cousin crayons

Can't get enough of some matchy cousin buddies - this time they were the cutest crayons!  Thanks G&P!

crayola 2

The make your own crayon wrapper was a definite highlight!  We also got to watch them create a whole batch of brand new newborn crayons and take some home with us ;)  

crayola 1

On the third day, we slowed down the Orlando marathon with a trip to the Crayola Experience.  It was a perfect spot for tired legs and creative kids. They had so many interactive exhibits and the entire place felt like a really fun children's museum.

epcot 3

The "real" Baymax was waiting to meet us in his garage.  Then the highlight of my day was meeting Joy and Sadness from Inside Out.  Whoever played these characters didn't speak a word, but they were so, so good at communicating their feelings. I was genuinely excited and could feel that giddiness the kids must feel ;)  The new Frozen ride (on the old Maelstrom track) was amazing! The Brennan's scurried around after dinner doing all the rides for the over 45 inches crowd and the boys were giddy.  Soarin was an amazing IMAX type deal were your legs dangle in a roller coaster type chair that simulates a hang glider. The Test Track gives you a chance to test drive a car you create before you swerve and skid around a real outdoor track. The final ride of the night we were the only people there pretending to train as NASA astronauts in the most realistic Space simulator.

epcot 2

Epcot was hosting the Festival of the Arts and Food Festival which meant some extra foodie treats, like painter palette cookies and s'mores mousse treats. The misty rain was just enough to convince us to buy some ponchos, and once you do that the rain goes away, of course.  The spy mission was a little less charming compared to last time, but the boys still enjoyed it on the new fancier phone system.  The Turtle Talk with Crush delivered the giggles.  

epcot 1

Many good memories of visiting Figment in the 80s with my family... We all got to go back to the Imagination Institute together ;)

animal kingdom 1

After a delayed flight that arrived much later than anticipated, the boys didn't fall asleep until after midnight, but they were ready to go like rockstars the next day.  Keaton was a tiny bit peeved when he kept asking for riiides, and I had to explain to him that Animal Kingdom is more like a zoo. He did get his wish when riding the Dinosaur ride with his dad. My favorite Disney moment of all time was the live Nemo musical.  Even tiny six month old Austin was following along with the giant amazing puppets.  We enjoyed the Kilimanjaro safari which included views of a baby elephant and a baby giraffe.

animal kingdom 2

Dinoland was full of kitsch and we snuck in plenty of spins before heading to back to the Lion King show, which is essentially a circus.  The boys both participated in their explorer program which is so rich in learning from docents all along the different paths.  Aiden was hyped to earn over 20 badges.  We made it all the way until night fall to see the light show on the giant balboa tree.

matchy

Look at those matchy cousin buddies reunited and ready to rock Disney!  

quokkas

We joked a while back that my sister's first baby looked like the olinguito, a rare mammal that was discovered right around that time.  This time I saw the quokkas pop up in an article that deemed it the happiest mammal on the planet! Seeing that cute little animal immediately made me think of Aussie, Keaton's facetime buddy.

tidbits

Playing lotsa games on very cold, snowy days.  Aiden loves picking the looong games like Monopoly and Zootopia.  

Staying warm and cozy knitting up a balaclava for a cute little one year old who lives where it is even colder ;)

Baking lotsa lotsa ricotta cookies!

Drinking hot cocoa at the head of the table as the flakes continue to fly.

Finding all the flying Vs on trips to Guitar Center with daddy.

Aiden does a bunch of word study at school. Here are his fun drawings for his journal.

fencing

A new hobby has taken off!  The club that these guys are joining emphasizes fencing as a sport.  The boys were thrilled to be outfitted with all three layers and fence with the real elxtronic buzzes and everything.

creating

Back to school and it was time for a Kids Care Club meeting - The kids worked hard to tie double blankets for the homeless shelter.

This vacuum sealer toy is essentially like decorating toys with giant temporary tattoos. Fun!

snow

We had just a bit more than a dusting of snow on a weekend day!  The boys were able to really sled on a combo of pine needles and snow ;)

hang out

Our break was a really nice two parts - one week in Tucson and one week at home having friends over and relaxing. I love zen calm smiley friends (although this is not always the case - eek!)

tubac

We fit in a visit to Tubac right after the holiday and it seemed pretty quiet around there.  The metal sculptures and colorful pots were all there waiting for homes ;) They also had a chocolatier that used only honey as a sweetener - yummy!  

az friends

We finally made it to visit my friend's bottle shop downtown.  All the kids got to climb the sign ladder and enjoy the lemon poppyseed popcorn.  Becca's daughter Eleanor turned two just a day later and loved the little bear the boys picked out for her.  

J's advisor and his wife were here in DC the past semester which was so, so nice - but we are really going to miss them! They very sweetly invited us to a tree trimming party at their house where the boys made their own ornaments. We also had a chance to catch lunch with them. We can't wait to get back to Tucson!

san xavier

The White Dove of the Desert - aka San Xavier Mission - was a picturesque peek at this Indian Reservation that lies between Tucson and the area where J's folks live in Sahuarita.

children

The Tucson Children's Museum is packed full of really great interactive exhibits.  Meeting up with our old friends made it even more fun.

oh my

Riding a big blue unicorn!  Making elf paper puppets!  Exploring gigantic tonsils! And more!