Christmas

Christmas Eve we had our friends over and the kids exchanged gifts.  They got Austin and Sydney laser tag game which they liked.  Then we finally made Christmas cookies.  We had been so busy we barely fit it Christmas cookies but we did just in time for Santa.  Then we went to church.  After church, we went to McDonald’s for dinner. We are continuing the tradition. 

That evening, Brian’s mom and Mike and my mom all came over to spend the night.  Brian’s mom was in town this year.  Also this year, things were all set which was so nice.  It was much less stressful.  The kids left out carrots for reindeer and cookies and milk for Santa.  They went to bed fairly quickly and Austin got up at 4am. 

He worked on his book report until he was able to wake up Sydney at 6am.  At 6am the kids went downstairs and opened their gifts.  Austin received a big drone, hot wheels car wash, pet penguin, game, and CD player.  Sydney got a new kindle (she broke her old one a few months ago), unicorn hair styler, and penguin.  She also got unicorn string art and Frozen lego set.  They had a great Christmas.  My mother and I made breakfast that turned out great.  I didn’t burn the cinnamon rolls this year.  After breakfast my mom went home.  The kids played with their toys.  Then we went down to her house for dinner.  It was a great day. 

After Christmas we had to get all the decorations down since we were leaving for a cruise on Saturday.  Brian took down the Christmas lights the day after Christmas because it was 60 degrees and we were leaving.  We didn’t want to leave them up while we were gone and have to deal with taking them down once we got back.  Brian goes to Las Vegas after we get back so it’s going to get busy once again. 

Christmas Activities

We went to a local farm and picked out our Christmas tree.  The kids always get to pick out the tree. It's their responsibility to cut in down and drag it back.  It's a lot of work for them. It also develops team work.  They found the perfect tree.  

We started our family Christmas activities with Lake Farm park.  We always enjoy doing the breakfast.  The kids love eating breakfast and it is less crowded than at night.  After breakfast, we saw Santa then the kids made their wooden toys.  All the wooden toys go under our Christmas tree each year. It’s neat to see them every year.  This year Austin made a frog and Sydney made an angel.  They really take their time with them painting them perfectly.  The kids rode a pony after their toy making. 

Also in the beginning of December Austin had his first basketball game.  It was so fun to watch.  They even won.  Brian does a great job coaching them.  Sydney has also started basketball.  She doesn’t get to play games yet but she’s really liking it too. 

The school had its annual gingerbread house contest. The kids enjoy making their gingerbread houses.  Sydney also had a piano recital the same day so we left the gingerbread house making early to take her to that.  Austin stayed at the school with some friends.  He hears her play piano every week so figured it was okay for him to miss it. 

Another fun night is when Santa comes to our house in a firetruck.  It’s always so fun.  The kids were outside screaming when they could see the flashing lights.  He even came early this year.  Santa even bought them a present.  Austin got building domino blocks and Sydney got a stuffed animal.  They were so happy. 

Austin and Sydney also performed in the school Christmas concert together.  It was great for them to be in it together.  It only goes until 3^rd grade so unfortunately this was the last year of that.  They each sang two songs with their class and then they did one with 2^nd and 3^rd grade.  They made sweatshirts this year to wear at the concert.  The whole class matched.  I helped with each of their sweatshirts.  It was cute. 

Brian and I each went out in December.  We usually don’t go out much together.  We enjoy spending time with the kids so we usually do things as a family.  A group of parents went out on a limo bus to downtown brewery.  It was a lot of fun!

The Cavs put on winter fest at the Q (Rocket Mortgage Field house)  each year for season ticket holders.  Luckily this year we could go.  We got there early so we could ice skate.  We know that ice skating gets busy.  We ice skated for a while.  The kids are getting good at it.  They are not as good as skiing but getting there.  Then we even met Zivic.  Then we had some dinner and made some cookies.  Austin and Sydney made an ornament for the tree as well.  It was a good night. 

I helped with Sydney’s Christmas party at school.  They played a game and did some crafts.  Then they decorated cookies.  Austin didn’t have a Christmas party.  They had a Grinch day which he liked as well. 

We went out to see a Kent State basketball game with some friends from basketball.  Austin and the boys enjoyed watching the game.  Sydney and the girls played most of the game. 

We ended all of our Christmas activities with Mr. Kringle’s Inventionasium.  We were bummed because the talking tree near it was not working.  However the Inventionasium did not disappoint.  The characters are great.  They have fun doing all the stations.  Sydney gets more excited about it but Austin still enjoys it too.  They even got to make a toy and bring it home this year. The problem with the toy was it didn’t stay together well.  They loved making snow.  And seeing Mr. Kringle is magical!  They got a stuffed dragon to bring home as well. 

