happy birthday ky & kade!

Today my babies turn four. I say this every year, but I can't believe that they are four years old already.

Kade & Ky: I love you so much! You are such awesome little boys. I know I tell you this a lot, but I want you to know I mean it: I love being your mom, and I feel so lucky that Heavenly Father sent you to me.

Tonight we are going bowling and out to eat. Saturday some of their friends are coming over for a superhero party. Should be lots of fun!

visit with santa!

This year the boys have been so excited to see Santa. They even made their own wish lists, complete with drawings. Ky asked for a Swim To Me Puppy (this is what happens when they see network television on Saturday morning, and the commercials must be awesome!), and Gator Golf. Kade wants a football passing game, and Gator Golf.

random pics

I've gotten so behind on my blog. Between my old computer crashing, our trip to Florida followed by a great visit from my mom, and trying to get ready for Christmas, I just haven't had enough time. So, here's a bunch of random pictures from the past several months to let you know what's been going on around here.

October was a very rainy month, and I just kept putting off taking the boys to a pumpkin patch in hopes that we would finally have a dry day. A few days before Halloween, I decided to take the boys even if it was rainy. So, the boys and I went with grandma Denni, Great Grandma Dot, Great Grandpa Bob, and Sadie to look for pumpkins. The problem was, by that time, and with all the rain, all the pumpkins were mushy and rotten. So we picked some apples instead, and bought pumpkins somewhere else.

A few days after we got back from Florida, my mom came for a visit. It was so nice to have her here. The boys love playing with her, and all the extra attention. I loved having another female in the house, and having someone to go see the New Moon midnight showing with. (Loved it by the way!) We miss her already!

My mom always has puppets to play with and the boys know it. They love playing puppets with grandma!

While she was here, we all went to the holiday parade here in town. It was only pleasantly cold, not ridiculously freezing like last year, and we all had a great time!

We took my mom to the train museum while she was here and had a fun day!

My mom stayed through Thanksgiving, and it was such a treat to have her here. She made all the best Thanksgiving food, and helped so much that day. Plus, it was nice for her and Bart's family to see each other.

While Bret and Charise were here for Thanksgiving, we decided to do a photo shoot of my nephew, Cooper, who just turned one. Here are some of my favorites!

The first snowstorm we got here brought 13 inches of snow. Bart and the boys had fun playing in it. There was so much that the piles along the side of the driveway from shoveling were big enough for the boys to sled on. They thought that was the best!

florida trip: final day

Our last day in Florida, we said goodbye to the Whites, and headed to the mall to look for a few more Gator souvenirs before we headed back to Tampa. We let the boys play at the "Swamp" play area at the mall, and it brought back so many memories from when they were little and played there all the time.

Now

Then. Cute, huh?

When we got back to Tampa, we went to visit some more friends, Sarah and R.J. They were kind enough to let us stay the night and took such good care of us while we were there. We spent much of that evening watching football and visiting. It was nice to do something relaxing at the end of such a long, fun trip.

I'm so glad we were able to take a family trip to Florida. It was so much fun, and I hope we created some lasting memories as a family!

florida trip: day six

Friday we went up to Gainesville for the day. It felt like it had been a really long time since we had lived there, but it was so fun to visit. We went to campus and ran around inside the stadium. The boys are such huge Gator fans, they were in heaven.

We may or may not have let them run for a touchdown on the field

Later that evening, we went to see our friends, the Whites, who were kind enough to let us stay there that night. It was so good to see them and meet their baby. We had a great time catching up, eating a delicious dinner with them and some other friends, the Lowrys, and relaxing. The boys had a great time with Hunter, and loved his little four-wheeler, even after Ky drove it under the trampoline, clothes-lining himself on the side. Thanks Steve and Alicia for making us feel so welcome! We had a blast!

after a long day at disney

Everyone shows cute pictures of their kids after a full day at Disney World, sleeping in their stroller, car seat, etc. My boys apparently don't know that's how they are supposed to be after a full day at Disney World. Check it out.

Translation: They are saying, "No pictures, no pictures!"

florida trip: day six

Thursday we went to Disney's Hollywood Studios to play. We were super excited to try the new Toy Story Mania ride, which was amazing! The weather was a bit chilly, but we still had a great time, and we were able to see and do so much.

Highlights of the day:
~ Toy Story Mania ride
~ Meeting Mickey Mouse
~ Car stunt show
~ for me: Aerosmith's Rocking Roller coaster. I think this might be my favorite roller coaster ever!
~ The American Idol experience. The stage looks just like the real American Idol stage, and I think my boys thought they were really at American Idol. I was surprised how much they loved this one!
~ The parade


I was sad leaving the park, knowing that it will probably be a long time before I get to go to Disney World again, but we had three amazing days, so I can't complain!

During the parade, the boys went out and danced with this guy. Ky got bored quickly, but Kade just kept dancing. It was so cute to watch, and he was having a great time performing for everyone watching. I wonder where he gets that from.

Mr. Potato head tells jokes to entertain everyone waiting in line for the Toy Story Mania ride. Which is a good thing, because at times it was a very long line. Thank goodness for Fastpass!

florida trip: day five

Wednesday was Magic Kingdom day! What a great day we had. It was weird to be at the Magic Kingdom when no one tried to give us anything, and we had to wait in line like everyone else. See here if you don't know what I'm referring to. I don't really know what to say about the day, other than it was amazing. I loved spending the day there with my three favorite people, and watching the boys' excitement over everything was priceless.

Ky watching the parade. I love to see my boys this excited!

Getting a hug from Woody was definitely a highlight of the day!

Kade was such a crazy driver!

I love the way they light up the castle for Christmas!

florida trip: day four

Tuesday we drove to Orlando and went to Disney World! Bart wanted to go to EPCOT, so that's what we did for our first Disney day. Of course the first thing Bart and I did was get our Fastpasses for Soarin', which is such an amazing ride. Ky got scared the first ride we went on, and every ride after that he got really nervous in line, asking what the ride was going to be like, and it took quite a lot to convince him that things weren't going to be scary. There weren't a ton of things to keep the boys' interest, but it was fun for me to see parts of EPCOT that I have never seen, even though I have been there several times before. What a great first day of Disney we had!

florida trip: day three

Monday was our beach day. Unfortunately, it was also the most windy day we had in Florida. But, we went anyway. We decided to go to Siesta Key because it is our favorite beach and worth the extra drive. We all love the beach and would have stayed there all day if it hadn't been too windy, but after a couple of hours of splashing in the waves, building sand castles, writing our names in the sand and relaxing, our towels were completely buried by the blowing sand so we decided to call it a day. We took the long way home, admiring the amazing homes right along the coast and talking about what it was like to live in Florida for those two years.