A few more NYE photos

Favorite cousin photo

NYE formal night

This is how we party in the New Year: dress alike in coordinating outfits, take a lot of pictures, eat filet mignon and lobster, dance the night away, drink champagne, and wait for the big balloon drop. Good times!

Oasis of the Seas Adventure

Our vacation started on New Years Eve as the Binkowski clan of 12 embarked on the Oasis of the Seas. Day 1 was filled with a lot of exploring of the new boat, a formal dinner, and celebrating the New Year.

Cheers to Three generations...

Three generations drinking pink drinks.... watermelon margaritas for two out of three of us. Happy start to family vacation as we dined at Disney Springs in Orlando. Tomorrow we board onto our cruise boat together as we say goodbye to 2017 and hello to a brand new year.

Scoops!

A trip to Florida isn't complete without a trip to our favorite ice cream establishment... it's real name is the Royal Scoop, but we just call it Scoops.... always busy in season, but worth the wait!

Crossing them off...

So, I don't really remember how my quest started. It was something with my friend Jamie I'm sure..... but I've always been on a quest to go to all 50 states. Last year, the girls received a sticker book of the USA to see the states they have been to and begin to understand their geography. Well, according to "my rules", you have to step foot on ground in the state to count it. So, this is us....in Mobile, Alabama eating lunch to cross it off their list!

By the way, they're at 14/15. (Sophie went to NJ when she was 1 so she's up on Abby!) Not bad, for Little travelers...

Celebration of the Oaks

What a fantastic find— this Botanical Garden transforms into a winter wonderland filled with lights and rides. We were able to capture just a little bit more Christmas spirit, New Orleans style, by visiting this popular site that had no wait at any of the rides!! Bonus!! The girls loved that they were tall enough to ride some of the spinny rides without adults. They also enjoyed their favorites, like the fun house. All in all, we had a great time at the Celebration of the Oaks and would recommend it to anyone traveling to New Orleans around the holiday season.

New Orleans

After Christmas was over and the decorations came down, we packed up the car and headed straight south for New Orleans. It was a 14 hour drive, which we drove overnight with no problems.

After checking into the Hotel Monteleone, we hit the town for some jazz brunch, the French market, and a little taste of New Orleans. The girls loved the street entertainment on Jackson Square and the bengeits at Cafe du Monde. I loved my dinner at the Pelican Club. It's a fun town, even with kids!

Christmas morning

Three days before Christmas it was 40 degrees outside and we hadn't had snow at all. Sophie mentioned that we likely won't have a White Christmas... well, was certainly wrong! Starting on Christmas Eve, it snowed consistently blanketing our town with snow just in time for Santa.

He was able to land at our house sometime overnight, eat his cookies, and deliver the gifts. The girls woke up first wanting to go downstairs to open gifts. They started with their stockings, and were so excited with the stuff they got, we could have stopped there! Between the stuffed Santa, makeup, headbands, and gel pens... they were happy! But, then the real fun came and the girls opened a lot more gifts. I'd have to say that their favorites were the vtech watches and their sticker books based on what they've played with the most so far. Thanks Santa, see you next year!

All ready for Santa