Disneyworld 2014

Three days after the kids 23 day Christmas break, we pulled them back out of school and headed to DISNEYWORLD.  WOO HOO!!!  This was our third time taking the trip for soccer and the first time that Brady would be playing.  We flew out Wednesday night...along with a zillion other soccer families. None of Brady's teammates were on our flight but we knew most of the soccer kids through our soccer club and schools.  Everybody was super excited and ready for a great long weekend! 

ready to fly

Thankful for airport charging strips. Disney needs to take note!



This was not the quietest row on the plane.  Not that I would know, because I had my headphones on ;)  Lots of games were played and stories read.

Real men carry pink backpacks

 

When we were in the hotel cafeteria/gift shop Thursday morning, the manager chose Cate to dress Duffy the Bear.  Each day, one kid gets to choose his outfit and they display him all day with a certificate that tells who dressed him.  Duffy is the newest Disney character....you'll hear more on him in the next post :)

Magic Kingdom, are you ready for us?!

 

Disneyworld isn't the most magical place on earth for a 16 year old but he rallied through for us

 

In the new section of Magic Kingdom, there is a Belle's story time show (cute but not worth a long wait!).  Fran was chosen to play a character...they asked for someone loud and we pushed her to the front of our group...ha! 

I have not laughed this hard in a very long time.  Bennett was the worst driver I have ever had to sit next to and I literally screamed the entire ride.  He ran into the car in front of us (Brady and Elaine) several times and I am still suffering from whiplash. 

At the Monster's Inc show (which is hilarious), Scott and Bennett were chosen from the crowd to answer questions and they had to stand up and dance in front of everyone.  It was so funny.  Bennett really got into it and busted some vicious moves for the audience :)

We had great seats for the afternoon parade/dance party.  Cate and Minnie Mouse shared a magical moment.  The big guy from the Incredibles jumped off his float, grabbed Cate and asked her to dance but she refused...saying she would only dance with Mickey or Minnie!

 

Unfortunately, this is where my pictures end.  My phone died around lunchtime.  Imagine that.  And apparently there are no outlets in Magic Kingdom.  I looked.  And looked.  I did take lots of pictures with Scott's phone but for some reason they won't transfer to the computer.  I'll continue to try and figure that out.  Anyhoo...we stayed and played all day and night.  13.5 hours to be exact.  The fireworks were fantastic and we were all EXHAUSTED when we finally boarded the bus back to our hotel.  Barely enough time to sleep before our Friday adventures...EPCOT!

Frozen Tundra

The first week of 2014 brought some true winter weather.  Snow.  Lots and lots of snow.  I think our final yard tally was 12 inches.  12 inches in these parts of the land = 5 snow days for the kids.  Fortunately for them, that was in addition to their Christmas break which gave them a total of TWENTY THREE days off. 

It wasn't pretty but we all survived. 

We should have named him SPAZ

Murphy no like the cold

Half way through the first snowfall

Cate is the only Smallie that loves playing in the snow.  She mentioned several times that she wished we had snow on the ground every day of the year. 



The most she has ever worked.  Ever.

The snow days made the holiday break seem like forever, but it was kind of nice to stay home and do nothing (and I mean we did NOTHING) after the rush of Christmas.  By the end of the week, the cold weather broke, the rain came, and all of the snow melted.  It was purty while it lasted :)

she's my favorite...

Cate: "I was just thinking of the time you were in the hospital and had your surgery (2 yrs ago).  I wanted to tell Daddy, 'No! Don't let her go.  You are not going to be good at this all by yourself.  Bring her home now' "

So glad the boys were sitting there to witness this because Scott would never have believed it :)

 

Us girls have to stick together!!

Lake Trip Numero Uno 2014

We planned our first lake trip of the year on the brink of the biggest snow storm since the early 80's.  Oops.  The weather was really mild while we were there but we decided to make a grown up decision and come home early to avoid death.  It was the right thing to do.  Anyway, we still enjoyed ourselves immensely and were able to cram a whole lot of fun into the short time we were there...swimming, shopping, food, and the movies. Can't wait to go back next month!!!