After Mr. Kringle we went to a Cavs game.  We even got upgraded seats for this game.  They were probably the best seats we had.  They were 13 row behind the visitor bench.  It was even a good game and the Cavs won.  We truly had a magical holiday season!

November Fun

At the beginning of November, we had teacher conferences.  We are always worried about Austin since he’s had trouble hearing but so far things are going well. He’s also getting all the special help he needs to hopefully catch back up.  Sydney’s conference was quick and easy.  It appears things come easier for her.

Winter sports also started.  Sydney decided she wanted to play indoor soccer at a local soccer club with some friends. She had to try out and made the team.    Austin started basketball with Brian coaching.  This year they will play games against different schools so that’s fun.  Austin continues to play tennis once a week.  Sydney continues to go to piano lessons once a week.  To say we are busy is an understatement. 

Brian also had to go to China for a week for his big build at work.  The kids are always sad when he leaves.  We kept busy with all the activities though. And before we knew it, he was back home. 

Once he got back from China, he spent the weekend putting up Christmas lights.  It’s always a time consuming project.  He kept him awake and the weather wasn’t bad.  They were put up that weekend. 

I hosted Thanksgiving again this year.  My mom came over.  I made the traditional Thanksgiving menu with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, rolls, and cranberry sauce.  Thanksgiving is Austin’s favorite meal of the year.  He loves it!  Sydney got a GI virus the Wednesday before and we were worried we would have to postpone Thanksgiving.  Luckily it was a quick virus and she was fine by Thursday.  However Sydney doesn’t like the food like Austin.  I think she only had dinner rolls and corn. 

Thanksgiving evening we went to see Frozen II at the movies.  It was very good movie.  We all liked it.  We think it’s better than the first one. 

We found out that Brian is lactose intolerant.  We also had Sydney tested too. She is also lactose intolerant.  We are trying to avoid milk products however that’s been a challenge for her.  Most of the foods she like has lactose in it.  She has started on almond milk with no issues.  I hope once things calm down I’ll be able to figure out stuff she can eat.  She doesn’t like the chewable lactaid pills and she can’t swallow the pills.  So she knows if she eats something with milk, she’ll have a bellyache. 

Some girls from girls scouts and the moms went to see the Nutcracker.  Some second graders were in it.  It was very cute. 

October Fun

October has lots of fun fall activates.  This year,  the kids loved the drive in.  With it closing soon, we made sure we took them to see the Addams family.  We saw it too weekends in a row because one was trunk or treat.  It was so much fun for the kids.  Drive in twice for Addams family.

Austin finished up flag football.  He's had a great 3 years of flag football but this year is the last year.  Next year, kids play tackle football.  Austin is not interested.  The last year was nice because his team won the championship. 

Sydney finished up outdoor fall soccer.  She has fallen in love with soccer.  It's definitely her sport.  Some of her friends are doing an indoor league.  We signed her up for that.  It's going to be a busy winter. 

We took the kids to boo at the zoo.  They still love going so we made sure we took them.  This year, Austin was a tube man and Sydney was princess Jasmine.  We also went trick or treating at my mom's house.  The weather was so terrible this year.  I didn't even go out in it.  Brian took the kids in the cold rain for 2 hours.  He's such a great dad! 

With football being done, Austin has picked back up on tennis.  He goes on Sundays.  He enjoys it.  There was some talk about Sydney trying tennis too but she decided to stick with soccer. 

I took the kids to treat or treating at the Q (Rocket Mortgage Field house but i like the Q better).  Brian was at a coaches basketball meeting so he couldn't come.  We met Jordan Clarkson.  They did a few crafts and got some treats. 

Brian has taken Austin to some Cavs games.  We only have 2 seats to half the season this year.  It works out with the kids busy school and activity schedules. 

On Halloween, the kids had truck or treat at school which I did with another mom.  It's fun to see them.  Then I did Sydney's classroom party.  Then Brian took them trick or treating around our neighborhood with the neighbors. 

Disney

The start of the school year is always crazy.  Trying to get into a routine.  We have always taken the kids out of school in early fall for a trip.  It seems to work for us and the kids are not learning too much new stuff yet. 

This year we decided to go back to Disney in the fall.  Our friends wanted to come with us since they have never been before.  Also Brian’s sister decided that she was also going to come.  It’s going to be interesting with so many of us in the group.  We also decided we would stay an entire week this time.  The last time we were there we only stayed 4 days.  We love Disney and the flights were cheap so we thought we should stay a week. 

We got a great deal on airfare.  The bad news was our flight was at 7am.  Then meant we had to get up at 4am.  That’s a little early for even Austin who loves to get up early.  Things were going well until once at the airport, we realized I forgot to put on the Disney luggage tags.  That means we now need to pick up our luggage at the Orlando airport.  It’s annoying but hopefully that’s the only thing I forgot. 

While on the plane the kids worked on some homework.  Then I let them have some electronic time. 

