We love you because...

I saw this idea on Pinterest and thought it was a great way to spread the love during the month of February.  Every night, or almost, Tim and I would write down something we loved about the kiddos and tape it to their door.  Each morning, they, especially Hannah, were very excited to see what we wrote. We started each hear with "I love you because..."  While some days took a lot of thought and careful word choosing after a rough day, it was such a blessing to get to pick various things that we love about our kids.  When parenting two young kids, some days feel like they will go on forever and all you do is discipline.  This was such a great exercise for Tim and I to pick both big things and little things that spoke to us about each of our unique kiddos.  I'm so glad we did this activity and can't wait to make this a new February tradition!

Let's Go Blue and White!

The KC cheerleaders had a morning cheerleading clinic before one of the home basketball games.  Hannah was super excited to go learn to be a cheerleader and even more excited that Grace was going with her.  Grace's mom, Megan, took the girls out to KC and I joined them before the women's game started.  The girls were to all sit together near the cheerleaders during the first half so they could watch the big girls and guys.  These two girls love hanging out and have a lot of fun together!

During halftime, all the girls went to the floor to perform their cheers and a dance.  It was fun to watch Hannah out their.  The longtime cheerleader in me hopes this isn't the only time she will be a cheerleader!

I'm so glad KC had this event and that Hannah and Grace were able to do it together!

Happy Heart Day!

It was a low key kind of Valentine's Day around here.  We didn't do too much, but the kids did get a few special surprises from us.  Each got a new book, a heart full of chocolates that they like, and a new board game for the family, Hungry Hungry Hippos.  They were very excited and we have played many games of Hippos.  Although it was a very normal day for us, it was fun to celebrate the love we have for each other.  So blessed to have a wonderful husband and two amazing kiddos to love on everyday!

Pirate and Princess LIVE!

Before Christmas, I saw that a Disney Junior Live! show featuring Sophia the First and Jake and the Neverland Pirates was coming to St. Louis in February.  Although Nonnie and Poppy were still in Florida, they decided to buy the kids tickets for Valentine's Day.  Tim had a game that day, but I checked with Emily to see if she and her kids wanted to go.  She was all in!  So, we joined Joe, Emily, Emma & Jack and set out for the show.  I love Emily and am so glad we were hired at the same time at school.  And now we have kids the same age and it is so much fun!  Our kiddos get a long great and it's fun that they are getting old enough to do stuff like this together.  Here is our foursome waiting for the show to start.

I also let each kid pick out a special treat, even if they did cost a fortune!  Cameron chose cotton candy with a Jake headband attached.  Although he loved it while we were there, he has since broken it.  Oh well!  Life with a boy!

 Hannah picked out a new Sophia stuffed doll and still loves playing with it!

It was fun to take the kids to this live event and it was even more special that we got to go with friends!

P is for Pajamas

One of my favorite parts of Hannah's preschool is all the fund days they have while they are studying the letters of the alphabet.  Right after break, it was Pajama Day during "P" week.  Hannah chose to wear her new Tangled pajamas she got for Christmas.  She looked nice and comfy as she headed out the door for school!

It's Snowing....and Snowing, and Snowing, and Snowing...

One of the the great things about a trip to Florida this particular year was that once we got home, we still had three days before school started again.  We thought that would be nice to be able to decompress a bit before going back to grind.  What we weren't expecting was the biggest snow since 1982 and being off of school for an entire week!  If I would've known that, we would've headed to Fort Meyers with my parents for some more fun in the sun.

As we were getting back home on January 2nd, we started hearing the weather people talk about a significant snow storm that was going to start on Sunday the 4th.  We were predicted to get at least a foot of snow and possibly even more.  Well, this prediction did not disappoint!  We sure got a ton of snow in a very short time period that also included high winds and blizzard like conditions.  It was suppose to get bitterly cold after that so we took advantage of the first day to do some shoveling and playing.

Although we got better snow clothes and boots for the kids since the last snow, we didn't have good snow gloves.  So we did the next best thing...put some of our big gloves on them and tape them up!  It was quite comical.  The kids didn't last long and either did we.  Here is a shot out our kitchen window of some of the crazy drifting that happened.  It was definitely the biggest snow I've ever seen!

