M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

We're taking a few days to escape everyday life and enjoy a little time in the place where dreams really do come true (I know this because Minnie Mouse said so earlier today).  I actually started this post yesterday.  After falling asleep 3 times while trying to format the photos, I gave up. So, this is day 1. Please stay tuned for day 2 and all of the princess photos!  And did I mention that Kate's going to be finding pixie dust in her hair until she's 20?

You'll never guess who was waiting right inside the front gate for us! Snow White!! (in case you weren't aware, she's Kate's favorite princess)

And we saw our first parade within the first 15 minutes.

This show was a HUGE hit. K loved every minute. You probably can't tell why by looking at this photo.



What trip to Disney is complete without riding Dumbo?

Or Prince Charming's Carousel?

Or the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups, for heaven's sake!

We even met Tinkerbell. Turns out she's much larger in real life.  This girl really played the part well. She was hy-per.

For dinner we dined with a few familiar faces:  

Goofy.

Mickey.

And, of course, Minnie Mouse.

And the best ending to every day.... Dessert!

Hey Look!

 When I'm attempting to take the kids' pictures, I probably say "Hey! Look at me!" no less than 50 times.  Like Tuesday.  No luck.

 It went something like this:

Hey Mason! Look at that Dog!

Mason spots the dog.

 

Mom, you're in the way.

There he goes!

Sisterly Love

I think Kate has finally realized that Mason isn't going anywhere. He's here to stay. 

This week has been filled with a lot of whining, crying, pushing, shoving, and grouching.

But I think there's been some kind of truce.

This afternoon she wanted to hold him, have her picture taken with him, kiss him.

And Mason couldn't be happier. He does, afterall, LOVE his big sister.

Oh. My. Heavenly Stars. This boy is too snuggly and adorable. And did I mention that he now owns more cashmere than I do?

Game Day Pick'em

Before you hear Kate's pick for tonight's big game, let me share a few pre-game thoughts.  Columbia is a hard place to live when you're a tiger fan.  People treat you like you have Leprosy (or worse), kids shove you, Grandmas flip you off.  It's a hard life, and, quite frankly, I'd be ok if the Gamecocks never won another game. Of anything.  I know, that's horrible, but it's where I am.  I still maintain that I will not teach my kids to hate USC or boo them (they'll figure that out on their own), but I also realized earlier this year that to completely ignore that other team is to risk having a Gamecock fan in my house. And nothing made that more evident than when we went to pick up a pizza and she spotted the life-sized Cocky on the wall and said "Mommy!! Look!! It's Cocky!"  Yeah, still don't know who taught her that one.  So... this season we've tried to talk a little more about the Tigers (not against the Gamecocks).  We took Kate to Clemson and we've been teaching Mason C-L-E-M in Cadence Count.  And then there was the imminent question: "Mommy? What's a Gamecock?" Well, we told the truth. May have stretched it just a tad. :)

So here's Kate's pick for tonight's game. Go Tigers!

Thanksgiving - Take Two!

Today we travelled up the road to Hartsville to see the other set of grandparents. What a fun time!

Patting Mason on the head.

Wheelbarrow cutie.

Soccer with Grandaddy.

Pretty girl.

So much for serious photos...

Mason.

Guess who's reaching for everything? Grabbing that plant was way more exciting than looking at the camera.

Thankfulness... Day 4

Ok, so technically it's day 5, but I've been busy sleeping off that turkey for the last few hours.  And then I had to see the end of the Texas-A&M game (sorry Dickersons - was pulling for the Aggies).

It was a good Thanksgiving Day.  Things I'm thankful for:

This family (all of whom are looking at the camera, what!?!):

Friends.
Bacon and Pancakes (kicked off our day).
Late night movies after the kids go to bed.
Cashua coffee fresh out of the press.
Sunny days for swinging:

College football.
Mom's cooking.
Four days off of work.
Online Black Friday shopping.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thankfulness... Day 3

Today we are most thankful for our fabulous parents who, it turns out, are even more fabulous grandparents!

We are so very, Very, VERY lucky that Kate and Mason stay with Nan (and Pop when it isn't hunting season) while we go to work.  Nothing like having a retired school teacher look after your kiddos. She is always teaching them new things, new words, letters, numbers, colors, and all kinds of fun stuff. If she can have patience with a roomful of 8 year olds for 40 years, our two angels are a piece of cake.  Nan has also been known to be pretty darn fun, like when she crawled up in the playhouse last weekend and even went down the slide. "I love you too much!" Kate says.