When we arrived to Orlando we picked up our luggage and went to the Magical Express.  When we got to our hotel, only 2 out of the 3 rooms were ready.  Luckily ours was one of them. We had lunch.  We changed and went swimming for a bit. The kids love the pool. 

That evening we went to Epcot to ride Soarin.  It is one of the best rides.  Everyone loved it.  Then we went over to Figment the Imagination Ride.  Then Austin saw Penelope from Ralph Breaks the Internet.  He stood in line and saw her and then Ralph came out.  Austin was very happy.  We had dinner at Epcot then went back to the hotel. 

On Sunday morning, we headed to the Magic Kingdom.  We got a picture in front of the castle.  Austin went to space mountain and the speedway cars and I took Sydney to Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh.  We all met up at the tea cups.  Then we rode the Barnstormer.  Then we headed over to Thunder Mountain Railroad.  Sydney had reservations to turn into a mermaid so she did that.  She loved it!  It’s magical to see her so happy and love wearing the mermaid dress.  I bought the dress on Amazon (much cheaper than a Disney dress).  Then we went to meet Micky Mouse and Minnie Mouse.  That was fun.  It was so hot we went back to the hotel to swim.  That evening went to Hollywood to check out Toy Story and Star Wars land.  It was new to us. 

On Monday morning, we got up at 4:45am to go to Hollywood.  We arrived by 6am to see it open.  We went to Toy Story Land first.  We were on Slinky Dog at 6:04am  We were proud of ourselves.  Then it was a disaster.  We tried to go to Star Wars land but it was closed between Toy Story and Star Wars land.  We walked all the way around.  That’s a lot of walking.  The line for Smugglers Run was over an hour long. We decided not to ride it then.  We went back to Toy Story Land.  We rode Toy Story Mania.  Then we went to ride Smugglers Run.  It was cool to see all the stuff around the line to ride the ride.  About 45 minutes were riding the ride.  It was a neat ride.  Austin and Sydney were gunners. 

Afterwards we hung out in Star Wars land and Chewbacca came by and said hi to Austin and Sydney.  That was cool.  Then we rode Star Tours.  We rode Slinky dog (very fun family friendly roller coaster).  We also rode the flying saucer ride.  By this time, we were exhausted so we headed back to the hotel for a nap.  After nap, we headed to Magic Kingdom to see the fireworks show. 

At Magic Kingdom we rode, Haunted Mansion then It’s a small world.  Then we had some dinner at the Mexican restaurant.  After dinner, we went on Astro Orbiter and then watched some of the firework show.  Austin wasn’t very interested and wanted to go back to the hotel.  So Brian and Austin left a little earlier and got back.  Sydney and I stayed and watched then got a bus back. 

On Tuesday, we went to Animal Kingdom to start the wilderness explore program for the kids.  Austin says it’s one of his favorite things to do at Disney.  We went to Dinoland first.  Austin and Brian rode the Dinosaur ride.  The kids played in the great Dinoland playground.  Then we walked around Animal Kingdom collecting badges.  We took the train over to Raffaki’s Planet Watch area.  The kids had fun at the petting zoo there.  Then we headed back to the hotel to swim.  When it’s 90 degrees, the only thing to do in the middle of the day is swim. 

On Tuesday evening, we took the skyliner over to Art of Animation and Pop Century.  The kids love seeing the cars at Art of Animation.  And I wanted to ride the skyliner to it worked out perfectly.  The skyliner is cool.  It makes me want to stay at one of it’s hotels.  But it would depend on cost.  Since we are not in the room much, it doesn’t make sense to spend too much more money on a hotel. 

On Wednesday, we went back to Epcot.  We rode Soarin first thing like always.  With 12 of us, it was amazing that we all made it there quickly.  Then we rode Living on the Land.  Austin really likes that ride.  Then we went over to Nemo ride since it was right there.  Unfortunately we didn’t have much time since we had a test track fast pass.  We all rode Test Track which was great.  Then we headed towards the countries.  We met Anna and Elsa.  Sydney just loves that.  Afterwards we rode, Frozen Ever After.  Everyone else decided it was time to head back to the hotel.  We wanted to walk around the world so we stayed. 

We stopped at a few countries to get stamps.  Sydney met Belle.  She had her Belle dress on so was excited to see her.  We also found Jasmine and Sydney got a picture with her while Austin colored at a passport station.  Then we headed towards the front to ride Spaceship Earth.  That was a slow ride that we had never rode before. 

We headed back to the hotel to swim.  Then we went to Hollywood that evening.  We got on Smugglers Run again.  It was less than a wait than at 6am.  We took the Skyliner to Epcot to see the new firework show.  The show was good.  Afterwards we took the bus back to the hotel. 

