How is it almost Christmas???

 

We've been busy since I last posted.  Life seems to be whizzing by at a rapidly accelerating pace. Here are the pics from our last couple of months.  (In descending order because blogger seems to hate me.)

These two just graduated from 5th grade a few weeks ago so how in the world can they be touring the high school together????

We took Susannah to Universal Studies for her 14th birthday.  It was a super fun weekend.  

Ice Cream in Diagon Alley

SA and I rode the Hippogryph while Peter and Susannah braved the Hulk.  

The butterbeer did not disappoint.  

I took SA to the arcade one afternoon because we were not up for another high-speed roller coaster.  :)

These characters were part of the Christmas parade.  

The Night Bus

The Animal Show was adorable.  

Susannah loved every minute of the weekend.  

Back to the Future

The Simpsons

Hogwarts Express

Toon Town

Jurassic Park

Ponchos came in handy on the Jurassic Park water ride--SA and I rode it 3 times!

Hogsmeade was so cool!

These pressure point bands were super helpful with motion sickness.  

Diagon Alley may have been my favorite part of the Harry Potter World.  

The Christmas Parade floats were so cool.  

We had treats while waiting for the parade to start.  

Lots of 4D rides.  

Scooby Doo!

Susannah was pumped to go inside the huge Wicked store.  

This Minions game was fun even though I was pretty terrible at it.  :)

The Christmas theming was really fun and special.  

The Mummy was one of our favorite rides.  

We rode the Hogwarts Express several times as a way to go between parks.  It never disappointed.  

Peter loved the Jurassic Park section.  

The theming in Toon Town was spot on.  Olive Oil was in full character.  

We were so happy to be together in the sunshine.  

Dr. Suess land was so happy.  

We rode the Suess Train two different times because it was such a joyful experience.  

I was so excited to be at Hogwarts!!

The wands were cool.  

We roped dropped each morning so we could ride the best roller coaster ever--Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure.  

Susannah and I rode together the first day.

On our first night, we had dinner at Cow Fish.  

It was the perfect way to start the trip.  

Our hotel was full of Christmas cheer.  

We were so happy to be on the plane after looking forward to the trip for months.  

The first half of December was full of lots of football and cozy fires.  

We celebrated Susannah's 14th with a family birthday party.  

So proud of this amazing young woman.  

My seminary friends and I were so happy to finish our first semester!

We sang to Susannah on her birthday morning before school.  

Sam, our elf, arrived on schedule with this year's advent calendar and a few other treats.  

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we picked out our Christmas tree.

Thanksgiving was relaxing and fun.  Our only guest was.....

Papa!  We loved having him here---Susannah especially loved educating him on all things "Wicked."

Peter had Thanksgiving lunch with SA at school.  

And Peter and I had an amazing date night at Oak Steakhouse. 

One afternoon after school, I took these two cuties to crumble cookies for a treat.

Susannah's community theatre production of Beauty and the Beast was such a success.  

We were so proud of her for executing her vision.  

Friday night Sundays.  

Susannah led 3-hour long rehearsal every weekend to prepare for the performance.  So many parents commented on her poise and talent.

Peter and I went with friends to the Anthem to see Leon Bridges in concert.  It was such a cool experience.  

SA played in her first travel lacrosse tournaments.  She loved it.  

Halloween was fun---SA was with her girl gang for trick-or-treating and a slumber party afterward.  

The cutest Woody and Buzz ever.  

And now it is time for Christmas!  The girls have one more day of school and we are excited for a break.  We wish all of you health and happiness in the New Year!  Love and miss you all!