&t The Taylor Family: October 2012

Wednesday, October 31

Happy Halloween!!

The kids
were counting down the days and Halloween is finally here. I raced home from work today so that we could gather the children and head out again. We met up with Joe and Jana at a
church in Debary where the kids did some trunk or treating and then did crafts and had a fun hayride. From there we picked up some quick dinner and then headed to a nice neighborhood where we met up with James, Shana, their 4 children, and Adam and his daughter. It didn't take long for the trick or treating to get underway. The kids were really excited and couldn't resist running from house to house. Javan was Mr. Incredible, Abbi was a Cowgirl, and Bresa was Mereda from the new Pixar Brave movie. The neighborhood we went to this year was
perfect for Halloween. There were lots of other trick or treaters and just about every house was open for business. The last few years the neighborhoods we went to were pretty sad. It seemed there was only one house out of ever 5 or 6 that was passing out candy and we were lucky to see a dozen other kids out. This year I was reminded of all the fun I had when I was little and was happy the kids got to experience what it was really supposed to be like. We stayed out until just after 8 and when we
couldn't figure out how to get back to our car and the kids were all tired and whiny Peter and James headed out to find the cars and came back to pick us up.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 9:09 PM   0 comments

Saturday, October 27

Fall Festival and Pumpkin Carving

Peter and I got tickets to see Dr. James Dobson speak on "Leaving a Family Legacy". The talk is put on by a church in Winter Springs so we decided to get the kids dressed up for a local Fall Festival before we dropped them at Grandma's house. They had a great time at the festival. They played games, did crafts, and got to bounce in the bounce house. On our way to Grandma's we stopped and picked up
4 good pumpkins so the kids could make Jack-o-lanterns. We dropped the children and pumpkins off and then Peter and I went to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory where we had a gift card to use.
We headed to the church and met up with a few of our friends and then enjoyed hearing Dr. Dobson speak. When we got back to grandma's the children were all tired but excited to show us their pumpkins which we packed in the trunk to take back to our house.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 8:59 PM   0 comments

Gun Range Course

Peter and I decided to get our Carry Concealed Permits so we had to the course first. It was no problem and pretty simple. I
already knew most of the information because I deal with guns everyday at work. This morning we went out for the gun range part of it which was fun because I hadn't actually gotten to shoot the gun I bought about a year ago because I was pregnant. Also, we had bought Peter a gun and I hadn't shot that one either.
My firearm had a little more kick than I had expected but it handled pretty well. I had very nice grouping but it wasn't until my first shot with Peter's Glock that I hit the direct center of my target, go figure. Peter and I always enjoy shooting so we had a good time and learned a bit too.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 10:30 AM   0 comments

Wednesday, October 24

Learning to make Sushi

The ladies in my Life Group decided we needed to have a social so Shana found us an awesome deal on Groupon where you go to
a Sushi Restaurant. We met in Orange City and then rode together to Orlando where the Sushi House was. We had a great time. We learned to make all different kinds of sushi rolls and hand rolls. Everything we made we got to eat or take home. There were about 12 of us in the class and three of us got to go behind the sushi bar and
make a tempura sushi roll. I volunteered so I went back and learned it and then had to go back to my friends and show them how to make it. We learned about saki and the different types. Also how to add wasabi and soy sauce to the sushi without taking away from the roll itself. The owner of the restaurant was the one who put on the class
and he made sure to give us lots of historical and cultural information too. We all had a really good time and I had lots of sushi to take home with me for lunch tomorrow.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 9:50 PM   0 comments

Chick-fil-A Fun

Chick-fil-a was having a fun craft night tonight so we decided to take the children over there for dinner before went to church.
Peter and I had a few coupons for free food and the children split a couple packs of nuggets so we got out pretty cheap. After we ate the children went over to the craft table and designed some cool little pumpkins with pipe cleaners, stickers, and markers. They also got to say 'hi' to the CFA cow and color some foam pumpkins too. They had a good time and collected their pumpkin creations to bring home.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 6:14 PM   0 comments

