Florida Trip

The Harlan Band takes a trip to Disney World every 4 years.  They work on fundraising and helping at the school to earn the money to help with costs.  This year we decided to take the whole family.  Well Amber wasn’t with us because she is currently serving a mission.  So, insert Hannah Jacobs, our exchange student to take the place of the missing sister. 

We went down a day earlier than the band to do a day at Universal studios, which the band wasn’t going to be doing.  The kids, and myself, wanted to see the new Harry Potter World that they have there and also a whole bunch of other cool stuff they have there! 

This was at the entrance of the Potter world.  The Hogwarts express with a real conductor complete with British accent. It was cool.  They have recreated the streets of Hogsmead, with all the lovely shops, like Honeydukes,  the Three Broomsticks, and Zonkos Joke shop. They also had an owl post office, and Olivanders, where you can buy your own wand, which the kids did.  These weren’t plastic cheap wands either. 

Everything looked so authentic, and like you stepped right into the movie.  They have the castle of Hogwarts as well, and you get to go in and experience life in the castle complete with moving and talking portraits.  You get to experience a thrill ride and fly with Harry on a broomstick, all over the grounds, fending off evil dementors and dragons, and all sorts of creatures.  It was amazing! We ate lunch at the Three Broomsticks, where Ben ate an enormous chicken leg, that was bigger than a turkey leg!  We were thinking it was a hippogriff leg!  Then we explored the Other part of Universal, where we enjoyed a Transformers ride, which was one of my favorites, also a ride with the Minnions, Shrek, and all sorts to other movie characters.  Lucky for Bret, Hannah likes roller coasters.  So he didn’t have to go on them alone, because the other kids and myself, don’t like them.    

 

The next day we went to Disney World and enjoyed, the rides and scenery, and also was able to watch the marching band perform in the parade.  They did wonderful as usual. Sam was also in the parade, he was asked to be one of the banner carriers.  He was really excited.  We then said goodbye to Ben, he was going to be with the band for the rest of the trip and fly back with them.  A bit of bonding time with his friends.  Sam and Keaton, weren’t to happy about losing their older brother.  But managed to have a good time anyway.  

Taking a well needed break from all the walking you do around these parks!  I swear we walked about 8 miles each day.  It would have been fun to wear a pedometer, to see for sure.  I’ll have to remember that next time.  Sam goes again in 4 years. 

 

This is one of the rides at the dinosaur park.  Its an older ride but fun all the same.   I have lots more pictures of what we did and will try to get them off Bret’s camera and my cell phone camera to add to this as well.  So much fun, and a nice break from the very cold Iowa temps!  Although as you can see, we still needed to wear sweatshirts, but it was wonderful!

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Christmas 2013

 We started off the Christmas vacation festivities with frosting cookies.  This year we got to share all of our family traditions with Hannah.  She enjoyed every minute of it. 

 Christmas Eve we had Sheri, Derek and their four boys, also Jennie and Kevin and their three girls and one boy, and Hannah Jacobs our little  Dutch girl for a wonderful feast, partially  provided by Debbie. Yummy steaks and chicken, burgers, and hotdogs, salads, homemade roles  and lots of sugary goodies  After much eating, we sat in the living room and enjoyed singing Christmas carols and opened presents from the aunts and uncles.  It was a crazy mess but it was sooo
 much fun!

 Hannah didn't know all the words to the songs, but we helped her out a bit.  Amber being the singer in the family was at the lead.  We will miss her next Christmas. I guess Jennie will have to take over next year for us. 

 We always take a cousin picture and each year it gets bigger and bigger!  However next year we will be missing Amber, but she will be off serving the Lord!

 The next morning we gathered in the living room at 6:30am to open presents.  Needless to say I was tired. It was a lot of fun watching the kids open their presents.  Sam got his wish for a 3DS.

 We all have to take turns opening the gifts.  Keaton goes first and we go up from there by age.  So the older ones have to learn some patients. 

