Disney World!!

Back in August, we decided to go to Disney for the kid's inaugural visit!  The treat was that my parents were going to give it to us for Christmas!  Since we had intended to go anyway, we decided to fly down (and make it less tiring for all of us).  I hate that we told the kids when we booked it, as we had to hear them ask "how much longer until Disney" for months.  However, when it came to December 10th, it was all worth it!

We got up super early and caught the first direct flight to Orlando.  The morning started off great, as the kids were excited about their trip, and happy to receive Bob the Elf's going away presents (an autograph book for Disney, and candy for the airplane). 

After checking into the Peabody Hotel (where Steve was staying for business), we watched the infamous ducks perform their show at 11am, and then rode the trolley to Sea World!



Procession to the fountain

Kids watching the ducks swim and eat

Once we arrived at Sea World, we visited a couple of exhibits and caught the "Shamu" show.  It was the perfect amount of time, as the kids got anxious to move on after they finished a snack and watched the whales perform tricks for 20-25 minutes.  After a little more exploring we ate lunch at the "Shark Encounter" where one whole wall was an aquarium.  The kids enjoyed seeing the fish and sharks swim around, and the food was divine.



Kids at Shark Encounter

Pres with "Shamu"

Bennett riding a train

Kids with Santa

Bennett mocking the flamingos

Family pic (day 1)


The next day Steve had to fly out for business, so the kids and I were solo.  Since we didn't get to see and do everything at Sea World, we headed back for the morning.  We packed up so we could quickly check out and move hotels to the Disney property that afternoon, and hopped on the trolley again (which the kids just loved since there were no seatbelts).  The kids wanted to return to the children's area at Sea World first where there were kiddie rides and a giant jungle gym/maze.  They had a ball running from ride to ride, and since the crowd was thin that morning, we rode the little rollercoaster back-to-back at least 6 times!  I even let them get their faces painted for an inflated price!  We had a fun morning together, and they LOVED the dolphin show.  It was so action packed, with dolphins jumping, birds flying around and people doing acrobatics.

Riding the dolphins around the pool

Love those sweet faces!

I finally convinced the kids to leave around noon, and we rushed back to Peabody and transferred over to the Coronado Springs Resort.  The kids and I crowded into a cab (again a fun experience for the kids) with all of our luggage and got settled into our new place.  We ate a quick lunch, and then changed into our swimsuits so we could check out the big pool.  Though it was heated, and the weather was warmer than usual, it was too cold for me to swim.  However, that didn't stop the kids from going down the water slide a couple dozen times and playing pool games with the resort staff!  They had a ball, but when Preston's lips turned blue, I knew it was time to call it.  We headed back late that afternoon, and I forced the kids to take naps since we had a very late dinner reservation to accommodate Steve and my parent's flights.

Pres LOVED the waterslide!

Bennett diving for balls

Once everyone got in that night, we headed over toward the Magic Kingdom for our dinner at Ohana (at the Polynesian),  It was set-up like a luau, with people dancing, passing out leis, and serving us a ridiculous amount of skewered meat and sides.  The kids had fun dancing around, and we all left with very full bellys!


Pres with Poppy

Dancing!

On Day 3 of our trip, we made plans to go to Magic Kingdom first thing in the morning.  The kids were super excited to check it out since that is what they relate with Disney World!  Right as we entered the park, the kids spotted Pluto signing autographs, so we immediately got in line.

Then we walked up Main Street so we could get a better look at the Cinderella's castle.  We posed for a family picture, and then set out to ride some rides!  They were over the moon to be there, and couldn't decide what they wanted to ride next.  The lines weren't too bad that morning, but as the day went on...they got pretty long.

We took a break for a late lunch, and then went straight over to meet three more characters: Cinderella, Aurora and Rapunzel.  Bennett was so in awe of them, and couldn't quit staring (it was precious).  Since the kids (and my parents) were hanging in there, we just kept going all day.

Nene having fun on the speedway

Pres had me laughing with tears because of his driving!

Aladdin, Magic Carpet Ride

We caught a parade or two, and even saw the special lighting of the castle that night!  It truly was a magical first day, but we were all beat (Pres fell asleep in the stroller before we even left).

 

Lighting of the castle (before)

The castle draped in lights!

For our fourth day, we headed to Animal Kingdom.  It was a cooler day, with a little misting here and there, so we dressed a little warmer and packed our ponchos.  We did the safari ride first which was fun for the kids, and got fast passes for the new rollercoaster, Mt. Everest (for Steve, Dad and me).  The kids made key chains in "Africa" and we enjoyed a delicious lunch.

