Disney Day 1

We just got back from our Family Disney World Vacation! This was Colby's 2nd time and Lindsay's 1st! So exciting to bring little kids there!
So Sunday we left our house around 7am to get to the airport. We had a 9:30 flight. The kids did really well getting to the airport and through security and such. We didn't have to wait long for our plane either which was great! Both also did awesome on the flight. Lindsay sat by Austin and I and Colby was with my parents. I packed snacks for the kids to eat since I knew we would be flying & traveling during their normal lunch hour. We arrived in Orlando around 11:30. We went straight to the Disney busses which again was really simple we walked right on! During the bus ride the kids just enjoyed watching the Disney cartoons and resting. We got to the hotel and it took a little bit to get checked in but once we did we were able to go up to our rooms. We stayed at the Bay Lake Towers this time! The rooms were very nice. We had a queen bed and the kids slept on the full sofa bed. We also had a small kitchen which was nice with kiddos. After unpacking and settling in we decided to go ahead to the parks. When we first arrived in the park a parade was going on. It was so cute to see Lindsay light up at the sight of the characters! She was waving and pointing...it was adorable! I think one of my favorite moments of the entire trip! Just seeing the magic through her eyes!
Our first ride was Peter Pan's Flight. We did a fast pass for this b/c everytime I have been the wait is really long. The kids really liked it as their first ride. Afterwards we had a Fast Pass for Big Thunder Mountain. It was exciting this year b/c Colby was tall enough to ride the big rides! He loved the roller coaster. We were fortunate with having my parents along they took Lindsay to the play area while we rode with him. After the ride we went to do Country Bear Jamboree. I think the kids really enjoyed the show and got into it!
After the show we headed back to the monorail for our dinner reservations at Grand Floridian. Its always nice to go back to that hotel. I really wish we could have spent more time walking around and enjoying the sights but we were all so tired by that point. The dinner was awesome though! We were all starving since we skipped lunch. The kids were a little antsy this night. I don't blame them though it had been a full day! After dinner we went back to our hotel and crashed for the evening!

Subbing!

So I subbed today for the first time in MANY years! It was for Lindsay's class at MDO though! I mean I do teach a lot at church and I did sign up for subbing a couple of years ago at Calvary when Colby was little but it seemed every time they called I wasn't available. I have been asked to get back on there as a sub but right now I want to enjoy my being a SAHM with Lindsay. She only goes to school 2 half days a week so unless it fell on those days I really want to enjoy my time with her! But I did talk to the teachers at her school and told them to add me there. This was my 2nd call but the first time I could actually do it!
There are 2 MDO classes and I actually was in the older class...Lindsay is in the younger but she came over to my class today. She's sort of a middle kid so she can go either way! She is a young 2 so she's older then most in her class but younger then the others in the other class.
I now def have an even bigger appreciation for her teachers though! It wasn't bad but it was tiring! You just don't stop all morning! Thankfully it was just 9-12. Teaching 2nd grade was exhausting but you did get breaks and they weren't quite as needy.
The morning started off with playtime. They get to pretty much play freely for the first hour. There was a simple craft to do that they all actually participated in which was nice too. Lindsay did well for the most part with me being in there. I think she was more vocal/opinionated though. Around 9:50 I had all the kids help me clean up the room which most of them did help. At 10 they had snacks. They just have a simple snack most days of cheerios and pretzels except on like holidays and birthdays. The kids must have been starving though b/c they ate and ate haha. After their snack we did potty and diaper changes...this is the part of the day where I think teachers need to be paid more! Wow changing 5 kids and bringing them to the potty is exhausting. We then went to the gym. Since it was cold and sleeting on those days they go play in the gym. They basically just ran around and played with a variety of balls. I think they had a good time though and it was a nice break from the classroom. Around 11:15 we went back to the class. At that point we did circle time...I read a story and then we sang some songs. The kids did really well during that! Afterwards I checked diapers but no one needed changing so I just had one little girl go to the potty. I put on the music and they went back to playing/coloring while I cleaned up the room and got everyone's stuff organized to go home. Believe me I was ready to go at 12 haha.
It was a fun experience but not sure I would want to do that every day or even twice a week! I am glad I got to be with Lindsay though and see what she does at school! The rest of the day was low key. The weather was really gross and we are getting ready for our trip!
We will be gone all week to Disney so there will be lots to post about when we get home!

