Disney Day Two: Magic Kingdom

On Sunday we woke up bright and early to make our way to Magic Kingdom.

This place is truly magical. We had the best day!

We started out with meeting a few of our favorite princesses and riding on the carsousel.

 

 This was probably the most joy I have ever seen on Marie's face. She was speechless as the different princesses talked to her. We met Cinderella, Ariel, Merida, Aurora, Rapunzel, and Aladdin & Jasmin.

Meanwhile, Bennett met a few characters but he was still a little uncertain about them.

In the midst of all this we went on several rides, too.  

Marie loved the Mad Tea Party and Bennett loved Dumbo.

These kiddo are ride junkies just like their parents...

 

At lunch we had a few special characters stop by our table - Winnie, Piglet, Tiger, and Eeyore to name a few.

After all that excitement we headed to the beach to play in the sand near our hotel.  

The kids loved this part of the day as well...the warm sand felt so good on our feet and we found a few shells, too!

 

After playing in the sand we roasted a few marshmallows and got ready for dinner and fireworks back at Magic Kingdom.

 

The fireworks and music were amazing!

 

This was such a fun and special night...we will never forget this night.  

Marie sang at the top of her lungs when the song from "Frozen" came on.

Bennett fell sound asleep for the whole show...the busy day was just too much for that guy.

 

We made our way through the crowds at the end of the show and went back to our hotel.

We were all exhausted from our magical day!  

Walt Disney World Vacation-Day 1

We have been planning our trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando for so long that is was hard to believe the day had finally come!  We woke the kids up on Saturday morning at 3 a.m. to drive to the Omaha airport for our 6 a.m. flight. 

You would think that the kid would have gone right to sleep in the car, right? Well that was our thought too but instead they were awake and talking the whole way to the airport.

We stayed busy on the flight with books, drawing, looking out the window, and games on the iPad. 

Marie was awake the whole flight while Bennett took just a little cat nap.

Because we were staying in a Disney Resort Hotel, a bus picked us up at the airport in Orlando and drove us right to the Resort.  Once we arrived at Bay Lake Tower, we became acquainted with our room, hotel, and of course the pool. 

That afternoon Aunt Tina and Uncle Brian arrived and we went to dinner right in our hotel. 

The kids were so excited after their busy day so it was tough to get them to sleep...so we decided to watch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from our hotel.

 After the fireworks we went to bed to get rest for our day at Magic Kingdom!

Preparation

We have been spending the past few weeks getting ready for our big trip, valentine's parties, work events, and school events.

Here's a look back at some of the things we've been doing lately...

Marie took her 1st ever Valentine box dVERY seriously and enjoyed every minute of it. This was all her creation and is so proud of it. She has her big party on Friday and she can't wait!

Super Bowl watch party with our nachos - the kids loved eating in front of the TV and dancing during the Bruno Mars half time show. 

Staying warm!  It's been so cold here and we finally have a little snow. We like to cuddle up with a movie whenever we get the chance.

 We also were able to spend time with both sides of our family this past weekend. We spent all day on Saturday in Sheldon with the Van Beek clan. The kids were so tired from playing so hard with everyone - I didn't get any pictures but trust me when I say the kids had a blast.

Chris and Mindy are in the process of moving to a new acreage closer to Sheldon so we also got to go out and take a tour of their new place.

Sunday we were visited by Grammy and Papa. They played with the kids while Andy & I ran out to get a few more things for our trip. We enjoyed a delicious brunch at Bev's where we got our fill of the chocolate fountain and restaurant cat who was in love with the kids.

 

She lives outside in her own little house and I'm pretty sure Marie was thinking about a way to sneak her home with us...

 

Our countdown to Florida is on and we are so excited...now we just have to get through this crazy busy week!

Is it February yet?!?

Life is continuing on and we are so busy planning our trip to Disney World!

Everyone is getting so excited for the adventure. Marie made a calendar at school and hung it in her room. We put a big pink star on on our departure date and she is always flipping through January to February 15. 

January has been busy with sickness, work, recovery, and school, and staying entertained through the cold without any snow to play in!

Gus was neutered last week and unfortunately had a few extra days of recovery due to a minor complication. He is back to normal now and all is well with him. 

