Bolt

Today, my mom and I planned on taking the girls to a movie. We were also going to try and take some pictures for our Christmas cards. Well, when Doug and I were at the gym, we got a call from a friend. They wanted to know if we could watch their girls so they could go house hunting. We agreed because the girls have been dying to play together for quite a long time and mention it every Sunday. So, instead of pictures, we took all 4 girls to the Bolt movie at the theatres at Disney. I'm sure people thought they were all mine (unless they heard me talking to them) because they all have blond hair and are all about 12-18 months apart. We definitely got some interesting looks as we walked around. The girls loved the movie and all of them actually sat still and paid attention. Then, I walked them over to the Marketplace at Downtown Disney and they got "spit on" by Stitch (he shoots water at people) and they rode the carousel. After returning home, they played outside until our friends returned to pick up their kids. Surprisingly, there were no fights or tears and the girls all got along. We just hope the house hunting went as well and that they stay in Clermont!

Black Friday

Yes, I am one of those crazy people that get up really early on that Friday to try and get a deal. I used to think my friends who did that were crazy! Of course, that was back before I had kids and I was usually working on Thanksgiving and/or Friday. So, shopping was not at the top of the list of activities. As time went on, I did see the value in getting up early and shopping. I actually managed a few years to get up, shop and still make it to work on time. Granted, that made for a long day, but it was worth it. The past few years I've been in NC visiting family and have been able to get out, do all my shopping, and be back right about the time my mom and girls were heading for breakfast. This year, my mom came here and I recruited her to go out early. We were actually done with everything we went to get by 6:20am but decided to go walk around some at other stores since Doug had the girls. Of course, we didn't know that the girls woke up at 5:20am that morning and although Doug tried to convince them to go back to sleep, I don't think he was successful. They were all awake by 6:30am. I'm grateful who has a husband who thinks I'm nuts for shopping so early, but who will get up with the kids and take care of them even though he worked the day before (his restaurant opened early so it was like a 10 hour shift). Because he is so wonderful, we are almost completely done with our shopping! Yeah!!

School Parties

Today, both Rile and Kamryn have a Fall/Thanksgiving party at their school. AND they both start at the same time. After much debate (and a little bargaining) Doug will attend Riley's and take the food I prepared and I will attend Kamryn's. We're fortunate that both of us are home during the morning hours so each daughter can have a parent there. I don't know what I would do if I had more kids or a husband who worked a normal job. Both girls are excited for the parties and hopefully all will go well. Usually, the girls and I would be in NC by now, but the schedules for everyone didn't work out so we decided to stay home. As a result, both girls will not miss any school and will be there for the parties. Also, my mom (Mimi) will be coming down and my grandfather will be joining us as well. We look forward to a wonderful time together as a family. Doug has to work (as usual) but at least we'll see him before he heads into work.

Santa's Arrival

I know it is just November, but last night the girls and I went to watch Santa arrive at one of the local malls. It was quite the ordeal. The mall had a large section of the parking lot near the main entrance roped off and had vendor booths set up (representing stores and a few food court places). They also had a DJ spinning tunes and getting the kids dancing. There were characters from "Hollyville" (what they call the area where Santa sits) walking around that included Mrs. Santa, some elves, a present, a soldier, and some icicles and snow flakes. I knew it would be crowded but we actually had fun. The one bummer was that I forgot the camera. Very sad. Even though we didn't have our camera, the kids still went and said hi to the characters and danced to the music. Then, Santa called the DJ and said he could see the mall. So, we all started yelling and you could hear Santa land his sleigh on the roof and there he was. Then, he lit the tree inside, fireworks went off, and "magically" Santa was on the stage with the DJ. The kids loved it! After he reminded everyone that Christmas was a month and a half away and that children needed to listen to their moms and dads, he started making his way into the mall. It took him awhile to get through the crowd but he took his time and said hello to the kids. Although we weren't trying to get close, both Riley and Kamryn were able to say hi and shake his hand. They have already made their list and are looking forward to actually going to see him. While I don't like the fact that Christmas stuff starts appearing when they put out Halloween, this event started really getting me ready for the holidays. Kamryn asks every day if it's Christmas yet. I keep telling her no, but she is ready. It's hard to believe another holiday is almost upon us and another year is almost over. The time seems to be flying by.

Veteran's Day Fun

Tuesday was Veteran's Day and both girls were out of school. We had decided to go to Disney as a family. The girls and I have been a lot, but Doug hasn't been with us since the summer when our nieces were visiting. We tried for a character breakfast but were told they were all full. Based on that info we decided we had better get to the park early (right when it opens) in anticipation of big crowds and long lines. Thankfully, we really had neither. We did have to wait to get into the park, but from there it was smooth sailing for most of the day. We went straight to Splash Mountain because Kamryn said she would ride it. She was really looking forward to it but I think she did get nervous once we got on the ride. Just look at her face!

At the end she loved it! Then, we went on Thunder Mountain which she was very hesitant to ride but also loved upon finishing (this was her secind time on the ride). The only "mountain" she has yet to conquer is Space Mountain and we have about 3-4 inches to go before she is even tall enough. It's fun that she's tall enough to go on more rides, but it also means she's growing up which is sad. Doug and Kamryn drove the race cars while Riley and I tackled Space Mountain. All of these rides had little or no wait - it was great. We kept sailing along until we decided to go on Pooh. For some reason, this ride always has a longer line (kinda like Peter Pan) and we waited for 20-25 minutes. Still short compared to other days (I've seen it as long as 90 mins) but longer than we expected or wanted. Again, after this ride it was smooth sailing as far as lines go. The girls were able to do quite a lot considering we left at 2:00pm. They wanted to stay longer, of course, but we had places to go and reminded them we'd be back in a month with Doug's family. That seemed to work, plus they each got a yummy treat on the way out! Doug and I always laugh because no matter how many times we go to Disney (and we've been a lot) the girls always get excited. Except that they know where they want to go, what they want to ride and who they want to see, you would think it was their first trip. I'm sure one day they'll outgrow that anticipation and excitement, but for now, I'll just enjoy it!

Another Tooth bites the Dust!

Riley has had a loose tooth forever. In fact, a friend of hers lost a tooth on Labor Day when we were camping and Riley's tooth was loose then. She likes to wait until their is nothing holding them in her mouth. Evidenced by how she has lost them - one came out while drinking a smoothie, one fell out while riding her bike, and one she pulled on her own. This last one is the best though. She and Kamryn were rough-housing on the bed with Doug (I think he was the monster and they were attacking him). Anyway, Riley went to "bite" Doug in the stomach as a way to attack or get free. In doing this, her tooth came out. Luckily, she didn't swallow it. I guess the tooth was no match for Doug's rock hard abs! She has three teeth loose on the top and it will probably be months before she loses them! I guess this is better than the way I had to loose them - all but one pulled by the dentist because my roots never dissolved enough.