Storytimes & LifeGroups

Yesterday was a busy but very good day! Lindsay and I enjoyed another morning at storytime at the library! This has become our regular thing to do. We had contemplated the children's museum but with just going to the Zoo the day before and getting ready for a major trip I figured it would be best for us to stay close to home. Our friends Audrea and her 3 littles met us again. Its always nice for Lindsay to have familiar faces and other kids to play with. Us mommies also get to sit and visit some! The afternoon was pretty low key except for picking Colby up from school. He celebrated his 100th day of school yesterday! I can't believe he's been in kindergarten that long!
That evening we had our first meeting at our new lifegroup. I am glad for this to get started again. Even though it won't always be easy getting out in the middle of the week its such an encouragement to be with friends and study the Bible mid-week. We are starting a series on James which I am really excited about b/c last summer I did an entire Bible study on James and it was awesome! This week we just talked about how trials will come in our life and how we should handle them! Its a great reminder for us! We are very excited about our new group and feel like we will fit in better in this group. It wasn't that we didn't like the other people it was just they were younger/single and would hang out at times we couldn't therefore we didn't feel as "plugged in"! This group is mostly couples with young kids. Several of the kids also go to school with Colby which is a plus. And there are a few stay at home moms which makes it easier for me to feel like I fit in as well!
The rest of the week will be busy with school agendas and getting ready for our trip!!

Fabulous Weekend

We have had such beautiful weather this week! I love pretty blue sky winter days! We have actually had a cold winter this year and I love it! Even though most of the plants are dead there is such beauty in winter. I don't know everything just seems so clean when its crisp and cold! The highs have been in the 50s all week and lows in the 30s which to me is just perfect!
Anyway we have a long weekend and I am really planning on enjoying it! Friday afternoon was pretty low key for us. The kids mostly played and watched tv. We picked up Chickfila for dinner. I enjoy Friday nights bc we let them stay up a little later and they run around like crazy people! Last night was one of those nights it was fun! Definitely a 1000 gifts moment! They also watched Return to Neverland! Colby is so into Disney movies now which is exciting with us going to Disney World in 1 week!
Saturday ooh Saturday how I love sleeping in! We all slept past 7 which is nice then we hung out in our pjs. Enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and the kids played and watched tv while I cleaned up the house. I always enjoy on saturdays that I can do more housework while they entertain each other. We left the house about 9:30 and made a trip to the library to drop off books then met my parents at a local park. This particular park we haven't been to since last January! They love it though! Although it was crazy to think last time we brought Lindsay she was barely or not walking and couldn't do much at all. She really had a blast today! Colby ofcourse had a great time as well! We don't get to do as many park trips now with him in school so I try to sneak them on pretty Saturdays! I think my parents also just enjoyed watching them play! The rest of the day will be pretty low key! Just hanging out cooking and probably watching another movie! Austin is working all weekend so the kids and I will mostly be relaxing!
Sunday the kids and I ofcourse went to church. I had to work in the preschool. I enjoy the weeks of teaching. Worshipping with and seeing these preschoolers grow is pretty amazing. This week we had 5. We had 3 boys and 2 girls. They were such a sweet group too we hardly had to correct anyone. As far as I know my littles enjoyed their classes as well =) The rest of the day will be low key for us since Austin is working. I will probably try to take them outside though after Lindsay's nap to get some fresh air and sunshine!
It has been so nice having an extra day added to our weekend. The weekends usually go by SO fast I love having 3 days with my littles! So sadly austin still had to work today so that left the littles and I looking for something fun to do! We settled on the Zoo. This has actually become a tradition for us we have been the last 3 years! Lindsay and I have been to the zoo I think twice lately without Colby so I was anxious for him to go! I think it was October the last time he got to go. Anyway we had a fun time! My parents went with us to help with the kids and just to keep us company! We started with the Reptile House which I think everyone enjoyed. We played at the climbing trees for quite some time which I think they both really liked. I think Colby's favorite part was Monkey Hill. At this point Lindsay started to have a mini fit so she just stayed in the stroller. We enjoyed the animals around there but then decided to head back towards the carousel and do that before leaving. Colby really wanted to ride the train but we decided that would take too long. I thought Lindsay would ride the carousel with us but she said no and was sure to let us know she did not want to! I don't know why she hates them =(. Colby def loves them! So after that we headed back to the car they were getting hungry and tired. I would have eaten there if we could have packed a picnic lunch but I didn't have enough food and I hate the zoo food...its over priced and usually not that good. We went to McAlister's instead. It was a fun treat to eat and visit with my parents! The rest of the day we are mostly resting although we do have to get out soon to go to the grocery which I hate but we need stuff to make potato salad tonight for lifegroup tomorrow night. I hate to drag the kids out but tomorrow I just won't have time to do it! Its been a great weekend and holiday! This week will be busy getting ready for Disney!

