Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Disney Day 2

Suzanne arrived that first evening when we got back from Magic Kingdom.

The boys were very excited to see her! I was too. Disney isn’t easy or as fun when you are alone with a 4 and 5 year old.

We went back the next day to Magic Kingdom on the second day and then went to Epcot for the afternoon.


This roller coaster ride was a BLAST! I was so afraid that the boys might be a little afraid and it wasn't even on our list of things to do. We met a man and he said they would love it....they did. We got to go on it twice and would have loved to go on it ten more times!

Look at this face...pure joy!





Yes, ICE CREAM again!!


We got so many character pictures, I didn't put them all up...

Mission Space...


We were worn out but when we got back to the hotel the kids had enough energy to dance!!
A little parade inside the hotel...

Disney Day 1

Walking into Disney by myself with the kids was bitter sweet. I’ve never been to Disney and was just as excited to be there as the kids were, but going without Matt was very sad. Sad because he wasn’t able to be there with us and sad knowing that Mary Alice wasn’t doing well. I cried the first 30 minutes in Magic Kingdom.

I really didn’t know what to expect walking in. At first I thought it was just like any other amusement park and then I “got it”.

It took me a while to figure out the “Fast Pass” but it made things so much better! The kids kept saying, “I bet Daddy would love this one!”

We're at Disney!!

We love the rides!!

Three days in a row...ICE CREAM!


Pull, Quinn, pull!!!

Evenings at Magic Kingdom...

"Get OFF me!" Soooo tired!

Discovery Launch

Just a peek at all of the cameras/people out for the launch.

Discovery's last flight!

We were actually very nervous that it wasn’t going to launch this day because of a computer problem. It only had a minute and a half window and it made it!

The boys loved it. It is just amazing to see…very emotional!

Just as we were getting back on the bus to return to the hotel, we received a sad call that Mary Alice wasn’t doing very well. Matt needed to go to Nebraska to see her. Needless to say, the bus ride back was full of tears. That night we stayed up late trying to see how we were going to work it all out. Changing just the flights for the family would be around $2000, so Matt suggested we call Aunt Suzanne to see if she could get a flight out the next day to take Matt’s spot at Disney. She said, yes.

The following morning, Matt flew to Nebraska with only shorts, T-shirts, and sandles. (It was 17 degrees with snow on the ground in Nebraska). Janice picked him up with some of Mick’s winter clothes and he went straight to see Mary Alice. They had a nice visit and she is hanging in there. Please pray for her and the family. I talked with her and she seemed in good spirits. I know she is happy to have her family around her.


Florida Beach...


We had a few hours before the launch to get in some beach time!
We LOVE the beach!










On the way to Florida...

We’ve only taken one family vacation in six years and that was two years ago to Cancun. Since it was one of the last Space Shuttle launches, we decided this would be the perfect time to take a trip to Florida. We’d see the launch and go to DISNEY WORLD!!!

Right after school on Wednesday, we picked the boys up and headed to the airport. We were off to Florida!!

So excited...We are off to Florida...just waiting for our bus!

This sums it up!!


Camping in Huntsville State Park

I'm not sure why, but we decided to go camping the weekend before our trip to Florida. I forgot to put it on the calendar and Matt scheduled a golf clinic. He was going to cancel, but I told him that he could use some time to play. Work has been stressful. So I took the boys with some friends.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Valentine's Day Gift for Matt...

Ok, I'm pretty safe posting this on the blog because Matt never looks at it and we are going to celebrate Valentine's Day tomorrow.
So, here is our tradition...we aren't aloud to go out and "buy" a gift, we have to put some thought and creativity to it. It doesn't have to be difficult...just thoughtful. One year Matt mad me a construction paper card with pipe cleaners. Last years mine was pretty easy so I thought I'd do something more elaborate this time. Matt loves to travel and we just haven't had a chance to do much of that, so I'm made a game for the family called Mickleopoly! The winner gets to pick from the "vacation" cards and tell what we are going to do on our vacation!

Check it out...
The vacation cards are on the right and bottom...

I printed the game boards on glossy card stock and glued them to clayboard.
I also made cards to choose from. "Around Houston", "Fun at Home" "Surprise", "Holiday" and "Chore Card". There are 10 of each. If you land on your birthday, you have to draw what you would like to do for your birthday and what gift you would like. If you land on "Surprise" you choose a surprise card and have to act something out! If they card is something that turns out well...you go ahead some spaces, if not...you have to go back.
The good thing is that in a few years, as the boys get older, I can change the cards to fit what is going on in our lives.

The game pieces are super heros...of course!!
I can't wait to give this to him!!

Here is the link if you are interested in making one...