Disney Live! Mickey Mouse Magic Show

Disney Live! Mickey Mouse Magic show was a fantastic show!! Our family went and saw the show at the Xcel Energy Center on October 24th, 2010. Our family was very impressed with the show, and we will for sure what to see it again when it comes to our area.
The show started off with an introduction to the magician, Brad, and he was there to perform the tricks along with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald.

The show had dancing girls, and they danced a few times in between the sets.
Mickey and Minnie are so fun to watch, ~what a cute couple!
One of the beginning scenes was of Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter, the Rabbit, and the Queen of Hearts.
During the dancing of the cards, Brad the magician displayed a joker card with Goofy's picture on it.....Bad move! The Queen of Hearts declared, "Off with his head!"
So, Alice had to put Brad into the boxes and spin his head and body around and around. Let's just say he got all twisted up! I am still not sure how that trick was performed!
Mickey and Minnie did a dance of the glowing broomsticks, like in Fantasia. Minnie floated into the air during this magic show, too.
A little boy was brought up onto the stage, and Brad asked for his show. The shoe was melted and deformed, and the trick was that his shoe, nice and new, ended up in a box that was hanging from the ceiling.
One of the fun sets of the show, was when there was a throne with a curtain attached. Mickey, Minnie and Donald shut the curtain, one of them said a magic word, and a princess appeared. Belle, from Beauty and the Beast, was first to appear. Then, after Belle talked and sang, the curtain was shut, and Goofy tried a take at the magic word "Abracadabra," but he mispronounced it...and instead of someone good...Gaston appeared.
The next princess to appear was Snow White. When Goofy tried saying the magic word, with failing, the wicked witch appeared with a poisoned apple to tempt Snow White.
The last princess that appeared was Cinderella, and then the Fairy godmother came to make Cinderella's dream come true.
A pair of pink shoes were received from the audience, and magically transformed into glass slippers....and then a pumpkin-shaped carriage came out onto the stage.
Cinderella, peasant girl, entered the carriage, and with a poof, the door opened and Cinderella Princess came out....gown, hair up in a style and all! What a great trick!
This time, when the curtain on the throne was pulled shut, "Abracadabra," was said and Prince Phillip appeared and danced with his Princess Cinderella.

Donald Duck really wanted a big spot light in the show. He had made way to center stage with a song about himself a few times during the show, hoping it was his turn to shine. I love Donald...he is so cute!
The Aladdin theme was the next part, and out of the magic lamp came none other than Genie Goofy! There was a magic carpet that danced around, and then Princess Jasmine appeared.
Brad the magician magically lifted Jasmine up into the air...slowly, slowly, higher and higher. He took a silver ring and had her body go through the ring. It was very impressive!
Then, one of the most thrilling magic tricks out there (in my opinion) is the trick to cut a person into sections...by mid section, and with dividers at the head and feet. Two girls were the volunteers for this trick, and the guys could each perform the trick. Each girl wore a colorful, sparkling outfit~ one was red, and one was blue. They each laid down on the table inside a sectional box. The magicians went to work placing the dividers on the head and feet. Then, they sliced a divider into the mid-section of each girl.I still do not know how they separate the person (or so it seems)...I think it is mind blowing! The magician even stood in the middle of the two sections.
However, that wasn't the only surprise with this trick...
The guys took the bottom half of each girl (their legs) and switched them to the other girl. So, each girl had the other girl's legs... It was crazy to see each lady stand up, with different color pants. I have no idea how this trick is pulled off, but I can say, "WOW...I am amazed!"
It was amazing!!
The end of the show was a great finale with streamers, and flying paper strips. Each character and person came out with a bow and smiles to go around. We applauded them, and were so happy to have been at this show! We highly recommend the Disney Live! Mickey's Magic Show!!

This review opportunity was provided by Feld Entertainment. I am a Feld Family Activator. I am not compensated for my review or written post. The statements in this review are of my own, and of my opinion. I was provided tickets to attend the show with my family, and given the opportunity to host giveaways for my readers.

Catching up, what we have been up to!