A glance back at our week...getting back into the groove!

Well we are trying to get back into the "school groove" around here. We have almost completed our 2nd week back after Christmas vacation! I think the kids are enjoying being back into their routines but i can also tell we are all getting tired! Fortunately this weekend is a 3 day weekend so that'll be nice too! Colby has been enjoying school I think but hit a bumpy patch this week with behavior. Its not a big deal really but he has clipped down twice this week which never happens. Usually when it just happens once we talk to him and then its over no biggie no punishments. But when it happened 2 days in a row we felt like consequences were needed so he lost all tv and iPad privileges for that day. I do have to admit I think part of his acting out was due to lack of recess. I am def not one to make excuses for my child but they didn't have recess hardly at all last week and the first 3 days this week didn't have it. Finally yesterday they went back outside! I think that plays a HUGE part in it. Although we did talk to him about how he needs to follow rules etc.
Lindsay I think enjoyed her 2 days of school and I have enjoyed my time to myself to work around the house and run errands.
The other days this week have been nice too! Tuesday Lindsay and I went to storytime again with a friend. That's always a fun outting and I think she enjoys it as well. Thursday I had a hair appt so she went to my parent's house for the morning. I think they all enjoyed that! They don't get to see the kids much during the week with their school schedules! I also enjoyed the downtime of just getting my hair cut. Today (Friday) we went to coffee/breakfast at Pj's after dropping Colby off. I enjoy this sweet time with my girl. I hope this is a tradition we can keep going her entire life! I know it'll be even more fun when she can really talk. Right now she points at things and drinks my coffee =) Afterwards we went up to the church nursery to clean/sanitize toys. There has been another round of sickness going around our church friends so I figured it was a good time to get it done. Plus I would like to start going once a month to spray the toys and keep germs down! Lindsay did really well and just enjoyed playing with toys!
We kick off our weekend in about 2 hours when Colby gets home from school! I look forward to tomorrow and Monday getting out and enjoying the beautiful weather with the littles! Look for a weekend post next week!

5 1/2

So my first baby is now officially 5 and a half! I can't believe it! Where did the time go? I really feel like he should still be 18 months and at home with me! Well he's grown up so much over the last 6 months. He is doing so well in kindergarten. We were all so worried at first with him being young having a late summer b-day but he has adjusted and done so well! He made Beta Honor Roll this last quarter! I am so proud of him! He is loving school as well and his teacher which is so great! I love that he loves learning! He's learning to read...he's not reading books quite yet but he can read simple sentences with 3 letter words. His handwriting has greatly improved although its still a little messy but again he's 5!
I def miss him during the day now that he's gone from 8:15-3:30. He is such a funny little dude. He is 5 going on 50! He still has a great vocabulary and can carry on a conversation like a mini adult! He seems to be well liked at school among his peers and teachers! He also loves going to church! Right now we aren't doing any sports or extra-curricular activities but we will go back to that this summer.
I am not sure how much he weighs but I would guess close to 50 lbs? He wears a size 5T mostly and some size 6 shirts. He is still in a size 12 shoe.
He is a great eater and will eat most anything except PIZZA! Crazy kid! He is very active and loves being on the go! He enjoys life and simple things! He's not into electronics hardly at all other then watching some tv and playing on our iPad sometimes. He still loves PBS which I am so thankful!
He still loves cars/trucks and animals! He also recently gotten into superheroes which is fun!
He's such a sensitive spirit and so wise. I love that about him! He will always be my baby boy though!!

