Top 10 Vacation Photos

I know some of these aren't great photography wise but they are great because the of the people in them. I've finally learned that not every photo has tp be fantastic lighting, placement etc. but it's the people that make them great.My Dad walking with the kids. They sure do have a great time together!

Doug and I out on the observation deck at the California Grill after a nice dinner.

Gracie and Doug laughing about who knows what as we wrapped up our last day at the Magic Kingdom.
Q holding my Dads hand while on his sholders watching the Block Party Bash Parade.

Gracie with Kayla right before we jammed out at the Move It! Shake It! Celabrate It! Parade (Kayla always says there are never any pictures of her...well Kalya I proved you wrong!)

Q and Gracie with Minnie at Chef Mickey's...ummmm check out my sons eyes! LOL

Q really wanted to get in this car with the Dino at Animal Kingdom. Can you spot his little head popping out?
Gracie really enjoyed the puppets in China at EPCOT. She ended up buying a smaller one but of course it was a giraffe!
Just love how the sun hit spaceship earth as we walked into EPCOT.

Gracie and Kayla acting silly while shopping on the Boardwalk! Yeah, you two are very scary "Gangsta's"

Welcome back to reality!

I'm back from the most magical place on earth and thrust right into reality. More on that later first lets talk Disney!

We had a wonderful time at Disney World once again and once again we can't wait to embark on our next visit. It started off really cold but it warmed up by then end of the trip so we were able to actually wear Capri pants and no jackets! Yippee!

In an effort to not babble incessantly about Disney I will review it for you in Top 10 form

Here's my top 10 moments from the entire vacation:

10) Being extremely close to the giraffe on the safari ride.
9) The Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It parade with Gracie and Kayla
8) Breakfast at Chef Mickey's with the whole family!
7) Matching family t-shirt day. They turned out really cute M and K!!!!
6) Out to dinner with Doug and my parents.
5) The ride home on day 4 when Q couldn't stop talking about Disney and life in general. Too funny!
4) Illuminations at EPCOT, always a favorite!
3) Dinner at Whispering Canyon the last night, I want to go back there when we are not so tired!
2)Meeting the fairies with Gracie. Tinkerbell sure is a spitfire!
1) Sharing my magical place with Doug...and he actually liked it.

This picture says it all! We had a great time!!!!!

Then... reality hit!

After arriving home I took the van out to run errands and guess what?!? My van broke down. It wasn't to much of a hassle as it did get fixed. Also both kids got sick and we have been home all week from work and school because of it. So reality decided not to waist any time and make sure I knew I was home! :) Ahhh life gotta love it!

I did it, I did it!!!!

December Daily Day 22

Tonight the kids went to spend some time with their Dad so I feverishly wrapped presents until all were neatly wrapped and tucked under the tree. I think it was about midnight when I finally finished the job.

My family gives me a hard time every year about my wrapping. They love to poke fun at my process. Yet, every year they also love how cool the finished process turns out. They laugh as I search high and low for a theme for my wrapping. Then I tear apart my ribbon drawer in search of the perfect matching ribbons to adorn the packaging. I even find ornaments that can be tied to the packages that match. Then the final step is making the matching gift tags. It's like scrapbooking around a package. How fun is that!!!!!

Fa la la la
December Daily Day 21

Gracie had her winter school concert today. It was such a cute performance by all the grades. Even entertaining for a very energetic 2 year old. We all really enjoyed it as well as I think Gracie really enjoyed performing with her classmates.

She woke up this morning not feeling ill but insisted that she needed to be at school for the final performance rehearsal for the concert. She got dressed and sluggishly went about her normal morning routine. I told her that she could always call me if she couldn't make it and I would come to pick her up. She insisted over and over again that she was not going to miss any part of her day! I love how determined she was not to let her classmates down! What a trooper!

Ho Ho Ho
December Daily Day 20

Today we took a little pilgrimage to the mall for a visit to see Santa. We got all decked out in our matching Christmas gear and waited our turn to see the big guy in red! I thought for sure Q was not going to do well with this whole process. So, I decided it was best for me to tag along with. To my surprise he did very well! I don't know if that was because I was right there with him or if it was because he just naturally would have been OK. All I know is that I was happy to have been there to listen in. It was just so stinkin' cute! Gracie was her normal sweet self and Q was just as sweet after a great example set by his sister. Gracie said she wanted the American Girl Doll Kit and Littlest Pet Shops and Q said he wanted a Tractor and a Scoop It. My Mom said that it was They booth said thank you and walked away as happy as can be. Then after the visit we sat down and my sister snapped a few pics of the three of us. Good job Auntie Kayla!