While Pres caught a cat nap, Bennett scored some major autographs.  After waiting in many lines the day before, we got smarter and all took one line since the characters were so close together.  Bennett ran from one line to the next and got autographs from Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck, Baloo, Pocahontas and Chip and Dale!

Lastly, everyone elected to do the rapids ride before we left.  Since we all wore ponchos, we were all somewhat spared, so the kids begged to do it again.  We all agreed, and unfortunately got soaked the second time, especially poor Preston.  Thankfully he was a good sport!

Since we were all wet and cold, we headed back to our hotels to change clothes before heading back to Magic Kingdom.  We had purchased tickets for Mickey's Christmas party, which was that evening at 7pm, and the crowd was supposed to thin out considerably allowing us an opportunity to do more with less lines.  It wasn't exactly what we imagined, but Steve and I did sneak off to do Space Mountain, while my parents took the kids on a ride.

Space Mountain!!

On Friday (day 5 of the trip), we had our princess breakfast at 8:00am at Epcot's Akershus restaurant.  I must admit that was the only thing I didn't like about our trip (having a late night before our earliest morning).  However, once we got there, it was worth it.  The kids had their picture taken with Belle right when we entered, and then the other princesses started walking around and greeting everyone!

By the end of the morning, Bennett had almost every page filled with character autographs!  She was very into it, and enjoyed meeting everyone and having photos taken with them.  Pres, on the other hand, could have cared less about so many of the people and wasn't into the competition with his sister.  Following the breakfast, we did a Nemo ride, and then caught a boat over to Hollywood Studios so we could do the highly acclaimed Toy Story Mania ride!  I must admit it was a lot of fun, even though it wasn't a rollercoaster.  It is a 3D game that requires you to shoot items (like in an arcade), as your little car is moving and turning.  The car you ride in keeps score of you and your partner, so it is a fun little competition (I personally loved it since I beat everyone in our group)!

Steve and Pres playing Toy Story Mania

 

Mom and Dad at Epcot, enjoying the day

After getting Buzz Lightyear and Woody' autographs we went back to Epcot for a little "adult time."  We walked around visiting the countries and sampling some beer along the way....just what we needed on a nice sunny day, while the kids did some crafts.  We then headed to the Coral Reef for another delicious dinner.  After a long day, we called it an early night and headed back to the hotel.  Our family had already made plans to make it to MK first thing the following morning, so we wanted to be well-rested for our last day.

Family fun at Epcot

Dinner at Coral Reef (Epcot)

 

Saturday ended up being our most productive day!  We arrived 10 minutes after the park opened and went straight to the new fantasyland area so the kids could do some of their favorite rides.  The four of us did the Barnstormer rollercoaster (without any line) 3 or 4 times in a row!  Then they rode several more rides, before we met up with my parents.  Once we connected with them, we did Thunder Mtn and Splash Mtn!  Then it was time for the kids to get made up!


 

Pres and Poppy on Splash Mtn

Love everyone's faces!!

Pres chose to get dressed up like a pirate.  We all went to watch him get his make-up and then they put a costume on him.  He was so excited, and was the cutest pirate I have ever seen!

 

"Chris Raidrage" without his eye patch


My mother, Bennett and I had to leave before he was completely finished to head over to the Bippidy Boppidy Salon for her big transformation.  We had seen girls all over the parks with various hairstyles, but nothing like the one Bennett chose.  I thought she would go for the bun with a princess tiara, but nope....she chose the hoochie mama rock star hair!  I wanted her to be happy, so I let her do what she wanted.

Our mean pirate and rock star princess

For our final day, we continued to ride our favorites, and squeeze in as much as we could.  We ate at the newest restaurant at MK for our last meal, Be Our Guest.  Pres slept in my lap, but the rest of us enjoyed our cuisine.  I must admit that all of the food we had was divine the entire time we were on the Disney property.  It is hard for me to imagine how they can serve such large quantities of people, and preserve the taste...but they do!  My parents left after dinner, but we lasted until 11pm (well Pres slept in the stroller, but the rest of us went strong).  We finally departed with nothing but good memories.  Thanks to my parents for the awesome gift and memories to last a lifetime!

Family Pic on last day!

 



 

Christmas Concert!

