Making Cookies For Santa

Today the boys made cookies to leave for Santa Clause tomorrow night. They had a blast!! Yes, they made a big mess, but they had fun and that is all that matters.

Will had fun decorating the cookies.
Landon was our little taste tester.

Shake it Landon!!

Landon loves to dance!! Mommy happen to get a short video of him dancing to Thomas the Train this morning while he was playing outside on the porch. He could see his reflection in the door, so he would shake his little bottom from side to side as hard as he could. At one point he was shaking so hard his pants fell down to his knees. Sorry we didn't get that on video.

Don't we all wish we have a little piece of his energy.

Family Day at Epcot

Saturday we spent the day at Epcot. This was the boys first visit and they had a great time. The first thing Will wanted to do was ride The Seas with Nemo and Friends. It was really a cute ride. After you get off the ride they have this HUGE aquarium that is so big scuba divers were inside it cleaning the tank. The boys had a lot of fun leaning right up against the tank and watching the fish, sharks and scuba divers. We didn't get to go up into the ball this visit because it was not working, but we did make it around the world showcase. The boys liked the entertainment they had at most of the countries. Landon of course liked the entertainment with the bongo drums the best. We even got to see a French Santa Clause in France.

The boys have now been to all four parks at Disney World and we have decided that Landon's favorite thing is riding the tram that takes you from your car to the park entrance. He gets sooooooooo..... excited every time we ride it. He thinks he is riding a train. Don't get us wrong, he does REALLY enjoy the characters and everything else inside the parks, but he just REALLY, REALLY likes that tram.

Visit with Tom and Ginny

Dottie has a great aunt and uncle (Tom and Ginny) that live in Lakeland, Florida. Today we went to there house to visit.

They have orange trees in there back yard, so the boys got to pick some. Mommy also got to go with Uncle Tom to a Farmer's Market to get some fresh fruits and vegetables really cheap. It is weird getting fresh fruits and vegetables this time of year, but everything right now is different from what we were use to in North Carolina, especially the weather.

The boys had a blast picking oranges, but the best part of all was spending some time with family. We miss that!!!

Landon enjoyed helping Uncle Tom put the oranges in the bucket.

Landon liked to pull an orange as hard as he could to get it off the tree. Eventually he would let go, fall on his bottom and laugh and laugh.
Here is Will holding a bucket of grapefruit. He was such a big helper.

Daddy and the boys had a great assembly line, which made the picking go really fast.

Getting Ready For Christmas

Over the weekend we decorated our house for Christmas. This year we put a big tree up in the family room and and then we had a little tree from the first year we were married, so we put it in the boys play room and they got to decorate it with ornaments they have made over the past few years and will continue to make this year. They had so much fun with it and it was really fun to watch. They did get to help mommy and daddy put ornaments on the big tree and then mommy added her special touch to make it pretty.

The boys are so excited this year about Christmas, which really makes it fun. Will is really into the whole Santa Claus and asks us questions everyday, like "How will Santa get into our house because we don't have a fireplace?" and Landon is trying to take it all in. They are both at such a cute age!!

We can't wait to come up to the mountains in a few weeks where the weather is cooler. It's really strange to be getting ready for Christmas in shorts, short sleeves and flip flops. Not to complain because the warmer weather is nice, but we have been so use to Christmas being cold.

Will did a great job decorating his tree.

Landon concentrating really hard to put an ornament on.

Landon is so excited.

Santa's Little helpers!!
Will is teaching Landon Jingle Bells. What a perfect song for Landon to learn with his guitar.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

This was the first Thanksgiving that we haven't spent with our families back in North Carolina. We decided to do something very Florida like and go to an orange grove to pick oranges. It was actually a really pretty drive out in the country. We didn't think the leaves change colors on the trees here, but we actually saw some. It was definitely not as pretty as the mountains of North Carolina, but it was still pretty enough to really make it more fall like here in Florida. We also drove over mountains (Dottie called them), but Chad said they were just hills. The grove we went to was huge. They had sooooo... many different kinds of oranges, grapefruits, lemons and limes that it was a little overwhelming. The boys had a big time picking the fruit off the trees and we all learned a lot about oranges. Landon only tried to bite into one, which was surprising for him.

This type of orange is soooooo... big as you can tell by the size of Will's hand. We got two of them to try and they tasted a lot like a grapefruit, but not as tart. All four of us ate on one and still didn't finish all of it.

