to run, run, run!!!
This past weekend was so full of Holiday happenings it was amazing. Friday we had a cookie bake at our house. During the day Helena had 2 friends from school over to bake cookies - Clara and Reed. The girls did such a good job making some yummy cookies.
Friday night I had some of my friends over for a cookie bake with their kids:
Me - Helena (4), Parker, Preston and Peyton (18 mo)
Molly - Paige and Reilly (3)
Noelle - Connor and Bella (3)
Robin - Nathan (10), Danny, Colin, Kaylin (9) and Clare (5)
Casey - Colin (16 mo)
We had a blast and the kids had a great time as well. Robin and Casey are new neighbors so it was really nice to get to spend some time with them. The big kids had fun with the little ones and vice versa. Not to mention, the Mommy's made some really good peanut butter, oatmeal, sugar and chocolate chip cookies....mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
The funniest part of the night was when Jason walked in from work and there were 15 pairs of shoes by the door along with a pile of coats as tall as Helena!! He just laughed, enjoyed some pizza and cookies. He was a good sport about it all.
Saturday night we had Jason's company party. My Mom and Dad came by in the early afternoon to watch the kids while we went to the party. Jason and I actually had a date night!! The party was fun and it is always nice to see my old friends from Denison. Jason's department won Department of the Year, so that was a nice surprise to all. For those of you who don't know, he is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Denison Landscaping. They have worked really hard this year to exceed their sales goal, so the recognition (and monetary reward) was a great reward.
Sunday afternoon Aunt Molly and Uncle Brian headed over to watch the "crumb crunchers" as they like to call them, while Jason and I went to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra with Meredith and Chris. Meredith has never seen them before and she had a great time. It is like going to a Bon Jovi Concert (think 80's hair) with a laser light show, but they are singing Christmas Music. It is truly amazing, loud but amazing to see and hear. This was our second time seeing them and it was better than the first.
Aunt Molly and Uncle Brian did very well, they said they had a great time. Helena even had Uncle Brian in the Moon Bounce for a while.
Monday night was my MOMs party at Jen's house. This is always fun, it is potluck, we play the "gift game" and I got a special present from Meredith - a new John Deere hat - pink! I did not know they came in pink - I wonder if I could get a matching tractor???
So Busy, Busy, Busy is our day, but never tooo busy for family and friends. We are on the countdown to Santa. If I heard his message clearly, he was able to find that purple bike Helena keeps asking for and when Daddy get his gift, he will be so surprised he just might love Mommy for a long, long time.......I will keep you posted......
December 19, 2007
December 11, 2007
Mouse Ears and Pixie Dust - The Pictures
Main Street, USA decorated for Christmas. At night the lights on the Castle look like icicles!
Me with the triplets on our first camping trip, Oh wait, that is Daisy with Houie, Douie and Louie.
Here are a few of my favorites, we have over 400 pictures total! I am going to do an online photo album from Disney Photo Pass that you can see after the first of the year!
The Luggage - all but 4 bags were ours!
One of the first Characters we saw was Daisy Duck!
Peyton, as usual was asleep, hence the new nick-name Melman (the narcoleptic giraffe from Madagascar!)
Peyton, as usual was asleep, hence the new nick-name Melman (the narcoleptic giraffe from Madagascar!)
Helena and Sleeping Beauty at Aurora's Tea Party
Me, Helena, Aunt Melissa and Victoria at the Tea Party.
In front of the Tree at the Wilderness Lodge! The tree was 4 stories high.
Me with the triplets on our first camping trip, Oh wait, that is Daisy with Houie, Douie and Louie.
Here are a few of my favorites, we have over 400 pictures total! I am going to do an online photo album from Disney Photo Pass that you can see after the first of the year!
December 10, 2007
Mouse Ears and Pixie Dust - Part 2
OK, so yesterday I got hit with the "bug" that my kids have had all week, not good when Mommy is down for the day....luckily it was Sunday and Jason was home to rally the troops. Not to mention deliver the goods for the MOMS holiday party that I coordinated, yet missed! Meredith and the girls did a great job and from what I hear the party was a success - you go girls!!!
Now to finish our trip to Disney!!
Thursday - Jason's brother and girlfriend Carla drove up to meet us for the day at MGM. All was going well until Peyton got sick during the Bear in the Big Blue House Show. Then our day went on a roller coaster. After that he seemed to feel better, so we headed to lunch at Play and Dine at Hollywood and Vine. Here we had lunch with Jo Jo, Goliath from Jo Jo's Circus and Leo and June from Little Einsteins. Everyone had a great time dancing and singing with the characters. Even the trips were getting into it. After lunch, Peyton got sick again so Jason and I headed back to the resort with the troops for a cool down and nap. Later that night he, Preston and Helena met back up with the rest of the group at MGM.
