Christmas (2.98 years and 16 months)

This year Brian and I were extremely lucky with our work schedules.  Brian was off basically from December 20 onward.  He worked a little bit here and there but nothing like normal.  I only had to work the Friday after Christmas.  We had a lot of time to spend together as a family.

On Christmas Eve, my parents came over for dinner.  Every year we have Christmas Eve dinner at our house.  Before we would have a lot of people come over but now that Brian's family lives in Myrtle Beach it is just my parents.  We still like hosting it.  Brian cuts up cheese every year.  We also make sugar cookies.  The kids enjoyed making cookies.  They like eating them even more!  We had a nice Christmas Eve.

On Christmas morning my parents came over at 7 am so they could see the kids open their presents.  Austin woke up at his usual 6:30 am.  Then we had him in our room for a little while before he went downstairs to see what Santa had brought them.  Austin came down himself first then he wanted to go get Sydney so they could open their presents together.  It was really cute. Austin went to Sydney's room and tried to wake her up.  Sydney didn't understand "what the big idea was" (as Austin would say).  Sydney woke up and then they went downstairs together.  They were both eager to open up their gifts.  They were not interested in seeing who the present was for.

Austin got a Jake and Neverland pirates ship, Jake sword, car carrier, street carpet mat, and book from Santa.  Meemaw and Papa got him stickers, paper, highlights magazine, playdoh toys, and mickey mouse.  Nana and Grandpa got him a train set that he and Sydney really like.  Auntie Melissa got him a kiwi craft kit.  He will get one in the mail every month.  I haven't done it yet but it looks really cool.

Santa brought Sydney a baby doll, music band set, broom set, stickers, and cookie jar toy with shapes.  Meemaw and Papa got her stickers, coloring supplies, highlights magazine, baby doll, and Minnie mouse. Nana and Grandpa got her animal sounds toy. Auntie Melissa got her clothes and The Little Mermaid DVD.  They both had an awesome Christmas.

The only issue was Sydney ruptured her left ear drum on Christmas Eve.  Christmas day she had a lot of drainage coming out of it.  She seemed fine but it looked gross.  Christmas Eve she didn't want to go to bed and I let her cry it out in her crib.  Then I find out she ruptured her ear drum.  I feel horrible about that but I had no idea.  I called the doctor on Christmas day.  They never called back and we knew there was nothing that could be done except antibiotics that we could get the day after.  Since she was acting fine, we just celebrated and didn't go to urgent care.

The kids played with their toys all morning then they took a nap.  After nap I dressed them in cute outfits that Aunt Betty got them. Brian tried to get some pictures of them but they were hungry and they weren't cooperating.  So we just went down to my parents for dinner.

We had a nice Christmas dinner.  The kids were well behaved.  Then they got to open more presents.  They had a lot of fun.  It was a great Christmas for everyone.

The day after Christmas we went shopping and got some after Christmas deals.  We considered buying a new Christmas tress since ours is really basic but we didn't see anything we really liked.  I kind of want a real tree next year.  We will see.  Merry Christmas!

Holiday Fun (2.9 and 15.9 months)

During our trip to Myrtle Beach I was sick and then on my birthday Brian got really sick.  He came home from work with a fever and basically needed to go to bed.  I was a little sad, but understand that with the kiddos we are getting sick a lot and there is nothing we can do.  The night before I went to Giant Eagle because I wanted a cookie cake.  Brian was with Austin in the store so I took the cake to the bakery and asked for it to say "Happy Birthday Mommy".  The women asked if I was buying my own cake and I smiled and said yes.  I fed the kids dinner and then went to our friends Lisa and Keith's with the cookie cake to celebrate my birthday.  My parents came over on Sunday and we celebrated my birthday with dinner and a cake.

One of the more popular holiday activities around here is the Polar Express.  It is a 45 minute ride aboard the Cuyahoga Valley Railroad that takes you to the "North Pole".  Then the train takes you back. Brian and I never went as a kid so we didn't know exactly what to expect.  We definitely wanted to try it.  Because Sydney is under 2 she was free which is always a bonus.

