disney vacation - day 1...

the day had finally arrived and we were EXCITED!
it was time to head to green bay to board our direct flight to orlando for our disney vacation.
we had waited patiently for over 6 months for this.

and what a better way to celebrate than with bloody mary's at the airport bar!

 



the security checkpoint didn't open up for a half hour, so we relaxed as much as we could!

 



so excited to visit the "happiest place on earth" with this guy! :)

 



diane, teddy, grama, and max chilling in the terminal!

 



our handsome little dude ready to board the plane!



like father like son...

he really enjoyed the ipod that we loaded up with games and a few episodes of jake and the neverland pirates and super why!

it was a LONG day of travelling.  we landed in orlando, retrieved our luggage, got our rental cars and headed to our resort.



it was a LONG day of travelling but we made it!
and we were all looking forward to visiting the magic kingdom in the morning!

disney reflection by an almost 4 year old...

we had a great trip to disney...shared many laughs, rode many rides, and even survived a case of the chicken pox. here are some thoughts from max.  i'm working on getting the pictures uploaded and organized.  i hope to blog about our trip this week.

finished with a year of preschool...

    first day of 3 year old preschool                   last day of 3 year old preschool

 

    thumbs up in excitement                              thumbs up for a great year!

 

    max grew so much in his 9 months of preschool...we are so proud of you buddy!!!

spring zoo visit...

max and i took a trip to the new zoo a few fridays ago.
the weather was nice but not too hot, so the animals were pretty active.

max with the emus.  he thought they were funny and kinda smelly.

we saw so many peacocks.  they were all about showing off that day.




they were so loud, but so beautiful when the would spread their feathers.
max thought it was hilarious that they would shake their bottoms when they spread their feathers!

his favorite of the day was the otters.
we went back 2 more times to watch them swim around!

my little penguin!

the penguins were very active the first time we stopped by.
i think he was trying to find them in the water this time...and was pretty bummed that they were out.



and of course a trip to the zoo isn't complete without a picture on the lion statue!

we took a ride on the carosel before we left.

we ended our day with a picnic at the park across from the zoo!
i love days like this with my favorite little guy!

fun friday...

we had grand plans for an outdoor adventure last friday but the weather did not cooperate.
i gave max some choices on what else we could do.
he chose to go to the bookstore.

we looked at books about animals, sharks, and dragons.

we played with puppets, read stories, and enjoyed a little time together.
we ended up leaving with a book about sharks and a bubble guppies story book.

our next stop was going to be the grocery store but we were both hungry, so we headed to lunch at machine shed.  it was so yummy!

that evening we went to our first school event...the "fun run."
it is a fundraiser for the school and a event to build community.
the kids run/walk a mile and then we gather for dinner, there are raffles and even a dj.
nowhere in the inforamtion did it mention that the parents did this with the kids...i ended up doing it in flip flops! :)

max was ready to go!

after some running, he needed a little break to catch is breath and daddy was happy to help!

after a subway dinner, we went to the gym to bust a move!
not a bad night!

future 15...

last wednesday i was honored and shocked to be named one of the fox cities "future 15" young professionals.  i was recognized for my accomplishments in my career and my volunteerism in the community.  all i can say is "wow."

drew was able to attend the event with me and i was quite surprised to see my video play and have my name announced as one of the winners.  i wouldn't be who i am or where i am without the people who have helped to shape me into the person i am.  i am so thankful for my family and my friends.

fun at the cottage...

after our night out, we met max and the stachowiaks at their cottage for some fun!

believe it or not, it had rained and snowed earlier in the day.
since the ground was so wet, i had to make max some "boots" to keep his feet dry and wam.

thankfully, he was excited about this and thought they were cool.

we had a great day just hanging out and relaxing.

the night ended with an awesome game of headbandz.  max loved it and after a few rounds he really got the hang of it.  

the next morning we went out to lunch for mother's day before heading back home.
once we were home i was given my card and gift...a new seat for my bike.  it was something i really needed and have been wanting for awhile. 

celebrating 10 years...

to celebrate 10 years together, drew and i decided to go to sturgeon bay.
we had received a gift certificate to a bed and breakfast for christmas...so we cashed it in!


our evening started with dinner at a great irish pub.
we enjoyed some irish beer, a delicious dinner and some good conversation.
then we headed to a bar to listen to music but it was not to our liking.

so we took a walk instead. 

it was beautiful but a little chilly.

our night ended up at a quiet corner bar where we just relaxed, laughed a ton, and played darts.
it was nice to get away, refocus, and just spend some time together.

the human race...

saturday was the human race...an annual fundraiser that is organized by the volunteer center that youth go participates in.  we collect pledges, come up with a theme and take part in the 5K the day of the event.  this year we dressed like baseball players and our theme was "youth go makes me an mvp."  

me and my buddy.  he has been looking forward to this since we did it last year.  what a memory that kid has.  everytime we walked by the grounds, he'd say, "momma, that's where we dressed up like bumble bees!"  last year our theme was "youth go helps me bee-lieve in myself."

we had a great day, had almost 30 walkers, raised over $1000 and won the team spirit award for the 4th year in a row!  way to go team!

random pics of the week...

just some random photos over the past week...

this is one of max's favorite hiding places/places to play.

i love discovering him under his bed and seeing the creativity come out in his pretend play!

one of my favorite parts of the day...some snuggle time before bed.

we decided to take a walk/bike ride on wednesday before it was time to go to school and work.

can you say crazy?  a boy still figuring out his bike, two crazy dogs, lots of sunshine, and having to pick up poops on top of it all.  definitely not the most relaxing stroll around the block!

enjoying a green monster smoothie on thursday morning before school.

thursday was pajama day...so we had a little extra time to hang out in the morning.

friday, like always, was a "max and momma day."  max requested board games...so we played some high ho cherry-o and candy land!  he's becoming a much better sport and handles losing and winning with more maturity.

friday night becky and baby audrey came over for dinner.  we had an early cinco de mayo celebration, some great food and drinks, and even some post dinner entertainment.

not a bad week if i do say so myself.