And then it got cold

We had mild temperatures through the Fall and then at the end of November winter really set in. Will loves to play outside so I think this winter is going to be hard on both of us. It was just starting to lightly snow and he insisted on playing outside with water!

Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving Day with Scott's family. The kids have enjoyed Papa's new purchase!

After lunch walk with all of the younger kids!

Then, off to my parent's on Friday.

The kids had fun playing school.

A hike in the woods to round out our Thanksgiving weekend.

Buckle Fracture Friday

I just put Will in his crib for a nap and sat down at the computer to quickly get some work done, the girls would be home in 1 hour. Then the school called. Charlie fell off the slide at recess and her wrist was hurting. The school nurse suggested she be seen by a Doctor. So, I quickly called the pediatrician, retrieved Will from his crib and took off for the school. The pediatrician ordered x-rays which revealed that Charlie had a buckle fracture in her left wrist. Of course, this all came to light at 4:45 p.m. on Friday so we were unable to see an orthopedic doctor until Monday morning. We were sent home with a brace and expected she would get a cast on Monday morning. The brace helped stabilize her wrist and she did great over the weekend. On Monday, I had to drag Will and Charlie through UIHC to retrieve her x-rays and then race off to the orthopedic clinic. To our relief Charlie did not have to get a cast! Instead, she has to wear the brace for 3 weeks. 

 

Tuesdays

Tuesdays, this Fall have been crazy. Scott has been overseeing new point of sale software installation at all of their stores which means they are having to complete inventory at every store. They're doing this on Tuesday nights. He gets home from work at about 5:30 and then leaves again until Midnight or sometimes later. Of course, this lines up with the busiest night for the kid's activities. The girls have dance from 5:15 to 6:15 and then Evy has basketball practice immediately afterwards. So, we do homework immediately after school and then I feed the kids dinner around 4:20. Charlie, Will and I get home at about 7:15 and then Evy gets home around 8:15. Whew. 

Disney Fun Comes to an End

Before heading to the airport we had breakfast at Chef Mickey's.

The character meals were so fun and a great hassle free way to meet lots of characters!

Disney Day 5: Odds and Ends and Back to Magic Kingdom

We stayed at the Disney Port Orleans French Quarter. Our room was really close to the bus stop which made it easy to get to the parks each day. There were limited food options but we only ate at the resort twice. The kids loved the pool and they did swim twice. The water was sooooo cold I did not last long in the pool. 

They wanted to pose with all of these statues around the resort.

On our last night the housekeeping staff had made quite the display with the girls stuffed animals. 

We went to Disney Springs for breakfast and to check out all of the amazing shops. 

By Noon we were back to Magic Kingdom for our last hurrah!

The crowds were pretty bad on Sunday so we ended up waiting in line for an hour to ride the Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. 

During "Story Time with Belle" Evy was selected to play the Beast. Here she is scaring Belle!

Charlie didn't want a part in the play but she did get to meet Belle. 

Magic Kingdom was open extra late so we tried to make it until fireworks, but we were all worn out by 7:30. 

Charlie fell asleep on the bus on the way back to the hotel. 

Disney Day 4: Animal Kingdom

We spent day 4 at Animal Kingdom. Evy has always loved lions so she was really looking forward to this day.

Pocahontas. 

The Tree of Life is the centerpiece at Animal Kingdom. You can't tell from this picture but there are numerous animals carved into the bark. 

Expedition Everest is the larger roller coaster at Animal Kingdom. I had fast passes for the entire family but once the girls saw that the coaster goes backwards they were out. So, Scott and I took turns staying with the kids so the other could ride. 

The girls did such a good job entertaining themselves while we waited in line. We purposely went at a time when there are low crowds so we never waited terribly long for anything. But they brought along stuffed animals and made up silly games to keep themselves busy. 

On Safari. We didn't see the lions so we were all a little disappointed. 

We saw The Festival of the Lion King and it was unbelievable. Again, it's the shows that make the magic at Disney. 

Dinner at the Tusker House. The girls were amazed with the all you can eat buffet. I think Evy had 25 mini corn dogs. It was fun to meet all of the characters while we ate.