For New Year's Day we were all still at Mom and Dad's so we went to the Heritage Museum again and showed Angie and her kids, and Olivia all of the fun! We did the carriage ride again and got some more hot cocoa. Later that day, they rode snowmobiles around the house. It's so fun to be able to do that right from the garage!
Della got her ears pierced! She has been asking for it for months and months, and so for a Christmas present she got to get them pierced! She was very excited right up until the time they put the needles through, and then her little face got scared and hurt- and I hated it so much. But in just a few minutes it was all over and she was happy to have them all done. Afterwards we went to Red Robin to celebrate!
In the middle of the month we got to go to Florida! Rusty had his last Mastermind trip, and it was a family one so everyone got to go! Unfortunately, the guy planning it didn't do a great job so it was kind of all over the place. We didn't see them the entire time we were there. Alsop, the weather was really cold and took a bad turn for the week we were there haha. It was really chilly every day except for our first one. Lastly, a few of us got colds. So it was a bit of a rough trip haha, but we still had fun!
Day #1: Our flight was really early, but it was uneventful! After we got in and got our car we just went to Culver's and grabbed some dinner and then went to the hotel and laid low.
Day #2: Today we visited the Kennedy Space Center! It was about an hour and a half away, but SO worth it! I had no idea how cool this place would be! The kids loved it, and Rusty and I loved it too. It is HUGE and we didn't see everything that there is there. And they have all kinds of cool programs you can do, like astronaut training or simulations to see what it's like on Mars.
We got home, had dinner, and then went swimming! The pool was heated, which was nice, and the kids had a great time playing in the water.
Day #3:
Today I got up early, even though I was sick (bleh), and picked Bryndee up and we drove an hour and half to the coast to swim with manatees. I did this last time but the visibility was so poor because we couldn't be in the clear springs because of the baby manatee, and January is supposed to be the best time. We saw SO many today! Like a hundred. And they were so close to us, bumping into us all over the place. It was really cold though, and so afterward we were happy to get some hot chocolate and warm breakfast!
We went and looked at the Dinosaur house and the Wizards houses that the Bartons own, and toured through the new Fairy Tale one they're working on. It was a fun coincidence that we were both in Florida at the same time. After we saw the houses we went swimming at the pool that is in that neighborhood. It was pretty cold the whole week, and today was no different. But we made the most of it and had a good time!
Day #4:
Today was a great day! Rusty didn't have any meetings for part of the day and we drove over to the gulf and went on a Pirate Cruise. I saw one of these when I was on my girls trip in Destin and ever since then I have wanted to take my kids on one because I knew they would love it! This was even better than I imagined, and the kids had such a great time! We boarded and they were each given a certificate. Then a pirate worker offered to draw mustaches on all the kids which Henry was all over! We also found out what our pirate names would be!
We walked over to a restaurant called Crabby's and had delicious seafood! I love getting to have this when we have a chance. We walked across the street to the beach and watched the sun set. It was SO COLD we were bundled up as close as we could be, and it was still chilly. But it was so beautiful! The beaches on the gulf are so pretty with their white sand.
Day #5:
Today we had a lazy day for the first part. I was still feeling pretty sick so taking the morning off was great. We went to Disney Springs with the Bartons, which we had never done before. The Bartons like to go there so we tried it with them. It has some stores and some restaurants, and we wanted to eat at a cool dinosaur place but the wait was super long. So we just walked around and looked at everything and then left to get some sushi. This place was weird. They had a beef and blue cheese sushi roll. I didn't like it. Don't mess with a good thing.
Day #6:
Today was the day! We went to Disney World! I love Disney World. It is so crazy and exciting and fun and magical. And my kids are at such a great age for this! We rode the ferry over to Magic Kingdom and did some rides before we went to meet some princesses!
Day #7:
Today we did another new thing and went to a knight show for dinner! It was really fun and I was really impressed and glad that we did it. I love trying new things! We got seated in a stadium kind of seating and were brought out period style dinner (soup, bread, roasted chicken). The whole time we were eating we watched different knights compete against each other in jousting or racing. We were seated in a colored area that represented our team and our knight. Ours was the first one out! Haha!
Day #8:
Today was our last day. We had enough time to visit an aquarium before we caught our flight. The aquarium was really impressive, and even though it was kind of small (we went through it twice) we saw a lot of cool things! Lia threw her bottle on the floor and because it was glass it shattered everywhere. That was a low point of the day for sure.
Henry's Highlights:
- Rusty and I have been talking about moving, but we don't know where. Henry said, "Wow. That's quite a decision." Haha
- Still obsessed with Pokemon, but also super obsessed with fishing
- He is doing so great with school! Henry can read so well.
- Henry loves playing Goat Lords. In fact, one Saturday he woke me up at 7 to play with him haha.
- His best friend at school is named Jeffery.
- He is like a teenager on school mornings- impossible to wake up. And then somehow on days off he is up 20 minutes before he would need to be up for school. It is the most infuriating thing.
- I asked Henry was his perfect day would look like. This is what he said:
- sleep in (HA)
- watch a show
- 1:1 time with Mommy to play Goat Lords
- 1:1 time with dad to play Monopoly
- Family game time
- Play Pokemon Go outside
- Stay up late with lots of treats
- Snuggle with Mom and Dad while playing a game on phone
Adeline's Adventures:
- Periodically she'll say, "I think you forgot something. I'm going to marry Walter." I asked her why and she said, "Because I love him." I said, "How do you know?" and she said, "Because of how he makes me feel." GAH. Then she said, "He is the most handsome boy in the world. All the boys are handsome, but he is the handsomest. Except for my daddy."
- She said she wanted a crouton for a bed in her tree house. We figured out that means "futon."
- Della is rocking her preschool! I got more serious with her homeschooling now that I decided she'll start Kindergarten in the fall and she is just succeeding and loving it.
- I asked Della what her perfect day would look like:
- Sleep in (HA)
- Dance class
- Swimming
- Watch a show
Amelia's Updates:
- Loves shoes and brings them to me all the time, but mostly her mustard yellow ones
- She gets around like crazy!
- Amelia grabbed a piece of pizza off of the counter by climbing up on the stool and was so proud of herself as she walked around eating it
- She loves carrying around her fuzzy blanket (mostly her black and red Christmas one)
- Amelia's favorite pastime is coloring. She will find pens or markers when I swear they're all put away and color on things. She loves to color, and will come and grab my hand and whine until I get down on the ground with her and color together. Then she does her happy dance. It is so cute
- She says "Ma Ma" in the cutest sweetest voice and will pat my head or rub my head. It is so sweet! Then, when she wants something she just yells "MA!" staccato like. Over and over and over.
- Lia now says "Cheese" when she sees my phone like a camera
- She can take the lids off of everything
