Disney, Thanksgiving, and Christmas

Wow, so much time has gone by since I last posted.  There is no possible way to catch up with all the pictures....we have hundreds of pictures just from Disney alone.  I am just going to pick a few highlights to represent each occasion and do my best to summarize. 

In addition to doing this blog each year (and printing it), I am also doing a photo album online.  I have decided that since I am struggling at doing both, I am going to combine them for 2013 and see how that goes.  That might mean I take a break on the blog and post my writings and thoughts right into the photo album.  There might be a "share" option along the way for those of you who want to keep up.   I have a lot of catching up to do before I even get to that point.  It makes me sad that I have not been able to keep up with the blog, but with all the kids sports and activities, it's just so hard to find the time.  I used to have two hours to myself each afternoon when they napped or had "quiet time", but there's no quiet time anymore.  I guess it's a good thing in many ways.  Just not for blogging.

We went to Disney right before Thanksgiving, and the kids had an absolute blast.   We were there for seven days, and here is the order of what we did:

Day 1 (Saturday night) 1: Dinner at Epcot (Food and Wine festival....it was CRAZY....we will definitely avoid that if we ever go back)

Day 2 (Sunday): Hollywood Studios

Day 3 (Monday):  Magic Kingdom

Day 4 (Tuesday):  Animal Kingdom

Day 5: (Wednesday): Epcot

Day 6: (Thursday): Hollywood studios again

Day 7: (Friday): Magic Kingdom again

There are so many pictures that I've decided I am going to do an entire photo album just for the trip.  

To summarize, Colby was all about the thrill rides!  Nothing there was too scary for him, and he loved the Rock N Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror (both at Hollywood studios) the best.  He also loved Space Mountain and Splash Mountain.  He was tall enough for everything and is definitely ready for the next step- the very scary and fast roller coasters at our local amusement parks. (He was two inches too short this summer for the scariest ones but did get to ride many of them)   Another one of his favorite rides was the Haunted Mansion.  He loved it and rode it twice- he talked a lot about the "ghost-es"....you know, plural for ghosts.    He was not interested AT ALL in seeing any characters at Disney- they were just in his way as he ran to the next ride.  (It did baffle me that there were so many kids much older that Colby that were really into the characters and getting their pictures taken with them.)  

Miller was just the opposite- she loved all the characters!  She took advantage of all the character spots and did not mind waiting in line for special photos with them. I have pictures of her with all of them.  She especially loved it when Goofy touched her on the nose.  She kept saying "That Goofy is soooo silly!".   She also loved the smaller roller coasters and rides- Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Goofy's Barnstormer roller coaster were some of her favorites.  I have a feeling she will be following in her brother's footsteps and will be doing bigger roller coasters very soon.    Another highlight for Miller was her princess makeover at the Bippity Boppity Boutique.  She got her hair, makeup, and nails done, followed by lunch with the princesses at Cinderella's castle.  As we walked through the park afterwards, the employees would look at her and say "Well, hello princess!".  She loved every  minute of it.  

Here are my four favorite photos from the trip.

Arriving at the airport and ready to go with special Disney backpacks from Nana and Granddaddy.

The "must take" photo op in front of Cinderella's castle

Two princesses (and a pound of hair spray)

The last day at Magic Kingdom

Here is the rest of our November and December in a very brief summary:

For Thanksgiving this year, Nana and Granddaddy came to visit, and we all spent Thanksgiving Day in Richmond.

All the cousins

Granddaddy became a cat lover on this trip.  We gave him this photo framed as a gift for Christmas and I know he looks forward to many more cat gifts.

We also celebrated Peepie Miller's 97th birthday!  She said it was her first ever birthday party.

                     

Two Millers

I loved having lunch with Colby at school.  One day he will be too cool for that.

Miller and Colby visited with Santa.  Once at the coffee shop....

And they saw the "real" one at the mall.

Our Elf, Kicks, came back and caused lots of hijinks.



Nan came for Grandparents day at Colby's school.


