Santa

The girls with Santa

Doug and I picked up Riley one Tuesday and then went to get Kamryn from school so we could go and see Santa. When we got to Kamryn's school to pick her up she asked if her friend Taylor could come with us. We called Taylor's mom and she said OK so off we went. Luckily I had some extra clothes so Taylor could change out of her school uniform. We love going to see this Santa and have gone every year since the girls were little. It's fun to see how the kids progress. The girls enjoy giving Santa their lists.

Riley, Kamryn and Taylor with Santa

Kamryn giving Santa her list

Riley pleading with Santa and assuring him that she would be good The girls throwing coins in the fountain at the mall

20 Year Banquet

Doug and I at his 20 Year Banquet.

Every year Disney puts on banquets for the cast members who have hit milestones (10, 15, 20, 25, years etc). Doug had hit 20 years back in January so we were excited to go to his banquet. They had characters walking around and we got a special picture with Mickey. They also had a cocktail hour and then an awesome dinner with entertainment. We had a wonderful evening getting all dressed up and seeing people we both knew and had worked with over the years!

Our yummy dessert

Me and an old work buddy (Wendy) who hit her 20 years as well

Cupcakes

Riley had wanted me to make cupcakes that she could take to school for her birthday. Well, she got into trouble at school (talking) right before her birthday so I told her she had to go a whole week with green lights and then I would bring in cupcakes. It took her a month before that happened. She had initially wanted Halloween cupcakes but that holiday had passed. So, I decided to make turkey cupcakes and this is how they turned out. Riley was so excited when she woke up the next day and got to take these to class. From what I hear, the kids and teachers loved them!! Luckily, we were working the Book Fair that day so Doug was able to sneak in and grab one too. Riley gave mine to the principal so I guess I can't complain.

Riley and her cupcakes!!

Montverde Days

Not the best pic, but Riley is in the middle in the front with a mic in front of her.

A local town out here, Montverde, had a little festival. So, they asked the dance studio to be part of the entertainment. Riley got to perform a portion of her competition piece and several other classes got to perform. It was fun watching them and then walking around looking at the booths. The girls spent a lot of time playing the games the Girl Scouts were sponsoring. Kamryn even won a goldfish!

Corn Maze

The morning of Halloween we went to a local corn maze. I've taken the girls there before, but Doug had never been there. I also brought some of the Young Women for an activity. We had fun getting lost in the corn! The maze is like 7 acres or more and the maze always has a theme - this year it was weather. Inside the maze they have different stations where you can find answers to questions (weather related) and make rubs. You take a flag in with you in case you get hopelessly lost and need help getting out. We didn't need help, but we didn't find all the stations either. Oh well, it was fun.

A map of the maze and the colors of the tape used. We walked around in circles in the sunglasses, but that was our only problem.

Doug, Riley, Kamryn and I as we get ready to enter the maze. Doug went with our kids and took 2 others (Natalie and Becca) from the other leader (Wendy) that was with us. I don't know if he had as much fun as we did, but he was a trooper!!

Wendy and myself along with several of our Young Women from church - Shea, Alex, Ana, Olivia and Citra

The girls after we made it out. We had sung songs and learned some camp things as we walked. I'm sure others thought we were nuts, but fortunately we didn't see that many people.

The group (plus Riley) in the "wind tunnel" they had set up.

Fall Festival and Halloween

The girls were Pirates this year for both the Fall Festival and Halloween (usually they wear different costumes for each)
Is she looking for treasure?

I see you!!

The kids had two nights in a row of dress up fun - our church fall festival and trunk or treat and then Halloween and trick or treating. They had a great night on both days and got TONS of candy!! At the Fall Festival, we took a different approach and did a pot luck dinner and had the youth put on skits (the YW won best skit). Then there was the usual costume parade and trunk or treat. Riley won a prize for Best Piratess costume. They enjoyed spending time with their friends and getting candy. For Halloween, we went trick or treating with a neighbor and made it all the way around the neighborhood! It took two hours but the kids had a blast!

At the Fall Festival, the Young Women did a dance to a medley of songs. They did such an awesome job and everybody loved it!!

Getting ready to pillage and plunder on Halloween!!

Kamryn and Taylor at Disney

Ready to attack the day at the park and looking cool!!

