The Falk Family

More December Events!

2011-12-20T08:27:00.001-08:00

We went to Epcot for our annual Holidays Around the World. We made a lot of stops at the various countries, but didn't get to visit nearly as many as we wanted! We had to get in position to see NPH (Neil Patrick Harris) narrate the Candlelight Processional. He was AMAZING! I love him! He is one of the best narrators, which meant the park was insanely crowded. We had a great time anyways, and even headed over to Hollywood Studios afterwards to see the Osbourne Lights and the snow.

Mady's Winter Party at school was last week and I took the afternoon to help. The children played holiday bingo, dreidel, made reindeer food, sang a song, and played holiday bowling. They then showed us all the crafts they made during their studies of Holidays Around the World. It was a cute party and they enjoyed my reindeer cookies!

Mady was also in the Christmas play at church. She played an angel in the heavenly choir. She was in the back most of the time, but I did get some pictures of her. The play was painfully cute. That's the nice way of putting it!

Random December Events!

2011-12-20T07:20:00.000-08:00

Mady joined the children's choir at the church for the holidays. They sang at two different services in December. Here she is singing. I am so proud of her for doing this, considering how shy she can be!

On Saturday we went to Sea World for their Christmas Celebration. We did the Polar Express, train in Happy Harbor, Ice Skating show, and the Sea of Trees. It was extremely crowded, but we had fun nonetheless!

Mady joined the Cross-Country team at Lawton and had her first meet at Central Winds Park. All the schools in our cluster attended, including Keeth. Emily decided to run, as well and both girls won a ribbon for completing the run! The next meet is January 21st at Keeth.

Mady's best friend Emily was in "A Pirate Christmas" at The Stage so we went to see her performance and the kids got to see Santa afterwards.

During December we took KK to her first movie! We tried it out on the Disney cruise this summer and she did great, so we took the whole family to see Arthur Christmas. It was a cute movie and both girls did great. KK ended up sitting on Jacob's lap towards the end and falling asleep, but otherwise did great.

Santa's Christmas Tree Farm

2011-12-20T07:12:00.000-08:00

Our new tradition is visiting the Christmas Tree Farm in Eustis the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It wasn't crowded and gave us something to do to get the girls ready for Christmas. The farm is amazing with horse rides, a bouncy pillow, zipline, s'mores, reindeer train, tractor ride through the tree farm, maze, and a visit with Santa. We had a great day and it was not crowded at all! We'll be back again next year!

Young Author For November!

2011-12-20T07:08:00.000-08:00

Every month each teacher selects a "Young Author" to attend the Young Author celebration and read their piece of writing. Mady was chosen for the month of November and I went to the celebration with her. It was very cute with an award, cookies, and juice! I'm so proud of her!

Zellwood Corn Maze

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

In November we visited the corn maze in Zellwood. None of us had been there before, but we wanted something to do since November was not quite as busy as October, and we knew December was going to be insane. At the corn maze we let the kids ride the zipline, bouncy pillow, train, and have a picnic. After lunch it was time to make our was through the large maze. It took us about 50 minutes, and part of that was with letting the big girls lead us! We then went on a tractor hayride, which the girls loved and saw all the crops that the farm grows. It was a lot of fun and we definitely will come back next year!

A Magical Surprise!

2011-11-29T12:46:00.000-08:00

We had a Monday off from school for a Jewish holiday, and Jacob had a mandatory workday, so I decided to take Mady and her friend to the Magic Kingdom for the day. It was a total surprise to them and they were beyond excited. Even after making them wear Minnie Mouse t-shirts and their pirate princess ears, they still didn't know where they were going until they saw the sign. It was a fun day and not too bad with both girls by myself. They even got to go to pirate school, which I think was the most fun they've had there in a while.

Story Book Character Day

2011-11-29T12:38:00.000-08:00

This year Lawton held its 1st annual Story Book Character Day. The K and 1st grade students participated and dressed up as their favorite book character. Of course, Mady immediately chose Fancy Nancy. She has all of the Step Into Reading books and a few other books. I found her shoes and dress at a consignment shop for less than $10 and the rest of the accessories were from our dress up closet.

Halloween

2011-11-29T12:16:00.000-08:00

We did so many events for Halloween this year! We went to a Halloween party at a friend's house, Halloween Spooktacular at Sea World, the pumpkin patch, Zoo Boo Bash, made Halloween trail mix for Mady's class, and a Halloween party on Halloween night with trick or treating. Mady was a belly dancer and KK was a bumble bee. Here are some of the pictures from Halloween.

Sanibel Island

2011-11-09T12:50:00.000-08:00

The first weekend in November we always travel to Sanibel Island to meet up with my best friend from college and her family and her husband's family. It's always a great time and the weather is always beautiful. We had a great visit and the kids played so well together!

Eating ice cream at Pinocchio's. It is a must every time we visit!

Relaxing on a float in the pool. The weather was perfect!

There was a wedding Saturday night on the beach and the aisle was lined with shells from the beach, but they had been cleaned and were perfect! The next day you could still see the aisle lined with shells so we took the girls there to collect shells and ended up with the most perfectly shaped and cleaned shells!

KK, Mady, Will, Paul, and Owen hanging by the hot tub!

Mady and Owen out on the boat for a ride. This is Mady's favorite thing to do. Unfortunately we never made it out to the sandbar to look for sand dollars.

Exhausted from playing all day at the beach and pool!

Best friends out to dinner!

While we vacationed with the Scholtz families we were apart of a "familymoon" (Scott's mom had just gotten married) and an engagement (Scott's sister got engaged Sunday night). Here we are at the bar by the pool celebrating with Shirley Temples!

Ripley's Odditorium and the World's Largest McDonalds

2011-10-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

After working in our yard all day on Saturday, we decided to take the kids out on Sunday to Ripley's Odditorium and The World's Largest McDonalds on I-Drive. Mainly the reason we decided to go was because it was free and we're always looking for new things that aren't as crowded as the theme parks. We also brought along Mimi's son (and my student!) Troy. The kids had a great time looking at all the weird and cool displays.

Here are some of the weird displays. The man that can pop his eyes out of his sockets, the musical car, half ton man, Throne of Passion (?), world's tallest man, largest tire, and a huge chair.

Right next door to Ripley's is the World's Largest McDonalds. We knew this place was going to be crazy, but that the kids would love it. We ran into Birdie (not sure who she is, I remember the hamburglar, grimace (robble robble), and the fry guys)! Upstairs was a huge arcade that we let the kids play in for a while. Then it was time to go home for naps!

Boosterthon Fun Run

2011-09-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

Mady's school had their Boosterthon Fun Run on Wednesday. Mady loves running and was excited about running and ran over the 35 lap mark. Guess this means we owe a lot of money for the school! The run was good practice for cross-country season that is coming up. Jacob is going to be one of the coaches at Lawton since practices are held early in the morning!

We're Back.... this time to Animal Kingdom!

2011-09-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

We made our first post-summer trip to Disney Thursday, with a visit to Animal Kingdom. Since the kids had off from school and Jacob and I didn't have to work, we figured it would be a good day to visit Animal Kingdom for the day. We did a very brief tour of the park since Mady and Emily still had tennis lessons that afternoon. Mady's friend Emily came and so did her dad.

Our first stop was to Rafiki's Planet Watch. We saw Jiminy Cricket so we stopped for a picture. We also went outside to brush/pet the sheep, but many of them were hiding under the covered area. KK was really into it and loved brushing them.

Riding the train back is a good time for a snack break!

After Rafiki's Planet Watch, we rode the Safari ride and walked the trail to see the hippos and gorillas. Then it was time for lunch at Pizzafari before the Festival of the Lion King Show.

Before the show we walked around and saw some characters. Here they are with Thumper and some other rabbit from Disney.

KK fell asleep during the show. She was exhausted and even with the loud music and dancing she still slept. We left after the show and headed home. Our next visit will be to the Magic Kingdom on Oct. 17 when the girls are out of school again!

Gatorland

2011-09-26T06:16:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we decided to take the girls to Gatorland since we all got in for free. We only had to pay for the train, so in all we spent about $14. It was nice to get out of the house, especially since we did yardwork all day Saturday and then Mady had a birthday party Saturday night. Let's just say the girls were not impressed with Gatorland and want to go to Disney instead. We did ride the train, feed the goats, saw the white alligators, and watched the jumperoo show. I'm glad we went, but we will not be going back for awhile! Thank goodness we have Thursday off from school and we told the girls we'd take them to Animal Kingdom for the day!

Apple Day

2011-09-26T06:11:00.000-07:00

Mady's class celebrated Jonny Appleseed's birthday and learned all about apples last week. On Friday they had a mini celebration with apple tastings, apple prints, and apple experiments. I visited her classroom for a little bit and worked with the kids on the 5 senses and apples. They were so cute! Mady and I also made a homemade apple crisp the night before for all of the K teachers to enjoy at lunch!

A Very Hungry Caterpillar 1st Birthday Party

2011-09-21T05:28:00.001-07:00

I love planning birthday parties! The planning process to me is the most fun part of the whole party. I always start 6 months ahead to gather ideas, look at websites, and find items for the party on sale! It really does help to get the most for your money when you plan ahead!

My best friend's daughter was turning 1 and she asked me to help plan a Very Hungry Caterpillar birthday party for her. Once the 6 month mark came, I got to work! I scoured websites, stores, garage sales, you name it, to get the best of everything at a reasonable price.

We knew the basics of the party, it was going to be held at Wedgewood Tennis Villas Clubhouse, Mr. Richard was going to perform, and it was going to be from 10-1 on a Saturday. After all those reservations were met, it was time to begin the actual planning and details.

The Food! Since the birthday party was at 10 am we knew we wanted to serve lunch, but wanted to keep it simple. We decided on sandwich platters and Chick-fil-A nuggets, plus chips and drinks. We needed something to hang above the food table and found this adorable custom-made banner on Etsy. It's all fabric with a polka-dot theme.