Miller had an adorable Christmas concert with her class.  Here she is with her wonderful teacher, Mrs. Susan.  (and her red reindeer nose)


I made (my first ever) real cut out Christmas cookies that the kids decorated.  Ok, well the cookie mix did come from a box, but I still mixed it up, cut them out, and managed to not burn them.



It snowed on Christmas Eve!

 Nan and Pop came for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.

A few photos before church:

Daddy is up to something.

 Nan read Christmas books before bed...

and Pop got some snuggles, too.



Santa came!

Savannah was testing out Miller's tent.

Waiting to come downstairs....and this year, we set up a motion detector in the upstairs hallway so that there would be no middle of the night peeking like last year!

Colby had a very Star Wars Christmas and was beyond thrilled.  He declared at least ten times "THIS IS THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!!!!!"

Miller loved her new paint and her bead set.  She spent most of the day creating masterpieces.

 Lee got me a "Real Housewives" gift with a limo and massage for me and a friend, along with Real Housewives DVDs and books.

 Merry Christmas from us!

School pictures

Sometimes, the stars align, and the kids have great school pictures.  Miller's this year could not have turned out better.  (unlike last year when she refused to change her expression from a dead stare)

Does it get any sweeter than this?

Why yes, it does!

Colby, if you are reading this when you are older, I am sorry.  Mommy made some mistakes this year. I got your hair cut only a few days before pictures.  She cut it too short.  I forgot about the photos until that morning and quickly dressed you in a blue polo shirt.  I forgot I had chosen a blue background. 

PARENTING FAIL.

Buddy, you are still my most handsome boy ever.  

Halloween...and the big reveal!

Halloween went off without a hitch, despite Miller's fever.  She had a blast trick or treating with her brother, his friends, and Charlie.

Have you ever seen a sweeter kitty?

Or a tougher ninja?

Yikes!  Who is that?

Much better.

Me and my sweet girl.

Daddy went to K-mart on Halloween day to pick out his costume.  Apparently Satan was the only thing left.

A few days ago, I accidentally shut (sort of) Miller's finger in the car door.  It was swollen and a little purple, so I decided to take her to the emergency room rather than the pediatrician's office just to be safe.  By the time she got there, her Motrin had kicked in and she was feeling pretty good.  She quite enjoyed her visit.  The nurses showered her with attention, brought her orange juice, and let her pick out three stickers that she stuck to the front of her dress.  Nothing was broken and we were in and out in about an hour.  Not bad!  (But I'd rather not go back any time soon...)

Colby's school does a Kindergarten book parade, where the kids dress up like their favorite book character and march around the school.   Colby sort of worked backwards- he decided he wanted to wear his Storm Trooper costume, so he hunted down a book that had a picture of a storm trooper in it. (not exactly his favorite book, which was sort of the point....oh well)   I was told that as his class paraded in and out of the other classrooms, the kids in the classrooms started to sing the Darth Vader tune.  Apparently it was a very popular costume.

Finally, it was time to tell the kids about their Disney trip.  I wrapped up the t-shirts I had made and told them they had to open the gift and figure out what it said.  (I have it all on video)

Not a great picture, but you can see the shirts- they say "We're going to Disney World" and then have their names at the bottom.  It took them both about 10 seconds to read them.  Miller was very excited.  Colby was excited for a second and then asked if we could go buy a toy.

We leave in just 3 days!!!

Sick girl on Halloween

It's Halloween, and poor Miller woke up with a fever of 101.  I'm not worried about her missing trick or treating.  There are certain times when you unabashedly dose your kids up with Motrin and send them out into the world.  Halloween is one of those times.

What I'm really sad about is that she's going to miss her class parade and concert.  She has been practicing her Halloween songs for what seems like months.  I know them all and can sing them with her.  I was so excited to film her singing with her class, and she has been excited to perform.  It would have been her first time singing in front of a group and she was more than ready.

Instead, she will spend her day curled up on the couch, saving every last drop of energy for the big night.

Busted. And the passage of time.

