Walter and I were really hoping to get Noah back to Disney now that he’s a bit older and really into Mickey Mouse.  Our last visit was a bit of a disaster and no one enjoyed it.  A great opportunity (excuse) came knocking on our door and we couldn’t pass it up – The Brady’s were Disney bound!  Kimmie, Kelly and the twins (Sydney and Peyton) moved to DC a year ago and we miss them terribly so there was no question that we had to make this work, and we did!

We were very ambitious and decided to go up and back in one day.  Kate stayed with my mom since she’s still not a fan of the great outdoors – or crowds, or car rides, or eating on the run.  We went up super early and met the Brady clan at their hotel, The Polynesian.  The girls lei’d us but I’m pretty sire Sydney ended up wearing everyone’s petals.

Syd on the monorail

The barbershop was our first stop.  Noah needed a haircut (we were having family photos the next day) and the cuts at Disney are quite the experience.  Of course he wasn’t thrilled but like a good kid he put up with my request.

He even let the guy put sparkles all over him.  Someone commented that Tinker Bell must be spitting up again.  Noah got a box of chewy Gobstoppers at the confectionery for his tolerance.  He wasn’t sharing those with anyone!

Here we are at the castle now -                                            and before.  Noah still hates the camera lady!

Noah’s first ride was Buzz Lightyear.  He loved it!  Even waiting in line was fun!

You basically ride around in your cart and shoot at targets.  Noah was our navigator (to ensure motion sickness to all!)

There was no way I was getting on those teacups, they make me so ill!  Luckily Walter and Kimmie agreed to take the kids.

It was a gorgeous day!  It wasn’t very crowded either.  Wednesday is the day to go!

Everyone on the carousel!

Then we headed to “It’s A Small World”.  I’m not sure what the lure is there but the kids loved it!

The Brady’s went back for a nap but we stayed.  Noah had to see the parade!  He loved all the characters!

And then a past wedding couple came to visit!  Victoria and Irwin live in Orlando and they recently had a baby, Jake.  We were very lucky that they were able to pay us a visit!  Isn’t Jake gorgeous!? 

I haven’t seen them since their wedding (photo courtesy of Focused on Forever) and I have never seen them happier!

After the character performance we went back to the Brady’s hotel.  Back in the day my sister, Lindy, made them dresses for their first birthday.  She wanted to see how they worked as shirts so although the lighting was quite unfortunate we got some fun photos and the kids had fun running around.

Here are the girls when they first got the dresses -

And now -

The whole Brady Bunch

“Look!  Here’s how you get out of this thing!”

Sydney had quite a crush on Noah all day so we let them go for a romantic stroll under the moonlight.  Rest assured, it turned into a healthy game of “Boo!” very quickly.

After the kids ran out of steam the Brady’s treated us to dinner at their hotel.  It was the Disney version of Chima and the bread pudding was to die for – really!  We headed home after dinner, around 10pm.  If I had it to do over I would have either stayed over or left after the fireworks (at 7pm).  It was a very tough drive home but so worth it for the time we got to spend with our good friends.  Hopefully we can get together before another year has passed!

Kate turned five months on the 22nd and to celebrate – well, she got her picture taken.  What’s new?  Kate and Daddy have been hanging out on Sunday mornings while Noah and I go do our thing.  He’s been enjoying the morning as an only child doing things we used to when it was just us.  Why I never get a morning to sleep in is beyond me.  I am not wishing time away but I do look forward to the day they both sleep in like good little teenagers.

Here’s Kate at five months -

And on Monday at the Friedman’s Kate rolled from her back to her belly for the first time.  Noah crawled for the first time at their house and Ayla took her first steps here.  I wonder if we spend too much time together or our kids are just show offs!

Here is Kate on her third roll.  She makes it look so easy!

So I’m pretty sentimental, bet you never would have guessed, and because of it I torture my family with all the memories I want to make.  We have a gazillion photos – pretty ones, crying ones, down right ugly ones.  We have hours upon hours of video of milestones, fun events, even what the kids’ crys sounded like as babies.  Well it’s gotten even worse since Kate’s arrival.  Now that our family is complete I feel compelled to document as much as possible.  Here are two of our most recent projects.  We also did the kids’ handprints in plaster (made into ornaments) at Christmas but that was such a disaster we don’t have a single photo from the “experience”.

