The Freeds

Happy Halloween!

2009-02-18T00:12:00.008-05:00

10-31-08

Halloween is getting more and more fun with each passing year. The boys actually had a say in picking out their costumes this year and they had a lot of fun trick-r-treating.

Here they are in the house trying on their costumes and getting ready for what was to come! :)

Connor (aka Woody)

Ethan (aka Buzz)

Heading out for the first

Trick-r-Treating of the night

The group of neighborhood friends

we went Trick-r-Treating with

Showing off their bags of candy

more Trick-r-Treating

Can you tell this was the end of the night and

they were done and ready to go home? :)

Halloween Playgroup

2009-02-17T21:40:00.003-05:00

10-29-08

Our friends, Brooke & Brianna had all their friends over for a Halloween playgroup. The kids made foam pumpkins and they decorated and ate cupcakes. Everyone had a great time!

Hunsader Farm

2009-02-17T17:06:00.008-05:00

10-26-08

We made our first trip out to Hunsader Farm this year. Never heard of it before, but apparently they hold this Pumpkin Festival every year. Our friend Kristen told us about it and we also heard about it through our twins club. Lots of people recommended it, so we decided to check it out! There was a petting zoo, face painting, games, pony rides, scarecrow displays, pumpkin patch, corn maze, hay ride, train ride, craft booths where the kids could Trick-r-Treat... we had lots of fun!

The kids LOVED the mini hay maze. It was just their size. Ethan ran though this thing over and over again!

Fun in the pumpkin patch

The corn maze was interesting, too. I think this was my first time in a corn maze. There are different paths you have to choose from, some being dead ends. Ethan was the leader of the bunch most of the time (since he always has to be in front!). They even have a couple of posts set up with workers sitting where you can ask for help if you need it. It took us a while, but we eventually made it out! :)

Waiting in line for the hay ride-

can you tell they were getting hot and tired? :)

TBAMoMs Halloween Party

2009-02-17T14:20:00.009-05:00

10-25-08

The twins club I belong to had their annual Halloween Party at the park. The kids had a great time running, playing and eating the yummy snacks!

Our friends Brooke & Brianna were also there.

Here they are giving 'Mr. Drew' some lovin'. :)

After the party, we all went to lunch together. There was a fountain out front the kids liked, so we took some pics them all by it.

There was also a vendor fair/market right there (lots going on that day, apparently), so the kids all went over and jumbed in the bouncy for a while.

Golf

2009-02-16T13:56:00.007-05:00

10-24-08

I don't remember if Drew had just gone golfing or what, but all of a sudden, Connor and Ethan were so into golfing. Drew found them a small kids' set of clubs & a bag on craigslist. I see many days of golfing with daddy in the future! :)

Pumpkin Patch Storytime

2009-02-14T11:42:00.003-05:00

10-23-08

Every year, St. James (where the boys go to preschool) has a pumpkin patch in October. They have a scheduled time where parents come and take a trip to the pumpkin patch with the class. The teachers read a story, the kids get to walk around and explore the pumpkin patch, then they get to pick a little pumpkin to take home with them. Here they are on their Pumpkin Patch Storytime day:

More room to move

2009-02-13T23:52:00.002-05:00

10-12-08

This is how we found Ethan night 2 in his 'big boy bed'. Guess he discovered a new way to turn and stretch that he was never able to do before. :)

How can kids sleep while standing? :)

Big Boy Beds

2009-02-13T23:31:00.005-05:00

10-11-08

So when we had kids, I always said I would keep them in their cribs until they were 5 or as long as I could. We almost made it to then. :)

Connor & Ethan were 3 1/2 when we finally took the railings off their cribs. They weren't really serving a purpose anymore because they would just climb up and over the railing and get out of bed. I would find them during 'nap time' climbing and standing on the side rail. One day they're in their room for nap and I hear on the monitor, 'Reach for my hand! Reach for my hand!' I go in there and find them both on their bellies on the front rails stretching across trying to reach each other. So we figured it was time.

Naps are almost non-existent now, bedtime is a longer process with many 'Get back in your room and in bed' threats and more often than not we end up with one, if not both of them in our bed by morning, but overall they have been pretty good with the transition.

Their first night in their 'big boy beds'

Look where we found Connor! :)

New Haircut!