I also wanted something special on the food table that was representative of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I filled these vases with fruit the caterpillar ate in the story. They added a lot of color to the table. I also ordered confetti from Etsy that had all kinds of pictures from the story, but also had the #1 on them and the birthday girl's name.The Cake! The cake is a huge part of any birthday party and this one did not disappoint! I found a caterpillar cake at Costco for only $17.99 and it was awesome. I customized it just a little so that it had mostly primary colors. We added some lollipops around it (the caterpillar eats lollipops in the story) and some primary balloons. To make the table a little more thematic we added The Very Hungry Caterpillar hardcover book (TJMaxx $9.99) and a caterpillar from Kohls ($5).

The centerpieces were a lot of fun to put together and they served a dual purpose as the party favors. We ordered large lollipops from Oriental Trading Co. and found the buckets in the clearance section of Target's summer section. Add some newspaper, floral Styrofoam, and shredded paper and they were very easy to create. We also put gummy caterpillars in them that they kids loved to go around and eat! I also cut out butterflies, the number 1, and an apple with a caterpillar to spread out on the tables.

Every first birthday has to include pictures of the birthday child throughout their first year. Since they change and grow so much it's fun to display their changes. I used picture frames (Dollar Tree) and then put 5x7 pictures of the birthday girl in them from birth to 12 months. I glued pieces of The Very Hungry Caterpillar to the frames that I got from a game I purchased at a garage sale for $2. I also made a month by month caterpillar showing the birthday girl in each link of the caterpillar. We had leftover lollipops so we spread them on the table.

While the kids waited for Mr. Richard to play and for guests to arrive, we had little booklets of the story printed out from the internet and butterfly puppets that I got on clearance from Michaels. We put crayons in little colored buckets (Oriental Trading) so that each kid could take them back to their table to color while waiting for the show!

Finally it was time for the entertainment. Mr. Richard is a local children's folk singer that is known around town. He plays his own songs, plus a couple of familiar songs. The clubhouse was perfect because he had his own stage and the kids had a dance floor.
And finally, the smash cake. We kinda forgot to decorate the chair the birthday girl would be sitting in, so we threw in some balloons and leftover cut-outs. We made her smash cake with cool whip instead of frosting, since it's easier to clean up. However, it is really difficult to decorate a cool-whip cake because icing does not stick to it. But it turned out perfect and the birthday girl loved it!

This party was so much fun to plan! The parents didn't have to do a thing, but enjoy their daughter's first birthday party which is the best part!

Randomness!

2011-09-15T06:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some random photos I found on my memory card from the month of September. Our girls sleep so weird! And KK's new thing is to wear her clothes for the next day to bed, and this day she even wore her new shoes!

Farmer's Market and Friendship Park

2011-09-15T06:06:00.001-07:00

We visited Oviedo's Farmer's Market for the first time over Labor Day weekend. We also got a chance to play at Friendship Park while we were there. The Farmer's Market was pretty good. We got some homemade salsa for the football game that night and kettle corn (can't leave without kettle corn)!

The Gingerbread Man!

2011-09-15T05:39:00.001-07:00

Mady's class just finished a unit on the gingerbread man. Together in class they made a gingerbread man and decorated and baked him, he also made an apperance in her class. At home and school Mady read different versions of the story. Her favorite was Gingerbread Baby, I though the Chinese version of the runaway rice cake was funny. She also decorated a gingerbread man to put up on display in the classroom. She chose a ballerina theme and KK started one, but didn't finish! We also made gingerbread man cookies for the class to pass out on the last day!

Holy September!

2011-09-15T04:38:00.001-07:00

Our September started off with a bang! Tennis lessons, birthday parties, and Disney on Ice!

The same weekend as the birthday parties we joined our friends for Disney on Ice "Dare to Dream". This was by far our favorite Disney show. It had the stories of Tiana, Cinderella, and Rapunzel. And at the end all the princesses and their prince came out in gold and white ballgowns to celebrate the marriage of Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder. It was amazing! I have never seen all the princesses together and they were beautiful!

Mady got invited to 2 birthday parties over the weekend. She loved both of them and had a blast. One was a Luau for her friend Erin and the other was a Superhero/Pool Party for her friend Tal.

Tennis lessons are in full "swing". Mady took 3 weeks of tennis lessons/camp this summer and is now back for lessons on Thursday afternoons. She loves her instructor and it's the same lady that taught her over the summer!

We Have a Kindergartner!

2011-08-18T13:28:00.000-07:00

School has finally arrived and that means we have a kindergartner! On the Friday before school started, Mady attended "Meet Your Teacher". We had already met Mrs. Helms the night before at Open House, but this was Mady's turn to check out the classroom, meet her teacher and her classmates. She has two good friends from VPK in her class and we're excited about having Mrs. Helms!

On the Sunday before school started we had a "blessing of the backpacks" at church. Even KK went up there with her Dora backpack even though she is going to Mimi's. Little sister has to do everything big sister does!

Finally the first day of school arrived and Jacob and I walked Mady into the PLC to her classroom. We got to go in and check out her seat, help her put her lunch in the correct spot, and put her change of clothes in the bathroom. She then sat down and started coloring after we said our good-byes!

She is loving it and after almost completing the first week of school there have been no complaints, except for the early wake-up call! She has brought her lunch, bought her lunch and has continued going to extended day. The first week has been fun for her with visiting music and PE. She has stayed on GREEN all week and I have received so many compliments from her teacher and other staff members about how well behaved and smart she is! We have been practicing our sight words at night before bed and retelling the day's activities. We even brought Mrs. Helms a special gift on Friday to celebrate the end of the first week. Mrs. Helms loves dinner and movies, so we got her a gift card to dinner and a movie!

I have also visited her some and try to catch her on her way to specials since that is during my lunch. I am helping in her classroom on Fridays in the morning when I can during my plan time and am excited for the fall and all the fun activities coming up!

One more party for KK and Amaya Papaya Baby Boogie Bash!

2011-08-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

We had one last birthday celebration for KK when we returned from the cruise. We celebrated with Jacob's side of the family and Jacob made her a Tinkerbell cake since that's what she wanted. In all KK had 5 birthday cakes! I am SO glad it is all over with and she is not asking anymore!

Friday night I took the girls to Amaya Papaya's 2nd Birthday Baby Boogie Bash. I actually won tickets so we went. Of course KK thought it was another birthday party for her. It was awesome with face painting, crafts, cupcakes, Cookie Monster, and a candy bar with favor bags. The girls had a blast!

Some Other Random Photos

2011-08-10T11:11:00.001-07:00

Here are some random pictures from the cruise that I didn't really know where to put. Or couldn't remember when they were taken! I do have a funny story about when we were waiting in line for the princess gathering. The night before, Ariel had visited the girls and left them treasures and a shell path from the verandah. While we were waiting in line to see Ariel, Emily told a little girl next to her that Ariel visited her room and left her treasures. This girl got so upset and asked her mom why Ariel didn't visit them. Then the mom asked how we arranged it, so we had to secretly tell her what we did! Can't help it that I am creative and an amazing mother, lol!

Disney Dream: Day 4 At Sea

2011-08-10T10:54:00.001-07:00

Our last day was at sea and we were excited to hang out on the ship and do everything we hadn't gotten to do. The first thing we needed to do was have all the little girls' picture taken with Mimi. We had t-shirts made up at Downtown Disney that said, "Mimi's Mouseketeers" with their names and Disney Dream 2011.

We also attended a "See Ya Real Soon" party in the atrium with Mickey and the gang. The girls loved dancing with all the characters.

Of course we had to hit the pool one last time as well!

The ship had a theater that played everything from POTC 4 to the new Winnie the Pooh movie. I took the girls to the movies to see Winnie the Pooh. It was KK's first time in a theater and she did great!

We had one last dinner with our group and went out one last time to the adults pool without the kids. We decided to put the kids in the club for dinner this night and the 6 of us enjoyed a great dinner! It was an amazing ending to a great vacation!

Disney Dream: Day 3 Castaway Cay and Pirate Night!

2011-08-10T10:18:00.000-07:00

Today we were at Disney's private island Castaway Cay and later we were going to participate in Pirate Night! We all met up on the island and secured our chairs in the shade. We hung out in the ocean, the splashpad, and the water slides. We also had lunch and then headed back to the ship.

After awhile we headed back to the boat so KK could nap and I took Mady to the pool to hang out and see Minnie. We watched the ship sail away, too.

After KK woke up from her nap Jacob, Stephen and Papi all went to see POTC 4 in 3D at the theater. We decided this would be a good time to put all the kids in the club and hang out at the adult pool. After an hour or so we picked them up so we could get ready for Pirate Night! We had to put on our costumes and meet Captain Jack Sparrow! We also ran into Tinkerbell and Chip and Dale while we were in our pirate costumes!

After all the pictures it was time for the Mickey and Gang Pirate Show and then later after dinner Pirate Night with the fireworks! Kaitlyn enjoyed the fireworks from the verandah of our room!

After a long exhausting day we were so glad that our last day was going to be at sea! We had plans for relaxation and the pool!

Disney Dream: Day 2 Nassau

2011-08-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

Today the princesses were having a gathering in the atrium at 9 am. There was Cinderella, Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Tiana, Ariel, and Snow White. Six princesses in one location! We made it to the gathering and got all the girls' pictures with the princesses. Mady even told Ariel thank you for the treasures she left in her room the night before! We also saw other characters while we were in the atrium!

After the princess gathering we had breakfast and decided to go into Nassau. We only wanted to go into the straw market, get something for the girls and get back on the boat. That's pretty much what we did. It was so hot and hectic! There were 2 Carnival ships and a Royal Caribbean ship docked that day as well, so it was crowded.

After checking out Nassau we headed back to the rooms, changed into our pool stuff and headed back to deck 11 for lunch and swimming.

While KK was taking her afternoon nap, we decided to take the older girls to play putt-putt. They had so much fun and it was a good day to do it with everyone off the boat and in Nassau.

We swam most of the afternoon, put the girls in the club for a while and just hung out in the sun. That night we went to the Disney Villains show. The girls loved it and all the villains were there, including Cruella DeVille and the wicked witch from Snow White. After the show it was time for dinner and tonight we headed to the Enchanted Garden. We also celebrated KK's birthday this night and let the girls wear their princess dresses. They were so cute!

After dinner Jacob took the girls swimming, we checked out an awesome champagne bar called Pink and then called it a night! Tomorrow we were excited for our day on Disney's private island Castaway Cay and Pirate Night!

Disney Dream: Day 1 Port Canaveral

2011-08-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

Today was the day we had been waiting for since October 2010 when we booked the cruise! We were finally going on the Disney Dream with our best friends the Pearsons and our babysitter Mimi and her family. In all there were 6 adults and 5 kids!

We left the house around 9:30 and headed to Port Canaveral. We had a check-in time of 11 am and arrived just before. Check-in was easy and we soon met up with the rest of our party. We then got the kids signed up for the Oceaneers Club and waited for our boarding number to be called. While waiting we saw Minnie in the lobby and had to have our picture taken with her!

We were finally called on board at noon and headed straight up to deck number 11 for lunch and then to the pool. Since we were in the first group that boarded the ship was empty. We were able to ride the Aqua Duck three times without much of a wait. We also saw Pluto and Goofy and had our picture taken with them. Our room was ready at 1:30, so I left the pool area and went to check out our room. We had a deluxe stateroom with verandah and were connected to our friends, the Pearsons on deck 6. Mimi and her family were one deck below.

I went back to the pool area since our luggage hadn't arrived and hung out with the family a little longer. Kaitlyn was tired so Jacob took her to the room for a nap. In the meantime, our luggage arrived and he was able to unpack everything. Finally at 3:45 it was time for our drill and we headed to the theater as our designated spot. At 4:30 there was a Sail-Away party on deck 11 that we didn't want to miss! We saw all the characters and took lots of pictures.

After the deck party we headed back to our stateroom to watch the ship sail away. The girls loved being on the verandah and watching the ship sail. Soon we got ready for the first Disney show, "The Golden Mickeys". The girls loved this show, especially since golden Mickey confetti falls down at the end.

After the show we had time to show the girls the Oceaneers Club. They absolutely loved it! We stayed and let them play awhile in Andy's Room and Pixie Hollow. We were so glad they loved it because they were going to spend some time here during the cruise!

Then it was time to head to dinner at Animator's Palate. The girls loved this restaurant, especially since the pictures on the walls start in black and white and progress to color throughout dinner. Also, they had big screens with Crush from Nemo and did "Turtle Talk with Crush" during dinner. While Crush was talking to a boy at the table next to us, Crush asked him what his favorite food was and someone from our table yelled "turtle". It was so funny and Crush had some comments back to us!

After dinner the girls were exhausted so Jacob took them back to room for bed. When the girls got to the room there was a surprise from Ariel! She came in through the verandah leaving a trail of shells behind. She gave the girls a new Ariel beach towel, pajamas, pin for their lanyard, and a new cruise autograph book. They were so excited that Ariel came and even left the pretty shells behind!

After the girls went to bed a few of us went to Evolution to watch the Newlywed game. It was sooo funny and a great end to our first day. We were excited that the next day we were going to be in Nassau!

Kaitlyn Turns 3!

2011-08-09T11:01:00.000-07:00

Kaitlyn turned 3 on July 27th! On the 23rd we had a Cupcakes and Crafts party at our house for all her little friends and ours. I had cute little cupcake invitations created by Tiny Prints, ordered gourment cupcakes from Cut the Cake in Longwood, ordered cupcake crafts from Oriental Trading Co., and found cupcake paper products from Target. We served appetizers and pizza, as well as cupcakes! The kids decorated their own cupcakes with icing and tons of sprinkles and the adults got the gourmet cupcakes! KK wore the cutest cupcake dress that I bought at Cracker Barrel and the kids' favors were cupcake cups, cupcake lollipops, and the crafts that they made. The adults also got to take home a box of gourmet cupcakes in these cute cupcake boxes I found at Michaels. It was a fun party and the kids had fun playing around the house as well!

Annual Trip to Crescent Beach

2011-08-09T10:54:00.000-07:00

This summer was no different from the rest and we enjoyed our visit to Crescent Beach in July. We always go for a week in the summer and have a great time. We ate at our favorite restaurants, played putt-putt, and just enjoyed the awesome weather!

Fun Stuff Around Town

2011-07-29T04:44:00.000-07:00

While Jacob was working this summer I took the girls around town to various places to keep them entertained. KK went to Mimi's a lot and Mady went to 3 weeks of tennis camp. In between all that we did a lot of bowling, skating, Chuck E. Cheese, Amaya Papaya, Zoo Camp, Birthday World, and the pool.

I didn't have a camera for a while, so a lot of pictures ended up on facebook from this summer. All the pics from tennis lessons, the pool, etc...

Beach Trip

2011-06-12T19:51:00.000-07:00

We had a week off before Jacob had to head back to work. We always go to the beach and this year was no different. We had a great time with great weather. It was really hot, so the girls did a lot of swimming in the ocean and pool. Here are a few of our favorite pictures.

Mady and KK playing on the beach. There weren't any jellyfish like the week before so that was good!

The pool had a bigger slide and then a kid slide. Mady and KK loved going down both!

Playing at the playground while we were out for dinner one night.

More pictures from playing at the beach. We started every morning out there and then headed to the pool before lunch.

The bigger slide at the main pool. Mady loved it and would slide down, swim to the side, and go back down. Over and over!

Our last night we took the girls to the Boardwalk and let them ride a couple of rides.

We have been busy nonstop since we returned. We spent the weekend at Downtown Disney with some of Jacob's family celebrating our niece's 7th birthday. The girls had a blast and even got the new Rapunzel pin for their lanyard. I am glad that we will be home for the next couple of weeks. Mady is about to finish VBS and then has tennis/swim camp at TCC next week, followed by tennis camp at Wedgewood Tennis Villas the following week. Then we are headed up to St. Augustine for a week at the condo. We are loving summer and can't wait for July when Jacob will be almost finished working!

A Picnic and Some Bowling

2011-06-05T18:25:00.001-07:00

Earlier in the week I received a huge picnic basket full of summer fun stuff for the girls from one of my students. All that Mady cared about was the big picnic basket and going on a picnic. We've gone on picnics at Trotwood Park and eaten McD's at Friendship Park, but I decided to take the girls on a real picnic. Jacob was at home doing some landscaping, so it was a perfect opportunity for me to take the girls out. We headed to Lk. Mills Park in Chuluota. I didn't want to take them just to a playground, so this was perfect. Mady loves exploring and all things nature, so we headed over to the park, had lunch, played on the playground, went to the lake, and walked on the boardwalk. Mady and Emily thought they were so grown-up because they led the way!

This summer I signed Mady and KK up for the Oviedo Bowling Center summer program. Basically you pay $15 per kid and they get to bowl 2 games a day and pay only $1 for shoe rental. We've only been to the bowling alley once back in January, but I figured this would give us something to do in the summer, out of the heat. A few of our friends have signed up as well. We had the bumpers up and the girls used the ramp to bowl. Mady helped KK whenever it was her turn and the girls had a blast!

Mady's Pre-K End-of-Year Celebration

2011-06-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

I found pictures of Mady's End-of-Year Celebration with Mr. Richard. He sang songs with the students, and then it was their turn to sing songs to the parents. They even had Sra. Fong there to help them sing their Spanish songs. After the performance we had a pizza and cake party. It was so cute watching Mady and her friends sing!

Memorial Day Weekend in Tampa

2011-06-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

For the past couple of Memorial Day Weekends we've stayed at Disney, but this year it didn't work out and we let Mady decide what she wanted to do. She loves Busch Gardens and staying at the pirate ship hotel, so that's where we went. We love Busch Gardens because there are so many things for the kids to do there. We always devote one day to the rides and one day to the animals. We try to get there around 9 when it opens and then leave around 1 when it's really hot, and have lunch and go back to the hotel to swim and nap. We love the hotel because it has a huge pool with a separate kiddie pool, as well as an outdoor bar and tons of covered outdoor seating.

The first day we arrived we hung around the pool and let the kids swim. We were so excited for KK and her swimming! She starts another round of swim lessons June 13 and gets to move up a group! After swimming for a few hours we headed out to dinner and then came back for more swimming!

The next day we arrived around 9 am and headed to Safari of Fun. There are tons of kid rides in this area, and Mady does a great job of going on them with Kaitlyn. We also went to the Sesame Street show since Kaitlyn loves Abby and Elmo!

We also saw the Sesame Street show and met Abby, Kaitlyn's favorite! She wanted nothing to do with Cookie Monster.

After spending 2 hours at the Safari of Fun area, we headed to the other side of the park where there are more kid rides and Mady's favorite roller coaster, the Scorpion. You can see Mady and Jacob in the second row!

We left the park around 1, had lunch, went swimming, took naps, and had dinner by the pool.

The next day we headed back to Busch Gardens to see the animals. Kaitlyn was not tall enough to go on Rhino Rally, so we walked through the Edge of Africa, rode the train, and rode on the Skyride. We saw lots of animals and the girls even got to see the hyena being fed!

We left the park around 1, grabbed some lunch and then headed home for a pool party and bbq. We had a great weekend and it was so nice to get out of town for a few days. We are headed to the beach next week and then Mady starts 2 weeks of tennis camp and VBS.

End of the Year and Miscellaneous Pics...

2011-06-02T06:57:00.001-07:00

As the school year got closer to the end, I visited Mady's room as much as I could and took pictures of her. She didn't seem to mind when I came in, and all the kids knew me as "Mady's Mom". Next year will be different since she'll be on the other side of campus, and I really want to let her go and be a kindergartner without her mom hovering around. That doesn't mean I won't be visiting when I can!

The Pre-K class got to visit PE one day with the Kindergartners. They got a sticker for bringing a water bottle. Today they were playing a game called "Ice Age" where they pretend to be an animal and then have to "freeze".

The Central Florida Zoo visited the Pre-K class last week. I've since decided that our zoo is nothing more than a glorified farm ever since the elephants left. Mady had the chance to pet an armadillo and snake!

On the last day of school Mady's class had an ice-cream party. I stopped by to take a picture of her with Bryce, her birthday buddy, and her two teachers, Mrs. Hunter and Mrs. Steihl.

Mady's end-of-year celebration included a performance by Mr. Richard, songs by the class, and a pizza and cake party, but I think I deleted those photos. I did put several pictures on facebook, though! I also had pictures of Mady giving her gifts to her teachers, but I have no idea where they went. Basically I bought Vera Bradley key chain wallets from Merle Norman and put Mady's school picture in them along with everyone's favorite gift. I then wrapped them with tissue paper and curling ribbon. Super cute and they loved them!

