Visiting Santa

On Wednesday night, we went to visit my dad who was in Orlando with work. He was staying in a hotel right by Downtown Disney. I took the kids to see him(Rob met us there after he got off work)and we went over and ate at Downtown Disney, walked through some shops, finished some Christmas shopping, and visited Santa. Jack was happy to see Santa and sat on his lap but Callie did not like him. She screamed any time we got her near him.
Callie waiting in line to see Santa
Jack on Santa's lap

Callie screaming

Thanksgiving

We had a nice Thanksgiving with my parents and sister Nancy. The food was great and the leftovers fed us all weekend. On Saturday, we decided to go to the Lake Louisa State Park. The State park is right across the street from our subdivision and we pass it all the time but have never been there. We walked down to look at the Lake and walked one of the nature trails. It was a beautiful day and the kids had a fun time. We also put up our Christmas decorations and tree while listening to my favorite Christmas CD by the Carpenters. My older sister played the Carpenters Christmas CD around the holidays growing up and that still always makes it feel like Christmas. The kids had a fun time hanging ornaments but the tree ended up having most of the ornaments on the bottom half of the tree because Jack wanted to hang them all.
Callie eating Thanksgiving dinner
Callie sayng cheese
Me, Grandma, Jack and his stick on the nature trail
Jack, Callie and Grandpa on the nature trail
Callie on the trail
Our family in front of Lake Louisa
Jack with the stick he found in front of the watch out for alligators sign
Callie and her red leaf she found
Callie hanging up ornaments
Jack hanging ornaments

Trick or Treating

We went to Katie's house to go Trick or Treating. We already had a ton of candy from the Disney Halloween party and the ward trunk or treat so we didn't really need any more. It was actually a good thing that the kids got tired fast especially Callie. She just wanted to eat the candy as soon as she got it but she did get into it for awhile and said her version of trick or treat and thank you at many of the houses. Sadly, Halloween night also turned out to be the warmest night of the week. It was too warm for Callie to wear her orange tights and Jack to wear his black pants for his bug legs.
Callie the peacock
back view
Jack the bug
The kids would not cooperate for pictures.
Notice Callie already eating her chocolate.
Trick or Treat

Jack and Christopher


Tired out

Pumpkins

We didn't get to go to a pumpkin patch this year to get our pumpkins because we waited until the last minute. Rob got home from work later and the pumpkin patches had already closed so we got our pumpkins from the grocery store. We picked out two of the best ones they had left which isn't saying much. We had fun carving the pumpkins and roasting the seeds.






Our prize winning pumpkin
Our pirate pumpkin

Peek-a-boo Callie

Callie loves to hide! She pretty much has a hiding place in every room of the house. She sometimes just likes to go into her hiding place and just sit for awhile. In her kitchen hiding place behind the cabinet door which is also her favorite, she will take her snack and eat it back there.




Callie's favorite hiding place
Under the desk in the office and Jack joined her as we visited all her hiding places
Behind the couch in the living room
and behind the mirror in my bedroom

Halloween Parties

The weekend before Halloween, we went to our Ward Halloween party. My parents came with us for all the fun. We dressed the kids in their costumes when we got there but I guess in the rush, Jack's costume was put on backwards so in all the pictures the costume is backwards. I didn't even notice till the end of the night. The kids had fun trunk or treating and playing games. Rob and I dressed up to complement the kids. Callie won Cutest Costume and we won first place in the pumpkin decorating contest for the haunted castle we carved. The prizes were buckets filled with candy and other Halloween toys. Other years, our ward has given out Target and restaurant gift certificates as prizes for the different contests so I was sad about the change but it was still lots of fun to win.


Our Halloween decoration


The zookeeper and the peacock
The bug and the exterminator

On Monday, we had a little Halloween party at our house for Jack's preschool that I do with a few other ward Moms. It was my week this week so I hosted the party. Jack wanted to dress up in his Batman dress up set when he saw one of the other boys dressed as Batman. We decorated mini pumkins and Halloween cookies and the kids played. Here is a picture of the kids.


I made little pumpkin wraps and pretzel witches brooms for the party.

Disney Days

Rob's sister and her family came to Florida and we went to a Disney park almost every day of their visit. We had lots of fun even though it was unusually hot. Jack did go on Splash Mountain for his first time and I think he tolerated it. He was proud of himself and kept saying how he did not cry or scream but when we asked if he wanted to go again he said "no, it was too fast".

Uncle Bryce and Jack on the cars


Jack on the raft ride

The Grandkids
Jack rubbing sunscreen on Callie
Jack in the Lion King parade
Everyone at Philharmagic