Wishes do come true...: 2015

2015 Christmas

1:41:00 PM

After a week vacation in Disney World it was really hard to be excited about Christmas. So much time and effort was put into planning our trip that Christmas was overlooked this year. Luckily Drew had vacation time around Christmas and we were able to spend some family time together.

On Christmas Eve Eve we drove to Branson to enjoy our Silver Dollar City passes one more time. (If you know us, then you know this is a big deal for us to do something spontaneous like this! But we enjoyed it and may make it a tradition.)

The weather was perfect! We did not need our jackets until it got dark out.

We took advantage of the holiday treats and roasted s'mores.

Christmas Eve was spent at Grandma and Grandpas house, enjoying Auntie Whitney and Unvle TJ while they were in town.

Christmas morning we did our presents and monkey bread for breakfast while watching the Disney Parade.

Porter enjoyed multiple Star Wars toys and many items that were the color orange. Parker received a Little People Princess Palace and next week we plan on getting her ears pierced.

We enjoyed brunch at my moms house where we all received Season Tickets to Worlds of Fun!

Finally, we had dinner and presents at Grandma and Grandpas house.

Here is Drew and Parker in their matching Christmas pajamas.

Disney

DisneyWorld Pennies

10:11:00 PM

Drew and Porter traveled around Disney World with pennies and quarters in their pockets, throughout our recent visit to the parks. They wanted to collect different pennies based on their design. When we arrived home they were not sure what to do with all of the pressed pennies. With Christmas coming Drew found that the amount of pennies they had made a perfect "P".

He used a piece of felt and a little hot glue to create this memorable and cheap souvenir.

Connect with me on FB if you are looking to travel to Disney World soon. https://www.facebook.com/Bobbie.MarvelousMouseTravels/

Aldi Meal Planner

Spaghetti Squash

9:10:00 PM

Ingredients:

Spaghetti squash

Spaghetti sauce

Meat balls

Steps:

1. Place squash in microwave and heat for 15-20 minutes.

2. Let squash sit for a few minutes in microwave to cool off.

3. Remove carefully from microwave.

4. Slice off ends of squash and split down the middle.

5. Remove all of the seeds from the middle of the squash.

6. Scrape squash into a dish, remove any left over seeds.

7. Heat meatballs as it states in microwave.

8. Warm spaghetti sauce on stove top at medium warm.

9. Add meatballs to sauce on stovetop. Continue to heat until sauce is heated

10. Serve meatballs and sauce on top of squash.

Chalkboard

Parker Anne Eight Months

8:41:00 PM

Eating: We are still doing 5oz bottles every three hours. (8:30, 11:30, 2:30, 5:30, and 8) Most of her feedings are at the bottle still with breast milk. Our feedings in the middle of the night are the only feedings without a bottle.

Parker still takes her baby food (fruits and vegetables) at lunch and dinner. At Disney World we started to branch out by eating more table food, so at dinner we always offer her baby food first but she ends up mainly eating whatever we are eating.

Sleeping: This is a sore subject in our house...Let's just say we haven't slept through the night in a long time. At times we get 6 to 7 hours straight but it is really inconsistent.

Likes: Chewing on straws, baby puffs, tags, anything she can pull up to, waking up in the middle of the night, peaches and pears

Dislikes: Men with beards, crying in her crib, cold bottles, squash

Milestones:

First airplane ride...she did great!

First (of many) trips to Disney World.

Celebrated her first Thanksgiving.

Met Santa and was a bit traumatized. (She hates people who have beards.)

Pulling up on everything.

Chalkboard

Parker Anne Seven Months

8:38:00 PM

Feedings: Still feeding 5 oz every three hours starting at 7:30, 10:30, 1, 4, 6 and 8. She is not really interested in her first bottle or her bottle at 6pm. I have thought about changing her schedule to start at 6am and do bottles consistently every 3 hours. We have started one fruit and one vegetable a day. Her current favorite is peaches. We have tried peas, squash, sweet potatoes, pears, peaches and apples.

Sleeping: I remember when Porter was six months he slept very well. Parker has been so inconsistent partly because she has been sick off and on. Although the past two nights she slept eight hours straight! This is big time for her. Ever since she went to bottles and since I went back to work we have only had a few nights where she has slept past four hours straight.

Likes:

-Current favorite thing to play with is any plastic bag.

-Her daddy! She loves Drew and Porter. When either around she smiles the biggest grin I have ever seen.

-Holding a taggie when she sleeps.

-Her bottle warmed. She will not drink it cold for me.

Dislikes:

-When mommy leaves the room.

-Getting into her car seat.

-Wearing her bow. It is a battle to keep that thing on.

-Being changed on the changing table.

Milestones:

-We are mobile! Parker crawls short distances. She has not discovered that crawling could change her world. Currently it is more of a convenience when she really wants a toy.

-First ear infection

-Celebrated the Royals winking the World Series!!

-Added the word DaDa to her vocabulary.

-Started signing "more" and "all done."

-Pulling herself up on all tables and in her crib.

Rode in the cart with brother for the first time, at Target.

Played in a fort made of pillows.

Woke up to celebrate a World Series win for the Royals!!!

Went to Worlds of Fun for the first time.

Swinging at the park.

Home

World Series Champs 2015

8:43:00 PM

We did it! We won the World Series! October has become a very exciting yet exhausting month these past two years. All of the playoff games and late night (extra inning) World Series games have been fun and exciting but it will be nice to rest.

Last year we went to game two of the World Series but this year we did not think it was something we could afford with choosing to go to Disney in December.

The night we won (game 5) Porter had a fever so we put him to bed on time. He woke up around 10:30pm during the 9th inning. (This was the comeback inning.) I could hear the tv while trying to comfort him back to sleep, so he joined us in the living room to finish out the game.

Our celebration hats, confetti and silly string.

This was right before we won! I hope you like those earrings...they were my rally earrings I put on in the 9th. You're welcome!

Someone woke up from all of the fireworks going off.

Let's just say a week later I am still finding confetti in some pretty random places, but it was so worth it.

After your team wins a national championship there has to be a celebration. Kansas City planned the parade on the Tuesday after the win. School was canceled and most people were off work.

Here we are on our way to the parade.

We got there pretty early (3 hours to be exact) and staked out a spot that we could see both the parade and the celebration.

Here is what our view looked like when the parade started...it was estimated that 800,000 people attended the celebration. I'm pretty sure most of them ended up in front of us.

We ended up leaving before the celebration started. There were too many people in one spot. With two little ones I just wanted to be out of the crowd and in a spot where my cell phone had reception. I know, first world problems but it was all about the experience and memories we made, but if we win next year I will watch the parade from the comfort of my home.

Halloween

Halloween 2015

6:23:00 PM

We started the trick or treat season out with a trunk or treat in Grain Valley. Porter chose to be Salvy.

Parker by no choice of her own was Minnie Mouse.

This is the best one I got of both looking my direction.

For our anniversary we took the kids to Worlds of Fun for some trick or treating at the Camp Snoopy.

Parker was a cupcake.

Sadly I was sick all day with the stomach bug on Halloween.

Drew took the kids to Bass Pro to get their picture taken with Snoopy Characters. When they got home Porter and Drew went trick or treating for about an hour while Parker and I stayed at the house.

The Royals/World Series game was on so most houses turned off their lights around 7:30. Drew and Porter were home shortly after.