The Peyton, Parker and I hung around the resort and when they got back I did some laundry. Now I know what you are thinking - laundry on vacation? But trust me, if I would have not done those 5 loads we would have been sunk when we got home. Not to mention, I got to hang out at the pool and read a magazine (all by myself) while the wash was going.....nice!
Friday - This was a big day for Helena, we were having breakfast with Mulan - her absolute favorite princess. I have to say I like her to - she is spunky, does not play by the rules and saves China in the process!! Jason and I split up again this morning. I took Parker with me and he stayed back with Peyton and Preston.
When we walked up to the resturant there she was standing all by herself, no other little girls were around and Helena was speechless. Helena was dressed in her Mulan costume and they looked like twins!! Mulan was so sweet and Helena looked like she just met her idol! Before we left, Mulan gave Helena a kiss on the cheek (she wore bright red lipstick!).
After breakfast we hooked up with Jason. Epcot does a great thing for the kids. They get a mask and at each of the countries they get a stamp of that country and an attachment to represent that country. It was a fun game until the rain came and we headed back for the day. At several of the countries the representatives wrote the kids name in their native language and the Chinese representative called Helena - Fa Mulan and she just grinned from ear to ear!
Later that night Helena and I went to Downtown Disney to pick up our sketched from The Art of Disney. The sketch artist did 3 different Sorcerer Mickey's for the boys, Helena got Cinderella dancing with Prince Charming and Jason got Mickey at Luke Skywalker (his birthday present).
When everyone was asleep, Jason and I packed up all of our things to head home the next day, our week in Disney was coming to an end.
Saturday - We had until 2:00 pm to visit one more time, so we headed over to the Magic Kingdom. We forgot that this was the day they were filming the Christmas Parade. Yes, for those of you who do not know, the Disney parade we see on Christmas morning is not live. We got to see Regis and Kelly (from afar), the Jonas Brothers and the new Menudo (yes, there is a new Menudo)...
After a few rides, we headed back to the Wilderness Lodge to catch the Magic Express to the airport. The plane ride home was uneventful until Parker got tanked up the last 20 minutes and just cried and cried....
We had a great time, was it perfect - that would determine what your definition of perfect is - but to me it is one vacaction I will always remember as one of the best. You only get to see Disney througth the eyes of you children for such a little while - I will never forget it!
Now to finish our trip to Disney!!
Thursday - Jason's brother and girlfriend Carla drove up to meet us for the day at MGM. All was going well until Peyton got sick during the Bear in the Big Blue House Show. Then our day went on a roller coaster. After that he seemed to feel better, so we headed to lunch at Play and Dine at Hollywood and Vine. Here we had lunch with Jo Jo, Goliath from Jo Jo's Circus and Leo and June from Little Einsteins. Everyone had a great time dancing and singing with the characters. Even the trips were getting into it. After lunch, Peyton got sick again so Jason and I headed back to the resort with the troops for a cool down and nap. Later that night he, Preston and Helena met back up with the rest of the group at MGM.
The Peyton, Parker and I hung around the resort and when they got back I did some laundry. Now I know what you are thinking - laundry on vacation? But trust me, if I would have not done those 5 loads we would have been sunk when we got home. Not to mention, I got to hang out at the pool and read a magazine (all by myself) while the wash was going.....nice!
Friday - This was a big day for Helena, we were having breakfast with Mulan - her absolute favorite princess. I have to say I like her to - she is spunky, does not play by the rules and saves China in the process!! Jason and I split up again this morning. I took Parker with me and he stayed back with Peyton and Preston.
When we walked up to the resturant there she was standing all by herself, no other little girls were around and Helena was speechless. Helena was dressed in her Mulan costume and they looked like twins!! Mulan was so sweet and Helena looked like she just met her idol! Before we left, Mulan gave Helena a kiss on the cheek (she wore bright red lipstick!).
After breakfast we hooked up with Jason. Epcot does a great thing for the kids. They get a mask and at each of the countries they get a stamp of that country and an attachment to represent that country. It was a fun game until the rain came and we headed back for the day. At several of the countries the representatives wrote the kids name in their native language and the Chinese representative called Helena - Fa Mulan and she just grinned from ear to ear!
Later that night Helena and I went to Downtown Disney to pick up our sketched from The Art of Disney. The sketch artist did 3 different Sorcerer Mickey's for the boys, Helena got Cinderella dancing with Prince Charming and Jason got Mickey at Luke Skywalker (his birthday present).
When everyone was asleep, Jason and I packed up all of our things to head home the next day, our week in Disney was coming to an end.