Weekend!

This weekend is flying by! This past week was great but by Friday it was showing in my house that we were all having a hard time adjusting back into this reality of daily early wake ups and school routine!
Friday was quite a busy day as well! The morning began with Colby's Award Ceremony! I love that they do this after every quarter! This quarter Colby got Beta Honor Roll so we were all so excited to be there to support him and show him how proud we were! The ceremony lasted over an hour so I was worn out trying to wrangle Lindsay after that! Only our day wasn't nearly over! Next she had a dental appointment. This was her 3rd visit there. I knew she would freak out b/c she freaks just when we brush her teeth. The dentist did ask about her pacifier use and said it was starting to affect her teeth. I told her we would be getting rid of them as soon as we get back from Disney and she was ok with that! We really would have gotten rid of them this month had it not been for that! Poor baby has about 3 more weeks of those things! Then bye bye paci! The dentist also brought to my attention that she had a chipped front tooth! Another surprise! I guess I was in shock so I really didn't ask questions or get upset but had this been Colby at 2 I would have freaked! She has fallen a couple of times and busted her lip or bit her tongue so I am sure one of those times is when it happened. She's just rough and tumble =) So that evening Colby had Movie Night at school. It was put on by the Beta Club. I really debated back and forth about going but Colby found out about it and really wanted to go. They told us during Awards Day that it was a drop off event but he was already planning on us going so we just stayed with him. I brought him and Lindsay at 6. I think she enjoyed watching all the big kids. He was a little shy at first but quickly warmed up when he found some of his friends. It was a really nice evening. They had board games out for them to play as they arrived then they fed them hotdogs then turned on the movies about 6:40. They had 2 movies to choose from: The Lorax or Despicable Me 2. Colby hadn't seen either. He chose the Lorax which is where I think all the younger ones ended up. Austin showed up about 6:30 so it was nice to have him there. Lindsay and I left at 7 and he stuck around with Colby until about 8. I think it meant a lot to Colby to have daddy there!
Saturday it was just me and the kids. I really look forward to Saturdays the sleeping in and slower paced mornings. I love that we don't have to rush off anywhere. I get more housework done on Saturday mornings then any other day of the week. We did eventually get out the house though. We went to B&N to get my Mary Poppins books I ordered. The kids love to go play with the train table and look at the books. Its a nice cheap outting! Afterwards we picked up a kingcake for the big Saints game! That afternoon our friends Honey and Max stopped by. We don't really see them much anymore since they moved uptown. I try to get the boys together occassionally but the thing is they don't really "bond" anymore. Almost the entire time Max was over they were fighting and fussing. I am not sure what the deal is b/c Colby plays so well with his school and church friends. I am not sure if its b/c they don't see each other often or what. Anyways I was exhausted after the visit. I mean it was good to catch up with her but I was tired of all the whining. After they left Austin got home and we watched the Saints game. The kids were crazy wound up! I think it was a combo of overtired but also keyed up b/c with the cold and rain they haven't played outside much this week!
Sunday again was just the kids and I. We went to church that morning. I was able to go to big church which was so nice! I really needed it! It had been a few weeks since I sat in worship and I could tell with my attitude! The kids as always enjoyed their classes as well. We had a low key afternoon. My parents then came over and watched the kids so I could go to Grouplink for Lifegroups. We are switching groups this semester. We just needed a change. I was anxious to bond with our new group plus interact with other friends and people at church. Again it was a nice getaway after a busy/stressful week! The kids ofcourse enjoyed having the grandparents around!
It was a busy and fun weekend! As always they go by WAYY too fast! We have another busy week ahead and trying to get everyone used to being back in school!