Monday Riley was out of school and we went to Disney. Well, Thursday, October 29th, Kamryn was out of school so I took her to Disney too. The only difference was we took a friend of hers too - Taylor. Taylor is Kamryn's best friend and has been since last year. Infact, Taylo's parents decided to keep her in the school again basically due to Kamryn being there. They get along really well at school, but I knew this would be a test. The girls had so much fun!! We rode lots of rides (Buzz Lightyear, Speedway, Teacups, Carousel, Small World, Peter Pan, Magic Carpets, etc) and saw the Princesses! They could have stayed there forever playing, but we had to pick up Riley at school and both girls had dance. All in all it was an awesome day!!

Meeting Mickey and Minnie!!

Seeing one of their favorite princesses...Cinderella

Getting ready to spin in the teacups!!

Driving on the speedway -- they were both driving.

Friends from NC

On Tuesday, October 27th, we went and picked up some friends who were down here from NC. It was great to see Mike and Heidi and their adorable kids. We had hoped to meet up with them in the park, but that didn't work out. So, we went and picked them up from their hotel and took them to a non-Disney restaurant. The kids got along great and it was fun catching up with them. I've known Mike since my 4-H days and his sister Melissa has been down several times with her family, but this was Mike's first visit to Disney with his wife and kids. I think they had a fun time and were able to do some really cool things (lunch in the castle, other character meals, etc) but I think (and hope) they enjoyed their brief break we offered them. After dinner, we went back to their hotel and got some ice cream and hung out for a little bit. Our girls wanted to keep Lily here! It was fun watching them play.

Riley and Mom at Disney

Mom and Riley on a ride!

Monday, October 26th was a vacation day for Riley from school. I decided to take her to Disney for the morning, just the two of us. She chose the Magic Kingdom so off we went. It was a fun day, but hot and crowded! She got to choose all the rides and she surprised me with her choices...nothing big or fast. She was going old school (Peter Pan, Snow White, race cars, etc). The speedway was the best as it was the first time she got to drive a car all by herself! Yikes...visions of things to come! We had some lunch there and treats too (Riley even did some shopping), but then we had to head back as she had dance and we had to get Kamryn from school. I'm glad we're able to go and do fun things like that together. I'm sure next time we'll be hitting other parks and the bigger rides!

Yes, that is Riley in front of me driving like a champ!!

Minneola Fall Festival

Kamryn and Alyssa

Kamryn and Kiley

Selah, Jessica, Riley (with Alana and Kamryn in the background) after dancing as they get ready to go ride rides

The Green Gremlins of ballet

The city of Minneola has a Fall Festival near Halloween. The last 5 years or so, the dance studio where our girls dance has been invited to perform. this year was no different. Riley danced in 3 numbers - ballet, jazz, and hip hop. It was a fun performance and they were just three numbers of the 15 or so the studio brought to the event. Since Riley was dressed up (with makeup) little sister had to follow suit. Kamryn was so funny. I had to take pics of her with almost all of the big girls (middle and high school) that she thinks are cool. There would have been more pics, but it was dark and she couldn't see/find them all. It was SO funny. Luckily, there are friends she has that were watching that she was able to sit with while I helped Riley into and out of costumes. After the dancing was over, they used their own money (I made sure I didn't have any) to ride some of the carnival rides with their friends. They ran out quickly, but still had fun! Riley will pretty much ride anything, the faster and spinnier the better. Kamryn did her own thing, but didn't seem to mind one bit.

Friends from AZ

We had a wonderful surprise the day after Riley's baptism. While we were spending time with Doug's family we got a call from some dear friends who now live in Arizona...Jason and Shantel Dance. We had just been talking about them the day before as we all sat around catching up. They stopped by Sunday evening and we spent an hour talking, laughing and reminiscing. It was so much fun to see them!!

Busy Day

There was a Saturday in October when we were going in so many different directions. Riley had a church activity and three birthday party invites, two of which were the same time as her church activity. She went to the church activity and luckily someone picked her up. That freed me up to go meet some friends from Tampa and take them to EPCOT for the food and wine festival. While I was doing that, Doug took Kamryn to the first of her two birthday parties. I picked her up from that one and took her to the next one. Then, I met Riley and took her to her next party. This would be a sleepover party at a resort at Disney (I was jealous) and I wouldn't see her until the next day. I picked Kamryn up from the second party and then we hung out and watched movies together at home. It was a very busy, but very fun day. I'm just glad we didn't have dance thrown in there too!