Tonight, both of the kids sang in their Christmas Concert!  They have been practicing since the beginning of the school year and did a fantastic job in front of a large crowd.  It was Preston's debut performance, and he had no fear!  He was placed in the front row, and did all of the motions, sang most of the words and only waved to us a couple of times.

 

This is Bennett's third time performing, and I guess the "third time is the charm" because she didn't act shy, she sang and didn't put her fingers in her mouth once.  She smiled whenever we made eye contact, but otherwise focused on her directors and just sang.  It is hard to believe that my babies are growing up so quickly.

 

 

 

 

The kids were extra happy to have Mimi and Papa there watching them too!  Nothing better than a audience of familiar faces.

 

 



SEC Champions....AGAIN!!!

Steve and I had the privilege of going to Atlanta to support Alabama in yet another SEC Championship game, and ultimately their 23rd win!  We drove over with our friends, Michael and Kadie Fry, and had a great time pre-partying.

It was an unseasonable warm day, especially for December 1st, so we enjoyed our afternoon outside.  Since we stayed in one general location, we ran into several friends.

Of course, this was a highly anticipated game!  Though Alabama was ranked #1 out of the gates, we quickly fell when we lost to A&M, and hopes of another national championship game were lost.  Thankfully, we were able to redeem ourselves, and like us...our competition lost some games.  As we approached the end of the season, we knew we would be fighting some tough players against the Georgia Bulldogs.

Sadly, the Mizeranys only got two tickets to the SEC game initially (which would go to Dan since he is the reason they have so many points anyway).   So though our room was booked and we were planning to go, we were not excited about paying inflated ticket prices through a ticket broker.
Thankfully, the week before the game, Myra received a call that she could have two tickets if she wanted them.  So, the chips fell into place last minute, and we had a wonderful weekend away!

To top it off, Alabama won!  It was a nail biter of a game, but the Tide pulled it off at the end of the game.  Now we're heading to yet another National Championship...
GO ALABAMA!!!!

 

 

Seriously?

Yesterday morning Steve got up to brush his teeth and saw something out of the corner of his eye.  He thought it was a leaf, but when he looked closer, he realized it was a baby lizard.  We have a lot of these little lizards around here because of our warmer climate, but we have NEVER found one in our home.

He quickly picked it up and stuck it in the kid's bug cage to show them when they awoke.  Our plan was to let him hang out in the cage for a day or two, and then we were going to let him go.

So you can imagine my shock when Steve and the kids returned from the pet store with not only the crickets they said they were going to buy, but also a cage for their new "pet!"  Steve and I had clearly spoken about the responsibility of caring for him, and my lack of interest in reptiles and their diet of small crawling bugs...so I was very surprised.  However, he assured me that it will require little care, and that which is required, he will handle (uhhh, can I get that in writing please?).

Steve moved him to his new, larger home and immediately put the 6 little crickets in there with him.  Then the kids went out to the yard to find a few sticks and leaves to put in there too.  After several name choices, the kids settled on "cricket" after they watched him eat one in his cage.  I must admit that it was cool to watch him stalk the bug, and then catch and eat it.  I swear the cricket was as big as his head, so it was quite a challenge for him to eat it, but he did after a few minutes.

We'll see how long "cricket" really lasts in our home, but supposedly these anoles (that is his proper name) can live about 7 years in their environment, and a lot longer if they are well taken care of and happy in their cage.  I can assure you that we will not keep him that long, but we may watch him grow for a little while.  More stories to come.....

Counting Our Blessings

Every year at Thanksgiving, I think about all that God has blessed me with over the years.  I often take for granted all of my blessings....my fabulous husband, two healthy cute kids, supportive parents, loving family members, a church that feels like home, wonderful friends, jobs, the health of my family members, food on our table every day, clothes on our back and so much more!


I am so thankful and happy for all that we have, and was excited to spend all Thanksgiving with our family.  This morning, Brian and Shannon and the kids came over for breakfast and mimosas.  Then Steve's family came over for our Thanksgiving meal.  What a perfect way to spend the day....with family (if only my parents had been here).



Even though Christian and Henley ran a one mile race in the morning, they still came over with an abundance of energy that my kids were looking forward to seeing.  They ate a little breakfast, and then played for a couple of hours.  Pres was so exhausted after they left (at 1pm), that he decided to squeeze in a short nap before the rest of the family came over.

The cousins always have fun together!



B LOVES Lucy, and look at those genuine smiles



Pres catching a 2.5 hour nap!

