DISNEY WORLD!!

We finally did it!  We went on a grand adventure to Disney World.  I think Tony and I were as excited (if not more so) than our children.  We started our trip, with Raegan and Drew's first time flying.

 Tony and the kids had never been, and I hadn't been in probably 10 years.  It was still as wonderful as I remember.

 We rode Dumbo with a fabulous view of the castle.

 We ate breakfast with Mickey Mouse and his friends.

 We met Buzz Lightyear, and helped defeat the evil Zurg on his adventure ride.

 We traveled with a Princess and a pirate for a while.

 We went on a jungle safari.

 The most precious memory was my little princess seeing her favorite princess for the first time.  She was in awe and had tears in her eyes.  (Cinderella for those who aren't familiar :)

 Such a sweet moment for my sweet little girl.

 Even in Disney World, we supported our Hokies.

 We enjoyed Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, complete with a parade and fireworks display in front of Cinderella's Castle.  The parade's were a family favorite. 

At the risk of sounding cheesy, it was an unforgettable and "magical" trip.  We made lots of memories while spending quality time with our two oldest.  If you are wondering where our youngest was, she was in Virginia being showered with love by her two sets of grandparents. 

Drew playing soccer

Our little man has had a blast playing soccer.  He is very competitive (like another male in our family we know and love) and has as much fun with his victory dance as he does actually kicking the ball. 

You never have to wonder what this boy is feeling. 

His shirt looked a little more like a dress, but he didn't mind. 



Callie is ONE!

It's so hard to believe that just one short year ago, Callie came into this world so tiny, so big eyed, and brunette! 

She started at a mere 6 lbs  7 1/2 oz. 

 And she was a Daddy's girl right from the start.

  She has grown and changed so much in the last year. 

 She loves to explore everything, climb anything, and always has a smile on her face.

 Her sweet little personality shines as bright as those eyes.  We love you our little blue eyed angel face and couldn't imagine our lives without you!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALLIE!!!
                           



Happenings...

I'm a slacker... I know.  Here are just a few shots of whats been going these last few months. 

Drew finally got to start preschool.  He would go everyday if I would let him. 

 Raegan is also in preschool... again.  She is going to a program at Tazewell Presbyterian preschool.  After much praying, we made the decision to hold her back since her birthday falls in the summer. 

And our sweet baby girl is (sniff, sniff) turning ONE! 

 Here are some pics of her latest photo shoot.

 I just love profile pictures.  And look at those dimples in her hands and elbows. 

 This is my favorite though... She was done with pictures, and just started yelling. 

I can still hear that impatient little squeal. 

Evening of yard work

I'll start with the most real picture I've gotten of Drew since he was a baby. He usually has some cheesy smile or one that's fake. I don't know how I got it, but this is a real smile from my little man. Now, to the evening of yard work. Funny how something a simple as mowing the lawn can be so fun for kids. Everyone had to have their turn "helping" daddy.

While Drew waited his turn, he was searching for bugs.

Raegan, who is always camera ready, had to pose with her daddy for her turn around the front yard.

I wish I could say Raegan was searching for bugs, but since she is about as brave as her mama, she was picking out little weeds.

And she spent some time entertaining her baby sister.

Then it was Callie's turn around the yard. She seemed a bit nervous at first, but ended up enjoying it more than her siblings.

But she had the most fun chasing a tiny ant that was running around by her feet.

Yippy! We love being outside, no matter what we are doing.

Now I know...

Why they make swim diapers. Callie loves the water, and was wiggling to get into the pool. I just stuck her right in, diaper and all. Not a big deal right?

Not so much. I don't feel like these pictures do that giant diaper justice, but it was huge!

I guess they really are super absorbent.

Little miss Callie thinks she is big stuff now standing up with just one hand. It won't be long and she will be walking everywhere, not just crawling. I've heard it many times, and said I've said it before, but it just happens too fast. *sigh*

A whole hand!

My sweet Raegan turned 5 yesterday. Watching her grow and change over these last 5 years has been such a blessing.

From a cautious baby girl of 1To a spunky little 2A sassy 3An adventurous 4 To the independent 5 year old she is today. A little "spicy" personality, but a very tender heart. She tries to make us laugh with her knock knock jokes, and loves to give a performance. She can dress up and be super girly, or can dig in the dirt and get dirty. She is a wonderful helper and entertainer with baby Callie, and is always trying to teach Drew something new. HAPPY 5TH BIRTHDAY RAEGAN!!!

Another big milestone was that Callie turned 9 months yesterday.

She is saying bye-bye, da-da, and has learned to crawl.

What a sweet heart she is!

And so Drew wouldn't feel left out, here is a picture of the three musketeers.

Down a lens...

Thanks to sweet baby Callie (and her mama's carelessness) my Nikon D40 full focus lens, which is the one I use everyday, is now broken. That leaves me currently with only my zoom lens, perfect for distance and close ups... not so perfect for photographing our daily life. I hope to be able to purchase a new lens soon, but they aren't cheap! Until then, please enjoy all the close ups we can take. Here is Callie having a good time with her Grandad.

A Gerber face if I've ever seen one.I love the expression that comes out of those giant eyes!

This is by far my favorite picture EVER of my mom and dad!

This one isn't so bad either :)

I had to show this one of my sneaky little man trying to get in the picture.

Is he a stud or what.

And we will follow our little stud, with our little diva.

Her absolute favorite part of dance is performing on the big stage. Are we surprised???