Birthday and Baptism

A family pic - not the best but still marking an important occasion

I can't believe I got a pic of this...usually she acts way too cool for her dad!

As mentioned in a previous post, Riley turned 8 this year. She didn't have a party with friends this year. Just some family time. She also got baptised. We had so many wonderful friends who came out to be a part of her baptism. There were a few who couldn't make it, but I know they were thinking of her anyway. It's still hard to believe she is eight, but I'm very thankful she is in our lives.

Riley and Doug

Riley and Mom

Something weird is happening with the pics I want to post so I won't add any more here. We did have a get together after her baptism at our house. It was fun to hang out with our friends (and my mom) and catch up. The kids had fun playing outside while the adults chatted. Again, we're so thankful for all of our friends (here and elsewhere)!!

Catch up

OK, I have been behind in our blog for quite sometime. I'm sure I missed some events even though I tried to write them down and I know I still have a few I didn't get to, but I tried. One of my friends joked that she would have a ton to read once I posted everything. I laughed and said that yes, she was right. It's even more funny because I laugh when other people do this. So, enjoy reading and catching up on what we've been up to over the last few months. I think I'm only missing two more blogs and I will get to them as soon as I can...hopefully tonight or tomorrow!

The tooth is OUT

Riley has had a tooth loose for at least 6 months. It was so loose I had tried to pull it several times but Riley never REALLY gave me a chance. The tooth had moved over to the right so far it looked like she was missing a tooth anyway. But no, it was still there. Riley had to eat on the side of her mouth and everything, but she still wouldn't let me pull it. We tried holding her down (Doug holding her arms and legs) and pulling it, but she still wouldn't open her mouth. We saw the dentist for her annual check-up on October 8th and the tooth was still hanging there...and I mean hanging. It had moved in front of her other tooth a little and was a little sideways. She looked like a snaggle tooth. Well, I thought the dentist would pull it, but they were too busy. So, they gave me some gel to help numb the area and hopefully put her at ease so I could pull it. finally on Friday the 9th I got my chance. I convinced her that I needed to try so she let me put the gel on there. I almost popped it out putting the gel on, but not quite. Once it was numb she was still freaking out a little and wouldn't let me get a good grip on the tooth. She finally agreed to let me "wiggle" it. I went in to wiggle and got a good enough grip that it popped out. She didn't even know I had it out until I told her. She was SO happy and said it didn't even hurt at all and that it wasn't even a big deal. Hopefully the next tooth won't be such a problem and won't be in her mouth as long when it's clear it needs to come out. It shouldn't be too long until we get to try that out as all 3 of her other top front teeth are loose.

Riley's Baptism Pics

It is hard to believe Riley is turning 8...as are several of her friends. I still remember them all when they were tiny. In our church, the age of 8 is significant. This is the age they are baptized a member as they have reached the age of accountability. Riley has been looking forward to this as several of her church friends (and classmates) have already hit this age this year. Now, it was her turn. I had been looking since early spring for a dress for her to wear. It's hard to find a white dress with sleeves that is not too expensive (at least I had a hard time) but then I might be picky. My mom has a friend who runs a costume rental shop that also rents wedding dresses and such. Well, the wedding dress part was being sold or gotten rid of so she was able to bring down some dresses (flower girl type) for Riley to try on. We found one and my mom could get it for like $25 and it could be hemmed. It wasn't Riley's favorite because the sleeves were too puffy but it looked good on her and it was the right price. I had this idea in my head to take pics of her in the dress outside so I could use it for her announcements. I racked my brain on where to take the pics. One morning when I was running, I found the place. I took her to a butterfly garden that sits in between two towns (Winter Garden and Oakland) and right off bike trail. I had to borrow a camera since my lens was broken and couldn't be fixed when I needed it. I'm so lucky to have a friend who was willing to let me borrow their NICE camera for these pics. It was fun taking the pics and I was lucky and got some shots I really like and that let her personality come through.

13th Anniversary

Doug and I celebrated our 13th Anniversary on September 21st. Due to our schedules and the kids activities, we opted for a different celebration. A day after our anniversary we went and played golf together at one of the courses at Disney. We really enjoyed just walking and talking and hitting golf balls. Then, after a great morning, we went to lunch at a new restaurant on property. It was good but the food was a little different. The view from the restaurant was awesome however and more than made up for the food being a little different. Then, it was time to head home for the kids to get out of school. All in all it was an AWESOME day. I feel very lucky to be married to such a great guy!

