You'd Better Watch Out...

You'd better not cry, you'd better not pout, I'm telling you why...Santa Claus is coming to Casa de Galbraith! For as long as these boys can remember, Santa Claus has been making an early stop by our house to "check-in and let them know they are on the nice list." He usually comes bearing an early gift and stories from the North Pole. Generally, good ole St. Nick doesn't appear until a couple of days before Christmas, so they were extra surprised when he made his appearance on a random Thursday night...and a school night, no less!

I love the expression of shock and joy on their faces! As Alex later said, "We weren't expecting THAT to walk through the front door!"

Alex had had a band concert early this same evening. Santa asked him to get his trumpet and play an encore performance. Alex played Jingle Bells and Santa played the real bells. Priceless!

Clark snuck in on Santa's back belt loop. He was apparently "trying to hitch a ride back to the North Pole." This is Santa giving him a stern lecture and telling him that his job wasn't finished until Christmas day. Carter thought this was hilarious!

Santa handed out their early gifts. Alex got the "Super8" movie and Carter got a couple of Star Wars action figures...go figure!

Carter telling Santa that he really wants an air soft gun and more Star Wars toys. Santa's response: "Carter, haven't I already delivered EVERY Star Wars toy my elves have ever made to this house?" Amen, Santa, Amen.

Posing with their reindeer antlers...we do this shot every year!

Russ and Santa comparing their beards...Santa wins!

Until next year...

Thanksgiving in Texas

We journeyed to Tyler, Texas this year for the annual gathering of the Galbraith and Jennings families (this has been an annual event for 10 years, although our branch of the Galbraith clan only makes it every other year...on average). Robby and Terri were incredibly gracious hosts. The boys had a wonderful time playing with all of their cousins and I had a wonderful time drinking wine by the fire with the ladies (not sure what Russ was doing while the girls were outside by the fire, but I suspect he had an equally "manly" good time!).

Before our Thanksgiving meal, Robby wanted Russ and the kids to go on "a little hike" with him in the woods behind their house. Mind you, the boys and Russ were dressed in "dining" clothes, not "hiking" clothes. Needless to say, they all came back muddy and soaking wet (clothes and shoes went straight to the dryer). After Russ caught his breath and recovered from Robby's idea of "a little hike", he was able to chuckle about it a bit. We'll know to wear work-out attire to next years dinner!

Taking a breather with Harley. Russ positively fell in love with this dog. He would have adopted her in a heartbeat!

Back Row: Carter, Hanna, Alex, Allison/Front Row: Nash, Katie, Hayden, Finley

Something has gone tragically awry with my editing tools. I'm trying desperately to get "caught up" before the new year, so there is no time to do repairs...must. keep. blogging. So, turn your head and you'll get the full effect of the Thanksgiving Day Cousin Bowl. There were some crazy plays being run...think kids on dads shoulders while passing and running the ball!

My boys were in heaven in the hot tub. They even ventured into the pool to cool off! Crazy!

The kids played outside until late in the evening both nights. The trampoline and hide-and-seek flashlight were at the top of the agenda.

Ugh...tilt your head, again. This is all of the first cousins (Russell, Robby, Lisa and Russ) posing with all of their children. Sad we didn't take this picture before Jennifer left!

***Sidenote: The downside to all of our wonderful technology is that pictures are taken with multiple cameras and phones. In my haste to catch up, I have only downloaded one camera. I suspect many of the "better" shots featuring the adults are still lurking on another device.

Woo Pig Sooie!

The Razorbacks played Mississippi State in Little Rock on November 19th...Woo Pig Sooie! We headed down to War Memorial several hours before kick-off to do a bit of tailgating. We went with the Tyrrell's (our equals in the Razorback fan department) and the Dale's (this was Susan's first football game ever... and I don't think she was too impressed!). A big thank you to the Clevenger family that invited us to "stop by" their tent with our posse of ten! The food was delicious! I'm still thinking about those spring rolls!

The boys were quick to make some friends and start a game of touch football.

I was trying so hard to get this shot of Carter, Ryan and Alex to put in a Razorback frame for Michele for Christmas. My narrow focus on THIS shot made me fail to get a shot with Jordan!

