First Full Day (January 13) -Magic Kingdom

Because we missed our Chef Mickey reservations the day before, we tried to get them for another time. We were lucky enough to get one opening... which happened to be January 13 at 7 am.  Yes, 7 am the day after we traveled for 28 hours. Thus, not exactly what we wanted to do our first morning after the rough travel, but it worked out well. Chef Mickey’s was fun, but crowded and limited character interaction. It was, though, the only time Cade got to see and meet Mickey and Minnie and Goofy (how do they find someone so tall to play Goofy???), so it was well worth it for that alone.

                                         The food so-so, but the Mickey waffles were super cute.

From there, we went to Magic Kingdom.

Cade was skeptical when he got pulled into his first audience-participation dance.

But, he had a blast doing the Hokey Pokey!

 The Shooting Salon with dad was a great hit.

  As was eating a Mickey pretzel!

The BEST part of the trip happened shortly after we got there. My best friend, the friend I’ve known the longest, was meeting us there with her family, The Falls Fam, as I like to call them.  We texted when we were each at opposite ends of Main Street, and played “Where’s Waldo” finding each other. Of course, there were tears and confused kids when we found each other. We hadn’t seen each other in at least 4 years and she had never met my son.

We spent the day catching up and going on rides that Cade would enjoy.  Her kids were so patient since they had to wait until Cade wasn't around to on the "big" rides. Cade took such a liking to Nif’s kids and they never once acted like they were annoyed with the “little brother” they suddenly gained. 

Meeting Buzz was a favorite of the younger ones

And nothing could beat the cotton candy. A sweet lady gave the kids a free bag ... was she she sharing Disney Magic, or did she just want us out of her candy shop??

Here's another great view of the Castle. Doesn't Maddie make a perfect picture?








That night, we watched Wishes. Although the fireworks were fabulous, the best part was the show that was played on the castle. A. May. Zing.  Cade and I shared popcorn during the show.

 After, we met up with the Falls again, did a few rides, Cade tried to pull the sword out of the stone (he says he did pull it out... you know, because he’s big and strong).

No trip is complete without a few spins on the teacups. Aj wimped out, so Cade and I took on this one.

He got to meet Chip & Dale

 as we entered back into the park after a much needed rest.

 What a great day at The Castle!

We then went back to the hotel and crashed.

A Wonderful Life, A Wonderful Christmas

Christmas was pretty dang awesome this year. Amy has moved in with us (Go CMU!!!) and Anna came to spend the holiday with us. We hit up all the family favorite dinners (Mom's Tacos, then Christmas Eve was Pearson Family Noodles, then Christmas breakfast and dinner were Aj's creations - casserole for breakfast and ham dinner with all the fixin's. We had gifts galore. But, the best was hearing the laughter of the girls and Cade. It was truly a magical Christmas. 

In November, sister Amy came for a visit. The purpose of the visit was to see if she really wanted to move here. Guess what? She did!!!

However, because she missed her plane on the way out, Trever and Vicky had to drive her out. Of course,they brought baby Iggs. Such a fabulous weekend!!!

Paris - Girlfriend Style!

"I'd like to see Paris before I turn 40" Jeannie said.

"Let's go!" I joked.

Two months later, we were looking at this:

Nothing beats the Eiffel Tower in the nighttime 

Especially if it includes fun times with a childhood friend

Even better when it includes good food

Lots of beautiful sights

(I'll let YOU decide if I'm referring to the above or below picture)

And, a few fun poses

We saw plenty of empty wine bottles in doorways

And plenty of wine bottles being emptied

And tooooo many birds, toooooo much wasted food

And such beautiful entertainment

End result: I {heart} Paris

And, I truly love good friends

And, did I mention I was in Paris?

~~ Happy Birthday to Cade~~

Mama finally downloaded The Big Birthday Bash pictures.

In our house, you always have cake for your birthday breakfast. 

And, because our last name is not "patient", 

you also get your presents.

And, if you're the lucky birthday boy, 

you get a fancy hat to get the celebration rolling.

And, in case you need a close-up of the Fishy Cake: 

It all makes for a great start to a great day. 

Happy Birthday, my little guy.

Oooohhhhhh I'm so bad.

Cade turned THREE on July 7. I'd love to show pictures, but... well, I don't have any. That's not entirely true. I do have some on my phone, but those haven't made it to the computer. Hence, the title of this post. I get yet another Bad Mama of the Year award.

Here's how the day went...

We celebrated with our traditional morning breakfast party, complete with cake, party decor, and presents.

The day continued with a daycare party, complete with cupcakes we made. The cupcakes were also passed out to all the offices on my floor. I'm pretty sure that the senator's office really loved the green Buzz cupcakes.

Finally, the day ended with a trip to Chuck E Cheese. It was a rager, I tell you. Aj, Cade, our friend Lisa, and myself.

All in all, it was an absolutely perfect day.