The kids were definitely prepared to keep themselves warm in case of emergency!

Had to take a damn picture of the damn dam.  It is impossible for Scott Smallie to act like a mature adult when we cross the bridge.

Uncle Mike bought a new tv for the lower level and the picture on it is crazy unbelievable.  I felt like I needed to wear a wet suit and air tank while watching Finding Nemo. 

Quality time.

destroying the peace and quiet :)

ahhh, that's better

No fishing this weekend, but soon!

I love the first floor

So pretty :)

 Good thing we decided to leave early because once the storm started, it dumped 12 inches of snow on us!  I have heard horror stories of normal 2.5 hour drives taking more than 8 hours.  No thank you!

 

 Ironically, we have spent a good part of the day digging out swimsuits and shorts...NINE days til Disneyworld!!!! 

let's dance?

Sometimes there are just no words to explain what goes on around here...

 

 

These pictures remind me that I have a major design dilemma going on in that room.  We acquired a huge tv and it covers up the pictures on the wall and doesn't exactly fit the tv stand.  I'm currently brainstorming for a solution.

oh what fun.....

2013 has left the building but I can't move forward with my blog until I reflect on our Christmas celebrations.  This holiday season was definitely different without my dad (and quieter!) but the show must go on and we certainly had plenty of things to celebrate. 



 Scott's Grandpa Bill went into the hospital a week or so before Christmas and things didn't look so good, but he pulled through and is currently resting in a nursing home and making great progress! 

Tim, Scott, Gpa, Josh, and Duane...lots of Smallie Men! 7am Christmas Eve morning

 After visiting his gpa, Scott picked the boys up and spent a few hours with the Harnextiaux and Parkinson families preparing meals and delivering them to the less fortunate in our area.  It was a nice way for them to step back from the gift getting and give to those who actually need it. Cate and I stayed home and cooked the turkey to take to Grammy's for lunch.

We celebrated with Scott's parents at their house Christmas afternoon.  Cousins Reece and Maddox came over and Uncle Josh and Lauren drove in from Memphis. 

Christmas Eve is always spent at my parents house with my mom making sausage.  It was delish and I thoroughly enjoyed sitting around with my family and talking for hours.  Trevor made an appearance after one of their many family gatherings and he was wound up!

This boy loves to wrestle :)

Once the online Santa tracker showed he had made his way into North America, Cate was ready to go home and get to bed!  The boys went to 11pm church with my mom and sister.

Spreading reindeer food on the front lawn!

Christmas morning the kids were up early and excited to see what was left for them. 

Cate loved these glasses :)

Next stop...back to my mom's for breakfast and gifts. 

 The kids were spoiled as always and breakfast was almost as amazing as last year (and all years prior).  We missed my dad and Jon's cooking skills!

 

We spent Christmas afternoon at Scott's grandma's house with his family.  I was suffering with a screaming headache and really just wanted to go to bed!  However, one year Scott was sick and missed Christmas Eve and I have never let him live it down so there will be no missing holiday celebrations for me.  Ever. 

Fierce

Josh and Scott are crazy.  Josh more so than Scott.  He came dressed in full Elf attire.  As soon as I held my camera up, they both did this.  Why?  Who knows.

Our last stop on Christmas was dinner at my sisters house.  Yes, my sister had a party at her house.  Christmas miracle if there ever was one.  I don't think she's hosted a meal at her house in over 13 years.  She had a great turn out and the food was super good.  I planned to just pop in and leave my kids(!) because of my migraine (Scott was at hospital visiting his gpa), but I started talking to Precious Mother II and Michelle and stayed til 9:30!  Great job Kathy!  We'll expect more of this in the future :)

MauMau, aka Gigi, with a few of her favorites!

As always, Christmas went by way too fast and we're still dazed and confused from the whirlwind named December.  I have already started my "what I'll do differently next Christmas" list...you would think after 16 years, I'd have it under control, but that couldn't be further from the truth.  Here's hoping 2014 is the year I finally get it all figured out!