It's OUT!

After what seemed like forever, Dillan FINALLY lost his first tooth. Daddy had to persuade him just enough to let him tie a string around it and yank it out. I think he was nervous about what to expect. Next time he should handle it better.
He was so excited to put the tooth in his little pillow and was visited by the tooth fairy who was maybe a little too generous (hey you only get one first tooth right?)

Enjoy your spoils, Toothless!

KC

It's so nice to know that even though your child pushes your buttons daily and doesn't always do what they are told, he is thankfully NOT that way at school. Mrs Hall says Dillan is the sweetest boy and always wants to do everything right.

He was selected to be the KC Award (Kindness and Compassion) winner from his class for the month of October. This means he took on Rachel's Challenge to do something kind for a peer, with the hope that they would do something nice for another, thus forming a chain of good deeds.
He received another dog tag to put on his chain and got to put his hand print on a huge banner that hangs in the MPR.

Great Job Dillan! We are so proud of you!

Falling

It's such a fun time of year, and we've tried to keep with tradition in visiting a pumpkin patch. This time we went out to Bates Nut Farm, since some of us had not ever been. Chris and Dillan went last year on a Kindergarten field trip.

We did the straw maze, rode on the tractor train ride and each picked our own pumpkin to bring home. Even though it was a warm day, the farm had a lot of large trees and was nice and clean.
We enjoyed our day!

Dance Class

Leah's dance class had their final class, the end of the 6-week session. She doesn't know it yet, but the next session was completely FULL when I went to sign up again, so we're not sure WHAT is going to happen next. Every morning she asks if she has dance class that day. No Joke. She LOVED it! Such a difference from dragging Dillan to soccer. (To be fair, Dillan is since past those days, he now willingly gets himself ready for soccer and loves to play).
She had said that she wanted to play soccer when she got older, now she doesn't. She was in tears the other day when I told her she was growing up and getting bigger. She thought that meant she couldn't be in the little girls' dance class anymore. She said she doesn't want to get bigger, because she wants to stay in dance class with the little girls!

She's HOOKED!

A Tooth Story

Within a day or so of one another, both Dillan and Drew have had some changes in their chompers. Drewby has cut his two bottom teeth and Dillan's bottom right tooth is loose! Drew is always so easy going and happy, so he hasn't been too out-of-sorts with those teeth poking through, but the signs of teething are there. He likes to bite now, I wonder how that is working for him with his thumb-sucking!

Dillan has been waiting a LONG time to get a loose tooth. Well, not THAT long, but he's watched so many friends and classmates lose their teeth, he wondered when it would be his turn! He was so excited to show me his loose tooth, and I confirmed it was, in fact, loose. Since that day, nearly a week ago, he hasn't really mentioned it. I think the thought of the tooth coming out makes him a little nervous, but he's not saying so. Everyday I ask him how it's moving and if he wiggles it, which I don't think he does very much, if at all. I don't remember my loose teeth ever taking very long to come out, probably because I wouldn't ever leave them alone. So we'll see what happens and how Dillan deals with it. Hopefully after this first one comes out, he'll be less nervous the next time around. It may give me some time to get a tooth pillow or pocket made!

4

Seriously, who get's to turn 4 while at Disney World??? Only the luckiest girl on the planet!
Since our trip had Leah's birthday attached to it, she was sung to and given a cupcake half a dozen times!

On her birthday we ate breakfast with the princesses, which is HUGE. Leah had no idea what to expect, and it was so fun to see her excitement every time a new princess came around the corner to our table. In a loud whisper, I'd hear: "MOMMY! IT'S CINDERELLA!"
"LOOK! IT'S SNOW WHITE!" Once she saw a princess, she didn't take her eyes off her!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY big 4-year-old girl! You bring so much joy to our family, we love you so much!

The VayKay

And it's over! My head is spinning. Trying to get out of the Disney bubble we've been in and dive back into busy life is TOUGH! Thankfully we have plenty of memories, souvenirs and pictures to get us through. There's no way I'll be able to post ALL the pictures on the blog, so only my favorites will make the cut.

We had such a fun time, it's hard to believe it is over.

It was fun seeing the kids' excitement as they experienced new things. They saw their cousins (who are semi-pro at the whole Disney thing) hugging characters and getting autographs, going on new rides, so they followed right along.

Dillan Highlights: Saved $100 from recycling and couldn't wait to spend every last penny...which he didn't. He came home with pirate toys, race cars, and a bunch of make-up school work. Dillan favorite rides were Test Track and Soarin' @ Epcot, Thunder and Splash Mountains @ Magic Kingdom, DINOSAUR @ Animal Kingdom, and Star Tours @ Hollywood Studios. He was selected by Crush the Turtle during a show, and got to talk with him on the screen. Then Crush bonded with Mom as we talked about our off-spring. So FUN! He loved swimming in the pool at the hotel, walking backwards through the parks, studying the maps at every park, and being with Roxy and Dono.

Leah Highlights: Drank her weight in chocolate milk, daily. Turning 4 while in Florida, and having the most magical birthday breakfast with the princesses! She must have been sung to a dozen times, each time with a cupcake and candle! She loved wearing her princess dresses and crown with Roxy. She chose a baby Minnie Mouse doll for her birthday present, a character she's come to love recently. Leah also took some long strides forward at the hotel pool, she bravely swam to the side farther than she ever has before! Leah's favorite rides were: Finding Nemo and
Turtle Talk with Crush @ Epcot.

Drew Highlights: Perfect baby, never cried or complained even with no naps and stuck in a hot and sticky stroller. Discovered Dum Dum Pops and begging. Charmer to everyone he met, everywhere we went. Slept through the night every night. Probably won't remember a thing about the trip, but he'll be fun to take next time!

Daddy Highlights: Good Food. Nice relaxing in the pool. Fun being with family and seeing the kids excited about being there. Randomly selected by a Disney Researcher to take part in a survey and given a $150 gift card to spend (we bought some Christmas presents).
I wasn't convinced it would really be a vacation more than a lot of work, but I was pleasantly surprised. We loved everything about our trip, especially being with family, and we plan to do it again in a few years!

Thanks Honey for lugging your laptop all the way to Florida, when I whined and begged that I needed to stay caught up on the blog during the trip......oops.