GATORLAND

Alligator Capital of the World
Orlando, Florida
October 10, 2010
Fall Break: Day 2











This place is home to thousands of alligators and crocodiles.

I love how this gator is resting on a turtle!

Nice alligator!

Cayden and cousin Taylor are so brave!

The boys having a squirtfest!

This is how tiny these gators are as a baby! Keira loved petting it!

After the Gator Wrestlin' Show, we got to hop on the back of an 8 foot alligator! The trainer totally freaked Grandma Cindy out! LOL!

Carson rookie wrestlin'!

Cayden!

I didn't pass up a once in-a-lifetime opportunity to sit on a gator!

I showed that gator who the boss was! LOL!

Carson feeding the barnyard critters!

Dang bird almost bit Mark's finger off! I can't help, but laugh when I see this picture! We all had hot dogs in our hands to feed the gators and these birds kept chasing us trying to get the hot dogs. Crazy birds.

Feeding time! Don't those hot dogs look good?! Come to find out, Carson got a little hungry and had to have a few bites! Nasty!

Karisa and Hallie feeding the gators! Those gators are always hungry!

Grandma Cindy is lucky she still has a hand after feeding this gator!

Cayden and Carson feeding the natives of Gatorland! Look how big that gator is!

Gatorland Express Train!

Our official Gatorland group photo minus Grandpa George who was at his dental convention!

Mark feeding the Lorikeets inside the Aviary. Just call him birdman!

This parrot matches my shirt!

Keira loved feeding and holding the birds!

Carson getting a ride from cousin Taylor!

The white alligator!

Keira and Karlie cooling off at the splash park! At the end of the day we let our kids get soaked before heading back to the resort!

While the kids cooled off the adults relaxed in the shade! We couldn't of asked for better Florida weather!

Better Late than Never: Fall Break 2010

Trip to Orlando, Florida
October 9, 2010
Day 1

I have been a bad blogger and have not blogged about our awesome trip to Florida that we took 4 1/2 months ago! I know, I know, but better late than never is how I look at it. Many of our family and friends have just been dying to see all the fun that we had, and with Spring Break less than a week away, I thought it was time to post the hundreds of pictures that I took! My mom and step-dad invited the family to go back to Orlando, Florida for Fall Break since they would be there for a dental convention! We had went to Orlando the year before for fall break (with Grandma Cindy, my sister, MacKenzie, and Grandma Sharon) and could not pass up the opportunity to go again! This year Keira got to come along with us as well Grandpa George, my sister, Karisa, and three of her kids! In total we had a party of 11 and we had the time of our life!


The trip started off at Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix! My sister, Karisa, and three of her kids, Hallie, Karlie and Taylor as well as Keira and I were all on the same airplane! In order to get an awesome deal on our airfare, our group of 11 had to split up! Mark, Cayden and Carson flew together and my Mom and George flew out of Tucson the day before us to get to their dental convention!



Keira with her three cousins, Karlie, Taylor and Hallie on the plane to Orlando, Florida! This was Keira's first plane ride and she loved it! As we were taking off from Phoenix and the plane started to speed down the runway (the plane was silent), Keira let out a loud woohoo, woohoo!! The entire plane got a kick out of her excitement and were all laughing. I wish I had captured it on video as it was so dang cute!



Keira and Karlie loved looking out the plane window!

The girls loved watching movies on the portable DVD player while in flight!
After several hours in the air and one quick plane change in Dallas, Texas, we arrived in Orlando, Florida ready for eight days of fun!

Carson's Crazy 7th Birthday Party!

January, 8, 2011

Carson celebrated his seventh birthday with 30 of his friends from church, school and the neighborhood at our house! Yes, I said 30 kids! I know I am crazy, but it could of been way worse! Carson actually invited even more kids than 30 (somewhere around 50)! I am thankful that just 30 kiddos showed up. It was CRAZY! I never thought that many kids would show up! LOL! Thank goodness the weather was perfect to host an outdoor party! Don't know what I would of done with all those kids in my house had the weather not been nice.

The Birthday Boy!

Mark creating the birthday wall for Carson in our backyard before the party! What a good dad!

Carson the seven year old showing me just how old he turned! This is the awesome bounce house we rented for Carson's party! Carson had orginally picked out a sport themed bounce house, but that one had a tear in it so they gave me this one instead at an extra special discounted price!

Cupcakes, goodie bags and gifts for Carson! Time to party!

The seven-year old, Carson, ready to party!

Carson's party started off with lunch! The kiddos ate Little Caesars cheese and pepperoni pizza, crazy bread and crazy sauce, chips and soda!

After lunch the kids went straight to the bounce house and trampoline! This is the shoe pile outside the bounce house! Very smelly! LOL!

Mark had the duty of controlling the craziness inside the bounce house!

Bounce house fun!

Go Carson!

A few girls braved the bounce house with the boys!

The airpline teeter-totter is always a hit with the kids!

My attempt at getting a group shot of all 30 kids! A few kids are missing from the picture! I tried!

First game: Potato Sack Bag Races!

The kiddos loved it!

Second game: Hot Potato with a basketball

Hot Potato came down to Crew and Carson!

Third game: Egg on a Spoon race (no mess version)!

The birthday song, blowing out the number 7 candle and cupcake time!

After cupcakes, Carson opened up his birthday gifts! Carson received a ton of games, legos, nerf guns and toys! It was like Christmas all over again. Thank you to all Carson's family and friends for the awesome gifts and money!

I love Carson's face in this picture! Is he excited or what?!