When we arrived at the train station, we gave them our tickets and then Austin starting running to the train screaming "I love it" over and over while dancing towards the train.  Austin loves trains and I think seeing a real one so close was really cool for him.  We went inside the train car and they sat us down.  Because of how the seating worked Sydney had her own seat even though we did not pay for her.  It worked out great.  On the way to the North Pole the elf's read the book "The Polar Express".  Then they gave out hot cocoa and a cookie.  Austin really liked his cookie.  We also sang Christmas carols.  During some of the songs the kids got to dance in the aisle.  When we arrived at the North Pole there were elves dancing outside.  It was decorated nicely.  There was a huge Christmas tree and Austin said "That is the biggest Christmas tree I have ever seen".  Then Santa arrived by a smaller train car.  Austin said there were no reindeer driving Santa because reindeer don't have arms to drive.  Santa then came inside the train and got his picture taken with everyone on our way back to the train station.   It was a really fun night.  They were both good. It was a great night with awesome memories.

Another one of our favorite activities with the kids is Santa arriving to our house in a fire truck.  Our city does it each year.  We stand outside our driveway and then the fire truck comes with Santa in the back of it.  Santa gets out and gives the kids a present.  It is fun to watch.  This year Santa came in an ambulance so it wasn't as cool, but still was fun.  Brian had the tripod with cameras set up but because it was a little different this year he didn't get as good of picture as he hoped.  But I think it's still a good picture.

The local mommy group that I belong to had tickets for a Christmas concert for kids at Severance Hall.  We thought that would be something different to take the kids to.  They both really love music.  It was a nice concert with 6 people playing brass instruments.  They both listen fairly well and Sydney enjoyed dancing on occasions.  They will probably enjoy it a little more as they get older.

My parents best friends have a Christmas party every year that we attend.  It is really cool because Santa comes and bring each child a present.  It is nice to see everyone there too.  They had dinner and we talked with people.  Austin and Sydney had fun walking around the place.  They were not too sure of Santa but they did enjoy the present they received from him.

At school the kids have a Christmas party.  It started at 3:30 pm.  They invite the parents to come and celebrate with the kids.  During the school parties we bring Sydney into Austin's room.  It is amazing how Sydney fits right in. She will sit on the chairs and eat the food like all the other kids at the table.  Then she will play with toys that are in the room.  We always make sure we can attend the parties.  The kids have fun.

That same night we had tickets for Lake Farm Park.  It was a 45 minute drive away so we had to leave the kids Christmas party a little early before Santa arrived.  Lake Farm Park has so many fun activities for the kids.  First we went to Santa's workshop where elves help the kids make a toy they got to pick out.  Austin picked a helicopter and Sydney picked at bus.

 The elves helped them hammer the toys together.  After the toy was together, we took the kids over so they could paint it and put glitter on it.  It was messy but really cool.  Then we went on a horse and carriage ride though the park looking at Christmas lights.  It ended in a barn were there were animals and toy trains.  After we visited there we walked back  to the main attraction area. The kids decorated a Christmas cookie with icing and sprinkles.  Then they played in the play area while I went and got their toys that were drying.  It was a great night. It was probably my favorite activity that we did this year.

The weekend before Christmas there was a holiday party at the club my parents belong to. They have an annual Christmas party.  I went every year as a child and really enjoyed it. My parents took both kids this year.  Brian took them down there while I was getting my hair done.  Then Brian and I had the entire afternoon to ourselves.  I cleaned the house then we went out shopping and to dinner.  It was really nice to have some adult time.  My parents brought the kids back before bedtime.  Since they did not have a nap that day they were a little cranky. Luckily they went to bed easily and all was well.

For most of the month of December before Christmas Brian was really sick. He would have mostly a sore throat.  For several days he could not open his mouth wide enough to put in his pinky finger in it. It was bad. Brian felt horrible.  I was busy with the kids.  We had all these activities that we wanted to do.  Luckily Brian got to go to all of them and finally went to the doctor and got an antibiotic and felt much better.