Storytime & Getting back to school

So we are slowly getting back into the swing of things around here. Both kids started back to school yesterday. I think both were happy to get back although I did have to drag them both out the bed. I am so glad they love school and their teachers! I was glad to have them both at school it gave me a little time to myself to go to Target and then get some housework done. I do miss them but I am thankful for my alone time! The temps have stayed in the 20s/30s the last couple of days which has made getting up and getting out the house a little harder then usual.
Today since Lindsay was home I wanted to take her somewhere but its really too cold for the park. We decided to go to library storytime in Algiers. We haven't been since Thanksgiving. Just seems like life gets busy and we are always involved in something else so we don't go very often. A couple of our friends met us there plus we ran into a couple other moms we know from Mops. Its always fun to get to chat with a bunch of moms. Lindsay was pretty shy but warmed up towards the end. I think she likes the stories and songs though. Its just a nice free thing to get us out the house!
The rest of the week will be pretty busy with chores and errands and appointments!

The End of Christmas Break

Well we are still enjoying our break...and honestly this break has seemed SO long! Not in a bad way...we have had a few frustrating moments but nothing too bad! This is probably my fav Christmas break since Colby was 2! When he was 3 we had a newborn so things were a lot more complicated and we stayed home a lot more and when he was 4 Lindsay was still little and couldn't stay up late or do as much but this year holy cow we have been so busy and its been so fun y'all! I really wish my kids could stay 5 and 2 forever?!?
So Thursday was another free day...we had plans to help undecorate the church for Christmas but as fate would have it by the time we got there they were finshing up?! Oh well we still got to visit with some peeps and the kids enjoyed running around the church. We ran a few other errands then met our friends Audrea and her 3 littles at Chickfila. The kids had a blast! I am so thankful for mom friends and other littles. Going to eat chickfila is so much more fun with friends! Colby had a blast playing with Tripp and Cash and Lindsay and Maggie were content to visit at the table with the ladies ;) We came home and just relaxed and vegged out the rest of the day!
Friday my parents came to pick up Colby to let him spend the day with them. I was honestly a little relieved. I really have needed the quiet and time away. He's pretty much been with me every moment since Dec 20th and I could tell we were starting to annoy each other. Plus today was my grocery shopping day so I knew he would much rather be hanging out with my parents then stuck at home with me all day. Its been good too to have Lindsay to herself and also allow her to nap and rest. Friday night we went out with our friends Rick and Tiffany. they are in the process of moving to Houston. We are going to miss them and their girls so much! We had a great dinner at Des Familes. It was nice just to have a liesurely dinner and visit with one another.
Saturday has been a great day so far! We all slept in this morning! Gosh I love these cold mornings but I also really dread waking up Monday when we have our coldest yet! Anyway we slept in then all got up and dressed to go out to City Park. We don't get to go nearly as often as I'd like but I wanted to go to one more "fun" thing before Colby gets back into school. The rides and Storyland weren't open but we still had fun. We got beignets and coffee first and boy did the kids love that!! The last time we were all there the kids hardly touched the beignets but they scarfed them down this time! Then we played in the park for awhile. It was so fun seeing the kids run around. Austin kept up with Colby though and I chased Lindsay around. Its hard to stay together b/c they are at 2 different ages and want to do different stuff plus the park is pretty spread out so you can't just sit on a bench and watch. Lindsay had the time of her life! She has really changed in the last month. Ofcourse its different when Colby is around she is more brave. She ran and played with the best of them! She climbed on the highest stuff too! This girl she's a mess! I loved watching her just have the best time! So finally after they were bored with playing we took a walk through the sculpture garden. Its such a beautiful, peaceful place although it was pretty crowded on a Saturday. The kids did enjoy running through all the paths and bridges though. We finally made a quick exit though when all they wanted to do was "bang" on the art =) We headed home and picked up a kingcake. We enjoyed some downtime that afternoon. That evening we kept our friends the Stewarts. This meant we had 5 kids in the house! Talk about a fun and busy evening! We had a 6 year old, 5 year old, 4 year old, and two 2 year olds. I really can't imagine having 5 kids all the time! Although for having 5 they all got along really well and honestly wasn't that hard. The boys played really well together and were pretty low maintenance. We had hotdogs and fries for dinner. After dinner I put the little girls in the tub together. Then they got in the jammies to play. The boys brought pjs too but rather then bathing all them they just got in their pjs too. I think they all enjoyed being cozy. I let them watch a few shows on tv while they played. They all kept each other busy so that was great!
Sunday Austin was home again. Its always nice to go to church as a family! I had to work in preschool though. I think the kids were glad to go to church and see their friends. The rest of the day was really low key. We just enjoyed being together and going to bed early so we would all be ready for Back to school!

