Disney Day Two: The Magic Kingdom

So,I am finally getting around to blogging about the rest of our trip to Disney.  I am a terrible blogger! 

Anyway, last Saturday we went to the Magic Kingdom.  As you can see from the pictures it was very cold!  Grant and Erin both got to pick out a set of ears and we had their names put on the back.  They were so excited! 

Erin snuggled up with her blanket and pink ears!

The most imprtant stop was Mickey's house!!! 

Grant patiently waited in line to see the big guy himself!  The lady at the ticket window gave Grant and Erin buttons that said "1st Visit!"  Grant wore his the whole time!

Here it is the moment Grant has been waiting all his life for!

I am not sure he knew what to do.

A hug from Mickey!!!!!

We had a great time, despite the cold weather.  We are looking forward to going back soon!

Disney Day One-Hollywood Studios

We are here in Orlando this weekend.  We decided to take a little family trip to see Mickey.  This is Grant and Erin's trip to Disney World and they have been so excited!  The trip is a result of some hard work in the potty training trennches!  Yay!  No more diapers!  Erin too, but  have been putting her in pull-ups when we are out and about because she is afraid of public restrooms.  I can't even get her to go at church. The girl can hold it a very long time!  She never even wets the pull-up, but it's a just in case thing.  (If anyone has any tips on alleviating the fear of public restrooms let me know!)

We took advantage of the Florida residents deal that Disney is offering right now.  You get 4 days for $99 and we don't have to use them all at one time.  We plan on coming back in April or May when it's warmer!  Ha!   Living here in Florida, you never know what the weather might be from day to day and when we planned this trip we had no idea that the weather was going to be this bad.  When we woke up this morning we decided to go to Hollywood Studios today because we knew the rain was coming and there wasn't as much for us to do there.  We will go to the Magic Kingdom tomorrow when the sun is out!

Grant and Erin meeting Minnie

You can't tell from the picture, but Erin was really excited about meeting Minnie.  She gave her a hug and eskimo kiss, but I wasn't quick enough to catch it!

Erin saw Buzz and Woody...Grant, out going one, was not so sure!  We rode the Toy Story Mania ride!  It was Grant and Erin's first ride ever and they loved it!  (Idid too!)



We saw Playhouse Disney Live, which I think was Grant's favorite part of the trip.  Followed by the playground at Honey, I Shrunk the Kids!  After lunch, we decided to head back to the hotel.  Lots of cold, cold, rain.  It did not seem to bother the kids.  Grant's shoes and pants were soaked by the time we made to the car from jumping in the puddles!

Both kids went straight to sleep when arrived basck at the hotel.  It's still raining here.  We are trying to plan our evening...probably some Downtown Disney and dinner!

Erin's Birthday Party Invitations

Erin's birthday is approaching quickly!  She is having a Minnie Mouse birthday party this year.  I need a photo for her invitations so I attempted some this morning.  Ideally, I would have like to have shot these in the afternoon light, but I was afraid that it would interfere with naptime/dinner preparations.  These were the best I could get.  It's funny that these kids have grown up with a camera in the face all the time and still want stop and smile for pictures.  I always have to get actions shots!

Now all I have to do is pick one!

Oh How I Miss....

...those rolls!

How quickly they grow up!

Homemade Dog Treats

A few years ago, when Hunter, our lab, was our only child, I used to make him home made treats.  I decided to get Grant to help me bake Hunter some bones today!  For those of you who don't know, Grant, LOVES dogs and all things pertaining to them.  My parents brought him some Scooby snacks to church yesterday.  (They are graham cracker cookies in the shape of dog bones)  He loved them, but Erin was disgusted.  She kept looking at him with a look of disgust repeatedly saying, "Yuck!"  I guess she thought they were real.  She wouldn't even give them a try.

For Peanut Butter Puppy Poppers you need:

 

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1tbs baking powder
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup milk

Mix the flour and baking powder.  Add peanut butter and milk to form a dough.  Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface.  Then roll dough to about 1/4 inch thick.  Then use a cookie cutter to cut your treats!  Bake on a greased baking sheet at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Cool and let your pup enjoy!  (in moderation, of course!)

