Disney Details

Oh I am so ecstatic to share some more details of our upcoming Disney World vacation!! 81 days is the new countdown!! We are so busy as a family between now and then that those days will pass by quickly. And because we are taking two days to drive down to Orlando we will actually be hitting the road in 80 days ;) We are trying to make this time in Disney as low key and calm as possible. We tend to be type A people when it comes to planning our Disney trip and though we have planned lots of activities in advance, we've also kept most of the days open so we can go with the flow and not be rushed. Hence why we decided on just the basic dinning plan this time around. It includes 1 snack, 1 quick service meal (think fast food) and 1 table side meal per paying person which in our case equals Brandon, Peighton and myself. So therefore we only have one reservation for a meal each day and thus only one locked in time that we must be somewhere. The goal of this trip is to enjoy the holiday season in Disney, soak up some great family time and have lots of fun in the process. This trip is the kiddos big Christmas present so we want to make it about them as much as possible. Here is a look at our itinerary.

Day 1:

Arrive in Orlando

Check-in to Hotel

Downtown Disney

Quick Service Meal for Dinner

Day 2: 

Epcot Day

Lunch with the Princesses at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

Explore our Hotel that Evening

Dinner at the Whispering Canyon Cafe

Day 3:

Magic Kingdom Day #1

Breakfast at our Hotel

Quick Service Lunch

Dinner at the Liberty Tree Tavern

Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party

Day 4:

Magic Kingdom Day #2

Quick Service Lunch

Dinner at The Crystal Palace (Character Buffet with Pooh & Friends)

Day 5:

Hollywood Studios Day

Scott's 1st Birthday

Character Lunch with Disney Jr. Pals at the Hollywood & Vine

Quick Service Dinner

Scott Update

Our little scooter is now 9 months old!! He is still our content, lovable little boy!!! I feel like he has changed so much these past few months. He is becoming less baby and more toddler with every accomplishing milestone. Scott is mobile and even though he has yet to master crawling on his hands & knees, he gets to where he wants to go all on his own. He has been working on getting back to the sitting position from crawling as well pulling up to his knees in a standing position. He eats mostly table foods now and is still working on drinking out of sippy cup. Here are some more stats on how our chunky monkey is doing:

• 22 pounds (75%)
• 29 inches in length (75%)
• in 12 month and 18 month clothing
• sleeps 10-11 hours at night
• most days he takes 2 two hour naps
• currently has 2 bottom teeth with another bottom tooth and his two top teeth coming through
• babbling and drooling 
• can say "dada"

I feel so blessed to have another healthy, thriving, developing little boy!!! :)

Disney Bound

Well in less than 90 days, this Doggette family will be headed to Disney to celebrate the Holiday season as well as one special little boy's first birthday!!! We are so excited for this trip! As most know or have figured it out, we LOVE going to Disney World. And though we have many numerous times between Disneyland and Disney World, we have never been during Christmas time. It has been on our family bucket list for quite some time. We have also been itching to go check out the new Fantasyland addition that is opening just a few weeks before we arrive. It was fate that we go this year! Plus, Brandon and I thought it would be so much more fun and memory filled to go on a nice, fun family vacation for Christmas this year. So we researched, plan, brainstormed, discussed and came up with a week full of activities and adventures. We are stoked and even more excited that the countdown is well under way. Disney's salute to the military is an awesome discount and special and without such a great deal we would not be able to go especially not twice in one year. Plus with both boys being under 3 still, we only have to pay for P making it a much more affordable and doable. As part of the salute to the military, all the deluxe resorts are forty percent off. We picked the Wilderness Lodge and even choose bunk beds this time for P and Henry. Its on the Bay Lake by the Magic Kingdom. Its similar to the Grand California in Disneyland and it is inspired by the Great American Northwest National Park.

We cannot wait to arrive here and spend a week on vacation as our little family of five!! We will be staying December 18-23. We arrive on Tuesday afternoon and depart Sunday morning to head up to SC to spend the week of Christmas with our families. I cannot wait to see the hotel and all the parks including Downtown Disney are decked out and decorated for Christmas. Its going to be so magical :)

Adventures in Eating

As Scott approaches the 9 month mark later this month, I can't believe how good of an eater he is. Sometimes I have to remind myself that he is not even a year old yet. He eats so well! There's a popular book called Baby Lead Weaning and basically describes letting your baby not only self feed from an early age but offering what you cook & eat as a family for his meals. The premise is giving your baby food beyond the typical baby food and that most babies who eat table food early on turn out to be better eaters. I was intrigued and knew that Scott had to become a better eater than our picky Henry. So we started out experimenting with different table foods mostly whatever I cooked for dinner and he ate it. Its really simple and "old school" way of feeding babies long before there was Gerber. And to this day, there is nothing he doesn't like. He never spits it out and seems to enjoy most of the foods we offer him. Some meals are easier than others. I am learning to find foods that he enjoys for breakfast and lunch since those are the meals we typically do not eat as a whole family. Scott usually gets a few items for each meals.. most of them are finger foods (things he can feed himself) and then one spoon fed item such as yogurt, mashed potatoes, applesauce, etc. Sometimes I will mix a baby food item with plain, regular yogurt and give that to him. All in all, he mostly prefers the table foods. He eats really well for them at Hourly Care as well. I always tell them to feed him what ever is offered for lunch and see how he does prior to just giving him baby food; and so far, he always eats the table food. He eats what we eat so much that he now prefers those flavors over baby food. We've also introduced a sippy cup within the past week or so. Sometimes he just gnaws on it and other times he actually drinks out of it. But its a process just like anything else and I know in time he will adapt to it. We just might have to try a few different types of sippy cups before we get the "right" one.

our favorite brand of baby food. these are great for on the go. 

we recently tried these and he loves them.

stuffing his face, ha!

sippy cup time.

always smiling. 

Life According to iPhotos

I am not the best at keeping the blog up to date on all that is going on with our daily life and I am even worse and at taking pictures. But luckily I have an awesome iPhone that goes with me everywhere to capture those little moments and then I can share them. So without any particular order, here are some recent happenings in the Doggette house.

we always enjoy a good park outing. 

many loaves of amish bread have been baked. 

bath time with the cutest, chubbiest little boy.

someone loves the swings at the park.

attended a great organizational day with HHC.

Had a weekend filled with memories with amazing friends. 

having fun at a new kid spot in town. 

brotherly love. 

CPT Promotion

Well folks the day finally came... Brandon was promoted to Captain this past Thursday!! We were so happy as a family to see that day come. It was well deserved and earned on Brandon's part. I might be a bit bias but I think he is an awesome soldier and always strives above and beyond. He has the heart and the discipline for the job. I am so proud of him and all of his endeavours. He is an amazing example to our boys! The ceremony went well and lasted only about 10 minutes. Of course, I cried as did he (although he wouldn't want to admit that but he did.. he can't help it). He gave a heartfelt speech afterwards that choked us both up. He is a good man and though him staying behind as Rear D is great for our family, his heart is going with his "guys" down range... that's just who he is and why I love him.   We have been blessed with an amazing Army family here at Fort Campbell. Brandon and I both have wonderful examples and mentors around us. We look forward to the future in the ARMY!

Here are some pictures from the event: