We went to a charity walk a couple weeks ago with our friends Martha and Chuck and their kids. It was a lot of fun and the boys loved it. It was for the Make a Wish Foundation and we got to see a child get their wish which was really freaking cool and very humbling. It makes you realize how lucky you are when your kids are healthy. Anyways, the boys spent most of their time on the inflatables and fell in love with Wilma the Wildcat. It was hilarious.
The following Monday we went over and hung out with Grandpa and the family for a BBQ. It was really good to see our long lost brothers and sisters and made me a little sad that I don’t see Joe and Holly very often. I guess as I get older I miss them more (why???Hahaha!) and when I see siblings get together like this it makes me a little nostalgic. HOPEFULLY that will change in the near future…………????? We will see. =)
Well, Grandpa, you crazy man, you’ve done it again, and I don’t think you can ever one up this one! =)
For those of you who have been following this blog, you’ll know that 3 years ago exactly, we took a trip to Disneyland that was orchestrated and completely funded by Grandpa. He told us when Henry was born that he was going to take him to Disneyland when he was 6 years old but ended up taking all of us for an unforgettable trip! It was AMAZING and we had an absolute ball. Well…after that, I guess he decided that he couldn’t do that for Henry and not Will, so about a year and a half ago he started toying with the idea for a trip to Disneyworld for Will’s 6th birthday. We told him he was insane, but he absolutely insisted and if you know Grandpa, once he puts his mind to something, it’s pretty impossible to derail him. So our plans were set to go to Disneyworld for the first week of the boys’ fall break and now that we’ve returned, I can say without hesitation that it was the funnest trip we’ve ever taken, hands down.
Needless to say, Grandpa had his share of heartburn – the beginning of September brought Hurricane Harvey and a 2 weeks before our trip, Irma tore through Florida and ended up actually doing some damage to DW. Hurricane Maria also spawned a week before we left but she was too busy annihilating Puerto Rico so we thought we might be safe. After pouring over weather info for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Grandpa decided to take a gamble and said the weather should hold for our week – and boy did it ever! It was raining the night we got into Orlando but was clear, sunny and hot the entire time we were there. And believe it or not, it started raining the moment we walked out of our last park on our last day – talk about providential!
This trip was absolutely amazing and “Thank You” doesn’t even begin to express our gratitude to Grandpa for such an incredible adventure. A vacation to Disney World and Universal Studios was never something we saw ourselves taking simply because of the distance and cost. I think we also thought we’d end up murdering the kids – but they did really well and even though Will was too short to ride on some roller coasters, it didn’t even matter. It was a much needed vacation to a really cool place and it was all because of one man’s INSANE vision. Grandpa – we love that you are in our lives and that you are still plucky enough to take us on a kick ass vacation and ride crazy roller coasters with us even at 84! We adore, love and cherish you so much. You spoil the CRAP out of us and we are so grateful. Thank you thank you thank you for giving us something that we never would have taken for ourselves. You being there made it so much better. =) LOVE YOU!!!!!
Here’s a little preview of what we have in store for us in about 7 to 10 years! UGH!!!
There weren’t a lot of pictures from Epcot. First off, it was HOT and we had to walk a lot because the park was huge and things were so far apart. Henry ended up leaving his hat on one of the rides but thankfully someone turned it in and we got it back. Epcot was our third day on. The second and 4th day we went to Universal Studios. One of my very good friends was also visiting Orlando with her family and so we rendezvoused with them on the days we went there. It was SO FUN!
On our way to the Hogwarts Express and platform 9-3/4!
This ride soaked us, here’s a look at the kids taking a shower while some other poor fools do the same ride:
Mini-land – So frickin cool
We waited for the launch of the Space Shuttle! Pretty anti-climactic…but I guess I was expecting to fly to the moon?
Dad came down for a visit this year and we had a wonderful time hanging out with him. We ended up doing some new things that we hadn’t done before, like going to a Roadrunners hockey game (which was horrible unfortunately) and finally making it out to Collossal cave. It was wonderful to see him and Tommy is excited to head up there in July for a week and golf with him the entire time. Ooooh. Fun. Hahahaha! Love you Dad!
Well…what can I say. 2016 was an awesome year for our family. Tommy got a huge promotion at work, we bought the acre of land next to us, we got to go on several awesome trips, we got some super cool chickens and we all stayed relatively healthy. (I’m thinking of climbing injuries here…) I’m sad to say goodbye to it, but I’m hoping that 2017 will be just as good if not better! 7 just happens to be my lucky number so let’s see if it holds! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year. I’m not one who’s big into New Years Resolutions, BUT I have decided that I am going to try and stick to one this year…and that is keeping this blog up to date! Who the hell knows if I can do it, but I will try! Here’s to a prosperous and wonderful 2017! ONWARD!