Exciting Stuff

On Friday there was a bit of excitement at our house. Can you guess what would have the kids lined up in front of the sliding glass door?
This is what had their attention.
Two guys were going up and down that ladder so they could repair our roof. The kids loved watching them carry all their stuff up the ladder.

Then tonight there was excitement next door. After Wesley rode his bike and Lydia ran and jumped, I started home before everyone else to finish dinner. Chris came in and said that he left Wesley outside talking to Mr. Mike. I couldn't help but ask, "Is he bothering Mike?" Chris said no but he did warn Mike that Wesley would talk non-stop. I opened the front door to get this photo of Wesley.
Mr. Mike was building cabinets for his garage and he was using all kinds of power tools. That is exciting stuff for a three year old boy.

Friend Makin' Mondays...

I got this idea from Christie and if you want to join in the fun go here to learn more about Friend Making Monday over at All That is Good.

Here is my list of ten (material) things that I can't live without.

1. My iphone. I am addicted!

2. Coffee. Our Keurig makes it tasty and easy.


3. I love Trish McEvoy's mascara. I like how it looks and I like how it flakes off when I wash my face. Now I can't imagine using any other kind of mascara.


4. XM radio. My favorite station is The Message, chanel 32 (Contemporary Christian music) but Wesley's favorite station is channel 77, XM Pops. He loves classical music. I like being able to see the name of the artist and the title of the song.
5. My facial cleanser and lotion. I have had acne since I was 11 years old and this is the only thing that really keeps it under control. Hopefully it is also fighting off wrinkles.


6. Water. We have stopped buying bottled water! I used to take bottled water in the car with me, Chris and I both kept bottled water on our nightstands (the cats drink out of cups if we leave them out), and we used them for working out. Now we use re-usable water bottles! The kids even use these water bottles.
7. Reusuable shopping bags. These really help me cut down on the clutter of the plastic bags. I use the reusuable grocery bags at the grocery store. I really can't believe how much I love these things.

My friend Michelle gave me two Envirosax for my birthday and I think they are one of the best gifts I have ever received. I keep them in my purse and use them every time I go to a store. They have a little strap with a snap to keep them securely rolled up in my purse.

8. TIVO. After 9 1/2 years, I can't imagine not having TIVO. There are four tv shows that Chris and I love to watch together. I also record stuff like What Not to Wear and John and Kate Plus 8 to watch while working out. We don't let the kids watch a lot of tv but when we do let them, their shows are on the TIVO waiting for them. We have recently started using the watch instantly feature on Netflicks for movies and workout videos.


9. My camera. I love the digital SLR that Chris gave me for Christmas. I also love my little point and shoot. I keep it in my purse so I never miss a photo opportunity (well, sometimes I can't get it out fast enough.) Without the cameras I wouldn't be able to blog about all the fun things the kids do.

10. Recipes. I love to cook but I have to have a recipe, especially at first. Last night one of my friends was telling me how she watches the food network and then makes the same dish but without the recipe. I can't wing it like that so I have to have written direction.

One Magical Wedding

Friday was the welcome dinner. The food was delicious, especially the beef and shrimp skewers. The setting, Shipwreck Beach at the Beach Club Resort, was lovely. We had a great time.
This guy was really good. He played a lot of Jimmy Buffett and Bob Marley songs. Chris was very impressed with him when he covered a Yes song. Chris also commented to me, “Well, of course he is good; he works for Disney.” After the party Chris went up and complimented him and mentioned how much he enjoyed the Yes song. The man replied, "I am glad you liked it. Most people don't recognize it." (I didn't recognize it.)

The bride, Erica, made up an itinerary for everyone. This included their phone numbers, information about the welcoming dinner, the wedding day events, and information about the parks. The itinerary also told everyone when the buses would pick us to take us to the Wedding Pavilion at the Grand Floridian. (The pre-wedding pictures of the bride and her bridesmaids and the groom and his groomsmen were taken at the Grand Floridian. I heard they did a shot of Erica on the grand piano. I hope I get to see the photos.)

When we got off the bus, we couldn't resist taking a picture of Cinderella's Carriage.

As John and Erica walked by us after the ceremony we threw rose petals.

John and Erica in Cinderella's Carriage. (I love Erica's dress.)

The wedding and reception were timed so that the pre-reception at Italy Isola, Epcot would coincide with the fireworks. Italy Isola is that area across from Italy, that is right on the lake. This area was reserved just for the wedding party and guests. The buses took us in a back gate to the area behind America. We followed a guide with a lighted stick in a back door to Epcot, through the crowd, to a roped off area. Everyone enjoyed a drink (or two) and appetizers. We had the perfect view of the fireworks show. Behind the roped off area we could see how crowded everyone else was as they watched the show but we had plenty of space to relax and enjoy the fireworks. I think we all felt like celebrities.

One of my friends loaned me a wrap to wear over my dress so I wouldn't be cold during the pre-reception. I was very grateful that she suggested I take a wrap and that she had some very nice ones for me to choose from.

When the crowds thinned out after the fireworks, we were lead to the American Adventure Rotunda for dinner and dancing.
In this picture of the wedding cake, you can see the gorgeous flowers the bridesmaids carried.Our place cards were chocolate Mickeys with our names on them and table assignments. Since the dinner was in the American Rotunda, the tables were named after the colonies.

John and Erica's table was "Magic Kingdom."

