It’s nice to pause and think about how much we have to be thankful for…

Thanksgiving this year was different from any other.  Rather than spending the day slaving over the stove, we ordered our meal, catered from a local restaurant.  Then, we loaded up all the food and drove with my parents to Aiken, to celebrate the holiday with Dave’s parents, Tee and Papa.  It was a really nice change of pace for everyone.

After our feast, we all pitched in and helped Ronnie and Trish decorate their house for Christmas.  Well, Bryson ran laps around the house… but I guess that counts as helping.

After we left Aiken, we drove to my parents lake house for the day.  Dave and Bryson enjoyed taking the canoe out for a few little jaunts.  Bryson took his job of paddling very seriously.

After lunch we built a fire in the pit and roasted marshmallows. 

Sawyer is growing so fast.  He had his 4 month check up last week and he weighs 15 pounds, 12 ounces.  And best of all- he is finally sleeping through the night.  I think that is what I am most thankful for right now!

I cannot believe it is almost December.  Where did this Fall go??  Since I started back to work, there has been little time for working on the blog.  What can I say, I have to prioritize! 

Despite my ridiculous work hours, we have managed to have a very fun-filled fall.  Here are some of the highlights…

On one of my days off we went pumpkin picking up in North Georgia.  Unfortunately, it was unseasonably cold that day.

After picking out of pumpkin(s), we stood by the bonfire to warm our hands.

We made Halloween shaped sugar cookies at Nonnie’s house and the kids helped decorate.  As you can see- they were quite a mess!

We went to Goblins in the Garden at the botanical gardens. You cannot tell from these 2 pictures, but it was so crowded it was hard to enjoy the park.

Instead of carving pumpkins this year, Bryson made a Pirate Pumpkin using a Mr. Potato Head kit. 

We spent a lot of time going back and forth about Bryson’s Halloween costume.  He kept changing his mind about what he wanted to be.  Ultimately, Dave and I made a robot costume using a bunch of computer parts and an old box.  Of course, when it came time to actually wear the costume, he put it on for just a few minutes before trading out for a pirate costume.  Oh well.

Thankfully, “devil girl” did not win for the Halloween costume!

One rainy Saturday his month, my mom and I took the kids to a large model train show.  The coolest set-up was this fully functional train and village made out of Legos.

Family hiking trip to Amacolola Falls in North Georgia

On our way home from one of our recent adventures, my mom and I stumbled upon a sandwich shop called “Which Wich”  (as in which sandwich).  As a vegetarian, trying to find good food while traveling on the road can be a nightmare.  This place had TONS of meaty and meatless choices.  A very yummy find!  I highly recommend it if you are traveling and happen to come across one.

ANYWAY- along the same line, I wanted to play a little game called Which Hill?  Although Sawyer is starting to have a unique look, I think the boys looked indistinguishable for the first 3 months of life.  What do you think??

So who is this??  Bryson or Sawyer??

#1.     A                                          B

#2       A                                                B

#3      A                                             B

I have been holding off on posting anything to the blog because I didn’t want to say anything I would regret later.  I don’t really think anyone from work reads this- but you never know. 

It has definitely been an adjustment for all of us in the house since I went back to work…lots of emotions flying around. 

Independence!

Sadness

Confusion (is he trying to nurse on his brother?)

Acceptance

Thankfully, we have hired an amazing nanny for the boys.  She has certainly made a really hard transition go much smoother.  Could that smile be any sweeter!?!?

I have been back to work now for 2 and 1/2 weeks… and it is starting to get a little bit better.  I guess.   But basically, I have come to the conclusion that I was brain washed…

It didn’t seem to bother me that much before; but after being away from work for 12 weeks and living on a somewhat “normal” schedule, residency work hours seem so ridiculous.  Why does anyone think it is OK, much less expect, their doctor to work 80 hours a week?    <sigh> It just doesn’t make sense.  

It was easy to go down this road (er, career path) when I didn’t have a family waiting for me at home.   But now, my perspective has changed so drastically.  No matter how early I get home, I still feel like I am missing out on things with my boys. 

