Baseballs and Bows

Happy Birthday!

2012-01-25T09:18:00.001-06:00

We've had quite a weekend! My Favorite Boy celebrated his 10th birthday (how is that possible?), and then his sister got a stomach virus. She was sick for about 36 hours, but was able to go back to school this morning (Wednesday). I'll share the details of the birthday party, but I'll spare you the rest. :)

My Favorite Boy enjoyed a fun afternoon with his buddies at the local skating rink. They spent time playing the arcade games, eating pizza and cake, and skating. I love to skate, so I enjoy watching my kids having fun at the skating rink like I did as a child.

(Not sure why he has become a Ravens fan, but he wasn't happy that they lost on his birthday!)

Grandma deserves a special shout-out for coming to help at the party. She endured over two hours of very loud music and was almost taken out by a teenage girl on wobbly wheels. (Grandma was standing by the wall, but you're not safe anywhere in a rink full of kids!)

My Favorite Boy came home to enjoy his presents and mail that had arrived. He had a great 10th birthday. I can't believe he's ten, but I am so thankful that I have had the past decade with him, and I pray I will be blessed with many more!

January Update

2012-01-18T10:28:00.000-06:00

Happy 2012! The new year is going well at the Baseballs and Bows house. Just thought I would post an update on some of the current issues and events.

Basketball:Both kids are playing basketball. Our school has a great league. A large percentage of the students participate, and it is such a fun community activity. My Favorite Boy is having a rough season in the 4th/5th grade league. They haven't won a game, and this is very frustrating to him. Learning to lose is never easy, but it's an important life lesson. Saturday was their best game yet, so we still have hope that there could be a win in the future. My Best Girl is in the kindergarten/first grade training league. They don't play competitive games, but she loves the drills and skill stations. It will be fun to watch her next year when she starts playing games! (She is getting SO tall!)

Baseball/Gymnastics:My Favorite Boy started indoor baseball practice for the spring season. We are with a new team this year, and we are very excited about it. My husband played baseball in college, and the son of one of his former teammates is on the team as well. It has been fun catching up with old friends, and we look forward to spending lots of time with them in the coming months! My Best Girl will start softball in a few months, but for now, she is enjoying gymnastics. Her favorite part is trampoline, but she likes the bars, too. The gymnastics facility is next-door to the indoor baseball facility, so with both kids doing baseball and gymnastics at the same time on the same night, scheduling and transportation are easy!

My Exercise:Alas, my back problem (which we think is a bulging disc) is not a lot better. I haven't run in almost nine months! I am going to commit to doing my physical therapy exercises daily for the next month, and if I don't see improvement, I will have to go back for an MRI. I really miss running, and I hope I will be able to return to it some day. Just when I started loving it, I had to stop. I am going to be so disappointed if I am never able to return to doing races. I'm praying for my back to heal!

My Eating:In other areas, my health has improved so dramatically! I am following the GAPS diet, and I have seen amazing results with my reflux (which was causing me pain every. single. day.) and also my anxiety, eczema, sinus infections, etc... I am about to take another major step and start the introduction part of the diet, which is even more extreme than what I have been following. This will be for a short period of time, but it will speed the healing process even more. It is going to be one of my toughest challenges yet because for a week or two, I won't be able to have any fruit. This may not sound like much, but fruit is the only sugar I eat. Eating an apple for a snack or a banana for dessert is a treat for me, so going without is going to be so hard. I've developed a very strong will when it comes to food, so I believe I can do it. I'll update with my progress! For any of you dealing with chronic health issues, I encourage you to consider diet as a solution. I am more and more convinced that many of our current health problems are related to our food. I know many think this is crazy, but I have drastically improved my own health by changing my diet, and read about amazing healing of many others, and I believe it works! So many of the medicines we take only mask the symptoms. With determination and hard work, we can fix the problems and improve the quality of our lives!

Okay, I'll stop my infomercial now. :)

My Favorite Boy's birthday is coming up this weekend, so I'll be back soon to tell all about it. I can't believe I've been a mom for TEN years!

December: The Final Chapter

2012-01-07T08:03:00.001-06:00

We enjoyed our final Christmas celebration over New Year's weekend. My brother and his beautiful family flew to Tennessee for the week. We all met up at Grammy and Papa's house for a few days.

We started by opening presents and had five happy children (only four were willing to pose--one was too busy playing with his trains). :)

Then, Aunt Rucha took my Best Girl to Wal-Mart. Aunt Rucha even bought my Best Girl some BBQ chips in the checkout aisle. This was a special treat!

We spent the afternoon playing at the park (it was a gorgeous day) and playing games at Grammy and Papa's. The kids had so much fun together!

On Sunday morning, we all went to worship together and then came back to Grammy and Papa's for the afternoon. My uncle and his family came as well.

My sweet niece was my buddy for the weekend!

Grammy, Papa, and All Their Kids!

My Uncle and His Family Came to Visit from Georgia

Cousin Fun

We returned home Sunday evening, but on Monday, my brother and his two oldest came to Nashville for some more fun with us. We visited a local bowling alley/fun center. The kids enjoyed it so much. We look forward to visiting them in New Mexico this summer!

December, Part Three

2011-12-27T17:18:00.000-06:00

Santa visited us a day early, so we woke up on the official Christmas Day and readied for worship. On Sunday afternoon, we headed to Lewisburg. First, we went to evening worship services with Grandma and Papa Don, and then we headed to their house for dinner and presents. My husband's sister and her family were there as well, and we enjoyed the few hours that we had to spend together. (We decided we need to have longer periods of time for the kids to hang out, so we are hoping to visit them in Atlanta some time soon.)Grandma is so nice that she let the kids open presents before eating. She figured that would keep them from asking "When can we open presents?" Of course, then they just said, "When can we eat? We're starving!"

Another Video Game! Hooray!

A New Coat!

An Auburn Shirt from Toomer's Corner!

Another Auburn Shirt from Toomer's Corner!

My Sweet Girl (Who Was Very Tired)

The Annual Cousins on the Couch Picture

Aunt Adrienne and Uncle David

On the morning of the 26th, Oreo got a present. The owners of her best friend, Trigger, were leaving to go out of town. The lady who boards our dogs opened late that morning, so Trigger got to come over for a playdate. The dogs had SO much fun. They played nonstop for 2 hours.

We spent most of the day playing games and enjoying time at home together. Dad takes off two weeks at Christmas. Because he travels so much during the year, these two weeks are our favorite time (if only it could be 80 degrees--that would be perfection!).

We got to spend more time with my husband's extended family on Monday evening. There are close to forty family members, so this get-together is never boring! The kids had a great time playing Apples to Apples, air hockey, video games, and other fun things. The grown-ups enjoyed catching up.

Mother and Son

Wow! I got a picture of the two of us together!

Brother and Sisters

Three Generations

Granny Harris loves her new robe from Chris and LeAnn!

My Flower Girls All Grown Up

My Best Girl and Grandma

My Best Girl and Papa Don

My Favorite Boy and Papa Don

Grandma and My Favorite Boy

We have one more Christmas celebration remaining. We'll spend New Year's weekend at my parents' with my brother and his family. We are looking to more family fun!

What's On Your Nightstand?

2011-12-27T08:29:00.002-06:00

I'm taking a break from my December posts to show you what's currently on my nightstand.

Right now, I am reading Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey's new book, Chasing Mona Lisa. It's fast-paced Christian fiction set at the end of the German occupation of Paris during World War II. With all the Christmas festivities, I'm having to read this in bits and pieces, but I am enjoying it and look forward to finishing it in the next few days.

Up next is All the Flowers in Shanghai, which is set in China in the 1930's. I have read a few books about China in the last year, and the historical context of this novel fascinates me.

Beyond Molasses Creek is the third book in my pile. It is the contemporary story of a flight attendant who returns home to bury her father and face her past. I'm looking forward to it as well.

I will review all of these books at 5 Minutes for Books in the near future. Be sure to click over there today to see what others are reading!

December, Part Two

2011-12-26T09:29:00.001-06:00

We are blessed to have next-door neighbors that are like family. We got together with them on the 22nd to exchange gifts. They gave my Best Girl the Disney version of Apples To Apples , and this has become one of our favorite gifts of the season. We've played it many, many times over the last week. I highly recommend it!

These two boys are best buds!

My Best Girl looks up to these sweet sisters!

On December 23rd, we headed to my aunt's house for a Christmas feast. My Favorite Boy enjoys playing video games with my cousin's son, and my Best Girl chills with his daughter.

My aunt served a delicious meal that everyone devoured except me. I am determined to make it through this season without breaking my sugar-free, grain-free, dairy-free diet! After lunch, we visited and opened presents. I am trying to take lots of pictures of people this year (rather than just my children and their presents). I know these family pictures are the ones we will cherish the most!

My Best Girl and Her Daddy

My Cousin and His Sweet Daughter

Ready to Open Presents!

My Best Girl and Papa

My Aunt and Her Granddaughter

Hooray for Video Games!

My Best Girl and Grammy

Grammy and Papa Love Their Grandkids!

My Mom and Me

Because Santa visited us on the 24th, the 23rd was our Christmas Eve. We left my aunt's house and returned home to open family presents.

My Best Girl and Her Flying Turtle

Ruckus--I highly recommend this fun card game!

Grammy and Papa lived out-of-state for over 10 years. Even though they live close now, they come on Christmas Eve to spend the night. We all made it to bed, and my Best Girl was the first to wake up at 5. Dad got in bed with her to encourage her to go back to sleep. By 6:30, both kids were awake, so the Christmas fun began!

Ready to Check Out the Stockings

Hooray--a Kinect and Games!

My Favorite Boy, His Oregon Pillow Pet, and His Papa
(Who knows why he wanted and Oregon Pillow Pet!?!?)

My Favorite Boy and His Grammy

Oreo also enjoyed Christmas. She liked her toys, but she mostly liked running off with the wrapping paper!

We spent the rest of the day in our pajamas playing games. It was a wonderful day!

Dad is talented! He can play Hedbanz and watch Cars 2 in 3D at the same time!

More Christmas festivities to come!

December, Part One

2011-12-24T16:33:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas to everyone from the Baseballs and Bows household. We are having a magical Christmas season. We've had 2 out of 5 of our Christmas events at this point, so we have enjoyed some wonderful days and have more to come. I'm behind in my posting, so I thought I would start with some activities from earlier in the month and then make my way through our Christmas festivities.

Last weekend, my Best Girl and I drove to Dickson, Tennessee to the Renaissance Theater. My Best Girl participated in a morning of Christmas craft activities, and then we enjoyed the musical A Year with Frog and Toad. One of my friends from college was in the show, and it was delightful. My Best Girl got to meet the cast after the show, as well Santa himself. It was a fun mother-daughter outing!

On Sunday afternoon, several of my friends from college came over for an ornament exchange. I have not been good about attending this annual event, so I volunteered to host. I figured if it was at my house, I would be sure to attend! It was great to see everyone, and to catch up with each other. Friends are such a blessing, and I am thankful that God has given me amazing friends in all times of my life!

After evening services on Sunday, we took the kids caroling at the homes of some of our older members. Unfortunately, my Favorite Boy had a fever at this point, so he didn't get to participate (he ended up having pneumonia, so he was down for the count most of last week).

We warmed up at Lenny's with hot dogs, subs and cookies. It was a fun evening to spend with our Christian family.

We are so blessed! More December events to come...

October Disney Trip, Days 7 and 8

2011-12-21T09:39:00.005-06:00

I'm taking a break from making Oreo balls (that I can't even eat) to finish blogging about our trip...

On Friday, we slept later (that probably means about 7:30 instead of 6:30). We didn't get in bed after the party until about 12:30, so we were lazy for a while. The kids were so funny about watching television at the hotel. We usually record shows on the DVR at home. My Favorite Boy said, "Wow! We can watch the shows live at Disney World!" They thought it was cool to see the shows when they were actually airing. Of course, then they couldn't fast forward through the commercials.

I had planned a low-key day. After a late breakfast, we headed to Downtown Disney to play at Disney Quest for a while. The kids enjoyed some games, and my Best Girl also participated in another drawing class.

For dinner, we went to the Contemporary Resort to eat at Chef Mickey's. We were the first family to arrive for the dinner seating, and they asked if the kids would like to help open the restaurant. They were so excited! They got to drop the rope and then Mickey welcomed them.

If you have been to Disney World, you know that people often have characters sign autograph books. Did you know Mickey has an autograph book? We didn't, but we were excited to know that the family of the day gets to sign his book. Very fun.

During dinner, we also visited with Donald, Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto.

My Best Girl got another birthday cupcake during the hourly celebration. She's waving her napkin over her head (so is everyone else in the restaurant).

On Saturday morning, we got another slow start. We had a 10:30 reservation at 'Ohana for brunch with Mickey, Pluto, Lilo, and Stitch. We really enjoyed this meal. The food was wonderful, and the character interaction was so fun. We hope to repeat this experience in the future.

We had a few hours before our flight, so we went to Magic Kingdom to fill every moment we could. The Magic Kingdom was very crowded, so rather than fight the crowds, we enjoyed a few attractions that don't have lines. A ride on the Peoplemover was first, and we then we visited the Carousel of Progress.

We had a few more snack credits to burn, so my Best Girl found something that made her smile. My Favorite Boy devoured some white chocolate covered pretzels as well.

Before heading to the airport, we stopped for a few more pics and talked with Mickey, Minnie and the princesses one more time. We were so sad to leave, but thankful for the wonderful trip. You can even witness the magic of Disney in one of the pics below: my kids have their arms around each other in a loving way!

I don't know when we'll return, but we are so thankful for a year full of Disney memories. I know that 6 trips in one year sounds crazy to some, but I enjoyed every moment. It was truly magical!

October Disney Trip, Days 5 and 6

2011-12-20T09:08:00.009-06:00

On Wednesday morning, we headed back to Hollywood Studios. We were the first family at the turnstiles, and my Favorite Boy helped the cast member test out the scanner. He was the first person into the park, and he thought this was very cool. He got to stand inside the park while we waited five more minutes for the official opening.