We got to get up close and personal with Tusk before heading into the stadium.

Pre-game

There was quite a bit of debate on whether or not this was Carter's first game...We finally decided that we had taken him when he was much younger and it was an epic fail. Fortunately, eight seems to be the magic number. He loved this game and kept saying, "Thank you for bringing me!" Made my heart happy to add another Hog fan to the family!

Loved this shot of us...minus the goober peeking over Carter's shoulder!
Final Score: Arkansas 44-Mississippi State 17 WPS!!!!

Disney...Day 8

In all my posts, I have failed to mention our wonderful hotel accommodations. In the past we have always stayed in an All-Star Resort (also known as the value resorts). It doesn't make sense to spend much on your room when you are NEVER in it. However, we got in on a "special" this round! We got to do a free upgrade to a moderate tier resort. Hello, Caribbean Beach! So, so pretty! Unfortunately, we were NEVER there so we didn't get to enjoy much of it. Nonetheless, it made for some pretty pictures on our last morning.

There were sandy beaches surrounding a large lake in the center of the property. We walked around it each morning on our way to breakfast in the food court.

Everything was so green and serene.

There was also a marina on site where you could rent everything from a pontoon to a paddle boat.

Brotherly bonding in the hammock (insert sarcasm). I wish I had audio to accompany this shot. Apparently, the goal was to flip each other out...and I thought we were just taking pictures.

Posing with their wand boxes. We could not take a chance of something happening to these bad boys, so we had to carry them on the plane!

Casting his spell...he looks convincing.

M-I-C, See ya real soon.K-E-Y, Why? Because we like you. M-O-U-S-E

Disney...Day 7

Friday was our second and final day at Universal Studios. In all actuality we covered most of the park(s) the first day, but we had purchased two day passes and prepaid for our driver! We caught wind that the Disney castle was going to be lit for Christmas at 7:00 p.m. We couldn't be in Orlando and not witness the Christmas magic...so we bought an extra day pass to the Magic Kingdom and adjusted our Universal pick-up time accordingly. We were so excited! How often do you get lucky enough to watch the transformation from Halloween to Christmas? All you non-Disney peeps out there, feel free to roll your eyes!

Posing on the Universal Boardwalk before entering the park.

Pharaoh, Pharaoh...being goofy in the Mummy Returns gift shop.

Calling the Hogs with Spongebob!

It's an angry little Carter! We made him pose in front of the Barney shop (because he used to love that wacky dinosaur). He failed to see the humor!

Look who we found in the gift shop!

Carter taking his final spin on his favorite coaster...he's the second speck from the back.

We had our driver drop us off at the Disney Transit Station. From there we took the ferry over to the Magic Kingdom. Staying on the property, we've never had the opportunity to ride the ferry (back in my day, this was the ONLY way to get from the parking lot to the Kingdom). We all thought it was pretty cool...

...and it provided some awesome views. The train station is to Alex's left and the castle to Carter's right. It's rare to get these two icons in the same shot. Again, feel free to roll your eyes!

All decorated for Christmas. The pumpkins had been replaced with poinsettias. They decorate for Christmas in one night. A crew comes in after hours, dismantles the Halloween and puts up the Christmas. Can you spell M-A-G-I-C.?

They'll let you do ANYTHING at Disney, if you are crazy enough to ask. "Hey, can my kids hold the $500 worth of helium balloons you're holding?" Fabulous Disney employee replies, "Absolutely! Let me step out of the way!"

What's for dinner? Ice Cream!

Final spin on the Buzz ride.

They are so competitive with this game! Must defeat Zurg!

Touring Tomorrowland on the People Mover. Disney Trivia: This is Disney World's oldest ride.

We absolutely love being in the park at night. Especially when it's almost empty. We rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad three times in a row!

Watching "The Magic, the Memories and You" show on our last night. I won't even attempt to explain "wow factor" of this show, but it was unbelievable. It started last year, so it was new to us. Once again, we were left to wonder: How do they do it?

Love these guys! I love my boys, too :)

Aaahhhhhhh! The lighting of the castle!

Mickey and Minnie getting ready to "flip the switch" on the wonder.

Another late night. Note the emptiness of Main Street.

A perfect way to end an awesome trip.

