Favorite Things Friday: There's No Place Like....my own bed!

I know...it's Saturday - but Friday was too full for blog posting....
I got to sleep in my own bed last night after 22 nights of missing it!
It's also the first time in 5 weeks my husband and I have been at home together! After spending most of yesterday traveling, it was so nice to be home as a family, eat take out (the fridge is empty), and go to bed at 6:30! (that's a first!) Although my husband's travel schedule does not let up for quite some time, the girls and I are home for a while, so I will definitely be enjoying sleeping in my own bed!

Happy Birthday Savannah Faith!

Five years ago today we were blessed with our own ray of Sunshine. Savannah Faith was born on February 26, 2004 and our lives have never been the same!

We will be spending the day with Savannah at Disney World and it will be the Happiest Place on Earth because she will be there!

Happy Birthday Sunshine!
We Love You!!!!

52 Weeks - 1/52

I joined another challenge I can actually do :) Here's the scoop:

52 Weeks is a year long challenge for YOU to be in a picture once a week for 52 weeks. Moms are typically the ones behind the camera, this is OUR chance to get out in front and be in the pictures with our family.

So, get yourself in the picture every week for 52 Weeks. Be in a picture with one or more or your children and post your "family photo" on your blog every Thursday.

Fortunately, I have been much better about this lately (getting in front of the camera), as it is easier for me to do when away from home. We will be back to "real life" soon and for us that means a lot of pictures, but most of them are taken by me! If you'd like to join in on this challenge designed to get Moms in front of the camera, hop on over to Carin's blog....

Here is my picture 1 of 52 (!) of Kylie, Samantha and myself at Shamu's Happy Harbor!

Wordless Wednesday

So, Watcha Been Doin' Down In F.L.A.? (part 1)

We went to Sea World....

And fed the dolphins....
Saw Shamu.....
Sammie rode her first "big kid" roller coaster....

Played in Shamu's Happy Harbor...
Where I broke my shoe and almost lost my phone (which is why I was carrying them), but still tried to muster up a smile....


Later I got a hair cut (which I tend to do when we go out of town and I notice how bad my hair really has gotten).....
We got "dressed up" :) and went to the playground....

We put our shirts on backwards......
And acted silly......
We played at the pool and went to the Water Park.....
And when we couldn't, we sat in bed with pool toys and thought about going swimming.....

More to follow....

I Heart Faces - Week 7 - Black & White

I ♥ Faces is a photography blog that hosts weekly photo contests of faces for both kids & adults. I have been seeing this site turn up more and more and each time I think - 'hey, I should get in on the fun'....I am never short on pictures of my angels' faces :) So easy to enter, so difficult to win, - there are some real photographers in the running - but fun nonetheless! Word "on the street" is that there will be a beginner's week in March and I will be all over that. To join in the fun & enter or just find some great photos and tips, visit their blog here.

This week's theme is Black & White...

"Not Me! Monday"

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

We don't need a priest in order to have confession 'round these here parts! MckMama created Not Me! Monday for the purpose of confessing our shortcomings and imperfections to each other since, after all, we are all only human.

On our plate this week.....

While we enjoyed another week in sunny Florida, we did not spend the majority of the past week indoors while the stomach flu ravaged through the ranks. The flu did not hit us one by one, thereby keeping us all trapped in our timeshare for 5 days (5 days that seemed like 45).

Our little ones have complete control their natural reflexes. Therefore, this week was not like a constant recurrence of “that scene from Poltergeist”.

While holding my oldest daughter between vomit sessions (hers and mine), I did not repeatedly say to her “I know sweetie, you’ll feel better soon” while in my mind thinking, “please don’t throw up on me, please don’t throw up on me!”

On a solo late night trip to Walmart, I did not end up turning into the Sea World parking lot by mistake (don’t ask). Because it is all One Way, I did not end up having to drive through what seemed to be miles of lanes and cones in a dark, empty lot all the while wondering how I would explain to my husband how I got stuck in Sea World when I was supposed to be at Walmart. World-traveler that I am, that would never happen to me.

I do not continually neglect my 3 year old’s improper grammar just because I think it is so cute when she insists, “I amn’t!!” (which is her contraction for “I am not”) I would not do that because proper speech is very important to me.

As we stood in line to see “The Lion King” at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I did not begin to swell up with pride as the people next to us exclaimed how adorable our 3 year old is. I did not then turn and wonder where her right index finger went - oh yeah, it was all the way up her nose!

I’m sure there are many other things I would love to not share with you, but to be honest, we have all been too sick to think 'round here, so stay tuned for more as our minds start to work again!

What did you not do this week?

Goodbye Valentines Day

I like to change my blog template - there are so many great ones out there. My current favorites are here and here. I've been wanting to pay homage to our time in Florida and update with a more appropriate theme, but I really had a hard time disposing of the red daisies I chose for Valentine's Day. I also liked the "love themed" music. I found myself logging in to my own blog to hear some of my favorite songs. The great thing about playlist.com is that I can create lists that fit my every mood and listen whenever I want (as long as my computer is close by). Although my playlists remain on the site, I felt better about saying goodbye to my Daisies when it dawned on me that I could just take a picture and look at it whenever I want!

I've been asked for some "documentation" of our time in Florida, so while I have Valentines Day on my mind, I figured I would start there. My husband took the day off so we could spend it together. We wanted to take advantage of the warm Florida weather, so we started at the pool....