Saturday - We had until 2:00 pm to visit one more time, so we headed over to the Magic Kingdom. We forgot that this was the day they were filming the Christmas Parade. Yes, for those of you who do not know, the Disney parade we see on Christmas morning is not live. We got to see Regis and Kelly (from afar), the Jonas Brothers and the new Menudo (yes, there is a new Menudo)...
After a few rides, we headed back to the Wilderness Lodge to catch the Magic Express to the airport. The plane ride home was uneventful until Parker got tanked up the last 20 minutes and just cried and cried....
We had a great time, was it perfect - that would determine what your definition of perfect is - but to me it is one vacaction I will always remember as one of the best. You only get to see Disney througth the eyes of you children for such a little while - I will never forget it!
December 5, 2007
Mouse Ears and Pixie Dust
As I am writing this I am looking out my window at the snow falling on the grass trying to remember what the 80* days felt like last week! Although this is my favorite time of year, last week was a treat of beautiful weather. So here we go....
Saturday - the plane flight went well - I give it a 9 overall. Peyton fell asleep on takeoff, Parker and Preston were very entertaining until the last 20 minutes when Preston got cranked up and Helena watched Mulan on DVD.
When we got the the resort around 3:00 my parents were waiting for us so they could watch the look on every ones face as we walked in the lobby area....That evening we just grabbed a bite to eat and headed to the pool. The kids love the water and it was a nice, refreshing time after the flight.
***The best part, from our room, you could see Cinderella's Castle and the fireworks every night - Pretty cool!!
Sunday - This was Jason's Dad's 60th birthday. We got up and went to the Magic Kingdom and the look on Helena's face when we went in was priceless - I couldn't stop smiling. We got a few autographs and headed to my favorite rides - Peter Pan's Flight and Snow Whites Adventure! The boys were able to get on almost all of the rides with us which was great! After more rides and lunch we headed back for a nap to prepare for the evening's festivities.
To celebrate we took the Peter Pan Firework Cruise. After a reception with Capt. Hook and Mr. Smee we headed out for a boat ride on the Lagoon to see the fireworks. It was so nice, when we returned to shore Peter Pan was waiting for us. The kids loved every minute of it and then we had dinner at Chef Mickey where the entire restaurant sang Happy Birthday to my father in law!
Monday - In the morning Helena and I met Melissa and Victoria for a Tea Party with Princess Aurora, Sleeping Beauty. We had a lot of fun and the girls each received an American Girl Doll dressed like Aurora and a friendship bracelet as well. After, we headed to the Magic Kingdom to meet up with the rest of the group. We headed back to the room for naps and pool time so we could return to the park for Magic Hours (7-12 pm). That was a lot of fun and after the fireworks the boys fell asleep for the rest of the night. Helena has decided that the Haunted Mansion is one of her favorite rides because it is "just pretend"! We returned to the room about 10:00 pm and Parker decided it was time to party. Fortunately he was staying in my mothers room and she put the kibosh on that pretty quickly - ha ha!
Tuesday - This was our day at Animal Kingdom. It was very humid this day, but we got to see all of the fun things at the park regardless. First we went to the Safari and saw more animals than I have on my last 2 trips here. Helena loved the Pocahontas show and the Lion King Show as well. Lunch was at an African inspired buffet where they had a group of drummers for entertainment. Helena joined right in when the woman called for dancers. She was shaking her booty to the beat!!! After lunch we saw the Jingle Jungle Parade and headed back for naps.
Later that evening we had tickets for the Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom. When we arrived at the park, it began to drizzle and within the next hour it poured down. Needless to say our evening was cut short. Helena, Jason and Big Jim (Jason's dad) stayed to ride a few more rides and grab a snack. After the boys got to sleep, I went to do some laundry and grab a snack myself!
Wednesday - My parents headed home this morning, so we saw them in the morning before heading to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for Helena's princess makeover! Jason and I decided to divide and conquer, so I took Peyton with us and he kept Parker and Preston to get in some pool/beach time at the resort before meeting us after lunch. Jason had them in the pool, at the beach, on the playground and walked the trail for them to fall asleep in the stroller. It was nice to get in some Mommy/Daddy time.
Needless to say - Helena looked so pretty when she was finished - and she knew it. Everyone called her "Princess" for the rest of the day. After lunch with Cinderella - Peyton loved looking at the princesses - and some pictures with Belle, Jasmine and Aurora, we saw Lady Trumane and the wicked step-sisters. While getting pictures with them, Helena informed Drizella that she was rude!! That's my girl....
Before bed Helena told me that she wanted to sleep with her hair in and her crown on because "everyone tells me it looks good Mommy!"....well what do you expect she is a princess right???