We are definitely ready for kindergarten and all the new challenges that it will bring! Many of the students in her class are zoned for Keeth and Rainbow, but 3 of her good friends are staying at Lawton, as well as some old friends that will be coming. We are looking forward to another terrific school year!

Pool + Birthday = FUN!!!

2011-05-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we headed over to the other side of Orlando for a 1st birthday party. Mady's friend Carly's little brother Reed was turning 1! The pool was great and had zero-entry, fountains, and a swimming area. We also had a tent to hang out under for lunch and cupcakes.

Here are some pictures of the kids hanging around the pool.

Hanging out under the tent finishing up lunch and waiting to sing "Happy Birthday"

The birthday boy Reed! And the girls eating their cupcakes!

Since I love all things party-related, I offered to put together the favors for the birthday party. The buckets were filled with all kinds of beach and pool toys. I also rediscovered my love of paint pens!

Our Own Royal Wedding

2011-05-12T10:14:00.000-07:00

I guess the girls have been watching way too much coverage of the Royal Wedding. It doesn't help that on that morning I had the tv on and we watched the processional, etc... Also, I have just about every magazine with the wedding on the cover! I was in the house and Jacob was in the front yard working on our sprinklers when he yelled at me to come outside. I was expecting a snake or something, but instead this is what I found. KK was dressed in the wedding dress-up dress, Mady was in some kind of "suit", they had a beach towel down with leis as flowers and then you can see the wedding guests. They were so funny I was dying!

Here they come! Originally KK had on a veil and Mady a hat!

Must have dancing!

The Royal onlookers, they look so excited!

Kindergarten Here We Come!

2011-05-12T06:25:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Jacob and I took Mady to Kindergarten Orientation at Lawton so she could tour the school, peek into some K classrooms, etc... Since she already goes to Lawton it wasn't that big of a deal, more of a rite of passage! We also paid for her school supplies for K ($41!) and met some up with some of my friends' kids that will attend Lawton in the fall. We still had a great time spending the morning with her and Jacob was even able to stay for lunch.

Waiting for orientation to begin at 9.

Mady and her birthday buddy Bryce.

Practicing going through the lunch line!

Hanging out in the library!

Hanging out in the computer lab!
Back to being line leader with her class!

Swim Lessons

2011-05-12T06:12:00.000-07:00

For the past 4 summers Mady has attended swim lessons at Double R in Chuluota. We love their program and their approach with the kids. It is definitely intense and parents are asked to leave if their child is uncooperative. KK is now 2 and ready for swim lessons. They don't start until age 2, so we know she is ready. She loves playing in the pool, so we knew she not only needed swim lessons, but was ready for them. Mady is a great swimmer and is there for moral support for her sister, as well as working on her dive and perfecting her strokes. This will probably be Mady's last summer of swim lessons, but KK will continue for the next couple of summers.

At the first lesson they let the little ones get a feel for the water and practice kicking and arm strokes above the water. The second day and from there on is a whole different story! We are now practicing swimming to the steps under water!

Mady's class immediately went to the deep end so Mrs. Allison could assess their strokes and see if they've regressed from last summer. By the end of the class they were swimming laps! They are now working on diving and learning the different strokes.

Just Beach-y

2011-05-12T06:04:00.000-07:00

Part of my Mother's Day weekend was that I wanted to spend the day (or a few hours) at the beach with the family. Rarely do we go over to the beach just for the day. In fact, this was KK's first trip to the beach for the day. Jacob was in charge of packing everything and getting the girls ready. We left around 10 and stayed until 2. It was packed, but the girls had a great time playing in the sand, water, and eating lunch. Towards the end KK wanted to go to the pool (oops!) so we knew it was time to head home and take late naps. The girls had a great time and KK has even asked about the beach every day this week. Our first beach trip of the summer will be June 6, so she'll have to wait until then, and yes, there will be a pool!

Always have to build a sand castle while you're at the beach!

Mady is making sand cakes as she calls them.

Time for a lunchable break!

Getting close to nap time and ready to head home!

Birthday Party

2011-05-06T08:23:00.000-07:00

The spring is full of birthday parties for our friends. Last Saturday was no different and we celebrated Meghan's 4th birthday and Ethan's 1st birthday at their house. The theme was Mickey and Minnie Mouse and the kids loved playing in the bounce house and painting Mickey magnets. I never got a picture of Mady with the birthday girl, probably because none of the girls would stay still long enough for me to get a picture!

The only time I could get any pictures was when the girls were painting or eating!

We are excited about another birthday party coming up on the 21st, it's a pool party! I am also in the middle of planning Kaitlyn's Cupcakes and Crafts birthday party and helping a friend plan a Very Hungry Caterpillar 1st birthday party!

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T06:17:00.000-07:00

We had lots of fun activities planned for Easter break. On Friday we dyed eggs and tried to use the tie dye kit, it was a mess! So, we stuck with regular dyeing and princess stickers.

Waiting patiently for the eggs to color.

Trying to tie-dye some eggs. We didn't really read the directions.

After the eggs dried we put the finishing touches on- princess stickers.

Ta-Da!

On Saturday we went to the Hippity Hop at the Central Florida Zoo. We met up with our friends Emily and Meghan for some zoo fun! The girls got their faces painted, bounced in the bounce house, went to all the stations and got treats, and participated in the egg hunt. We also saw a few animals while we were out.

Faces painted like butterflies since that's what we've been learning about in school!

Can never get enough of a bounce house!

Easter egg hunt. Mady helped KK and then took off to find eggs.

They loved this cocoon in the butterfly garden!

The Easter bunny. KK was too scared to say hi.
Saturday night we took the big girls to see Hop at the movie theater. Mady loved it, even though she sat on my lap the whole time!

Gotta have your bunny ears and Hop shirt on for the movie!

On Sunday morning the girls were surprised to see their baskets filled from the Easter bunny!

The baskets laid out the night before.

Hello Kitty for Mady, Tinkerbell for KK. Bathing suit, beach towel, t-shirt, flip flops, pajamas, chocolate bunny, candy, and Bambi!

Proof he came- bunny prints left on the carpet!

Looking everything over before diving in to the goodies!

New pajamas for the summer! (Mady has her bathing suit on underneath)

We visited with my dad and the girls got more baskets and had an egg hunt.

Sitting pretty with their baskets full of stuff.

Egg hunt in the yard. Lots of eggs to find full of candy and money!

We also visited with my mom and got more Easter baskets and then over to Jacob's parents where the girls got MORE Easter baskets and had another egg hunt. We also had dinner with the family and came home exhausted! Our next holiday is Memorial Day weekend and we will be spending it in Tampa at Busch Gardens at our favorite hotel by ourselves!

The Tangled Basket

2011-04-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

Mady's school (and mine) are having their annual Basket Night next week. Since I'm one of the room moms and I love putting together baskets, I offered to put together the Pre-K basket. I chose the theme Tangled because Mady loves it and I was in charge, so it's only fair! We stuffed the basket with the Tangled DVD, Rapunzel t-shirt, beach towel, books, coloring books, sticker book and stickers, hair brush, detangler, and hair accessories, and the Rapunzel barbie doll.

I found a purple Easter basket at Target to use and bought yellow yarn to make the Rapunzel hair. To display all the items in the basket I made a paint palette with all the items listed. I tied it with a big purple bow and soon it will be raffled off to a lucky winner!

Spring Pictures

2011-04-19T06:46:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the spring pictures of the girls we had taken on Sunday. KK did not want to smile and about lost it towards the end. Oh well, we got what we got! These are not necessarily the photos we ordered. There were a bunch more that were a lot cuter, but I couldn't rotate them and post them here. In one photo you'll see KK's leg missing and then I had to include the last picture we took when we knew we were finished!

My Mady

2011-04-19T06:28:00.000-07:00

My Mady is such a little sweetheart. I often get compliments at school at how well-behaved she is and is such a good listener and helper to her classmates. She loves her little sister more than anything and has really taken to playing with her and showing her how to do new things. She is also very strong-willed, especially when it comes to clothes. If it was up to her, she'd wear her sister's clothes everyday. She is my cuddler and snuggler and often lays on the couch with me at night for 30 minutes before she's ready for bed. She is also my little DWTS and Glee buddy and we love watching the dances and singing to the songs on Glee. She is a true swimmer and can jump in the deep-end and swim all the way to the other end. She starts her third round of swimming lessons in 3 weeks and is very excited that KK will be joining her. She loved taking ballet classes, but is even more excited about taking gymnastics classes now that she's 5.

She rides her bike like crazy and will soon learn without training wheels. She LOVES arts and crafts. We have to do them all the time! Her favorite is cutting paper and making cards for all her friends. She loves writing notes for them. I have to write it and then she will copy it onto her paper. Every card has to have a bow, too. I am excited for this summer and all the fun things we have planned and knowing it's my last summer of having my little girl before she heads off to Kindergarten.

We are officially growing Mady's hair out. I told her after the spring pictures we would let it grow out. We'll see what happens. Hopefully it will be cute!

Sea World

2011-04-19T06:08:00.000-07:00

We love going to Sea World, even if it's hot outside you can find a show or attraction indoors to cool off. We decided to go this past weekend before it gets really hot and busy. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that the park was not crowded at all. We didn't have to wait for anything which is good with 4 kids and 4 adults! Mady LOVES the Dolphin Show and calls the girl in the pink costume the princess. So, we had to get Emily and Mady's picture taken with the princess. We had a great day and came back to Oviedo to enjoy a pool party and bbq. It was a great Saturday!

At the Penguin Exhibit. I didn't know KK's eyes were closed. This is my least favorite exhibit because it smells like fish!

At the fountain by Manta. They have a really cool aquarium beside Manta that is filled with stingrays and all kinds of fish.

We had to check out the Sesame Street show for KK. She loves Abbey! Always gotta sit on daddy's lap for a better view!

Here they are meeting the Dolphin Princess. She was so nice and let the girls come right up next to her.

After all the shows and seeing animals it was time to ride the rides. Here we are on the Swishy Fishies and the boat ride. Of course, Mady had to ride the Shamu Express!

