It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

The kids went nuts this year when we put up the lights... Dax now screams "peeety" (pretty) eveytime he sees the lights...everytime.. 

Clearly the tree had to be Dax proof... it fell three times before it was done being decorated. 

Pancakes with Santa

 Holly invited us to Pancakes with Santa..

Zoey and Haley

Dax wanted nothing to do with Santa... 

Zoey being Zoey.

Zoey enjoying her pancakes!

Dax feeling better now that Santa was on the other side of the room.. and with pancakes.

Trying to get cute pictures of the kids turned useless very quickly.

Ca and Abuela

Ca and Abuela passed through Pensacola on their way to Baton Rouge, so they stayed with us on the way there and then on the way back.. I know two kids were very excited.... especially when Ca and Abuela bring Ipads!

FINALLY!

Zoey said she was tired of talking....

ahhhhh silence...

*this lasted three minutes...

Daddy/Dax time

Cookies with Santa

Zoey's school has cookies with Santa every year... unfortunately I was unable to attend, but one of the parents shared pictures... So Dax saw Santa too.. but I only have these to document... 

The boy sitting next to Zoey is Evan.. we hear a lot about Evan... 

Zoey Story

Last week, I was dropping Zoey off at school. We got to her from room and took off her backpack, then told her to take off her coat.

Z: "No, Evan will do it"
M: "Zoey just take off your coat"
Z: "No, Evan likes to do it"

Mrs. J (her teacher): "No, really he does, Evan Zoey needs her coat off."

Evan runs from the other side of the room, takes off her coat and puts it on the hook.

SERIOUSLY?!?!?

Then I pick her up from school.. and Mrs. J tells me another story...

Mrs. J: "Zoey take off your coat so we can go to totercise."
Z: shaking her hand at her teacher (with attitude) "Evan!" she then points to her coat..

Evan RUNS again and takes off her coat and puts it on the hook...

RIDICULOUS!

Don't watch.. just listen..

This is a fairly normal occurance for Zoey... just making up her own songs.

17 months..

Almost a year and a half.. seriously this kid keeps getting better and better...

Dax can..
- Say a lot of words his vocabulary has tripled in like 2 weeks.
- Say some short sentences "I want that"
- Climb on the ottoman, couch, and up most chairs.
- "Sing" Abc's, Wheels on the bus, Twinkle twinkle
- Identify several objects, people, in pictures and books
- feed himself using a spoon!
- Say everyone's name in the family!
- Say his teacher's names "Dana and Rara" he LOVEs his teachers

Dax likes..
- reading llama llama misses mama - seriously we read this at least once a day
- bottles.. still obsessed.. no end in sight
- Mama and Dada
- Playing with Dada - tickles, ball, chasing
- riding on anything
- cars, trains, airplanes - any mode of transportion
- playing boo
- bathes
- Calling Abuela - everytime I pick up my phone he says "lala"
- milk, juice, fruit, cookies, crackers, cereal, pancakes
- ANYTHING Zoey says or does - DEFINITELY in a copycat phase
- carrying his lunchbox to school everyday
- not listening
- going "byebye"
- closing doors
- sitting up on the couch with mama

Dax doesn't like...
- getting in trouble
- not being able to do what Zoey does
- when one of us leaves without him

We love you little man... you make us smile and are HILARIOUS!

Love...

Z: "I love you."

G: "I love you too."

Z: "I was talking to Oliver."

No School

Zoey; "Hey Mom"

Me: "Yes, Zoey"

Z: "I don't have to go to school today"

M: "Correct"

Z: "I don't have to go to school like daddy has to go to school. He has to go to school to get money to bring to me."

M: "Yes, Zoey correct."

Pa - eee! (Potty)

Dax asks to sit on the potty due to watching his sister go.. so that is where I put him..

Fall Program 2011!

St. Luke's had their annual Fall Program at school today... It was awesome.. Even better that daddy got to be there. We didn't think he was going to be able to come since he had taken off the week before! But as I was waiting for the program to start.. in walks daddy! Zoey didn't know! Pop, Grandma and Juju were also in attendance... 

Zoey ready to sing in full garb.. 

 Then is was Dax's turn.. I was a bit more nervous about this one.. so I hid. So he wouldn't see me and I could get video...

 Then it was time to see everyone! This is moments after Zoey RAN to her daddy!

 Dax was sooo excited to see daddy!

Pop, Zoey, Dax, and Grandma!

Dax learned to say Juju.. which melted Juju's heart.. 

Daddy wearin Zoey's headdress!

After they had a feast! Zoey with her two favorite teachers, Mrs. Jeannette (her teacher this year) and Mrs. Sarah (her camp teacher and babysitter). 

Pop kept Zoey and Dax busy by running back and forth.. 

Dax with Ms. Dana.. he LOVES "Dana"

Bahamas!

For our 5-year Anniversary, Gary and I planned a cruise to the Bahamas... 

So we conned asked the grandparents in Tampa to take the kids for the week.. We left on Nov. 4th (our actual anniversary) and drove to Papa and Nana's house..

  As you can tell they were sorely abused and mistreated... Gary and I left the next afternoon for Orlando, we stopped in Lakeland to see Darrin, Joy, and Baby Riley, then we were off to Orlando to meet up with Steve.

In the morning we headed to Port Canaveral for our cruise... 

Gary getting one more chance on the cell phone before we boarded... 

The view from our room.. 

 On our way!

The first day was a little rocky.. thankfully I took dramamine, unfortunately it KNOCKED me out! And I slept about 90% of the first day.. which was lovely.. every moment of it! The next morning we awoke in Freeport, Bahamas with 80 degree weather.. ahhh... 

We took a taxi to the straw markets... and stopped for a drink.. they used a machete to make the drink.. the Bahamas does not mess around.. 

While in the straw market we met this character... we spoke with him about Freeport.. and when we left he blessed us.. and told us we would in the lottery. This "blessing" cost us five bucks... something tells me this will not come true... 

Then it was off to the only free beach access around.. it was GORGEOUS! even if we did have to fight away peddlers selling us everything from jewelry to hair braiding... 

Then it was back on the ship and in the morning we awoke in Nassau, Bahamas and even warmer weather... 

This was the view from the ship of Atlantis.. 

 A small yacht.. HOLY COW this thing was huge! 

 We walked around Nassau in the morning taking in the local scenery... McDonalds.. 

 I must say this local free beach was AMAZING! The colors of the water was ridiculous.. 

 As we were walking around we noticed this.. it was a police stand in the MIDDLE of the road... who wants that job? ps- this was one of the busiest roads

 After we went back to the ship had some lunch and relaxed.. then we took the water taxi from Nassau to Paradise Island... There were three ships docked in Nassau at the same time.. ours was the one in the middle. 

 Our room was in the back of the boat... it is the second window above the ships name.. 

 Paradise Island is where Atlantis is.. while we could access most of the areas, we were able to catch some of the amazing view around the hotel.. 

  Sea turtles!

 After convincing Gary to walk an extra way to get to the free beach access, we finally got to see the oceanside of Paradise Island.. very pretty and very rough... so rough that a rogue wave came up and SOAKED me! It was not fun to walk back through the hotel lobby looking like I had just wet my pants! So thankfully we took a taxi back to the ship!

 Us leaving the ship... so sad.. .

 The kids were now at Abuela and Ca's being abused and tormented again... They arranged a sleepover with the Glenn's and of course had a BLAST.. 

 A few more hugs before we headed home.. 

It was sooooooooo nice to get away.. and FINALLY take a honeymooon! The kids did great being away from us, and we didn't mind it either!