My Favorite Boy is our Fastpass master. He headed to Toy Story Mania with the mob to get our Fastpasses, and my Best Girl, Perry, and I waited for him.

After Rock-N-Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror, we went back to visit with Phineas and Ferb. The kids had their t-shirts on, and my Best Girl wanted to show them the Perry she had purchased.

We also stopped in for a visit with Mike and Sulley.

We spent the morning enjoying Hollywood Studios. Before we left, I wanted to try out two more cupcakes. The Red Velvet Cheesecake was okay, but this Butterfinger cupcake was SO good. The buttercream frosting was covered with butterfinger crumbles, and the chocolate cake was so moist. Perfect. (Can you tell I was really ready for some treats after going without for months? Now that I am back on my no-sugar diet, these are only a dream.)

We left Hollywood Studios and headed to the Winter Summerland mini-golf course. We chose the Summer version this time and thoroughly enjoyed our 18 holes.

For dinner, we headed to Epcot to eat with Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale at the Garden Grill. My Best Girl received more birthday wishes, and we all enjoyed the food and characters. (Can you tell the difference between Chip and Dale? Chip has a black nose like a chocolate chip. Dale is pictured below.)

On Thursday morning, we headed to Blizzard Beach. It was only in the 60s, but we enjoy the water parks so much, we thought we would give it a try. HA! We shivered from one slide to another and called it quits after an hour. It was so cold! We headed back to the resort for lunch and a rest before the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.

The Halloween Party was one of the highlights of our trip. We had such a good time! We got to Magic Kingdom in time to visit a few attractions before dinner at the Crystal Palace. (We wore modified Incredibles outfits because I didn't think the kids would be comfortable in full costumes. Some people went all out with costumes. The Incredible shirts worked well for us, but the kids would have enjoyed being dressed up more.)

We always look forward to a meal with Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore. I had ordered a point and shoot camera from amazon after my camera broke, and it had arrived the day before. We were able to use it at the party and indoors for the rest of the trip. My Best Girl enjoyed taking pictures with it, so my Favorite Boy started taking pictures with his iPod touch. They showed off their photography skills to the characters.

After dinner, we went to Big Thunder Mountain and the Haunted Mansion. I love these pictures on Big Thunder. Even though the point and shoot couldn't quite keep up with the action, the expressions on the kids' faces show their enthusiasm, and the pics are a great reflection of my Best Girl's personality.

A ghost joined us for our picture at the Haunted Mansion.

It was time for the party! We got trick-or-treat bags and started collecting candy all over the park. The kids loved this.

After trick-or-treating for a little while, we claimed our spot for the Boo-To-You Parade. This parade is amazing, and it was one of our favorite events all week. It starts with the Headless Horseman...(this is a Disney pic from my Photopass CD).

After the parade, we trick-or-treated more and then claimed a spot for the fireworks (another Disney pic).

As soon as the fireworks ended, we grabbed a spot for the villain show. We wanted to meet Maleficent, so we stood in the area where she would be. We were so excited to be first in line. This allowed us to meet her, and then we also were able to see Gaston and Jafar.

Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye were hosting a dance party, so we dropped in to say hello.

At this point, it was 10:45. I wanted to see Pooh and friends, so we headed back towards the entrance. When we got to the end of Main Street, we noticed that the waits for Mickey/Minnie and the princesses weren't too bad, so we stopped to visit them as well. You can only meet the princes at the parties, so my Best Girl was very excited about this. Even my Favorite Boy, who normally doesn't care about the princesses, didn't mind joining in on the fun when the princes were involved.

We wrapped up the evening by saying hello to the gang from the 100 Acre Woods. They looked so cute in their costumes! At 11:45, we excited the park, exhausted but happy. I couldn't believe the kids were able to make it so late (particularly my Best Girl), but they did, and we had an amazing time!

October Disney Trip, Days Three and Four

2011-12-19T08:10:00.005-06:00

On Monday morning, we headed for Epcot. On the way out of the resort, my Best Girl received Happy Birthday wishes on the harmonica. Because she was wearing a birthday button all week, these treats were common occurrences. (Yes, she is a little big for a stroller, but when I have the kids by myself at Disney World, the stroller is a HUGE help. My Best Girl tends to get distracted when going from one place to another, so I use the stroller to know where she is!)

Once we arrived at Epcot, we were excited to meet up with more friends from home. One of my fellow PTA moms was there with her son, her sister-in-law, and her niece, so we enjoyed Test Track together (I rode separately). We also enjoyed a trip to Mars on Mission: SPACE.

After spending some fun time with our friends, we headed out of Epcot to the Beach Club Resort for brunch with Minnie, Donald, and Goofy at the Cape May Cafe. My Best Girl was thrilled to have another signed birthday card. My Favorite Boy enjoyed the Mickey waffles.

Because the lighting was low, I had to use the disposable camera for the flash (you can read about the camera tragedy in my previous post). All the pics from the disposable camera look like they were taken in the 80s. Camera quality has come a long way!

After eating, we headed back to Epcot for Soarin' and a few other favorites before deciding to go to Downtown Disney. There was a treat there that I had been dreaming about for months. We left Epcot on a bus to the Port Orleans Resort and took their boat to Downtown Disney. My Best Girl was thrilled when the boat captain gave her a beautiful ring for her birthday.

We arrived at Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney to discover that they hadn't made any brownie sandwiches that day! I was disappointed, but the kids enjoyed shopping for some souvenirs. My Favorite Boy picked out a Florida Gators mini football, and my Best Girl picked out a Disney Vinylmation. After this, we called it quits and headed back to the resort for some swimming fun.

On Tuesday, we headed to Hollywood Studios. For some reason, we hadn't visited the Tower of Terror on our last several trips, so we made sure to drop in a few times.

We were very excited to meet Phineas and Ferb again. This is one of my kids' favorite shows at the moment.

We stopped at Pizza Planet for lunch, and I enjoyed this delicious cupcake. It was chocolate cappuccino, and it was WONDERFUL. I am not a coffee fan, but there was only a hint of coffee, and the cake was so moist. Completely worth disrupting my digestive healing. Yum.

After lunch, we rode Star Tours a few times, and then the kids decided they wanted cupcakes as well. I tried to talk them into sharing one so they could save a snack credit, but they insisted that they have their own. They didn't even eat half of them.

I had already eaten a treat, but because I had missed out on my Downtown Disney treat the day before, we decided to head to Downtown Disney again for the brownie sandwich and to visit Disney Quest (a five-story video game extravaganza). The brownie sandwich was completely worth the effort. It was the most enjoyable thing we ate all week.

While my Favorite Boy played all kinds of video games at Disney Quest, my Best Girl and I found a drawing class (also at Disney Quest), and she learned how to draw Minnie. She really enjoyed this.

We headed back to the resort for the evening. Rain had been threatening all day, and the bottom finally fell out about 7PM. We hung out in the main building and played a fun trivia game with some other families. This was fun way to end our day!

October Disney Trip, Days One and Two

2011-12-14T13:23:00.008-06:00

Once again, I am behind on my blogging! Two months ago, we left for our final Disney trip on our annual passes. If any of you are still reading my blog, you're probably tired of Disney posts, but this will be the last trip I post about for a while because we aren't planning to go to Disney World in 2012. These posts really help me when I get around to scrapbooking, so here goes...(speaking of scrapbooking, I am caught up through the end of 2009, and I plan to catch up on 2010 and 2011 after the holidays).

The kids and I left on a Friday afternoon and arrived in Orlando on Friday night. We had free flights and had to fly through New Orleans to get to Orlando. This was not ideal, but the kids were troopers. We made it to the All-Star Sports Resort in time to unpack and go to bed.

On Saturday morning, we headed to Animal Kingdom. (Here's where I get lazy and loosey-goosey with my children's identity on the internet and let you see my Best Girl's name. Since I have been calling her my Best Girl on my blog for almost 5 years, I'll keep that up, but you'll see her name in a few of these pics). My Best Girl's birthday is in October, so she celebrated the entire time we were at Disney. On the first morning, while we were waiting for Animal Kingdom to open, she snagged some birthday buttons. Birthday buttons lead to lots of attention from cast members, so she really enjoyed wearing these all week.

After the park opened, we headed straight to Expedition Everest. The kids love this ride, but I made them stop after two times because my brain and stomach couldn't handle it three times in a row.

Next, we headed to the Kali River Rapids where I was thankful to avoid a soaking. The kids did get wet, so everyone was happy! After the rapids, we met some friends from home in Dinoland. My Favorite Boy was thrilled to see his buddy from school.

We enjoyed some attractions with our friends, and then the kids and I headed to Africa for lunch and a snack. I have been sugar-free, grain-free, starch-free, and dairy-free for a while, so I was excited to cheat while on vacation. (Yes, I paid for it, but it was so nice to eat some fun things for a few days.) My Favorite Boy loves Donald, so he was thrilled with this yummy chocolate mousse in a Donald keepsake mug. I got an iced brownie (a paw-print brownie for any of you Disney fans), and it was okay. I had very carefully scoped out the treats I would buy, so I was slightly disappointed with this choice.

After our treats, we left Animal Kingdom for some pool time at the resort.

The kids enjoyed the swim and poolside games for a few hours, and then we headed to Epcot for dinner.

We stopped on the way into the park for some photos. My kids love the magic shots!

We dined at Akershus in Norway with the princesses. This is one of my Best Girl's favorite meals. My Favorite Boy would pass on this one if he could.

We saw Belle, Ariel, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White. My Best Girl also got a signed birthday card from the princesses and a cupcake.

On the way out of the park, both kids bought a souvenir. My Favorite Boy chose a Donald hat, which he wore all week. My Best Girl bought some Minnie ears, which she lost at the bus stop the next day.

We returned to the hotel to watch a poolside movie. They showed Mars Needs Moms, which we hadn't seen. The kids loved watching the movie by the pool!

The next day, we headed to Magic Kingdom. We enjoyed Pooh and Peter Pan in Fantasyland before heading to Frontierland. On the way, we saw Donald, and my Favorite Boy got him to autograph his hat.

We spent the day visiting our favorite Magic Kingdom attractions, and we grabbed lunch at Casey's. I have to admit that the mini corn dogs at Casey's are one of my favorite Disney foods, and I enjoyed them so much! We also visited the Main Street Bakery, and my Favorite Boy and I devoured the warm cinnamon roll. This was one of my cheats that was absolutely worth it!

We hit a few more rides, like Space Mountain and the Peoplemover, and also visited with Tinkerbell and friends before heading to the Main Street Barbershop for my Best Girl's haircut.

Unfortunately, my camera got knocked off a bench in the barbershop and would no longer work when I needed a flash. For the rest of the week, I could only take pictures outside in the daylight with my camera. I bought a disposable with a flash, but I knew the pictures wouldn't be very good, so I decided to order a point-and-shoot from amazon, which they sent to the resort. My Best Girl got the camera as an early birthday present, and I got to use it indoors and at night during our trip. Thankfully, I had also prepaid for the Disney Photopass CD, so I relied on their services in some circumstances.

Back to the haircut...

My Best Girl enjoyed the cut and glitter at the Barber Shop. If you are ever at Disney, you should take advantage of this. A kids' cut is only $15, and such a fun experience!

The haircut ended as the daytime parade was starting, so we watched the parade from the Barber Shop, and then headed over to meet Mickey, Minnie, and the princesses. Somehow, Sleeping Beauty managed to get a hug from my Favorite Boy. I asked him why he hugged her, and he replied, "She asked. What was I supposed to say? No?" As a matter of fact, he tells me no when I ask all the time. Not sure why he doesn't give in to me! :)

We ended the day at the Hoop Dee Doo Revue at Ft. Wilderness. This dinner show is one of my kids' favorite experiences at Disney World. We spent the evening eating good food (fried chicken, delicious cornbread, and the best strawberry shortcake I have ever eaten), and laughing until we cried. It was a wonderful end to a very full day!

Catching Up, Part Two

2011-11-06T19:59:00.009-06:00

In early October, we enjoyed our PTA's fall fundraiser, which we call the Hoot, Scoot, and Boogie (our school mascot is an owl). This is an annual event that the entire community enjoys. As PTA co-President, I spent quite a few hours at the school leading up to Friday evening, but the hard work was worth it. Each year, kids and grownups have a wonderful time, and we are able to raise a lot of money for the school. Because I was working, I didn't get to walk around with my kids, but I did manage to take a few pictures anytime they were in the vicinity of the PTA tent.

Part of the fun is hanging out with friends...

The kids also think it is neat to see the teachers outside the classroom (especially when they are in the dunking booth). My Favorite Boy was thrilled to see our former principal who left last spring. We miss her so much, but she chose a wonderful new principal to take her place. My Best Girl was all smiles with her first grade teacher.

For the third year in a row, my Best Girl won a cake at the cake walk. I don't know how she does it, but she wins every time!

In other news, my Favorite Boy wrapped up his football season. They ended the year 6-2, and they had so much fun. All of the boys go to school together, so that made the year even more enjoyable. My Favorite Boy played quarterback on offense and safety on defense.

My Best Girl's birthday was on October 26th, but I don't have pictures to share now. Because my camera broke at Disney World, I borrowed a DSLR from a friend for the party. The same friend had a Halloween Party immediately following my Best Girl's birthday party, so we returned the camera to her quickly, and I haven't gotten the party pics yet. I do have a few pics that I took at the Halloween party though (I can take outdoor pics that don't require a flash).

The Halloween party was about 75 people from church, and most were dressed in great costumes. Here is my Favorite Boy with some friends as well as pictures of the family with my favorite costumes. What a cute Toy Story family (I got two separate pics, but they all go together)!

On Halloween, we trick-or-treated with another family from church. Oreo was a big fan of Halloween. She didn't enjoy the costume so much, but she sure enjoyed the long walk around the neighborhood and playing with other children and dogs!

We had a great October. I'll post about our Disney trip and my Best Girl's birthday soon!

Catching Up

2011-11-06T16:09:00.002-06:00

Well, I've been missing in action from blogland. We have had a busy, but fun month since I posted at the beginning of October. I'm going to attempt a few catch up posts in the coming days. From October 14-22nd, we enjoyed our final Disney trip on our annual passes, but I'll post about that separately (you know I can't write about a Disney trip in a single post). Here are a few other things that kept us busy in October:

Softball: My Best Girl had a great fall softball season. She enjoyed playing pitcher and first base, and had a great season hitting the ball. But as much as she has improved, she still enjoys a little artwork between batters...

Dad was assistant coach this year. Sometimes my Best Girl liked this, sometimes she didn't. Dad probably felt the same way. :)

My Best Girl is aggressive. She loved playing pitcher so she could make the play at home when the bases were loaded.

She was even willing to sacrifice her body for the out (this is what happened after she touched home in the picture above--collision!).

My Best Girl is a goofball on and off the field!

After the final game, my Best Girl claimed her trophy. Coach Jeremy congratulated her for hitting harder than any girl in the league that fall (that he had seen). She appreciated this compliment, but she enjoyed the post-game cookies even more. Snack is the most important part of the game, you know.

Mom, hurry up and take my picture so I can eat my cookie!

Well, I planned to write about more than one thing, but I'm going to stop here. I will say that the quality of my pictures will vary in my upcoming posts. My camera broke during our Disney trip, and I have used several substandard cameras at various times (the last three pictures in this post were taken with one of these cameras). Thankfully, I have a new DSLR to replace the old one, but I just got it last week. More posts coming soon. Stay tuned!

Fall Fun

2011-10-02T14:42:00.004-05:00

Fall has arrived! I saw the first hint of changing leaves today, and the temperatures have dropped. I love the beauty of fall, but I am glad that we will have a few more warm days before cold temps are here to stay.

I haven't been keeping up with blogging very well, so I will attempt to catch up this week: look forward to a softball post and an update on me soon (I'm sure everyone will be anxiously awaiting this post). First, I'll hit on some fun events from last few weeks. Last Sunday, my Favorite Boy and his dad went to the Titans game with friends. It was a gorgeous day, and the Titans won the game, so there were smiles all around.

Last night, we enjoyed an evening of hayrides, bonfires and yummy food at the farm of some of our church friends (well, everyone else enjoyed the food--I ate before I left home and enjoyed an apple at the farm). We had a great time visiting with our friends!

(Notice my Best Girl has few teeth remaining. She lost her eighth tooth at softball practice on Saturday. I'm going to ask for a discount at the dentist when she gets her teeth cleaned.)

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Backyard Party

2011-09-19T08:19:00.003-05:00

After I posted about Oreo's birthday yesterday, my Best Girl decided that Oreo needed a party. She wanted to invite three dogs over to play. Unfortunately, we don't have a fenced in backyard, so the idea of two Bichon mixes, a Saint Bernard, and a Cocker Spaniel running around in my house didn't sound too good to me.

I called my friend with the Bichon mix (he's a Cavachon) to see if Trigger would like to play with Oreo for her birthday. They have a fenced in yard, and we often take Oreo over to play. My friend and her girls thought this sounded like a great idea, so my Best Girl and I headed over. By the time we got there, my friend's daughters had decorated for Oreo. I'm not sure she cared whether it was her birthday or not, but she sure did have fun playing with her friend Trigger!

Happy Birthday, Oreo!

2011-09-18T12:29:00.006-05:00

Oreo is one year old today!

The last year has been a lot of work, but she is completely worth it. She is now to the point where we can leave her home alone with free reign of the house, and she is fine (and so is the house). She loves tummy rubs and snuggling on the couch, and she will do anything for cheese (this is very helpful when we take her in the yard without a leash; she never wanders far if I have cheese). We love to watch her bark at herself in the mirror and can't help but laugh at her Bichon Blitz* (Oreo is 50% Bichon, 50% Shih Tzu).

We still need to work on her behavior with guests. She loves everyone and can be overly attentive when we have company. She enjoys attention and will resort to mischief to get it, much like a child! Oreos favorite past time is tearing up toilet paper. We always know when someone leaves the bathroom door open!

I admit that I love coming home to her. Every time I walk in the door, I am greeted with excitement and affection. I have never had a dog before, and I am completely surprised by how she has become such an important part of our family. We are thankful for our sweet girl!

*The Bichon Blitz is when a dog runs crazily around the house. The dog will usually run in a pattern, consisting of jumping on furniture and running around, under, or through furniture.

July Disney Trip: The Final Chapter

2011-09-17T18:10:00.000-05:00

Our last two park days were filled with fun! After church on Sunday morning, we headed to the World Showcase area of Epcot. The kids wanted to complete a few Kim Possible Adventures in some of the countries. After saving Japan and France, we had to call it quits because it was SO hot (I think it was about 97 degrees and very humid). We decided to leave Epcot and head to Typhoon Lagoon. Before we left, we met up with a few friends. My Best Girl enjoyed telling Belle, "My mom reads lots of books just like you do!"

We also ran into Aurora. My Favorite Boy didn't enjoy these stops. :)

My Favorite Boy did want to stop and see some other characters. I guess you're never too cool to hang out with Minnie and Goofy.

We spent the rest of Sunday at Typhoon Lagoon and hit Blizzard Beach on Monday morning. Spending so much time at the waters parks was the perfect way to spend a July trip.

On Monday evening, we headed to Magic Kingdom. On the way in, we stopped at the Harmony Barber Shop so my Best Girl could get a haircut. Mr. Michael chopped a few inches off and gave her some pixie dust. She was thrilled with this experience, and we already have an appointment for another cut October. (Can you believe a kids' cut in Magic Kingdom is $15? We pay that much in Tennessee!)

After the cut, we stopped by to say good-bye to the princesses, Mickey, and Minnie.

We also grabbed dinner before hitting some attractions. The park was very crowded, so we decided to go to some attractions that we don't usually visit. My Favorite Boy was not happy about seeing the Country Bear Jamboree...

We hadn't seen it in years, and I hate to say this about any Disney attraction, but it probably won't be on our to-do list any time soon. We did like the air-conditioned break, but we were ready to head to Fantasyland as soon as the show finished.

After a Mickey's Philharmagic, the Carousel, and a ride on Space Mountain, we found Pluto partying in Tomorrowland, and my Best Girl joined the fun.

Finally, it was time for the surprise ending to our trip. I had reservations at the Wishes Dessert Party, which includes reserved seating for the fireworks and lots of yummy treats to eat. The kids were so excited about this, and it was a grand finale for our week together.

We planned to stay for hours after the fireworks (Magic Kingdom was open until midnight), but we were pooped! We headed to the car, thankful for our wonderful week, but also looking forward to seeing Dad (and our sweet girl, Oreo).

We now have one more trip to go in our magical year of Disney. In mid-October, the kids and I will use our annual passes for the last time. We have had so much fun and made so many memories. I know Disney World will always be our favorite vacation destination, but being able to visit 5 times together (plus my additional trip for the half-marathon) has been over the top fun!

Kid Picks

2011-09-13T11:24:00.002-05:00

It's time for the monthly Kid Picks carnival at 5 Minutes for Books. Here's what my kids have been reading:

My Favorite Boy read the Kingdom Keepers series this month. It's set in the Disney Parks, and he really enjoyed that! Since Disney World is our favorite vacation destination, he is very familiar with all of the attractions and parks, so he could easily imagine the stories in his mind. I think I may read them as well. I'm always ready for a Disney visit!

We found these new Katie Woo books at the library, and my Best Girl has read every single one. They are a step between a Henry and Mudge type book and a true chapter book. Even though she can read chapter books, my Best Girl looks at true chapter books and says, "Too many words!" This series has chapters and more words on the page, but still includes attractive, colorful illustrations. She loves them!

If you would like to share what your kids are reading, or find ideas, head over to 5 Minutes for Books today!

Fall

2011-09-07T08:30:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, it was 100 degrees. I was okay with that. Yes, I was lying under the covers shivering from a 102 fever, but I LOVE warm weather. While 100 is a little on the hot side, I would much rather be hot than cold.

I guess summer went out with a bang because the temperature dropped 40 degrees in 24 hours. On Monday, our high was 61. I had to throw on a sweatshirt! (Isn't it funny how 60 in spring feels so warm, but 60 in fall feels like winter?) I also had to take my Best Girl shopping for some fall clothes. Since we don't usually have temps like this until October, the change found me unprepared. I have never taken my Best Girl clothes shopping before, so this was the first time I allowed her to have input in the clothes-buying process. Thankfully, she is a 6x, so we are spending one more season on the cute side of the aisle. I had to laugh when I held something up and she replied, "Mom, that does not fit in with my coolness!" I foresee differing opinions about clothing in the future. :)

Although I don't like shopping for myself, I am going to have to make a trip or two this week as well. Due to my recent eating changes and weight loss, I have exactly ONE pair of jeans/pants that fit. I have no "church" clothes for cool weather, and very few tops. It's like I am starting from scratch! Many females would love this challenge, but I don't care for it at all. For me, it seems like one more thing on the to-do list.

I know many people love fall weather, and I do as well, but in my mind, the change means that winter is around the corner. Thankfully, the temperatures will be back in the 80s this weekend. I'll hold on to the warmth for as long as possible!

Game Day

2011-09-04T13:21:00.004-05:00

It's no secret that the males at our house are huge sports fans. On Saturday, my Favorite Boy got to attend his first UT game! Since my Favorite Boy plays sports in the fall, finding time to go to Knoxville is tricky. Dad planned ahead this year and decided to take advantage of Labor Day weekend.

They left home around 11:30 on Saturday and made it to some of the pregame festivities surrounding Neyland Stadium.

At this point, it was around 100 degrees, and they were burning up. Just before game time, a thunderstorm passed through, delaying the game and soaking everyone. The temperatures dropped, and they spent a good portion of the game wet and cold. It was quite a turnaround!

My Favorite Boy was especially excited to have good seats in the lower level, but he was surprised that everyone sat on bleachers. I think he prefers the single seats at the Titans' stadium, but the atmosphere at a college game can't be beat. His says his favorite part was when a UT player made a long run and the stadium "exploded." I guess that's probably a good description of what 100,000+ crazy fans sound like.

So glad my boys were able to enjoy this fun trip. Thankfully, I was well enough to take care of my Best Girl, but I am still on the mend. My fever is gone, but my throat still hurts and I have no energy. Today is day seven of my fun viral adventure, so I'll be glad when it comes to an end!

Fun with Dad

2011-09-03T11:43:00.004-05:00

My husband and Favorite Boy have a special event planned this weekend (more info coming soon). So, my husband wanted to do something special with his daughter as well. The kids had a half day of school yesterday, so when they arrived home at lunch, Dad surprised my Best Girl with a trip to the ice skating rink. She has been begging to do this for months! Here are a few pics he took with his phone.

According to dad, my Best Girl did very well. She hasn't been skating in about two years, but I think she caught on quickly. I am glad they were able to enjoy a fun afternoon together! Even though we don't have visual proof, I hear that Dad skated some as well. Once my Best Girl got going, however, I think he took a few breaks on the sideline. :)

I appreciated that this outing made it possible for me to spend more time in bed. I've been sick all week with chills, aches, very sore throat and fever (it's was over 102 on both Thursday and Friday afternoons). Hopefully, Saturday is the day that things will start to improve (I know for sure it's not strep or mono, so I am going to have to wait it out)!

July Disney Trip, Part Two

2011-08-31T08:05:00.003-05:00

I've been sick for several days, so I decided to stay home and take it easy. I'm not good at resting, so I thought I would take this opportunity to write more about our July Disney trip. On Friday morning, we headed to Animal Kingdom. We only had a few things we wanted to do, so we headed to Asia for Expedition Everest and Kali River Rapids. We also took a rest in a rickshaw.

We enjoyed the rapids twice, and we left the ride SOAKED. We rode with the same family both times, and they stayed dry while we were drenched. My kids were thrilled.

Next, we went to the character greeting area and found several friends.

After playing in the Boneyard playground, we headed to Downtown Disney to play video games at Disney Quest. This is 5 stories of interactive fun, but it is the only part of Disney I don't enjoy! There are no windows, so it's dark and filled with video game noises. My kids, however, had a wonderful time, so I rested in the nice air conditioning while they played.

When we left Disney Quest, the clouds were rolling in, but we headed to Blizzard Beach anyway. We enjoyed about half the slides before they made everyone get out of the water because of lightning. The kids were disappointed, but knew they would be coming back.

On Saturday, we headed to my favorite park, the Magic Kingdom! We enjoyed Pooh, Peter Pan, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain.

For lunch, we headed to Casey's for corn dog nuggets. I ate the corn bread from my Best Girl's nuggets. This was a big cheat on my grain-free diet, but it was so yummy!

After lunch, my Best Girl and I watched the parade while my Favorite Boy rode Pirates of the Caribbean (yes, I let him ride alone).

Later in the afternoon, the kids enjoyed some cool snacks.

We usually let the kids get one souvenir per trip, and this time they chose light sabers. They made their own in Tomorrowland, and they enjoyed choosing their own parts.

After a super fun day at Magic Kingdom, we headed back to Blizzard Beach. We had good luck with the weather, and my Best Girl and Favorite Boy were brave enough to attempt Summit Plummet. This is a 12-story drop, and my Best Girl was barely tall enough to ride. I couldn't believe she did it, but they both said, "It was AWESOME!"

Friday and Saturday were lots of fun! Stay tuned for the last few days of our trip.

What's On My Nightstand

2011-08-23T06:41:00.004-05:00

I am a one book at a time kind of girl. Sometimes, I may have a nonfiction and fiction going at the same time, but not often. I don't know why, perhaps because my brain is going in many directions at the moment, but I am reading four books at once. Here's a glimpse at what's in my current reading pile.