2009-02-13T23:25:00.003-05:00

10-9-08

No- not the boys. It's just me, but thought I'd share pics of my new haircut. Of course, not so new anymore since this was back in Oct and it's now Feb, but oh well. :) I've had it cut several times since then- each time a little different, but the same concept. I LOVE it! :)

First Sleepover

2009-02-12T00:23:00.007-05:00

10-4 and 10-5 2008
Aunt Wendy and Uncle Nick were going to the Food & Wine Festival at Epcot and to a football party the next day, so Hayley & Quinn came to stay with us! It was Connor & Ethan's very first sleepover! They had so much fun- now they're constantly asking about having sleepovers! :)

We went to a community fair that was going on nearby. They each got to make their very own trophy, bounce in a bounce house, get goodies and get a balloon animal made especially for them!

We laid out comforters and blankets in Connor & Ethan's room and that's where they all slept!

Aren't they all so cute... especially when they're asleep! :)

Ethan is a clown. He thought he was so funny putting daddy's shirt on with his hat and Quinn's hairbow as a tie! :)

Disney on Ice

2009-02-11T23:12:00.006-05:00

So once again, I am WAY behind with posting on my blog. I guess I'll never get caught up if I don't just start doing it, so I am going to make an attempt. :) Sorry that these are now SO old!

10-2-08
So this is how the day started:

they look so happy, don't they? :)

That evening we went to Disney on Ice with a group of friends. Drew was able to get pretty good tickets at a reasonable price through work. We were pretty close to the stage, just wish we were closer to the middle. Overall, everyone had a great time!

Halloween Flashback/Preview

2008-10-05T09:41:00.004-04:00

With Halloween right around the corner, I thought it would be neat to take a look back at C&E's costumes the past 3 years. It's sometimes hard with 2 boys coming up with 2 boy things that go together, but we've managed to come up with something every year so far!

2005- Batman and Robin- 7 months old

2006- elephant and monkey- 19 months old

(Thanks to my good friend, Jenni for letting us borrow the costumes from a friend of hers!)

2007- Cowboy and Indian- 2 1/2 years old

and a sneak peek of this year:

Buzz and Woody!

Busch Gardens with Friends

2008-10-02T10:40:00.011-04:00

The weather was so nice out this past weekend- a nice *small* break from the heat we've had. We decided to take the boys to BG. While talking to Sherilyn on Saturday, she mentions they might go to BG, so we decided to go together since we were going anyway! We all had a great time and it was nice for the kids to have friends to hang out with. It was a nice test for our longer Disney trip we're taking together in a couple weeks! :)

We had to stick around and let the kids ride the train a second time so they could get a turn to sit in the front. We were in the front of the line the first time, but a boy- probably about 6 years old- pushed the kids out of the way, hitting Connor in the eye, to get to the front of the line. All this while his parents sat on a bench behind us oblivious to what was going on and not saying a word. I could have beat the kid, but instead told him (loud enough for his parents to hear- which I'm sure they did, but still said nothing to him) how rude and mean it was to push kids smaller than he is who were in line first, blah, blah, blah. He then proceeded to push them back and run to the front so he could sit there. Drew went over while the ride was going and told the parents what happened (in a nice way) and just said that he's sure we'll be seeing each other in the park throughout the day and that it wouldn't happen again. :) I hate kids and even more so, parents like that! Kids will be kids, but parents need to be paying attention to their kids and watching what they're doing.

Here are Connor & Ethan in the engine putting their hands out to hit Drew's hand as they went by.

We were finally able to ride the Rhino Rally. The kids haven't been tall enough to get on and this time JUST made it. This rhino was right in the middle of the road and wouldn't move. The driver bumped his bum with the jeep. He quick jumped around and was not happy- we thought he was going to ram the jeep!

Sherilyn and I decided to ride the Sheikra since the hubbies were with us and could stay with the kids. It's been a LONG time since I've been on a roller coaster, but used to love them! This ride was scary! That was the biggest drop I've ever been on on a roller coaster- and it seemed like you were falling forever! If you could see our faces up close, you would see Sherilyn sitting there all smiling and me screaming my head off thinking I'm going to die! :)

And a typical end to our day. Drew doesn't like bringing the stroller, but the boys get tired and by the end of the day are fussing, whining, complaining that their legs hurt and begging to be picked up. So, guess who gets to carry them. :)

2008-09-21T23:03:00.003-04:00

So- I said in my disclaimer at the top of the page that I would TRY to keep up with the blog and update often... well that didn't last long, did it? :) I have been super busy with our photography business, the boys (of course) and stuff in general that I haven't had a chance to update in a while. Lots has been going on!