But that’s my reality.  Here I am trying to pack in as many snippets of quality time as I can, in order to make up for all of the hours I am away.  Reality bites.

I am about ready to move on and talk about what is happening in our lives right now.  But I still haven’t finished sharing pictures from our week in Disney.  I guess that its a good problem to have so many nice pictures to share.  ANYWAY- here is the last Hurrah from the Magic Kingdom.

The stroller brigade…even little John (who is 7) required a stroller.  I kept looking for someone to push me around the park, but no one volunteered. 

Bryson watched Pinocchio for the first time on the way to Orlando, so he was very happy to meet him.

Flying rocket ships high above the Magic Kingdom.

Could she be any cuter??

Disney is notorious for having tons of parades.  This parade featured the famous astronaut Buzz Aldrin, one of the crew members from Apollo 11.  As in one of the guys who walked on the moon.  Cool.

This is after we all got splashed on Thunderfalls

We all got to take turns sitting out with Sawyer.  Dave strategically missed all of the spinning rides and the wet rides. 

For some reason my mom wanted us to take Sawyer down to the Mississippi River when we were in Louisiana.  I didn’t get it at the time.  But anyway, this picture is for my mom…

While everyone else was on the Pirates of the Caribbean, Bryson and I went and met Peter Pan and Wendy.

Watch out- this camel spits!

Aladdin’s Magic Carpet ride

Look mommy- it’s Mary Popples (aka Mary Poppins)

And that’s the end of it.  It was a magical vacation- but hopefully we will wait a few years before we get to go back and do it again! 

On our fourth day at Disney we went to another “new” Disney park, the Animal Kingdom.  It is basically a zoo with some occasional rides throughout the park.  We had a nice time, but it really doesn’t compare to Zoo Atlanta. 

The highlight of the park was the Safari cruise where you load onto a Hummer type vehicle and drive through the animal exhibits.  I am sure there are hidden moats and things to keep the animals in their habitats- but this was still pretty darn cool and seemed like you really were close to the animals.

While we were at the park, Dave decided that if he was to get a new career he would be an animal photographer. See below…

This giant bat can have a wing span of up to 6 feet!

When I pointed out that this little guy reminded me of a giraffe, some random little kid looked at me like I was clueless and informed me that it was not a giraffe.  Gee- thanks kiddo!

I think I saw a bird like this when I was in Costa Rica.

Here kitty kitty…  no wait, not really. 

What do you think, are the ostrich eggs real or fake?

Hungry Hungry Hippos!

Bryson has recently developed several imaginary friends.  Well actually, they are pretend baby elephants.  His most frequent visitor is named Ownie (as in Brownie without the BR).  So needless to say, he was really excited to see a real baby elephant. 

There was a big “Jungle Jam” parade at the conclusion of our day at Animal Kingdom.

Mickey Mouse sure does have a lot of different outfits!

I seem to remember not particularly liking Epcot as a kid.  I guess I though it was boring.  But this time around we had plenty of fun!  The newest ride, Soarin’ was definitely a highlight. 

We started our day extra early… Here are the boys waiting for the park to open in their (recovered) double-decker or “Double Trouble” stroller.

And speaking of Double Trouble…

Marie from the Aristocats had a secret to tell me.

And Bryson wasn’t sure if he should be happy or scared of Balou from the Jungle Book.

The Rucks family after a day at Epcot.

We are “All Ears”…

Nap time!!

The kids somehow came up with a second wind when we offered a chance to play at the Pirate Ship themed swimming pool back at the hotel.

For dinner that night we had reservations for “Chef Mickey’s” at the Cosmopolitan Hotel.  This character filled dinner was the absolute icing on the cake!  The kids were really wired… especially when they got to parade around the restaurant waving their napkins. 

And speaking of acting Goofy…

Sawyer was interested in Chef Mickey’s big black nose.

Remember when Bryson used to talk like Donald Duck??