A Walk Through Candy Cane Lane
December Daily Day 19

Tonight Gracie was supposed to meet up with the Milwaukee Children's Choir to go caroling down Candy cane Lane. (For those of you who read this that are not from the area- It is a neighborhood that has nearly every house filled with Christmas lights to raise money for charity. It is commonly driven down in your car and over the years has become a tradition for many family to come see the lights.) We got there and there was not anyone in site to carol with. I thought, is this a joke?
Did I show up on the wrong day?
Did I drag my kids out and it was canceled?
Instead of sit there and allow myself to get angry or dwell on the negative I decided to just let it be. We all walked around and looked at the lights and just enjoyed the moment. It was very cold so the moment wasn't all that long. Gracie did manage to find a huge chunk of ice she has named her "ice baby" ( Remember the snow babies from an earlier blog...I think they might be cousins) Gracie must be getting into the snow/ice adopting business because we will soon have an entire nursery of snow and ice babies in the yard.

Look how scared poor Gracie looks next to her crabby brother! Sorry you two it makes me laugh I had to share it :)

All in all we saw the lights, we sang songs anyway and it will be a memorable time. Oh, and for those of you wondering how the heck I got it wrong? I guess there was some information passed along that I'm not sure I got (or maybe threw away) we were to meet in a parking lot of a church and head out from there. Either way it was still fun!

Ornament Love
December Daily Day 17

I love the stories that go along with ornaments on a tree. If you walk into to any house with a tree I am sure they would have plenty a story to share. There's usually some funny stories, simple stories but the best for me, are the sentimental stories. I don't get a chance often enough to listen to the stories that go with each ornament on a tree but I always think of my own this time of year. I think it would make a great scrapbook all in its self to tell the story of each ornament. It won't be forever that you will remember these stories!

Flabbergast
December Daily Day 16

Today we met Gracie's Girl Scout troop for a very fun activity! Normally her troop meets in the school and does your normal Girl Scout activities of crafts, snack, community projects and so on and so forth. This was a great field trip for the girls to just play. At Flabbergast they have blow up toys to play and jump on, a huge McDonald's-esce playground, a game area and a snack bar.It was not only fun for Gracie but for Q as well! While Gracie spent time with the girls that she deeply misses from her old school, Q and I played games in the game section. Once we had a bite to eat Q went around with Gracie and her friends for a bit. It was so sweet to see Gracie in action as a big sister taking him in and out of places just showing such great care for her little brother. While I am sure she would have rather just played amongst the girls, she did not complain a bit about having him tag a long. She is one super big sister!

Merry Christmas "Tu-Tu" you
December Daily Day 15

Today Gracie had her Christmas celebration at dance class. Her teacher told all the children that they could wear holiday gear to class instead of their normal Black leotard with pink tights uniform. I decided that Gracie needed a red tu-tu. So, I whipped her up a nice little red tu-tu, the no sew way, while watching TV the night before. It was so easy to make and actually quit a bit of fun. I think that Gracie now needs a tu-tu in every color for every Holiday occasion! :) After class Gracie reported that it was the most fun she had ever had in dance class! They danced around to holiday music, shared what their families were up to for the holiday break and played many games that are not always played in every weeks class.

Gingerbread Train
December Daily Day 14

Today the kids and I made our Gingerbread train. Last year we made a house. Well, shall I say Gracie and i made a house while Q shoved as much candy as possible into his mouth. This year was really no different. He honestly had pretty much the same agenda with a few additions to the train while chewing. I think this Gingerbread making process may just become a tradition for us. We purchased the kit at Target and just put it all together. It was a fun a pretty simple task. While I felt a little sticky for the rest of the night it was well worth the trouble. Plus it will make for a great centerpiece for the rest of the month.