Outdoor Parents Outdoor Kids: A Guide to Getting Your Kids Active in the Great Outdoors is my next book for Kirkus Reviews. As I type, my kids are playing outside with all the neighborhood kids, but we have room for improvement when it comes to exploring the great outdoors. I am looking forward to the suggestions in this practical guide.

We're Not Leaving: 9/11 Responders Tell Their Stories of Courage, Sacrifice, and Renewal is a raw and touching collection of stories from the first responders of 9/11. I will be reviewing this at 5M4B soon. It's difficult to believe it's been almost ten years since the terrorist attacks.

Fairer than Morning is a new historical fiction title from Thomas Nelson. I haven't gotten very far into it, but I am excited to read this story because the author worships with my brother and his family. My sister-in-law had mentioned the book to me, so I was excited when it was sent to me for review.

Leaving is one of the books in the Bailey Flanigan series by Karen Kingsbury. This series piggybacks on three other series by the same author. One one hand, I enjoy feeling like I am keeping up with old friends. On the other hand, the books follow a typical pattern. I feel like things are being drawn out just to make more books. It's become like watching a train wreck; I'm having a difficult time walking away.

If you would like to find out what others are reading, be sure to visit the Nightstand carnival today!

July Disney Trip, Part One

2011-08-17T11:27:00.003-05:00

We are back in the swing of things with school. Both the kids like their teachers and have great classes. I have been at the school daily for PTA stuff, but I am really enjoying it. Since I was a teacher before my kids came along, I am in my element, and I am glad to help the faculty, staff and students. The challenge will be making sure I spend enough time at home taking care of things that need to be done around here!

I'm backtracking a bit to document our July Disney trip. The kids and I drove down to Orlando (an 11 hour trip that was broken up by a sleepover with Aunt Adrienne in Atlanta). We arrived in Orlando around 5PM on a Tuesday evening and headed straight for Cici's Pizza. Our Cici's closed, and my kids were so excited to eat at the Orlando location. My Favorite Boy would like me to note that he ate an entire pizza, two breadsticks, a brownie, and a cinnamon roll. He is proud of this gluttonous accomplishment. Of course, I am not eating grains, so I had some lettuce and carrots from the sub par salad bar. After dinner, the kids spent some time in the pool, and we hit the sack in preparation for our first day in the parks.

On Wednesday morning, we headed for Hollywood Studios. I am sure you think that we've done everything at Disney World by now, but since that's impossible, we added a few new fun things to our agenda. As soon as the park opened, my Favorite Boy masterfully grabbed us Fastpasses for Toy Story Mania, and then we headed to the Rock-N-Roller Coaster. After the ride, the kids started a pressed penny collection. They had been looking forward to this since May.

We excitedly headed to meet two of my kids' favorite characters: Phineas and Ferb. This duo recently started greeting their adoring fans, and my kids were very excited to see them. While we waited for Phineas and Ferb to arrive, the cast members engaged the waiting crowd by having them act out scenes from the show. My Favorite Boy hesitantly agreed to participate.

Then came the big moment... Hey, where's Perry????

Sadly, Perry was no where to be found, but we did spot Lighting McQueen and Mater, both had been souped up to match their appearance in Cars 2.

We headed through the Streets of America to play on the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground. Both kids got wet in the fire hydrants, and then my little poser smiled for the camera.

After playing, we enjoyed Toy Story Mania and Star Tours before heading out of the park for lunch. Since we had a car, we headed off-property to Chili's (it was Kids Eat Free day).

Because it was HOT, we spent the late afternoon and evening at Typhoon Lagoon, one of Disney's two amazing water parks. This became a pattern for the entire trip. We visited parks in the morning, and then headed to the water parks in the late afternoon to cool off. This worked out to be a very good plan!

On Thursday, we headed to Epcot. We decided to devote this day to the Future World section. We enjoyed Soarin', Nemo, Mission:SPACE, Journey into Imagination, and Test Track. While we waited for Test Track, I managed to take a surprise picture of my Favorite Boy, and I captured my Best Girl while saying something I said repeatedly throughout the trip: Please get off the rails!

We decided to cool off by enjoying a yummy treat, so we stopped for ice cream. I hadn't had a bite of sugar, chocolate, or grains in months, so this was definitely a fun treat/cheat for me. (I don't cheat at all while at home, but it's so hard to stick to my diet when I'm on vacation and not able to provide my own food!)

I'm sure some of you will think I am a negligent parent, but at this point, I let my Favorite Boy play a video game at Innoventions while my Best Girl and I visited the Energy pavilion for the first time and chatted with Minnie and Goofy. Be assured that I knew he wouldn't move from his spot in front of the PS3 (I could have left him there for hours, and he would have been in the same spot), and he had been given specific instructions about what to do if he needed me.

Thursday was the one day we didn't visit a water park. Instead, we headed to the mini-golf course. We play once each trip, and we played on the Winter-Summerland course, which is our favorite.

The water features on the course were especially appreciated in the heat!

The first few days of our trip were great fun! I'll be back soon to post more.

Family Time

2011-08-13T10:19:00.004-05:00

In late July/early August, my brother and his family came for a visit. They live in New Mexico, so their visits are a treat for all of us in Tennessee. My kids couldn't wait to see their cousins! We spent a couple of days hanging out with them. On one of the days, we took the kids to a nearby pool. They had so much fun playing together!

We also had an early birthday party for my youngest nephew. He will be turning two in September. All the kids were super excited about digging in to the cake.

My Favorite Boy has learned how to Skype his Uncle. Now that they have returned to New Mexico, we look forward to regular computer chats until we get to see them again in person!

FIrst Day of School

2011-08-11T20:18:00.004-05:00

Alas, summer break is gone. My kids had their first day of school today. We have had such a great summer, and I hated to see it end. On the positive side, maybe I'll have some time to document some of our fun now that the kids are in school.

We started the morning off by taking some pictures with our neighbors. This is a first day of school tradition. A picture of my Favorite Boy and Best Girl together is a tradition as well, but I forgot that one!

I always take a picture of the kids with their teachers. I am hoping to do this through fifth grade. My Favorite Boy is thrilled to have the same teacher as last year (she moved up to fourth). He didn't want me to take his picture, so he suggested that I use last year's picture again. I didn't fall for that.

My Best Girl was excited to start first grade, and thankfully, there were no tears, but she did ask me to stay until the last possible second.

I am serving as co-president of the PTA this year, so I will be at school a lot. I am excited about this, and I know it's going to be a good year for all of us. We are truly blessed to be a part of our school community!

Summer Update

2011-07-14T11:01:00.005-05:00

We are having a wonderful summer, but it is passing way too quickly! Here's a long, boring post with no pictures that can serve as an update.

In recent weeks, the kids have logged quite a few hours in the pool, visited the movie theater for Cars 2 and Kung Fu Panda 2 (my Best Girl thought this was too scary) , enjoyed play time with friends, and other fun activities. My Best Girl got to see Mr. Popper's Penguins as well because her kindergarten teacher took her to the movie (we had the world's best kindergarten teacher).

This week, my Favorite Boy is at an enrichment camp at his school. He is enjoying his classes, which range from sports, to candy making, to magic. My Best Girl wasn't old enough to attend the school program, so she chose to go to an outdoor nature camp. She loves it and is spending her days playing in the creek, making crafts, learning about snakes, and catching crawdads. This is SO up her alley.

I am trying to use my time wisely this week. On Monday, I spent most of the day in a PTA budget meeting. I am excited to be serving as co-president for the upcoming school year. Our meeting went very well, but it was also a wake-up call that school is just around the corner. I wish summer lasted longer!

I am also catching up on my scrapbook; I finished 2008 and am working on June 2009. I am pleased with my progress and hope to catch up by the end of the summer. My final to-do for this week: I am packing for Disney. Yes, the kids and I are going AGAIN. We are driving down next week to take advantage of our annual passes. I am looking forward to a laid-back trip (it will be too hot for our usual commando-style park touring). When we return, PTA business will kick into full gear, and my brother and his family will be here from New Mexico.

I am still on my restrictive diet, and my reflux is MUCH better. Yesterday, I had almost no symptoms for the first time in well over a year. I have been living on meats, nuts, fruits and veggies for almost four months, and it seems normal now. It will be difficult to stick with my diet completely while on vacation, but we're going to have a kitchen this time, so that will help.

I have been excited this year because up until recently, I had visited the doctor fewer times than anyone else in the family. That's never happened. Unfortunately, I am now going to physical therapy 3 times a week for disc pain in my back, so I am back to being the costly medical patient. They think it is a bulging disc that will heal with therapy, and I really hope that's true because my plan of running in the Women's Half Marathon in late September is fading quickly at this point.

That's what's going on around here. I'll be crying in a few weeks when school starts, but for now, we'll try to cram in as much as we can in the remaining days of summer vacation!

Summer Picnic

2011-06-28T07:46:00.003-05:00

We enjoyed a picnic on Saturday with our church family. I just love this picture because it sums up summer: playing hard, spending time with friends, FUN. This is what my Favorite Boy looked like after participating in his first kickball game of the afternoon. I should have taken another picture after the second game when he looked even worse!

We are so thankful for our church family and for summer fun. This season flies by way too quickly!

May Disney Trip: Days Five and Six

2011-06-27T15:50:00.001-05:00

We spent day five of our Disney trip at Blizzard Beach. The slides are so much fun, and we enjoyed our day. After spending the morning there, the kids had more poolside fun at the hotel (they have games and music all afternoon), and then we headed back to the Magic Kingdom. On the way in, we noticed that the wait to see Mickey and Minnie was only 5 minutes, so we stopped for a visit. The wait was actually zero minutes, and we got to spend a good bit of time with them. Minnie even showed my Best Girl some of their magic tricks (a bird cage with a disappearing bird).

The kids ate corn dogs at Casey's again, and then got a treat from the Main Street Bakery. They were thrilled with their brownie and Oreo cupcake. I got a cupcake as well, and this was my third and final no-no of the trip. It wasn't as good as it looked, but it was still a special treat (a Gigi's cupcake would have been wonderful).

Next, we headed to Tom Sawyer Island. As many times as we have been to Disney World, we had never taken the raft over for this adventure. We enjoyed exploring the fort and the caves.

We finished our evening at Magic Kingdom with some rides on Big Thunder, Splash, and the Jungle Cruise and then turned it early (for some reason, my Best Girl wakes up extra early on vacation, even though she should be more tired).

On our final morning, we only had a few hours before heading to the airport. We decided to go to Hollywood Studios for Toy Story Mania and Rock-N-Roller Coaster again. We were at the rope, ready to walk with the mob to Toy Story Mania. Disney does a great job with crowd control, but heading to this attraction first thing in the morning is a madhouse!

We have a tradition of seeing Mickey before we leave, so we stopped to visit before heading to the airport. Even though my Favorite Boy is getting older, he insists upon this practice. Don't worry, Mickey. We'll be back soon!

May Disney Trip: Days 3 and 4

2011-06-26T15:41:00.001-05:00

On day three of our May Disney trip, we woke up and headed for Hollywood Studios. Now that both my kids ride the Rock-N-Roller Coaster, this is one of their favorite parks. With Toy Story Mania, RNR, the Tower of Terror, and the updated Star Tours ride, touring this park without lines has become more of a challenge, but we were up for it, and we had a fun morning.

After experiencing some of the more thrilling attractions, we headed to the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids playground. On the way, my Best Girl happened by a fun fire hydrant. Both kids enjoyed a brief soaking. Sometimes it's the little surprises that make the trip so fun.

After spending several hours at Hollywood Studios, we hopped on the bus for Blizzard Beach so we could play at the Winter Summerland mini-golf course. Both kids love the Disney courses, and we now play one round each trip. My Favorite Boy and I were lucky enough to get holes in one this trip!

On day four, we headed to my favorite place: the Magic Kingdom.

I don't remember why, but both kids were a little grumpy as we headed off to Neverland. I love Peter Pan, so I didn't let it spoil my fun (and the grumpies didn't last long). Isn't this an attractive photo?

We spent the morning enjoying our favorites: Pooh, Peter Pan, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and the Haunted Mansion. We also ran into Donald who looked ready for the wilderness. (Donald is my Favorite Boy's favorite.)

In the afternoon, we took a break from the walking and heat to ride the People Mover. My Best Girl had never ridden it before, and both kids were thrilled as we entered Space Mountain. The ride was down, and they had all the lights on, so you could see the track. It's not too fancy looking, but they thought it was really neat to get a behind the scenes look.

We left the park for an afternoon break, but not before my Favorite Boy got an extra special treat. By this point, I had eaten cold salads and fruit for three days, and I caved. I had a few bites of this funnel cake, and later in the evening had an ice cream as well. My reflux flared up later, but it was so tasty! I guess if I only mess up a few times at Disney, and stick with it every other day of the year, I am doing pretty well.

After a break, we returned to the Magic Kingdom to enjoy dinner at Casey's. My kids love the corn dog nuggets and watching old black and white Disney cartoons while eating.

We splurged on the aforementioned ice cream and fit in a few attractions before the fireworks, including Pirates of the Caribbean.

Then, we ended our day at Magic Kingdom with the Wishes fireworks. What a wonderful way to spend the evening!

May Disney Trip: Days One and Two

2011-06-25T08:19:00.006-05:00

The time has come. My daughter informed me, as gently as she could, that she didn't think the characters at Disney World are real. She said, "Mom, I'm not sure about Mickey and Minnie yet, but think about Pluto. He stands up all the time and his tongue isn't wet. Real dogs aren't like that."

Okay, so she has a point, but I asked her if we could just pretend, and she readily agreed. I hate that this day has arrived, but I am thankful she believed the magic for so long, and I know we will continue to enjoy Disney just as much!

If you remember, my husband gave the kids and me annual passes to Disney World this year. He either knows how to make us happy, or he's trying to get us out of the house. In May, I took the kids for six nights at the end of school, and we had a wonderful time. Since Disney provides all transportation from the moment you step off the plane, and since my kids both meet all height requirements at the parks, it really isn't a difficult trip to make. Because we are together 24/7, the kids do have issues at times, but overall, I love these special days with them.