Saturday, October 20

Girl's Weekend Getaway Day 2

This morning I told the girls that they could pick what we do today. I gave them three options (knowing very well which one they would choose). I said, "Okay we can go back to the pool and swim some more (to which they were pretty happy). We can go to Downtown Disney like we did last weekend and walk around (Bresa got really excited about that). Or we can go to Disney World." Without a
seconds hesitation they both screamed in unison "Disney World!!" We packed up our things and checked out of the hotel and stopped for breakfast at Panera. Once we had our fill we drove over to Disney and found a parking spot and then took a bus to Hollywood Studios where we would start our day. My friend, whom I know from the sheriff's office works here on the weekends and offered to get us in anytime she was there. We met her at the gate at 9:30 when she got us in
and after a short talk we were on our way to have some fun. Just recently I discovered that both the girls were now tall enough to go on any ride in any of the Disney parks. I told them all about this and they were really excited to try some new rides. Bresa asked if we could go on Tower of Terror. She didn't know what it was just that it was there and other people liked it. I had already planned on taking them on this so I said
sure and we got in line. We waited about 40 minutes but the weather was beautiful and we were right behind a pastor and his family that we had a good time with so the wait seemed pretty short. When we got to the last part of the line the girls were getting a little scared because the scenery in the line was changing. We got on our elevator and buckled up and started the fun. The girls were absolutely terrified during the entire ride but I couldn't help but laugh hysterically and actually had tears coming from my eyes. It had been years since I had gone on that ride and I really enjoyed it. Both girls said they never wanted to go on it again but I am pretty sure they will try it on another date. We left our new friends and got on a bus for Magic Kingdom. The first thing we did was get on the train to
FrontierLand and then grab some fast passes for Big Thunder Mountain. Now that the girls were tall enough I was really excited to share one of my favorite rides with them. Splash Mountain was down for repairs which were bummed about but the cast said they expected it to be up later and were working hard to fix the issue. While we waited for our Fast Pass time Abbi wanted to go to the Haunted Mansion. The wait was pretty short so we got on the ride in no time. After that we shared a big lunch at the Colombia House and then headed back to Thunder Mountain. The girls were a little scared when we boarded but by the end Abbi had her hands raised and was yelling in joy. Bresa clung to me but didn't complain too much when we got off. We grabbed some more fast passes and then found a good spot for the parade. We met a nice family from North Carolina and talked with them as we ate some ice cream
and waited for the parade to start. When the parade had finished we could see that Splash Mountain was up and working. The line was over an hour long so we figured we would grab fast passes after we used our Big Thunder Mountain ones. We road Big Thunder again and this time Bresa really enjoyed it. When we got off we grabbed Splash Mountain passes and Bresa asked if we could go to Tom Sawyer's Island. I had only been there a time or two but I knew that I liked it and the kids had never been there. We had a great time walking the floating barrel bridge and exploring the caverns and tree-houses. We found the fort and lookouts and the girls took turns shooting and running all around. After we exhausted the island we headed back to land and walked through a pin store and made some trades with cast members. When it was finally time we headed to Splash Mountain. The girls were pretty funny, every time
there was a little bump they thought the huge drop was coming but I kept reassuring them that it wasn't just yet. They enjoyed the story of Briar Rabbit inside and all the singing. When it finally came time to go down the big drop both the girls grabbed on to me. Thankfully they were both small enough so we all could sit in one row which happened to be the front. We made it through the big drop and Abbi got really wet. Bresa did a little bit and I got splashed in the face but that's the price you pay to ride the rapids. Abbi wanted to go again but we had lots to see yet so we got on the train and headed for FantasyLand. We rode the Cinderella's Carousel, Barn Stormer, Small World, and Winnie the Pooh and then headed to TomorrowLand where we rode the People Mover. I took a trip to the bathroom and when I came out the girls were talking to the same family we hung out with at Tower or Terror. We decided to all go to the Shrek Ride and then said goodbye again so we could find some dinner. The girls and I really wanted to ride Space Mountain but the line was far too long and the Fast pass station was already closed. We found dinner at Pinnoccio's Restaurant and ate outside just as the nightly fireworks started and Tinker Bell flew. We had already had a full day and it was time to get going so we headed towards the gate and got on the monorail to take us back to the car. Once we started our drive both girls passed out. We had a great day but we had church in the morning still had to drive all the way home.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 11:19 PM   0 comments

Friday, October 19

Girl's Weekend Getaway Day 1

I had some fun plans made up for the girls and I this weekend. They had no clue what we were going to do just that I had a surprise for them. Today was a teacher work day at school the girls were
off. I made up a list of different things that needed to be done before we could go and told them the sooner they were done the sooner we would get to start having fun. The girls set to work on the list while I went to the doctor. I was gone for an hour
or so and the girls were still working when I got home. I really thought they would be done but they were taking their time. Time past and was ready to leave but they were not so I took Javan to the first thing that I had planned. We drove down to the Friday Farmer's Market where they were giving all the kids little pumpkins to paint. Javan worked really hard and made a beautiful pumpkin. When we got home the girls were still working. I thought we might go to lunch but it was getting later so sandwiches were made. Finally the girls finished up all the things on the list and had their items packed for our getaway so we got in the car and drove to our first stop.
We met Mom at the Dollar Theater in Altamonte where we watched Brave in 3D. We have already seen the movie (not in 3D though) but they girls really liked it and it's not out on DVD yet. We shared a huge tub of popcorn and after the movie we said goodbye to Grandma and we headed to a hotel.
We arrived at Caribe Royal, checked in and found our room and then the girls got dressed in their swimsuits and we headed out to the pool that has a huge water-slide and waterfall. I sat and read a couple books while the girls made new friends and swam for a couple hours. They had a great time and if they didn't want to eat dinner
it probably would've been harder to get them away. We went to a restaurant in the hotel and ordered a pizza. The girls each picked out a dessert and drink and then we took all the food back up to our rooms. They got dressed in jammies and before we started dinner I asked, "what have we not done that we are supposed to do whenever we go to a hotel?"
They thought for a second and then Bresa got up on her bed and started jumping. That's right we have to jump on the beds. Since we aren't aloud to jump on our beds at home the girls know that hotel beds are fair game. They jumped until they were too tired and then we ate our food in bed while we watched some Animal Planet. When dinner and dessert was finished we turned off the TV and had some girl talk while we each got pedicures and manicures with the
supplies I had brought from home. We let our toes and fingernails dry and then it was time for bed. I had an even bigger day planned for tomorrow and we all needed to get a good night's sleep.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 11:35 PM   0 comments

