When you wish upon a star...

Yep, we did it.  We took the girls to Disney World.

Mickey and the whole gang were there and they were so excited to see us!

But oh man, can you tell who we were MOST excited to see?

THE PRINCESSES!

ALL of them!  Every one!

Every single princess and/or fairy we could spot, touch, talk to or gaze upon.

And everytime I thought I couldn't entertain my 2 year old in another long line one more time,

we had the most magical, most precious moment with a real, live Princess that made that whole painful waiting process disappear in my memory and suddenly I was standing in line again, waiting for my next perfect Princess encounter.

Because this kind of happiness is worth just about anything.

Besides the Princesses, they loved the shows and parades the most.

And then this dessert on the right comes in third.

  Ice cream and whipped cream covered in chocolate and M&Ms inside a waffle cone and surrounded by blue cotton candy.  Oh and a milk chocolate Mickey head.  They have talked about this ALOT.

So glad to have this picture ... to have that look captured forever. 

This is what they looked like most of the time they were there.

This one was taken during It's a Small World ride.  Loved it.

Another HUGE source of excitment and sheer happiness for us...our dear friends that we just moved away from were there too!  Their visit overlapped with ours and so we met up for some bar-b-que.

 

Wish I had thought to deck the girls out in their festive bar-b-que outfits too!

Bes loves her some La La!

And La La was lovin' her some giant popsicle (cause even though its only 40 degrees out - it's Disney!- so of course she had a popsicle before bed.)

And Ellenie was lovin' her some dancin'!! 

I wonder who she gets that from?

There's so much more.

  The girls talk about it atleast 10 times a day since we've been home.

They really want to go back...soon.

While we were there and soooo tired from everything, Brad and I said we wouldn't be back for many years.

But looking at the pictures, remembering the precious moments, and hearing the unbelievable excitment when the girls talk about it, we are starting to think we could go back...before they get married.

It really was magical.

Christmas card outtakes

Gratitude

I am so thankful for 

bright colors,

loud laughter,

great memories,

hopes and dreams,

thoughtful moments,

family and friends,

 great joy,

good health,

all things beautiful,

an amazing Creator and Savior,

who has given me more than I deserve.

I am so thankful.

Mug Shots

One of these suspects was taken in for the crime of excessive whining.  All day.

The other was charged with using unkind words.  All day.

It was a long day trying to get these two into custody.

But...I have a feeling they are going to get out on good behavior.

Southern Roadtrip {part2}

So I got to paint with my precious friend Rachel,

and we all had a blast with The Pylants,

then it was time to hit the road to play with some cousins.

The girls were so excited they danced up the front steps of their cousins house.

(Love their in sync steps.  Love L's crazy face even more.)

Then they didn't waste any time getting down to business...playing with cousin Connor.

It was fun just hanging out together.

Lots of smiles.

Perfect fall weather.

So much to be excited about.

So much to see.

For sweet, precious, beautiful Evan, there was so much to see...for the first time.

So much to discover.

So much to show.  (grasshopper here)

So much fun.

That pretty much sums it up.

So much fun.

Southern Roadtrip {part 1}

Last weekend, the girls and I took a whirlwind of a trip.

We had a fabulous time!

So many things to do, so many people to see, all in so little (4 days) time.

First, we made an overnight, much too short trip to Decatur...

so these two best buds could get together.

To compare tiny stuffed animals, exchange gifts like acorn necklaces,

 and talk about how silly their little sisters are.

 

Man, those little sisters sure do want to be around those big sisters....all the time.

Ellenie thinks Bibby is the coolest.  Especially because she has a pink guitar.

She loved getting to spend time with Ba-Ginia.  And she really loved getting to meet Baby Jackson.

Can't you tell?!

I loved seeing these three together.  Virginia and Caroline have such a special friendship as cousins but they were so sweet to include Ellenie in everything they did.  I love how kids have that immediate sense that someone is their same age.  Like, oh you're one of us.  Let's play!

Might be my favorite moment.

Actually, I wasn't there for it though.

  Sweet Ginny kept my girls while I met up with another friend (from Columbus) to paint!

How special is that!?

  One of the benefits of moving around so much!  Amazing friends everywhere!

Looks like she hosted one great slumber party...so much fun they were totally worn out!

Trick or Treat 2010

Warning:  Following Halloween pictures are super duper ScARy!

                             

What were they..you know, besides adorable?

Why, a "Princess riding a Unicorn" & a "Ladybug Princess" of course.

 

The Princesses were very successful in their treat pursuits...no tricks for these cuties.

Well, maybe one tricky Ya-Ya.