New Year's in Orlando

The day after we got back from Christmas in Conroe, we had a quick turnaround before we flew out on Tuesday for Orlando. The girls were extra excited because they got kindles for Christmas & this was their first trip to take them:

We didn't have any trips planned over the winter break, so this one was last minute - any guesses why?

You know it! We ended the year on New Year's Eve at the Cheez It Bowl watching the Texas Longhorns defeat Michigan! It was an afternoon game & beautiful weather:

We sat on the 35-yard line, 3rd row, right behind the Texas bench. Bryan doesn't like sitting this close, but the girls love it! We even had an up-close view of Arch the entire game. When he wasn't on the field, he was literally sitting right in front of us:

It was a pretty evenly matched game until the 4th quarter and then the Horns turned it on & they finished strong:

Surprisingly, it was cold in Florida! Literally colder there than it was at home! After the game, I made reservations at Disney Springs to celebrate New Year's Eve:

I read an article about a journalist who lived in Orlando about all of his favorite gf restaurants & he recommended this one right here:

Thank goodness I made reservations about a month ago as soon as we heard where Texas would be playing. The entire area was packed & there were crowds everywhere. But at least everything was still decorated & everyone was festive for the holiday. Sadie was SO excited they had a make your own shirley temple on the kids' menu - that is her absolute favorite thing:

I loved the ambiance & vibe of the restaurant plus they were super allergen friendly. They are known for their cookie bar & they even have a GF, Vegan chocolate chip that was amazing! I ordered it warm & Bryan even got his with a scoop of ice cream on top:

We had hoped to go to Universal on New Year's Day, and we had been on the waitlist, but we never got it so the next 2 days were kind of chill. We slept in, found a few good restaurants, went to the movies & just enjoyed being together for the holiday. We found an awesome food hall where we had our first meal of the new year together. They had a tavern/sports bar where we set up to watch football all afternoon, played card games & any of the food trucks would send their meal to you once you ordered it. It was the best start to 2026:

And you know what - that's really all I have! We didn't do much & I didn't take many pictures. We mostly ate some great food! New Year's night we went to this awesome taco & tequila bar that I would totally go back to again. They even had a mariachi band come around & serenade us:

Finally, my last picture is food, again. Ha! You can tell what my favorite thing to do is when we travel?! This restaurant was ok & I would maybe go back there again, but this dish was fantastic - fruity pebble pancakes with whip cream & a strawberry glaze. This is what Sadie ordered & I had to sneak a bite. Did you know Fruity Pebbles are gluten free? That's one of the fun cereals I always keep at home because Sadie loves it & I think I can totally recreate this dish here:

And that was winter break! Our first week we were at home & with Bryan's family, then we went to Conroe & celebrated with my family & then we ended with a few days in Orlando. We loved watching the Longhorns end the year with a win & I loved kicking off the new year with a few days just the 4 of us. Now today everyone is back at work & school so 2026 is off & running. I think I am refreshed & ready for the year to come & all of the busyness that comes with it!

Christmas Leftovers

It's the last day of the year and I am trying to wrap up my blogging for the year, so this is my last official photo dump for the month with leftover pictures from Christmas. Let's start with Christmas nails. Sadie is the QUEEN of doing nails these days & she did Christmas nails for everyone:

The weekend before Christmas after the girls were out of school, we had a few more Christmas parties. Bryan & I went to one with our church small group:

and we went to a progressive dinner with Sophie's volleyball team:

After church that Sunday, I surprised the girls with lunch reservations at the holiday pop up at Suburban Yacht Club:

Sadie's friend, Layla, went with us & the girls had fun ordering mocktails:

We walked around the boardwalk afterwards to play games, shop & we even saw Santa:

On Monday morning, Sophie & I got invited to our first mother daughter tea with some of her new friends from school:

On Friday morning, the day after Christmas, we drove to Conroe to celebrate with my family, but we made a surprise pit stop first. Sophie is obsessed with Dr. Pepper, I mean literally, look at what she got from her friends for her birthday:

She actually got a 8 pack of bottles, a 12 pack of cans, a few individual cans/bottles & a toiletry case. Clearly her friends know her well! So, we made a detour through Waco & made a stop at:

She was beyond excited to walk through the museum, learn how Dr. Pepper was made, how it was bottled & we even got to taste it:

We finished our tour at the soda fountain where they got to choose what Dr. Pepper flavor they wanted. Sophie upgraded hers to a Dr. Pepper float:

We even let her shop in the store & she spent her Christmas money to buy a beanie, which she looks pretty cute in:

It was a fun surprise for the holiday road trip!

We finally made it to Conroe Friday night & we stayed until Monday but apparently, we had so much fun, I didn't take many pictures. It was unseasonably warm, so the girls spent a lot of time cruising the neighborhood on the golf cart:

Thankfully I got one picture of the girls with my parents at church on Sunday morning:

We had a great weekend & it felt good to skip town for a few days. And that's a wrap! December was quite the month with 4 Christmas celebrations with family & 2 birthdays for the girls. I think we are ready for 2026 & all that the new year entails! Cheers!