We just took a weeklong trip to stay at the Ron Jon Resort on Cocoa Beach and I took LOTS of pictures (surprise, surprise). Our good friends, Matt & Steph and their boys, Carson & Grant came Friday evening and stayed with us through Sunday. All the kids had a great time together and it was nice spending time with them. Then Grandmom and Grandpop came on Sunday and stayed through Tuesday! We did a lot of fun things while we were there- playing/walking on the beach, collecting shells, going out on the beach at night to look at the stars and look for crabs, spending time in the pool and lazy river, playing miniature golf, going to a couple local parks, playing in the kids play room, going to an animal show and going fishing- Drew caught like 4 catfish and I caught nothing!. On the way home, we stopped in Orlando at Disney Marketplace to walk around and take our 'normal' rounds- every mode of transportation- boat, bus, monorail- nothing like free Orlando entertainment! :)

I had so many pics, I decided to create a video montage to share our fun. Just be sure you have some time (or you could always pause and come back to it later)... it's like 12 minutes long! :)

Enjoy!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

A Day at the Beach

2008-08-07T23:51:00.015-04:00

8-1

Our friends Kristen & Brian stay at a condo on Indian Shores Beach every year and have invited the rest of 'The Posse' the past couple years to come spend a day with them. We've been rained on 2 years in a row now, but still manage to have a good time.

burying Mommy's feet in the sand

Connor chasing away the seagulls

certainly not the best view of me, but since I'm rarely in pics, I liked these of me and the boys

The sky around us started to get pretty black. We looked over and spotted a waterspout! Never seen one in person before- kind of scary, but I'm sure way scarier for the people in that sailboat! You should have seen how fast they started moving!

That's when we decided it was time to head in and get some lunch. The kids (all 12 of them) had a 'picnic' on the balcony.

After lunch the skies cleared up some. It was still raining, but we were determined to spend some time on the beach after making the trip over there!

Brian played some baseball with the boys.

I think this picture is hilarious-

why are they all running in opposite directions?! :)

Overall, we have a great time in spite of the rain. At least it didn't end like last year!
Last year Connor didn't want to leave the beach and threw a huge tantrum, threw himself down in the sand and was rolling all around. We call this the 'sand crab'. :)

Thanks again, Kristen & Brian for inviting us out. We're looking forward to next year!

Superman poses and swimming

2008-08-07T23:49:00.007-04:00

7-31

Connor, aka SupermanEthan getting out of the pool. They're so funny because they always fuss to have their towels tied around them 'like Daddy's'. But then the progression of the towel goes from tied, to around their heads, to around their shoulders, to dragging on the ground, to on the ground.

Fishing and Ice Cream

2008-08-07T23:15:00.007-04:00

7-27

Grandma and Grandpa came over to visit, do some fishing and have dinner. Connor & Ethan have only been out fishing at the lake behind our house a couple of times, but they love it- for as long as a 3yo can! They got the cutest little kid fishing poles and tackle boxes. I guess I'll have to start taking them out there to fish- but we'll wait until it gets cooler! :)

Connor waiting for Grandpa to cast his line out for him
Ethan quickly lost interest in fishing and would rather play with his tackle box
until... Grandpa caught the first fish!

then everyone was serious about fishing and trying to catch one

after a few minutes of no bites & no fish, Ethan was back to other things. This time, the worms.

then Daddy caught a fish!

Ethan was ok with getting close and touching the fish
but Connor wouldn't get so close or touch it

The FUNNIEST thing...
While Drew was getting the fish off the weigher & throwing it back in, Ethan grabs the pole, swings it around & the hook goes right into Drew's bum & hooks on his pants! :)
After dinner, we went to get some ice cream
Connor and his never ending display of funny faces :)
Ethan posing with his dollar

Love to learn

2008-08-06T18:41:00.004-04:00

7-24
I may be a little biased, but I think I have the smartest children. :) It's amazing how quickly they pick things up and how they love educational things. We were at Target the other day and we found a letter chart and foam clock in the dollar section. How can I say no to a letter chart and clock- especially when they're only $1 each?!

At the library

2008-08-06T18:23:00.003-04:00

7-23
The library by us has a wonderful weekly summer kids reading program. We've been a few times. Each time they give the kids a goody bag with a coloring sheet, stickers, snacks and a juice box. They sing some songs, read a few books, watch a short movie and then make a craft. This day's craft was bug headbands. Here are the finished products!

