Disney World pics

We went to Disney World in the October and it was phenomenal.  I want to live there!  We went with our friends, the Willets, who were great company.  I hate taking time away from the fun by taking pictures, so I was lucky Jason and Eric snapped a few.  These first pics are from Animal Kingdom  The way they have decorated each section of the Animal Kingdom is exceptional.  You really feel like you are in a different country, especially the Tibet area.

After the Kali River Rapids. They're not kidding when they say "You WILL get wet on this ride."  My walking shoes were so soaked, I ended buying a pair of sandals to wear for the rest of the day.

Max loved this snake, though he doesn't look it in the shot.

The train ride turned out to be totally boring, but it was nice to get off our feet for a while.

Magic Kingdom!

That's me in the lead.  I was in charge of the daily agenda and I pretty much dragged everyone around the parks like a 16 year old who never got to be a kid. The first night we were there, I took David and Mallory to the night show Fantasmic, and I actually teared up a little because I was so excited. 

Epcot Center.  This fine lady was a candy artist.  Very cool to watch her whip out these animals in seconds.

The very last thing we did before we left Epcot was the ride in Spaceship Earth.  We were pleasantly surprised at how cool it was, especially the ending. No spoilers, though. 

One of the few pics we took from Hollywood Studios, but the kids had an awesome time there.

Holly actually didn't wiggle during It's a Small World, an exception to her usual behavior.

The kids loves the Buzz Light year ride where you got to shoot a laser gun and earn points. 

In line at the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.  This was Max's favorite ride by far.  He went on it over and over again, with his hands in the air and a big smile.

I loved Tom Sawyer Island!  What a great place to relax and explore with Holly while the big kids did their stuff.

We absolutely loved staying at the All-Star Music Resort.  The perks were awesome!

 

Nursery rhyme parade

Max choose to be hickory dickory dock for the kindergarten nursery rhyme parade. He made most off his costume himself and was saying "tick....tick...." As he walked.

Max's birthday, Allie, Holly with horse

For Max's birthday,  we rented a bouncy house which was awesome! He unwrapped a hamster cage and then he got to pick out his own pet that night. He named her Allie, and he is extremely in love with her. The other two pictures are of Holly when she was in Utah. She absolutely loves horses.

Fathers and Sons

 

Max's first snake encounter.  Yes, it's a copperhead.  No, it's not alive.  It had to be punished for creeping too close to the Fathers and Sons camp out, so a few of the other dads cornered it under a rock and cut off it's head.  Not bad for Max's first camping experience, huh?

Mallory's 8th birthday

Mallory had a blast at her spa-themed birthday party.  They had manicures, pedicures, facials, and made bath salts.  After the cake and presents they played "7-11" which was very loud and chaotic, as to be expected. 

Easter and a whole bunch of stuff that happened a long time ago

Mallory was a lioness at her school play.  She got to have a speaking part which she performed with great panache.

I had a lot of fun fixing up Mallory's hair for her baptism pictures.  If you are hoping for the professional pictures, sorry, but they're under copyright and we didn't get any pictures at her baptism.  Grandmas and aunts, let me know if you'd like some prints, and I'll send them in the mail. 

The above three pictures were taken at the amazing 7 acre wood.  It's a little more than a park, and a little less than a zoo which makes it just right in my book!

The Bishop's Palace in Galveston for our anniversary trip!  We did historic home tours the first day and Schlitterbahn (a big indoor water park) the second day.  Basically, stuff that is way cooler without kids. Sorry kids.  I fear that with little effort I could turn into a history geek, I enjoyed the tours so much.  

This goose was very aggressive and I had to chase him away a few times after he tried to nip at Holly's fingers.

Christmas 2011

Holly loves the googly eyes on her new Christmas shirt

Max is helping Jason with the lights. It was his idea to put the helmet on, and though you can't see it, he brought along a plastic bag to be his parachute.  He insisted to us that it was completely safe.

Why has it taken me so long to get their picture taken with Santa?  Better late than never.

We love Houston at Christmas time!  This was taken at the Mercer Arboretum. 

Yet another escape attempt by Max. He pulled the kid picnic table over to the fence so he could reach the top.