Pop is Kate's partner in crime. I think if Pop were in charge, they'd eat chocolate at every meal. Pop might very well be the most patient of all of the grandparents because Kate plays with him NON stop when he is around.  He also is kind enough to keep an eye on her princesses while she goes to school. They do awesome stuff like play in the boat, swing, and walk around the house.

Grandma is well known for all of the fun stuff she sends through the mail: cards, stickers, and a book full of princess figurines that Kate has carried around since she injured her foot in August.  Kate is always VERY excited when Grandma comes to visit. Will she read me books? Will she play princesses? Yes and Yes! She also plays a mean game of Easter Egg hunt.

And Grandma and Grandaddy? Well, don't think for a second that they are ever forgotten because they live 1.5 hrs away. When we say prayers at night, I always throw some out there to prompt Kate. Me: "Thank you God for Nan and Pop..." Kate: "And Grandma and Grandaddy!"  Grandaddy is a fine builder of swing sets, if you remember.  I think every time he was in close proximity on the last trip, she was trying to hug him. She would also show him every toy in the house, given the opportunity.

So thanks Mom and Dad and Mom and Dad - you guys are the greatest! Thank God for all of you!!! And thanks for loving all of us so selflessly!

A Kid and a Dog

Turns out a kid and a dog are easier to photograph than two kids.

Maybe you can't tell Foster is Kate's best friend.  If she could get a princess crown to stay on him, I think he'd be wearing one in this picture.

And when neither is looking at the camera? Still darn cute.

Thankfulness... Day 2

Today I'm thankful for this:

Screaming children? Yup! I'm so very thankful for screaming children. See, these two screaming children are, as far as we can tell, healthy and capable of screaming up a storm.  Not to mention the fact that some people long for a screaming baby - either one that they lost or one that they can't have. Which brings us to what I am actually thankful for today - our good health.  Don tries to pull us down with his kidney stones, trips to the ER, and breaking of a perfectly healthy kid's foot, but even he is toeing the line currently.

Kidding, of course. We are all in a relatively good state of health (since we appear to have survived the first cold of the season). Not just the 4 of us, but our families as well. Now we are old enough to appreciate that it can all change at the drop of a hat, so today we are thankful.

Thankfulness... Day 1

There are people out there, and maybe you are one of them, who are able to find the time to blog about a different thing they are thankful for for each day of the month of November.  I'm not one of those. I think it's a fabulous idea, but I'm also pretty pragmatic and realize I could never make it through the entire month. What I decided that I could do is be thankful for one thing each day of this week. So, without further adieu, I bring you thankfulness... day 1.

On the first day of thankfulness, I'm very thankful for:

A pair of red-heads sitting on a bench. 

Sorry, but that was best photo I could get. At least one of them is kind of looking at the camera.  I thought getting one kid to sit still and look at the camera was tough. Two? Forget about it!

Because if Mason's not in motion, Kate is.

And if Kate is semi-still, Mason's not.

Or they're both looking at the dog. Seriously. The plan was for me to take my own Christmas card pictures, but after yesterday, I'm having doubts.



If you are patient enough, once in a while you get a shot like this - even if neither are looking at the camera.

Now one kid at a time? That I can handle.

And I just LOVE that M can sit on his own now.  Here he is hunting the tape measure.

Almost.... Got it!

Swing Set!

We love to go to the park, but with the short days, we don't often make it. So.... we brought the park to us!

Daddy started early, convinced this wasn't going to take long. Everyone I talked to said it took them "all weekend." But they didn't have a mechanical engineer putting theirs together... right?

Here's Mason getting ready for the big swing set assembly.

And Kate, trying out the slide. Please notice that Don is wearing a hat, gloves, and PANTS!  Maybe you remember our snow pics of him in shorts. It was darn cold on this day. Pants are a testament to that.

Grandaddy and Grandma came.  Surely with two mechanically minded guys, this thing should take 3 hours, tops. Yes?

Kate made periodic progress checks.

And Mason hung out inside with Grandma where it was nice and warm.

LOVES that Grandaddy. 

Took some acrobatics on Don's part.

 

Almost there!!

And finally it was ready for some play time.  Big hit!

So it took a few more hours than planned, but was worth the smiles. It also takes up a large portion of our back yard.



Windows!

And then we celebrated with marshmallows over the fire pit.