Just Kaitlyn

2011-04-15T17:23:00.000-07:00

Here is Kaitlyn at age 2 3/4. I can't believe her 3rd birthday is coming up at the end of the summer. I am so excited to have a "Cupcake" themed party for her and also to celebrate her birthday aboard the Disney Dream, but it's also so close to the end of summer that I am willing to wait! Here she is with her new haircut. She looks a lot older now I think. We're hoping to cut off the last bit of baby hair and that the new hair will grow in a bit thicker.

KK is such the opposite of Mady when she was this age. I know it's because she can't stand seeing her older sister do something she can't do. She completely dresses herself in the mornings including her shoes and socks, sleeps in her big girl bed and never gets out in the middle of the night, is completely potty trained and goes all by herself without even telling us. Loves riding her bike, although when she's done, she's done and has no problem leaving it on the sidewalk and walking home. She is starting "big girl" swimming lessons in 3 weeks and I know she'll be swimming by the end of the summer. Loves her baby dolls and I often find 2 or 3 tucked in with her at night. Loves Friendship Park and goes on all the high slides by herself and thinks it's funny. She is such a little brute, but also very girlie girl. She loves taking ballet lessons and playing dress-up, but can also boss Mady around like nobody's business!

Before the haircut. Look at those cute pig tails!

The after. Hoping her hair grows in thicker and not so fine! She looks so much older!

Mady's Field Day!

2011-04-10T17:44:00.001-07:00

The day before spring break is always the Panther Pride Picnic and Field Day at Lawton. Jacob took the afternoon off and I sent my 6 remaining students to another classroom so I could spend time with Mady and her class. Mady's field day was after the picnic so she came over to my class and hung out with Jacob and me until it was time for field day to start. There were lots of activities for the students to participate in, and it was a lot of fun helping a bunch of pre-schoolers!

The panther came by to say hi during the picnic.

Waiting in Mady's classroom before field day.

First up, tug-o-war!

Scooter time! Jacob has some of these at our house, so Mady knew exactly what to do.

Water Relays! Mady loves getting wet!

Finding a marble in the pool of balls.

Another water relay.

Dizzy Bat ...
...and then you have to put a cup of water on your head!
Potato Sack Race!

Bouncy Ball. Good thing Jacob was there to help her get on the ball!

Bounce Away!

Spring Break 2011

2011-04-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

Spring break has come and gone! We had a great break filled with lots of different activities. We started the break at the beach. We stayed in the condo for 5 nights and soaked up lots of sun. The ocean was a bit too cold, but the girls still loved splashing in the water. At the pool it was cool as well, but the girls didn't mind. We ate at our favorite restaurants, visited the Castillo de San Marcos for the first time and enjoyed the fabulous weather.

We love the beach! We spent every morning playing on the beach. The water was too cold to swim in, but the girls had a blast splashing in it!

Most of our swimming was done at the pool. The girls had a great time swimming after being at the beach. KK is going to freak in a couple of weeks when she starts swim lessons and I get rid of all the rings!

Our last night and we ate at one of our favorite restaurants, Creekside. They always have live outdoor music and a big fire pit for the kids to roast marshmallows.

Our last day the girls wanted to go to the Castillo de San Marcos. I think they were expecting more of a princess castle instead of a fort!

We had to come home a day early so that Jacob and I could go to the dentist (why I made that appointment during spring break, I have no clue). The girls went to Mimi's and we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon without kids! The next day Mady and her bff went to Busch Gardens for the day. Jacob stayed home to paint the girls' new bedroom and my bff and I took the girls on a trip. KK stayed at Mimi's and we were off! While we were at Busch Gardens Mady also rode her first upside-down roller coaster. I was so proud of her and scared for her all at the same time! She is my little daredevil.

The girls love rides. Especially ones where they get to "drive".

This outdoor bounce house is huge. The girls could stay in it all day if we let them!

Can't leave Busch Gardens without riding Air Grover. And only the best seat will do! The front row!

The weekend of spring break ended with a fun birthday party at Michael's Arts and Crafts for Mady's friend Carly. We were sad spring break was coming to a close, but it means we are getting closer to summer!

Animal Kingdom

2011-04-10T17:36:00.000-07:00

Since it's getting really close to summer and the hotter weather we decided to hurry up and visit Disney one last time before we say goodbye for a couple of months. We met Pocahontaas in the Conservation Station. Mady went right up to her, no problem. Kaitlyn went up, but needed some encouragement. When we saw Rafiki, KK didn't want anything to do with him, but Mady went right up to him and he took her around looking at animals, holding hands!

On the Safari ride the animals were out on display! There were four elephants, all females, playing in the water. It was so cute seeing the little baby!

While Jacob took KK on the little Tricerotops Spin ride, Mady and I went on the Dinosaur ride. It was pretty scary, but Mady didn't scream or cry one time! She really is a daredevil!

Before we left we did some pin trading and buying. KK got a new pink lanyard and a baby Pluto pin. She also traded a pin and got Snow White. Mady bought a new Alice in Wonderland pin. Check facebook for more photos!

Birthday Parties!!!

2011-04-10T17:29:00.001-07:00

It has been so long since I've blogged. I was doing really well until my memory card wouldn't read and I didn't want to skip a blog and go out of order. Well... a month later and I decided to just get over it and go ahead with the blog. You'll have to read about Mickey's Magic Show another time.

We love the spring because there are so many birthday parties. Mady went to two really cute parties for her friends Carly and Emily. They were both turning 5! Carly's birthday was at Michael's Arts and Crafts Store and Emily's was at Club BFF in the Seminole Towne Center. Mady had so much fun and loved getting out of the house and having fun. Since this was the first year we had Mady's birthday party away from the house, I can tell you it's the way to go! It's so much fun to try new things in the area!

Carly's party was a blast. Each kid got a blank canvas tote with a bunch of fabric pens and stamps and paint to decorate with. Mady chose a beach theme and decorated her tote with stamps of all kinds of sea creatures. It was a really cute party with your own party room and a big table to work at. And best of all, the kids got to paint and there was no clean-up!

At Emily's party we all met at Club BFF in the Seminole Towne Center. The girls got to choose a new hairdo: rocker, princess, or funky. They also got full make-up and their nails painted! Mady chose a cross between funky and rocker. They also received little purses and got to fill it with goodies from the store!

Birthday parties are so much fun! We are looking forward to Ethan and Meghan's birthday parties in April! Until then, we have Easter and some fun activities to look forward to!

Strawberry Patch

2011-03-17T11:26:00.000-07:00

On Saturday morning we visited Pappy's Patch to pick strawberries. The girls wore their strawberry t-shirts and off we went! Please excuse Mady's crazy outfit. She's going through a major phase right now of wanting to wear layers, including leggings. Also, she must have her shirt tied in the back so that it has a more fitted look. Spring shopping for her should be a lot of fun!

Meet Baby Jake

2011-03-16T17:22:00.001-07:00

I love to have parties, so there was no doubt that I would open my house to the school for a "Meet Baby Jake" party. My dear friend Kim had a baby boy in January and it was the perfect opportunity for the school to meet Jake without having to go to school. My good friend and former coworker Joni also helped me plan the party. Joni, Kim and myself have remained good friends even though one is retired and one is on leave! Kim even named Jake after our little group "JAK" which stands for our initials! I didn't get a picture of the little handsome devil because he was either sleeping or being held, but he is so cute and still so small.

Tangled and the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival

2011-03-09T05:39:00.000-08:00

We have been dying to meet Rapunzel and Flynn Rider from Tangled. Everytime we would try to meet them, the wait was absurd. This time we had a plan that involved leaving the house at 7:30 am! And if that's not insane, not only were we ready by 7:30, but the family we were riding with picked us up on time! Try doing that with 4 kids who like to sleep in on the weekend. We couldn't tell the girls we were meeting Rapunzel just in case our plan did not work. They thought we were going to Disney and heading to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot to see the flowers.

When we first arrived at the Magic Kingdom the wait was an hour. We were first in line for the 10:15 meet and greet. This turned out to be a perfect time for the dads to take the girls on some rides while I held the spot in line. They were able to go on the speedway, People Mover, and Tea Cups. They came back early for snacks and to finally find out what their surprise was! When they realized it was Rapunzel they were so excited.

Finally it was time for us to go into the meet and greet. They place the kids around a table for them to color a Tangled coloring book with Tangled crayons. While the parents are in line for photos, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider come out and talk with the kids and sing and dance. Then it's time for pictures and autographs. Mady was super excited about having her picture with Rapunzel, KK still needed some prompting from Jacob.

After the meet and greet the girls wanted to go on more rides. We rode the carousel and then Mady really wanted to go on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad since she is now tall enough. KK wanted to ride Aladdin's Carpets. So, I took Mady on her first real rollercoaster and the rest of the group headed to Aladdin. We met up for lunch afterwards and then headed to Peter Pan and It's a Small World. After the rides we were ready to head to Epcot to see the flowers!

At Epcot we rode all the rides up front, including: Nemo, the Aquarium, and The Land boat ride. While the dads took the girls on the Figment ride, Renee and I went to see Captain EO! Hello 1986! It was pretty good and I think Jordan loved wearing the 3D glasses.

While at Epcot we had to check out all the flowers. They were awesome! We saw Bambi, TS3, Lady and the Tramp, Snow White, Rapunzel's Tower, and Mickey and the gang!

We made it about 1/2 way around the World Showcase and decided it was time to go home. The girls did get new pins while we were there. Ever since Mady traded and got a baby Belle, both girls have been obsessed with baby pins. So, to make peace, they both got a baby Minnie. I did see where you can buy all the baby Princess pins, so I'm thinking the Easter Bunny will put those in their Easter baskets!

The Recipe For a Perfect Day at Disney!

2011-03-03T16:11:00.001-08:00

How to have an awesome day at Disney when you're flying solo:

First, the most important thing you need is a Sienna minivan equipped with wireless headphones for the DVD player. Makes for a nice, quiet ride!

Second, you must always pack snacks. Our current favorites are cheetos, Capri Suns, and Doritos!

Third, you gotta have a cute baby with you! Isn't she adorable in her little hat! She is a trooper running around the Magic Kingdom and riding all the rides!

Next, you MUST have a sweet ride. We highly recommend a BOB stroller. You can dodge all those ECVs and tourists taking pictures and maintain control all at the same time.

