the most wonderful place on earth...

we had an amazing trip to disney and there are more memories to write about than you want to read...so i'll keep it short. everything was very 'magical' for avery and she loved loved loved the characters. we were a little worried that she would shy away from them and not want to get close, much less hug and pose for pictures, but she went right up and loved all over them. addison was a trooper...she didn't so much love the characters, as you'll see, but she loved the parades and the lights and the food. she never really fussed, despite lack of sleep, and she would get her thumb and lay down in the stroller when she was ready to sleep.

avery's favorite ride was the ferry back and forth from the hotel (ha!) and she loved dumbo, the teacups and the winnie the pooh ride. the most memorable part of the trip was breakfast at cinderellas royal table in cinderellas castle. allen and i miscalculted the 'disney transportation system' to and from the magic kingdom and were terrified and a little sick to our stomach that we missed it entirely as we sprinted down main street at 8.45 (for a 8.15 breakfast) pushing two strollers, two girls...one dressed like cinderella. we arrived only to find out that the breakfast started at 9, and our 'arrival' time was 8.15. i probably should have known that beforehand. somewhere there are disney cast members (aka employees) sitting back and laughing at the video footage of us running.

avery loved the parades at night, mickey and minnie's house, goofy's roller coaster...but she did not love the kali river rapids. it's a larger version of thunder river at six flags. she was just tall enough (allen said she was 37 inches and a hairbow) and she (nor we) had any idea what was ahead. she got drenched by a waterfall and a wave that sunk the titanic. she cried at first because it was freezing water but we clapped and laughed and got her more excited that she'd come on the 'big' ride. all of us were ridiculously wet...some of us in white shirts...and wished we had not gone on that ride, but it left us with a fun memory. note to self: do not wear white shirt and denim shorts when you plan to get wet.

like i said, there are tons of fun stories and i'm sure i'll post them as we remember them all...but i'll leave you with a few pictures and knowing that we all woke up this morning ready to go back.

wach out prince charming....

we leave for disney world in one sleep...

i feel quite certain this will not be one of those relaxing, lay by the pool sort of vacations (the kind i prefer) but i am also certain this will be the trip of a lifetime. i can't wait to see avery's face when she walks into the magic kingdom. we're having breakfast with the princesses in cinderella's castle saturday morning and avery is ready to go. she's been in this dress since breakfast. now, if i could only get my voice back!

here's to good basketball, even better ribs and the best of friends....

you know the old latin quote, "good, better, best. never let it rest. 'til your good is better and your better is best," well, today was allen's 30th birthday...and the weekend just got better and better as it went on. we celebrated our most favorite way....with our family and friends.

we have been in north carolina for the weekend (go tar heels), sans kids, and it was a treat. we missed our two girls while we were away but we enjoyed some 'us' time too. it's amazing how we've forgotten our love for sitting and enjoying a good meal and quality conversation. not that we don't get solid QT back at home...it's just normally interupted by "umm, hey mommy, umm, daddy." you know what i mean - you've been there.

anyway, our flight returned and we were greeted by sleepy eyes and sticky fingers - two girls very happy to see their mommy and daddy. after naptime (for all of us) at nana and pops i managed to get allen to go to dreamland for his birthday dinner...he claims he had no idea that i had a room full of people there...and i really don't think he knew. i have no pictures to prove that the night took place, i took too many over the weekend, so instead i have a great picture of us in front of The Chapel at Duke (look very closely...we're there).

allen and i left tonight and he gave his most sincere thanks to me and the girls and he told me that all of his favorite people were there tonight. so, if you played a part, know that you're loved!

cold...warm...cold...warm = birmingham weather

monday was a beautiful day...we're so excited for warm weather! addison is starting to have lots of fun at the park as she explores this world around her. and avery is becoming a little more adventurous. avery wanted to swing 'high in the sky' so i tried my best to take a picture of her in the sky. hopefully the next time we have a warm and sunny day, it will stick around for a while! i'm tired of mittens....and runny noses!!!