After the initial tons of snow, the next two days were bitterly cold.  The weather people called it a Polar Vortex where the lows were in the negative digits and the windchills down to -15 or sometimes colder! Put that on top of lots of snow and little plowing/melting and we were in for quite a week.  Every night we would wait patiently to see about the next day, and every night we got another phone call.  After the first few days, the main roads were a little better so we ventured out to the Speaks' house for some sledding and playing.

It was the kids' first time sledding and they had a great time!  Joe and Emily have a great little hill perfect for our kids.  They had a great time!

We ended up being off for a whole week!  It was a little crazy and I think everyone is finally ready to go back to school!

A Badger Bowl Game

Well, our time at Disney World was over, but we still had a couple of days in Florida so we decided to find some other fun things to do.  New Years Eve morning we met my mom and dad for breakfast before they took off to Fort Meyers Beach to their home-away-from-home for the next seven weeks.  It was a fun morning send off!  Then, Tim's parents and us decided to do a little shopping at some of the awesome outlet malls they have in Florida.

Next, it was time to show our Wisconsin Badger pride!  A week or so before our trip, Tim realized that the Badgers made it to the Capital One Bowl in Orlando and they were going to play on New Year's Day!  He knew right away that he wanted to get tickets and go to the game.  We also found out that there was going to be a big pep rally on New Year's Eve.  So, after shopping we made our way to this open area mall/park for the big rally.  We were running a little late and didn't know exactly what to expect, so our seats were not the greatest.  But we did hear the Wisconsin band and the kids got a glimpse of their beloved Bucky!

It was a fun time even if we were a little late!  We did a little more shopping, ate dinner at Pizza Hut and headed back to the condo.  We were a little exhausted from three super busy Disney days and I think we all crashed fairly early, even if it was New Year's Eve!

Today, we said good-bye to Nana and Papa and finished our Florida trip as a family of four.  Tim found some tickets to the game, so we but on our red and black and headed to the stadium.  It was a dreary, rainy, chilly day, but we tried to make the best of it.  We arrived pretty early and had plenty of time before the game started.  We found the big Wisconsin semi and thought it was a great spot for a Badger family picture.

We ate some lunch, while trying to stay dry, before heading to the outdoor stadium for the game.  When we got to our seats, our overly tired kids both crashed in our laps before the game even started.  So here we are...trying to stay dry and keep them dry and comfortable in our laps on the bleachers.  The life of a Badger fan!

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't the only downer of the day.  Wisconsin lost yet another bowl game, the fourth in a row!  Oh well.  Despite the rainy, cold weather and the loss, it was fun to have a family day watching our Badgers live!  We finished the day at Buffalo Wild Wings and then back to the condo for repacking and resting.  Tomorrow, we head back to reality.  It was been such a great winter vacation to Florida!

Happy 5th Birthday, Princess Hannah! -- Magic Kingdom Day 3

Well, today was our last day at Disney World and we fit a whole lot of fun into it.  The whole purpose of this trip was to celebrate Hannah's 5th birthday and I'm so glad we were able to actually be at the Magic Kingdom for it!

We were up bright and early again because we had a special surprise for Hannah for her birthday.  Before heading in, we started our day with the classic picture in front of the train station right outside the park.

Then, it was time to head to Cinderella's Castle for an extra special birthday treat.  We decided to let Hannah do the Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique as her birthday present from all of the family.  I figured the next time we came, she may not even be into princesses, so this was the perfect opportunity to get dolled up.  She had no idea what was about to happen!  We arrived at the castle before they had even opened and she was still so unsure of what was going to take place.  Then, they opened the doors and we were able to check in. First, she needed to pick out her princess dress.  This whole trip, all she could talk about was Tiana so I was banking on her picking that dress.  But as she looked through them, she found Princess Anna's dress from Frozen and immediately grabbed it.  I didn't even know they had it yet!  I double checked with her several times to make sure it's the one she wanted, and she kept saying yes.  Once they had it ready, she was able to put it on and wait for her hair and make up to get done.  Here is our birthday princess mid-makeover.

When she was all done, she got a special birthday sash to complete her outfit.  She looked like a true princess!  This was such a memorable and special experience for us all.  I'm so blessed to have this sweet girl as my daughter!