Then, you have to plan your day so that you ride only the best rides and meet your favorite princess. Here we are riding the carousel, Astro Orbiter, and meeting Princess Tiana!

Your trip to the Magic Kingdom is not complete without front row seats to the parade. If you put your hand out you can touch the characters. We met Pluto, Goofy, and a wicked step-sister. Also if you get up front, you can wave to all the princesses and they'll wave back! Hi Belle!

And lastly, you MUST do some pin-trading while you are there. This time Mady exchanged a pin for a baby Belle and Emily traded a pin for Tinkerbell! Awesome!

Throw in lunch at our favorite restaurant, Cosmic Rays, a couple more rides (Pirates, Peter Pan, Buzz Lightyear, People Mover, and go carts) and you have a perfect day! Can't wait to do it again, this time at Epcot, this weekend!

THE Fancy Nancy Tea Party Birthday Celebration

2011-02-24T07:51:00.000-08:00

This is the party we have all been waiting for. Sure the school party was fun, the skating party was a blast, and dinner and cake was nice, but this is THE party we have been waiting for! I knew instantly when I found out I was having a girl, now girls, that their 5th birthday party would be a tea party. I think it is just sweet and innocent and also so grown-up and fitting for turning 5. I knew it had to be Fancy Nancy since Mady had her Tea Parties book and loved having pretend tea parties with her sister and friends.

First I had to find a place to host her tea party because I was kinda over having parties at my house after her cooking party last year! We are so lucky that we have a Bed and Breakfast literally around the corner from our house that has a fabulous tea room. I had to try it out, so I went with my SILs and MIL for tea one afternoon and knew it was going to be perfect.

I had the cutest invitations made from Etsy. They had Fancy Nancy on them and invited the girls to a fancy soiree and to wear their fanciest ensembles and tiaras! I tried to take a picture of them, but they were too glossy and didn't turn out well!

I also had to get to work on the swag bags since this was going to be a fancy soiree! I filled pink bags with Fancy Nancy trinkets: fancy pens, magnets, stickers, a journal, Fancy Cakes (from Little Debbie) and of course, Fancy Nancy Tea Parties, the book that inspired the party!

We decided to keep it very chic and only invite her absolute best girlfriends. After all, this is a tea party! Mady invited Emily, Meghan, Carly, and her little sister Kaitlyn. Plus all the moms came so they could be there for their daughter's first real tea party. Gma and Grandma also came to celebrate.

When the girls arrived they had on their fanciest ensemble (dresses) and tiaras. I had gloves and costume jewelry for the girls to put on in the parlor before our actual tea party began. They loved getting dressed up for each other and being fancy!

We were so lucky to have the entire private dining room adjacent to the parlor for our tea party. There were three tables set up: one for the fancy girls, one for their moms, and one for Mady's two grandmas. The room was beautiful and the girls were so excited to sit at a fancy table all by themselves! Our hostess also spoke with them about how special their table was and to be extra careful. I am happy to report that there was no spilling or breakage during our tea party.

We started the tea party with scones, of course. The girls loved the cinnamon scones with butter! They were then served the Wee Tea which consisted of heart-shaped sandwiches, carrot sticks, cheese cubes, apples, and dessert. We didn't do a cake because it didn't fit in with the tea party, and this was a fancy soiree! They also tried the mango tea (cold) in their teacups or the cranberry lemonade. The adults were served the high tea with mini quiches, tortilla rolls, chicken salad in phyllo cups, pumpkin muffin turkey sandwiches, and so much more! Plus an assortment of mini desserts that were to die for! Everyone loved their tea party lunch and the little girls behaved so proper and elegant!

After the tea party we all went to the parlor so Mady could open her presents. It worked out perfectly that everything was right there and we had it all to ourselves. The girls were so excited to watch Mady open her presents and even KK did well watching her sister. Then it was time for Mady to give them their swag bags. The girls were so excited at all the gifts inside, everyone was happy!

Some funny things happened during the tea party. You know our girls are wonderful and all, but they are under the age of 5! After they got all fancy with their accessories, I took them on a tour of the upstairs. They were fascinated to see the fancy bedrooms and the bathrooms. Especially the claw tub. During the tea party they would get up and go in the parlor to change accessories and sit on the fancy couches (or play the piano). One time Mady came up to me and said all the girls were upstairs. I sent a mom up and she found them all hiding under one of the big four-poster beds! Other than that, the girls were absolutely wonderful and it was such a special way to mark Mady's milestone of turning 5! I'm so glad we kept it simple and sweet, just like she is! Of course next year she'll probably want some big party with all her classmates at one of those bounce house places and I guess I'll have to give in at some point!

Another Mini-Celebration

2011-02-24T07:48:00.000-08:00

Every year on the girls' actual birthday we go to Steak-n-Shake for their birthday dinner. I don't know how this started, but we've been doing it ever since. Since we decided to have a skating party for Mady on her actual birthday, we decided to go to Steak-n-Shake on Friday night. Mady's best friend Emily and her family came with us to help celebrate!

After dinner we came back to our house for cake and let Mady open her birthday present from her sister. She was very excited to get a Fancy Nancy nightgown with an eye cover!

Mady's Skating Party

2011-02-24T07:38:00.001-08:00

On Mady's actual birthday, February 24, our school was hosting a skating party at Semoran Skateway. Since Mady's real birthday party is on Saturday and for only her best girlfriends, we decided to have a mini skating party with boys the night of the school party. Since the chairwoman of the skating parties for Lawton is a parent of mine and someone I know well, she had no problem with me having Mady's birthday party the same night. (Can I just tell you how much I love working at Lawton and having connections!) I rented out the party room so that we could have our own private area to serve pizza, hotdogs, chips, drinks, and cupcakes. For the favors I found really cute stickers that said, "Mady is 5, Thanks for Coming". They also had a pair of roller skates on them. I used pink paper bags and put a sticker on them and filled them with M&Ms, Little Debbie brownies (Mady's favorite) and an assortment of mini chocolate candies.

For dessert I really didn't feel like bringing in a cake and having to do the whole messy cake-cutting, so I ordered cupcake toppers that matched the stickers and made funfetti cupcakes with pink frosting (Mady's favorite).

After the kids ate it was time to hit the rink. All of Mady's boy-friends were there to help her celebrate and skate on the little rink. Even the parents got into it and skated the night away! We even had Mimi there to help with KK and Jordan! It was a perfect birthday celebration and a perfect end to her actual birthday day! Happy 5th Birthday Madalyn!

And the Birthday Celebrations Begin...

2011-02-24T07:31:00.000-08:00

You will be reading quite a few birthday blogs this week since Mady's official day has arrived! We began the morning by giving her a present that she wasn't expecting. Mady always has a list of things she wants, right now it's a keyboard and guitar. Since the grandparents are handling those, Jacob and I decided to get her something we know she would love. We went to Toys R Us and found a pink and purple easel that was perfect for her. On one side you can paint, use magnetic letters/numbers, or write with dry erase markers (not happening). On the other side is a chalkboard. It also has a tray to hold everything and folds up really compact. She loved her easel and so did KK. They played with it before leaving for school.

At school I had asked the teacher if it was okay to have a breakfast party since my break is early in the morning, and as a teacher I like to get the parties over with first thing in the morning. We brought Munchkins from Dunkin Donuts and OJ, as well as girly paper products. Mady's birthday buddy Bryce also brought regular donuts so the kids loved their breakfast birthday celebration! Once again I was there to capture tons of pictures and stay for the party!

Mady's Day

2011-02-21T16:38:00.000-08:00

Today was President's Day and we had a day off from school. Since Mady's birthday is this coming Thursday I figured I take Kaitlyn to Mimi's and spend the day doing things Mady loves. Jacob had to run some errands and work around the house so it was just Mady and me!

Our first stop was to Gold Medal Athletics for their open gym time. If you go at 9 am, it's only open to toddlers and the big kids aren't there yet. We arrived right at 9 and she was the first and only person there for awhile. She absolutely loved this because she could go up and down the big slide as many times as she wanted without waiting. We stayed for an hour and it started getting crowded and she was ready to go.

Our next stop was to McDonalds because it was right next door. She wanted a milkshake at 10 am after all that jumping and running around, and who am I to deny her a Shamrock shake?

After McDonalds we had to meet up with Jacob in Altamonte Springs because he locked his keys in the car. After letting him in, he took off to finish up his day and we headed to Chick-Fil-A for lunch. Yea! Mady and I shared some nuggets and she played on the playground in the awesome weather.

Mady desperately needed a haircut. With her short hair she has to go every 6 weeks, if not sooner. We headed over to Great Clips and Mary Beth cut her hair exactly how we like it! After that we had to do some shopping. We went to Kohls (for me) and Target where she got a cute new outfit to wear to school tomorrow.

We headed home for a quick nap and then we all went to Mimi's to get KK. We ended the afternoon/evening with a trip to Friendship Park (3 days in a row now!) and Mady's favorite dinner: steak! She was a happy girl and is looking forward to an awesome week! I'm so glad I got to spend the day with her. It makes me realize how big and mature she's getting!

Valentine's Day!!

2011-02-16T05:21:00.000-08:00

Since we were so busy over the weekend with Sea World on Saturday and Disney World on Sunday (just Jacob and I), I had to spend most of Sunday night in the kitchen preparing all the treats for the girls' valentines and teachers. For Valentine's Day this year Jacob and I decided to spend the day at Epcot and Magic Kingdom riding all the rides we don't normally ride. At Epcot we rode Soarin, Mission to Mars and Test Track. At the Magic Kingdom we rode Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain Rail Road, and Space Mountain. Fun! I've also decided that my new hobby is collecting popcorn containers from Disney and using them as gift bags. I found the perfect one at Disney over the holidays, it was a Mickey shaped snowman, so I will not be parting with that one, but I have a few others I will give away. (Disclaimer: My best friend told me about this idea, so it was not my own!) After Disney it was time for Jacob to pick up the girls from the grandparent's house and for me to get busy in the kitchen. I made pink heart-shaped pancakes for the girls for breakfast, pink heart-shaped rice crispie treats for the girls' valentines, and red velvet cake balls drizzled with white chocolate for their teachers. I opted out of chocolate-covered strawberries this year since everyone seems to be making them. We did have them for dinner Monday night since Jacob and the girls love them!