Shortly after the Bantas left, Myra and Louis arrived.  Since Myra wanted to host at her house (and we convinced her to let us host....thanks Mimi), she had a lot of stuff that she was bringing over.  She has traditional food that she makes every Thanksgiving that the family can't do without.  So she had to make her dressing, chicken and dumplings, stuffed celery and then she bought two turkey breasts to fry.  We provided the alcohol, an appetizer, green bean casserole, creamed potatoes, rolls and two pies.  Then Michelle made sweet potato casserole.  Myra made her dressing ahead of time, but I got to watch her make her infamous dumplings.  In addition, she taught me how to cream potatoes the way Bennett likes them.  Of course, we had way too much food for our group of ten, but that only means leftovers!!

 

The Mizerany men frying the turkey (looks strenuous)



"Say Say" and Bennett

"Shell" and Preston

John Michael, Maria and Michelle


B with Uncle Dan

As you can see, we had a lot of fun!  The Mizeranys stayed until 9:00, and then we got the kids down and I finished cleaning up.  A whole day of family time, we have been blessed beyond measure!

Here We Come Peoria!

Since I haven't been to Peoria since my last high school reunion (summer of 2010), the kids and I definitely needed to return. Sadly our visit was initiated because of the death of Mike McCord last month. I really wanted to attend the funeral, but couldn't make it since Steve was out of town himself. So I decided to go back another time and have a better opportunity to visit with Katie, and meet her darling son, Mac.

With the kids off school the whole week of Thanksgiving, it was a perfect time to drive back.  Rather than listen to the kids ask "how much longer until we go to Illinois?" a hundred times, I decided to surprise them.  So I packed their suitcases while they slept and packed the car while Bennett was at school.  Since she had been sick all week, I told her that I would check her out early (she wanted to go for Grandpal's Day which was held right at the beginning of the day).

Last minute, Steve decided to come too, so we packed the car up and went to her school at 9:30am.  After we got her buckled in, we told them where we were going...and they were so excited!  After the first hour, they only asked a couple of times..."how much longer."  We told them to settle in for the long haul and that we wouldn't get there until dark.  They watched a movie, ate lunch, took a nap, listened to music, and Bennett practiced spelling words.  All and all, a smooth 9.5 hour ride up.

We met my folks for dinner at a local Mexican place, and then came back to their house to get settled. The kids found a few toys to play with, and then we convinced them to hit the hay. Saturday morning, my father took the kids to get donuts, and then we ventured out to the new Caterpillar museum. We learned about all of the large machinery and got to see up close many of their pieces of equipment. Preston was in heaven sitting in each of them!

Pres loves his Poppy!

 

When we got home, then my mother helped the kids decorate a gingerbread house (with a little candy sampling).  I must say it turned out pretty cute too!  I guess all of the practice over the years has helped (even though I forgot to take a picture of the finished product to prove it).
 

 

That night I went out to meet Tiffany Meier for dinner and drinks so we could catch up.  Steve and the kids dined on pizza with my folks, and then stayed up late watching football!  Sunday morning definitely came too soon, so we lounged around some and then feasted on eggs and bacon for breakfast.  The new Riverfront Museum opened at noon, so Steve and my parents took the kids there for the afternoon (I ran errands instead).  They had a ball exploring, and playing in the different areas.  Even though they were there for several hours, they still didn't see it all.

Building race cars



Built race cars, then raced them

The kids really had fun doing so many new things like building little wooden cars, and then racing them, testing eye-hand coordination, seeing how fast you can throw a baseball and much more!



Our little engineers



Having fun in a block house!

Pres throws at 17 mph

In fact, Preston had so much fun, he insisted on returning the following day!  Bennett elected to go bowling.  So my mother and Preston spent several more hours at the museum, while my father and I took Bennett bowling and out to lunch.  She held her own during the first game, which was quite embarrassing since the bumpers were left up for us adults!!  Even though I didn't think Bennett would last for another game, my father couldn't end on that note, so he challenged us to another game.  He certainly redeemed himself, bowling 151.  I stayed about the same, but Bennett slipped into the upper 40s.


An embarrassing moment for my father & me

So though it was a short visit, it was an action packed visit!  The kids thoroughly enjoyed being spoiled by their Nene & Poppy, and it was great for me to get to see a couple friends and hang with my parents too.  We had beautiful weather while we were there, and ate a lot of good food!  The kids made it even better by traveling so well both directions (all 9+ hours of it)!  Maybe a trip back won't take us this long next time....