Opening Presents

We are still having to teach Tyler how to open presents. I am sure by Christmas he will be an expert like TJ!

Gordon got BIG SMILES - thanks Aunt Melodie and Uncle Jay!

Gram and TJ in the new sand box!

Before the party today we let the boys open all their presents. We have such a generous family. It was SO much fun to watch the boys open their gifts and get excited about the new toys they got.

HALLOWEEN!

Tonight we took the boys to the Fall festival at church. Before and after the fall festival we did some trick or treating. The highlight of the night was the train ride. It was starting to get dark when they went, but they really enjoyed it!

TJ had a great time going through the blow up tunnel.

Tyler got in on the "fishing"!!!

Tyler looked SO cute crossing the street to go trick or treating at our neighbors house.

I just LOVE the way he is licking the spoon!!!

Pumpkin Carving Time!

This is the pumpkin TJ and Tyler picked out at the pumpkin patch.

TJ and Daddy carved our pumpkin tonight. It was a little cold but they enjoyed turning our pumpkin into a Jack-O-Lantern. TJ insisted that it have a light so I got a flash light and put it inside to "light him up"!

Sea World Spooktacular!

Baker TJ and Football Player Mason!
TJ looked so "cool" in his sunglasses - his baker outfit was a big hit too!

Lyla Grace, Mason, Baker TJ and JR Baker Tyler are ready to Trick or Treat!

Today we went to Sea World with the Rein family. We had a great time trick or treating and just hanging out with them. The weather was beautiful and the kids were great.

Pumpkin Patch!

Today we visited our local pumpkin patch. I just LOVE taking the boys to pick out a pumpkin. We may be in shorts and the leaves my still be green but we can enjoy some FALL activities anyway! Gram came with us and she let the boys get some small pumpkins to paint at her house. We are so blessed to have Gram so CLOSE - she always wants to do fun and special things with the boys.

BAKERS!

I finished the boys Halloween costumes today, so we went to Gram's house for an early trick or treat to show them to her. The boys were really excited about their bakers outfits and about the candy from Gram's. A few weeks ago TJ and I came up with the idea that he and Tyler would be bakers for Halloween. I ordered their chefs hats from a company online and then I made their aprons out of dish towels. I haven't sewn in a long time and I didn't realize how much I missed it. I had a great time making their costumes and I know they will enjoy them for many months to come.

Cruise Day 3

This morning when we woke up we were docked at Disney's private island. This was my favorite day. Imagine Disney World - but at the beach!!! Two of my favorite things rolled into one. We had a great time playing at the beach, snorkeling and of course eating!!! We have done a LOT of eating. Tonight after dinner we went back to the room to let the boys go to bed. TJ at dinner was asking us if he could go to the room where the beds were. We were disappointed to miss the last show (we heard it was the BEST!) but we knew the boys were exhausted. We really had a great time and we look forward to getting to go on another Disney cruise in the future.

Cruise Day 2

Tonight was Pirate Night! We had a lot of fun dressing up in our Pirate accessories. If you look closely you can see Tyler is wearing an earring. Melodie brought tattoos for the kids and earring for all the guys. TJ would not wear an earring but he did finally let Heather put a tattoo on him. Only after Tyler LOVED his!!!

They sang Happy Birthday to mom tonight and brought her a cake.

This morning we let TJ on the ship to play in his "playroom" and we took Tyler with us to walk around the straw market in Nassau. Tyler didn't last very long. He was already tired from staying up the night before.

Disney Cruise

Tyler is ready for the DRILL!
We were thankful Aunt Melodie brought her laptop for movies!!!

Today we left for our LONG awaited Disney Cruise. Last January I got together with my sister and my brother, we wanted to do something really special for my mom's 60th birthday. We knew she would want the family to be together so we came up with the idea of us taking a family cruise to the Bahamas. We surprised my mom and all the kids at our annual summer beach trip with the news! As the days approached for our "set sail date" the whole family was SO excited. TJ kept asking "Is today the day we go on our Disney Cruise?" Well, finally TODAY I got to tell him it was the day. We got on board in time for a great lunch buffet. Tyler got a quick nap while I unpacked all of our things. Chuck, TJ and the rest of the family went on a tour of the ship. They came back with a great report. We knew our days on board the Disney Wonder were going to be fantastic. Tyler got up just in time to be "strapped" down in his life COAT for the safety drill. He was such a great sport. He had to practically wear a body suit for the drill. The day ended with our first dinner and show.

