Polar Plunge...

Our south Florida new year was filled with lots of fun times with the Srigleys. Aside from the day we spent at Kennedy Space Center, we spent time hanging out at the house, watching college football, playing at the park and even had our own idea of the Polar Plunge on New Year’s Eve. Every visit with them is enjoyable and each time it’s over we always start thinking about the next time we get to see them. Lots of love to the Srigleys for being great people, even better friends, fantastic hosts and fun playmates for our kids.

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Kennedy Space Center

On our trip through Florida with the Srigleys, we spent a day at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral. We had been there years ago before we were married, but with the Srigley boys’ interest in Star Wars and rockets and the influence that has on our kids, we thought it would be a fun day trip while we were in town. We got up early that morning to get there when the center opened. The kids got more excited the closer we got because rockets and space ships were lining the roads to the entrance. We saw several space shuttles and quite a few rockets. But, the most impressive one was the Saturn V rockets that launched the Apollo missions to the moon. We all enjoyed the bus tour and the stops to see the launch pads where the shuttles take-off from. The coolest thing to see up close was the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) where they put the solid rocket boosters and the fuel canister on the shuttle and then roll it out on the crawler to the launch pad. The building itself is HUGE and it’s amazing to think that the vehicles that transport humans into outer space are assembled in that building. Plus, there is a building just beside the VAB that controls all aspects of the launch until 7 seconds before take-off when it is then sent over to Mission Control in Houston, Texas. We also got to see a 3D Imax movie about the Hubble Telescope and that was very interesting. The work that the astronauts did on the telescope once it was in orbit to fix the lenses and create a working machine that would send images to earth from outer space is mind boggling. They practiced the mission in a huge underwater pool with a life size version of Hubble to emulate the weightlessness of space. We spent some time walking through a space shuttle model and even got to meet a real astronaut. At the end of the day we were all quite exhausted from all the fun and had great memories to fall asleep to.

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Merry White Christmas!!

Christmas was extra magical this year. From the minute Thanksgiving ended, we have been talking about Christmas and what it means to have three small children who are excited about the Christmas season and the magic of Santa Claus. We weren’t sure who would sleep less...the kids or us. The build-up this year has been more than usual. Aside from talking about Santa and thinking about Santa non-stop, we knew we were planning a trip to Florida to see the Srigley’s for New Year’s a few months ago. But, it turned in to a full week with them when plans with Tracey and Jerry fell through because of Tracey’s new job with AT&T. So, the thought of being in Florida with the Srigley boys for a whole week was super exciting to the kids. Plus, there were school parties, neighborhood parties, Secret Santa exchanges and days off from school. And then when the weathermen started predicting the possibility of snow, the excitement meter went through the roof. We went to bed on Christmas Eve with much anticipation of Santa’s arrival. Grandma and Grandpa Jackson and Aunt Jenny had spent the night with us so they could enjoy all the excitement as well. Ally came bounding in our room at 5:15 asking if she and Kelsey could play in their room for a few minutes until it was time to get up. We had told them no earlier than 6:00...so she knew they had time to kill. We asked her if Santa had come and she said she didn’t want to look until they were allowed to get up. We got up by 6:00 and the girls looked over the walkway to see that Santa had come and left a big pile of presents to open. They ran downstairs to find their new dolls and a market tote with their names on it from mommy and daddy. Drew had gotten a new, ride-on 4-wheeler with Buzz Lightyear on it from us. But, sitting beside the 4-wheeler was a brand new train table with all the tracks and tunnels and bridges set-up and ready to go. Santa had been busy at our house. We got Drew up and as soon as he looked over the edge and saw the train table, he almost jumped out of my arms to get to it. He was so excited. He slid all the way down the stairs and ran over to it as fast as his chubby little legs could carry him. Drew spent most of the morning playing with his toys as he unwrapped them. By nightfall, he still hadn’t opened everything. By 10:00, we had eaten a small breakfast and torn through all the girls gifts and family gifts. The girls loved their new dolls and were excited to play with the new things they had gotten...the Ramona and Beesus DVD, Hannah Montana CD’s, Tangled games and books, luggage and new clothes. But, hidden behind the tree wrapped in sparkly silver wrapping paper were several gifts left for the Jackson Family. When we opened them, we discovered Santa had brought us a Wii and several games and controllers to go with it. We were all so excited we had to get it out and play with it immediately. But, we couldn’t...it was time to go to Aunt Jackie and Uncle Stefan’s house. So, we piled in the car and headed over there for brunch and more gift opening and delivering. The girls were excited to hand out our presents to them and they were just as excited to get presents form them. Ally got a super cool ipod shuffle of her very own and Kelsey got her own CD player for her room. But, best of all, while we were visiting with the Blum’s, snow started falling and sticking to the ground. Kelsey had wished and prayed for snow on Christmas and she was getting her wish. She was glued to the window, watching it come down. By the time we got home for nap and lunch, the snow was really starting to fall and it looked like we might actually have enough to play in it. And, by night fall, the temps had dropped and it was sticking and accumulating. We had gone over to Grandma and Grandpa Jackson’s house to finish up our Christmas day and had to call it a night by 6:30 so that we could get home safely in the slush, ice and snow. While we were at Grandma and Grandpa’s house, we opened gifts with them. They had saved the best for last. Grandpa John had given the kids a play set for the back yard...something we have been wanting for a LONG time. And then, Grandma and Grandpa had given the girls their Christmas present. They opened up gifts with embroidered shirts in them that had glass slippers on them and Drew’s had a crown that said Prince Charming. We were heading to Disney in February!!!! Yay!!!! The kids were very excited and tried their best to be excited about such a big gift after a long, full day of fun. We know as the days get closer, we will be counting down the days until we see the big mouse. The kids went to bed as soon as we got home and we weren’t far behind them. It had been a day filed with tons of fun and excitement and we were all exhausted.