Handprint Art
So we stole this idea from Red Envelope.  We had a lot of fun doing them and enjoyed the challenge of trying to make a newborn hold her hand flat.  The canvases are hung in our family room.

Here’s Walter doing his print -

We had to one-arm swaddle Kate to keep her from making a huge mess.

I think Noah had to do his 3 or 4 times.  Guess it was harder than it looks!

And here’s the final product -

Feet
Way back when I was still in college taking photography classes Walter and I did a photo of our feet for one of my assignments.  It was taken with old fashioned film and developed in our bathroom darkroom so it’s not so easy to crop and throw online but I’ve included a photo of it.  Well that’s been hanging in our family room for almost 8 years now and we couldn’t help but do one with each addition to the family.  Here’s the progression -

Yes, I have huge feet.  Walter and I wear the same size.

I have several saved drafts and things on my mind to share with you but something incredible happened today and I cannot help but let it skip to the front of the line.  Our dear friend and professional photographer, Amy Hill, came over to spend some time with Kate and I.  She hasn’t seen Kate since she was 8 days old so of course she’s changed quite a bit.  Lucky for us Amy brought her camera and she captured some of the most gorgeous images of Kate.  Here are just a few of my 85 favorites!  Thank you so much Amy!

One other big event happened today – Kate laughed for the first time!  It was so precious.  I forgot how beautiful a baby’s laugh is and I can’t wait to hear it again and again!

On January 18th Kate was baptized.  We tried very hard to keep things low key since Noah’s (on Christmas Eve of ’06) was a three ring circus.  The result couldn’t have been better.  It was a beautiful day, Kate did incredibly well and everyone had a great time – even us!  This is a photo heavy post but aren’t you here for the photos?  Be honest.  You don’t care what I have to say.

Noah looked SHARP!  This was when we arrived at church.  He couldn’t wait to run around and play on the steps.  I’m sure he was trying to get dirty, he probably thought that would stop the photos.  Silly boy.

It takes a village!  We waited until we got to church to dress Kate because she’s a big spitter.  It took three of us to get her in her gown!

And because of the spitting habit and crazy drool she needed a bib.  Lucky us for having amazing and talented friends she has this gorgeous monogrammed bib with pearls!

Noah and Ayla – being, well, Noah and Ayla

I wish I could come up with a caption for this photo to capture how much it makes me laugh.

Kate had hair accessorydrama.  Her hair is falling out so bad (normal for an infant) that I was afraid a bow wouldn’t have anything to hold so we got this.  Then at the last minute found a bonnet so she wore them both (at different times) – what girl doesn’t love a wardrobe change?

This isn’t at all posed.  Do you see Noah?  He was so curious!  He eventually ended up there too.

Every kid loves Uncle Joscelyn.  He makes everyone smile!

We had a brunch at the house afterwards.

This cupcake cross cake was made by my very talented friend Erin.  We happen to be related by marriage but I promise that’s not why we had her do the cake.  Erin and her sister, Kelly, just started an official business.  If you need a cake you should contact her!  Erin – erinyap05@yahoo.com

Kate changed into her party dress once we got home.  The girl has style, what can I say?  She wasn’t much of a host though, she ended up sleeping through most of the party.  So cliche – Grammy loves to pinch her cheeks!

Her cross was a Christmas gift from Aunt Nikki -

MMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…………..

Walter couldn’t wait to get behind the camera!  Our friends and family did a great job shooting the ceremony though and we’re so very grateful!

Our dear friend Jill surprised us with a visit – via a business trip to Florida.  Walter last saw her at her wedding in September but Noah and I couldn’t go and she’d never met Kate.  With our addition and extra space we were able to welcome her to stay with us.  We had a blast!  She was with us for a little more than a week and it was just like old times, well almost.  She was a great house guest and spare set of hands and she instantly won Noah over with the never ending game of “BOO!”.  While she was here we met her brother, visited mutual friends, introduced her to some new friends of ours and generally just enjoyed each other’s company. 