At school Mady had her Valentine's Day party. I was lucky to come and stay with her for the party. We played candy heart bingo, colored valentine pictures, made valentine bags and had lots and lots of treats! After everyone was finished at the centers the kids sat in a circle and shared the valentine they brought for the class. Then the parents were in charge of distributing them to their bags. It worked out really well and Mady came home with a ton of stuff!

After school I went over to Mimi's house and helped with her party. KK handed out her valentines and then had cupcakes and cookies. We tried to get a group shot of the kids, but that was not easy. They got adorable gift bags from Mimi filled with candy and new clothes!

At home we had set-up a valentine display for the girls when they woke-up in the morning. They had balloons, princess candy boxes, new t-shirts, a toy each, and a heart-shaped chocolate chip cookie cake. Whew! Valentine's Day was exhausting, but so worth it! Everyone loved their gifts, even me!

Sea World!!

2011-02-16T05:14:00.000-08:00

We love going to Sea World. It's relatively close by (compared to Disney) and you don't really have to wait to see the attractions unless you count getting to shows early! It was an awesome day with the sun shining, few clouds, and temps cool enough that you weren't sweating. We also had our BOB stroller, so we were in heaven! We followed our same little itinerary: sea turtles, stingrays, underwater dolphin viewing, manatees, Dolphin Show, penguins, sharks, Shamu's Happy Harbor, and the Arctic including beluga whales, walrus, and polar bears. We even managed to fit in the Pets Ahoy! show while we were there! The girls (and boy) had a great time! We ate lunch on the way so we loaded up snacks in our bags and didn't spend any money except for the drink refills! See... sticking to a budget! It was so nice to get out and enjoy the weather and see the kids so happy! Mady even rode in the front row on the Shamu Express!

SLOOOOW WEEKEND

2011-02-07T17:18:00.000-08:00

This weekend was supposed to be filled with outdoor activities and having fun in the warmer weather. However, Mother Nature had other plans and we had to cancel our fun-filled day and find something else to do. Saturday we stayed in all day (except for ballet early in the morning) and cleaned out the house. I cleaned out my cabinets and found all of the favors for Mady's birthday party, donated our glider that was in KK's room, and generally organized the house. Saturday night Jacob decided to take the girls to the St. Stephen's Winter Fest while I saw West Side Story. The girls had a great time and Jacob likes taking the girls to these carnivals. I can't stand going, so it's a good trade-off!

The next morning we were supposed to meet up with two families at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill Restaurant and walk around DeLeon Springs. The girls were so looking forward to cooking their own pancakes and seeing their friends. However, the weather wasn't nice and we decided it wasn't worth the drive. We ended up going out to lunch with some friends and then heading to Michaels to do some Valentine shopping. We also went to Lowe's to figure out what we're going to do with Mady's closet. I've decided over President's weekend we're going to gut it and put in ClosetMaid cabinets. So... that was our weekend. We did watch the Super Bowl and have dinner, but other than that the weekend was long and boring. We didn't even get to go outside and play in the backyard or go to Friendship Park because of the weather. Oh well! We will make up for it this coming up weekend!

Our Life

2011-02-07T10:41:00.000-08:00

Some people may say we're always on the go, never stay still, or that we simply don't just chill and relax at home being a family. The truth is, we are a busy family and we like it that way. Rarely do we go out during the week unless you count Monday night storytime at the library, or every other week's Taco Tuesday. Our other evenings are spent eating dinner as a family(albeit at a restaurant or at home), playing in the backyard, going for bike rides, and destroying the house with the millions of dress-up clothes, Little People sets, and enough accessories to fill two dollhouses.

The great and wonderful thing about being a teacher and having a husband that is a teacher is we are both home by 5 pm each night. Sure, there are times when we like to get out of the house by ourselves and do what we like. Jacob has basketball on Monday nights and I have my every other Thursday night out. But, it makes us happy and happy parents equals happy children and a happy family. We also love it when the grandparents take the kids on a Friday or Saturday night and give us time to be kid-free. Goes back to the whole happy parents, happy family.

We have always stuck by the "work hard, play harder" motto. Okay, so really I don't have to work that hard during the week, I mean I am at the Y by 3:30 usually. But you know what I mean. There's a reason why Florida doesn't have harsh winters and snow days. And that's why we live here! There is so much to do outside (and even inside) and we take full advantage of those opportunities. We also take full advantage of having passes to every park (because we work hard to pay for them) so we go often.

So when I complain about being stuck at home two days in a row on the weekend, it's because we're not an inside family. That also doesn't mean we have to be out doing something, spending absurd amounts of money to have fun and be a family. We enjoy getting together with our friends at the park, going to people's houses and having dinner and playing the wii, taking the girls to their weekly ballet class. The list goes on and on. We also make sure that we only do one major event on one day of the weekend, either Saturday or Sunday so that we do have downtime on the weekend for the girls to be at home. We also make sure to go to church together as a family as often as possible.

So the next time someone tells me to sit still, stay at home, let my kids enjoy being at home playing with their billions of toys, I will tell you this: we do those things, just differently from your family. Our time is during the week when we get home from work or one of the days on the weekend where we don't have much planned. But we enjoy being on the go and my girls do too. I wouldn't take them out on the weekends if they were going to be miserable, but they aren't. So if they're happy we're happy, and if we're happy, then our family is happy.

Oh, and by the way... next weekend we are going to be busy both days! Shocking I know. Saturday the girls have ballet and then we're meeting up with friends to go to Sea World. On Sunday Jacob and I are going to Disney by ourselves to celebrate Valentine's Day while the girls spend the night with the grandparents (you know, making memories and all that). PEACE.

Animal Kingdom and Epcot

2011-01-31T14:46:00.000-08:00

After dance class on Saturday we headed over to Animal Kingdom. We haven't been to this park since Memorial Day weekend, and decided to spend a few hours over there. We met up with 2 families for the day. It was beautiful weather and the park wasn't that crowded. We always head to Africa first and get fast-passes for the Safari ride. We rode the train to Rafiki's Planet Watch and saw Pocahontas. Then it was time for the Safari. The rhinos were rolling in the mud and the girls thought it was hilarious.

We decided to head towards Dinoland and ride the Dinosaur ride and let the kids play in the Dig. On our way we met up with Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger. We also saw Pluto and Goofy.

After the Dig it was time for the parade. We've taught the girls to put their hands out when a character walks by and they'll give you a high-five. They loved it! After the parade we went to the Festival of the Lion King show. It was just us girls while the guys hung out at Pizzafari and had a drink!

After the show it was closing time for the park, but none of us wanted to go home since it was only 5 pm, so we decided to drive over to Epcot to walk around the World Showcase and have dinner. We started in Mexico (they have an awesome little bar inside Mexico) and walked all the way around. We got the kids dinner in America and carried it over to Morocco where we ate outside. Morroco is our favorite place to eat!
We stopped at a few places, got a few drinks, bought a few pins and headed out. We had an awesome time hanging with everyone! We're excited to be heading back to Epcot soon for the Flower and Garden Festival. I already have matching dresses for the girls!

Sweetheart Dance

2011-01-31T14:35:00.000-08:00

Mady attended her first real father/daughter dance on Friday night. The school sponsored a Sweetheart Dance in the cafeteria with a DJ, snacks, and photographer. Of course I had to walk in with them and check everything out. Mady had a great time dancing with her friends, but never danced with Jacob! Oh well! She lasted about an hour and then headed to Sonic afterwards for an icee!

Storytime with Santa

2011-01-26T06:44:00.000-08:00

The city of Oviedo sponsored a night with Santa at Riverside Park where kids could listen to a story read by Santa, make crafts, eat cookies, and get their picture taken. It was free, but you had to register in advance. After a long day at the Magic Kingdom, we raced over to the park to have storytime. Jacob and KK met up with us. The storytime was cute and the girls enjoyed making bracelets and talking to Santa. KK still wasn't too sure about it, but did stand for a picture. We even got our picture taken for the Oviedo/Winter Springs Lifestyles Magazine. Mady's friend Meghan had her picture in the magazine, too.

Gingerbread House Party

2011-01-25T06:55:00.000-08:00

I love throwing parties, and I knew I wanted to throw a Christmas party. I wanted something unique and away from the ordinary, decorate cookies kinda party. While scouring the internet looking at invitations I found the cutest gingerbread men invites. I now had my theme, and what goes better with gingerbread men than gingerbread houses! I have a super easy way of creating and decorating houses that I knew a bunch of 2, 3, and 4 year olds could handle. We invited all our best friends and their families to our house on December 5 for our party. In total we had 8 families, plus all their kids. I wanted something unique for dinner, as well as kid-friendly so we had a hot dog bar. I think it was a major hit with all of the different toppings! For favors I found cute gingerbread men paper bags and filled them with a gingerbread man ornament, a gingerbread man children's book, gingerbread man soap, and a gingerbread man cookie cutter. The kids had an absolute blast creating their houses and the parents enjoyed helping their kids!

Weekend Getaway!

2011-01-23T16:30:00.000-08:00

This weekend we traveled to St. Augustine to stay for the weekend. We knew it was going to be too cold to go to the beach, but we were excited to just get out of town for the weekend. The Pearsons came with us, but Stephen had to go to Jax for the weekend to visit his father so it was a girls' weekend, plus Jacob!

On Friday we arrived around 5:30 and headed straight to one of our favorite restaurants, South Beach Grille. We love this restaurant and it was still light out enough for the girls to see the ocean from our table. On Saturday we headed to the outlets to do some shopping and then went out to the beach so the girls could play in the sand. They had an absolute blast and the weather was great! After naps we headed to another one of our favorite restaurants, Creekside. The girls enjoyed eating at the restaurant and watching 2 raccoons right outside the window by our table! That night we decided to take a carriage ride throughout St. Augustine. Believe it or not, we've never taken the girls on a carriage ride in St. Augustine. We brought our blankets and enjoyed looking at the lights and hearing the history.

