Vacation

Yes... I am alive and we have been back for over a week. But, I am a cry baby and I was wallowing in my happy hangover. We had so much fun and as usual I will let the pictures speak for themselves. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer.

Cam & Ella on the monorail

The bridge inside Animal Kingdom Lodge

Ella posing for the Camera in the lobby

Owen's Favorite Guy

I am easy... I loved my coffee in these cute cups every morning

Ella met her idol and brought home a souvineer

Cam played on that idol's playground and I promised not to tell :)

Couple time is rare on this trip... so I caught it on camera

Of course the kids faces were painted in traditional African style (they told me after Ella's meant available for marriage- her dad thinks differently)

This is proof that they actually are all happy though the proof is found far and few between (you try getting them all to smile)

This was my fav part... these guys were directly outside our hotel room balcony... CRAZY!!!!

Family Photo Opp. at Chef Mickey's the kids favorite restaurant

The kids even enjoyed the rental car... maybe more than the rides :)

Summertime... WooHoo!!!!

Yipeee!!!! Preschool graduation... check! Kindergarten graduation... check! Bags packed... check! You get the idea. Summer is here, we are out of school and we are leaving out of town. I am so excited. We are going to DisneyWorld which some who know us well would say is our favorite place in the world.
However I am even more excited than normal this time because I have found a way to combine my two obsessions Disney and Africa. This time we are staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. The entire theme throughout the resort- decor, original artwork, employees, food, ambiance are all AFRICAN!!!!! Not to mention the resort sits on the Savannah from the park and is home to some amazing live animals.
So, I know it is definitely not comparable to the real thing (in a million ways)... but we are still very very excited!!!

Celebrating Life!!!

One of the most wonderful ways to remember a loved one who has left us is to celebrate their life. Hubby's mom left us 3 1/2 years ago and it is painfully and uniquely hard for all of us who miss her so very much. But, one of the ways that we remember her is by celebrating her life on her birthday. As a tradition since the day we held her memorial service we have gotten together with Hubby's sister and her family and celebrated.
We celebrate what a wonderful woman Grandma D was. We celebrate what an amazing and wonderful family we have. We celebrate what it means to live life to its fullest... and to be thankful for each beautiful day we are blessed with. We celebrate because we know our Grandma D is in a beautiful place... free from pain and suffering. And, we celebrate because we know that is what D would want and we feel her watching over us and our silly antics as we play.
Our morning began with my sweet Belle in her crib singing Happy Birthday to herself (coincidence... maybe). We got together and played some great games of basketball, made a delicious cake (yes H the cream cheese makes a boxed cake tastier), wrote our messages on our balloons like we always do, walked them up to the lake and let them soar up to Heaven. The kids love to write sweet messages to Grandma D (okay the adults too) and we always try and see whose is in the lead to see which one of our message will reach Heaven first. I think Hubby is claiming this year.
Happy Birthday D... we miss you!

Cuddlebear's Debut

I love Cuddlebear.
You would think being the younger brother he would copy Captain's every move. So, when we asked him what type of sport he wanted to play you can bet I was taken back at first by his request was for singing lessons (I was thinking baseball or basketball like Captain of course). Well, he worked very hard learning his group songs and an adorable solo of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" last Tuesday. It was the cutest little performance. And, I think that we may have a Rock Star on our hands!!!

Happy Saturday

Mother's Day Weekend & Agency Change

My Mother's Day was a blast!!!
We spent the night at a beautiful relaxing resort (okay maybe not relaxing with 3 kids) but we definitely had a lot of fun. I love all of the creative games the kids (and yes that includes Hubby) can come up with i.e. the race above... is Captain's face not hilarious...lol.
And, we also made a big decision in our adoption plans. We decided to change placement agencies. This was a hard decision to make, but Hubby and I are very confident in our decision and we are excited about the direction we are going. I will post more about the change and the new agency a little later.
Happy Belated Mothers Day to all the mommies and mommies in waiting out there!!!

My Smarty Pants Kid- (you may need to turn the volume down)

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

It's been awhile :)

So, a lot has been going on over here. We are almost through our spring season at work, helping schools get donations, Captain's basketball, Cuddlebear's singing, school end of the year mumbo jumbo, home study paperwork, moving our work office, my doctors and dentist appt.'s... ugh!!!

So, we took a few weeks off of adoption- schmoption to see where things were going with our current agency and to see if a switch was needed (we are still trying to figure this one out). This led to us realizing that summer is here and we will have to move slower through our paperwork process the next few months b/c our summer funds get a little tight (ahhh.. the seasonal business). I am still working on a yard sale for those who so graciously said you could donate some of your used stuff... I am thinking sometime in June. But, with the slow down means our 3-Day Weekends Full of Fun are coming... hip hip hooray.

Hubby and I started this last year and it is fantastic. We take Fridays off the entire summer and we do day trips around our state and little night stays here and there. I am so excited b/c we get a little sneak peek at the summer get-aways this weekend because we are going away for Mother's Day. I can't wait!!!! I feel like we get so much closer with the kids and we really all bond and re-connect as a family. And, the great thing is there are so many ways to do this on a tight budget. We bring snacks, food, & our ice chest from home. We already have all our beach/ outside toys that we bring with us. We stop at my fav place Trader Joes and pick up pre-made sandwiches etc... near our beach or hotel. And, it is so much fun when you look up local beaches and parks online (yelp helps). Being a tourist in your own town and its surrounding community has so many perks... you should try it!!! I could not believe how many places were an hour away and yet I had never traveled to them before.

As I have been trying to step back from the adoption process I sort of stepped away from my blog too. Which is why I may have overcompensated with some cute pics of the kiddos below. I think my kids are so darn cute... so YES I know I am "that" mom :) Oh, well... at least hopefully the grandparents will enjoy!!!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!