Car Show

We took the boys to a car show at the Central Florida Fairgrounds today. There were all kinds of cars, rescue vehicles and even the new police helicopter for the kids to see. The people that had entered their cars and vehicles in the show were SERIOUS about CARS. TJ and Tyler had a great time and TJ really didn't want to leave when it was time to go. It was a free event and we really enjoyed ourselves. When we were done at the fairgrounds we went to Steak and Shake for lunch. The boys were so excited because they brought their milkshake out first. I thought for sure that it would spoil there lunch but who can resist Steak and Shake french fries and chicken strips? We really had another fun weekend.

Saturday morning Cartoons

This morning before we left for the car show TJ and Tyler were watching Bob the Builder on tv. I couldn't believe how they had gotten the pillows and were laying next to each other. I have posted "Bob" watching pictures before. As you can see they still are intense when they are watching tv.

DINNER TIME!

Tyler was such a mess at dinner tonight I told Chuck to go get the camera. We had Bar-b-Que pork, sweet potatoes and baked beans. He ate ALL of his food and then was still trying to get food off of an empty plate. I am thankful that he eats on his own but he still sometimes makes a mess.

First BUS ride!

Tyler LOVES buses. I am not sure where his fascination came from but "bus" was one of his first words and when we pass a bus on the road everyone in the car knows it! Chuck and I thought it would be fun to take the boys on a bus ride. So where do you take a free bus ride in Orlando? Disney of course!!! We parked our car at Downtown Disney and then went to the bus stop to wait for the bus. This took a little more time then we expected but the boys were great. Every bus that came up TJ would say is that our bus? Finally the bus we wanted to take arrived and we got on. We were the only people on the bus and Tyler was SO excited. He kept looking around and I could just see on his face that he was thinking - I can't believe I am actually riding on a bus. We took the bus to the Contemporary Hotel and ate a snack (one that I had packed) in their lobby where the boys got to watch cartoons. We then walked around the hotel for a little while and then rode the monorail. The monorail was TJ's favorite part and he was really excited about getting to ride it. We took the monorail to the Grand Floridian and then took a bus back to Downtown Disney. We let the boys play at the Lego store and ate lunch at McDonald's. After our tour of Disney (without a ticket!) we got back in our car and came home. TJ thought we had "been to Disney". It is SO much fun to be able to do something so simple and still make the kids so happy. I know that will not last forever so I will enjoy it while I can.

Yard Night!

Tyler FINALLY rode the tractor with Gram tonight for the FIRST time!!! We have been asking him for a few months if he wanted to ride and he always said no and ran away. Tonight he surprised us and said YES and ran towards the tractor. TJ didn't like it at all and he ran off crying. He has always gotten all of the tractor time so now he will have to share his time on the tractor with Tyler. I have been telling him for awhile that this day would come. After some "discipline" (since he wouldn't stop crying and DEMANDING Tyler get off) he decided that he could live with Tyler taking a turn and he stopped asking for his turn. When Tyler got tired we then gave TJ the chance. After we were finished with the yards the boys were playing under the tree together. They looked SO cute. The last few months have been really great! They are playing SO well together and are really enjoyed each others company. I really think putting them in the same room has helped. TJ told me the other the day that he and Tyler were friends. I told him that I always wanted that to be the case. I have had ups and downs with my siblings but I am happy to say that after 31 years I still consider both of my siblings my friends. I pray that will be true for TJ and Tyler too!!!

Labor Day

Today we just enjoyed the day off as a family. We played in the pool and TJ tried to swim with his "float" for the first time this summer. He was really going a great job. Just as he is starting to become a little interested in actually swimming the summer swim season is almost over. I hope that next summer he learns how to swim. It will make having a pool so much more fun!