Two tired and full boys at the end of a long day. Check out Landon's full belly!!

We had a great Thanksgiving, but we definitely missed our families. We look forward to seeing everyone in 4 weeks for Christmas.

Turkey Day at Will's School

Today, mommy and Landon went to a Thanksgiving Feast at Will's school. Mommy and Landon had a great time eating lunch with Will and his buddies. Landon, of course, kept everyone at the table quite entertained. Will was just thrilled that mommy and Landon were there.

Each child had made a place mat to eat on and a Pilgrim or Indian costume that they wore all day. It was so cute!!!!

These are Will's two favorite buddies. Jayden is on the right and Herbert is on the left. (Herbert lives two houses up from us.) After lunch the kindergarten classes had a Turkey Trot Parade. Each child was holding a paper bag turkey that they had to make as a family project. It was fun to see them showing off their creative turkeys.

MORE ABOUT THIS FAMILY PROJECT........

Will has to do a family project each month. This month he brought home a brown paper grocery bag with instructions that said "stuff the bag with newspaper, gather the top of the bag for the turkeys neck and head and then decorate it however you want to make it look like a turkey." Mommy and daddy could not picture what this turkey was suppose to look like, but with some creativity from the three of us and reading the what seems to be simple instructions over and over, we (mommy, daddy and Will) created a pretty cute turkey. Will's favorite part was cutting out and painting the feathers.

We're a little nervous as to what the family project will be in December as they seem to be getting harder each month.

Potty time with the guitar

Landon has been doing amazing with his potty training. Every now and again he will have an accident, but it's not real often. He wears big boy under pants all the time now, even at night. Yaaaaa... no more diapers!! He still likes to use his little potty seat, but whatever works.

Landon loves to play his guitar and he likes it so much that he has to take it to the potty with him. It's hilarious to watch. Like we said in a previous blog, Landon is going to be a rock star when he grows up.

Landon is entertaining his cars and Thomas the Train while he is going potty.

Mornings around our house

Most weekday mornings around our house are a little crazy. We (mommy and daddy) are not morning people, so we are usually rushing around trying to get Will ready for school (dressed, breakfast, and lunch packed) and Chad getting ready for work. Usually the boys are running around the house chasing each other and basically just being little boys.

Usually when the boys wake up before us they come in our room and wake us up, but not this morning. We found both of them sitting in this chair and Will was reading Landon a book. Landon loves to be read to and actually it is the only way he will sit still for more than 2 minutes, which is GREAT. After they saw us, the craziness began. It was sweet while it lasted!!

Space Shuttle

Tonight on the way home from Will's soccer practice we were listening to the radio and they started talking about the Space Shuttle that just took off from Cape Canaveral, which is only about 30 minutes from where we live. We looked into the sky to see if we might possibly see it and low and behold there it was shooting up into the sky over the full moon. After a couple minutes all you could see was a bright light in the sky, which at that point looked like an airplane. When we first saw it, we knew right off it was the space shuttle because it had fire shooting out the back. It was definitely a sight to see and something we will always remember. We were in awe the rest of the way home, saying "can you believe what we just saw". Sometimes we ask ourselves why we are living in Orlando, but when we get to go to the most "Magical" place in the world (Disney World) and then see a Space Shuttle in the sky as you are driving down the road, it's not so bad.

Football Game

Will must have had a GREAT time at the football game that Chad took him to last Saturday at UCF because everything this week has been about football. He dresses up like a football player (Carolina Tarheel of course), draws football pictures and he told us when he grows up he wants to be a football player.

Chad was off work yesterday for Veterans day. It was so nice having him home during the week. We have all been sick for the past two weeks so we haven't really done a whole lot of playing outside. Chad told Will when he got home from school that they would play football. Will was so excited. Here is the football game that went on in our backyard. Will dressed as a Carolina Tarheel and he put a white shirt on Landon so he could be the white team.

Drummer Boy

We've decided that Landon is going to be a rock star when he grows up. He loves to dance and play musical instruments, especially the guitar and anything to beat for a drum.

Landon loves to empty the toys out of his toy organizer to make a drum set. He has to at least have two boxes. One for the seat and one to beat on. Right before he starts beating he says "one, two and a one, two, three, four". So cute!!!

