Thankscousin's!

5 Years, 30 Weeks.


In continuation from our trip back from Rosemary Beach:

We arrived back home to Ocoee to find some people in our house!!  Quick, call the police!  Actually, it was more family that was joining us for the holiday, this time from Tangie's side of the family.  Her brother Tadd and his two kids had booked a trip to Florida a couple of months ago, and had arrived Monday night, to spend Thanksgiving and the next 10 days with us!  So apparently the fun was just beginning!

And begin it did.  Immediately after greeting each other, Tangie took the the two 8 year olds, Brae and Callen, down to Hollywood Studios, for some fast passes to some thrill rides.  The two Denver cousins have never been to Disney, so we wanted to make sure we gave them time to experience the parks, and planned out a few days for both to go and do the stuff that was appropriate for their age group.  Meanwhile, Tadd and Caylee joined the twins and I, along with Mike, Gen, and Preston, for dinner at Tijuana Flats.  They would all be staying with us, so it was going to be a full house for a few days.

In line for the Rock n Roller Coaster.

LOVE Callen's face!

Seeing the million Christmas lights at Hollywood Studios.

The 5 year old cousins together.

Enjoying some frozen yogurt dessert!

Wednesday was turkey prep day, so I made sure to start the brine as soon as I woke up, wanting to make sure the bird brined for as close to 24 hours before cooking time.   Tadd and the kids had some friends who were staying in West Palm Beach that they wanted to see, and Wednesday was the only day their schedules allowed, so they drove down the 2.5 hours to hang out and go to the beach there for the day.  Meanwhile, the twins and I took Uncle Mike, Auntie Gen, and Preston to the Orlando Science Center for the afternoon, giving them some activity to let their energy out.  Mommy stayed behind to do some work and Braelyn opted to hang out with her back home.

Making sure the turkey brine is plenty cold with ice!

Middle Eastern lunch at the Hubbly Bubbly.

Kohl and Preston working the tractor at the orange groves.

Water play is always a popular activity.

We all converged back at the house in the evening, only to regroup and head out again to various destinations:  Mommy took the 8 year olds to the Magic Kingdom for rides and fireworks.  Tadd and I took the 5 year olds for dinner at our local sushi joint, and the California crew met up with the Clarkes for dinner as the Clarkes would be heading out for a cruise the Friday after Thanksgiving.  After getting the kids down for bed, we introduced the suspense thriller movie "The Village" to Gen, and waited until Tangie and the kids arrived back home from Disney…at 1:30 in the morning!

Tadd and Kohl at the Asian bistro.

That's a lot of noodles Caylee!

Callen's first visit to the Magic Kingdom!

Enjoying the fireworks.

And seeing Elsa's (former Cinderella's) castle!

Doing the Speedway.

Upon arrival home.

Thursday was Thanksgiving, and tradition called for our annual golf best ball scramble, this time with 11 individuals.  We had 3 very early tee times, back to back to back, so that we could be done early enough to make it to the Friendsgiving celebration (coined by Jennifer) at the Grodacks's by 2:30.  Corey moved it up this year so that we could enjoy the company afterwards into the evening, as well as have the ladies plan out their routes for the following Black Friday run.  Anyway, back to golf.  We drew partners and as luck would have it, I was paired with Tadd, who is an excellent golfer…when playing with his own clubs!  He was playing with Papa Dave's set that he has here, and, well, let's just say they weren't Tadd's clubs.  No, but we did decent, given that I hadn't played a round since June.  We shot an 82 as a team; Karis was solo since we had an odd number of people, which meant he had to play with 2 balls...(I told him not to get too cocky!), and he ended up winning the scramble with shooting a 79!  Not too shabby when the pot was $55!  Go Karis!  The only thing that dampened the morning was William getting into a car accident after the round.  Fortunately he and everyone involved was ok, but his car was totaled and he was very sore!  Definitely very thankful he wasn't hurt too seriously. 

Bruce, Elaine, and Duncan at the practice green.

Sent this picture to Papa Dave, wishing he had joined us.

