Disney World Vacation

Last June, I booked plane tickets and our hotel at Disney's Pop Century in Orlando. We wanted to take our kids to Disney World and I got a great price on Southwest to fly there. The kids had a blast! We decided to go in December since it tends to be less crowded than the summer, the weather is great, and it's beautifully decorated for Christmas. All was true, except it rained one day while we were there. We planned ahead and brought ponchos and braved the rain at Magic Kingdom with our three kids in tow. 

We bought 3-day park tickets and spent two days at Magic Kingdom and one day at Epcot. Collin and I went on our honeymoon almost 13 years ago. It was a different experience with kids but a lot of fun. We ate at some fancy restaurants and had a great time. Caden and I even swam the first night we were there. We took the Disney Express from the airport which made things so easy! We got off our plane and went straight to the bus that took us to our hotel. Disney picked up our luggage and brought it to our hotel later that day. Next time we go, we're going to pack our swimsuits in our carry-on bags. The weather was perfect when we arrived to swim. Our room was already ready.

We did one big character meet and greet with Mickey Mouse. Grace LOVED meeting him! He was friendly, asked our names and told us a joke. We were super impressed. Grace wants to go back to Disney World and live there. Caden's favorite ride was Fast Track and Space Mountain. Grace's favorite ride was Aladdin and Peter Pan, even though she was a little scared flying on Peter Pan, but it was really cool. Jackson's favorite ride was probably Winnie the Pooh. He fell asleep riding It's A Small world. 

Like I mentioned, we stayed at a Disney Hotel, Pop Century. It was a value resort, which was fine. We had a crib and ended up also getting a Pack n Play since the kids played musical beds. It allowed us to put Jackson in the crib but if he woke up he could sleep next to me without another kid in the bed. I think it was worth saving the money and staying there. Especially since we were mostly there just to sleep. Although we might stay at a moderate hotel next time if we plan to do more at the hotel. We stayed 4 nights. We also purchased the Magic Moments picture package. Some photographers were better than others. We did get a few nice pictures and used some on our Christmas card. 

Here are some pictures from our time there.

This was Jackson's 1st plane ride

Nothing is better than playing in the rain

It started pouring on us when we were on this car ride. Grace was a great driver!

The boys were behind us.

Caden's first time on Space Mountain

Winnie the Pooh ride

Jungle Cruise ride

Robertson Tree House

Aladdin Ride

There were games to play in line for Space Mountain

Meeting Mickey!

Under the Sea ride

Yummy German Restaurant in Epcot

German Biergarten Restaurant

Grace even danced! Caden joined her a little later.

We finally let Caden try our double stroller.

Cute girl wearing Caden's long sleeved shirt because she was cold.

Our room

Jackson is 15 months old!

Dear Jackson,

This is a few weeks late but I've been having some computer problems. Thankfully, your awesome Dad, bought me a Chrome book so hopefully I'll be able to get back to blogging more.

You are now 15 months old and so much fun! You are a daredevil and love climbing high on things such as the kitchen table, the couch, the big playground in our backyard, and the stairs. You've learned how to safely come down the stairs and can now get off our bed safely as well.

When Grace was your age, I moved her to a twin bed, but I was pregnant with you. Needless to say, you'll be staying in your crib a while longer. 

You're such a sweet guy and lately have been going up to random ladies and giving them hugs when we're out. Also if he you see another mom giving a snack to her kids, you'll walk over with a sweet face and reaches out for some. You did this to a lady at the zoo recently and she was very willing to feed you. 😐 You 

You favorite word is still, "Mama." You love to eat, play, dig in the sandbox, or play in the garden soil, climbing, and doing dangerous things. Your favorite toys are balls and cars. You still hate riding in the car very long. You love playing outside and eating sidewalk chalk. 😋 Your favorite foods are bananas, yogurt, chicken, carrots, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and pretty much any other kind of fruit. If you don't like something, you'll pull it back out of your mouth. You love your parents and siblings. You also really likes a book called, "Little Feet Love" and music. You also seems to be opposite of your big brother and if you're not wearing shoes or I'm not, he'll find some and bring them to me. Caden still would prefer to never wear shoes. Jackson, you're very loved!

