Disney

There are so many reasons to love the Chris' new job but one of most memorable is that we got to go to Disney World.  When Chris found out he had to go to Orlando and stay at a Disney resort we decided that the girls and I should definitely tag along.  We took our time and did not try to do it all but we definitely tried to make the most of the opportunity!  Chris and I had such an amazing time watching Marianne!  It truly is a magical place.  Especially if you are 2 years old.

We had heard that eating with the characters was the best way to see them.  When we found out we could eat dinner with Cinderella in our hotel we decided that if we could get a reservation at a convenient time we would try to make it.  There was one available on our first night.  We got to the hotel just in time to check in and have Marianne change her clothes to go down to dinner.  It was a perfect way to start our trip!

 

We did start dinner late and Vera was not as impressed with all the characters so this is how she looked during dinner! Poor girl! 

 

But by the next morning she was ready to take on the day and the Magic Kingdom!  She was such a good sport and I think she enjoyed a lot of the activities too!

We got to the park early and our first stop was to see Mickey Mouse since the line was short and he was right near the entrance.

This is one of my favorite pictures!  Marianne could not stop looking at the castle.  I finally got her to turn around for a picture but this one is just too cute. 

Vera had a great time riding all the rides.  On Wednesday she clapped through every ride we went on!

 

Vera also loved all the characters.  She was not scared a bit!

We spent two days at the Magic Kingdom with a day of water play at the hotel in between.  Wednesday night we stayed to see the fireworks before the park closed.  It was a great way to end our time!  Marianne is already talking about going back!

 

So it has almost been a year...

and I have not posted a thing!  I hate it for all of those friends and family who have missed the picture updates.  I also hate it for me because I miss looking through and reminiscing about the fun we find in the little moments.

 For some reason this week I finally feel like the blog is something I can actually handle again.  So to get me started I am going to post a few pictures.  But stay tuned because we have had an exciting May and I am going to post those pictures soon.  (If I accomplish that I may work on my backlog of pictures too!)

Vera Claire Tuten (Part 2)

Here are a few more!

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Vera Claire Tuten (Part 1)

We've had some computer issues at home that have kept us from updating the blog for several months--sorry for the delay! Now we've hopefully got those worked out and will be back to posting pictures semi-regularly (hopefully!). Without further ado, here are some of the highlights of Vera's first six weeks.

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Better Late than Never

So this is the first day Marianne walked. It was the week of Thanksgivign but even though it is a bit outdated it was too cute not to post. Thanks, Deidra, for fixing it up!

11 things we are thankful for in 2011

• Our salvation in Christ. It is a precious gift that we do not want to take for granted.
• Marianne growing up healthy and strong.  And her first steps this week!
• A great job for Chris.
• Good friends that also stay home with their children so that Marianne and I can have fun and fellowship during the day.
• Where we live.  We love living in Atlanta, our part of town, and even our little neighborhood.
• Wonderful friends who are always fun and supportive.
• Our church and the fact that it is thriving and growing. 
• Our marriage.  Eight years have flown by and they have been a blast!
• That the Gamecocks have won back to back national championships in baseball!
• Our families that love us and encourage us and are alway there for us.
• All of the amazing things God has given us to simply enjoy.  Things like beautiful parks, sports, art.

Our Little Duck

Marianne had a full week of Halloween festivities.  We started by going to the botanical gardens for their annual Halloween celebration.  Marianne joined in the costume parade, made a snack of crackers and pretzels that looked like a spider and got some free books.  She loved looking at all the kids in their costumes and playing with the hula hoops and balls that were out in the lawn.

A few days later Marianne went trick-or-treating at Chris' office.  She loved all the decorations and picking out candy from a bowl and putting it in her bucket.  She didn't know it was edible at all.  She still thinks of it all as fun, colorful toys!  I forgot by camera that day but here are some pictures of her checking out her stash.  Her prized possession from that day is the collection of plastic spiders she got.  She loves those silly things!

On Halloween, we crashed our friend's neighborhood party.  Marianne and I watched the huge parade complete with a police escort and then joined everyone down in the park for some social time.  Marianne and Campbell played in the yard while the adults handed out candy.  When Chris got there we took the girls trick or treating in the wagon.  We hit maybe five houses but that is about all they could take.  We had chili and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner and called it a night.  All in all I think it was a great time!