Our Disney Trip - 2008 (Post 1)

Back in October during the kid's two week break from school, we boarded a plane for Orlando, Florida and had an absolutely amazing time. We arrived midday on Saturday, and spent 5 fun-filled days at Disney's Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot Center.

Not only was going to Disney World a first for Allison and Jacob, but so was flying on an airplace! Both kids fared well, in spite of the long layover in Atlanta!

Our Disney Trip - 2008 (Post 2)

I forgot to mention in Post 1, not only did we spend 5 fabulous days at the four Disney Parks in Orlando, but on Thursday morning we got up and after breakfast and a final swim in the hotel pool, we boarded a bus for Cape Canaveral to board the Disney Wonder Cruise Ship for a three night Cruise.

This made for another couple "firsts" for the kids, seeing the ocean, and going on a cruise ship! It was worth every penny we spent along the way to see them having so much fun!

The cruise took us to Nassau on Friday, and to Castaway Cay on Saturday. The dining, live theater, and fun activities on the cruise ship were amazing and we never had a spare moment! (Allison even made time for some Diney Karaoke!)

Stop back soon for more pictures and details on the trip, we have so much more to share! Coming Soon: More detail from Nassau and Castaway Cay, our favorite attractions at each park, as well as a slideshow of all the cool Disney Characters we met while we were there!

Disney Characters We Met - 2008 (Post 3)

Here are some pictures from our recent trip to Disney. These are pictures of just a few of the characters that Allison and Jacob met along the way, there were more that Mom and Dad did not capture on film! (Just click on any picture in the slideshow above to see the photo in full size and color!)

Hey Cubs Fans... Check This One Out!

"All the Way"-A Cubs Tribute by Eddie Vedder

Go - Fight - Win!

Since Jacob is playing YMCA Flag Football this Fall, Allison signed up for cheerleading at the same time. While the first game was a bit unorganizaed from a cheerleading perspective, Allison had fun and looked as beautiful as ever.

Jacob's First Flag Football Game!

The time has finally arrived, and Jacob had a great game! While this picture is of him playing QB, he is much more excited about playing on the defensive side of the ball. While not the quickest fella on the field yet, Jacob is really focused out there and listens really well to Coach Nick! Stayed tuned from more details throughout the season! He will be playing through the end of October, although he will miss two games when we are in Florida over fall break.

First Day Of School!

Here are a couple of pictures of the kids on their first day of school this year. They started on July 30th this year, can you believe it? Allison started 4th grade, and Jacob is a big 1st grader now.

NW Fair & Rodeo - 2008

Here are some pictures of the kids and some of their friends during the Kiddie Parade at the New Windsor Fair and Rodeo in August of 2008. Jacob and Eli are hanging out in one picture, and Allison has her friend Brittany close by. And who could forget about little Ellie, the cutest clown of them all!

Congratulations Uncle Brad!

The whole family traveled to Chapel Hill, North Carolina this past weekend to help Eric's brother Bradley celebrate his graduation from UNC! Here is a picture of Uncle Brad and his nieces and nephews at the graduation ceremony! (GO TARHEELS...HOLLA, HOLLA!)

Allison Gets Braces!

On Thursday (03/20/08) Allison got her new braces! She was so excited, here is a picture of her showing off the new hardware! She has admitted they are hurting her teeth a bit but she is being very brave about it all! Now we are carrying a toothbrush everywhere we go, but I am sure she will think it is all worth it in the end!

Rock Band - Young Family Tour

Melissa got Eric (and the kids) the Rock Band game for the PS3 awhile back, and it is absolutely amazing. We have a small family band started named "Smashing Bugs", Allison plays lead guitar, and Eric plays the drums. Jacob is learning to play, but it is still hard from him. More practice and he will be doing great as well! Here are a couple pictures for Allison and Jacob rocking out one evening last week!

Absolutely no pictures of Eric will be posted, and Melissa is still refusing to play at all claiming "I just like to watch." Allison is the only one who has been willing to sing, but these rock tunes are much harder to sing than her "American Idol" and "CMT Country" karaoke games! I have a feeling she will master it soon enough! Stay tuned for more "Rock and Roll News" from the Young Family...we will be taking requests soon!

Eric's New Car

It was time to trade-in that gas guzzling Dodge Dakota 4x4 for something a bit more cost-effective, and this is what we opted for!

2008 VW Jetta SE - Silver (Click for a review)

While we will miss the truck, this will be really fun to drive, and the fuel economy will be great! We really don't need a truck often enough to warrant the cost of putting fuel in it, especially with gas headed to $4.00 a gallon this summer.

Allison is hoping I keep this for 7 years, so she can have it as her first car at 16! Scary thought, but it might work out!

Disney - Here We Come!

The Young's have finally scheduled their Disney trip for this coming October! Not only are we going to Walt Disney World in Orlando, but we are taking a 3 days Disney Cruise as well! Port of Call for this cruise include Nassau and Castaway Cay! Check out the "4 Nights on Land & 3 Nights at Sea" itinerary at http://www.disneycruises.com/ for more details!

Happy 6th Birthday Jacob!

Well it is official, BIG JAKE is no longer 5 years old! Today he hit the big old 6, and there is no looking back! Usually the last guy out of bed in this house on school days, he was up before anyone else and ready to rumble! (We suspect he thought he would get presents before school, but that is not the way it works around here!)

Here is a quick snapshot of Jacob and Allison bright and early on his birthday. His party is going to be next Saturday, we will get some more pictures to share then!

Allison's 9th Birthday Party

Here is a snapshot of Allison and all her friends at her birthday party. We started out with bowling, pizza, and cake at Alpha Lanes. We then returned home to open gifts, sing karaoke, watch movies, do makeovers, fashion shows, and have a super-cool sleepover. Here is a picture of Allison opening gift with he friends Maggie, Emily, Brittany, Claire, Tayler, and Haley. (Can you imagine how late these girls kept Mom and Dad up?)

Happy 9th Birthday Allison!

February 1st sure rolled around quick this year, and along with it Allison Nicole's birthday! Here is a picture of her bright and early on the morning of her birthday. We have a tradition here of getting up really early on the morning of our birthday and getting pictures taken before Daddy leaves for work. Typically this would result in messy haired, groggy looking kids but at 9 Allison has this all figured out! She got up as soon as her alarm went off and got all dressed and beautiful, before Dad could find the camera! Here is a picture of her from that morning, what a special little 9 year old! (Maybe one of these days I will did up all 9 years with of birthday morning pictures and publish collection of them!)

Stayed tuned for Jacob's birthday morning pictures, his special day is only a couple weeks away!

Allison - Goes To State Talent Competition

In January Allison, her family, and friends from dance class all maid the short journey to Springfield, Illinois for the her first official dance competition. They competed in the junior division of the State Fair Association Talent Contest, and boy did they have fun! The whole group did great, and here is a picture of Allison during the competition.