One night after work she surprised us with a huge present – a Wii, complete with controllers and games!  Of course we hooked it up immediately and got sucked in instantly.  Jill used to be our gaming buddy back in the day.  We would stay at her house until the wee hours of the morning, usually until I fell asleep on the couch, playing all kinds of video games.  Hopefully with the internet enabled system we can once again be gaming buddies, even though we’re so far away.  We miss you Jill!  And oh yeah, THANK YOU!

Here are Jill and the kids right before she left for the airport.  Noah was SO not interested in taking photos and SO sad that Jill was leaving.  We suspect he may have thought she moved in permanently.  He certainly accepted her as part of the family!

Since I’m only averaging one post each week I might as well share the rest of our “Family Fun Days” with you.  Below are some highlights of the rest of Walter’s time off. His first week back to work went pretty well.  Noah was sad after one nap in particular when Walter wasn’t here but we kept busy and managed to keep his mind off of it.  We also had a house guest (more in a later post) which gave him something new to enjoy.

Here we are on a play date with our friends Beth and Aaron.  We see them at least once a week and really enjoy their company. 

Noah, Kate and me on the carousel -

Noah has been a bench rider for the past several months but once again ventured onto the horses.  Two year olds are so weird.  And this one is so in love with his Daddy!

And another day we went to “Apoe and Agoon’s” Farm (Walter’s parents).  Noah loved it!  He checked everything out and did an amazing job supervising the work.  Kate on the other hand decided she’s not one for the great outdoors.  She complained the entire time, couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, she couldn’t figure out why anyone would go there voluntarily.

We, of course, post only the happy photos though so everyone thinks our kids are angels.  Just kidding.  We did work really hard for these smiles though so I have to share them!

Noah hunting oranges -

This is a tangelo orange.  You can’t do this with all oranges but if you peel the skin and cut the top off you have instant orange juice, there is none fresher.  You just squeeze the orange together and drink, and repeat, and repeat, and repeat.  I felt very outdoorsy doing this!

Here is Noah washing his hands -

It was a gorgeous day!

And here is a panoramic photo of the farm.  With such limited space here you can’t enjoy the full size photo but you get the idea.  Claire and Herbie work very hard growing all kinds of fruits and vegetables and have for years.  While it’s not my cup of tea I give them a lot of credit!  It really is a labor of love!

And then to torture Kate even more we went down the road to Lion Country Safari.  She didn’t like this place much better, the bugs were just a little smaller.  We did the drive through, which we haven’t done in over a year because Noah has never enjoyed it.  Well I think he’s finally old enough to appreciate the giant animals and interesting sights.  He really loved it.  We also did the water park (the only one open in January) but didn’t get any photos of it. 

Noah kept saying – “I want the rions to go ROARRRR!”  I love that kid!

And he was fascinated by the zebras!

If you look closely you can see the baby white rhino under the mom.  He was soooo cute!  There were also two giraffe babies but their photo didn’t come out so well.

On a more somber note, one of the reasons I’ve been so slack in blogging is my Dad.  He gave us quite a scare this week.  We’re not sure why but he experienced a seizure and brain bleed.  He’s still in ICU being poked and prodded and at the moment all of the doctors can only scratch their heads and wonder what happened and what should happen next.  I’d like to give a little public love to my sister, Nikki, who happened to stop by the house when my dad was home alone and all of this started.  Had she not we’re not sure this story would have ended as good as it has.

Here’s my Dad -

He is the most amazing cook!  This is him cooking Thanksgiving dinner in 2007. 

And here is the moment we realized we don’t take nearly enough photos of him.  Because – well, that’s Noah.

And so is this.

And here’s a real oldie, unfortunately I’m not omitting much in between -

Kate turned 3 months old on the 22nd and we celebrate the occasion (naturally) with a photo shoot.  She’s a big girl, tipping the scales at 15 pounds, but a very happy baby.  She’s gotten really good at controlling her head and she pulled up completely on her belly for the first time the other night.  She’s a little lazy when it comes to physical activity but I would be too if my thighs looked like hers, oh wait they do – and I am!

