Fall Family Pics 2016

We had our yearly fall pictures taken about a month ago, and I have been dying to see them. They finally arrived in our mailbox yesterday, and it was like Christmas morning. These were the best yet. Christmas cards and canvases have already been ordered, and they will soon be plastered all over the house. Love this little family of mine!

Halloween 2016

Halloween has come and gone, and the holiday season is just around the corner. I know some people have already been putting up their Christmas trees. I can't wait to put ours up, but it's still a little too early for me. I can't believe next week is Thanksgiving already. November is flying by. I thought I better do a recap of our Halloween before the holidays roll around, and things really get crazy. 

Paige was supposed to be a pink flamingo, but it was 80 degrees on Halloween this year. You just never know what the temp will be. I took her out in the morning for some pictures, and she looked so cute!

Ella wanted this stay puft costume. I could not stop laughing. You just never know what Ella 

will choose, but I can always count on it being something NOT girly. 

Autumn, Penny, and my parents came over to trick or treat with us. My poor dad was not able to go with us. He could barely walk, but hopefully next year he will be able to.  Autumn was smart and wore a sleeveless costume. 

Luckily I had this Minnie costume for Paige to wear. She was not into trick or treating. All she wanted to do was run down the sidewalk. 

It took these two a little bit to get going, but once they did they were good to go! They both scored quite a bit of candy. 

It was a fun Halloween, but I'm ready for the Holiday Season to begin! 

Disney 2016 || Part three

Day 3: Animal Kingdom * Mickey's Halloween Party

Paige was up and raring to go at 6am. It's like she knew she was in for a day of fun, because she kept climbing in her stroller herself. 

Animal Kingdom is probably my favorite park in Disney. The crowds were very low on the day we went so it was easy to get around, and we got on rides pretty quickly. 
I love these living trees. I didn't even notice it until she started moving. So pretty!

Our first ride of the day was Kilimanjaro Safari. We have never been when it's cool outside, and we saw so many animals out. It was easy to see that Paige loved it. When Paige actually sits still and has her hand clenched like she does in the picture below you know she is having a good time. 

So pretty!

Adam and I got a picture in this exact spot on our last Disney trip a few years ago so I wanted another. We might make it a tradition. This was an exhausting trip for both of us, and I am proud of how well we both handled it. The only way we could make this trip work was if we worked as a team, and we definitely did that. Thanks Adam for being such a good teammate. :) 

While Adam and Ella went to a ride Paige and I had a fast pass to meet Minnie and Mickey. We were 50 minutes early, of course. I was not on my A game with fast passes this trip. I found a quiet area where she could run around. She loved chasing the birds!

Paige LOVED safari Mickey and Minnie. They let her have extra time with them, because she was so enthused with both of them. She wanted Minnie to pick her up, but I don't think she is allowed to. 

Adam took Ella after we were finished. Ella loves the characters so much. She is at such a great age for Disney. 

I love these two pictures below!

We decided to grab lunch at The Rainforest Cafe on our way out. It was a disaster!! Paige was running around like crazy for 20 minutes before we were seated. Once we were seated she whined and whined until our food got there. I seriously scarfed my meal down in five minutes and took her out of there. I am pretty sure I lost weight this trip because I typically only got a few bites of my meal. 

On our ride back we had the bus all to ourselves. It was so nice!! 

This is when our trip went downhill..fast! We had tickets to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party that night. Paige woke up from her nap in a horrible mood. Looking back, I shouldn't even have taken her. She was crying and didn't want to be in her stroller. She was just a mess! We pushed forward and went anyway. 

We ate dinner when we got there. Paige was running around trying to climb on chairs and running into people. By this point I think she was just Disney'd out. She was done! 

I am thankful to have this one picture from the Halloween party. Magic Kingdom at night is so pretty. I hope next time we go I actually get to enjoy it. 

Ella and I were able to use our ride switch pass and walked right on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. It was my favorite ride. 

I typically don't post pictures like this of myself, but it makes me laugh. The ride was not even scary.  The funny part is I told Ella to be sure to smile when we went down the hill, because I knew our picture would be taken. Yeah, and look at me! OMG! 

I'm pretty sure I had this same look on my face shortly after when I was dragging a screaming toddler out of Magic Kingdom. 

By the grace of God I made it back to the hotel by myself with Paige, a stroller, and a backpack. The night doesn't end there though. She was up from 2am-4am WIDE awake. The next day we were all so tired, especially me. We didn't go to a park or do anything which was such a waste, but we knew she was a ticking time bomb. She cried on and off all day long. We even tried to change our flight to that evening just so we could get home. The Disney Magic was OVER. 

All in all it was a great trip. I expected it to be stressful and exhausting, and it was. We still made lasting memories through the craziness. It was easy to see that Ella had the best trip, and that's all that really matters. Can't wait to experience Disney again, but definitely not anytime soon! ;)