Prep And Landing

December Daily Day 13

OK, so this short little film aired earlier this week and was of course a big deal in our house because it is Disney. I thought it was very cute and a great holiday tradition for many years to come. What I wasn't prepared for was my kids to be obsessed with watching it over and over again in the same year. It's been officially released for a mear 5 days and we have already watched it about 10 times.

We have adopted some of the phrases from the movie as some of our own now. We sat "That's so tinsel!!!!" when something is really cool. We say "Oh frost bite!" when things just aren't going our way. Then of course the whole family erupts in laughter when anyone says either of those phrases. It is especially cute coming out of the mouths of my two little blond haired blue eyed little Christmas elves.

A Whole lot of stuff goin' on!

December Daily Day 12

Wow! It's a busy day. We started our day out with some household construction. Q was so thrilled that he could use the hammer and "do his work" It sure does feel nice to have a door! Who would have thought something as simple as a door could make a woman so happy.

While Q was napping Gracie was outside playing in the snow. I would pop out to check on her and her friend here and there. At one point I saw them molding snow into add shapes. I thought nothing of it and just went about my business. The next time I went out I found them holding these oddly molded pieces. I finally decided to ask what on earth they were. Snow babies! How clever of them to pretend these pieces of snow were little babies. It gave me a good laugh and a great reason to go grab my camera!


Int he evening Gracie had a performance with Milwaukee Childrens Choir singing Christmas carols while people waited in line to take a ride on the Jingle Bus ( For those of you who are unaware: The Jingle Bus is a guided tour through downtown Milwaukee stopping at all the holiday light displays) We opted out of that portion of the event and decided to have our own version of the Jingle Bus...the Jingle Cadillac (AKA the Jingle Cadi) We decided to just drive though on our own. We got out at cathedral Square and walk through the display they had there. It was a good time and Gracie really seemed to enjoy it!

After all that was done I headed to the Scrapbook Store for our annual Christmas Party. I think I had tried to get way to much done in one day and ended up leaving within an hour of getting there because I just wasn't feeling well. I guess I have learned the hard way to not plan to much in one day. I of course went home and fell right asleep.

The Princess and The Frog
December Daily Day 11

Tonight (opening night) we went to go see the newest Disney animated film. This is the first time in a long time that Pixar has not been attached to the film. So that means that this animation was hand drawn and not computer generated. Hand drawn animation has been somewhat of a lost art these days. I was glad to see that Disney has brought it back to the forefront showcasing these amazing artists! I have to say the entire family was very impressed! We really enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to anyone who has children, or really anyone who likes a cheesy love story complete with song and dance! I anticipate us adding this movie to our collection as soon as it comes out on DVD and watching it over and over again.

Latest LayoutWe inturupt your regularly scheduled December Daily to show you my latest layout. I used nail polish to color the chipboard letters and stars. Thanks for looking

Nails
December Daily Day 10

Gracie and I went to a nail salon tonight to get our nails done. I have had a gift certificate forever and finally got a chance to get them done. I thought that it would be a nice Mom and Daughter thing to do. I have never taken Gracie to do this before and I rarely get my own done so this was a special treat for both of us. At first Gracie was very nervous about getting them done but after a few minutes she was really enjoying it. She got them painted green with yellow and orange flowers on them. It was a really fun time for the both of us. We even talked about doing it again right before our vacation to Disney because we still have a nice chunk left on the gift certificate!

Snow Day
December Daily Day 9Well, we all thought that today was going to be a snow day but the "Snow-nami" didn't hit us as hard as it was supposed to. So, instead of a Snow day we had a little after school snow play. The kids loved it. Even tough I'm not a fan of snow I do love a good picture of kids in the snow. The lighting always seems to be perfect. So, thanks kids for cooperating with Mommy taking tons of pictures. You guys are troopers.

Counting Down
December Daily Day 8

We LOVE a good count down in this house. We count down to all types of things, Holidays, Vacations, School Events or a visit from a family member. The kids get such joy out of the anticipation of the event! There fore I get hugely excited just watching them light up! Through the years I have found that sometimes the anticipation of the event was my favorite part of the whole process. We try to come up with fun ways to count down each event that comes along. For Christmas we have a countdown calender. This year we got a new one with little doors that open for each day. (Our old one nearly broke in half so this year I opted for a very study wood version) I put a small candy treat, a sticker and a quarter for their piggy bank in each door. Then after they pull out their goodies they count the rest of the days and inform me as to how many left until Christmas. This all happens during the morning hours of the day while I sip my coffee. It sure is a great way to start the day. The smile that comes across there face when I pull out the "countdown house" will be forever imprinted on my heart.