Life is so busy, and I feel like I am just running behind always trying to catch up. I want to learn to slow down and, as the saying goes... "smell the roses." My kids are little yet, well the oldest will be 11 soon...so, he isn't so little anymore. I want to make it a personal goal to really play with them, individually...together, and down on the floor with them. Kids are so fun, and really funny! I love having conversations with my older 3 right now. I am home educating Nathaniel and Caleb this year. It is definitely a struggle to find consistent time to "do school," with having 3 under the age of 4. Nathaniel understands that we will have many interruptions, but he will have many breaks, too. I am going to try to come up with a better plan, and hopefully things will start to go smoother, and our days won't be so hectic,...ya' right! So far, we have been on 2 school field trips. We went to a Threshing show with the family and to an Indian Museum/Trading Post with the home school co-op that we belong to. Both trips were a lot of fun, and I am so glad that we are taking trips! I love the co-op that I am in this year, too! I will have to tell you more about that in another post.

Terry and I celebrated 5 years of marriage in August! I can't believe that we have been married for 5 years already! Seriously, the time has flown! In so many ways, I can see how God has blessed us. I am so thankful for Terry! He is a great husband, and a super father! In these 5 years we have lived in 3 homes, had 4 pregnancies, and Terry's changed jobs 5 times. He had his job, when we got married, for 10+ years, but he was very tired of it, and wanted change. I can understand that. He is working for a great company now, though, and he enjoys his work environment ~ which is a key factor in liking your job. Anyway...I am so glad he is happy where he is at. For our Anniversary, we drove up to Duluth. We love it up there. This time we took a different route, and we sure had some pretty views. We got out here, and we did some hiking on the trails and over the rocks.

It was a gorgeous day, and the sights were beautiful!

Cole was with us, and Terry carried him in the backpack carrier. Cole loved it, and didn't cry at all. He was a trooper, and loved being outdoors.

We saw kids jumping off this high bridge, and it freaked me out. I can't believe kids do that! So dangerous. I hope my kids will not make those choices.

Anyway, we did some walking, traveling over rocks, and there were cliffs and drop offs into the river. I had a really hard time with the rock climbing, and thinking of Cole in the carrier falling out. I had visions of Terry falling and him and Cole getting hurt. All in all...that experience was not very pleasant for me. I broke down emotionally.

Then, we went to Palisades Head way up North. It was pretty up there, but it sure confirmed my fear of high heights and water. I didn't walk around too much. Terry had climbed that a few years ago with rock climbing. When we were there, a few were climbing. I really don't see how people can do that.
We ended up having a late supper at a Lodge, and it was very tasty. It was a fun-filled day, and it was a great time with my husband (and our youngest).

We were fortunate to make it to both the MN Zoo and the Como Zoo this summer. We went to the Como Zoo with my sister-in-law, and her two kids. Her daughter is 3 (in between Caleb and Maddie in age) and her son is 1o days younger than Cole. We had a great day, but I think it was the hottest day this summer!

He is such a little cutie pie! He looks like his dad (my brother).

My little niece didn't feel very photogenic for this photo. BUT~ I did get my four and my nephew!

Here are the kids waiting for the Sparky (Sea Lion) show. We had a great day, and it was fun to spend the time with my niece, nephew and my sis-in-law.

We went to a local county fair this summer, too. Madelyn loved the animals! We had to take a picture of this goat, because Terry said it resembles his dad.

So funny! The goat is sporting a beard!
This was a ribbon-winning pumpkin! It was huge!
Madelyn and Caleb are saying howdy to the cowboy.
So happy together....
Caleb and Madelyn got the opportunity to plant a flower. It was a fun activity and they really enjoyed doing it!

We also learned a bit about bees, saw a hive, and had a honey sample. On Monday, we are going to a friend's house to see how they spin honey, and take honey off the comb. What a fun home school project and field trip!
After they potted their plants, they could take them home.


Another day this summer we went over to my brother/sister-n-law's house and spent the day together.
Here is my nephew eating a pretzel stick. He loves them!

Cole had his first pretzel stick, and he loved it, too!

Madelyn enjoyed the sand box. We don't have a sand box here, but it is on the "honey-do" list of things to do. :)
Caleb had a blast driving around in his cousin's dune buggy. That thing can move!

