trip with Dad, which was partly true...Jason was on a business trip, just not in Milwaukee. The kids were a little confused once they figured out that we were actually at Disney. I heard Bowden tell our friend's daughter, "I think Disney is close to Milwaukee." So, we might have some problems once geography class rolls around. Ha!

Monday was a pretty exciting day for Bowden before he even knew about Disney. He had not flown since a baby and was really excited about it. The kids were great on the plane. Bowden and Madigan entertained themselves and Pierce pretty much did too. Once we arrived on the Magical Express (ha!), we settled into our hotel at the Wilderness Lodge and then went exploring. That evening, we went to dinner at the Grand Floridian and ate with Cinderella and her crew. (I mentioned we were with some friends who have a little girl, right?!) Pierce didn't care who the characters were...he loved them all as you will soon see in the upcoming pictures from later in the week.

Texas Blizzard/Ice 2011

For the most part, it was waaaayyyy too cold to get out and play in the snow, but here are some pics from the first day, I believe. Pierce was not a huge fan of the snow....the above picture is a bit deceiving....(:

Another day, we went sledding. We didn't have much luck finding great hills around here, but made some great memories trying to find them. I will forever remember the fall the Jason took....it was especially funny due the timing...he had just finished giving me a hard time about the "HUGE!" hill I had recommended. Bowden and I fell in the snow laughing....hysterically.

Pierce's 3rd Birthday

This was his cake the day of his birthday!
New Scooter!

We also had a party in January at Pump It Up. Shocker...I pulled out the camera to snap away at the party and the battery was dead. Mother. Of. The. Year. We do have video to prove to Pierce that it actually happened....thank goodness.

Holidays 2010

One of the really fun things we did over the holidays was take the boys to the Gaylord for the ICE & Snow exhibits.

Yes! It was so cold that we had to wear parkas inside the ICE exhibit...

The snow part was tube slides....they had a blast!!!

This was Pierce's happy walk after he went down the slide a couple of times....priceless!

We also went to a gingerbread house decorating party.

Pierce had his first school performance...he's sitting next to his big buddy, Paxton.

Christmas Day