Making eggies with Daddy

2008-07-26T15:47:00.005-04:00

7-22
As many of you know, I don't cook very often. If we have planned ahead and I have a recipe and all the ingredients I'm good (which I've actually done more than normal lately), but I'm not the type of person to just throw things together and make something. So we usually end up just making something for the boys then finding something for us or having breakfast for dinner. That's what we did this night.
Drew was making 'eggies' as the boys call them. It started out with the boys on the stool watching, but then they wanted to help. Connor got the hang of it pretty quickly. Ethan on the other hand would either bang the egg first too soft then too hard on the side of the bowl or he would just squeeze it and crush it in his hand. :) Either way, they had fun helping and we had some yummy eggies for dinner!

Playing outside

2008-07-24T00:01:00.013-04:00

7-22
Playing outside is on Connor & Ethan's daily to-do list. This usually happens when daddy gets home from work. During the day I try my best to do as much inside as possible. Maybe if it wasn't 100 degrees outside- but it is just WAY too hot! I did go out with them for a little while to get some pics of them playing. After about 20 minutes we had all had enough and had to come back inside in the air. :)

Ethan on his bike. He's quite the little bike rider. He goes so fast around the cul-de-sac with his little legs just going and going.

Drew showing Connor how to throw the frisbee. Everytime he went to throw it Connor would say, "Like this dad?"

Ethan's really good at drawing circles!

Ethan's picture of daddy. Pretty good representation, huh? :)

Cleaning up

Bubble time

Ethan's try at the bubble wand... notice the bubbles pouring out of the container!

Connor and his Spongebob fishing pole

There were a few puddles from the rain earlier in the day, so I thought it would be fun to get their rain boots and splash in the puddles. The puddles were a little too small for big splashes, but the boys had fun anyway.

Weekly visit to Vallartas

2008-07-23T23:34:00.007-04:00

7-22
We go to My Gym on Tuesdays- along with 3 of the other moms in our group (so there are 4 sets of twins, 8 kids total). We always go for lunch after and 99% of the time we go to Vallartas. YUMMY Mexican!

It's hilarious because at first they would just look at us every time we came in and have to ask 10 times 'How many chairs and highchairs do you need?!" Now they are expecting us and when we come in we don't even have to say anything- they just start getting our table ready. It's funny, too because we usually have the same waiter. We have been there so many times we don't even have to order anymore- we just say 'the usual' and he knows what to bring!

The kiddos get bribed into eating their lunch with skittles. There's a candy machine right inside the door, so if they eat all their lunch, we get some on the way out.

Ethan, Brooke, Caidee, Connor, Caleb, Lauren and William eating their skittles. Brianna decided there wasn't enough room and went to sit on the other bench... can you blame her? :)

All the kids gather around Sherilyn waiting for her to divvy up the rest of the skittles.

Ethan talked William into letting him use his drawing board. Brooke watches intently as Ethan draws a picture.

Birthday Cake for Drew

2008-07-23T23:24:00.006-04:00

7-20
We have a group of friends that we get together with on a regular basis. It's nice because all of the kids (12 in total- 4 sets of twins, 1 set of triplets and their little sister) are all close in age, they've grown up together and are good friends and us mommies are all good friends, too!

We've started getting together once a month for a family dinner with all the moms, all the dads and all the kids. We just rotate houses where it is held and everyone brings something.

This month, Drew's birthday was just before the dinner, so they made Drew a birthday cake. Everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' and the boys helped Drew... I just love the puffy cheeks from all 3 of them blowing the candles!

Surprise!

2008-07-17T23:30:00.007-04:00

7-12 & 7-13
Drew's birthday is July 18. We had been talking about going away for the weekend, but then he had some big project rolling out at work and was going to be busy and couldn't take time off. So- I took it upon myself to book a night at the Omni Championsgate in Orlando and surprise Drew with a weekend away before his birthday. I had everything packed and ready so when we got up Saturday morning, I told him to get dressed and let's go! :)
When I made the reservation online, I mentioned in the comment box that we were coming for his birthday and that it was a surprise, hoping they wouldn't call the house and then he find out. When we got there to check in, they said, "Oh, we see you're here for your birthday. We upgraded you to better view room at no charge." Nice! I LOVE the Omni!

Drew and the boys looking out our window

The view from our room- golf course, pool and lazy river
Heading in from our time at the pool- aren't they cute with their towels wrapped like daddy's?

When we got back in the room, there was a birthday cake and card from the hotel!

We went to Disney Boardwalk and had dinner at ESPN Zone. The boys saw some other kids with Mickey ears and HAD to have them! We figure we'll take them with us next time we go to Disney Marketplace and get their names stitched on the back!

Looking at the map... my kids seem to be infatuated with maps! If there's a map, they'll be looking at it!