He is such a cute little guy! He is so happy, too! Don't you love his hat?
Cole loves swinging! He could swing all day if I let him.
Here are the three munchkins sitting on the ladder together. I was a chilly/wet day.
My brother is pretty crafty! He made/designed this whole play set! I think he did a fabulous job!

State-cation and Holiday Inn

With having a young baby, a toddler, a pre-schooler and an elementary age child, our family has decided to forgo a trip out of state this year. Instead of traveling out of state, we decided to take a "state-cation." We want to see our beautiful state of Minnesota, and take day trips. This is much more economical, financially more affordable, and less stress with the kids. How often do people see the many great aspects of their own state? Already we have seen some great cities, locations, and nature sites. This weekend we are headed to a Threshing Show. I have never been to one, but my husband says the kids will love it, and it is pretty affordable. So, we are going to do another day trip. I have mentioned to him that maybe one of these day trip outings we could spend a night in a hotel. I know the kids would like to do that, take a dip in the pool, and have a night out. Holiday Inn is transforming its hotels world wide, including signature bedding with “soft” and “firm” pillows and power showers in the bathroom. I, personally enjoy staying in a hotel. Holiday Inn boasts more than 2,500 locations in the US, offering a fun and easy getaway in every state. I like that most all Holiday Inns have great restaurants near by~ hey no cooking for me, and it is nice to have a break once in awhile. Close enough to home for convenience and affordability, but far enough to experience a getaway, the Holiday Inn “state-cation” becomes a great opportunity to rediscover your home state and still enjoy a vacation.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Holiday Inn. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Random photos and Easter

Cole is 10 days older than his little cousin, Isaiah! It is so fun to have two little boys in the family that are only 10 days apart. My parents were watching my brother and sister-in-law's kids one day about a month ago, and I brought the kids over for a play date. So, of coarse I had to bring my camera to snap a few photos.

They both love to chew on their hands. Aren't they handsome little fellas?
I even got Isaiah to give me a little smirk. He looks a lot like my brother in this photo.
Here is Nathaniel, Madelyn, Atira (Isaiah's older sister who is one year younger than Caleb) and Caleb. Caleb and Atira are the ring bearer and flower girl in my other brother's wedding this summer, along with my other niece as a flower girl.
Another adorable shot of the four kiddos. Caleb and Atira are buds. We live a little over an hour from each other so we don't get together too much. Not enough actually.
How cute is this? I love this photo!

I love how Cole reached over and grabbed Isaiah's hand.
Isaiah wanted to keep his legs scrunched up the whole time. It would have been fun to see the length difference in the two.

What an expression of my little boy!

We spent Easter up at Terry's Grandma's house. Terry's Mom lives in the basement (like an apartment) so we get to see both Grandmas when we go visiting. This last weekend we went up there, and Caleb made the comment, "Are we almost at Grandma and Grandma's?" I think that it was a funny comment, and thought how he shouldn't be saying that to too many people. LOL~
Madelyn had a blast decorating the eggs with colored Q-tips. This is a genius way for tots to color eggs! Less mess, and loads of fun!
Caleb got into the coloring, too. Two of his cousins were there coloring eggs, too. Kendra and Chelsea are their names. Them and Madelyn are the ONLY great granddaughters for Terry's Grandma.
Terry had a great time coloring eggs, too!


The next afternoon, we had an egg hunt in the yard. Tons of eggs. I am sure more will be found this summer.
Caleb loved the hunt, and made a good killin'.
Look how little Maddie looks. She had a great time this year getting more involved.
We spent some of our weekend going to my brother's house. I got a few family photos of my brother's and their families.
This is my brother Kevin and his family.
Caleb really loved "fishing" with Atira's pole. He didn't mind whether it was in the water, or over the deck.
Of coarse in the water is more realistic.

This is my oldest brother, Tim.
Caleb and Maddie had a great time with their cousins.
This is my brother, David and his family.
And this is my brother, Russell with his fiance. They are getting married next month! They are holding Cole and Isaiah. I hope they will have a few of their own someday. :) My brother Russell has two daughters (a senior and a sophmore).