Jack, Mike, Ron, and Bruce were group #3.

How can you beat that view, rainbow over the golf course!

Hole #14, par 3 over water.

2 of my favorite things together!

Group shot, it was fun!

Meanwhile, Tangie and Gen were home with the kids.  They kept busy making the traditional monkey bread for Thanksgiving morning, and watching the Macy's Parade on TV.  They also started the cooking process for the turkey, as I was still mid-round at golfing and it would've been too late to start if we had waited until I was back.  The grandparents joined us around noon as we made final food preparations and then headed over to our neighbors.

Caylee prepping some fresh Rosemary sprigs from the garden.

The boys chatting or playing together in the hallway.

The 6 cousins together on the patio.

The group was small this year…just kidding!  We had about 36 individuals there, friends, families, and relatives alike.  The spread was fantastic and Corey did a bang up job setting everything up to accommodate everyone.  There were organized games for the kids, and even some of the adults joined in as well!  A great time was had by all, we ate to our hearts' content, and then polished off with Jennifer's insane dessert selection.  We dozed on their sofa with the football game on while the kids watched a movie upstairs.  It was such an enjoyable gathering.

They all wanted to ride in the convertible!  Fortunately the drive was only a 1/2 mile away.

Caylee patiently waiting her turn for the swing set.

Gathering everyone together for the group shot.

Great looking bunch!

The hostess with final instructions.

And they're off!

Our turkey presentation!

The house got real quiet all of a sudden!

Mike trying out the indoor rock climbing wall.

Duncan organizing the kids' games.

The parents milling about, chatting with one another.

Congratulating Kohl on winning one of the games!

The adults played too!

Giving hugs to the grandparents as they head back home to Avon Park.

The kids watching a movie upstairs.

Friday was Uncle Tadd's birthday, so the kids made sure they had a banner and balloons to surprise him.  It was a very low key day, recovering from the previous day's activities.  We did have plans to split up again, with the 5 year olds going with Mommy to Hollywood Studios while Tadd and I took the 8 year olds to Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney) to see the movie The Good Dinosaur.  Afterwards we walked around and then had dinner at Cici's.  Mike and his family went out to the Kennedy Space Center, as they had planned to stay out by the beach for a couple of days.

They were so excited to sing to him and give him his balloon banner.

Braelyn organizing and counting her coins.

At the movie, sharing popcorn and drink.

Having a snack afterwards while waiting for Mommy and the other 3 to get there.

Meanwhile, on the tram to Hollywood Studios.

They had a blast together, with the girls enjoying dressing up in their princess garb.

Building stuff at the Lego store.

A hungry crew at Cici's Pizza!

The next day we headed to Cocoa Beach, to hook up with Uncle Mike and family.  They had stayed at a hotel right on the beach with beach access and parking, so it was very easy and accessible.  We stayed there for the majority of the day.  The weather was nice but cool under the shade canopy.  The water was cooler than the Gulf the previous week, but that didn't deter the kids any.  We had them stay close to shore though, as the waves were pretty choppy.  We enjoyed hanging out together and watching the kids have fun in the sand.

The two beach divas.

It's too cold!!

Maddy trying to outrun the waves!

Our surfer girl.

Uncle Mike and Auntie Gen enjoying their lunches.

Preston loving the beach bin with all the toys!

Maddy the beach goddess.

Several mermaids lying about.

Tex Mex for supper.

Sunday was prep day, as the kids' would start school again the next day.  We certainly had a nice break, so it was time to get things in order for school:  groceries, laundry, homework and assignments.  Tangie took the 5 year olds to the Magic Kingdom in the afternoon, while Tadd and I took the 8 year olds to Rebounderz to get some energy out.  Most of the afternoon and into the evening we just stayed home, putting out our Christmas tree and decorations, keeping an eye on scores and getting ourselves psyched for the biggest game of the year.

Getting their hands cold and then putting them on each other's faces at Publix.

Working on her "jump shot"!

Doing flips into the foam pit.

They enjoyed themselves thoroughly.

Movies come to life, Caylee meeting real life Cinderella!

