Cousin Time

I love when our kids can see their cousins.  They are all growing up so fast and it won't be long before they are all off perusing their own dreams.  I am very proud of all of these kids!

Merry Christmas!

The Christmas season is one of my favorites!  I love the decorations, time spent with family, gift giving, and celebrating the birth of our Savior.

Christmas Eve...new pajamas and ornaments!

Christmas Eve...gifts from the Johnsons in Washington.

Christmas morning...gifts from Santa and mom and dad!

One last gift from mom and dad!

Vader

It finally happened!  

Cade has wanted a hamster since he had one as a class pet in first grade with Mrs. Lunsford.  I have never been a fan of small critters so I have always said no.  Well, one particular day Cade came to me with his wallet and a plan!  He had researched what supplies he would need in order to have a hamster and how much it would all cost.  He was so excited to have the money he needed!  I didn't say yes, but just kind of chuckled at his preparation.  Cade then went to Eric and said he had been working on me and thought he had me talked into it.  As you can see, I gave in.  Eric and I decided he was now old enough to take care of it himself so now was a good time.

We already had plans to go to Fort Wayne so we made a trip to Pet Smart and Cade met this little black critter and decided he was the one!

To my surprise, I really like Vader.  He is very friendly and super cute!

Here is a cute video of Vader chowing down on broccoli:   http://youtu.be/uhNy4odwt28

A Force Awakens

The boys have been counting down to this day for two years!  In December 2014 it was announced that a seventh Star Wars movie would be released!  While that seemed so far away, the day finally arrived.

To make the day even more special, we bought them new Star Wars shirts for Cameron and Cade to wear to the movies and...

...we bought tickets at a movie theater with recliner seats!  This was a first for us, but may become our typical because it was perfect!

Game Time

Our family had a friendly game of Star Wars Monopoly this evening and the winner was....

Happy Birthday to Cameron

Cameron celebrated his birthday over a span of a couple of weeks because his actual birthday fell over spring break when we were in Florida.  Who doesn't love to have a birthday month?

Cameron celebrated with his friends before we left.

We then celebrated with him on his actual birthday.  Happy 12th birthday!

We took cover from the rain when Cameron turned around a realized he was standing beside this Dr. Seuss birthday poem!  What a coincidence!

Then...after we returned from Florida, we celebrated with his grandparents.

Who is that cute photo bomber?

Happy birthday to an amazing kid!  We are very proud to call Cameron our son!

Harry Potter

Cameron read all of the Harry Potter books during fifth grade so it seemed like the prime time to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  And we were NOT disappointed!

The typical muggle (people without magic) would not even notice the Leaky Cauldron, a wizarding pub in London.  Lucky for us, we were able to enter the Leaky Cauldron which leads to Diagon Alley.  This cobblestone alley is full of shops and restaurants...a wizards dream!  Wizards can purchase robes, spell books, wands, and anything else magical!

Watch out for the fire breathing dragon atop the Gringotts Bank!

Upon Harry Potter's first visit to Diagon Alley with Hagrid, he made a stop at Gringots Bank to get money to shop for his school supplies.  This was our first ride, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts!

Let the shopping begin...what wizard doesn't need a wand?!  And there is no better place to buy a wand than Ollivanders.  The Ollivander family is known as one of the finest wandmakers in Europe.  Cameron and Cade both found wands.  Of course they had to make sure the wand also chose them.

Cameron and Cade "took a ride" in Hagrid's motorbike and side car.

And what wizard doesn't want to take a break with a Butterbeer?

Now it is time to leave for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy so we headed to King's Cross Station.  We walked nervously through Platform 9 3/4 to depart on the Hogwarts Express.

Next stop...Hogsmeade Village.  This village is the only all wizarding village in Britain.  

And at last, Hogwarts!  This was the home of the ride, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

One other stop was at 12 Grimmauld Place, the home of Sirius Black.  In this muggle neighborhood number 12 is protected by a charm and invisible to the muggle world.

Fall Break, Part II

The second half of fall break we drove over to Orlando to experience Universal Studios.  We spent time at the City Walk each evning for dinner.

Look at Cade surf those waves!

I loved Seuss Landing!  The vibrant colors and characters made it feel magical like Disney World!  I could not resist getting my picture with the Cat in the Hat, Things 1, and Thing 2!

We couldn't pass up the opportunity for the boys to get their picture taken with the Grinch!  This was no small task with the ornery Grinch.  The pictures below are in sequence so take note of the Grinch's actions toward Cameron.

FINALLY, we captured it!

I thought the pillows in our hotel room were quite fitting for Cameron and Cade.