My parents with all the Grandkids
Cousins (minus G and Evie) with Mickey
I can't believe it has been so long since I have had enough calm moments to collect my thoughts and blog. We have been pretty busy with just life in general and our very fun trip to Disneyland!
The boys getting ready to go on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
Family Picture :) Just inside the gates on Day one
Eeyore was his fave! Meeting him and getting one to take home from Papa
Parker liked the characters - Davis wasn't nearly as excited about them - He was willing to pose with the Splash Mtn Briar Bear though - his favorite ride!
My parents took us, the Johnsons and my brothers to Disneyland and it was one of my favorite trips we have ever taken together. My kids had SO many favorite things. Davis LOVED Splash Mountain - he would ride it over and over again if he could, he also really liked the other big rides but he especially enjoyed S.M. - he also had a great time at Mark Twain's island running through all the rock forts and really liked the California Experience ride in CA Adventure park. Parker says his favorite was the "roller coaster" (Matterhorn) which he only liked as long as I would cover his eyes when the polar bear jumps out, he also really like seeing the different characters (particularly Lightening McQueen) and watching the parade. I didn't really expect Grayson to think one way or another about Disneyland so I was especially excited about how much he loved it. The first day he had a huge smile forever and would randomly just start clapping. He liked the Dumbo ride and all the other small rides, but what he loved was meeting the characters. Duh? Giant stuffed animals that interact with him - I should have known he would be in love! It was so sweet to me. My dad bought him an Eeyore on the last day and you should have seen the kid's smile when he came running out of the store with it. He still holds it all day long. Grayson has never liked that feeling of being lifted into the air - or that dropping feeling. On several of the rides when you would have that moment of "weightless"-type feeling he would get really scared. Several times when this happened he then wanted to move and sit with Mark instead of me. It was especially sweet to me that that made him feel even more secure, to sit with his Daddy. I loved everything about it - seeing all the kids so excited and able to have fun around the clock and also being able to do such fun things with my whole family. I love watching my brothers love on my kids and the boys adoring their uncles. I also love to watch the sweet relationships with the cousins that will probably be lifetime best friendships for my boys. On our last day, we ate lunch with my parents at the restaurant at DL where Mark and I got engaged. That will always be a special place and I really enjoyed being able to be there with the boys and my parents.
It was my bright idea to sign up the boys for soccer this fall. I think once they actually get the hang of it - they will have a great time. The first game was on Saturday and it was pretty much little kid soccer chaos - but the boys sure looked the part :) Eli was kind of an all-star. He is a good six inches taller than the other kids on the team. Davis is super excited about it and really likes the idea of playing a sport on a team. Of course, he also loves that his cousins are doing it with him. I know that there is an element of confidence because he knows Eli and TJ will be there with him. That would have been me as a kid for sure, so I am grateful that he has those relationships with the boys. I hope that they have a great season. Hey . . . they are already off to a better start than the Cardinals and they haven't even had a practice - HA! Goooooo Tigers!!