Your 15 month check-up went great. You are smart, healthy, and strong. Our silly doctor asked why you didn't know all of his body parts yet. Um, you're our 3rd kid. Life is crazy busy and you're very smart and have already learned most since then. He knew your hands, feet, and mouth. Maybe more but honestly I'm not worried one bit. Here's your stats:

90% for height weighing 26 lbs, 3 oz. 
80% for height, 32 inches, and his 
60% for head at 47.5 cm

We love you oodles and are thankful to have three healthy kids.

Love,
Mom

Exciting Times Ahead!!

I can't go into the details yet but we have so many exciting things happening in our little family. I wish we could share the details now but a few more things need to be done before we do.  As soon as we're able to share the news, we will! Until then, here's a sneak at what could be Grace's first pet, a llama! Stay tuned!

Quick Family Update!

I never seem to have time to write anymore. My three kiddos keep us very busy! Here's a quick update on the year.

Grace is potty trained! Yay! She potty trained in July when she was right around 2.5 years old. I told her she had to be potty trained in order to take dance lessons. It worked like a charm and she started taking tap and ballet lessons mid-August. 

Jackson is on the GO!! He has really taken off well with his walking and running. He's still a HUGE climber and is constantly wanting to climb high on something or pull out something that would be better if he didn't.

Caden's doing great in 2nd grade. I'm so glad we're homeschooling full-time again. It allows us more time to be involved in things we want to be involved in. We decided in September to join a Classical Conversations group. I had been really torn on the idea. Mainly because of having two younger kids and the idea of putting a 1 and 2 year old in the nursery seemed daunting. However, a good friend of mine told me about her group, it is literally 5 minutes from my house, and she's running the nursery. So a week after CC started, we visited, I liked it, and we're in! Caden is also taking two classes Thursday mornings, a literature class and world geography class. In fact, he presented some information and made a poster on Germany this past week. Of course I dropped the ball and didn't get a picture, but I was told he did great and the kids loved the German sausage he brought to share. We're also involved in Shine and have enjoyed the co-op as well. Collin is a trail guide for Trial Life this year and he and Caden have already been camping once. 

We're taking Financial Peace University at church this Fall. We did Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover over a decade ago and really helped us get out of college debt. Now that we're in a new state of life, with kids, we thought it would be nice to take another financial class. It has also forced us to attend church on Wednesday night, which we hadn't done in years, really. The kids are enjoying their Wednesday night classes. 

Collin and I are teaching in God's Grove Sunday mornings. It's the preschool wing. We do the puppet show and Grace is in there and gets to watch. We love being involved in church ministry.

We've taken some fun field trips this year as well. We've gone to the Dallas Arboretum, Dallas Children's Aquarium, saw the play, Frog and Toad are Friends at Casa, and visited a farm near Waco. This past Monday we went to the zoo as a family and had a nice time.

This was the short update. We have some big plans and news hopefully coming in the near future that I'm anxious to share with everyone. Here are some pictures of the past few weeks.

Caden's CC class

The zoo

Big boy eating cereal out of a bowl

Working on her schoolwork

Pretty girl at dance class

Grace, Addison, and Owen at our church's block party.

Caden's PE class at co-op. I co-teach this class. So fun!

Backyard fun!

Dentist appt - no cavities!!

CC group picture, not everyone but my two younger ones are there.

Backyard gardening

Harvesting a carrot

Pirate day at Krispy Kreme Donuts

Fun with Slade

She loves jumping in puddles

At the children's aquarium

Eating at the farm to table restaurant

Caden made a spoon

These kids love animals

Mrs. Campbell, one of my favorite ladies and teachers.

Sometimes Grace goes into Caden's room and falls asleep next to him. So sweet!

My dancing princess in pink!

The love of my life!!

Dallas Arboretum

Dallas Arboretum

Painting

Jackson loves sitting next to his sister