Another thing we are currently counting down is our annual trip to Walt Disney World with the whole family. As of this day it is 31 days until departure! This will be our 8th trip that we have taken with the family and we still look forward to it just as much as the first year we went. Its a time when our entire family relaxes and really enjoys each others company. Within the next few weeks will begin to talk of our trip almost daily remembering past trips and what we would like to do different this year. I will also be heading to storage to get our luggage to begin the packing process. I am sure that there are many moms that can attest to the fact that packing for the family is a lot of work! For me, it is quit the process and very time consuming but it's happy work and I know that the outcome is a Disney vacation! Thanks to my Mom and Dad who give us all this wonderful trip every year as part of our Christmas gift. They are such awesome people that really know how to have a great time and enjoy taking us all along for the ride. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

Will This Day Ever End?
December Daily Day 7

OK, so this about to be the most negative December Daily post ever. But, I guess with the good comes the bad and in this case the ugly. This was one of those days were you constantly feel like you would just like to crawl back in bed. I think I felt like that the moment my feet hit the floor. Q was not a fan of doing anything this morning and Gracie was just not herself. A lot of weird things happened today, like Q woke up about 10 times between midnight and the sound of the alarm for reasons that I still don't understand. My Mom dropped an entire gallon of milk on the kitchen floor (Poor Nana) The kids at my school today were having very Middle School like problems in abundance today. The kicker of the day was when Q walked down the hallway dragging a bag of chips and said "When will this day end?" I guess he was having the same kind of day I was. All in all that statement made us all laugh and realize that no matter how tough the day we are still a very blessed family with tons of love to go around :)

Milwaukee Children's Choir Concert
Festival of Winter Spirit
December Daily Day 6

Today Gracie had a Concert with the Milwaukee Childrens Choir. I was selected to be a photographer for the concert so I was able to snap pictures through the whole process. I was even able to get backstage to capture the kids playing musical games and enjoying their time together. My favorite moment I captured was the line of Black dress shoes all ready to go on stage.



We all really enjoyed the concert and look forward to many more. After the concert we all headed home to enjoy a nice night in enjoying each others company. Both kids went to bed pretty easily so I think that means their weekend was a lot of fun.

Shopping December Daily Day 5

Today the kids headed off to a holiday party with their Dad. What a great opportunity to get some Christmas shopping done! In the morning I went shopping with my Mom and in the evening I went shopping with Doug at Bayshore Mall. What a beautiful place to shop! It was so beautiful to walk around and see all the Christmas lights, hear the Christmas music and sip our warm coffee. It was a shopping trip I will never forget. It was cold, but it didn't matter because we had such a good time shopping for the people we care about most.

Today is also Uncle Walt's (Walt Disney) birthday! Before the kids were off to their day of Holiday parties with Dad we talked about our favorite Disney memories. Gracie's favorite memory was getting all princessed up at the Bibidi Bobiti Boutique. My Mom's favorite memory was seeing wishes for the first time. Mine was seeing each of my children with a character for the first time.

Gracie's first interaction with a character was at 18 months old. I never thought she was going to like them because she is terrified of Santa! To my surprise she loved them. She would hug them and touch their noses. Then as soon as we would walk away she would have plenty to say about how she liked them. She took a particular liking to the princesses. She would star into their eyes they talked softly to her. I thought it was so cute how all the royal characters address all the little girls princess and the little boys prince. That first year she also really liked Piglet. He's a big pink fluffy pig, whats not to love?

Q's first interaction with a character was at 11 months old. He really wasn't a big fan of Santa either and since Gracie showed me you can like characters and not Santa, I wasn't really sure what to expect with him. He didn't warm up right away. He spent a little time with a puzzled look and no smiles. He would look at them and maybe grab there nose. After a few days of characters he really started to like them! He gave Mickey a kiss on the nose and just smiled a ton for Tigger! When tigger walked away he even reached toward his direction in hopes he would come back. Tigger did come back around later and Q clapped for him. I thought for sure that would be his favorite character, but it has turned out to be Pluto.