Halloween Party

Yesterday was Ian's Halloween party at school. It was at night and all of the children were supposed to dress up. Ian went as Woody (that is his Halloween costume this year). There was a magic show which Ian liked and a haunted house which we didn't even attempt to go to. There was also trick or treating in the gym. We met a few of Ian's classmates and he seemed to have a good time. Boy was it crowded! Halloween night at school is very popular!

Here a two pictures of Ian in his costume before the party:

Pumpkin Time!

Last weekend we went and bought pumpkins. The weather was perfect - sunny but with enough of a chill that it feels like Halloween. We got lots of pumpkins. Ryan has three all to himself. I am going to paint a white pumpkin this year. Ian is going to paint one and carve the other. He couldn't decide which was better. We also bought gourds and a gray "Cinderella" pumpkin just for decoration.



The pumpkin patch that we go to has displays of popular kid movies and tv done with pumpkins. There are displays of Wizard of Oz, Shrek, Toy Story, Little Einsteins, Winnie the Pooh, etc. Very cute. There is also a petting zoo which Ian likes. He likes to feed the goats and watch them fight over the food.




Can you guess who this is?



Answer: Harry Potter (my favorite!)

Fall Diddley

Two weekends ago, Ian and I went to Fall Diddley with Mom and Grandma Johnson. Fall Diddley is a big craft fair with mostly Halloween and Christmas crafts over at the Boone County Fairgrounds.

Ian didn't complain about all of the walking (probably because it was way less than Disney!) but it was pretty chilly in the morning. We had to buy a sweatshirt for him because he didn't have enough layers on. Bad Mommy!

It was nice to visit with Mom and Grandma. I didn't buy too much stuff but that's okay. I did get one person done for Christmas. Not saying who!

Ian trying a corn dog - perfect fair food!

Disney Trip - Day Seven

On our last day, we decided to ride a few of our favorites before we go to the aiport. We went to Epcot to ride Soarin' again and then rode the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom to get one last frozen lemonade (my favorite) and ride Aladdin's Magic Carpet ride. The crowds were awful everywhere and it rained off and on the whole time. The weekends are crazy at the parks! Swimming in the pool would have been better I think, but it was our last day. I think Ian enjoyed riding the monorails the best!

Overall, the trip was great and it could only have been better by being in a cooler time of the year. I think next time should be in Nov, Dec, or Jan. Cooler would have made the vacation perfect. Still all in all, a great vacation!

Talk to you again soon!

Disney Trip - Day Six

We started day six by having breakfast in our hotel's lobby restaurant. They like to play around with the guests. When I asked for ketchup, they yelled ketchup and this is what happened:



After breakfast, we spent the morning shopping for souvenirs at Downtown Disney. It rained off and on throughout the day. Ryan took a picture of this baby lizard at the shops. There were so many of these little guys running around.



We then went back to Disney MGM Studios to see Lights, Motor, Action, stunt show and to have dinner at Mama Melrose's with seats at the fireworks after. Ian really loved the stunt show. Dinner was good too. Unfortunately, it started to pour right before the fireworks. When we saw the lightning, we decided to skip the show and just go back to the hotel. That makes two fireworks shows called because of rain. Sigh.

When we came back to the hotel, we found some cute towel creations:

Disney Trip - Day Five

Day Five - we started out at Disney MGM Studios. We saw the Muppet 3-D Movie and then decided to leave as there wasn't much for a five year old afraid of roller coasters to do.


Ian really got into the pin collecting craze:

Ian at the Toy Story area:

Mater and Lightning McQueen on their way to a character meet and greet:


We decided instead to visit both of Disney's mini golf courses. We started out at Fantasia Gardens course - which is a little tough.





Then on to the Winter Summerland course. We liked this golf course better. If you get a chance - try this one out.



The winter course:



The summer course:






That evening we went to Epcot to see the Illuminations fireworks that we missed the second day. It was great! No rain this time. Thank heavens!

Disney Trip - Day Four

Day four of our Disney trip started out at Donald's Breakfastasaurus at Animal Kingdom. The breakfast buffet includes a chance to meet Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto, all of which Ian loves. I loved meeting the characters but I would recommend to anyone going to a character meal to choose lunch or dinner instead. The breakfast sat like lead in my stomach all day. I had to wait awhile to ride some of the more nauseous rides. But meeting Mickey and the gang was way worth it!






Animal Kingdom had to be the hottest day of the entire trip. Unfortunately, Animal Kingdom, like any zoo, doesn't have many indoor air-conditioned attractions. We saw the Finding Nemo musical - which was great. We then rode Kali River Rapids to cool off followed by the Kilimanjaro Safari ride to see a bunch of animals. After that, I rode Expedition Everest, Animal Kingdom's new roller coaster. After Ryan saw my face and weak knees after getting off, he decided to skip that one! If you like rollercoasters - that is a great ride. For me the breakfast, the heat, and the scary ride took a little too much out of me!

Expedition Everest:


Tree of Life:


It was way too hot - so we left Animal Kingdom and went back to the hotel to get ready for that night's entertainment - La Nouba.

La Nouba was awesome! Everyone loved it - even Ian! He loved the bicyclists and their tricks that came right up to our seats. They even rode the bikes right up the aisles next to us. Really cool!

After La Nouba, it was a little bit of shopping at Downtown Disney and then to bed.

Disney Trip - Day Three

Tuesday, day three, we went back to Magic Kingdom to ride any rides we forgot on day one. Not a bad day - it rained off and on but we had the ponchos so we didn't get soaked. Ian loved the Haunted Mansion ride - not scared at all! He liked the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which Mom made him ride a bunch! He didn't like any of the roller coasters - so the "Mountains" (Space, Thunder, Splash) were out.



We stayed to see the Electrical Light Parade - one of my favorites since I was a kid.

Disney Trip - Day Two

Monday, day two, we went to Epcot for the day. It just so happened that Oct. 1st was Epcot's 25th anniversary. They had souvenir buttons and guide maps, special events to commemorate, and additional fireworks that night. We had a great start, it was hot but bearable.



We rode Soarin' - Ian's favorite ride of the trip. Soarin' is a simulation hang glider ride through California. Needless to say, my fear of heights were running wild during this ride. I survived and even rode it again on a later date. Ian did not enjoy Test Track - it was a little too wild for him. Check out the picture below:



We had lunch at the steakhouse in the Canada pavilion. It was wonderful! Love that chocolate mousse!




Then it was on to world showcase where it was the Food and Wine festival - food and wines from around the world to sample. Very nice - especially the Moet and Chandon champagne with chocolate truffles!

Here we are at the France pavilion:



Here we are at the Morroco pavilion:



Unfortunately around dinner time it started to rain and then pour. We forgot our rain ponchos in the hotel room and thus were soaked through and through. My feet are still recovering from the blisters from that night. Ugh. We didn't stay for the fireworks and instead bought fresh t-shirts and towels at a store and left the park after changing. We never forgot the ponchos after that!

Disney Trip - Day One

Sorry I haven't written in so long but we have been spending a lot of time getting ready for our 10th wedding anniversary vacation to Disney. We just got back from spending a week at the Wilderness Lodge in Walt Disney World.

Here are some pictures of our hotel:





On our first day we went to the Magic Kingdom for the Mickey Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. It was neat to see the Magic Kingdom decorated with pumpkins and ghosts. We were able to jump on to lots of rides with no waits. It was great and only a little hot. At least there was no rain (hint of days to come). :)