On Thursday morning we went to Animal Kingdom and rode the safari.  That is always cool to see.  Then we walked the Gorilla Trail to get more wilderness explore badges.  Austin says the Animal Kingdom is his favorite park because of the wilderness explorer program.  Sydney got her face pained thanks to Auntie Melissa. 

Brian and Austin rode Mount Everest with Melissa and the boys.  Then we went over to Flight of Passage.  It was shut down and we had a fast pass.  We really wanted to ride it so we waited.  Luckily it was like 30 minutes.  Austin and Sydney finished the wilderness explorer program and got their ceremony.  Sydney wanted a “big” celebration but Austin wanted a “small” celebration. 

We went back to hotel to swim.  After swimming we went back to Animal Kingdom to ride Flight of Passage again.  Then took a bus to Hollywood.  We ate dinner at Hollywood.  We rode Slinky Dog and Tower of Terror.  It was another busy day. 

On Friday, we went to the Magic Kingdom.  We rode Pirates of the Caribbean first.  Then we walked up the Swiss Family Robinson House.  Austin loves to watch the water being lifted to the top.  Then we went and rode the Winnie the Pooh Ride, then 7 Dwarfs Mine Train.  That ride is really too short.  Then we rode Thunder Mountain Railroad.  That’s the best roller coaster there in my opinion.  Austin and Brian rode Space Mountain.  I believe they think that’s the best ride.  We headed over to Tom Sawyer’s Island.  The kids had a great time playing there.  That’s always one of their favorite things to do.   Then they went back to ride Space Mountain again.  We had lunch and finished with the people mover. 

Like all the other days, we went back to the hotel to swim.  That evening we went to Hollywood.  Austin, Brian, and Sydney rode the rockin roller coaster.  Then we rode the saucers.  Brian and Austin rode the Tower of Terror.  Sydney and I went back to the hotel for an evening swim.   It was an exhausting week.  We had lots of fun though.  

On Saturday we flew home. Unfortunately they had changed our flight so we didn’t leave until 5pm.  We worked on some homework then let the kids swim.  Then took the magical express to the airport.   Disney is one of our favorite vacations. 

Flag Football and Soccer

September is a month of adjustments.  We try to get into the swing of things for school.  Austin had a lot of homework at the beginning of the year.  Plus the kids have their fall sports.  Austin is playing flag football for the last year.  He has practice two days a week plus games on Saturdays.  Sydney is playing soccer.  She has practice one day a week with games also on Saturdays.  That makes things a little crazy.

Austin's football team has been winning.  Austin is not into football that much.  He likes being with his friends though.  Sydney loves soccer.  It's her favorite sport.  Her team has won and lost a few games.

We went to Mapleside for a Cavs season ticket event.  They had food and the kids enjoyed playing on jumping bag and playground.  We also went to Cedar Point with the Cavs.  Since we have season tickets, we just had lunch on them.  However Austin and Brian decided to ride Steel Vengeance.  They were in line and missed lunch.  I bought a plate of food for them.

Our downstairs bathroom is finally finished.  The floor was install the other week.  I was so happy.  The old floor was gross.  Austin now loves that bathroom.

Soon we will be leaving for Disney.

Sydney's 7th Birthday

It's always sad when summer is over and it's time to go back to school.  Austin and Sydney were excited about school this year.  Austin was hoping for a better year since now he can hear.  Sydney loves school and loves learning.  Austin is now in 3rd grade and Sydney is in 2nd grade.

Sydney's birthday is always right around the time of school starting.  That is always a challenge determining when best to have her party.  We decided the weekend after school starts would work best.  She wanted a swim party at a place that had a water slide this year.  The pool was inside.  Even though it's still summer, it worked out in case it rained.  She had so much fun!  Lots of girls were able to attend.  Plus the the boy siblings.

Unicorns are her favorite thing right now.  She got unicorn cupcakes, cakes and cookies.  Plus I made unicorn water bottles with everyone's name on them.  I got my Cricut machine out.  I haven't used it in years.  It was fun for me to make them.

On Sydney's birthday, we went to Steak n Shake for dinner.  That's the kids favorite.  They claim they have the best macaroni and cheese.  Plus they even got a milkshake.  After dinner, we went to football practice.  Sydney likes playing with the girls there.  It was a good birthday.

On Labor Day weekend, she had a sleepover at her best friends house.  Sydney has been asking for this for a while.  We finally said yes.  She had a great time until the morning.  When she got sick.  I felt so bad for her.  Luckily she felt better the next day.

We also decided to buy water rafts to raft down the river.  We could have rented them but it was cheaper to go to Dick's and buy them.  So we bought four of them.  Then we drive 2 cars down to the river to leave one at the end.  The kids had a great time!  The water was a little chilly but not too bad.  And it takes longer than you would expect.  Especially when you have kids swimming up stream for a tennis ball.

