Hoskins Family ...forever and ever amen: February 2012

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Jacksonville Fun With Greg and Michelle

After six days in Orlando, we were all pretty worn out; however, Greg and Michelle were nice enought to take a slight detour on their way back to Houston and come to see our little condo in Jacksonville. While they were in town we took them to the Jacksonville beach where the kids lived it up in the super soft sand.

Then, on a whim, we all bought tickets to the Ringling Brothers Circus. I hadn't been to the circus since I was a kid, and this was all of the kids first trip. I didn't know what to expect, but it turned out to be pretty fun. In fact, I have to admit that I was on the edge of my seat a few times during the show. So was Mason, as the pictures show.

It was a short visit, but capped off a really great week spent with family. We sure do appreciate everyone making the trip and sharing in all of our Florida fun!

Friday, February 24, 2012

Disney with the McArthurs

In addition to going to Harry Potter World, we had to take in a few Disney parks with Grandma and Grandpa and Greg and Michelle as well. Of course we started out with the biggest and best park of all--The Magic Kingdom! It really is the place where all your dreams come true.

Our day at the Magic kingdom included all the usual Disney moments:

The family photo op,

plenty of sight-seeing, rides, and treats,

and tons of character meet and greets.

Grandma and Grandpa also treated us to an extra-special Disney expereince--character dining. Since we'll be eating in the Cinderella Castle for Emma's fourth birthday celebration, we decided to visit the next best dining site at Walt Disney World: The Crystal Palace. Winnie the Pooh and all his friends stay at the Crystal Palace and gave all of the kids quite a thrill while we ate.

Then we capped off the night with everyone's favorite--the electric parade and firework show.

It was a fun-filled, fabulous day, and was followed by a second day of Dinsey magic at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

We didn't take near as many pictures, but it was fun nonetheless.

P.S. Here are a few other photos from Universal Studios that didn't make it into the Harry Potter World post:

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Madison Elizabeth--10 years old. Maddi is growing into quite the little lady. She is like a mommy to her little brothers and sister--who she can now babysit for under two hours--and she is truly mom's greatest helper. She still loves dancing--she scored a part in the Bismarck Nutcracker this year. She took a year off of Gymnastics to try ice skating--which she has thoroughly enjoyed. She added violin to the list of instruments she can now play quite proficiently--her piano gets better and better every day. And she continues to do private art lessons, Spanish lessons, and Activity Day Girls. She also gets paid for writing phonics appropriate stories for Mason, spelling worksheets for Emma, and helping Spencer with his math lessons. She is a busy little girl and we love her with all of our hearts!

Spencer Hinckley 8 1/2 year old. Spencer is my tender-hearted, thoughtful, perceptive little boy. He was baptized this summer in the Susquehanna River and takes his promises to the Lord so seriously. If he is ever being naughty, I can simply remind him of his accountability before God and he is like a totally different boy on the spot! I love his sweet spirit and desire to be good. Spencer is also my careful, technical, handy little man. When Nick is not home, he is the go-to boy when it comes to fixing things and solving mechanical problems. He even shows the workers around the mechanical room when they come to work on things! He will surely work with his hands some day to earn his keep. This year, Spencer has continued playing golf, soccer, and basketball, has joined Maddi in art, Spanish, and piano lessons, and is loving his new role as a Boy Scout. He is a joy to have in our family!

EmmaLee Adelin 6 1/2 years old. Emma is our sensitive baby girl and her mother's little angel. She has grown up so much this year and is continually perfecting her position as the family peacemaker. She doesn't like to see anyone fight and won't let her cherished baby brother ever get upset. This year Emma has continued to dance--also scoring a part in the Bismarck Nutcracker, she also traded in gymnastics for a year of ice skating, and she has joined the older kids for a unique art and art history course her mommy helped develop with a local art school. She loves her activities, is becoming an excellent reader, and is ever our social butterfly. (She even talks the ears off the cleaning ladies when they're here!) Emma is counting down the days until she will get to be baptized and is now starting her early morning Book of Mormon reading time with mom. We love and cherish this sweet little girl!

Mason McKay 5 years old. Mason is the baby of our family and continues to be the glue that holds us all together. Even though he promised me that he would not grow up, he can't help but be blossoming into the most handsome, happy, brilliant little man ever. He officially started kindergarten this year (at 4), and is so bright he is already almost caught up with Emma in his reading and math. I'm not sure how to reign him in! In addition to school, he also shares his big brothers critical thinking mind. He can build the most complicated Lego sets, be a genuine help to his big brother in figuring out their X-box levels, and is better on the I-phone and I-pad than anyone else in the family! He is precocious to boot! Despite growing up to be such a smarty, he still loves snuggling up with mommy whenever he gets the chance. We are enjoying every minute of our littlest and last baby love!