Our first stop was Typhoon Lagoon. We spent our first morning and early afternoon enjoying the slides and wave pool. Since we had a very cool May in Tennessee, we were excited to spend time in the Florida sun. After a fun day, we headed to Animal Kingdom for the evening.

First, we ate dinner at Pizzafari (it was really difficult to stick with my no sugar, no grain, no starch diet at Disney; I mostly ate cold salads), and then we walked over to the character greeting trails. We were excited to meet Thumper for the first time, and Goofy and my Best Girl compared smiles. They are both missing their upper middle teeth. :) Donald spent some time with us as well.

Next, we headed to Expedition Everest, one of my kids' favorite attractions, and managed to ride it twice. I called it quits after that because I'm getting too old. My head and stomach can't handle those rides like they used to.

We also rode the Kali River Rapids, and the kids were disappointed that they didn't get very wet. They solved that problem at a fountain near the ride's exit.

Before leaving the park, we headed over to the Boneyard, which is a very cool playground. On the way, we stopped to visit with Tigger, Pooh, and Eeyore. How can you not love this cuddly bear?

We turned in for the evening, and woke up the next morning ready for a day at Epcot. As usual, we enjoyed Soarin', Test Track, Mission:Space, Nemo, Spaceship Earth and Journey Into Imagination.

We also spent time in the World Showcase trading pins, exploring, and completing a Kim Possible Adventure (you get to fight bad guys using a cell phone in the different Epcot countries).

Before leaving Epcot, I talked the kids into trying the Living with the Land attraction. They thought it would be boring, but they liked it, especially the greenhouse portion.

We ended our day by stopping in for a visit with Mickey and his buddy Pluto. Notice that Pluto is standing up and his tongue isn't wet. It's possible he's not a real dog.

I realize my blog is turning into a Disney travelogue this year, but I am so glad to be able to document our fun. We never tire of these adventures!

Family Fun

2011-06-22T13:32:00.005-05:00

Last week, we had unexpected overnight guests. Because of some airport issues, my brother and my youngest nephew got stuck in Nashville. We were excited to have company (but we hated that they had to deal with the airport hassle). My Best Girl and Favorite Boy loved the attention from their uncle. My brother didn't have his luggage, so he had to make a trip to Target for some diapers. He took my kids along for the ride. My Best Girl came home with a pedicure set, and Uncle R allowed her to paint his toes. She thought this was so cool! Thanks, Uncle R for being such a willing victim!

Unfortunately, my nephew was not too excited about all the commotion. After spending days away from home and a few frustrating hours at the airport, he was just plain tired. I felt so badly for him, but he's adorable..even when he's crying.

We did manage to cheer him up with a Diego umbrella. His cousins entertained him with this for a few minutes.

We look forward to seeing these two again in July, along with my other nephew, my niece, and my sister-in-law!

We enjoyed more family time over the weekend as well. My husband's grandmother celebrated her 91st birthday, and (almost) all the extended family attended. After spending several hours in a rain delay at a ballgame, we worried that the weather might not cooperate for the party, but the skies cleared just in time, and the celebration was lots of fun.

We are thankful for the time we had to spend with family this week!

More Summer Fun and an Update

2011-06-15T07:07:00.001-05:00

As I have mentioned before, we've been spending lots of time at the ballpark. We enjoy it so much. For reasons I won't delve into here, my Favorite Boy ended up on two teams this year. He has learned from both of them. One of the teams finished up last week, and the other continues through July. Here he is hoping to score from third base and pitching. I have gotten lazy about taking my camera to the games, so I hope to get some better pics before his season ends.

My Best Girl finished her softball season last week during a very hot game. Since there's no shade at her ballpark, I was thankful to be the dugout mom for that day! My Best Girl was excited to play first base in her last game, and she definitely enjoyed the post-game cupcake. She brought home two very nice trophies and a game ball as well.

In other news, I haven't run in five weeks. Something is wrong with my lower back/hip on the right side. I was hoping that rest would clear it up, but no such luck. I will be visiting the doctor next week. I really hope it goes away because I am supposed to do a half-marathon in September, and I need to start training.

I am still on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet to heal my reflux. It is not gone, but it is much better. The progress encourages me to stick with it. It's tough, especially in social situations because I can't have anything with disaccharides (no sugar, milk, starches, grains, etc...). Although the rigidity is difficult, there is a silver lining: I am the same size I was in high school! I would never have set that as a goal, but I'll take it! I am never hungry, and I eat as much as I want (plenty of meat, butter, cheese, nuts, veggies, and fruit), but without the grains, sugar, and starch, the weight has just fallen off. At least I have a silver lining when I am wishing for a cupcake or ice cream!

I have been blogging infrequently, but I am working hard to catch up on my scrapbooking. I am two and a half years behind, but my goal is to catch up by the end of the summer. I am trying to work on it a little every day. My dining room will look much better when I catch up on this project.

That's all from here. I'll update again soon!

Summer Reading

2011-06-14T07:09:00.001-05:00

My Best Girl started feeling sick Sunday night, and by Monday morning, I suspected strep throat. We were supposed to go to my parents' house for the day and night, but the sickness left us home bound (my almost two-year-old nephew is with parents so we were very disappointed, but smart enough to keep our germs at home). My Best Girl didn't feel like doing much, but my Favorite Boy needed some activities other than video games and television. Thankfully, his summer reading filled a big chunk of the day.

My Favorite Boy prefers nonfiction, primarily sports books. Our library's summer reading program encourages the kids to explore variety of genres, so I am excited to report that he is reading some fiction this summer. Some of his favorites this week are Holes by Louis Sachar (which he devoured in a few hours) and books by Andrew Clements like The Report Card. He still has quite a few nonfiction books in his pile, but I am glad he is finding some fiction to enjoy.

Although my Best Girl didn't want to read much today, she is enjoying books this summer as well. She really likes Amelia Bedelia, and she has found a nonfiction series to explore. The Wonder Books are leveled readers that cover a variety of topics and include beautiful photographs. My Best Girl has always preferred that I read to her (even with books she can read on her own). I am glad she is excited to be the reader, and I am thankful that the library program encourages her to do that!

We are having lots of fun this summer, and I am glad books are a part of that. To find out what other kids are reading, be sure to check out the Kid Picks at 5 Minutes for Books today!

Summer Fun

2011-06-01T13:07:00.006-05:00

Summer is in full swing. Two weeks ago, I wore a heavy coat to my Best Girl's softball game, and now it's 95! I love hot weather, so I am welcoming summer with open arms.

The kids and I spent last week at our favorite place (Disney World), and I'll post more about that soon. This week, my Favorite Boy is participating in basketball camp, playing baseball games, and swimming. Both kids got to try indoor rock climbing for the first time yesterday (my Best Girl was quite the climber), and we plan to fit in a trip to the library and the movie theater soon.

My Best Girl has swim lessons this week, and she also started a garden class sponsored by our local farmer's market. Today, they learned that a weed is a plant that grows where it is not wanted, but all plants have a purpose. She even got to taste a few of the weeds that were growing in the field and help with the compost pile. The kids also enjoyed playing with the bugs; cicadas are EVERYWHERE. (I have a great picture of her playing with the bugs, but it disappeared from the file when I edited it. I'm not savvy enough to figure out where it is.) I do not have a green thumb, so I am excited for her to participate in this class, and even more excited that it is free!

Our summer is off to a great start. I'll share more soon!

Spring Break, Part Three

2011-05-25T06:39:00.005-05:00

On our final two days of Spring Break at Disney World, we visited Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom. As Hollywood Studios opened, we headed straight for Toy Story Mania for some arcade-style fun.

Next, we headed to Tower of Terror, but on the way, I somehow managed to talk my kids into trying the Rock-N-Roller Coaster. My Favorite Boy said he would never try it because it goes upside down, but for some reason, he changed his mind. With shoes on, my Best Girl was just tall enough to ride it, so we left Dad behind and got in line. This roller coaster takes off very quickly, and I love my Best Girl's eyes in the ride photo.

Of course, as soon as we exited, they both declared it their favorite ride ever and wanted to do it again immediately.

We spent the morning and early afternoon enjoying our favorites at Hollywood Studios: Tower of Terror, the Muppets in 3-D, the Little Mermaid, and more Toy Story Mania and Rock-N-Roller Coaster.

Then, we headed to Downtown Disney for shopping and went back to the hotel to pack.

We only had three hours on Friday morning before we had to leave for home, so we were at Magic Kingdom before its 8 AM opening.

We planned to do Space, Big Thunder, and Splash Mountain again, and my Best Girl also wanted to see the princesses. Notice the death grip she has on them. I will be sad when we move past this stage. It is still all real to her.

As we left Splash Mountain, we got to see western Mickey and Minnie. As I mentioned earlier, we love to see characters in costumes we haven't seen before, so this was a treat.

We had never met Prince Eric before either, so this was an exciting photo opportunity for my Best Girl.

My Favorite Boy and Dad saw Mickey's Philharmagic while my Best Girl and I visited with Ariel and Eric, and then we all met up for a final ride on Pirates of the Caribbean where we ran into Pirate Goofy.

Before we could leave, we had to search for my Favorite Boy's glasses, which were left in the vehicle on Space Mountain. Unfortunately, they hadn't been found at that point, but leave it to Disney to fix problems. They found the glasses and mailed them to us. I love Disney service!

We had a magical Spring Break trip at our favorite vacation destination! Although many of the things we do are the same, each trip is new and special to us, and I am thankful for the family time and memories that these trips provide.

Spring Break, Part Two

2011-05-23T07:03:00.003-05:00

While I am in catch-up mode, I'll backtrack to our Spring Break Disney trip (I wrote about the first part of our trip HERE). During the middle portion of our trip, we visited Epcot and the Magic Kingdom. At Epcot, we started the morning with some of our favorites: Soarin', Mission: Space, and Test Track. Later, we visited Journey Into the Imagination. This is a corny ride, but my kids love it.

After leaving the Imagination Pavilion, we were happily surprised to run into friends from church. The girls had a good visit, and then we headed to the World Showcase area.

My Best Girl enjoys a certain popsicle at WDW. It's called an Itzakadoozie. She's always a sticky rainbow mess when she finishes!

While in the World Showcase area, we divided up so the kids could do Kim Possible adventures separately. My Favorite Boy and I headed over to England to fight crime while my Best Girl and Dad headed to France. Thankfully, all bad guys were defeated.

After saving the world, my Favorite Boy and Dad headed to Innoventions for some video games and interactive fun. My Best Girl and I visited the butterfly garden (the Flower and Garden Festival was in full swing) and enjoyed Test Track again.

After a full day, we headed back to the hotel for some swimming and relaxation.

Because it was spring break season, Magic Kingdom opened every morning at 8. Since we are early risers, we were there and ready to enjoy the next day. We had about three hours in the park with no lines before the crowds showed up, so we were able to do a lot. We've now been to Disney many times, and one of our favorite things is taking pictures with characters we haven't seen before. My kids were excited to visit with Pinocchio and the White Rabbit for the first time (I got to see Pinocchio in February during my half-marathon trip as well).

The kids always enjoy the Indy cars. I am very thankful my Best Girl won't be driving a real car for a while.

As usual, the three mountains (Space, Splash, and Big Thunder) ranked at the top of our favorites list!

Not only do we enjoy finding characters we haven't met, but we also like to find characters in different costumes. We were thrilled to run into Mickey in his George Washington costume at the Hall of Presidents!

In the early afternoon, we stopped for one of our favorite treats: a Sleepy Hollow funnel cake. After that, the boys headed to Disney Quest to play video games while my Best Girl and I enjoyed Magic Kingdom for a while longer.

We all met up in Downtown Disney and headed to Chili's for dinner. They happened to have a balloon artist there, so we left with souvenirs. It was a great finish to a fantastic day!

Disney World

2011-05-20T09:31:00.003-05:00

I've you've visited my blog for any length of time, you already know we're addicted to Disney World. I am excited to share my love for Disney and my appreciation for Disney guidebooks at the Kirkus Reviews site today. I hope you'll click over and read my review!

Kindergarten Celebration

2011-05-18T08:12:00.001-05:00

Last week, my Best Girl participated in her first school program. On Thursday, they did a dress rehearsal in front of the school. When my Best Girl arrived home, her daddy gave her these...

Friday morning, the kindergarten performed in their Sunday best. My Best Girl was worried about everyone looking at her, but she did a great job. I can't believe that my baby girl has only three more days of kindergarten!

Music City Kids' Marathon

2011-05-16T16:12:00.009-05:00

Since kindergarten, my Favorite Boy has participated in the Music City Kids' Marathon. Because of his baseball schedule, we thought he wasn't going to be able to participate this year, but the makers of the tournament schedule smiled on us, and he didn't have to play on Friday night. To add to the excitement, my Best Girl was old enough to participate this year as well.

The kids race with same-age peers. Here are the third graders from my Favorite Boy's school at the starting line. (My FB is the fourth from the left.)

He was all smiles at the finish line with a new medal to add to his collection. The loot this year also included ice cream. This was a big hit with all the kids, especially since it was very warm.

For the past three years, my husband has run with my Favorite Boy. FB ran alone this year, but my Best Girl needed a partner. She chose me! Two years ago, I wouldn't have been up for the challenge, but I am now. We were all smiles at the start, and she couldn't resist giving me bunny ears.

My Best Girl took off in a flash, but wore down quickly. We would run quickly and then walk slowly, but she saved a burst for the finish.

She is so excited to have a medal like her brother, and I hope I can convince her to do more races. I need a running buddy!

Easter and Softball

2011-05-16T15:18:00.001-05:00

I guess Easter and softball aren't usually combined, but I since I am trying to catch up, I ask for leniency.