We were told that once you have kids, EVERYTHING changes....but, pre-children I would never have imagined that for our Valentines Day dinner, we would bypass romance and candlelight for the exciting ambiance of the T-Rex Cafe. I never pass up the opportunity to go to one of our favorite Orlando hangouts, Downtown Disney and this is where we ended up......


I have read very mixed reviews (don't you always) about the T-Rex Cafe, but my opinion is that the people from Rainforest Cafe did not let us down. We were surrounded by dinosaurs, every room/area was pre-historically themed, and every minute or so, the entire place came alive with sounds, lights and moving dinosaurs.....and the food was great!

Savannah even got to ride a baby Triceratops!


The Woolly Mammoth watched over us while we ate...
We don't usually order dessert, but we couldn't pass up the "Chocolate Extinction".....

A gigantic portion of chocolate fudge cake served with ice cream, fresh whipped cream drizzled with fudge and caramel sauces and sprinkled with Butterfinger crumbs.

Could you?

Who needs romance and candlelight? :)

Wordless Wednesday - Sometimes You've Just Gotta Be Silly

My Life Is A....

whirl⋅wind

–adjective

4.	like a whirlwind, as in speed or force

–verb (used without object)

5.	to move or travel quickly

I don't know what other word to use to describe my last week and a half! At the end of January, my husband went to Florida for work.....and before I knew it....we were all in Orlando for a month! He was asked to stay on beyond the original 10 days of his business trip and he agreed as long as we could join him, so here we are!

With just a couple days notice, I packed up myself and the kids, tied up loose ends at home, arranged for a dog and house sitter, put myself, 3 small children, a stroller, 3 car seats, and 4 suitcases on a plane. At this point, we will be home soon....I just haven't posted in awhile. I had envisioned leisurely days while my husband was working - I thought I would have a lot of free time away from the regular duties of home, being able to keep up my blog and a variety of other things.... Turns out, my kids wear me out just as much in Florida as they do at home! Go figure. (this explains why my blog is still celebrating Valentines Day which was 4 days ago)

We have been blessed...although my husband has been working a tremendous number of hours, we are still able to see him more than if we were at opposite ends of the country. We have already spent time as a family at Sea World and Aquatica (Sea World's water park) and I even took the kids to Epcot and Animal Kingdom on my own (how's that for brave?) We are staying at a beautiful place with an amazing pool for the kids...and the weather has been sunny and averaging 75 degrees! We really couldn't ask for more when it comes to how well we have been taken care of. I am now completely reaping the benefit of homeschooling our first grader. If Kylie were in regular school this year, we would not have this opportunity - and I am so thankful!

I am also super thankful to have gotten on line tonight to find this from my (truly) delightful friend, Teresa who was thinking of me from the far reaches of Spain! Thank you Teresa - you made my night! I love visiting Teresa's blog as I aways find something new (with her current tech-savvy-ness) and beautiful creativity - she inspires me....check it out!!

What this award is all about.....

These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbon of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers.

(and she thought about ME when she read this!)

AND.....
This reminded me of an award I got a while back from Joey in the UK.... I saved it to my desktop, and never posted it! You know, it is often the little things that make a difference in my day....God knew I needed a bit of encouragement tonight (rough night) and forgetting to post this before was like receiving it again today!

I can't even begin to describe the AMAZING things you will see if you visit Joey's blog - so you have to see it for yourself! (And to top it off, she's a sweetie!)

Good night to all....I'll be back to soon to close out Valentine's Day! :)

Wordless Wednesday - Sisters

Wordless Wednesday

Art Appreciation

I am very short on time, but did want to post these pictures of our art time today. The girls were to paint self-portraits and they loved it!

Kylie was excited to use her new art kit from Uncle Brian and Aunt Jeanine.


And her self-portrait was great!


Savannah joined in on the fun and did a great job as well....

Sammie's beautiful self-portrait was a bit more abstract....

Afterward, they had some free time to paint whatever they wanted. I loved what Savannah came out of the room with: This is a picture of "God when He died on the cross so we can go to heaven." Moms, keep talking....your children are listening!

Not Me! Monday

Well, it's time for our free therapy session! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

But, for me....

The internet has not replaced the television as something I could totally be addicted to...if I allowed it. I am not an information junkie who could spend all my time absorbing information, some of it useful, some not so much.

I did not happen upon a ridiculous website where my first thought was who on earth would take the time to compile almost 2000 discarded grocery lists? And even worse, who would take the time to look through them? I did not end up joining the ranks of the ridiculous as I did not spend an inordinate amount of time perusing the same grocery lists I mocked. I did not finally say to myself, "what on earth are you doing?" and shut the computer and go to bed. But, not before copying this one:


I did not prove to myself (and now those on the www) that I really do have a problem...when as writing this post, I did not take just a few more minutes looking at just a few more grocery lists.....what's wrong with me?

My husband's birthday was not last week. It does not feel like a month ago since so much has been going on this week. I did not wake up at 3am to our sweet cocker spaniel running in and out of every room in the house like Taz.

I did not find these remains which explained the craziness:


I did not end up staying awake doing laundry at 3am because I was not at all worried about my dog having eaten chocolate and wanted to make sure she was okay.

I did not insist that my family not walk on the carpet because I finally found the time to vacuum and wanted the floor to stay looking nice. I would never be so silly as to ask my husband if he would please jump from one set of tile to the other so as to only leave one footprint in the middle of the floor.

I did not then move on to figure out how I could keep my family from wearing clothes as well since for the first time since 2001 our clothes hampers are empty......until tomorrow.

What did you not do this week?