Computer and Camera Hiccups

Since the end of July, both our computer and our camera have had hiccups. Our computer had something weird happen and windows disappeared. Consequently, it wouldn't boot up or anything. We called our trusty friend who always helps us with these problems and he thought it would be easy to fix. Turned out it wasn't. He said he could see all our files there but couldn't get them to come up so he took our computer to the shop. This was right about the time I was going away for my girls trip. When the computer returned (while I was gone) it worked great BUT all our files were lost. That meant all our pictures were lost. This had happened before so you think I would learned to back things up and I had started, but I was barely into the file. Oh well. Live and learn (again). Luckily, because of this blog, I was able to recover some pics so all is not lost.

Shortly after that, my lens on my computer topped working. I couldn't get it to move to zoom in or out. I asked a friend and found a shop to take it to for repair. The shop thought it would be a simple and not too expensive fix and only take about 2 days, but they were wrong. Once they actually had a chance to really look at the lens, they realized it was more serious and would be more costly to repair and would take 5 weeks minimum. It is still currently sitting there as I try and figure out what to do. Luckily, I have a friend whose camera I was able to borrow for some pics I wanted to take. I have also figured out that my regular Nikon lens will work on my digital camera, just not as well as my real digital lens. I will figure out what to do soon.

School Projects

Every month Riley gets two projects for school. One is a math book with fun word problems for the kids to work on and the other is a book report. While a lot of work, they are fun. For September, Riley had to read a book, design a new cover and then do a report (written) and presentation (oral) for the class. This turned out to be fun as she read several books before she picked one. She did a great job and got an A. For October, she has to read a book, do a written report and her oral report has to be done as a character from the book. This should be fun. She needs to find a book so she can get to work!

Activities

School is in full swing and so are the girls. The past two years the start of school has also meant the start of dance, soccer and cheer leading. This year was different, it's just dance. Doug and I decided last year that if Riley was going to dance several days a week then that would be all she would be doing. She would be starting Activity Days at church after she turned 8 and we really wanted to be sure her grades stayed up. She missed cheer, but hasn't missed soccer (at least not that she has mentioned). She really wanted to focus on dance this year and she is. She is there several days a week and LOVES it. She doesn't always get everything, but she really tries and practices different things at home frequently (that has never happened before). If there was anything else she would like to do it would be golf lessons. Unfortunately, they are the same time as dance. Doug could take her out to practice but it hasn't happened yet. Now that we are having better weather maybe we can work it into the day. Kamryn would be playing soccer, but mom was a slacker and forgot to go and register. Our YMCA has registration on one night and if you don't go then you pay an extra $20 for a late fee. I'm not willing to pay that so she'll have to wait for spring. I'm hoping in the spring she'll be old enough to play for South Lake Soccer which does everything on Friday nights. At least I could probably work that into my schedule better. Kamryn is dancing though. She has classes some of the same days as Riley which works out well for us. So for now, it's pretty much just dance...at least until spring.

Start of School

The girls started school on August 24th (so I'm 3 weeks behind). Riley is now in second grade and Kamryn is in Pre-K4. We are lucky that both girls like school and were looking forward to going back. Riley didn't have any friends in her class, but she certainly has some now. This teacher doesn't believe in warnings, so Riley has already gotten in trouble twice for talking. It might be a long year! Kamryn already knew her teacher since she went to that school last year (plus Riley had that teacher when she was this age). She has two best friends that are back and they are pretty much inseparable. Luckily, they don't sit anywhere near each other. Also, Kamryn is super quiet and polite at school (so not like her sister or how she acts at home). We were all up early this day. Both girls knew what they were wearing, but both had requested that I straighten their hair. Luckily, it went well and we got everybody where they needed to be on time.

Our Second Grader...notice how her shoes match her shirt...totally styling in her words

Getting in the car

(this was the only day she has ridden in the car as she prefers the bus)

Our sassy preschooler with her favorite hip hop pose

Getting in the car with her Hello Kitty backpack and lunchbox

Here's to another school year!! We can't wait to see how much and what they learn. It is always an adventure. Go Kamryn and Riley!!