We took the kids to see Disney on Ice. It did not disappoint! We went one other time when I was pregnant with Caleb and Mackenzie was about 3, but this years show had a lot more story telling and more character representation. Between tickets, icee's, food, and souveniers, I am pretty sure we are broke...but we are rich on memories.
On Sunday, my little sister Emily and I took the kids to see the local high school production of The Little Mermaid. It was amazing! The Ohio State Buckeye basketball game was on, so I figured we would get out of Daddy's hair so he could have a few hours to himself on his birthday weekend to watch the game in peace.
Since Emily and I are both employed by the District, we each got 2 free tickets. So minus the snacks ($4 for cookies, brownies and 2 drinks) and ($2 on a wand and rubber ducky for Kenz and Caleb), it was $6 for 2 1/2 hours of fun for 4 people! You can't beat that! I originally was a little worried that Caleb may have trouble sitting quiet for 2 1/2 hours, but he did fantastic. We will definitely go to more shows in the future!
With Princess Ariel. Caleb was smitten and Mackenzie was star struck.
Mackenzie with Ursula the Sea Witch. Caleb was hiding behind me frightened as I snapped this pic!
With Flounder. He was adorable!
Sebastian the Crab. He sounded exactly like the character in the movie.
With Ariel's father, King Trition. Caleb was convinced that he was actually Jesus. Love that child!
Happy birthday to my wonderful husband. In honor of your 37th bday, here are 37 things I love about you:
1. You are a kid at heart; I hope that never changes.
2. Your glass is always half full.
3. Wherever we go (sporting event, grocery store, restaurant) there is someone there that you know.
4. You rarely complain.
5. You are good to help out around the house.
6. You love a good deal.
7. You are the shopper in the family & typically do the mojority of the Christmas/birthday shopping.
8. You love to go over-the-top for holidays, birthday parties, get togethers. We are never short of food or decorations.
9. You are an amazing, hands-on daddy, and your children adore you because of it.
10. You are my very best friend in the whole entire world.
11. You truly mean it when you ask someone "how are you?"
12. You volunteer to get up with the kids when they have the flu, b/c you know I do no do well with puke.
13. You work hard and play even harder.
14. You make me belly laugh still.
15. You are a loyal friend and are there when your friend's really need you.
16. You are a bit of a procrastinator but even under stress you remain pretty cool.
17. You talk to your Mom very regularly. One of the things that originally attracted me to you, b/c I knew you were a "family man."
18. You love surprises and to surprise people.
19. You love to stay up late.
20. You are a grouchy bear in the morning and do NOT like waking up. I sometimes enjoy waking you up b/c you never know what's going to come flying out of your mouth.
21. You LOVE football more than any other human being on planet Earth.
22. You love potato chips (Jone's especially) more than any other human being on planet Earth.
23. If I meet friends out for a movie, it is mandatory that I bring you home buttered popcorn.
24. You have a very specific way you like your movie theatre popcorn buttered and salted. (Bag filled half way, buttered and salted, then filled to the rim, buttered, salted and shaken).
25. You do not like parting with things.
26. You are a die hard Buckeye fan.
27. When you tip, you must make the total an (.00)even dollar amount.
28. When you fill up the car, it must end on an even dollar amount (.00)
29. You always have mouthwash and febreeze with you at all times. You always smell good.
30. You enjoy eating a late night snack with me each night, and get just as excited as I do planning what we will have.
31. You are a fan of practical jokes and for years have been pulling them off on a neighborhood friend. They are intricate, hysterical, and sometimes embarrasing pranks that go back and forth.
32. You love to say things for shock value.
33. You can get away with saying things that most people wouldn't.
34. You are never shy to ask for a better deal or better service.
35. You are a risk-taker, and somehow things always seem to work out in your favor. You convinced me to put our 1st house on the market within 3 weeks, and then had us go into contract with our dream house while still owning ours. Somehow right before closing we received an offer and never had to make a payment on 2 houses.
36. You are confident and believe in things working out. Somehow they always do.
37. You refuse to drive more than 3 hours in a car, and prefer flying. You are rarely there the suggested hour before take off, but rather get there at the skin of your teeth right as they are boarding.
....and one to grow on....38. You love me even with all my imperfections and make me a better person. You are the only person I could ever imagine sharing my life with and I love the life we have with our 2 children.
How is it possible that this was just 3 years ago?
It was love at first sight!
We had no idea how much we could love another child.
And this little girl, had no idea how much she would love having a little brother!
Here's a little interview from your big sister. She loves you so!
And although you will always be my baby, you are turning into a little boy (sigh).
