The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

We surprised the kids with a quick trip to Universal Studios over Christmas break. We left the day after Christmas, driving down one day, at the park the next, and driving home the day after. It was a lot of work and funds for one magical day! Universal Studios is okay, but The Wizarding World of Harry Potter did not disappoint! The hot butterbeer was so tasty. The Forbidden Journey ride was incredible (we rode it first thing, having gotten in an hour early--7 a.m.--and had no wait. Later it was up to a FOUR HOUR wait. Crazy.), and the Hippogriff ride was fun too. We also got to see a wand selection experience and listen to the frog choir. We caught the last half of the Tri-Wizard rally, and we bought a ($50!!) interactive Harry Potter wand so that we could cast spells throughout the park (totally worth it). We tried Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Jelly Beans (felt just like a Hogwarts student) and ate dinner at the Three Broomsticks. The experience was immersive and the decor and ambiance extremely well done. If I went again, I would spend the whole day in Harry Potter World and avoid the rest of the park, which was mostly comprised of standing in line. 

December for the Briens

This month was so full that I must have forgotten to take many pictures! We celebrated Audrey's 10th birthday with a minute to win it party; I flew to Iowa for my Grandmother Carol's funeral; we participated in many church activities and service opportunities; we went to Winterfest in PG; we hosted a piano recital for Audrey and the Bernards; we celebrated Christmas with the Briens' traditional crab dinner; and we went to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Now I'm spending winter break with a cold, recovering from it all. 

  Audrey's birthday shenanigans! 

 Winterfest in PG!

  An appetizer I made for a church social.

 Christmas crab dinner, and below is a walk we took on Christmas Eve when we saw thousands of seagulls on the water--not sure why, but it was an incredible sight!

November fun

Audrey got her gold belt in karate! (It's the second belt). She was so nervous for her first test, but she did really well! She is loving karate.

My mom came to visit and we had a lovely time. The waves were huge while she was here, which was fun to see.

We also did a Lula's chocolate factory tour--yum!

Sunday walk before church. 

While my mom was here, we drove up to Moss Landing to check out a pirate ship that was in the Pirates movie--it was a fun adventure.

Ian got to take the class otters home one day. He loves them. The kids and otters had fun playing on the playground while I was in parent/teacher conferences.

Ian's class had a Thanksgiving play and feast and I loved being there with him. He was a pilgrim and did a great job performing.

Our annual FHE Thanksgiving: TP turkeys. :)

Paul came for his 5th Thanksgiving with us! We had a great time. This was our 8th Thanksgiving with the Egers--love traditions like these!

Trick or Treat!

On Halloween, we went trick-or-treating in Beth's neighborhood. This is the second time we've been able to trick-or-treat with her family! We had a lovely time and the kids got more candy than seems possible to eat.

London is a pirate; Adele is his parrot; Claire is Princess Leia; Boston is a storm trooper; Audrey is a Greek goddess (specifically Athena); Ian is Webber (a spider from Don't Starve); Declan is Mario.

That morning at school, the kids had a parade to show off their costumes and school spirit!

Halloween fun

Candy for breakfast after Trunk-or-Treat 

Making Halloween cookies with my cutes!

PG Library Haunted house

Pumpkin pie for breakfast. It's fun around here!

Science Saturday at PG Natural History Museum.

Go Audrey!

And Declan! (Ian declined on the snake and the spider)

We stumbled across Science Saturday while trick-or-treating downtown PG.

Ward Trunk-or-Treat party: so much Halloweening!

Halloween party

We hosted another Halloween party and had a great time! We set up dancing on the back patio which I loved so much. Looking forward to next year!