My Best Girl is having a fun softball season. Last fall, she hit well, but she was more concerned with playing in the dirt than paying attention in the field. This season is completely different! My Best Girl goes after every ball no matter where it is on the field (this is humorous when she is playing second base and the ball is hit to third); we are so proud of her for hustling! During one game, she got to play the pitcher position for the first time, and she was grinning from ear to ear. That same night, her teacher showed up to watch her play, and my Best Girl also got a big hit. This was a special evening for my Best Girl!

Easter Sunday was wonderful. We had NO BALLGAMES, so we were able to wake up, enjoy the Easter baskets, and go to worship without worrying about schedules of any kind. Although I haven't had any sugar since March 30th, my kids enjoyed some sweet treats and hunting for eggs. We enjoyed the low-key family day! (I am so bad about not getting a picture when my kids have their church clothes on. By the time we are ready, we usually don't have time for pictures. Maybe next year!)

Catching Up

2011-05-15T14:15:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted much lately. We've been busy, but I've also had the bloggy blahs. That happens from time to time. I am going to try to post about some of the things we've been doing. Mostly, we've been at a softball game, baseball game, or both every day, but we've done other things as well.

I mentioned in February that our beloved principal was leaving to take a job at the central office. In mid-April, we attended a reception in her honor. This is one amazing lady, and we are so thankful for the time she served our school!

On Good Friday, all of us, Dad included, went to a local farm for some spring fun. My Best Girl is all about animals, but I am glad to have photographic evidence of my son feeding an animal. I am not sure he has ever been willing to do that before.

We enjoyed many different activities, and my Favorite Boy, who initially felt he was too mature for these kinds of things, succumbed to the pressure and had a great time.

It was wonderful to spend the day together as a family!

What's On My Nightstand

2011-04-26T12:28:00.003-05:00

I haven't blogged in two weeks. I've had plenty to blog about, but not much time (or motivation) to get it done. This post is to let you know that I am still here and to let you know that I have books on my nightstand. (I am sure the grandparents would rather see pictures of their grandkids. Sorry.)

I am currently reading Stuck in the Middle . It was free for the Nook, so I grabbed it. It's okay, but nothing fabulous.

Coming Up:

The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar: I am excited about this one. It's different than from my recent reads; I hope it will be a story that really pulls me in.

Dancing on Glass: A Novel by Pamela Ewen: This is an advance copy for review. The cover is beautiful, so I hope the story will be as well.

Beyond This Moment by Tamera Alexander: This is a library book for my Nook. I read the first book in this series, and I enjoyed it, so I hope this one will be as enjoyable.

The Complete Walt Disney World 2011 by Julie Neal: Yes, I can't get enough of WDW. No matter how many times I visit, I can go again. No matter how many books I read about it, I am ready for another.

I really have more books, but those are next in line. Head over the 5 Minutes for Books to see what others are reading!

Update

2011-04-11T18:21:00.007-05:00

I have so many ideas for posts, but not much time to write. Here's a brief update on what I've been up to lately:

Two weeks ago, I started the GAPS program, which is a nutritional plan based on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. The SCD was designed to heal the digestive system, and it has been proven to help a wide range of conditions from autoimmne diseases to autism. The more I learn, the more I am convinced that so many of the medical issues in our country are directly related to the food we eat. I highly recommend the book Gut and Psychology Syndrome if you are interested. The conditions listed on the cover are very serious, but don't be fooled. Most of us suffer in some way from the standard American diet (or we will), and the information in this book is invaluable. It is a pricey book, but worth every penny. (The link is actually for the GAPS book and a cookbook, but you can by both books separately as well.)

This diet is not easy. Basically (and this is a very simplistic version), I can't eat disaccharides, which means no sugar, no starch, no grains. I can have fruit because the sugars are monosaccharides. Thankfully, I don't have to cut out baked goods completely, but I have to make them using coconut flour or almond flour, and I use honey as a sweetener. I was able to make some muffins this week using coconut flour. The taste is a little different, but still satisfying!

I really can't believe that I am able to say that it has been TWO WEEKS since I have had SUGAR or GRAINS. The first two days were somewhat difficult (kind of like withdrawal), but it has gotten much easier. Almost immediately, my eczema started to disappear, and as of today, I can tell that my reflux is improving. I really believe that this is going to work, and that is a huge motivator. I am not doing this to lose weight, but I certainly don't mind that I have lost 5 pounds in the past two weeks as well. I hope to stick with this for at least six months (you are supposed to stay on it for at least six months after symptoms go away, so we'll see what happens). I'll keep you posted on my progress!

In other news, I will be installed as the 2011-2012 PTA president for my kids' school on Tuesday. Am I crazy? Probably. BUT, I am going to be co-president with a good friend, and we have a great group of ladies to work with. It will be a huge job, but it will be fun, and I am excited to play such an active role at the school.

Both the kids are playing ball, and I admit that I enjoy it as much as they do. I love spending time at the ballpark and watching them. Oreo attended her first game of the season on Sunday afternoon, and I think she loves baseball games as well. I guess it runs in our family.

That's what's going on with me in a nutshell. Hopefully, I will have time to post again soon!

Pictures from This Weekend

2011-04-05T12:27:00.004-05:00

Thanks to other mothers, I was able to get a few pics from my kids' opening weekends. In the softball picture at the bottom, everyone is saying "Go Boom!" My Best Girl is standing with her mouth wide open in front of the female coach. In the team baseball photo, my Favorite Boy is on the bottom right. Be sure to check out the white pants. Only someone who is not responsible for laundry would choose those. :)

Batter Up!

2011-04-03T15:16:00.006-05:00

It's been crazy around here the last week. I guess it's always a whirlwind when you return from a vacation. My husband and son, however, didn't stay home for long. They left Friday afternoon for my Favorite Boy's first baseball tournament of the season. The tournament was in Jackson, Tennessee (about two hours away), and they enjoyed a full-filled weekend at a hotel with the rest of the team. My Favorite Boy's team won their division, so I hope to get one of the other moms to email me some pictures of the boys and their trophies.

My Best Girl and I stayed home because she had her first softball game on Saturday. She enjoyed it, and I couldn't believe how much she has learned since her first season last fall. The change was obvious, particularly in the field (she spent most of last fall playing in the dirt, so her active participation in the field is noticeable). :)

My Best Girl and I also took Oreo to the park for the first time this weekend. It was a beautiful day, so the park was filled with people and pets. Oreo was SO excited when we got there, and she enjoyed every minute of our two-hour stay. I am so excited that spring is here, and I am looking forward to all of us spending more time outside, whether that time is in our yard, at a park, or at a ball field!

Spring Break, Part One

2011-03-30T07:22:00.001-05:00

We had a wonderful spring break trip. The kids had a full week plus a day out of school, so we left Thursday afternoon, March 17th to head to Florida. The weather in Orlando was perfect; it was sunny, in the mid-eighties, and low humidity all week. I'm sure some of you are thinking, "You went to Disney again????" And yes, we did. We are going several times this year, and we are very excited! Last year, my husband gave the kids and me annual passes as a gift, so our entrance to the parks is covered for a year. With free hotels and flights from my husband's travel, as well as Disney Visa Reward dollars to pay for food, the trips are pretty economical as far as vacations go. And no, we never get tired of it! Every trip is a new adventure.

Because we are going several times this year, we are driving down a few times and flying some as well. This trip was the first time my kids have traveled to Florida by car. My husband's sister lives in Atlanta, so we broke up the 11 hour trip by visiting family. We appreciated their hospitality, and my kids were thrilled to see their cousins. Even with the stopover, the drive was long, but I don't feel bad for kids who have iPods, iPads, DVD players and DS's! What's to complain about with all of that???? We also played the license plate game. I got a Melissa & Doug License Plate Game, and we found every state except Hawaii, Alaska, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona and Vermont. Here's my crew passing the time on I-75.

I have to give Dad credit for being a very good sport about this trip. Both of our long driving sessions were on the same days as the first two weekends of the NCAA tournament. He did not complain about missing the games, but he did check his Blackberry a few times when Tennessee was playing (he quit when it became painfully obvious that they would lose big).

We checked into our hotel on Friday evening. Because we had our own transportation this time, we stayed off-property using hotel points. Our suite was great, and the kids really enjoyed the recreation area. They even had a basketball court. My Favorite Boy spent many hours playing with his dad and other kids during the week.

On Saturday morning, we headed to Animal Kingdom. Here's the best advice for visiting Disney at busy times: be at the park when it opens! For the first few hours, you will have little to no wait at most attractions. Here are my two smiling kiddos standing by the rope ready to head to Expedition Everest.

After two rides on Everest, we headed to the Safari attraction for a very special meeting. Jennifer, the managing editor for 5 Minutes for Books, was visiting Disney with her family. I have been reading Jennifer's blog for over four years, and I have worked with her at 5 Minutes for Books for almost three. It was so fun to meet her and her family; it felt like meeting up with an old friend.

After everyone was introduced, we convinced the Donovans to join us on Expedition Everest. These two decided they were brave enough to ride together.

I wish I had taken an "after" photo as well. Their faces were a little more dazed at the end!

After an enjoyable few hours at Animal Kingdom, we headed to the Fantasia Gardens mini-golf course. We had a great time, and we even convinced my Favorite Boy to throw out the score card and just enjoy the game (his usual philosophy: why bother playing if you aren't in it to win).

On Sunday afternoon, we headed to Typhoon Lagoon. This was a first-time visit for us, and the park did not disappoint. Besides having many fun slides, and an area where you can swim with sharks, the park includes an enormous wave pool that produces six-foot waves. These waves literally knock you off your feet, and my kids LOVED it. This was a great way to spend the afternoon!

For those of you who have read many of my Disney trip reports, I hope you're impressed that I just fit three days into one post! I'll be back soon with fun pictures and stories from the next few days.

Guilty

2011-03-29T18:45:00.007-05:00

So guilty, but so cute.

We arrived home on Saturday from a fun-filled spring break trip. More on that as soon as I get caught up around here. As for Oreo, I have never received a warmer greeting than I did from her after we arrived home from our trip. Now that I know how much she loves me, I guess I can forgive the little toilet paper mess that's in my bedroom now, right?

Family Fun

2011-03-15T08:17:00.000-05:00

On Friday afternoon, we headed to my parents house to visit with my brother, his wife, and their three adorable children. We were greeted by smiling faces.

The kids had so much fun playing: the four older kids played tag by running in circles around the house. I am sure Grammy and Papa don't usually have so much excitement on Friday evenings.

This sweet boy, my youngest nephew, hung out next to the sun room for most of the evening and talked to Oreo (our dog) through the gate. It was so cute. For the record, I appreciated my mom allowing Oreo to come. She is not a big fan of dogs, or any other animals.

The kids enjoyed a sleepover together (except my Favorite Boy who woke up on Saturday morning grumpy because he doesn't sleep well when he doesn't have a bed to himself).

On Saturday morning, everyone was up early, so we started a video to give the grown-ups time to wake up.

I also took some pictures, but I had a difficult time getting some of my subjects to grin. This was as good as I could get out of my beautiful niece (and she was trying not to smile at all).

Saturday happened to be my birthday, so I was treated to my favorite kind of pizza and birthday cake. My Best Girl convinced Grammy to decorate. I have no idea why she had streamer and balloons on hand, but they made for a festive lunch!

My Best Girl collected flowers outside, so after lunch she opened a flower shop. Notice the sign. The part in yellow says, "Buy for free if you are my mom you can." Everyone else had to pay 5 cents (we convinced her that 5 cents was more reasonable than 5 dollars).

We spent most of Saturday outside. It was beautiful, and the kids had a wonderful time. The girls spent a lot of time digging and finding rocks. They really enjoyed each other. My Favorite Boy spent some time playing ball (of course). I didn't have my good camera with me, so I couldn't get a good action shot.

Oreo had so much fun playing outside all day. She decided she wanted her picture taken, too. She thinks this is her best side.

We had a great weekend! Soon, we'll be adding a web cam to our home so we can Skype. I know the kids will enjoy keeping in touch between visits!

Hodge Podge

2011-03-10T13:31:00.007-06:00

Well, I have now stepped into the 21st Century. My husband has had a BlackBerry through his work for quite some time, but I only used my cell phone as just a phone. Last week, I added a texting plan, so I am feeling very cool. Additionally, we got an iPad! It is a 3G version (of the "old" iPad), and I am very excited about that. Because my husband's laptop and phone are tied to his work, they are restricted from sites like Google mail, Yahoo, etc... I am glad that I will be able to check email and other things while on the go or out-of-town. I am feeling very up-to-date (which will last only a few months before the new cool things come out).

On Sunday, my kids and I went to see Goodnight Moon at the Nashville Children's Theatre. I wondered how they would be able to turn the book into a play, but it was so cute. Goodnight Moon was the first book I read to my Favorite Boy, so it was extra special to me.

I have to share this. My Best Girl is a firecracker, but she can be super sweet. She LOVES to give to others. On Friday, her teacher told me that my Best Girl leaves some of her snack on the teacher's desk every day. My Best Girl doesn't realize that the teacher knows it is her. One day the teacher commented out loud that the popcorn chips were so good, and a few minutes later, there were more on her desk. This is the picture her teacher sent to me yesterday (look for the pretzel chips).

We are looking forward to a fun weekend! My brother and his family are arriving tonight from New Mexico. We'll be heading to my parents' house tomorrow night to hang out with them. My kids are so excited to see their cousins. I am sure I will have a lot of cute pictures to share!

New Goals

2011-03-08T05:49:00.001-06:00

I am a goal-oriented person. For the past 13 months, I had the Disney Princess race to motivate me. Now I need new goals!

In 2011, I hope to participate in at least one more 5K, 10K and half-marathon. I am thinking that I may do a 10K in April, at least one 5K in early to mid-summer, and the Women's Half in Nashville in September. Of course, that leaves several more months in 2011, so I may add something else in the last few months. Training for the half in September will be tough for me because I have the kids 24/7 during the summer (which I love, but it does make solo mommy activities difficult), and we will have baseball tournaments on many weekends. I am going to do my best to get the training done because I think that I will enjoy another women's event.

