November Pictures:

We were hopeful to have some outdoor fall pictures of the kids- but the weather was brutal.

Not surprisingly, Yo was in no mood to smile for the camera.  But I love that these pictures really capture who they are.  Yo doesn't smile for everyone, and Wylie was in a necklace phase.  He was also loving wearing sweater vests without shirts underneath.  They had matching outfits selected, and Wylie insisted on camo pants, and Yo only wanted this black sweater.

This is us, after all.

Cruising!

This summer, we had an amazing opportunity to go on a cruise of the Northeast and Canada.  Not only were we fortunate to see some really neat places, but we had awesome company and TONS of extra hands to help corral Yo and Wylie!  Word to the wise- a cruise is PERFECT for a four year old, NOT SO PERFECT for an 18 month old.  Yo will not be seeing another cruise ship until she is AT LEAST four.  Most important, though, Wylie was able to spend some very high quality cousin time- something we don't get enough of as we are spread across five states!

Many, many thanks to Mom and Bob, who are carrying on the Mullen tradition of seeing the world as a family.  What an opportunity!

Disney!!

For the first time ever, our little nuclear family went on vacation.  Normally, we have the WONDERFUL luck to go with our generous parents.  This time, it was just us.  You'll notice some differences in the quality of the photos- since the grandparents do a much better job of documenting the fun.  We had so much fun, we hardly stopped to take pictures.

We had beautiful weather all week, the kids were awesome, and we had a REALLY good break from reality.  Our hotel was rustic, and surrounded by frogs, toads, deer, and lizards.  The kids got just about as much joy from the animals as they did the fanfare at Disney.

Wylie, our thrill seeker, loved the roller coasters, loved the late night Halloween party, and was jazzed about the fireworks.  Yo was OBSESSED with the mermaids- and we rode the little mermaid and winnie-the-pooh rides over and over and over.  Both kids loved "It's a small world", and Adam and I had SUCH a nice time watching the kids take it all in.

Wylie was overjoyed to see the characters at our meals, while Yo recoiled and shouted, "NOOO, Mick mouse BITES PEOPLE!"  

At the end of the trip, we let the kids each choose two toys to commemorate our adventure.  Despite Wylie's coaching about choosing, Yo chose two exact replicas of Winnie-the-Pooh.  Wylie chose a gun and a sword.  And we caved and got him a pirate hat and earring.

Cheesy as it may sound, I will always remember this trip.  As we got on our plane to go home, Wylie said, "I miss Disney World already"…. and I have to admit, we did too!  We'll be plotting our return!

Right before we headed off on the plane- note his five gold necklaces:)

The first adventure- toad the first day!

Trying out the drums in the animal kingdom

At the Haunted Halloween Party- Wylie stayed out until midnight- and cried when I took him back to the hotel!

The loved the seatbelt-free ride on the bus!

Trying to remove the sword in the stone!  No luck.

Watching the parade (with "pooh" and "other one pooh")

Double Pooh's!

Searching for wildlife

Found another pirate to play with at the hotel

Is this NOT the quintessential brother/sister picture?

Living it up in Dino Land!

My picture of Wylie's triceratops face paint

his self portrait on the way home

Wylie took about 50 photos of us on the bus.  This is by FAR the best one!

This four person bicycle ride was SO much fun.

They both giggled the entire time!

I think this is why Yo thinks "Mick Mouse BITES people".

Mixed feelings about bedtime.

Wylie said, "I can't get any cleaner than this!".  True that, Wylie G.

Wylie practices Indian dance moves!

On the Buzz Lightyear ride- a major hit!

This is what "too much fun" might look like.