Some elves wanting to help decorate.

Mommy putting up the ornaments on our tree, by the big window this year. 

Speaking the big game, what a game it was!  It was the one I've been anticipating for this entire year, playing our nemesis, the Patriots.  Fortunately it was played in Denver, as the NFL always seems to schedule us to play them in Foxborough every year, and they are tough to beat there.  But at home there's at least a fighting chance.  And especially when your quarterback is Peyton Manning.  Oh wait, he didn't play.  You mean, we have to beat Tom Brady with our backup quarterback, as well as numerous starters out with injuries??  Yes we do.  And yes, we did!  In the snow too!  What an exciting game that went into overtime, I experienced a 3 hour coronary the whole time but it was great having Tadd there as both of us were hootin' and hollerin' when the game ended past midnight!  This probably will be the only time we beat them this year so I'm going to relish in it for as long as possible!

I usually don't put pictures of Brady on here, but I couldn't help it...

The defense was swarming.

Probably my favorite shot of the night!

So…the Tom Brady Facebook page posted the top picture Sunday morning.
The Broncos Facebook page answered by posting the bottom picture Monday morning!

Monday was back to reality; everyone back to work and back to school.  With our kids in school Tadd and his kids took some time to enjoy vacation and the local attraction, namely, our pool and clubhouse. I gave them some guest passes to use for the Orlando Science Center for the afternoon, and the twins and I met up with them for about an hour while we waited for Braelyn to finish up basketball practice.  We met up with Mommy for dinner as this would be the last time we all would be able to do anything together.

With the cousins at the Science Center.

Caylee braves the hurricane force winds inside the wind tunnel!

Dinner at Winter Garden Pizza Company.

Hugs for Braelyn.

A Maddy sandwich.

The siblings pose for their only photo together!  Beware the green eyes of the crazy dog behind you!

Tuesday morning Tangie flew out to Pensacola for a couple of days.  It was an overcast day so Tadd and the kids went to visit Winter Park and do the boat tour, and then went putt putt golf on International Drive that afternoon and evening.   Mike and family arrived that evening to spend the night, as I would drive them to the airport at 4:30 in the morning for their flight back home to California.

Preston handing out gifts for his cousins:  new shelling bags for the beach!

It was so great to hang out with them all!

Wednesday morning early I dropped the Californians off at OIA.  What a great 2 weeks we had with them!  Then I drove back home and woke the kids up to get them ready for school.  They hugged Uncle Tadd and their cousins goodbye, as the they were flying back to Denver that afternoon.  But not before hitting the pool up again!  Might as well, as they probably wouldn't be swimming back home any time soon.  Anyway, they had a great time, and we had a lot of fun with them here.  Kohl had a haircut after school while Brae did her practice, and Mommy came back home from Pensacola late that night.

Bright-eyed at 5 AM!

Giving Caylee a hug goodbye before heading to school.

Saying goodbye to these 3.  It was fun!  We'll see you all soon.

Kohl before haircut...

and after!  Team Handsome!

'Tis the season!

Monkeying around at Publix.  What's new?

Tuxedo:

So…I was this close (put your thumb and index finger together but barely touching) to taking Tux back to the animal shelter.  I was just about done with him after we found out that he had somehow escaped the chain from his crate and did more damage to our laundry door frame Tuesday evening.  I was fuming!  And then after I got back from taking the kids to school I found that he had grabbed a towel from the dirty laundry and shredded it to bits.  

Seriously dog?  What is your problem?!

I had the website for the Orange County animal shelter on my laptop but wasn't sure what time I would have to run him down there, since Tadd and the kids were still at the house packing and then me having to go pick up the kids soon after they left.  Fortunately, I relented, and moved the crate out to the garage for the time being.  Braelyn was so distraught on the ride home, thinking that I had taken him back, and she cried the entire time, like her heart had been broken into a million pieces.  Thankfully I didn't carry out my original plan and he is still with us…for the time being.

But...he's on very. thin. ice. 

Pet shaming!

Unbelievable!!

No, I did not break his back legs…yet.

Have a great week!