Happy Thanksgiving

So as Thanksgivings go, this was a good one... harried as usual but when is it not. We hosted Thanksgiving and had a good turn out... a little less this year but the added pleasure of Haley and Evan joining us.

This year (and past years), Dan's mom would drop off a stuffed turkey Thanksgiving morning and all we have to do is cook it. Unfortunately, the turkey was done at 11:15 and people didn't arrive until after noon... so we had a dry turkey :( But it looked good!!

In past years, Evan has always slept/napped through Thanksgiving meal... But this year, he joined us. And so did Haley... all she ate was sweet potatoes but it was nice to have them both there and partaking. Of course, Evan wanted nothing to do with his meal... he was focused on desserts... and then he ate EVERYTHING ... he did want he had to do to get desserts!!

So next up... Black Friday shopping!!!!

Look who's 3 !!!!

So it's been a busy weekend... in FL one day and home and it's Evan's birthday the next!!! And unfortunately, I packed too many things into our weekend that not everything worked out well.

We started Evan's birthday with his birthday dinner... and Evan requested "Lucky Charms" for breakfast... it was a special day, so sure why not. Then we attempted to get portraits done. Unfortunately, Evan wanted NOTHING to do with it... but Emma and Haley were totally having fun.....
And after we attended a friend's birthday party at Build-A-Bear, Evan craved and needed his nap... took a 3 hour nap!!

And the next day, we had a small party for him. So small, it was last minute and I was lucky the grandparents could make it (well, my dad was still in FL)... and so last minute, all the guests lived within 5 miles!!
And who would've guessed that at the end of the day, Evan was still tired from the trip... he asked for a nap...

Family Trip to Orlando

As the summer quickly passed by, we had an opportunity to vacation in Orlando, FL with my dad. We planned the trip for November to give Dan that 'extra' vacation day with the built-in holiday of Veteran's Day.

So with nervousness, Dan and I left for Orlando with a toddler and a baby on Nov. 8. Our early flight on Southwest Airlines, went smoother than I had expected. In fact, Evan was SO excited as the plane took off that sheer joy was on his face and happiness exuded in every word he uttered. Haley's first plane ride went as smooth as we could hope... the smooth flight landed us in Orlando around 10:30am. And by the time we loaded all our stuff, changed diapers and clothes AND waited in line for the rental car, it was after noon when we left the airport.

On our way to our 'temporary home', we stopped for lunch. Not wanting the regular fast food fanfare, we opted for the buffet at Shoney's. Have you ever been? It's only ok... but it was an experience. Why, because I was actually able to win a mini-basketball from a crane machine for Evan.. on the first try... and I think Evan realized it was going to be a GREAT vacation!!

My dad's timeshare allowed us to stay at OrangeLake Resort located only a couple miles for Disney. In fact, it even borders Disney's Animal Kingdom.

I certainly give you details on the trip but my fingers would get tired too fast... so here's the short version :) We arrived on a Sunday afternoon. And as expected, Evan didn't and couldn't nap. But to acquaint ourselves with the resort, we attended the Sunset Celebration. It was a daily celebration for young families and fun. Evan enjoyed activities and the atmosphere!!


Through out the week, we all enjoyed the amenities of the resort: pools, splash pads, water slides, lazy rivers, mini-golf, shuffleboard, palm trees and many many more...

The weather held out for us on the most part. If it rained, it was only at night. The days were chilly at 65-70 but that was better than in CT :) And Evan never cared what the temp was as long as he got to play mini-golf and go swimming. We tried to stay away from Disney; after all, Evan was only 2 and would he even know the difference if we didn't go see to WDW? Well, by the end of the trip... YES, he cared.

We spent some time at Downtown Disney... a shopping area owned by Disney. Evan spent all our time there looking for Mickey Mouse. Then after our lunch at Rainforest Cafe, the joy of the trip glistened in Evan's eyes, as he spotted Mickey and Minnie Mouse:
But Evan's happiness was squelched by the realization that it wasn't a "moving Mickey". But the day was still fun with the Lego store.

So with much guilt (applied by my dad and Dan), we made a day trip next door to Animal Kingdom. The day was supposed to be sunny but it ended up being cloudy and cold most of the day. The day included the safari ride seeing rhinos, elephants, hippos, lions and giraffes; the musical Nemo; the park rides with a flying Dino; a play area called 'The BoneYard" including looking for bones; and the most important thing was meeting Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy.... and from the opening to the closing, we had perfect kids and well behaved kids who made us realize that we made the right choice in going... going broke too :) Click Here to see the photos.

So was the highlight of the trip Disney or Evan going down the water slide by himself?

7 Months Old

It's already November and not enough time to 'catch up'.

Haley: As Haley marks 7 months tomorrow, she's made leaps and bounds in growth. At her last appointment, she jumped in weight percentile from 25th% to 45th%... and in height, she jumped from 40th% to 75th% percentile. Our little baby is growing healthy!!

As she hits her milestones, she is only slightly delayed. She is starting to sit up on her own.

She is also trying to 'move' and travel. Haley has taken an interest in many of her toys and those of Evan's. And after she eyes her target, she tries to 'roll' towards her goal. Unfortunately, she only will roll over one time and then forget to continue on to her toy. The Dr even said that if he didn't know she was early, there would be no developmental delays to indicate she was a preemie.

However, Haley's interest in food is interesting. She started strong on cereal and spoon feeding. Then for some reason, she can't seem to figure out that once the food is in her mouth, she needs to use her tongue to push it down not out! But my friend, Laurie, then suggested giving her some table foods... so yesterday, I decided to break a cheerio for her... and she LOVED it. I still had to help her keep the Cheerio in her mouth, but she tried to "chew" it. And the best part was how helpful and excited Evan was about his baby sister 'getting bigger'.

Evan: Our little Evan is growing up so fast. He's going to be 3 soon but he looks like he's already 5 :) We've hit a brick wall in the potty training front... but figure we'll try again when we all have the time. We have finally passed through the fussy pickiness of food. At one time it was chicken nuggets, broccoli and grilled cheese everyday. Now I get to make tilapia or steak or lasagna and we can eat as a family(without any fights). And he's even gotten to liking grape tomatoes and salad... now if I can only get his daddy to eat them.

Halloween: So Haley's first Halloween proved to be more fun for her older brother... as this was his first Halloween in which he truly understood. However, it also mad him a fiend for candy. Check out the photos.