Needless to say, she was quite excited to be a princess all day long!  We had another surprise up our sleeve, but had a little bit of time before that was going to happen.  While we waited, we bumped into the Fairy Godmother...

 and the Evil Stepmother and Stepsisters from Cinderella.  We added them to our list of characters!

Then, we realized that the line for Repunzel and Snow White wasn't very long, so we waited patiently for our turn for pictures and autographs.

Since Princess Hannah was all dressed up, she needed to make sure she picked up her skirt while she posed and walked!

Next came time for the last birthday surprise -- a birthday breakfast for all of us at Cinderella's Royal Table inside the castle!  This was something else new for all of us and it was so special!  We first got our picture with Cinderella.  She even kissed Cam on the cheek and left her lip print -- he was mesmerized!

After that, we went up the staircase and sat for breakfast.  Like the other meals, the princesses came around to the tables to visit with us and let us get their pictures and autographs.  Both of the kids loved this!

After breakfast, we made our way around the rest of the Magic Kingdom and made sure we hit everything we wanted to.  Of course, we saw more characters...

took naps in the strollers (Hannah did too, but I don't have the picture on here)...

 and bought our first set of Mickey Mouse ears while waiting for the parade!

We also rode lots of rides and had a great time enjoying the beautiful weather and spending time with the family.  We knew we wanted prime seating for the electric parade and fireworks, so we found a curb spot a couple of hours before the start and camped out their for the evening.  We took turn getting snacks and doing some last Disney shopping before the night was over.  We also got a Casey family picture in front of Casey's!

We watched our final parade and fireworks and called it a night.  The day was once again magical for all of us.  I'm so blessed that we were able to spend this milestone birthday with our sweet Hannah and most of our family.  I hope the memories we made on this day will stay with her for a long time!  Happy 5th Birthday, baby girl!  We love you so much!!

Hollywood Studios - Day 2

We decided to spend day two at Hollywood Studios.  We knew there was quite a bit for the kids to see and do here so we headed out bright and early!

I haven't been to Disney for quite a few years and had never been to the Toy Story Mania ride.  Everyone said it was a must so we went straight there.  There was a wait already, but we knew it wouldn't get any shorter so we got in line and waited.  Such a fun ride!  Even the waiting was fun!  This Mr. Potato head that talked to us while we waited was pretty cool!

And the ride did not disappoint!  It was awesome!  The little ones had fun shooting the guns and the big ones had fun trying to see who was going to score the most points!  I would have totally done it again if the line wasn't 2+ hours!  I can't wait to go back sometime and ride it again!

We then headed over to see the Disney Jr. Live puppet show, which the kids loved!  Next to that were the one and onlys Sophia the First and Jake!  Each kid stood in line and got their picture taken with them.  Hannah was in love! 

And Cam was ready to be a pirate!

Since he was in pirate mode, he decided he NEEDED a Jake sword!  I was a little worried, but he did pretty good with it.  Look at that pirate look!

We had fun finding other attractions at Hollywood Studios including the Muppet 3D show.  This was the kids' first taste of 3D and they seemed to enjoy it.  Here is the Miss Piggy fountain outside the venue.

Next, it was time for lunch at Hollywood and Vine to eat with the Disney Jr. Characters.  When we were there, it was Jake, Oso, June from Little Einsteins, and Handy Manny.  Even though some of these characters were a little older, the kids have watched all these shows and had a great time!  I did find out that a few weeks after we were there, Doc McStuffins and Sophia were going to be joining the cast.  Oh well!  You can't see them all!

After lunch, we headed to see the stage production of Beauty and the Beast and got there at just the right time.  It started pouring for just a bit as we were under the amphitheater watching the show.  Next we headed over to the Honey! I Shrunk the Kids play yard so the kids could burn off some energy.

As we were walking around, we also ran into some Green Army men.  The kids were both passed out in their strollers at the time so the adults got in on the character action!

 One of the only things Tim wanted to make sure we did was see the Indiana Jones stage show.  We headed there next and had a great time seeing the stunts!

It was starting to get dark and we had one more thing to see.  One of the holiday only events at Disney is the Osborne Family Dancing Lights at Hollywood Studios.  We headed that way and it did not disappoint!  We've seen some awesome lights and this one takes the cake!  What a fun new thing that we all got to experience.