**I wrote this a week ago and since then, much has happened and we've been in Halloween prep mode.  Pictures of that coming soon...AND we leave for Disney in 12 days.  The kids do not know yet!!!  We plan to do the big reveal in a week.  I'm so exited to see their reactions!

*************************************************************************

Miller loves to color.  From the moment she wakes up until right before bed, she is coloring something.  When she gets home from school, she goes straight to the crayons.  She loves to color in her coloring books, and right now, everything she does is in "rainbow".  Many many colors go into each and every page.  (unlike the hot pink phase she was in just a few months ago).  She puts a painstaking amount of time into each and every picture.

I love her pictures.  We hang them up and save most of them.  But, as much as I love them and save them, I can't hold on to every single thing her crayon touches.  Some things she may only finish half of, and some things....well, we just don't need 20 half colored pictures of Dora.   ALL parents have to get rid of art at some point, and it's something moms often talk about.   We can't possibly hold on to it all or we'll be a candidate for the show Hoarders.

I have learned that I have to be very very careful when I throw things away.  I have been busted before and always played it off pretty well.  "Oh my gosh!  HOW IN THE WORLD did that get in the trash???"

Two days ago, I was folding clothes upstairs when I heard a shriek and sobs from downstairs.  Sobs like I rarely hear from Miller.  I flew down the stairs thinking that something terrible had happened to her or maybe the cat.  When I found her, she had the trash can open, and on top, was a neatly folded pile of about ten of her pictures.  (pictures that I had thrown away and forgot to hide at the bottom)  Her face was buried in her hands, she was crying uncontrollably, and she had tears rolling down her cheeks.  I was busted, and in a terrible way.  There was no hiding it this time- I tried to tell her it was an accident at first, but she wasn't buying it.  She just looked at me with a frown and I knew she knew it was no accident.  Then I tried to tell her that the ones in the trash only had a few lines on them- which was true.  They were only partially done.  But that didn't matter to her.  They were all equally important in her four year old eyes.  And she was hurt- truly devastated- that her own mother would do this.

PARENTING FAIL.

The thing about Miller is that she is so different from her brother, so sometimes we forget that we need to be extra careful around her.  We have thrown away Colby's stuff in the past, and it has never phased him.  I'm sure he's seen it in the trash.  But Miller is sensitive.  And that sensitivity is what makes her so thoughtful...she is so kind and so considerate of her friends and family.  Don't get me wrong- I love that Colby has a thick skin and lets things roll of his back- that is absolutely perfect in a boy.  But I do appreciate that Miller is a bit more sensitive.

On another note, I feel that time is moving too fast.  Sometimes I look at them and think:  "This is the oldest you've ever been and the youngest you'll ever be."

One thing I do with them each night is lay with them in their beds for about 5 minutes.  Colby likes to draw this out as long as possible, often talking about school.  When I try to leave, he will quickly say "WAIT!  I forgot to tell you something very important!"  When I ask him what, he will panic and try to come up with something really interesting.  Usually about school.  And I know he just wants to keep me in there.  It's such a nice time with him because he is seldom quiet or still.  And he rarely tells me much about school.  I love that even though he's such a tough kid, he still wants his mama to lay with him and looks forward to it every single night.

When I lay with Miller, she likes to have a "rolling tickle", which is basically a term she came up with for a back rub, also on her arms and legs.  She will roll up her sleeves and hike up her pajama pants, and then she asks me to sing the rolling tickle song. (The lyrics are:  "Rolling tickle, rolling tickle, rolling tickle on the big big girl.")    I supposed in a few years she might want me to change the lyrics, but for now, she demands it every single night.

Recently, she has also discovered massage, and now she likes to cap off her rolling tickle with a little back massage.  After all of that,  I still lay with her and then have to give her a one minute warning before I leave.  Even when it's time to leave, she tries to latch onto me and not let me go.  I tell her if she doesn't let go I won't come back the next night.  She eventually lets go, and then we start the process all over again the next night.