More to come later, with pictures - today is Jason's 35th Birthday and I need to get the cake in the oven so Helena can decorate it when she gets home from school!
Saturday - the plane flight went well - I give it a 9 overall. Peyton fell asleep on takeoff, Parker and Preston were very entertaining until the last 20 minutes when Preston got cranked up and Helena watched Mulan on DVD.
When we got the the resort around 3:00 my parents were waiting for us so they could watch the look on every ones face as we walked in the lobby area....That evening we just grabbed a bite to eat and headed to the pool. The kids love the water and it was a nice, refreshing time after the flight.
***The best part, from our room, you could see Cinderella's Castle and the fireworks every night - Pretty cool!!
Sunday - This was Jason's Dad's 60th birthday. We got up and went to the Magic Kingdom and the look on Helena's face when we went in was priceless - I couldn't stop smiling. We got a few autographs and headed to my favorite rides - Peter Pan's Flight and Snow Whites Adventure! The boys were able to get on almost all of the rides with us which was great! After more rides and lunch we headed back for a nap to prepare for the evening's festivities.
To celebrate we took the Peter Pan Firework Cruise. After a reception with Capt. Hook and Mr. Smee we headed out for a boat ride on the Lagoon to see the fireworks. It was so nice, when we returned to shore Peter Pan was waiting for us. The kids loved every minute of it and then we had dinner at Chef Mickey where the entire restaurant sang Happy Birthday to my father in law!
Monday - In the morning Helena and I met Melissa and Victoria for a Tea Party with Princess Aurora, Sleeping Beauty. We had a lot of fun and the girls each received an American Girl Doll dressed like Aurora and a friendship bracelet as well. After, we headed to the Magic Kingdom to meet up with the rest of the group. We headed back to the room for naps and pool time so we could return to the park for Magic Hours (7-12 pm). That was a lot of fun and after the fireworks the boys fell asleep for the rest of the night. Helena has decided that the Haunted Mansion is one of her favorite rides because it is "just pretend"! We returned to the room about 10:00 pm and Parker decided it was time to party. Fortunately he was staying in my mothers room and she put the kibosh on that pretty quickly - ha ha!
Tuesday - This was our day at Animal Kingdom. It was very humid this day, but we got to see all of the fun things at the park regardless. First we went to the Safari and saw more animals than I have on my last 2 trips here. Helena loved the Pocahontas show and the Lion King Show as well. Lunch was at an African inspired buffet where they had a group of drummers for entertainment. Helena joined right in when the woman called for dancers. She was shaking her booty to the beat!!! After lunch we saw the Jingle Jungle Parade and headed back for naps.
Later that evening we had tickets for the Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom. When we arrived at the park, it began to drizzle and within the next hour it poured down. Needless to say our evening was cut short. Helena, Jason and Big Jim (Jason's dad) stayed to ride a few more rides and grab a snack. After the boys got to sleep, I went to do some laundry and grab a snack myself!
Wednesday - My parents headed home this morning, so we saw them in the morning before heading to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique for Helena's princess makeover! Jason and I decided to divide and conquer, so I took Peyton with us and he kept Parker and Preston to get in some pool/beach time at the resort before meeting us after lunch. Jason had them in the pool, at the beach, on the playground and walked the trail for them to fall asleep in the stroller. It was nice to get in some Mommy/Daddy time.
Needless to say - Helena looked so pretty when she was finished - and she knew it. Everyone called her "Princess" for the rest of the day. After lunch with Cinderella - Peyton loved looking at the princesses - and some pictures with Belle, Jasmine and Aurora, we saw Lady Trumane and the wicked step-sisters. While getting pictures with them, Helena informed Drizella that she was rude!! That's my girl....
Before bed Helena told me that she wanted to sleep with her hair in and her crown on because "everyone tells me it looks good Mommy!"....well what do you expect she is a princess right???
More to come later, with pictures - today is Jason's 35th Birthday and I need to get the cake in the oven so Helena can decorate it when she gets home from school!
December 3, 2007
Why??
Could someone, anyone tell me WHY all 4 of my children are taking turns vomiting for the last 2 days??? Not sure what I did in my past life to be so deserving of this frenzy of fun!!!
On the brighter side of things - If all goes well between now and bedtime, I will be posting the story of our trip to Disney this evening! It was eventful and a lot of fun, we took tons of pictures and for anyone who know my daughter, I actually saw her speechless on this trip (hard to believe I know!!).....
On the brighter side of things - If all goes well between now and bedtime, I will be posting the story of our trip to Disney this evening! It was eventful and a lot of fun, we took tons of pictures and for anyone who know my daughter, I actually saw her speechless on this trip (hard to believe I know!!).....
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