Disney...Day 6

This day should really be entitled Universal...Day 1, but I decided to stick with the theme. This was the moment the boys had been waiting for...drum roll, please...HARRY POTTER! This was their first visit to Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure (Russ and I had not been since 1997!). This was a whole new territory for all of us.

Posing in front of the Hogwarts castle. The Harry Potter area was very impressive. Well done, Universal, you got the Galbraith fam stamp of approval.

BUTTER BEER! Woo-hoo! The Galbraith boys' official review: Definitely order the FROZEN! Waaaayyyyy better than "on the rocks!"

Inside the Great Hall with all the talking paintings. Our driver told us that the line for the Forbidden Journey (the main Harry Potter ride, there are 3 rides total) averages a 4-hour wait in the summer. We were able to ride twice in 30 minutes. While I'm certainly not complaining, we did zip past all the "visuals" set out to entertain you in line. The Great Hall being one of them.

I now present...the Sorting Hat. We think they should have an attraction where the Sorting Hat actually chooses your house for you. Both of my boys would want Gryffindor!

The moment Carter had been waiting for for 6 long months...choosing his wand in Olivander's Wand Shop. It was a tough decision, I tell you! Did he want Harry's wand or his birth month wand? In the end, he decided that his wand had chosen him...he went with the September wand.

Three boys outside of The Three Broomsticks...our lunch destination.

Posing with the conductor in front of the Hogwarts Express.

The boys were in Harry Potter heaven inside of Honeydukes, home of the famous chocolate frogs and Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans.

All the equipment necessary for a good game of Quidditch.

The biggest chocolate frog ever!

Zonko's was the go-to-store for all your practical jokes needs. Alex claimed he had "always wanted a pair of chattering teeth." I mean, really, don't we all? They are conspiring at the check-out line on the best way to put them to good use!

Just a cool shot!

The butter beer was flowing in Hogsmeade. You can buy it from a street car...

...or saddle up to a bar!

Bottoms up!

The Dueling Dragons roller coaster. Alex and I opted out of the first round, but were peer pressured into round two. I'm glad we caved! It was a ton of fun!

Russ chomping down on the meat feast at lunch. I think this was made for Hagrid!

Wizard #1

Wizard #2

After exiting the town of Hogsmeade, we decided to see what the rest of the park had to offer. In our humble opinion, not very much. Harry Potter was incredible and we are so glad the boys got the experience; however, the rest of the park seemed a bit dated and more like Six Flags on steroids. Then again, maybe we're just Disney freaks...and it sure wasn't Disney! You don't see dinosaurs trying to attack your children in the Magic Kingdom :)

Carter posing with his favorite ride, The Incredible Hulk roller coaster. For some reason, the spiders on The Forbidden Journey freaked him out, but a double looper roller coaster with 10 story plunges...NO PROBLEM!

Another thing you don't see at Disney! The Green Goblin!

Another thrill ride conquered by Carter "No Fear" Galbraith!

They had a section of the park that was modeled after the Sunday comics. It was kind of old school and definitely appealed to me more than "Fear Fall" and men in demon costumes!

John bought this hat at the Animal Kingdom and proceeded to wear it for the rest of the week. Carter nicknamed him Pappy because he thought it made him look "like an older gentleman"! We couldn't resist posing in front of "Poop Deck Pappy's Popcorn."

I couldn't get this picture to turn for the blog, so you'll have to tilt your head! Isn't it cute?

Hang 10, baby!

Since we had been using the Disney transportation system, we had to hire a driver to transport us to Universal and back to our Disney hotel. This was our driver, AMY. Yes, AMY! HE was from Haiti and we were all fascinated, as we had never met a man named Amy! He was super nice and chock full of Orlando tidbits. The ride was far too short!

Since we were on the Disney dining plan, we headed to Downtown Disney for dinner at Wolfgang Pucks. We had some time to kill before our reservation so we wandered the Boardwalk and bought a few souvenirs...and posed with the Lego Buzz!

We encountered this "statue" on our way to the restaurant. It was actually a real lady that would grab your hair or peck your shoulder when you posed with her. It was a little freaky...a bit too freaky for Carter "No Fear" Galbraith. He refused to turn his back to her!