Will and Daddy's Day Out

Today was a big day for Will and Daddy. On Friday afternoon, Daddy found out he had two free tickets to the UCF football game on Saturday, so no planning and the two were off for a big adventure. Daddy was scheduled to work tailgating before the game so the day started early. Will followed Daddy around for most of the morning and helped him make sure none of the "big kids" were misbehaving. Luckily that part of the day went by quickly, and the pair were off to Will's first college football game by mid-afternoon. The seats were free so of course they were at the top of the stadium. Honestly, it was almost better because at the top of the stadium the two pretty much had the whole row to themselves. As is the case with Will most of the time, he didn't have a lot to say, but he was pretty clear about when and of what Daddy should be taking pictures, so I guess that means he liked some of it. The teams weren't really that important, but Will decided he was pulling for the Gold team (luckily that was UCF). The outcome of the game didn't put a damper on the day, but if you are wondering, UCF lost 17 to 6.

Mid-way thru the third quarter, Will heard the P.A announcer mention something about a basketball game, so of course he was intrigued. Daddy found out UCF Men's basketball team was having their intersquad scrimmage, "postgame madness" they were calling it. It was free and on the way back to the car so Daddy agreed. At the end of the football game the two were off to the arena for another sporting adventure. This time the seats were first come first serve so we got a lot closer to the action, until some tall and very fat man chose the seats directly in front of the very short and very skinny Will so we decided to move up to secure a better view. We stayed and watched about 15 minutes of the action, and decided it was time to head home. Will was asleep before we arrived home, and Daddy was not far behind. This was truely a special day!

Will inside Brighthouse Stadium (UCF Football Stadium)
He said he had a good time, but this look says not, haha... Actually he was a little terrified of heights, which is understandable.

The Basketball Arena, after moving away from the large man.

The serious sports fan!

Happy Halloween!!

After a long time of waiting, one of Will's favorite holidays was finally here. This week was a really busy week and Will also had a really bad cold and didn't feel well, but that wasn't going to stop him from his big day. Mommy was starting to come down with Will's cold, but she had to find some energy to make this a special day for the boys. The morning started out with Pumpkin Day at Will's school, which there is more about that below. As soon as we had dinner and it started getting dark (probably around 7:00pm) the boys put their costumes on and out the door we went to trick or treat in our neighborhood. We were a little worried that Landon wouldn't keep his costume on, but he did and he even kept the hat on the whole time. We think that Landon thought he had to keep his hat on to get candy. Whatever works!! This was the first year that Chad has not been out of town for work on Halloween, which was nice. Our neighborhood really went all out for Halloween. A lot of the homes were decorated with lights and blow ups and everyone was so nice. We only went down one street, which isn't even 1/4 of the neighborhood, but that was enough for the boys and they got more than enough candy. Landon ate lollipops (probably 4 or 5) the entire time the boys were trick or treating. He would have the lollipop in one hand and his candy bucket in the other. Sometimes he would try to hold his orange flash light too. It was so cute and he was as happy as could be. Will was just on cloud nine that his favorite holiday was here. He was the leader and told us which houses to stop at (the one's with the lights on), which was just about every one.

Landon was Thomas the Train and Will was Spiderman. Here we are getting ready to head out the door.

This is all the candy they got. It doesn't look like much from this picture, but trust us it is plenty. We'll be eating on it for weeks.

Here is Landon trying to put two lollipops in his mouth. He was in heaven.

Two tired boys!!

This picture was taken after the boys ate some candy and danced around a little bit. Landon found a little pouch in his costume to put his juice in.

We hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween. We missed trick or treating with all of our family this year, but thank you for all the special treats that you mailed to us.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Pumpkin Day

On Friday at Will's school was Pumpkin Day. All the kids got to dress up as their favorite story book character. Mommy got to go and help in his class that morning with crafts and then at the end of the day they had a parade outside. Mommy loved spending time with Will in his class and she also stayed and had lunch with him in the cafeteria - yummy!! Will was so excited that mommy was there.

Will dressed up as Curious George - one of his favorite books. Mrs. Winemiller (Will's teacher) read Will's Curious George book to the class.

Mommy was in charge of the snack table. The kids got to decorate a cookie with icing and sprinkes. The kids were so happy at mommy's table.
Here is Will walking in the parade with his class. He was such a cute monkey.

Nap Time With Daddy

How sweet!!! This never happens. Will rarely takes a nap during the day anymore unless he doesn't feel well and actually when he woke up he had a fever. I hope whatever he is fighting off will be gone before Friday. Will has been looking forward to Halloween since his birthday (April). That's a long time for a 5 year old.

Mommy's three favorite boys!!