Here are some photos from the shoot -

So happy!  The second photo should have the caption – “Call me!”

And for a kid who hates having his photo taken he sure is around anytime is sister is having hers done!

Unfortunately for Kate she inherited my horrible feet and toes -

I love this picture because it reminds me of some of my favorites of Noah (he was 4 months) -

Still think they look alike?

This is her “talking”, she’s very vocal and social lately -

And this is my favorite photo from the day.  She’s so beautiful (a touch biased, maybe)!

Unfortunately she’s starting to lose some hair so the bow may need a break but I found a cute headband (not garter belt, don’t worry) to ward off all the boy comments.

We also went to the Delray Christmas Parade (as we do EVERY year) around this time but don’t have enough photos to give them their own post, sorry for the blog sandwich -

Here’s the reason I even brought up the parade, believe it or not there are a few things that go on in our lives I don’t post about.  Noah was so excited this year for the parade and I love that I caught it in this photo -

He loved the lights, the bands, the dancers, the floats, and as usual – hated that I brought the camera.

Kate slept through 99% of the parade.  When she woke up she wanted to eat.  I can’t believe fire trucks and marching bands don’t phase her.  I guess all the practice of sleeping through her brother does the trick.

Noah has a flashing red nose too but my camera battery died before I could get a photo with both.  Since we’re being nostalgic I’ll also show the last time he wore antlers -

We’re such party animals!  The kids were in bed by 8pm and we played video games (with the Dick Clark-less New Year’s Eve show on in the background) until just before midnight, which is when I logged on to wish you a very healthy and happy New Year!  If I play my cards right I’ll be in bed soon but I wanted to share some of our “family fun days” from Walter’s vacation with you.  We did something almost every day and enjoyed his time off thoroughly.  I’m really dreading Monday when reality moves back in!

Why I thought Walter wanted to check out all the new shopping centers is beyond me.  I took him anyway and as long as I fed him he put up with my window shopping.  Our first trip was to the Pembroke Pines Shopping Center which is phenominal!  It’s an outdoor mall with a lot to see.  We had a blast and the weather was perfect!

We ate at the Pub where all the staff (ALL of the staff) wore kilts.  The food was great, the beer was incredible and the outdoor seating really made dining with a two year old a lot easier.  Kate, as usual, slept through the whole experience.

Here Walter and Noah are playing “guess what letter I’m drawing on your back!” – one of their faves!

We both got the fish and chips and the three of us polished the plates completely.  My friend Beth has tried the fried pickle here and said it’s divine!  Maybe next time!

And this is what that wonderful two year old does with ketchup.  He eats it.  Not with his food, with his finger.  He eats it.  Gross.

The area was beautifully decorated for the holidays -

Noah has always loved waterfalls and fountains.  You may remember the very anticlimatic trip to Niagara Falls.  Since then we’ve discovered that these little guys do the trick just fine!

Christmas Eve was awesome!  Although I was at the end of my rope, ready to drop the kids off at the fire station, I pulled it together and we all went to church.  I knew it would be past their bedtime and I looked horrible, not even putting on makeup and only managing to get my hair in a ponytail but it was what it was and I needed something to get me in the spirit.  Our church always has a beautiful candlelight Christmas Eve service and this year was no different.  The choir was amazing and the hymns did the trick.  What a magical night!  Here are some photos Walter managed to get in the low light.

Noah made himself right at home as soon as we got there, lounging on the pews. 

Nikki, Julia and my mom came.  Thank God for extra hands to hold the baby!  Everyone always asks where Kate gets her amazingly long fingers from.  Do you see my sister’s?

Tom Lacey is our favorite Pastor.  He “remarried” us and baptized Noah.  He’ll be baptizing Kate very soon.

Isn’t our church gorgeous!?

Anyone who knows Noah knows he loves fire.  This was his favorite service so far!

But he was very antsy and very tired.

And Kate was just tired.  She finally gave in and napped on Grammy’s lap.

And when we got home we bathed Noah and put him in Christmas pj’s – a tradition in my family.  Isn’t he too cute?  I believe this may also be our only photo of the tree, which is already down.