Juliana loves Minnie Mouse

She took time to take pictures with all of the kids- both big and small

10 Weeks old and already at Disney- Oh MY!

For Day 2 of our Disney Adventure we went to Hollywood Studios.  I had no idea what to expect, since this park didn’t exist when I went to Disney as a kid. 

Before we started on that adventure though, we had a wonderful brunch at Ohana’s.  The dads look very excited and ready for their full day- either that, or they were really ready for their breakfast!

Bryson was chinning up to the table as well.  I guess a 10:45 breakfast in pretty late for this crew!!

But this breakfast was well worth the wait… instead of just having scrambled eggs and biscuits, we had several special visitors that came by our table as we were eating.  Pluto was the first to stop by.

Followed by Mickey Mouse…

And Lilo and Stitch.  I am not familiar with those guys…but Juliana seemed to like them!

Although he won’t remember it, Sawyer got a chance to meet Mickey Mouse too!

After brunch, we headed to Hollywood Studios.  Once inside the park, we decided to divide and conquer.  The boys headed off to the Indiana Jones Stunt Show, while Jayna and I took Juliana to see the Beauty and the Beast show.  It was basically a review with all of the songs from the movie.  Honestly, I was impressed with the costumes and set-up they used.  It wasn’t Broadway or anything, but it was certainly better that what you would see on any cruise ship.

After the shows, those of us with a strong stomach went to to the Tower of Terror while Jayna took the kids to the Star Wars area.  While they were there, John was selected to attend “Jedi School”.  Here he is fighting Darth Vader.  What a rush!

Did you know that Power Rangers are Disney?  Me either!  Bryson doesn’t really care about them yet- but John was excited to see them.

I found the Miss PIggy Statue of Liberty fountain particularly funny.

Bryson just couldn’t believe it when we came upon his friend Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc. 

Look Mommy Mommy- it’s Mike.  Is that really him???

Toy Story was also a really big part of our day.  First we had lunch at the Pizza Planet…

What’s better than a Rice Crispi Treat shaped like Mickey Mouse??

Then we got to wait in line for 40 minutes so Bryson could meet Buzz and Woody.

Then we got to wait in line for the Toy Story Ride.  Thankfully, they had all sorts of jumbo sized toys to look at along the way. 

By the time it was dark everyone was exhausted, except for Sawyer.  He had napped for most of the day.  But just look at those baby blues- so sweet!! 

As you will quickly see, we left the crisp fall weather in the dust and headed to hot and sunny Florida for a week of Disney excitement. This week was quite different from the one in Maine/Canada.  We traded in walking tours and historic buildings for Dumbo and It’s a Small World. Basically, everything we did revolved around the munchkins.  Sawyer didn’t really care too much, but Bryson, Juliana and John were in absolute heaven and a bit overwhelmed at times!

We were all really excited to have the chance to re-live our own childhood memories with our little guys. 

As some of you may know- Bryson has developed a bad habit of asking the same question over and over and over again.  I am not sure what is up with the repetition- but it can be tedious and annoying at times.  So in typical style, Bryson has been asking when we were going to Disney World for the last 2 days non-stop…even after we had entered the park.  We tried to tell him we were there- but for whatever reason, he didn’t seem to believe us- until he got to see the castle.  So here it is…the iconic Disney Cinderella’s Castle.

Are we there yet?

We made the mistake of going into the Haunted Mansion for our first ride.  I didn’t remember this as being particularly scary.  But I guess through the eyes of a 3, 4 or 7 year old it is.  It was so pitiful.  We were just barely through the door when the kids all started whimpering.  Half way through the boat ride Bryson was crying big tears and begging us to let him go home.  I felt so bad when he announced that he doesn’t like Disney.  Whooops!  Note to self- no scary rides for little people.

After that debacle, we decided to head to Fantasyland for some more age appropriate entertainment.  We started out on the classic  ride “Its a Small World”.  I think we made up some ground with the munchkins after this fun boat ride.  But I still have the song in my head…

Dave got to ride on Dumbo with Bryson while I held Sawyer.

I love this shot of the kids!! 