Sunday, October 14

Continuing Traditions

We got our first feel of fall
over the past few days. The air is a little crisp and there is a nice breeze to enjoy. Nothing says fall to us Taylors like Apple Cider and donuts so in continuing our annual tradition I picked up the right supplies from Publix and we all got to enjoy our little snack. The girls were really excited about it and talked about how we did it last year. Javan was just happy to get to eat a donut for no apparent reason.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 8:06 PM   0 comments

Saturday, October 13

Secret of the Wings

My friend, Angella, sent me an email about a special promo she was given because of her work at the Orlando Science Center. She was given a special code to get tickets to an early premier of the new Tinker Bell movie, Secret of the Wings. She sent me the code because she knows I have two little girls in love with Tinker Bell. I went on the site and it said you could get two free passes for the show at Downtown Disney. Well I have two girls so I signed my mom up too so
that her and I could take both the girls. I didn't tell the girls what we were doing, just that we were going to Downtown Disney to do something really special. We left pretty early this morning to make sure we got there before they said they had filled the theater. We arrived a lot earlier than we thought we were going to so after seeing there was only one person in line and speaking to her for just a moment we decided we would walk around and come back. None of the stores were open yet but it was fun to look in the windows and have the entire place to ourselves. After walking all the way to the end we turned around and came back. When
we got to the theater there were quite a few people in line. We started to head to the back of the line but the lady in front said, "Oh no, you were here you get behind me." Nice, we took our spot and waited about 30 minutes until they let us in. The girls still didn't know what was happening just that we were going to watch a movie. They took us to our theater and we found some great seats and got a couple posters for the girls. I left and got us some popcorn and drinks and then came back in time for the movie. There were no previews or commercials which was a wonderful change to our usual movie trips. The movie was pretty cute and I was impressed with how clever it was. I have never seen a Tinker Bell movie before and had pretty low expectations but I know the girls LOVE Tinker Bell and all her movies. When we left the theater we explained to the girls that the movie doesn't actually come
out until October 23rd and we got to see a special premier of it. We told them that no one else has seen that movie unless they were in that same theater (not totally true because I know there was a premier in Miami too). I think they felt pretty special after that. We didn't have any more plans for the day so we decided to take the ferry boat to the other side of the boardwalk and walk back. We had all brought our trading pins so we found lots of cast members to trade with and looked at the news ones for sale.
I bought Javan a fireman Mickey since he missed the fun. We went in all the stores since they were open now and then took another ferry to one of the resorts so we could get some lunch. After a little more walking around and a little shopping we decided to call it a day and head home. We dropped mom off at her house on the way back and then got back home around 6.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 7:20 PM   0 comments

Friday, October 12

Cookies with Grandma

This
morning I had a doctor appointment really early in the morning out in Winter Park. I took Javan with me so Daddy could have some quiet time and after my appointment we went over to Grandma's house just down the road. We picked up Grandma to take her home so she could spend the night. Tonight we have an awesome church service and tomorrow Mom and I had plans to surprise the girls so this was the easiest way to get mom to our house. We made a stop at Hobby Lobby and mom found a craft for the kids to do and then we went to Publix to pick up a
couple groceries and lunch. At the store my mom got a couple packs of those drop and bake ghost cookies and when the girls came home from school Bresa and Javan helped make them while Abbi had her piano lesson. As you can see, Javan couldn't wait for them to be done.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 4:00 PM   0 comments

Saturday, October 6

Fire Safety Day

Peter and I had to get the kids up pretty early this morning to get to church for a coaches meeting. The meeting was long and the kids stayed in the nursery area with a few other children. They were all
pretty well behaved so we wanted to make sure they got to do something fun today. The meeting ended just after 11 and I knew that Home Depot was having their Fire Safety Day and the kids were supposed to building firetrucks. We got there but they were out of the firetrucks but they had one race car (which I grabbed
for Javan) and the girls both chose to make small bulletin boards for their rooms. After they built their crafts we walked over to the fire truck and the children got shown all around by one of Volusia County's Firemen. He even let the children work the "Jaws of Life". They thought that was pretty cool but we couldn't stay much longer. We were meeting Valleta and Rodney for lunch and then we had plans to play some serious Mexican Train.

posted by We are the Taylors @ 5:52 PM   0 comments