Since running has dominated my posting lately, I'll move on to new topics for a while, but I wanted to set my goals. That keeps me motivated!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2011-03-07T08:09:00.007-06:00

My Best Girl wanted to take my (very nice) half-marathon medal to show her kindergarten class, so I told her I would bring it in for her when I came to volunteer (there was no way it was making the journey in her backpack). On Friday, she held it up in front of the class and received a round of ooohs and aaaahs.

Then one of the kids asked me, "Did you win?" I laughed and said no, and another child immediately said, "Did you come in second?" I said no again and explained that I finished 3000 something (3708 out of 13,000+ women to be exact). One of the kids said, "Wow. They shouldn't have even let you have a medal!" So funny!

Although the kids in her class were not impressed with my finish, my Best Girl has been my encourager throughout this entire training process. When I arrived home last week, she gave me this:

In case you can't tell, that's a crown that says, "Yay Mom" and a "Good Job." I am thankful for my cheerleader!

My Princess Marathon Weekend, Part Three (The Final Chapter)

2011-03-04T08:10:00.005-06:00

After the race, Rachel and I headed back to the resort for a quick shower. Once we were clean, we boarded a bus for Hollywood Studios. I wore the "I Did It" shirt that Rachel gave me, and we both sported our medals. It was so fun to see all the women wearing their medals in the parks. It felt like we were part of a special Disney sisterhood. :)

It was about 11:15, and we snagged one of the last sets of Fastpasses for Toy Story Mania. While we were excited to obtain the precious Fastpasses, we were slightly bummed by the 8:00 PM return time. We didn't know if we would be able to hold out until then (remember we woke up at 3:30 AM), but we decided to wait and see.

We hopped aboard a Friendship boat and headed to Epcot. This was the first of several boat rides during the day, and my legs appreciated them all. Once we arrived at Epcot, we grabbed some Fastpasses for Soarin', and then walked around the World Showcase in search of lunch. We weren't sure what we wanted, but we knew we were looking for something we we wouldn't do with our children. We ended up in France.

Our lunch was delicious, and it was so fun to enjoy a nice, relaxing meal. I don't think I have mentioned the weather, but the entire weekend was sunny with highs in the mid-eighties and lows around 60 (perfect). During lunch, the sun was streaming in the windows, and we could see all the beautiful landscaping outside. So nice!

Speaking of landscaping, the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival was about to begin, so many of the topiaries were already on display. We spent the afternoon walking around the countries and admiring the beauty.

We also enjoyed the Gran Fiesta Tour, Soarin' and Living with the Land before ending our time at Epcot with a treat from the caramel shop in Germany. YUM!

At about six, we headed back to Hollywood Studios. At this point, we were both EXHAUSTED, but determined to finish the day with a bang (we probably walked at least four or five miles in addition to the race). We forced our tired legs to the Great Movie Ride in Hollywood Studios, and then almost fell asleep in One Man's Dream (no offense to Walt Disney's life story--it's amazing, but a dark theater was a tough challenge for our tired eyes). Finally, it was time for Toy Story Mania.

Rachel finished the marathon 30 minutes ahead of me, so I am happy to say that I came out on top in the video game category. :)

We got back to our room about 9:00 and crashed. The next morning came quickly (and so did the sore muscles), and we boarded the bus for the airport. The entire weekend was so fun, and I am so thankful that Rachel was able to go with me. I am always sad to leave Disney, but not this time. We're going back in a few weeks! Yes, my name is Lauren, and I am a Disney addict.

Flat Friday

2011-03-04T07:50:00.003-06:00

Pardon this interruption to my Disney trip report. We woke up to this lovely sight (but I didn't notice it until I was trying to drive). Thanks to a great neighbor, my Favorite Boy got to his math club this morning before school. I am so glad it happened today and not earlier in the week. My husband's been gone since Tuesday morning. Now he has a fun job waiting for him when he arrives home!

My Disney Princess Half-Marathon, Part Two

2011-03-03T06:36:00.002-06:00

On race day, we set an alarm for 3:25 and had a wake-up call for 3:30, but we didn't need them. Both of us were tossing and turning from 3:00 until 3:20 when we decided to get ready. About 3:45, we headed to the bus. We were SHOCKED when we got to the pool area and found a very long line of princesses curved around the pool. At that point, we realized that Disney had very good reason for requiring everyone to be at the bus by four: it takes a long time to transport thousands of princesses to the start! We finally boarded a bus at 4:25, and there were plenty of runners still waiting after us.

The bus carried us to Epcot. After walking the red carpet into the staging area, Rachel and I posed for a picture. It was probably just after 5:00 AM.

The walk to the corrals was long, but amusing. So many people were dressed up in elaborate costumes, including the few men who were participating. Check out this video to see some of the creativity.

I stopped at the port-a-potties (there were hundreds of them), and then we headed for the start. Rachel was in corral A, and I was in B. We hadn't been there long when the Fairy Godmother got us going. Each corral started with its own fireworks. It was very exciting.

The first few minutes of running are always the hardest for me. Once I get in my groove, it is much easier. For the first mile or so, I worked to get in a comfortable pace. This was difficult because there were so many people, but everything thinned out as the race progressed. When I started the race, I thought I would stop for lots of character pictures, but once I got going, I didn't want to wait in the lines (some of the pictures in this post will be blurry because I took them while running, and some have random runners in them). In the first few miles, we were entertained with DJ's playing fun music, Captain Jack and his pirate ship, a hot air balloon shaped like Epcot, and some dashing princes. So fun!

It wasn't long before we were greeted by this wonderful sight. I think this was around mile 2.5 or 3, but I'm not sure.

We ran by the Disney World Speedway and the Polynesian. At the Transportation and Ticket Center, the Japanese drummers were playing. Of all the entertainers, the drummers ranked among my favorites.

We ran on towards the Contemporary Resort and the Magic Kingdom. Near the Contemporary, there was a DJ on an overpass. He yelled out, "Let's see if you ladies are the same age I am," and he started playing "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air." Suddenly, I was surrounded by thousands of women singing, "In West Philadelphia born and raised; On the playground where I spent most of my days; Chilling out, maxing, relaxing all cool; And all shooting some b-ball outside of the school." Obviously, many were near the same age because everyone new the lyrics word for word. This was so fun!

Soon, Space Mountain came into view.

We entered the Magic Kingdom through a cast member entrance and then headed up Main Street toward the castle. I stopped to get a picture. I guess you can tell that I missed my mouth with the water at mile 4. Racing tip: Walk while trying to drink.

We ran through Tommorowland and through Fantasyland before coming to the castle from behind. I wanted to stop for a picture with royal Mickey and Minnie, but the line was long.

After coming through the castle, we passed the six mile mark, headed through Frontierland, and exited the Magic Kingdom through the backstage areas. They had several of the parade floats and characters out to cheer us on.

I had heard that the next stretch of the race seemed long because you have passed the thrill of running in the Magic Kingdom, but it didn't feel that way to me. I knew I was doing well with my pace, and that energized me. Additionally, there was still plenty of entertainment along the course. The stretch near the Grand Floridian had quite a few princesses with their princes, as well as golfer Donald with his Mickey golf cart (this was so cute, but I don't have a picture).

Somewhere around mile 9 or 10, we could see Spaceship Earth (the ball at Epcot). This was encouraging, but I knew we had an on-ramp to conquer. There ended up being a second incline around mile 11.5, so we really had two uphill battles near the end. My Tennessee training helped me at this point because I rarely run without hills. Also, the Green Army Man from Toy Story was shouting at us in the middle of one of the ramps, and that helped to keep me moving. He told us that Sarge really likes to see people running early in the morning.

Near mile 12, I saw Mrs. Incredible. I was feeling pretty incredible at this point, so I was glad she didn't have a line.

We ran through the Future World section of Epcot, and then we ran by this choir just before mile 13.

HOORAY! I finished in 2:26:19. Considering this included two potty breaks and picture taking, I was very pleased with my time. According to my Garmin, I actually ran 13.3 miles, but who's counting? My friend Rachel was waiting on me (she finished in 1:56ish), and she surprised me with an "I Did It!" t-shirt, which I proudly wore the rest of the day (and even the next day, but don't tell anyone). Then, we headed over to see Rapunzel and Snow White. We apologized to Rapunzel for our sweaty skin and odor. She replied, "Oh, don't worry. I spend most of the day with my horse, so it doesn't bother me at all." Love it.

In terms of importance, I have to say that the day I became a Christian, my wedding day, and my children's birthdays rank at the top. I admit, however, that this day ranks very high. I am so excited that I set this goal over a year ago and stuck with it. Before last year, I would have laughed at the thought of completing 3 miles, much less 13(.3). The race was so uplifting and FUN, and I can't wait to complete another! I don't know how future races can compare with the Disney Princess, but I look forward to the excitement and encouragement that is sure to come when you have a large group of people working towards a goal. This was truly an amazing experience.

Stay tuned to read about our after-race fun!

My Princess Half-Marathon Weekend, Part One

2011-03-02T08:32:00.007-06:00

This past weekend was an awesome experience for me! I left for Disney World on Friday morning. When I arrived at the Orlando airport, my friend Rachel was there to greet me, and we boarded the Magical Express bus bound for our resort. We checked in at All-Star Sports, headed to our room, and had to smile when this greeted us.

After leaving our bags in the room, we went to the Expo at the Wide World of Sports complex. This was my first big race, so I really enjoyed looking at all the merchandise. Because the event was geared toward women, most of the merchandise was for women as well. There are a couple of things I wish I would have purchased (a 13.1 car magnet shaped like a Mickey head and a "See Mom Run" shirt). Next time, I won't hesitate with my wallet so much (that's a common issue in our family).

How cool are these coachmen?

After the expo, we headed to Downtown Disney for a nice dinner at Wolfgang Puck's and some browsing. Again, I didn't purchase anything, but I enjoyed looking!

On Saturday morning, we woke up bright and early to board the bus for the Magic Kingdom. We had reservations for the Keys to the Kingdom Tour: a behind the scenes look at the Magic Kingdom. Before we checked in for our tour, we walked up Main Street, rode Snow White's Scary Adventures, hung out with Pinocchio, and grabbed some Fastpasses for Pooh.

We checked in for our tour and got our special Guest passes so we could go Backstage.

The tour lasted around four hours, and it was wonderful. There were so many things that I wanted to capture with my camera, but once you went behind these walls, no cameras were allowed.

Although some of the Disney magic has been revealed to me now, I finished the tour with an even greater appreciation for Walt Disney's vision and what happens behind the scenes every day in the Magic Kingdom. It is truly an amazing place.

Our only disappointment on the tour was that we didn't get dessert with our lunch. Rachel and I solved that by stopping at the Main Street Ice Cream Parlor. We rested our weary legs and enjoyed the ice cream as the afternoon parade went by.

After our refreshing treat, we visited several attractions before heading back to the hotel for dinner and an early bedtime, groaning as we set our alarm for 3:30 eastern time. We just couldn't understand why we needed to board a bus by 4AM, but we should have trusted Disney. Stay tuned for a race day report!

Highs and Lows

2011-02-24T18:43:00.003-06:00

We've had a roller coaster week! On Tuesday, we found out that our beloved principal is leaving us to be the director of elementary schools for the county. This is certainly a gain for the county, but it is a huge loss for us. For anyone who doesn't know our principal or who is not familiar with our school, it is really difficult to explain how much we love and respect her and how devastated we are by her departure. Parents, students, faculty, and even our principal have shed many, many tears this week. We know we will be fine, but we can't imagine our school without her. She is truly one of the most amazing people I have ever met, and I am so thankful we were blessed to have her for the past four years (she's been at the school for 18, so some have been blessed by her for many more years than we have). We will be reeling from this for a while.

On the other end of the emotional spectrum, we are so excited that my Favorite Boy and Coach Dad will be in the championship game in the league basketball tournament on Saturday. They have had a great season with only a one-point loss to mar their record. Unfortunately, they play the team that beat them in the championship game, so it will be a tough one. No matter the outcome, they have had an awesome season, and we are very proud! Sadly, I will miss the game because of my half-marathon. As much as I hate that, I am certain my nerves will be better off if I am not at the game, and I have lined up some moms to take plenty of pictures for me.

I'll be leaving in the morning for the land of the Mouse! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Nightstand--February (and Other Topics)

2011-02-22T10:09:00.005-06:00

I haven't posted in a week, mostly because I was busy with day-to-day things as well as cleaning and cooking for company to come over on Thursday and Saturday evenings. Additionally, my Favorite Boy's basketball tournament is keeping us busy, and I am making final preparations for my half-marathon trip this weekend. With flu, strep, and a stomach bug making their rounds in our area, I am praying that the germs stay away until next Monday!!!! After I've trained for so long, I don't want to do a 13.1 mile race feeling badly, and I also don't want to leave my husband with sick kids. Maybe we should just lock ourselves in the closet until Friday morning.

It's time for the monthly Nightstand carnival at 5 Minutes for Books. From my list last month, I completed Another Dawn by Kathryn Cushman (review coming soon at 5M4B), Promises to Keep by Ann Tatlock (review HERE), and The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin. I read a few others as well, and I need to update my reading list in the sidebar. I am still working on Parenting by The Book by John Rosemond and Logged On and Tuned Out by Vicki Courtney, and I am adding the following books to my pile:

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Fade to Blue by Julie Carobini
Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gloria Gottschall

I am excited to take my new Nook with me to Disney this weekend. I have Unbroken on it, so I will enjoy trying it out at the airport and during down time. I also got a free copy of the Bible, so I can have a Bible handy without taking up a lot of space in my suitcase.

I may post sporadically (if at all) for the rest of the week, but I'll have lots to say next week!

Valentine's Day Fun

2011-02-15T09:17:00.004-06:00

My husband and I don't celebrate much on Valentine's Day (his opinion is that Valentine's Day is a holiday created by the card companies). :) However, we do make it a fun family day. Last night, we went to Ruby Tuesday for dinner and had a great time.