Austin is pretty funny.  The other day I was in the kitchen and I whining "Why is it so cold?"  And Austin answered "in the wintertime mommy it's suppose to be cold".  Austin is right, it is suppose to be cold.  It has been a cold and snowy winter for us, but that makes it fun because both of the kids like to play in the snow.

Thanksgiving (2.9 years and 15 months)

Thanksgiving was very sad this year.  Brian's phone rang at 8 am and I answered it.  It was Mike telling me that Grandma had passed away.  It was pretty sudden.  We were very sad but knew that she was finally happy again to be with Gramps.  It had been understandably difficult for her since Gramps died.  We were flying to Myrtle Beach on Friday to surprise Brian's mom for her birthday. But because of Grandma's death Mike told Carol we were coming down.

We have many memories with Austin at Grandma and Gramp's house.  When they were up here we would visit weekly.  Grandma moved to Myrtle Beach before Sydney was born so unfortunately Sydney did not get a lot of time with great Grandma.  Great Grandma and Gramps were amazing people and they will be missed greatly.  We are so happy Brian made a video with them for the kids so they be able to watch when they get older and can appreciate it.

We left Friday morning and flew down to Myrtle Beach.  Austin and Sydney did really good on the plane again.  We are learning as we travel what we need to have handy.  If you give Austin his Kindle and Sydney some suckers they are happy.  Sydney needs more entertainment as she does get bored easily but between Brian and I we can handle her pretty well.  We had a lay over in Charlotte.  Austin liked that airport because there were moving walkways.  He played on them as much as we would let him.

We arrived in Myrtle Beach and Melissa, Jonathan, and Camden picked us up.  It was nice because Melissa let us use their car seats so we didn't have to pack them.  That night we went out to dinner for Nana's birthday.  We went to a nice restaurant.  Luckily the kids were fairly well behaved.  Austin was so exhausted from no nap that he fell asleep at dinner.  He was seated in a booth so we just let him sleep.  Again we just had to keep Sydney fed and entertained the entire time.  It was nice.

Austin loved driving the golf cart.  He also enjoyed the construction equipment near their house.  One night we went to a drive in place to see Christmas lights.  It was cool.   One day we went to the beach too.  The weather was cool, but the kids still enjoyed playing in the sand.  I can't wait until next summer when they play at the beach.  I think they will both love it!

On Sunday, Camden was baptized.  It was so nice we were there.  It was a nice ceremony.  After words we went to Melissa's house for dinner.  I found it entertaining that their house is not baby proof yet.  They had glass plates on the floor for dog food.  Sydney would have loved to pick that up and drop it (she did end up spilling it before we stopped her).  Then Sydney ate some dog food.  Luckily they did have some toys for the kids to play with.  Melissa's neighbor Joan had a train set from her grandson that was awesome.  Austin really enjoyed that.

We had a great time while we were there.  The only bad thing is the kids were sick.  Austin cried so much on Sunday morning about his ear.  We took him to a CVS Minute Clinic and they diagnosed him with an ear infection.  It was very sad and he had to be in a lot of pain.  After about 12 hours the medications started to work.

Before we left for Myrtle Beach, Brian took Sydney to the doctor for her 15 month check up.  She was 40% for weight and 75% for height.  She says about 6 words (mama, dada, bye bye, ball, no, and this).  She is starting to get more picky about what she eats.  If she doesn't want it she shakes head no and gives it back or throws on floor.  It's annoying.  I really miss the days where she would eat anything.  She is no longer a fan of vegetables either.  Hopefully she will out grow this.

Austin likes to say "I can't like that" when he means I don't like that.  We have tried to get him to say I don't like it but he still strongly prefers I can't like it.

I have a lot planned for us in the month of December leading up to Christmas.  It's going to be so much fun!!!!

Trip to Disney World (2.8 years and 14 months)

Last week we took the kids the Walt Disney World for the first time.  When I first mention to Brian about taking the kids to Disney he thought I completely lost my mind since they are still so young.  However kids under 3 are free so Brian then realized maybe this isn't such a bad idea.  I started planning this trip back in the spring.  Going into it we didn't have any expectations.  We were doing this trip to learn some things for the future.  We knew we would get some great memories while doing this.

