Monday, February 24, 2014

Disney Cruise

On New Years Eve we were blessed to be able to go on a Disney Cruise with my family. My parents gave this to us as a Christmas gift and we were so thankful. The kids excitedly counted down the days until New Years Eve! We were aboard the Disney Wonder and had a great time connecting with all of our family and enjoying the party that is a Disney Cruise!


Dinner was set up for a party since it was New Years Eve! We all got fun hats and were pleasantly surprised to see coloring books, crayons and cups with lids on the tables for our kiddos that night and every night! We enjoyed meeting our Jamaican waiter Glenford and the girls enjoyed dressing up in their princess dresses which that were also able to do each night.

Happy New Year!

My little princesses

Mickey Mouse-shaped ketchup!

 Our room had a full bed and two bunk beds so two of our kids ended up sharing a bed each night. But they were so worn out at the end of everyday there were no problems falling asleep!!

Cousin bath-time

Our first morning on the boat we joined other young kids for a Disney dance party and were surprised to have Mickey join us at the end. We were able to add his autograph to the kids autograph books and continue our collection... 




The kids were thrilled to explore the ship, spend time in the kids club, swim in the pools and slide on the water slide, and watch the Broadway-style shows in the theater! There was also a movie theater on board and the kids got to watch Frozen and Monsters University which was one of Oliver's favorite things about the ship! As well as knowing what the schedule was each day. Just like his momma!

One of the highlights of the trip (especially for Gabriella) was meeting all of the characters! Here she is with a few of the friends she met on board...

Pluto

Princess Tiana

Cinderella

Ariel

Rapunzel

Princess Anna from Frozen!! (her favorite!)

Our cruise left from Galveston and sailed to Cozumel Mexico where the weather was 80 degrees and warm enough for the beach! That was my favorite day on the cruise - a day at the beach with sandcastles, playing in the ocean, snorkeling, swimming pools, nachos and of course sombreros :)




 Megan and baby Davis!


Meme and Pepe enjoying their newest grandbaby
 

 The Hulse family



Aunt Natty and her loves



3 year old cousins!


One of the nights on our cruise was pirate-themed so we all got into character! This was the one night that Oliver felt comfortable enough to get dressed up and looked awesome in his full pirate costume!





There was a bit of sea-sickness involved on the last day of the cruise, but the seas settled down by the afternoon and we enjoyed seeing our big kids perform on stage with the other kids from the kids club. We will long remember the memories we made on this trip and are so blessed to have such a wonderful family to share them with.

Monday, January 13, 2014

December Fun!

December was a busy but fun month for our family. The big kids got to participate in the Little Rookies program sponsored by the Dallas Stars. They got 2 free weeks of skating/hockey lessons at the ice rink right by our house. They got all suited up (which took quite a while with 9 pieces per uniform for two kids!) and spent an hour on the ice. Their skating got so much better by the end of the first lesson and by the second week, they were really making some tracks. It was fun (and cold) to watch them working on developing a new skill!

Each kid had a Christmas party and I was happy to be able to attend all of them! :)


Melia - age 3 in the Chocolate Chips Class at her preschool

Gabriella and her friend Abby at their Kindergarten "pajama" holiday party

 And my big boy Oliver at his 2nd grade class party. His teacher added a little holiday atmosphere to her wall via her projector :)

We were so blessed to be able to spend Christmas Eve with Matt's extended family. We had a great lunch and gift exchange at his Uncle Mark and Aunt Debbie's house. The kids enjoyed playing with their cousins and we all enjoyed catching up with each other. Matt's sister and brother and their families all came in town for Christmas. Since they live in Colorado and Indiana, we don't get to see them as much as we'd like to. So it was truly a treat to spend almost a full week together! We love y'all Schroeders and Dillards!!


Christmas Morning Fun!!
 Melia loved her new earmuffs :)


The girls in their Frozen costumes... sister princesses Anna and Elsa

Oliver enjoying his new Zelda guide book
 

The girls building a gingerbread house with their cousin Olivia

Finished product
 

 The Dillard grandkids (in age order): Olivia, Calvin, Oliver, Atticus, Gabriella, Melia, and Henry with their Papa and Granna


The big kids holding their newest cousin - 2 month old Henry