Austin's Surgery

Right before school started, Austin got his 4th set of ear tubes.  We still can't believe he needed yet other set of ear tubes.  We had the surgery done at a local community hospital.  However his surgery time was not until 1pm.  We felt so bad that his surgery was so late.  He was able to have water and clear liquids until 10am but nothing after that.  And no food.  We allowed him to stay up late on Thursday night in hopes he would sleep in on Friday.  As expected, Austin did not sleep in.  He's always up early!

Austin didn't seem to mind that he was having surgery.  He was pretty okay with no food either.  He would let us know that he was hungry but that's about it.  Brian promised him whatever he wanted after surgery.  There was a chance they would take his adenoids out but the doctor said they weren't large so they weren't removed.

The surgery was quick as expected and he recovered quickly and we were discharged within an hour after surgery.  Once we got home, we got Sydney and all went to Denny's for all you can eat pancakes.  Austin was so excited.

We hope this helps his hearing and that it is his last set of tubes!

August Fun

Our favorite camp ground is Yogi Bear in Uniontown.  We usually go there once a year in August.  That is always Sydney's request due to her birthday month.  They have so many kids activities like gaga ball, slides, playground.  And they have a great pool and putt putt golfing.  We always have a great relaxing weekend there.

  This summer we only camped twice.  And we had so much fun at Yogi Bear, we decided to make reservations for the next weekend as well.  The bummer was I had to work so I came home Friday night and worked Saturday.  But then came back down Saturday evening.  The kids had a great time with chocolate weekend.  They played chocolate kick ball.  They had fun with candy bingo too.  It was a another great weekend to close out summer.

We also went to the drive in as much as possible.  The kids saw Angry Birds, Toy Story, Aladdin and Lion King all at the drive in this year.

We also made it to waterworks water park.  It's a fun water park for them.  They went with some friends so that worked out great!

August also means the start of fall sports.  Austin is playing flag football again this year.  Sydney is playing soccer.  They means the craziness begins with practice during the weeks and games on Saturdays.

A friend invited Sydney and I to goat yoga.  The morning of I could not believe I was doing this.  Having goats walk all over me and maybe go to the bathroom near or on me did not sound fun!  Luckily they mostly kept their distance from me and Sydney had a great time!

August is always sad because summer is coming to an end.  Sydney is always excited because it's her birthday month.  But Brian and I love summer and having the kids home with no school schedule.  But all good things must come to an end!

July Summer Fun

We love the 4th of July and going to see fireworks.  It was weird with the 4th being on a Thursday this year though.  We only went to Bainbridge to see fireworks this year with friends.  The kids did some bouncy houses and spent most of the time rolling down the hill.  They didn't even stand in line for a balloon this year.  That was always a big hit in year's past.

On the 4th of July, we went to the Stow parade.  We always enjoy that.  It's about an hour and half long.  It was hot but not as bad as last year.  We always bring donuts to the parade as well.  Plus the kids get a ton of candy.

Cleveland had MLB All - Star game this year.  There was a color run on Sunday for it.  Austin was always a big fan of wanting to do it.  The worst part was having to get up early to go but we decided we would do it as a family.  It was a beautiful day for it.   It's not a timed race so we stayed together and went though all the color stops getting sprayed with chalk color.  It was so much fun.  The best part was at the end of the race there was a color run party and the audience would throw color packets while listening to music.  Everyone had a great time!

Melissa and the boys came up from Myrtle Beach for a week.  They stayed with us since our house is all done (well except for the bathroom floor).  We had activities everyday planned.  It was a very fun busy week!  We went to waterworks.  We also went to Cedar Point.  Melissa and Austin rode top thrill dragster, sling shot, and Milliumum Force.  Austin was so happy.  We had a move night in our back yard.  And we went to the Asian Lantern festival at the Cleveland zoo.  It was a great time for everyone.

Austin and Sydney love water parks.  We went to Pioneer Waterland for a friends birthday.  They love the water slides and the jumping floating toys in the pool.  We spent an entire day there.

Since we have season tickets to the Cavs, we had an opportunity to tour Rocket Mortgage Field house while it's under construction.  We didn't think it was going to be too exciting but it ended up being very cool!   The field house is going to be amazing when it's completed.  I am excited for the Cavs season.  Hopefully they will do better this year too!

Austin also went to Cavs basketball camp for a week this summer.  It was a full week of all day basketball.  Luckily he had some friends that went too.  He had a lot of fun!  Basketball should be cool this year.

Austin back for another hearing test

When we were traveling, we noticed Austin had a difficult time hearing.  We had noticed before but because he passed a hearing test last October, we thought he was good.  Austin says what all the time and has difficulty with letter sound combinations.  We decided it was necessary to go to back to the ENT.  Luckily they saw us quickly.  Unfortunately, Austin didn't do well on the hearing test.  It was actually one of his worst hearing test.  We had no option but to schedule for ear tubes.  This was not ideal but he has to be able to hear.  The doctor is putting in a T-Tube this time (longer set of ear tubes).  Surgery was scheduled for August.

