Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Surprise Cruise


When I had children, life became more exciting. Not just because they're wild animals and now a glass of wine every night is almost a necessity versus a treat. Christmas mornings became magical again. Picking out pumpkins became a tradition again. There is a lull in life between when you're a child and when you have your own children where things go flat. It isn't usually until you have children where you start to see things (again) in a magical way.

That is why I absolutely cannot wait until October 28th. That is the night we are going to surprise the boys with a 7-night dream vacation to Mexico aboard the Disney Wonder. We leave the next morning for Los Angeles, California. We have been telling Maysen that would consider planning a "Mickey Cruise" when he was 8. That was last year. I saw something online about Disney and what they do for Halloween and I thought "Lets do it this year!" and just today I got our reservation paid off and confirmed our vacation! What a memorable Halloween this is surely to be!


Sure, I'm excited to go. But I'm more excited to experience this through the eyes of the boys. Nathan and I surely will get Disney'd out, so luckily you can sign them up for endless activities with the crew directors and alone time by the pool here we come, pager in hand if we need to go pick up the boys. Even at dinner they serve the kids first and then off they are escorted to arts and crafts for the remainder of dinner, if we so chose.


We are pondering ideas on how to tell the boys. If you can think of any, send them my way! I'm thinking of carving a pumpkin with a Mickey head on it and leaving it lit on the porch and ring the doorbell. Maybe have a box with a helium Mickey balloon inside they get to open with the cruise tickets tied at the bottom so when it does open, the balloon flutters out and up dangling the tickets. Can you tell I've put some thought into it?

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

First day of school 1st grade/preschool

Seems like just yesterday I took this picture. So many people commented on how Griffin wanted to be just like his big brother ... and he's still the same even today. Check out this picture this morning of the boys on their first day of school. We saved those shoes Maysen wore so that Griffin could wear them when he started school. He loves wearing his Bubba's shoes, and we're so lucky Maysen outgrew them within a month so they were brand new almost!

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Here are some more pics of their first day! Maysen has Mrs Mercer this year and Griffin is starting his first preschool year with Miss Nicole. Where does the time go?

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And although school is now here, we thoroughly enjoyed a summer filled with this:

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Goodbye summer. Goodbye campfires and marshmellows. Goodbye humidity. Goodbye late nights. Hello curfews. Hello crisp evenings with the smell of fireplace in the air. Hello leaves swirling in the autumn breeze. Change is good sometimes.