Marie and Bennett dealt with a week of sickness two weeks ago - hopefully we are on the mend now. Bennett is still dealing with teeth coming in and a runny nose. 

Marie had an open house at her school for next school year. She will be attending a Catholic grade school for Pre-K. It is an all day program 5 days a week and she is really excited to be at a big school with music class, art class, PE, and recess. 

She is getting so old - she has a loose tooth which she is very excited about as well. 

Kelly and Andy are both staying busy with work. Andy has been busy with his medicine rotation this month and also picking up ER shifts on the side. This past weekend we surprised him with lunch at the clinic as he was finishing up his paperwork- the kids love going to visit him at work. 

 

So, even though life has seemed a little busy lately we have been finding time to fit in some fun. This weekend we headed to the gymnastics arena for some play time. The kids loved it and it was a great way to spend a cold, windy day.

Saturday afternoon after lunch with dad at the clinic and naps, we went to a Briar Cliff Basketball game. Andy was asked to shoot a half court shot at a time out - he missed the half court shot but made the 3 pointer!  The kids cheered so loudly for their Daddy - fun night. 

And finally, while I was out getting groceries on Sunday, Andy & the kids made homemade brownies. What a nice surprise!

 

We are thankful for the family time this weekend as we look ahead to a busy few weeks!

Mini Me

Bennett is at such a fun age where he is always copying the people he loves so much.

If Marie is playing horses, Bennett plays horses.

If Marie is singing, Bennett is singing.

If Marie is watching a movie, Bennett is watching a movie. 

you get it...

 

 movie with Marie on her bed - he had to lay just like her

 watching a movie at lunch time with mac 'n cheese

 pretending to do a breathing treatment because Marie got to do one

***

It doesn't stop with Marie, he also really likes to copy Daddy.

He watches the way he talks, laughs, coughs, the way he stands, even the way he watches a game.  

 watching some basketball like Daddy...and eating ice cream like Marie

 

working with his tools like Daddy

It's exhausting trying to keep up with these people!

Coyote Basketball

On Saturday we headed over to Vermillion to watch the USD Coyotes basketball game with Papa & Grammy.  The kids were so excited and I think the adults were too.  Unfortunately, Marie woke up with a cough and headache. After some Tylenol she seemed in good spirits so we hit the road. 

First stop was for lunch at a new restaurant downtown.  It was delicious and the kids loved being able to walk around the fun scenery and displays and catch up with Grammy & Papa.  

Next we kind of broke/snuck into the the new student center to check out the new construction. 

Then the boys headed to Pro's for some pregame fun while the girls went back downtown for dessert and coffee. 

During our dessert Marie started to mention her head and throat again...she definitely was fighting something so more Tylenol and a smoothie seemed to help a little bit. I asked if she wanted to skip the game and head home but she was definitely ready to cheer on the Coyotes.

During the game, the kids stayed busy with popcorn, ice cream, running around the track, and of course yelling "Go Yotes" whenever they wanted. 

 Looking at these pictures makes it pretty obvious Marie wasn't feeling the best.  But she definitely perked up as the game got started. Unfortunately she is still fighting something and will be home from school tomorrow dealing with this fever and cough.

The Yotes got a win after a nail biter finish.  It was so much fun to go to the game especially since Bennett is so into Basketball right now.  

"ba-ball" was heard all night as he pointed at the players, the ball, the court, even the program. 

What a great time- We hope to do it again soon!

Winter Fun in the pool and snow

 

Even though it was cold and blustery outside with chances of snow, we got to swim in warm water inside!

On New Year's Eve we went to the South Sioux City YMCA to swim for a little while. 

The kids loved the surprise and it was so much fun to get out of the cold.

 

 After celebrating the new year with Grandma Nel, we woke up to snow!

We decided to go out and play in it since it's one of the first measurable snows we have had here. 

Marie and Mom snowboarding down our hill - don't worry we didn't fall!

making snow angels

Bennett in the swing and Dad snowboarding - he did fall.

 We are now officially back to real life with school and work. This has been such a nice vacation for us and we have enjoyed the family time.

Here's to 2014 and all that it may bring!