Brian made a video that highlights various clips from our trip.  Here's a link if you want to check it out:

We flew out of Akron Canton on Monday morning.  This was Sydney's first airplane ride.  I was really nervous on how she would do but she did good all in all.  We just had to continuously entertain her.  Austin did fantastic.  He had his Kindle with Mickey Mouse headphones we got for the trip and played on it most of the trip.  I also had activities like a Magna Doodle and coloring that they did too. Sydney also enjoyed playing with the plastic cups with ice.  The airplane ride was less than 2.5 hours so it was tolerable.

We arrived in Orlando and the Disney Bus took us to our hotel.  Sydney fell asleep which was nice.  It was about a 40 minute bus ride to the Art of Animation.  We checked into our hotel and walked around.  The resorts are huge.  It was a 7-8 minute walk from the hotel lobby to our room and we did not have the furthest room.  The kids played on the playground.  We ate dinner and then went to bed.  We were tired from a long day of traveling.

On Tuesday we went to the Magic Kingdom.  I had some things planned out but also really wanted to do whatever the kids felt like doing.  Sydney woke up at 5 am which that woke up Austin and neither would go back to bed no matter how hard we tried.  Once arriving to the Magic Kingdom, Brian took some pictures of the kids by the castle.  Austin and Sydney hugged each other which was a cute picture.  Then we walked around.  Sydney fell asleep in the stroller since she woke up so early.  We decided to take Austin on some rides.

First he rode Dumbo.  Brian took him first and he loved it.  Then I took him.  It was fun.  Then we saw a little roller coaster next to Dumbo.  We thought we would give it a try.  Brian took him first.  I am not a huge fan of roller coasters and I knew that Brian would make it fun.  It was best that Brian took him.  Austin loved it!  Austin probably rode that ride 6 times between the two days we were there.  Brian took some cool pictures of it too!

Once Sydney woke up we went and saw Goofy and Donald Duck.  Then we went and saw Mickey Mouse.  This was the first time Austin got to see Mickey.  He was shy.  I think he still really liked seeing him though.  We had lunch at the park and then went back to our hotel for nap. We realized that it's easier for everyone if the kids take a nap in the stroller instead of nap in the small hotel room.  Neither of them wanted to sleep even though they were exhausted.

After they got up from nap we went back to the Magic Kingdom.  We spent a lot of time in tomorrowland.  Austin drove a car.  We went on a space ship ride, the people mover, and buzz light ride.  It was a really fun evening.  We had dinner and then stayed until the start of fireworks.  We wanted to see how far back you could see the fireworks.  Austin was getting tried and was asking to go back to the hotel so we left basically as soon as they started.

On Wednesday we were originally planned to go to Hollywood Studios but decided to do Animal Kingdom because we thought it would be a shorter day.  It was a crazy day. Austin locked the safe in the room and we did not know what code he entered (nor what he put in it, he just told us he was "cooking" something). Brian forgot his wrist band but luckily the card in his wallet worked to enter the park.  It wasn't a good start to the day.  Plus everyone was up at 5 am again!  Once arriving to Animal Kingdom we rushed over to the safari ride.  The wait wasn't long so we did that.  We got to see some animals and the kids seemed to enjoy it.

After that we took a train to the petting zoo part.  Austin wanted to ride a train so it worked out.  At the petting zoo, Sydney enjoyed petting the animals.  Austin was more interested in using the brush to brush the bench and not the animals.  There was a character we took our picture with too.

We had to take the train back and then both kids fell asleep in the stroller.  Brian and I walked around the park.  We stopped for lunch and it was great not to have to rush to eat.  We enjoyed our time together while the kids napped in the stroller.   Once they woke up, we took them to a play area.  Then they rode a dinosaur ride similar to Dumbo.  There was a roller coaster then too that Austin really wanted to ride but he was too short.  That made Austin sad.  We wanted to stay for the parade but there wasn't much to do so we decided to go back to the hotel and go swimming.  They kids really liked the fountain and swimming pool at the hotel.