After I have lain (thanks mom, the English major) with them both, I can't go downstairs.  I have to stay up stairs in my room because there will be requests.  More water.  I have to go to the bathroom.  I need to be tucked in again.  I lost my bear.  I need itchy cream.  (for Miller's eczema)

It does extend bedtime by about 15 minutes.  Sometimes I groan at the thought of delaying my own peace and quiet by 20 more minutes.  The days can be so long.  Lee often says "Why do you do this to yourself?"  I try and remind myself that one day, when they are teenagers shutting the door in my face, I will know that I laid down with them.  Every night.  I didn't take for granted that time, and I knew they would grow up one day.

With Colby, the passing of time has been a little easier because with age, comes maturity.  He has been a bit of a challenge at every age, so it has been rewarding to see him grow and become a wonderful little boy.  Being with him one on one is one of my favorite things.  It's also easier because he's the oldest, and I know that there's always going to be someone younger.  But time is still moving too fast.

With Miller, it has been a little different.  She has always been easy, and ever since she was six months old, I have wished that time would slow down.  I have loved every age and always think to myself "she can't possible get any sweeter or cuter".  And then she does.

I know one day, I will look back and wonder "Did I appreciate it?  Did I do all that I could have done with them?"  Well, of course the answer is no.  No parent ever does everything they could do.  But I will hopefully remember that I felt this way.  I was aware that time was moving too fast and that I wanted to keep them just as they are.  I cherished our times together, despite the days where I just wanted to be alone at the end of the day.  I took a moment each day to really look at them and see just how amazing they  really are.  I know I'll still miss them being little one day, but hopefully I can read this post and remind myself that I did not take it all for granted.

Fall Fun

School is in full swing, and the kids are loving it.  Colby is thriving in Kindergarten, and he was so ready for something bigger.  He loves gym class, playing outside, and lunch the best.  Shocking, really.  When I asked him about the work time, he said they don't do work, only fun stuff.  That's the sign of a great teacher!  Miller is enjoying school as well and loves all the singing she gets to do in Ms. Susan's class.  She has a very old fashioned teacher and I am really loving her style.  Miller does miss her two best friends, Marin and Charlie, who moved to the upper building, but she's adjusting.

In other news, somehow I convinced Lee that we should get a kitten.  When I saw him waver just a little from his "NO, NEVER" stance, I struck while the iron was hot.  After two days of scouting out the SPCA, I came home with an adorable and affectionate kitten.  Her name was "kitty" for a couple of weeks, but we have finally settled on Savannah, which was her SPCA name.

She is wonderful with the kids and never runs away from them. (which was really my most important criteria when kitten picking)

She is extremely affectionate

She loves to snuggle up and give kisses

She loves to hang out wherever we are.

She puts up with all sorts of carrying and never seems to mind.

She even loves to ride in the car!  The only downside is that the kids fight over whose lap she will sit in.

The only problem we have with Savannah is that because she is so snuggly, she wants to sleep close.  Very close.  Like, on your face.  The kids cannot take it, and neither can we, so right now she sleeps locked in the mudroom in her little bed.

We took a trip to the mountain house, and despite the chilly weather, we had a blast going down the new water slides.  The water was heated and a fun time was had by all.

Colby....

Miller....

and Daddy.  (I did, too, but was not captured on camera)

The kids also loved the lazy river.

I celebrated my 38th birthday with some awesome balloons and a "princess" cake from the local bakery.

The princess and her princess in training (This little rocking chair was handed down to me when I was little, and now Miller loves it)

Colby has begun winter swim team, and wow, the water was cold!  But he did great.  Most of the kids are older and faster, but he hung in there.  We had to lay him in a bath of hot water when he got home because he was blue and couldn't get warm.  They are heating the pool this week- thank goodness.

Miller's class went apple picking at the orchard

Apple school

Colby started soccer.  He's doing 8 and under so most of the kids are older (same story as swim team), but he's doing great.

Miller's first soccer game was Saturday.  She and her friends Marin and Jackson were a little timid and overwhelmed, so they decided to hold hands.  They played most of the game that way.  So cute!

And they did not let go!

Colby brought some work home from school .  I was very relieved to learn that the "S" word in this photo is, in fact, a snake.  Phew!