We made it...short update...

So, we made it here! We got to Orlando yesterday and after a few bumps along the way (literally and figuratively) we are off to a great week of family time...

Here are the highlights so far:

-We dressed AG in his traveling clothes right before we left...I always do this. Inevitably, something gets slopped on him/he gets dirty... I feel like it's a prerequisite for being a little boy. Anyways, we dress him and two seconds later he hits the back of his head on the corner of the window ledge. Yep, blood. All down his back. (Sigh) So we then had to calm the now screaming child with a nasty cold. Force some motrin down his throat for the instant headache he gave himself. Stop the bleeding. And change his clothes. And get on the road. (Sigh) We made it. Got in the car, realized we should get gas, got gas, then realized that it was 11:25 and we should eat lunch b/c we were in the middle of no where (literally) and wouldn't be passing anything when we were starving at 12:25. However, we decide to go thru the drive-thru because the toddler with the nasty cold, instant headache, and bloody knot on his head was about to pass out.

-Sure enough...we get lunch, get on the road, and AG was out by noon. He slept until after 2:30ish.

-We made our only bathroom break at a Starbucks on the other side of Jacksonville. (For inquiring minds we started this trek not from Rome but from Andy's Mom's home in Wadley. Hence, us getting to Disney via Jacksonville instead of Gainesville. And I know that ALL of you have heard of Wadley, GA! ;) For those who have never been to Wadley you should head south for a visit.)

-We get in to Orlando a little after five and headed to Downtown Disney to secure our tickets...thanks Evan for the tip! After MUCH research we decided on an annual pass for this next year. Several reasons for this...the money that we would spend on tickets for a week of park hopping was not that far off from the cost of the annual pass. Couple this with the fact that for this trip we are staying off site and parking is $14 a day but with the annual pass it is FREE! Couple that with the food/merchandise discounts and discounts on staying at Disney properties for our next trip. We were sold. Not to mention that we don't have to pay for AG until he is 3...so we will have plenty of chances to zip back down here for a day or two here and there. We are actually really, really excited about it. This is a first for us. It also came in handy within two hours of purchasing it...

-We are down here for the week with Andy's sister Caroline, her husband Tommy, and our niece Ronnie. They had a free week of their timeshare they needed to use and asked us to join them. We had timed it so that we would both get to Orlando around the same time since we were not coming from the same place to begin with. However, our plans didn't involve traffic, traffic, and more traffic. Needless to say they spent several hours longer in the car than they normally would have because of traffic in random locations the whole way down here. We realized after we finished dinner that the hotel wouldn't let us check in since it is not in our name and that it was going to be at least two more hours before they arrived. What do you do with a toddler who has been in a car ALL day to kill time?!? You take him to Disney World. Literally. Ha. :o) I checked our new iPhone app by Undercover Tourist and saw that Epcot would be open till 9:30. Perfect. We zipped over to Epcot and put our passes to use. Which is the first reason I'm glad/thankful we have them...if we had bought a ticket plan for several days instead we would have blown an entire day of park hopping on this two hour adventure. Instead we walked all over Epcot...AG walked half of the World's Showcase, holding our hands, taking in the sites and sounds. We rode with Nemo under the sea and toured all of Mexico in the this 2 hour adventure. It worked perfectly.

-The next thing I'm grateful about with this pass is this...there is way TOO much to see in one trip. It simply can't be done unless you spend several weeks down here all together. So what ends up happening is you run around trying to see everything and do everything you possibly can! However, today was simply enjoyable for the fact that Andy and I didn't feel any pressure to see it ALL today. We did what we wanted and what worked best for AG. It made today most delightful.

All right, more about today later...I'm wiped and off to crawl in my bed. AG has been passed out since we left the Magic Kingdom. Didn't wake up on the Monorail, didn't wake up on the tram, didn't wake up in the car, didn't wake up getting out of the car, didn't wake up changing his clothes and diaper. I'm off to join him. And this short post has become quite long. :o)

I can't wait...

...to see this twinkle in his eyes again. 

In less than four short days we'll be on our way to Disney World. We can't wait to see AG's reactions after seeing him enjoy Disneyland in the spring. Since then he has changed so much! It's going to be a fabulous week. I can't wait. 

Update on the new table...

So here's a picture of our new dining room table without the two leaves in. We bought it a couple of weeks ago but I haven't had a chance to post any pictures. Andy sanded off the stain and then we had to haul it inside because we were hit with several days of rain.

Andy put the leaves in and laid down our drop cloths and got to work. He did a coat of primer and then a coat of black paint. We then hauled it back outside so that Andy could sand it down again. It now has a second coat of paint on it and it is waiting for another sanding. I need to take pictures of it with the black paint...I just haven't had a chance. Stay tuned. This is Andy's largest furniture project to date. I can't wait to see the end result...I'm already in love with it.

Monday, Monday...

Here's some of the randomness running thru my head at the moment...

-I've started my Christmas shopping...I need to make my master shopping list.

-I've asked one of our college girls to snap our Christmas Card photo ASAP.

-Making plans with our college students to see Harry Potter at Midnight! I need a final head count to pre-order our tickets. I'm stoked. I reread the whole 7th book the weekend before last. I couldn't put it down. Andy has since started reading it.

-Thanksgiving is in less than two weeks! And our college family Thanksgiving is in a week...I need to finalize my menu this week, do my shopping, and start prepping. I've already sent out our facebook invite for dinner. 

-We head to Disney in less than two weeks and I couldn't be more excited! And I can't wait to do AG's first haircut at the Magic Kingdom. It should be a magical week.

-Decorating the house for the holidays...since we will be gone for a week to Disney I'm actually planning to start decorating the inside before Thanksgiving. I want the bulk of it done so that when we get back from Disney we can enjoy the rest of the holidays. I made Andy pull everything out of the attic today and have been sorting everything. All we'll have to do when we get back is decorate outside and I'll have to put the finishing touches on the tree.

-Christmas Trees with the Hornsbys. I'm excited that we are planning to do this again this year. Last year AG was days away from walking this year he is running. I'm positive Ginny and I will have some fun pictures of AG and Emma running around. We are going to get our tree and set it up before we leave...and I'll finish it when we return.

-I need to pick up my Starbucks ornaments this week. Yesterday, while picking up coffee for our church they were unpacking their shipment of holiday stuff. (Yippee!) Each year I get super excited to see what the ornament(s) look like for that year. I now have quite a collection since Caroline (Andy's sis) gave us our first ornament in 2005.

So that's a bit of what we are up to on this wet and rainy Monday. I have lots to post in the coming week...stay tuned...

Happy Halloween...

Buzz Lightyear contemplating his next mission.

Emma came by to show off her cute costume.

This year Ginn and I didn't have to hold them to get a picture...my what a difference a year makes! I can't wait to see them at the Tree Farm together in a few short weeks!

At the end of the night we drove up to GrandMary's house to see her and wish Jack a happy birthday. AG was tired and not excited about pictures...Mary and I on the other hand look fabulous! :o)

Sitting in GrandMary's office and eating some candy while admiring her Tooth Fairy wings. Yes, AG's future kindergarten teacher is THE Tooth Fairy. 

We love you GrandMary! Thanks for all you do...we appreciate you!