The kids spent the next day playing in the snow while we cleaned up the house for our trip to Florida. Christmas had come down faster than it went up and we were getting ready for the next part of our vacation. Enjoy all of our Christmas pics on the Shutterfly site. Here are just a few to get you started.

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Magical Nights of Lights at Lake Lanier

It seems like this time of year is all about family traditions and we do not lack in any of those for the holiday season. Every year we travel to Lake Lanier for an evening of Christmas lights and fair rides. This year we got to go before Christmas. It’s usually something we do between Christmas and New Year’s Eve because the crowds tend to be smaller. But with travels to Florida this year for New Year’s Eve, we had to find a way to do it before then. We picked a Sunday night to go up there thinking it would be slower than most other nights and we were lucky that it was. The girls enjoyed the lights, but have moved past the “splendor of the lights” and just want to get to the rides. For the first time, Kelsey was big enough to ride the big rides and she had a blast doing it. Ally...our child of no fear until after she rides something...enjoyed every minute of the big rides this year as well. Drew ventured on the carousel with mommy, but didn’t enjoy the ride until the very end. We always end our night with a ride on the ponies and then it’s back to the car to get changed into jammies for the ride home.

All of the Christmas pictures are posted together on the Shutterfly site. Check there often for updates on the fun holiday happenings.

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Camp Meriwether American Girl Day Camp

Ally has joined Brownies this year and we got to head to Camp Meriwether for an American Girl Day Camp. Ally was excited about this because her list for Santa included an American Girl doll and because we had not done a day camp with our scout troop since we had joined Daisy Scouts a few years ago. Hannah headed to camp with us for the day. The day started early and with a long drive. Camp Meriwehter is south of Atlanta and way off the beaten path so it took about an hour and a half to get there. We spent the day doing crafts and activities that the American Girls would have done during their time period...sewing, cooking, leatherworks, horseback riding and games. It was a day packed with tons of fun. We hit a Wendy’s on the way home for dinner in the car and by the time we got home, both girls were exhausted. I’m sure we’ll be doing lots more day camps now that we’ve had a taste of all the fun they can be.

Enjoy all the pics on Shutterfly.