Erin is feeling a little under the weather again!  Poor girl is sick more than any child I know!  She sat out on the bone baking process.  (She refused to put any clothes on today, she was burning up with fever)   Grant is my right hand man in the kitchen.  I enjoy letting him help me cook and bake.  It makes for some good bonding time!

Hunter was happy that we made him some treats! 

Cabin Fever

See this? This is our fireplace. We have lived in this house for six years and have never used the fireplace until now! We have been having unseasonably cold weather here. This weekend the temperate never got above 36 degrees and the low at our house this morning reached 17 degrees!!! I know that someone is reading this that lives up north and is laughing at me right now, but it's been pretty cold down here in the sunshine state! We woke up Sunday morning to find that our pump had frozen, even though we had left the faucet running. That meant no water! So, we packed up the kids, and all the stuff we needed to get ready for church and headed to my parent's house. Stephen made it to Sunday school and I was able to get to church in time for worship services. Thank goodness for my parents! Grant was ready to go with Stephen, but was all out of sorts yesterday morning. He thrives on routine, and we completely messed his day up. He cried all morning!


By the way, Grant is doing great with potty training! Yay! I thought the day would never come. Seriously, I was really starting to worry!



Due to the freezing temperatures, and lack of appropriate wardrobe to endure them, we have been staying inside. It's getting pretty old! This is the constant state of the house. At first, I was trying to pick things up, but as soon as I turned around they would be back out. So, for now, I have resigned myself to this.

Grant and Erin playing in a pile of blankets and pillows on the floor.

Homey, isn't it?

Around Our House

It's cold and rainy here today! We have been cooped up inside most of the week. Grant seems to have finally decided to become a big boy and use the potty. It took some persuasion form us! Erin has been almost potty trained for months and now that Grant is on board I think it will be a matter of weeks and the whole house will be potty trained!!! Yea!!!!!!!!!! No more diapers!

How'd we do it? Well, Grant has proven himself to be very, very strong willed!!! He gets it honestly! I didn't think the kid would ever give up his diapers, but after an unfortunate event, which occurred during his nap time on New Year's Eve, involving about a dozen matchbox cars and a dirty diaper, I was fed up! We threw away said toys that were shall we say "contaminated" and basically took away all of his toys. We made a deal with him. If he wore underware and used the potty he got a toy back. If he wore a baby diaper he lost the toy. We got off to a rocky start this weekend and I didn't think it was going to work, but by Wednesday he decided to go along with our plan. I even took him to his doctor's appointment and the Bible study wearing underware with no accidents! I knew he could do it! He just had to make up his own mind!

We have been telling Grant for months that when he is potty trained we would take him to Disney World. So, it looks like we will be keeping our end of the bargain. Hopefully, before the end of March. I would like to go in the cooler months before the park get too crowded. I think I am just as excited about seeing Mickey as he is!

Our Trip to the Zoo

The day after Christmas we spent the day at the Jacksonville Zoo with my parents and "the cousins," as Grant collectively calls them, James, Anna, and Luke.

James had to wrestle the alligator. He told me that if he doesn't become a professional athlete he is going to work at the zoo.

A family effort

The giraffe exhibit allows you to feed the giraffes.

Luke really wanted to feed them, but he wasn't so sure!

Erin wanted a turn too! (Grant not the least bit interested)

Luke playing around on the giant elephant statue

James

Grant preferred to check out the water in the fountain or the exhibits. I remember last year when we went to the zoo he was really into the water.

Checking out the Giant Pacu at the Range of the Jaguar

Anna is such a big help to us! She carried/walked Erin around all day. She has always loved babies and I know she is going to grow up to be the best mommy one day.

See what I mean! So sweet!

The cousins: Luke, James, Erin, and Anna

"Monkey-ing" around on the Great Ape

Luke's impersonation of the gorilla! This kid is hilarious! (and he knows it)

Waiting on the train. Grant's favorite part of our trip. The boy LOVES trains!

James climbing the rock wall in the play area. I asked him if he was having a good time. He replied, "I live for this kind of stuff!" I think that was a yes!

The Wakefield kids take on the Komodo Dragon

The play area was a hit! The kids had a blast climbing and sliding. We had to pry them away from it! This was under construction when Stephen was working at the zoo. They did a great job with it, and I want to take the kids back this summer so they can play in the splash zone!