Sydney continued to have piano lessons and Austin started some tutoring to help with his English and reading.  We also went to Cedar Point a few times.  Austin and Sydney love Cedar Point!  June was a busy start to our summer.  And the fun has just begun.

Myrtle Beach, Virginia Beach, and Hershey

Our summer vacation this year we decided to go to Myrtle Beach, Virginia Beach, and Hershey.  Our first stop was Myrtle Beach.  We were planning on driving all day on Friday.  However my work scheduled changed and the kids didn’t have lacrosse so Thursday evening we decided drive all Thursday night.  We left our house around 8pm.  I drove until 10pm.  Then Brian drove until 2am.  While driving he listened to the NBA Finals game.  The Raptors won and Brian was very excited.  He definitely didn’t want Golden State to win.  Then I drove from 2am to 630am.  It was a very long drive.  However it was nice to be there in the morning. 

Once we arrived, I took a short nap.   The kids went to the store with Grandpa and went swimming.  Then Melissa and I took the kids to the park, McDonalds, and candy store.  Once we got back, the kids went swimming again and we hung out at that Nana and Grandpa’s house. 

On Saturday, we went to the water-park.  Austin and Sydney loved the big slide.  We were at the water-park for most of the day.  Austin and Sydney love water-parks and slides.  Then we went to LuLu's for dinner.  While we waited for our food, the kids played in the sand.  They didn't get as wet and messy as last year.  Then Austin and Sydney did the rope course.  It was so much fun for them.  At the end of it, they both even jumped off they they were supposed to.  They really have no fear!  

On Sunday, we went to the beach.  They kids played in the water and sand.  It was fun.  Then they went back to Nana's to swim.  They love their pool.  

On Monday, we went to Broadway at the Beach.  We started at the Wonder Works House.  We were in there for several hours.  Then we let the kids ride amusement park rides.  It was a super fun day for them.  We had a nice lunch on the water.  The kids got slushies and ice cream.  Everyone had a great time in Myrtle Beach.  

On Tuesday, we drove up to Virginia Beach and got a hotel on the beach.  We love Virginia Beach.  We can just park the car for the time there and walk everywhere.  While in Virginia Beach, we enjoyed ice cream ( a lot of ice cream).  Sweet Frogs is the kids favorite.  We loved the street performers in the evenings.  We rented a four person bike and biked the boardwalk.  Austin and Sydney tried out the hamster balls in water.  And they loved playing in the ocean with their boggie boards.  It was a fun two days in Virginia Beach.  

On Thursday, we drove up to Hershey Park.  We went to the park that evening and rode some roller coasters.  The whole family loves Lighting and Thunder.  I am not as into roller coasters but it's fun with all of us racing in the roller coasters.  We rode Comet and Super Dooper Looper.  Another favorite is Lafty Tafty.  

On Friday and Saturday, we spend both days (all day) in the park.  We did some of the water-park too.  The only bummer was the Hershey Towers were down for maintenance.  Sydney finally had enough courage to do it and they were closed.  She was really sad.  On Saturday, it was so crowded.  Brian and I handle crowds pretty well but it was ridiculous.  We even left a bit earlier than normal just because we could not take it.  

Over all, it was a great vacation.  It was a lot of driving but we got to do a lot of fun things.  And mostly importantly we got to hang out as a family! 

End of School, Beginning of Summer

The one thing I have learned with the school age years, is the enjoyment of summer.  I love summer more now than ever.  In the summer, we have relaxed bedtimes.  We have outside movie nights.  We do a lot of swimming.  We hang out with friends.  We go to the drive ins.  We do the summer reading program at the library.  We like to sleep in (except for Austin).  We enjoy going on vacations.  We enjoy Cedar Point.   We like to camp.  We enjoy just hanging out as a family and chillin.   Luckily I don't work every day so I am able to take the kids many places and let them do some fun things.

Sydney and her friend did a half week of basketball camp as soon as summer ended.  Sydney got to hang out with her friend a lot that week.  Brian and I got to send some quality time with Austin.  We even went out to dinner with just him.  We had a great time.

We went on our first camping trip of the season in early June.  We had a great time except for we found out the pool was closed due to construction when we arrived.  They have a lake but we don't like swimming in a lake.  We like pools.  But since the weather was nice, we did got out into the lake to play on the floats.  The kids also rented pedal bikes and played bingo.  We played some basketball and played on the playground.  Austin and Sydney love camping.  Brian and I enjoy it too.

Austin's First Communion

May is always the busiest month with school.  It's always crazy and trying to stay focus towards the end is hard.  Austin had his second grade field trip which I was lucky enough to go on with his class.  We first went down to the West Side Market.  This was our first time there.  Austin had $5 to spend.  He bought a cookie.  Then we went to the Cathedral Downtown which was cool.