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A Visit with Santa

We headed to North Point Mall for our annual meeting with Santa Claus and the family Christmas picture. The kids were dressed in their holiday finest for the big day and they could hardly contain the excitement. This was the first year Kelsey was actually excited to see Santa and ready to tell him about the things on her wish list. Because it was a Wednesday, the line for Santa was nonexistent and we walked right up to see him. Before we got in the line, I told the girls that I knew Drew would scream and that it was ok for him to do that. Their job was to sit, smile and look at the camera for the picture. We tried to keep Drew away from looking at Santa while the girls got to his lap and talked with him about their wishes. Once the photographer was ready, I casually backed up to Santa and dropped Drew in his lap. For a minute, I thought we might actually get a good picture. But, one turn of his head and it was over. He saw this big man in a red suit with a hairy face holding him and the screams went full force...which is the picture you see below...a classic. After he was whisked to safety, the girls continued their conversation with Santa because no one was around to be next. We had a nice chat with Santa about the importance of sleigh bells and then we were on our way. We took some time to do some shopping and had lunch at the food court. It was a fantastic and magical morning to start off our holiday season.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving has come again. And, again, we spent more time eating than taking pictures. This year we had dinner at the Blum’s house with Bo’s parents and Aunt Jenny. It was the most low key Thanksgiving I can remember having in years. But, I know our turn is coming for Christmas. Jackie put together a FABULOUS meal with appetizers of shrimp, brushetta, a relish tray and veggies. Dinner included the required turkey with plenty of sausage stuffing, cranberries, mashed potatoes and gravy, carrots and an italian style green bean alfredo casserole. We had yummy pumpkin pie and brownies for dessert and we all had to be rolled home by the end of the evening. Thanksgiving is, by far, one of the yummiest days of the year for our family.

Weekend with the Gators!!

Last year we headed down to Gainesville in hopes of seeing Tim Tebow play in UF’s only perfect season and for his last season as a Gator. Unfortunately Alabama ruined those plans in the SEC game, but it was a great trip back to our old stomping grounds. So, we decided it would be a fun trip to make again this year. We headed to the Appalachian State game, and after the season we’ve been having, we were a bit nervous about the outcome of the game. We walked up and down University Avenue and peeked in the shops. We walked around the stadium and took pictures of all the monuments and statues that had been put up since we left. The game was a blast. Thankfully, the Gators pulled through for a win on Senior Day and what ended up being Urban Meyer’s last game in the swamp (he just made his announcement about retiring...for the 2nd year in a row...due to health reasons and to focus on his family). We had a blast at The Swamp after the game and then headed back to the hotel. When we got home to the kids the next day, they were happy to see us and covered us with hugs and kisses. It always so nice to visit our old favorites, but it’s always better to come home to that!!

Visit the Shutterfly site for all the pictures from the weekend.

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Too Cute To Spook

Happy Halloween!!!

Halloween seems to be more and more fun for the kids and the adults as the years go by. Every year I feel like we are living out the scene from the movie Mr. Mom when the families are all dressed up and out trick or treating. This time of year always makes me thankful for our friends, neighbors and the community in which we live for allowing such a small town feeling to sweep over our lives for just one night.

This year, for the first time, I am sad to say there was really no theme for the three kiddos. Ally has come in to her own world of likes and dislikes...and unfortunately, that also means we’ve kinda left the princess thing behind us. She still loves dressing up, but now it’s more of a diva or pop start image than a princess. So, this year, Ally dressed up like Hannah Montana...complete with wig and sparkling shoes. Kelsey has wanted to be Bat Girl for months. Hayden was going to be Batman, but changed his mind to Mario from Super Mario Brothers. To pick up the slack, Asher picked up Kelsey’s sadness and offered to be Batman, but he changed his mind and ended up as Wolverine. So...to keep our little Bat Girl from melting down, Drew stepped up and filled in to save the day. As much as I pushed for the super hero theme, Ally wasn’t breaking, so we had a super hero duo and the teen pop idol. I’m thinking my years for themes have passed us. :( The kids had dinner together...pizza...before trick or treating...a tradition that we started years ago and seems to be the easiest thing for a busy night. After dinner and costume prep, we all met outside for our cul-de-sac picture with everyone dressed up and then we were off. There were two distinctive groups this year...the older kids (Ally, Kelsey, Hannah, Hayden, Addison, Molly, Madison, Logan, Sydney, Jack, Ben, Ayanna, Treyvon and Asher) who ran from house to house and the younger kids (Drew, Caroline and Max) who were carted around in strollers and wagons from house to house. We scoured the neighborhood for 2 solid hours grabbing all kinds of candy loot and by the end the kids were exhausted. We came home, dumped all the candy on the floor while we watched The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, and had a few pieces of our candy while watching our favorite holiday show. The kids had school the next day, so we quickly got them showered and off to bed in hopes that the next day wouldn’t be a difficult start. Thankfully, Tuesday was an election day, so we had a day to catch up if we were dragging.

Check out the Shutterfly site for all the Halloween fun and pictures.

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