You are pure sunshine; always smiling and happy. You have a soft, gentle voice and the most precious little face. I could smooch it all day long.
You have (since your were born) been a very laid-back, easy going, happy-go-lucky personality, unless your sister is messing with your stuff. :) You have a tender heart; and dislike seeing others upset. We can give you a disappointed face or gently discipline you, and it is major alligator tears!
Here are some of your favorites:
Food: cheese pizza, mac 'n cheese, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, fries, fruit, apple juice
Shows: Thomas the Train, Jake the Neverland Pirate, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Songs: If You're Happy and You know it, Who Let the Dogs Out :)
Color: Blue or Pink
Dessert: Cookies, Fruit Chews, Icecream
Toy: Trains, Cammy and Liam (stuffed animal dogs)
Milestones: You are starting to identify your letters and can spell your name orally. If we ask you to write your name, you can write the letter C. You can get dressed almost completely by yourself, and have even learned how to put on your coat by yourself. :) Pretty soon, you're not going to need us much longer. :(
We celebrated your birthday with family at our house. You had a Thomas the Train themed party. You were adorable opening presents. (I think you were confused from Christmas b/c we would let you hand out the presents to people. You loved that job. So, on your birthday, when we handed you a present and told you who it was from, you would deliver it to that person. You did this everytime you got a present.). Such a good sharer!
Your cousin's came for the weekend and we had a fun sleepover. There was lots of running, laughter, screaching and lots and lots of fun. It made the weekend extra special having them here to celebrate your special day!
We love you bunches sweet boy! We can't wait to see how you will learn and grow this year! Thank you for completing our family 3 years ago! We couldn't ask for anything more!
This was by far our most FUN Christmas break ever! Last year, Caleb was more interested in bows and shiny paper. This year, he was all about Santa (whom he calls Santa Closet), presents and Christmas traditions. We loved seeing him enjoy his first "real" Christmas through his little 2 year eyes.
Mom was recovering from surgery and blessed us with the BEST Christmas present ever....news that her biopsy came back cancer free! We are so thankful and in the chaos of Christmas were reminded of what really matters....family! That being said, Mom and Dad hosted Christmas Eve dinner and presents so Mom would be at home to rest/recover. Emily and I were in charge of dinner and made our traditional meal: cocktail shrimp, grilled steak with mushrooms and onions, baked potatoes, and rolls. And of course, there were lots of yummy appetizers and desserts that we enjoyed too.
And then there were presents....and presents, and more presents! We enjoyed watching each other open and then we headed home just in time to leave Santa cookies, before heading to bed!
And after a few last minute preparations for the morning, we cuddled up in bed for a few short hours of sleep.The kids slept in until 7 and then the fun began. It was a whirlwind of unwrapping stockings and presents. Santa surprised the kids with a Step 2 Roller Coaster. It was by far their favorite gift of the year, minus Mackenzie's YoNana Machine (similar to an icecream machine but you just frozen fruit and somehow it magically tastes just like soft serve) and Caleb's Thomas trains.
Waiting patiently to go downstairs and open presents!
The two best presents ever...my sweet girl and sweet boy.
Opening stockings
And then it was time to pass out presents from under the tree....
and this sweet little thing had half a dozen homemade presents under her bed just waiting for us to open. She even wrapped them herself and wrote special messages on them (Jeremy and Jill, I hope you like this. I love you.) Melt. My. Heart.
and their favorite gift...it actually has a 125 pound limit. I may have to take a spin!
By 10:30 we loaded up and headed up to Grandma and Grandpa's house for round 3. We had hoped to spend the night, but major snow was in the forecast the following morning, so we ended up going back home that night. We spent a full day there though, and enjoyed every second together. The cousins all play so well together and Caleb and Owen are finally at the age where they are no longer just parallel playing. They have become real buddies. It is so sweet! After opening gifts, the kids played while Grandma and Grandpa fixed a Christmas dinner feast. Then after a little more playtime, we loaded up and headed back home. It ended up being the right decision because around 7 a.m. the next morning we were hit with about 7 inches of snow.
I adore these boys working on a puzzle and riding their new tractors.
and speaking of best buds, these two are too!
The following days have been filled with sledding, playing in the snow and setting up Christmas toys. It has been sooo nice to all be together. The fire is constantly crackling and we have all enjoyed lounging, playing toys, board games, and just being together.
It has been a wonderful 2012! Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!
*Come back soon to see updated videos on this post. :)
Married to my best friend and blessed with 2 amazing children. I work fulltime, but my most important job is being a wife and mother. I created this blog to preserve our family memories. I hope my children visit this often to remember our story.