We had a great day at Hollywood Studios!  We got home and went straight to bed so we could be ready for the final Disney day!

The Magic Kingdom - Day 1

What a truly magical day we had today!  I will never forget the faces on the kids as they stepped onto Disney for the first time and saw Cinderella's castle!  We made some great memories!!

We were up and on the bus early to make it to the Magic Kingdom as soon as possible.  When we headed inside, it was awesome to see all of the Christmas decorations still up.  I've never been to Disney around Christmas so it was fun having a new experience for me too.  Hannah immediately was out of her stroller and ready for a shot with the castle in the back ground!

Not long after that, we saw our first character.  Although it wasn't one the kids knew well, Marie from Aristocats, it didn't take them long to figure out what to do!  I knew we were in for day of finding characters and filling up their autograph books.

We continued to walk down Main St. and stopped to get some pictures with the castle in the background, a classic shot for the Magic Kingdom!

Next, we headed toward Liberty Square because Tiana was over there somewhere and that was Hannah's favorite princess (for the day!)  Before she arrived, we went into the Christmas store to look for ornaments.  Since the Magic Kingdom had just opened, so had most of the shops.  The worker asked Hannah and Cameron to help her decorate her magic tree.  They put on ornaments and then it magically turned on!  She filled in their names on the tree so that all day people could see who helped.  It was a fun little surprise to start our trip!

Also while waiting, we spotted Chip and Dale at the entrance to Frontierland.  The kids loved getting autographs and pictures taken!

Finally, it was time to see Princess Tiana!  It was awesome seeing Hannah's face as she got to see her first princess, and she was quite the princess!  First, she was beautiful!  And it was so fun to see her just as she was in the movie.  Hannah was completley in awe!

And she wasn't the only one.  Mr. Cameron had his turn, and oh boy!  He was smitten right from the start.  Tiana squatted down to his level and just loved on him.  Just look at this face!  It was so fun!

It was almost time for the first show of the morning, so we took our places and waited.  It was a great performance and it was the first time we saw these two...

The kids were in love!  We then decided to head to Fantasyland because there is brand new attractions there that none of us had seen before.  We found Alice on the way so Hannah waited in line while Cam rode the teacups.

We then rode the Winnie the Pooh ride before finding the new Enchanted Tales with Belle attraction.  We couldn't get a Fastpass because we were not staying on the property, but the line wasn't awful so we waited...and it was so worth it!  A small group of people head into the attraction and through various rooms re-visiting the story of Beauty and Beast.  Kids (and dads too!) get assigned various parts to help tell the story to Belle as a surprise.  Finally, we are ready for the show and Belle comes out!  Both Hannah and Cameron got a chance to talk to her!  I'm so glad we saw this new attraction!

Next, we headed over to the new Little Mermaid ride to check it out.  It was so fun and the kids had a blast!  Another great new addition to the Magic Kingdom.  Right next to it was Ariel's Grotto where she was waiting to take pictures and sign autographs.  There was a little bit of a line, but we made it up to see her and it was worth it again.  She was so fun and acted just like she does in the movie!

After that, we took the train back to the front and all the Caseys headed back to the condo for a little rest time.  We had dinner reservations at Chef Mickey and we wanted to make sure we stayed until fireworks, so we thought a break might help.

It wasn't long before we loaded up again to head to the Contemporary for dinner at Chef Mickey.  This was all of our very first experience of a character meal, so we didn't really know what to expect.  I'd say over all, it was successful!  The food was pretty good and you can't beat seeing the classic characters and getting some one on one time with them.  We took lots of pictures!

After dinner, we jumped on the Monorail to head back to the Magic Kingdom for the parade and fireworks.  Main St. was already filling up so we headed toward Frontierland to watch the parade from there.  We got front row spots for the kids' first experience at the Light Parade!  I was too engrossed in watching the kids that I didn't get any pictures!  We walked a little ways and got to see the fireworks before we left.  We didn't have the best view, but we knew we would be back in a couple of days to see it again.  I got one final shot of the beautiful castle all decorated for Christmas before we left.  It was a day we will never forget!