Also in May Austin had his First Communion.  It was a special day for him.  He made it with his best friend too.  My mom came as well.  Then we went out to dinner afterwards.

Also in May, to keep life really interesting, Brian had to go to China.  We are getting used to his frequent China trips but they still suck for all of us.  With me working on Saturdays, that's was a challenge with Brian being gone and the kids having a track meet.  The kids missed Brian terribly and I get sick of doing everything on my own.  Luckily it was only for a week.  The kids and I had some meals out and pancakes for dinner since we enjoy that.

Sydney also had her first piano recital.  She played one song.  She did a good job.  She enjoys playing the piano.  She doesn't practice as much as she should.  But she says playing the piano makes her happy. 

May was also the end of track season.  It was nice to have the kids at the same place at track.  However track can be a little boring.  They only run for a few minutes and we are there for hours with meets and practices.  They had fun though.

May is crazy busy and many times I feel like I am going to lose my mind, but I know one day I am going to miss all of this craziness!

Spring Break - London and Paris

For spring break this year, we decided to go to London and Paris.  We got a good deal on airfare to London and wanted to take the kids to Disneyland Paris.  We flew out early on Thursday morning.  Our flight was at 6:45am.  We landed in New York at 8am.  I found the New York Hall of Science nearby.  We originally were going to take a taxi there but realized it would be better to rent a car.  We rented a car and drove there.

The New York Hall of Science was a cool museum for the kids.  They played with bubbles and built air powered vehicles.  Austin and Sydney also built a large tower out of blocks.   We then ate lunch.  At lunch, Austin said his throat hurt.  He had a cold but the sore throat was something new.  Nervous that we were flying to London in a few hours, we drove to a minute clinic.  Luckily there was little wait.  He had all the signs and symptoms of strep throat so he was given an antibiotic.

We drove back to the airport.  Traffic is New York is crazy and we were not even in the city.  We made it back with plenty of time.  We relaxed at the gate for a bit.  However Sydney's Kindle stopped working.  Brian frantically put videos on the extra Kindle that we had packed.

Once we boarded the plane, we thought we would be going to sleep however the meal took longer than expected.  We each watched a movie and had dinner and finally went to sleep.  We only got about 2-3 hours of sleep (not good sleep being on an airplane and all).

When we landed in London we were nervous about the protests that promised to shut down the airport on the day we arrived.  We really didn't know what to expect.  Traveling with the kids makes things a bit more challenging.  However we never saw any of the protesters.  We took the Heathrow Express to Pattington station.  Then took the underground from there to near our hotel.  However our hotel was about a 15 minute walk from the underground.  That is challenging with all of our luggage.

We went finally arrived at our hotel at 10:30am in the morning our room was ready.  We were so happy!  We were able to shower and get organized for the day. We had decided that we were going on the hop on and off bus.  The kids wanted to do that in Barcelona but we did not do that.  So we thought we would let them her.  It was nice when we were at the top of the bus and we could see the city.  Some of the buses were crowded so we were at the bottom.

We stopped off by M+M store.  Sydney was very excited.  She loves Las Vegas just for that store.  She even found a t-shirt that she liked and got it.  Sydney also got some ice cream and Austin got a donut (very large donut).   We continued to take the bus around the city.  That evening we stopped at the store and got some food for dinner.  We were all very tired.

On Saturday, we went to Tower Bridge in the morning.  We went up in it as well.  The kids enjoyed walking over the glass at the top of the bridge.  After Tower Bridge, we stopped for ice cream.  Then waited for the bridge gates to open.  The we walked over the The Monument.  We climbed the 311 stairs to the top.  Austin and Sydney enjoyed the climb and even counted the steps.

After the Monument, we went over to the London Eye.  We got tickets to go up into it.  The line was long but it moved quickly.  We enjoyed the ride in the the London Eye.  After the London Eye, the kids found a slushy place and got a cool cup and a slushy.  There was a playground near by so they played on that for a bit.  Also while we were over there, we saw all the protesters.  Brian even captured a few pictures while there.  That evening we had dinner at a local cafe.

Somehow the Easter Bunny found us in London and hid chocolate and chocolate eggs throughout our hotel room for the kids to find on Easter morning.  When they woke up they were very excited about that.  They went around the room finding eggs.  Then we got ready to see the changing of the guards over by Buckingham Palace.  We were on Mall St.  We watched them come down and back.  It was interesting.

After the changing of the guard, we found waffles with Nutella at the park.  We had some of those.  That was a nice breakfast.  Then the kids played on a wall like structure that was like a slide.  They had fun.

Then we went to Tower of London.  When we first got there we soon realized the kids were not that interested.  Luckily they had a children's program with a skit pretending to steal the jewels.  It kept their interest.  Then we there was a little show and they drew a picture and won a medals.  They enjoyed that.  It was very warm.