More Christmas Break

Well we are still enjoying being on break in this house. We have managed to keep ourselves busy since the Mississippi Christmas! On Friday we tried to get back into routines around here just without school. Grocery shopping was what we had on our agenda. I have a lot of friends who don't bring both of their kids to the grocery but I don't understand why...honestly its not that big of a deal. Mine are usually very good and enjoy themselves. I try to involve them in the process...especially Colby. He helps me pick out stuff and is very helpful. Lindsay sometimes fusses and wants out of the cart but right now I just can't watch them both in the store. Colby probably was walking around 2 in the store but with keeping up with him too I am afraid it would be a disaster so she still rides. That day was low key we did play outside some which was nice!
Saturday we were ready to get out the house but it was a really rainy and nasty day. Mrs. Eva was moving out of her house that day to a smaller apartment in an assissted living type place and all Elizabeth's family and my parents were over there helping so we decided to stop by to say hello. Afterwards I took the kids to the library. No storytime but we checked out several books and Colby played on the computer. It was nice just to get out. I picked up Chickfila for lunch as a treat and we came home. It was a pretty lazy rest of the day with the rain. The kids and I just stayed in and watched tv all afternoon!
Sunday was back into our normal church routine. I think we were all glad this week to get back to see our friends! I worked in the preschool...we only had 3 kiddos though...guess a lot of people are still traveling. That afternoon was again relaxing. We did get to spend some time outside though!
Monday Austin was off so we wanted to make it a fun family day! We let Colby choose where he wanted to go. He settled on the Children's Museum. We did go there over Thanksgiving break but the kids love its so much I figured it was fine to venture back. They both had a blast! We stayed for 2 solid hours. Lindsay mostly wanted to follow Colby around. They did do a lot of playing together which was nice! I have to say this age is so much easier then last year when Lindsay had to mostly stay in the stroller. She did finally let me bring her into the toddler room and she had a BLAST in there! She and I stayed for quite awhile. Austin and Colby joined us too for a little bit but then he got bored and moved onto bigger and better things. We all joined up together downstairs to see the new exhibit. They both loved the GIANT water table. So after finishing up we decided to go out to lunch. We tried a new place Reubens. It was very tasty. Its just a sandwhich and soup place. It was nice to just spend time the 4 of us. We came home to rest and hang out. That evening Austin and I went out to see the movie "Saving Mr. Banks". It was SO GOOD....we both really loved the movie. We enjoyed that then went and ate dinner at five guys. I couldn't have asked for a better day really...time out as a family then a date night! So blessed!
Tuesday Austin went back to work so the kids and I were on our own. We had a few errands of must do's that the kids and I did. I hated we couldn't go somewhere "fun" but all of it had to be done plus it was rainy and cold so really no where we could go. They enjoyed Barnes and Noble though...that's always a hit with them! We rested that afternoon but then headed out that evening for a New Years Eve party with friends.