 Bret found this sweatshirt and laughed his head off.  So he had to get it, the only one they had was just right for Sam.  he loved it.  It has a mesh red part so he can see through it when it's all the way zipped up to display an open fish mouth.  He loved it, and can't wait to wear it to school.

 The kids love stuffed animals, and the pillow pet is a favorite.  The boys wanted to get Hannah one for Christmas so she would officially be a family member.  We got her a deer.  She was happy to have one to cuddle with.

 Ben has wanted an Xbox for a couple of years now.  I am against having another gaming system.  We already have a PlayStation and a Wii.  They are pretty old but still useable.  But I lost, and Ben got his wish.  We kept it up in our room until we were all finished opening the presents, so Ben didn't think he got it.  But I said "Wait, I think I forgot one upstairs."  So Bret went and got it and as Ben opened it he screamed, then the other two boys screamed.  It was a great reaction.  I still don't like it though.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!  We are now getting ready to send Amber off to the Mexico MTC on January 1st.  She is excited and very nervous.  I'm excited for her, and can't believe I'll have a child that is on a mission!  I wasn't expecting that to happen for a few more years.  But with the age change it changed everything! 

 Ben, despite his reluctance is growing up before our eyes.  We celebrated his 16th birthday last month.  He is a special young man, and is being a wonderful example to his friends and little brothers.  He still likes to be with them downstairs or in their rooms, playing with and making up games, and imaginary play.  I worried that as he started high school, that he wouldn't want to do that anymore, finding more grown up activities to occupy his time, which he has, but he still likes to be a little kids too sometimes.

 This is Hannah Jacobs, who is an exchange student from The Netherlands that is living with us for the school year.  The first family she was living with wasn't working out, and the school councilor was trying to find another home for her.  They asked us if we would be interested, and after about 4 days of thinking about it, decided to have her in our home and be apart of our family.  Also Bret was excited to have someone to speak Dutch too.  She's a Junior, and is a very sweet girl.  Amber couldn't be more excited to have a younger sister even if it's just for a little while.

 This is proof that Ben isn't willing to grow up to fast.  One of his favorite presents was a shark piggy bank. 

 But his feet have grown faster than the rest of him.  He wears an 11 now, and his new hunting boots, I thought looked ridiculously huge on him!

 Keaton had to try them on too.  Following in his brothers footsteps so to speak.

 The 16 year old and his cake.  Waiting while we sung the birthday song, and not very well I might add.

 Moving forward a month, Ben got his drivers license last week, so he could take his date to the homecoming dance last night.  I must say I was more than a bit nervous for him, but excited at the same time.  This is before he left to pick up Nichole, and her friend Marisa, and her date Nick.

 This was Nichole's first date as well. I could really tell she was very nervous.  She was so funny. I asked Ben if after picking up the others, he would come back to the house so I could get some pictures.  So we kind of re-staged everything so I wouldn't miss out on anything.  It's really different being the mother of the boy!

 They probably thought it was lame, but I don't care!

 It's my prerogative!

The whole group before they left for the dance!

Summer spa

This is Keaton proving to me that he doesn't need to wear a life jacket any more, while swimming in the pond.  I still feel more comfortable with him wearing one, especially if I'm not out there.

 

 Who needs a spa when you have fresh pond mud to wipe all over yourself!  Ben is holding up something, but I can't tell what.  The boys sure have fun with this pond.  So far it has been a GREAT addition to our property!!!  We've had lots of fun with it.  We had a party out here last week for the 4th and I was so busy being hostess and having fun watching everyone, that I didn't take a single picture! 

 Sam giving me the thumbs up, which means......well you know what it means.

 Ben taking it easy, and enjoying watching his brothers.  He'd make a good lifeguard wouldn't he?

 Keaton climbing up the pole to jump off the top.  This is a crowd favorite.

 READY.......

 JUMP!!!

It was a great jump mom!!