Sunday we headed into St. Augustine again for lunch at the Florida Cracker Cafe and visited the Oldest Schoolhouse. The girls liked the little tour and received a diploma at the end. No trip to St. George Street is complete without a trip to Kilwins. Even in the cold weather the girls loved their ice cream and we got Mady's two teachers chocolate, carmel covered apples. I thought it was a cute gift since they're apples for the teachers. Everyone knows when you're a teacher you always get apple-themed gifts! At least this was edible and from Kilwins!

We headed back to the condo around 3 and packed the rest of our stuff. We had a great weekend, the girls were on their absolute best behavior and we finally got out of Oviedo!

See Anything Missing??? and other things...

2011-01-19T14:32:00.000-08:00

Our November was pretty low key. Every weekend went something like this: ballet, UCF football game, SEC football on tv, etc... The Saturday before Thanksgiving we had an early Thanksgiving with my dad's side of the family. Thank goodness we did, because we really didn't get to do much on the actual day.

On October 22nd we received a referral to an ENT and Infectious Disease doctor for Mady. We've been battling frequent fevers for 3 years now and we finally decided that she needed to see 2 specialists. After 2 weeks of doctor visits and bloodwork trips everyone was in agreement to have her tonsils and adenoids out. I knew immediately that I wanted to do it the Monday of Thanksgiving since we'd already be home and I wouldn't have to miss work and Mady wouldn't have to miss much school. The surgery was scheduled and exactly one month later from the initial referral, Mady had the surgery. Everything went well and we brought her home to rest. It was a horrible recovery with Mady ending up at APH for excessive bleeding into her stomach and weight loss. We stayed the night and then she returned to school the following Wednesday.

November wasn't all that bad... I did throw an amazing baby shower for my dear friend Kim (who is due any day now) and we did get out of the house to see Tangled (even though Mady fell asleep 3/4 of the way through because of her meds). We had a very nice, low key Thanksgiving with some friends at their house where Mady could rest and Jacob was able to sneak off to his brother's house for a few hours and spend some time with his family.

Busch Gardens Baby!

2011-01-19T05:31:00.000-08:00

On the last Friday of Winter Break, Jacob and I decided to take Mady to Busch Gardens for the day. She has the free preschool pass that they offered in 2010, and they extended it through 2011. Jacob and I do the "pay for a day, come back all year" fun card and it works out pretty inexpensive! Unfortunately, Jacob wasn't feeling well and couldn't make it, so our besties stepped in and came with us for the day. No, we did not bring KK. She's not quite ready for the almost 2 hour car ride and then day at the park outing!We headed to Safari of Fun first to experience all the Sesame Street rides and show. The park was so empty that sometimes the girls were the only ones on the ride! We then headed to Timbuktu to ride the original kiddie rides, rode the train to see the animals, and then walked through the Edge of Africa to see the lions and hippos. We couldn't believe a.) how awesome and empty the park was, and b.) how close-up the lions and hippo were. Of course I didn't take any pictures of the animals, but it was pretty unbelievable. We will definitely make our way back to Busch Gardens, especially now since we have our fun cards!

PJ and Pet Day and Other Weekend Happenings...

2011-01-16T12:44:00.000-08:00

I am far behind on my blogging, but my plan is to use my MLK holiday to update November and December. November doesn't have much, but we did A LOT in December. I decided I would just start January now since it's 1/2 way through the month and I'm not behind, yet!

On Friday Mady's class had a pet show to complete their study on pets. Thank goodness it was not an actual "bring in you pet" show, because everyone knows I am anti-pet. Even Mady will tell you she doesn't want a dog because "we already have KK". Sad, but true. So, we thought about it for a few days and then Mady finally decided to bring in her Barbie dog in the carrier. I thought it was perfect and she looked so cute bringing it in its own little carrier. It was also PJ day and Mady was super excited about this! She knew instantly that she was going to wear her Tinkerbell pjs. I love that I'm right next door to her and can pop over and see her during these special events! Next year I will have an intern so I can still stay involved!

On Saturday I took Mady to her usual ballet class and asked the teacher if KK could try out for the class since technically she's only 2 1/2 and the class is for 3-5 year olds. I spoke with the teacher afterwards and KK was allowed to stay. Thank goodness because she LOVES doing anything her big sister does and wants so badly to dance with her sister.

On Sunday we headed to the Brevard Zoo to check out the animals. The Brevard Zoo is awesome and we try to make it over there about 2 times a year. Most of the animals were out, except for the giraffes. They didn't want anything to do with us and our crackers. The girls were disappointed that they didn't get to feed them, but they got over it quickly.

Next weekend we are headed up to the condo in St. Augustine to see the lights and also eat at our favorite restaurants. We've been cooped up in this house way too long with Mady's surgery and Jacob's procedure that we are excited to GET OUT!

Boosterthon Fun Run!

2010-12-07T11:20:00.000-08:00

This year our school had their first ever Boosterthon Fun Run! It's a fundraiser based on running, and since Mady is a student at Lawton, she participated. I came out and cheered her on and her friend Bryce. It was so cute watching her run, however, she over did herself and threw-up afterwards! She hung out with me for a bit and then I sent her back to class. Our school did awesome and raised $26,000! Of course I had to hit up the grandparents for some donations!

Random trip to the Magic Kingdom!

2010-12-07T11:06:00.001-08:00

In October we had a Monday off for fall break, and since we really didn't have anywhere to go and we were already planning a trip to Sanibel Island, we decided to take Mady and her friend to the Magic Kingdom for the day. We were hoping since it was a Monday it wouldn't be too crowded. It was a nice day and with all the construction going on in Fantasyland we did a few things and then left. It was a nice day off and the girls had a blast. They even rode the go-karts for the first time in Tomorrowland. Of course we couldn't miss the street party with Woody and Jessie!

Sanibel Island

2010-12-07T11:01:00.000-08:00

Every fall my best friend from Kentucky comes down to Sanibel Island with her family for a week. Being pregnant or having a newborn at home, or going on a Disney Cruise like last year, we haven't been able to meet up. This year I was determined to make it down. It was Halloween weekend so we didn't get to stay an extra day, but I'm thankful for the weekend we did have together! It was so much fun seeing her boys and how much they've grown and her seeing my girls! I will definitely not wait that long again between visits and we should make it again next fall and stay for a longer time!

October and all that Fall Fun!

2010-12-07T05:11:00.000-08:00

I am trying to update my blog monthly with all the happenings, but it seems we have so many happenings that it takes me forever to go through all my pictures and then write-ups, that I get behind! So, here goes for the month of October!

We started the month with a trip to Sea World's Halloween Spooktacular. We thought by going at the beginning of the month it wouldn't be crowded, ha! It was packed, but the girls had fun. KK even met Abby Cadabby, but is not comfortable with characters just yet.

Our next outing was to Green Meadows Farm. We love going here and I can't wait for Mady's class to go next year in kindergarten. I'll probably make Jacob chaperone, but I still love going with the family. KK even rode on the pony all by herself this year and she was so excited. We always end a trip to the farm with lunch at Mimi's Cafe!

Of course we had to visit the zoo for the Zoo Boo Bash. Not many pictures to take here since we go to the zoo quite a bit. But, we always end a zoo trip with lunch at Cracker Barrel. See a theme?

Since Mady's attending VPK right here at my school, I am fortunate to not only be a room rep, but also attend all the fun things they do during the school day. Her class had a fall party and I took a few pictures of the fun things they did like making acorns out of donut holes, decorating cookies, and playing pin the insect in the spider web.

And no Halloween is complete without a trip to the pumpkin patch. We found a really cute patch in Winter Springs and took the girls there to pick out a pumpkin to carve.

Then the big night of Trick or Treating came! We were invited to a driveway party at my friend Steph's house with a bunch of other families. We had dinner and then took the kids ToT'ing around the neighborhood. The cool thing is we were in Mimi's neighborhood so we got to stop by her house, which the kids loved! Mady dressed up as Peter Pan, which was absolutely adorable with her new haircut. KK was a UCF cheerleader since she didn't want to wear a Tinkerbell costume because it was itchy!

I have lots more to post on the month of October, including a trip to Sanibel to meet up with my best friend and a trip to the Magic Kingdom when we had a day off in the middle of the week! Stay tuned!

Kaitlyn's 2 Year Check-Up

2010-10-11T09:33:00.000-07:00

KK finally made it to her two year check-up at the end of September. With school starting in August and being away to the beach, we couldn't squeeze it in until then. She did wonderful and Dr. Aquilar was so pleased with her development. She is talking in 3 word sentences "Where is Daddy" "Where is Mady" "I want snack" etc... This is really good for her age and we are so happy. We think she gets a lot of it from Mady because she tries to be just like her! She also can sing her ABC's crystal clear and we often get confused that it's Mady singing when it's really KK. We're attempting potty training and that is a feat in itself, but we are confident by Christmas she will be finished. She is also going to transition to a big girl bed during winter break since she loves sissy's bed and will sleep in it with no problem. She is a rambunctious two year old with her own personality, that's for sure. She is definitely testing us and likes to say "no". She's had her fair share of time-outs and swats on the hand! Clothes are a major obstacle for us and she likes to change her clothes often. Shoes are a nightmare and she loves flip-flops! Her favorite shows continue to be Barney, Max and Ruby, Yo Gabba Gabba and anything Disney. She LOVES Abbey from Sesame Street, but when she met her, she freaked! Life with KK is definitely an adventure and her no-fear attitude keeps us busy!

Her stats:

Weight: 24.5 pounds 10-25% (she's definitely getting slender)

Height: 34 inches 50% (she's getting tall)

For comparision:

Currently Mady is 32 pounds and 39 inches!

Toy Story 3 on Ice

2010-09-23T15:49:00.000-07:00

If you've read any of my previous posts, then you know we are obsessed with Toy Story in our house. Once I found out that TS3 was coming on ice, I knew we had to go. We called all our friends and had a pretty big group join us. It was so much fun seeing the expression on all the kids' faces, and best of all, the daddies came with us! By the end of the show the kids were tired, but for the most part they were entertained and behaved so well.

Ballet

2010-09-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

Mady started taking ballet lessons a few weeks ago. I wasn't planning on signing her up for any fall activities because of starting pre-school and the holidays in the fall, but I found a ballet class that fits our schedule perfectly. She goes every Saturday for 45 minutes and so far has loved it! We will probably continue until the spring when soccer starts and then we'll take a break!