Then we found lunch at a local pub.  We had fish and chips and the kids had waffles and chicken.  We went back to the hotel for a brief break.  Then we went to a church as the same name as our church.  It was fun to check out.  Then we went to the London Eye to watch a 4D movie.  We had ice cream and headed back to our hotel.  Brian allowed the kids to play at the playground near our hotel while I did laundry.

On Monday, we walked to London Bridge station and took the Underground to St. Pancras station.   At that station, we had tickets on Eurostar to Paris.  We had a stop in Lille Europe.  Then the train took us right to Disney.  The train was about 1.5 hours each with a 30 minute layover.  It went by fast.  I was impressed with the train.

When we arrived in Disneyland we were confused on how to get to our hotel.  Finally we figured it out however with some unnecessary walking.  We had packed way too much stuff and it was really too much to carry all around but somehow we managed.  We were starving by the time we got to our hotel.  It was also recommended that had reservations at all restaurants.  We did not have reservations.  We called and got some steak house in Disney Village.  We were in our room for 5 minutes.

We had a nice dinner at the steak house.  Although Austin did spill his chocolate milk.  Brian and I were annoyed but they were so kind and helpful.  We even got to change tables.  After dinner, we went to Disneyland.  We rode It's a Small World.  Then Austin rode space Mountain and Sydney and I rode Buzz Lightyear.  Then we rode Thunder Mountain railroad.  That was an awesome ride.  Then we stayed and watched fireworks.

On Tuesday, we got up early and went to breakfast at our hotel.  Then we went to Disneyland around 9am.  We rode Thunder Mountain Railroad again.  Then we tried to ride Peter Pan but that wasn't open yet.  The kids rode the carousal that they really wanted to do.  Then we rode Pinocchio. We also all rode space mountain.  It was not a fan.   We got a past fast for Peter Pan for later in the day.  Then we headed over to Hollywood Studios.  We watched a Marvel Superhero show.  Then we rode slingy dog.  Then we stood in a long time for Rockin Roller coaster.  When we made it to the front, Sydney decided she didn't want to ride it.  Which was completely fine with me.  When it was over Austin even said Sydney made a good choice.

There was a buffet near the Rockin Roller coaster so we ate there for lunch/dinner.  The cool part it had a ice cream machine that dished out the ice cream once you pushed a button.  The kids had two servings.

On Wednesday, we took the kids into Paris.  We rode the trains into Paris.  We started at the Eiffel Tower.  Unfortunately I was never able to get tickets to the Eiffel Tower so we didn't go up in it.  The kids understood however Sydney said next time I really need to get tickets.  We found a park near the Eiffel Tower.  It was small but kids had fun for a bit and then we took our family picture nearby.  The kids also rode a double Decker carousal.  The liked that.  We took the train to Norther Dame Cathedral.  It was sad to see the damage from the fire a few weeks ago.  We were not able to get too close but Brian got some pictures.

Our last place we visited in Paris was the Louvre.  It was a lot of walking throughout Paris.  The kids did a good job however their legs were tired.  As were Brian and I's.  The Louvre was cool to see from the outside.  I had never been so close.  When Brian and I went before kids we didn't make it too close to it. Brian has visited once during a business trip.  We got some pictures and walked back to the train station.  We took the train back to Disneyland.

At Disneyland, we had dinner in the park.  It was another buffet.  That worked out well for the kids.  We rode Peter Pan after standing in line for a while even with a fast pass.  Then we did the Alice in Wonderland maze.

On Thursday, the weather was much cooler and rainy.  We went to Hollywood Studios.  We rode the parachute ride.  Austin and Brian rode the race car ride.  Then we all rode Ratatouille.  That was a cool ride.  Then it started to rain a bit more so we stood in line for 2 hours to ride Crush's roller coaster.  That was another cool ride.  We wish it wasn't so busy when we were there though.  Sydney was starting to feel bad so s eh really wanted to leave the park.  However we convinced her to stay.  We saw the Motor Stunt Show.  After the show we went back to the buffet for dinner.  After dinner we did the Backlot Tour.  Then we did some souvenir shopping.

On Friday, we had a chill morning in our hotel room.  We were all very tried and needed a little break.  We left our room at check up time at 11am and went to the train station.  We took the train back to Lille Europe then Eurostar Train back to London.  We then took the underground to Pattington station.  At Pattington station, we had dinner at Burger King.  Then we took the Heathrow express back to the airport.  We took a bus to our hotel.  It's interesting because during this trip in Europe, we never rode a car.  Only bus, train, and subways.

On Saturday we got up very early for our flight home.  We were all ready to be home.  We watched movies on the plane and had meals.  It was a great trip.  We really like Europe and it was a lot of fun.