Monday, December 26, 2011

Christmas 2011




We had a wonderful Christmas! The boys helped a bunch on baking day and then also helped with the preparations for Christmas Eve dinner. Lucas helped me set the table and was very excited for "his guests to arrive." We enjoyed spending time with our families to celebrate the holiday. The boys thoroughly enjoyed giving and receiving their gifts! On Saturday morning, we exchanged gifts just the 4 of us. On Saturday evening, we hosted Christmas Eve with the Rudolph Family. On Christmas morning, we awoke to find our cookies, milk, and carrot all gone and our stockings were filled and presents were left under the tree by Santa. On Sunday evening, we had Christmas dinner with the Embrey Family. We enjoyed our first Christmas with Abigail and were extra thankful for Granny's presence this year as well.

I posted a slide show with more pictures, enjoy and Merry Christmas one and all!

Monday, December 19, 2011

First Trip to Disney

The first thing we did was meet Mickey and Minnie!Family Photo at Christmas party with Santa




Family Photo with Handy Manny

Boys passed out after a day in Magic Kingdom. We actually loaded them up after this and took them to Epcot for dinner and they did great!




Last week we spent 7 days in Walt Disney World Resort on the boys first trip to the magical place. The trip was filled with firsts for the boys. It was their first flight, first limo ride, first visit to a theme park, first parade, Lucas's first real roller coaster ride, Adam's first live performance, both boys first 3D experience, first boat ride, first train ride, and first bus ride. It was also our first vacation without Paps and Grandma Kay, but we cheated and went with our friends Shawn and Krissy Byrley. We had a fantastic time! The boys loved it all and we wore them out each day.

Lucas was just all enough to ride some big boy rides with Mom and Dad and we confirmed that he enjoys thrill rides. He rode Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Soarin, Star Tours, and Dinosaur. His favorites were Big Thunder Mountain and Star Tours. He also loved the live performances and anything 3D. He didn't like being told he had to go do something and to go now, which caused him some frustration, but such is life. Lucas was lucky enough to get to be apart of the Monsters, Inc. comedy show. He clearly stated his name and age in the microphone and told the monster he was from Indiana.

Adam enjoyed the slower paced rides including Astro Orbiter, Dumbo, Alladin's Magic Carpet Ride, and Buzz Lightyear. He also really enjoyed Disney Jr. Live on Stage in which he got to see his favorite characters on stage. Adam liked seeing the characters and got lots of autographs. He was a little afraid of a few of them but for the most part he gave them all hugs and kisses. Adam also enjoyed seeing the animals outside our room and in the Animal Kingdom. He felt that every species should have a Mommy, Daddy, and baby all together for him to see.

We had the special privilege of being able to attend Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party one evening and it was a near perfect evening. We let the boys take it easy during the day so that they would be ready to party. We kept them in the park until midnight and we all had a blast together. We watched the parade, fireworks, and shows. We ate cookies and drank hot cocoa. We rode lots of rides and talked with Santa.

We are very thankful that the Byrley's were so generous in inviting us to join them in Disney World. They were wonderful hosts and their experience and advice was very helpful. Thank you, Shawn and Krissy!!!!

Our first trip to Disney was a huge success and lots of memories were made. The boys are already asking when they can go again and our bags are not even unpacked. I didn't post many pictures with this posting because I uploaded almost all of them to the slide show in the upper left hand corner. Enjoy!!

Sunday, December 04, 2011

Abi's Baptism



We celebrated a very special occasion today, Abigail Darlene's baptism. Andy and I have the honor of being her godparents. Abi looked beautiful in her gown, although I think she was a little bothered by the bonnet. The gown and bonnet have special significance, because they are trimmed in the lace from Grandma Patty's wedding dress which is embellished with pearls, hand sewn on by Great Grandma Carolyn Will. This gown had the loving touch of several strong, faithful woman who were looking down from heaven with love and pride today. Abi did great and didn't even make a peep when they poured the water over her head. She also enjoyed a little party in her honor afterwards. What a blessing this little girl is to our lives!