Orlando Lights Up

Last night we headed for the Grand Floridian Resort to check out their extravagant decor, giant tree and life size gingerbread house. It was quite beautiful but didn't really captivate the kids.

Off we went to stop 2 at Hollywood Studios. We waited almost 2 hours for the Fantasmic show which was CRAZY. Strangely Mason was ok and he was so excited during the show to see Mickey and all of his friends.

We lucked into a few fast passes as we entered the park from a family who was leaving. Matthew and Matt rode the Rock-n-Rollercoaster which went 0-60 in less than 3 seconds and upside down 3 times! It was quite a wild ride!!!

Last destination for the night was the Osborne's Spectacle of Lights. It was something like 5 million lights that lit up choreographed to music. It was really amazing! It was in the upper 40's so we had coats and it felt Christmas-y.....then it evened "snowed" on us which was extra exciting.

Gingerbread Houses

While the boys were supposed to be resting over the weekend we decided to attempt to make gingerbread houses. Boys don't act sick and are very hard to keep indoors without breaking things!

We found an icing recipe online using egg whites and powdered sugar. Matt picked up graham crackers and candies for us to decorate with.

The frosting seemed like the right consistency but it was easier said that done. I had beginners luck with my house while Mason mostly licked frosting and created a "fire pit". Kassidy's house collapsed 3 times before she got it upright! Matthew attempted an A frame chalet with some success. Kels was at a movie so we whipped up a batch the next morning for her and she tried her luck!

Preschool Christmas

Mason's preschool invited us to see them sing a little song for Christmas. All of the class was wearing pj's for the routine....except Mason. He refused to wear pajamas to school. All of the kids sang the songs and wore the mouse ears...except Mason. He did smile for pictures afterward and ate cookies! You just never know what they'll do at that age.

Matt in DC

Matt has been traveling to DC quite a bit lately. He left before I got home from my run last week and was gone until Thursday night. He went with some fun guys and enjoyed some eateries around the White House and got his picture with the National Christmas tree. He was reporting the cold temperatures to me but Florida was experiencing record lows as well.

The last week before Christmas break is always rough with classroom needs,parties etc. I was hoppin' all week and the boys were sick. We ended the week with 4 kids on Tamiflu plus Matthew had bronchitis and an ear infection.

Another 1/2 marathon

Dec 12 I ran another half marathon in Madeira Beach with 2 other FishHawk ladies. It was cold...I was very worried about what to wear for a long cold run. It took a few miles to get the layers off and feel comfortable and then I got in a groove. My time was 3 minutes less and it was a harder route. We had 3 inclines and the last .50-.75 mile was on sand!

I don't love to run- I don't look out the window and think "I would love to go for a run today". However, running is good for me and I enjoy the big races. I'm thinking about running 2 half marathonss this spring: Gasparilla in February and a Fort DeSoto run in March.

Homossasa Springs

Last Saturday Matthew had a cold early morning game and then we hit the road for a far away girls game at Homossa Springs. After their victory we went to a little riverside biker bar/restaurant for an educational and entertaining dinner!

Boys Take Magic Kingdom

Matt took the boys to Magic Kingdom last Sunday. They had fun with "just the guys" and seemed to eat their way through the park!!!

I had lots and lots of work to do. While they played and enjoyed Disney I put in 7 hrs solid of monogramming and work for my business! Word has finally spread and I'm quite busy at www.inchbuyinch.net :)

Saturdays are for Soccer

Both of the kids had home games last weekend so we got off lucky! I was testing out my new SLR camera which added some fun for me. I bought it from my neighbor who was upgrading. Much better action shots of the kids but I may need another zoom lens. Obviously they are all over the fields playing near and far!

Matthew is an aggressive player and we have to keep reminding him to dial it down. He is considering trying out for a travel team next year since he likes it so much. Kass continues to do well at sweeper and recently got 2nd place during a special LadyHawks training academy for performance. She kept complaining that it was all geared to forward striking positions but apparently did well. She's really excited for the defence training session coming up next.

Festival of Lights

Park Square hosted a new event this year called the Festival of Lights. They lit up the square and provided hot chocolate for everyone. Mason was in awe of everything and happy to pose all over the place! Matthew played football in the grass the whole time. Kelsey walked back home. Kass enjoyed the festivities with a friend. It was actually very cold so we had to dig out winter coats for the event. The holidays are here.

Animal Kingdom

We made another trek to Disney today and this time we went to Animal Kingdom. It was a pleasant 70 degrees and truly not very crowded. We all enjoyed the safari ride, a jungle walk, a Nemo musical and dug for fossils/climbed in Dinoland. Matthew and Kass went on the River Rapids twice- neither Matt nor I were game for getting wet! They also rode a coaster in Dinoland while Kelsey,Mattt and Mason rode flying dinosaurs. Matt and Matthew rode the Mt Everest roller coaster twice in a row using Fastpass! On the way home we searched for an Outback and enjoyed a nice dinner out (courtesy of a Wolfpack football gift card for coaches) All in all it was a great family day!