Big Boy

Landon put on daddy's shoes and it was so funny to watch him try and walk in them. For once he couldn't run and actually ended up falling down.

Big Helpers

Tonight while mommy was cooking dinner the boys decided to help by cleaning the dishes in the sink. They had a big time and really didn't make that big of a mess, which was surprising with two boys and water.

Say Cheese!!!

Sometimes the boys can be so sweet to each other and then other times they fight like cats and dogs. Today was a good day. Maybe it's the new hair cuts.

Awwww..... They are so darn cute!!

The boys don't have shirts on because they just ate a popsicle outside. It is still warm enough here in Florida to do that.

The boy's new hair cut

Today we took the boy's to a new place to get their hair cut. You never know what you are going to come out looking like when you go to a new place and especially when the hair stylist doesn't speak very good English. Landon hates to get his hair cut and his hair grows really fast. We did want his hair shorter so we wouldn't have to take him back in two weeks, but not quite as short as it turned out. He also has a cow-lick on one side and his hair does not grow there, which makes longer hair on him a challenge. When it all falls down in front it looks uneven and you can forget trying to keep it pushed over to one side as bouncy as this child is. His hair cut did turn out cute! The good news is that it will grow back and probably pretty quickly. Now for Will, he no longer has a bowl cut, which you can't really tell from the picture, but it is cute. It's definitely not as short as Landon's hair.

You can definitely see Landon's mischevious face a little better now.

Will looks very handsome and so grown up.

Date Night at Epcot

Last night we (Chad and Dottie) went on a date to the International Wine and Food Festival at Epcot. This Festival happens every year at Epcot and lasts at least a month. It's a great way to sample food and wine from around the world and hear some popular musical artists. This was the first time since we left Asheville that we've done something fun with just the two of us. It rained all day, so we almost cancelled our date, but we decided to just go for it. It rained the whole way over to Epcot and than when we arrived it started clearing up. Once we got to Epcot we only had about 2 hours to get through almost 30 countries. We skipped over the first few trying to orient ourselves as to what was there, but once we got to Japan, we knew exactly what to do, order SUSHI!! Next we stopped in San Francisco and had a California Wine and Beef Medallions.... hummy!!! The food was probably the best in San Francisco. Next we went to Ireland for A LOT OF CHEESE. We actually couldn't quite finish it all, but what we had was really good. Next up was Italy, Chianti is our friend. After this stop the rest of the night was smooth sailing. We continued our tour of the world to China and Spain and then decided we had a little more time to make a second loop to some of the countries we had missed. First up was France for some chocolate and Fantastic Merlot. Next we stopped in Morocco for some Baklava. As with any good date the night ended in Italy with another Chianti and some "Fireworks". Then we drove home to two sleeping boys, which was "Fireworks" in its own special way. What more could you ask for.... alone time with your spouse, wine, food, live music, fireworks.......it was a perfect night.

A Day At Animal Kingdom

Today we took the boys to Animal Kingdom. Mommy had been several years ago when it first opened, but this was the first time for daddy, Will and Landon. Animal Kingdom is so different from the other parks at Disney World. It's really like a zoo. The highlights of the day was the train ride to the petting zoo, riding a safari through the jungle, that was so cool, and we saw the Finding Nemo Musical, which was amazing. The show lasted about 45 minutes, which included music and dancing. The props and costumes were unbelievable. The boys did great and had a blast as always.

Landon at Gymboree

Landon has been going to a play and music class at the Gymboree every Wednesday for an hour while Will is at school. It is great for Landon and mommy to spend this special time together. It's also a good time for Landon to let out some of his energy and for him to be around other children his age. Landon has a blast and is always worn out when it's time to go. This is probably no surprise to most of you, but Landon is the center of attention most of the time or at least the first half of the class until he starts getting tired. He will do things and the other children will follow him even when they are suppose to be listening to the teacher and doing something else. I guess whatever Landon is doing is more exciting or maybe he is just so loud that everyone just follows him. He is quite the fire ball and definitely not shy. When Will was Landon's age, we put him in a similar type class because he was so shy, but for Landon it's the opposite. It's amazing how different the boys are.

Landon loves this trampoline!! If you know Landon, you can understand that this is perfect for him. In this picture he is jumping up and down saying ew-ew-ah-ah (the sound of a monkey), which was very fitting for the shirt he is wearing. Of course he always acts like a monkey and is always bouncing and jumping up and down.