It only took like 10 shots to get one of Ethan without his eyes closed... he's just like his dad when it comes to taking pictures! :)
Sunday morning, our friend Kurt drove over... I had made a tee time for them to play a round of golf. Surprise again! :) It was great because when we got there the day before, Drew was saying how he'd love to play golf again soon and made a comment about having his clubs in the car (but he forgot we had the truck, not his car). Even still... they weren't in his car because Kurt had them to bring over with him! While the guys played golf, I stayed in the room with the boys and Kurt's daughter, Megan watching movies until we had to check out. Then we headed down to the pool!

Happy Birthday, honey! Hope you had a great weekend! :)

Fun with cousins

2008-07-17T23:24:00.000-04:00

7-11
We don't see them that often, but we love them! Connor & Ethan had loads of fun swimming and playing with their cousins, Quinn and Hayley.

Quinn and Ethan creating a masterpiece

Quinn's 'get that camera out of my face' look :)Connor playing like he's sleeping with Hayley

A lazy day at home

2008-07-17T23:14:00.000-04:00

7-7
Those of you who know me well know that if I don't have anywhere to go and no reason to leave the house, I have a jammie day. All pajamas, all day. Why get dressed and dirty those clothes? :) This was one of those days. Yes- the boys stay in their jammies, too!

Connor & Ethan LOVE their rainboots and wear them all the time around the house... so cute!

Looking at the Busch Gardens map from yesterday'I want to go here'
'No- I think we should go here first'
rain boots and a Busch Gardens map in your jammies... does it get any better than that? :)

again... the many faces/sides of Connor :)

and a HORRIBLE pic of me and my boys

Our day at Busch Gardens

2008-07-17T17:16:00.000-04:00

7-6
Drew has taken the boys to Busch Gardens a few times, but today I decided to go along, too. Was a fun day- not too hot, but had to leave soon after lunch because a storm came through. Pretty normal around here now-a-days.

Connor & Ethan checking out a snake on the way in

One of their favorite things (of many)- the skyride

This is pretty cool- in the new section, Jungala, you can go in this underground space and come up to view the tigers close-up!

Our first time going in the bird area
Ethan would feed them, but only if Drew was holding the cup. He was NOT about the birds being on him.
Connor, on the other hand, had no problem with the birds landing on him!

This bird looks like it was ready to bite Connor's ear!

daddy feeding the birds

This is usually how it ends up... if it were up to me, I would bring the stroller, but Drew insists on letting them walk, so he is in charge of carrying them when they don't want to walk anymore! :)
There's an area by the SheiKra where it splashes water in the walkway. After playing in the water in Land of the Dragons, Connor decided to go stand by the roller coaster and get splashed. It's hard to see him in this pic, but the arrow is pointing to where he is.

And here he is closer up waiting to be splashed

And getting splashed! Ethan wasn't quite brave enough to stand in the splash of the roller coaster, so after we went to the bridge by the Tidal Wave Boat. Connor stood on the bridge once, then they all went and stood behind the glass where you can see & watch, but not get wet. :)
Here comes the water!

Happy 4th!

2008-07-17T16:12:00.000-04:00

7/4
We did our 'normal' neighborhood cookout for the Fourth of July. Good food- one of our neighbors makes some YUMMY barbeque chicken and ribs!- but it was SO hot!

Ethan enjoying a popsicle

Ethan stopped digging in the mud for a second to watch the fireworks some of the older boys were doing. He wasn't so sure.

"Mom- they're too loud!"

Connor sitting with one of his neighbor buddies- he thought they were too loud, too!

Connor and his crazy faces :)

Sparkler fun

My attempt at 'sparkler writing'. Guess it kind of worked- it was supposed to be a whole circle, but Connor wasn't moving the sparkler fast enough to catch the whole thing. So you get a semi-circle! :)
my feeble attempt at fireworks shots :) They probably would have been better if we had bigger/better fireworks

The neighborhood kids. After one of the fireworks fell on it's side and was shooting everywhere BUT in the air, they decided to seek shelter behind boogie boards while watching. :)

First Post!

2008-07-17T09:33:00.000-04:00

My first official post to our family blog!
I'm starting with July since that's the month we're in now and we're not TOO far into it! If I get caught up then I'll start adding some older pics.

7/3
Here's Connor enjoying his new favorite lunch meal- a cheese sandwich. No- not grilled cheese- just bread with some butter and a slice of cheese! And guess what he wants with it... string cheese (or long cheese as he calls it). Yep- he's mine... he LOVES cheese! :)