On Thursday we went back to the Magic Kingdom. It was extra magic hours so we got in an hour before the park opened since we stayed at a Disney Hotel.  It was nice not having a ton of people around.  We went back to the ride section and Austin rode rides while Sydney took a nap in the stroller.  Again we were up at 5 am so by 9 am she was pretty tired.  Then it was time for Chef Mickeys.  I made reservations for this months ago. I knew this way Austin would get to see Mickey Mouse.  We went for late breakfast because it was cheaper.

It was a buffet. We got our food and then the characters started coming over.  It was really cool.  We got some cute pictures of them with the characters.  Austin was shy around some of them but Sydney loved them.  It was cute.  Afterwards we went back to our hotel and took them swimming.

After nap time, we again went back to the Magic Kingdom.  We went to Adventureland since we had not been there before.  We rode on the Aladdin ride and went up in the Swiss Family Robinson House.  We walked around the park and ate dinner.  After dinner we wanted to ride a jungle cruise boat but it was closed.  So we found more rides like the tea cups, Winnie the Pooh, and the carousal.  Then it was almost 9 pm and we had to get back to our hotel.  We really enjoyed our days at the Magic Kingdom.

The Art of Animation was having bus issues that night.  We had to wait a very long time in line for a bus.  It was annoying but the kids did really well.  Once on the bus, Sydney had to scream herself to sleep but it was understandable for what she had to wait for.  We were glad when we finally made it back.

On Friday, we went to Hollywood Studios.  We first went and saw the Disney Junior Live show.  Austin did not like it at first but as the show went on he did.  Then we went and saw Mickey Mouse again.   We learned that we have to keep a hold of Austin's hands or they will be in his mouth for all pictures.  That was the last time he would see Mickey on this trip. I thought it was impressive the number of times we saw Mickey Mouse.   Then we went on a behind the scene tour of a movie set (the Backlot tour).  Because half of the tour was a ride the kids liked it.  They did not do as well just sitting an watching sometime.  There were explosives and they did not mind it.  It was kind of cool.  Then we ate some lunch.

After lunch the kids took a nap in the stroller again.  We did some shopping.  We got them some T-shirts.  They never asked for anything while there except Mickey Mouse balloons on the street.  Every time we would pass them, Sydney would scream.  She just likes balloons.  We knew we couldn't take it home so they never got a balloon.  We saw a girl at the airport give her balloon away to someone who just arrived going to Disney World which we thought was an excellent idea.  Maybe next time.

After nap, we tried to see the Disney Jr Live Show again but Austin freaked out so we left.  There was something in the beginning of the show he did not like.  We got ice cream instead.  They loved it!  Then the kids found a fountain to drop pennies in.  Austin showed Sydney how to do it.  They had fun doing that.

We decided to go back to our hotel and let the kids swim if they wanted.  Of course they did.  Brian took both of them so I could pack a little bit. Then I met them there.  It was a little chilly but they loved the water.  Afterwards we had dinner, went for a walk around our hotel, and went to bed.

We had a great time in Disney.  There is something magical about that place.  Some moments were stressful but all and all the kids did fantastic.  We have some great memories.  Brian took some amazing pictures and he is working on a video (see link up top).  Austin still love the cruise ship video so I'm sure he will love this one too.

The trip home was uneventful.  Austin did great on the plane with his Kindle and headphones.  Sydney did well too.  She would play with ice and toys.  When she would get upset a sucker would cure that.  We are lucky we have two great travelers!

We learned a lot about Disney on this trip. We will probably not pay for a dining plan again.  We will go when they offer a free one.  We will never go in the summer.  It would be too hot and crowded.  It is nice to stay on Disney's property and not have to rent a car.  With the meal plans, I don't need to pack so much food.  We are not big fans of the sit down dinning because it seems to take away time you could be spending in the parks.  The Magic Kingdom is fantastic for little kids.  The other parks, not so much.  The next question is, when will we go back?