Bryson was so surprised to see Winnie the Pooh.

An Tigger too!!

I don’t think Bryson had a clue who he was meeting here…but Juliana was quite pleased to get to see Ariel from the Little Mermaid.

No trip to Disney is complete without a spin at the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.  Dave sat this one out because he gets sick from spinning around.  I was supposed to get on- but at the last minute, Bryson wanted to ride with his cousins.  I was happy to avoid the vertigo.

The kids loved driving the racecars around the tracks.

Even though we started our day at the Magic Kingdom a little bit later in the afternoon, we were all exhausted by the time we were leaving.  Maybe that’s because we hung out at WDW until they were closing the gates!  Despite being dead tired, when we finally got to our hotel room, Bryson found his 3rd (or 4th?) wind when he realized that our hotel room was “Pirate Themed”.  I just counted and we have stayed at 13 different hotels during my maternity leave..so I guess he is justified in being a little bit of a hotel critic. Anyway, his face absolutely lit up when we opened the door and he saw the bed.  Here he is trying to steer his “pirate bed”.

And this was the “pirates quarters” (aka the bathroom).  Each morning Bryson took turns locking us up in the pirates quarters.  Teehee.  A child’s imagination is just endless.

Of course even this level of excitement had to fade eventually…  And here we go.  Going…

Going…

Gone!

The funniest thing was that at around 3 AM, while I was feeding Sawyer, Bryson woke up and started playing with the pirate ship steering wheel again.  Thankfully, he laid right back down an went back to sleep.  We definitely all needed our sleep for this MARATHON week at Disney!  More to come…

As I mentioned before, this summer/fall has been a whirl-wind of traveling.  Hopefully, I can get to our Disney trip before I go back to work next week.   But before I get to that, I have to finish up with Canada/Maine.  I do have to say that the conclusion of our trip up North was on the more stressful side…

Our flight home from Maine was at 4PM, so we started our journey home from Canada at 8AM.  That seemed plenty early, given that the computer claimed the trip would only take 5 hours.  HA.  Never plan your journey by a computer!  We immediately got lost and found our way into the very best of Montreal’s rush-hour traffic.  After an hour and 1/2 of messing around, we finally got on our way, for real.  Unfortunately, that meant that we were really cutting it close for our flight home.   Really close.  As in, speed through traffic lights, make Bryson tinkle in a bottle instead of stopping for the 8th potty break (yes we had to go there), and by all means- don’t bother to fill up the car with gas – just pay the $4.50 per gallon re-fuel fee!  We were so late everyone had to run through the airport at breakneck speed when we pulled into the rental car lot. 

This crew was on a mission.  And we arrived at the airport with not a minute to spare.  Literally- the airport crew was announcing our names as we rushed through the check in line.  It was so intense.  “Hill, party of 5, the entire plane has boarded and will be be departing in 10 minutes”.  UGH!  And then as we pushed our way through security with 2 car seats and 4 carry on bags in tow, “Hill party of 5, the plane will be leaving in 4 minutes”.  ACK!!!    I have never been so stressed.  Or so late for a flight.  It was insane.  But, by some grace of God, we managed to drag ourselves and all our junk onto that plane, and as far as we could tell, they took off on time.  WHEW!!!!

Here is a picture of my view from the way-back of the party mobile.  Thankfully, Bryson kept me company in the back seat.

We drove through Vermont and New Hampshire as we rushed from Canada back into Maine.  The countryside along the way was just beautiful.  All of the leaves were turned to their shades of autumn and the air was perfectly crisp.  Too bad we had to rush through it!  Hope I can come back some time!!

And this is what we had to greet us when we got home…a FLOODED basement (I guess 15 inches of rain in 2 days will get to the best build basement!) and a huge water snake.  I am not generally afraid of snakes, but YIKES, that thing looks mean!! 

But there was no time to sit around and bemuse over the large reptile that has taken up residence in our now aquatic territory (aka the basement)- we had to get ready for the second half of our vacation marathon…DISNEY WORLD!