I give the kids the same present every year: candy and a Shutterfly photo album from the year before (this year's books chronicled 2010). It always makes me smile when my Favorite Boy peruses his book. He loves looking through the pictures from the previous year. Although he tries to be Mr. Tough Guy, this reminds me that he does have a little bit of a sentimental side!

After dinner, we went to Kripsy Kreme for dessert. We had some of their Valentine cards, so we were able to choose one free doughnut each. My Best Girl wanted a sample-sized ice cream cone instead, so she nicely gave her doughnut to her brother.

We enjoyed our Valentine's Day! Of course, the kids started Tuesday morning off with an argument. I guess all the loving feelings don't last indefinitely. :)

13.0

2011-02-14T12:17:00.004-06:00

This morning, I completed my last long run before my Princess Half-Marathon trip. I did 13.0 miles (I didn't want to do the full 13.1 until Disney). It is 60 degrees and sunny, so I had perfect running weather. I am glad I had the opportunity to run in warm temperatures once before the trip, or else the Florida weather might have thrown me for a loop! I will be leaving in less than two weeks, and I am so excited. I may lock myself in my closet until then so I am sure to stay well. :)

In other news, our sweet little Oreo is at the vet today. It will not be a pleasant Valentine's Day for her, but we wanted to avoid little Oreos running around, so it was a necessary visit. We don't get to pick her up until tomorrow afternoon, so the house will seem empty tonight.

I'm off to help with Valentine's parties at school. Happy Valentine's Day!

Snow Day Fun

2011-02-11T13:07:00.005-06:00

I guess this post should be about playing in the snow, but we don't really have enough to play in (enough to cancel school, but not enough for fun). Instead, we are enjoying the day with friends. My Best Girl and her friend just finished making Shrinky Dinks. Here are two amazed girls watching the shrinking magic happen in the toaster oven (if you are wondering why my Best Girl has shorts on when the temperatures are in the 20s, I'll share that in another post). The boys are enjoying a game of basketball in the bonus room, and I am thankful that they have a fun way to spend the day!

In other big news, my Best Girl lost a tooth during the night on Wednesday. Last night, the tooth fairy left a silver dollar under her pillow. She is one excited (and very silly) girl!

Days 8 and 9

2011-02-10T18:41:00.003-06:00

We used our eighth snow day today. We'll be using our ninth tomorrow. You know you've had too many snow days when the kids groan at the call from the county!

We have one more snow day built into the calendar. After that, we'll have to make them up somehow. We all hope that doesn't happen!

Looking at the forecast, we are thrilled to see that it's going to be sunny and the temperatures are going to be above 50 (and even into the sixties) ALL WEEK. That hasn't happened since November. We are so excited! After enjoying those wonderful temperatures, we won't want to see winter again. We hope this snow is our last!

It Was My Husband's Birthday, But I Got the Present

2011-02-07T08:18:00.009-06:00

Saturday was my husband's 37th birthday. For the next six weeks, I get to be a "year" younger than he is. He got a new pair of (ugly) running shoes a few weeks ago, and he wanted that to count as his present. So, we celebrated by going out to eat. Instead of him getting a present, he and the kids presented me with a gift! They decided to give me something for completing my half-marathon. I haven't really completed it yet, but they wanted me to be able to take my gift with me when I travel to Florida.

Here's what I got:

When my husband suggested to the kids that they get me something for my efforts, my Favorite Boy thought they should give me a Nook (he was really proud of himself, and I was impressed with his idea as well!). Before giving it to me, my husband did talk to me about it (without the kids knowing) to see if I wanted the Kindle or the Nook. Initially, I thought the Kindle would be best. I am an amazon girl, and with the 3G version, you can use the (primitive) web browser. Since I don't have email on my phone, this was appealing to me. However, I ended up with the Nook because I am also a library girl. With the Nook, you can access the library's e-book system, and with the Kindle, you can't. It was a tough choice, but I had to go with the free books! The Nook does have a web browser as well, but it's only accessible with wi-fi.

I will always love the feel of a book in my hands, but I am am really going to enjoy having this, especially when I travel. Thanks so much to my sweet husband and children. I love this gift!

16

2011-02-04T07:39:00.006-06:00

Sixteen is a special number at our house. My husband played second base on our university's baseball team, and his number was 16 (completely by coincidence, my Best Girl was 16 on her first softball team last year). In the years since, he has always chosen this number as his favorite.

Sixteen years ago today, my husband and I went on our first date (it was the day before his 21st birthday). We went to lunch at Ruby Tuesday together and then joined up with some friends to travel to an away basketball game. After the game, I surprised him with a birthday cake (we were friends first, so it wasn't weird that I made a cake for him on the day of our first date). The cake was decorated to look like a baseball, and I worked the number 16 into it somehow, even though I can't remember exactly how I did that. I am planning to make him another dessert today to celebrate the 16th anniversary of this special event!

I am so thankful he asked, especially since he didn't know he'd be stuck with me 16 years later. I could not be more grateful to have him!

My Streak Has Ended

2011-02-01T07:40:00.003-06:00

I spent much of 2009 on antibiotics and steriods. I have been very excited that I have not needed antibiotics since April 2010. (The antibiotics and steroids probably worsened my reflux.) I was hoping to make it an entire year without needing any, but that was not meant to be. On Sunday, I started a round of Augmentin to cure a sinus infection. I really wanted to get better on my own, but the infection is so bad that my entire face hurts, and I can't breathe through my nose at all. Also, my race is in less than four weeks, so I need to be well. Although I did manage to do 12 miles yesterday, not feeling well made it very difficult. I want to feel good while I am running at Disney World!

I don't want to get back to the point where I am on so many medications, but I am thankful we have them. Hopefully, my face will quit hurting in the next few days!

Hooray for Spring!

2011-01-29T11:46:00.007-06:00

Okay, so I know we have a bit of winter to go before spring is officially here, but it is 57 degrees and sunny outside, and we are very happy! This has been a cold winter for us. Generally, our winters are mild, and we have many days in the 50's mixed in with the colder days. Since December, however, it has been consistently cold, and we are ready to play!

As I type, it is lunchtime, and we have already spent several hours enjoying the weather (Oreo the puppy is enjoying the nice temperatures, too). My Favorite Boy doesn't have a basketball game today, so we plan to spend as much time as possible outside. We may even pretend it's summer and go get some ice cream. I know we'll get another blast or two of winter, so we better enjoy it while we can!

ETA: The temps made it into the mid-SIXTIES! Spring, please come soon!

Anniversary

2011-01-27T05:52:00.000-06:00

One year ago today, I blogged about starting a new challenge (you can read the post HERE). I announced to the world that I was going to start running by following a Couch to 5K plan, and I set my sights on the Disney Princess Half-Marathon.

One month from today, I will be running at Disney World! I am so excited that I stuck with my goal, and I can't wait to cross the finish line (I am really looking forward to running inside Magic Kingdom as well).

We've been having bad weather (does the snow realize it's not supposed to visit Tennessee so much?), so I've had to do some runs on the treadmill. Thankfully, I've been able to do my long runs outside. Next week, I'll do twelve miles. That seemed SO far one year ago today!

Nightstand--January

2011-01-25T05:21:00.001-06:00

It's time for the monthly Nightstand carnival at 5 Minutes for Books. My reading has slowed down over the last few months, but I am hoping to pick up the pace in the coming weeks. These books are in my current pile:

Parenting by The Book by John Rosemond
Another Dawn by Kathryn Cushman
Promises to Keep by Ann Tatlock
Logged On and Tuned Out by Vicki Courtney
The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin

I hope to finish all of these by the next carnival. To see the lists of others, be sure to visit 5 Minutes for Books today!

My Favorite Boy Is Nine

2011-01-24T06:18:00.001-06:00

My Favorite Boy turned nine on Saturday! I don't know how that is possible. He spent the weekend celebrating with family and friends. On Friday night, he partied with his buddies (and sister) at Chuck-E-Cheese. Everyone had a fun time.

On Saturday, both sets of grandparents came up for his basketball game and dinner. After a victory, we all headed home for soup, sandwiches, cake and presents.

My Favorite Boy will be able to stretch his birthday out for one more day. I was supposed to take treats to school on Friday, but we had another snow day. I plan to arrive at lunch tomorrow with Krispy Kreme donuts. This will cap off the celebration for another year. I don't even want to think about that; he'll begin the double-digit years!

Disney: Day Seven

2011-01-18T08:03:00.000-06:00

On our final day at Disney World, we headed to Animal Kingdom.

Although Animal Kingdom is our least favorite of the four parks, Expedition Everest is one of the kids' favorite rides. As soon as the rope dropped, we headed straight to Asia, and rode EE three times in a row.

At Everest, we met up with some of our friends from home. We hadn't seen this family since Tuesday, and the kids were glad to find each other. We decided to stick together throughout the morning, and we headed to Triceratop Spin, Primeval Whirl, and It's Tough to Be a Bug first. We also stopped for a chat with Pooh and Eeyore.

I have to give Dr. B another shout out. My kids and I were heading to the airport in the afternoon, and I was not looking forward to the Kali River Rapids because I didn't want to get soaked before the flight home. Dr. B took the big kids on the rapids while the moms stayed dry. What a gentleman! They rode twice, and all of them were drenched.

We stayed together for the Safari and for lunch, and then we said our good-byes. Then, my kids and I decided to visit some characters. It was Mickey's birthday (November 18th), so we headed to see him. On the way, we ran into Lilo and Stitch.

Happy Birthday, Mickey! He was wearing his warm Christmas sweater, even though it was in the 80s.

We couldn't leave without riding Everest again, so we trekked back to the mountain. On the way, we ran into DiVine. She walked out of the woods right in front of us. So cool. (That is a person on stilts.)

We also stopped to see some characters (Flik and Meeko) that we hadn't seen before.

We were all smiles before our last ride on Everest. Afterwards, I felt my age (my head and stomach just couldn't handle it). I guess four times was one time too many.

Alas, all good Disney trips must come to an end. We finished up the day with a few more fun photos and then headed to the airport.

Although we were sad to leave, we were excited to fly home with some of our friends. I mentioned in my first Disney post that my Best Girl is all about bunny ears right now. Poor S was her victim while at the airport.

We had a magical week, and we are ready for more! Disney World is a special place for our family, and we are so thankful for these trips!

Disney: Day Six

2011-01-17T05:17:00.007-06:00

I started blogging about our November Disney trip last month, but once Christmas started, I never finished. (If you want to read about the beginning of the trip, click the Disney category in my sidebar.) I planned to combine the last two days, but I just can't do it. I know I share too many details about our trips, but I want to remember them. At least there will only be two more posts (that is, until spring break when we go back; yes, we're crazy).

On our second day at Magic Kingdom, we decided to make a list of our favorites and hit them in the morning before taking an afternoon break. We started with Pooh and Peter Pan in Fantasyland and then headed to Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain. On the way to Frontierland, we ran into this handsome duck.

After getting completely soaked (again) on Splash Mountain, we visited Toontown one more time (it's closing in February) and then boarded the monorail for brunch with Alice, the Mad Hatter, Pooh, Tigger, and Mary Poppins at the Grand Floridian. The Mad Hatter stole the show. He was hilarious, and he kept my Favorite Boy in stitches by making comments about the characters who had signed his autograph book. This was one of the most fun character experiences of the week!

We went back to the park for another ride on Space Mountain and to visit the Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor. While in Tomorrowland, we ran into PUSH, the talking trash can. He told some funny jokes and sang "Rocky Top" for us. This was a fun treat.

After we left the Laugh Floor, we were able to meet up with our friends from home. We live two doors down from each other, and our kids are great friends (the adults are great friends, too). It was really fun to be at Disney together. We enjoyed the Snow White ride and then took turns trying to pull the sword out of the stone. The kids were very happy when they were successful on a few of their attempts.

After a short break, the kids and I returned in the late afternoon for a few more rides, the Electrical Parade, and the fireworks.

We were able to meet up with our friends again as soon as we walked in. Our friends' boys got to lead the Pledge of Allegiance at the flag lowering ceremony, and this was so neat (why don't I have pictures???). Then, we headed to Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain together.

We parted ways so my Best Girl and I could see the Castle Lighting Show (so magical). My Favorite Boy would probably say the show is for girls, but he loved it, too.

Next, we met up with some more friends from home to watch the parade and fireworks. It was SO fun to have friends there! Mrs. Debbie (my dear college friend) was cool enough to bring glow sticks. My kids loved playing with two-year-old Sam as we waited for the entertainment. I loved watching Sam's face as the characters went by during the parade (again, why don't I have pictures of this???).

We had a wonderful day in the Magic Kingdom (is there any other kind?). Stay tuned for our final day: Animal Kingdom!

Back to the Books

2011-01-14T07:40:00.003-06:00

After FOUR snow days, my kids are off to school today. In some ways, going today is almost pointless since they will be off Monday as well. However, I am glad to have the opportunity to go to the grocery store alone and to clean up the mess that has accumulated over the past four days.

The kids didn't really want to go back to school, but I know they will enjoy the interaction with their friends. By day number four, we were all getting a little stir crazy. It's funny how we have plenty to keep us busy during the summer, but we struggle with multiple days off in January. I guess temperatures in the 20's have something to do with that. It also throws us off our routine, and I am all about routine!

Happy Friday!

Our Weekend, Part Two

2011-01-12T05:05:00.000-06:00

My mom's party was the main attraction of our weekend, but the added bonus was a visit from my brother and my youngest nephew. They live in New Mexico, so we only see them a few times a year. Since my mom wasn't supposed to know they were here, we got to have them to ourselves Friday night and Saturday during the day. My kids were so excited to see this little guy.

My nephew has a dog, so I was surprised by his reaction to Oreo. He wasn't too sure about her at first.

Every now and then, however, he would enjoy playing with her.

We are so glad we got to spend time with my brother and nephew this weekend. We are looking forward to seeing the whole family this March!