Florida

We just returned from a wonderful week away in sunny Orlando, FL. It was a nice vacation with my parents and us. The weather was perfect. It was in the 80's and sunny every day.
We took the kids to Disney two days. They both LOVED Disney. Jeremy and I agreed that this was our favorite trip as far as Disney goes because both kids really enjoyed it this time and really got into it.
We also went swimming a few days, went to Downtown Disney, played putt putt, and went to Gatorland. It was a great family vacation!
Here are just a few pictures. I have almost 300 if you want to see more. :)

Landon's favorite ride was the tea cups!


Kaylie liked Dumbo


This was the first time we got the kids books for the characters to sign. Kaylie loved it and made it her mission to get as many princesses and characters to sign it as possible. Landon thought it was cool to have the characters sign his book, but was not a big fan of standing with them without mommy or daddy.







The castle decorated for Christmas was amazing to see. I thought it was so pretty!



We also went to a place called Gatorland that had hundreds of alligators and other animals such as turtles, birds, and snakes. It was a really fun and different place to visit.





While we were on our trip there was a shuttle launch. We walked outside of where we were staying and could see the shuttle taking off. It was a neat experience.

Halloween Fun!

We had several events leading up to Halloween. The first one was Kaylie's Halloween party at school. She was so excited and Landon and I were so happy that we could be a part of it as well. Landon really wants to go to school with Kaylie. Now when I take Kaylie to school he says, "Landon go school? I excited!" It is so cute. Kaylie even said the other day that she wished he could come and she could play with him at school. Landon actually participated in a couple of the activities just like he was one of the kids. It was a lot of fun to watch Kaylie interact with her school friends. I am really happy with her school, teachers, and the behavior and make up of the kids in her class. Here are some pictures from the fun day.




We also did the fun job of carving pumpkins. I usually leave this job up to Jeremy. The kids give him ideas and he carves away. If you notice in the picture below, he enjoys using his drill to help with the carving.



We had a great Halloween. It was a really fun year because both kids really got into it. We took the kids to several friends in our neighborhood and then had them come home and pass out candy at our house. They thought that was a lot of fun.




This is Landon calling Mami to tell her about his night! :)


The week before Halloween I had the chance to take Kaylie to a Purdue game. Jeremy was traveling so my dad and I took Kaylie and Caden to the game. Kaylie had a blast and was a trooper. She wanted to stay until the end. After the game my dad found a place where you can play glow in the dark putt putt or putty as Kaylie calls it. The kids had fun and it was just the perfect size of course for them. So for those of you that are around Lafayette and want a fun family activity let me know.

Fall Fun

We have had a very busy and fun fall. Although the weather today feels nothing like fall (40's and wet), we have had some nice days to enjoy outside. When we can't go outside we have come up with some things to do inside.
A few weeks ago we went to the pumpkin patch in Indy with some friends. They have great pumpkins and the kids have fun finding their perfect pumpkin. We got 2 big pumpkins for a total of 75 lbs.


On fall nights we enjoy lighting our fire pit and making smores. The kids think this is so fun and we really enjoy this family time.



We also baked Halloween cut out cookies. These are my dad's favorite so we try to make some for every season. They are pretty yummy! :)


Since today was cold and wet, we decided to make a gingerbread haunted house. I gave each of the kids a side to decorate.

Kaylie's side:

Landon's side:


Now for our traditional fall porch shot... Each year I take a picture of the kids with the same decorations. It is really fun to go back and see how much they have changed. It is also sad to see how fast they are growing up. :(
Kaylie last year:

This year:

Landon last year:

This year:

Friends

I have really been enjoying the last month or so because Kaylie and Landon are really becoming good friends. They enjoy playing together and about 90% of the time play well together. They both enjoy the others company and like being in the same room together. This has made it really nice for me because we can all do things together and when I need to get something done they can go in the basement and entertain each other. I hope this relationships stays and that they stay close.

Landon is a jabber box these days and just makes us laugh. He is so fun and can carry on a conversation with us. He is saying mostly 3-4 word sentences so when Kaylie is as school he just talks to me the whole time she is gone. Here is the first 5 min. of our ride home after dropping her off...
Landon- Where sissy at?
Me- School
Landon- Miss Sissy, bye bye, love you!

Kaylie is still loving school and doing great. She loves Thursdays because that is show and tell day. They get to bring in something that has to do with the letter of the week, so we enjoy coming up with fun ideas for the week. She now knows how to write her name all by herself with no help.

Here are some recent pictures... The kids love to help me with whatever it is that I am doing. As you moms out there know, this can add about an hour to whatever it is that you are doing, but it is fun to let them help whenever possible. The kids each helped me mix, clean the dishes, and check to make sure it was cooking just right. A lot of times when I am in the shower they will go in Kaylie's room and look at books together. This is what I found one day... Kaylie decided to dress up her bear and they were both reading to him. They are also really into puzzles and drawing Kaylie still likes to help daddy make waffles or pancakes on Saturday mornings. In Sept. we were very excited because we got to visit with some friends of mine and their little ones. Here is Kaylie and Annabel Here are the kids with Jackson and Ryne

New York!!

As one of my 30th birthday presents, my mom took me to NY a week ago. We left on a Thurs. and came back on Sunday. Jeremy and my dad stayed with the kids and they got along great. When I got home Jeremy said all went well but, "I could have my job back, he didn't want it." Ha! He did great with the kids and my mom and I had the best time.
It was so nice for just the 2 of us to get away and spend time together.
This was probably my 5th trip to NY and my mom has been more than that so, we are familiar with NY and how to get around

Here is a recap of what we did....

Thurs.
-Arrived in NY
-Took a carriage ride around Central park
-Watched the filming of an Old Navy commercial in Central Park
-Went for dessert at our favorite, "Ellen's Stardust Diner." It is so fun because the waiters are all trying to get on Broadway so all night they are serving and singing. It is a fun atmosphere and always one of our favorite stops.
-Walked around Time Square and shopped on 5th Ave.

Friday
- US Open!!!!
- Saw 3 matches at the Arthur Ash Stadium
- Had a dream come true of watching Serena Williams play
- Overall just a really neat experience

Saturday
- Got up early to head down to the taping of the Today show. They are not outside as much as they are during the week but we still got to see them. We were also on TV 2 times! :)
- Shopped most of the morning
- Went to see Mary Poppins on Broadway (very cute).
- We have now seen, Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Greece, Mama Mia, and Mary Poppins in NY on Broadway.
- Walked around and ate outside on the top of Rockefeller Plaza where they ice skate in the winter.
- Went to get dessert at a place called, "Magnolia Bakery." It was crazy because they are open from 9AM-midnight and there is always a line outside. They said they are only in NY. They have great cupcakes and desserts.

It was a great trip and I thank my mom and dad for such a wonderful present! I will never forget how special it was.
Here are the pictures...