I knew that the earliest we would be having dinner was 9:30 so I ate a small dinner (cheeseburger) at 5:30. So, below is my fourth meal for the day. I ate it all because it was so delicious.

Mushroom Filled Pasta, Vegetable Sherry Broth, Leeks, Red Peppers and Gruyere

Iceberg Wedge, Watercress, Bleu Cheese, Red Onion and Edible Flower with Rosewater Vinaigrette

Raspberry Sorbet with Drizzled Raspberry Sauce and Red Sugar Rim

Beef Filet with Blackberry Demi and Lobster Tail with Tarragon Beurre Blanc, Duchess Potatoes, Fresh Seasonal Vegetables

Cinderella's White Chocolate Slipper

After dinner Mickey and Minnie joined the party. There were no kids at the wedding or reception but everyone had their pictures taken with Mickey and Minnie. (I have been entertaining Wesley and Lydia with the videos from the reception.)

The buses were scheduled to leave every hour to take people back to the hotels but no one left early. At 1:30 we were all escorted out to the buses and back to our hotels. It was a truly wonderful evening.

Mickey - Wordless Wednesday

Disney without the Kids

Chris and I enjoyed a weekend away at Disney World sans kids. (This week I will post about why we went without the kids.) This was our eighth trip to Disney. We stayed at the Beach Club which is a deluxe resort. It was a step up from where we normally stay but I don't know if it is worth the extra money (we will stay in a moderate resort in September). The resort is beautiful and we loved being able to just walk over to Epcot.


The parks were a lot more crowded this trip than during our last two trips in September. We really missed having the free dinning plan that we enjoyed the last two years and plan to enjoy this year also.

On Friday we went to Disney Hollywood Studios. We waited an hour for the Toy Story ride and it was worth it. We fast passed Tower of Terror but we missed out on the Aerosmith coaster becaue the line was so long and the fast pass return was too late for us. We did enjoy our short day at the Studios and we were able to determine that Wesley will probably love Star Tours in September. He is tall enough for Tower of Terror but I don't know...maybe we will save that one for last.


On Saturday morning, we walked over to Epcot and rode Soarin' and Test Track. Wesley is tall enough for both of those rides now. Chris and I spent most of the day touring the countries. We had German sausages and beer for lunch (yummy).

The Garden Festival was going on at Epcot. There were a lot of pretty toparies like this one of Captain Hook and the alligator.
There were also three cool playgrounds set up through out Epcot just for the Garden Festival. Too bad they don't keep those up year around. Yes, the kids can climb and play at home but stopping to run around a play and climb at the parks help them to re-charge their little batteries.

Saturday night we went to bed very late but we set our alarm so we could get up and go to Animal Kingdom. We are true fans of the parks! Thanks to this website we knew that Animal Kingdom would be the least crowded park on Sunday. We were able to ride Everest twice (once with fast pass). We also rode the dinosaur ride and primevil whirl.
We fast passed the Safari ride.
I like all the parks but Animal Kingdom is my favorite. We didn't do any shows there because we will see those again with the kids.
The bats looked pretty cool eating their lunch.

We went to Magic Kingdom for about five hours after we left Animal Kingdom. We did Laugh Floor, Buzz Lightyear, Pirates, and the Hunted Mansion. We had more things to do at Magic Kingdom but we were tired and ready to call it a night.

Today we we went back to Epcot for a couple of hours and then to Downtown Disney for lunch and couple of toys for the kids

Of course, there are differences between being there by ourselves and being there with our kids. Things are a little easier without the kids and it is so good to have a lot of date-night time but it is more exciting being there with the kids. We had a great time just the two of us but we are looking forward to going back with the kids and Chris' parents. (Unfortunately, the Powells aren't going this year.)

Don't Tell Wesley

Look who we met today.

Balancing - Wordless Wednesday

Getting Out to Bounce

This weekend I was bored and I think the kids might have been bored also. Chris was sick and in bed sleeping all weekend and the weather wasn't nice enough to play outside. So, Sunday night I planned a fun activity for Monday morning. We went back to Woodbridge to go to the bounce house again.

We were the first ones there so I took some pictures to show what it is like. This is a climbing area for smaller kids. Both of my kids played here briefly. There is an inflatable slide behind this little climbing structure.

This is the first big slide.

Lydia is climbing up the small wall that starts the obstacle course for the above slide.

There is a large moonbounce in the first room (below) and an even larger moonbounce in the second room.

After about 45 minutes in the first room, they open the second room which has this huge slide and obstacle course.

Wesley is at the top of the tall wall that is the last obstacle before going down the big slide. Lydia made it up this ladder with me giving her a little help along the way.

This is the second slide in the second room.

Once Lydia was tired from all the climbing, she was interested in the train. The train cars have little ladders that the kids can also climb or they can just walk or crawl through the train. In this same area there are mats and another climbing structure for younger toddlers.
So, for $10 it was a great morning. They charge $5 for kids three and under and $8 for kids four and up.

We went to Chik-fil-A for lunch because I love the place and there isn't a stand-alone one closer to us. While we were eating Wesley said, "These chicken nuggets are much gooder than the ones at McDonald's." I agree.

I did let them play at the indoor playground for a few minutes and I avoided Wesley having a meltdown about leaving by bribing him with ice cream. Did you know that you can turn in the toys from the kids' meals for a small ice cream cone?

Get the Door

It is grocery delivery!

Chris was sick this weekend and he slept almost the entire weekend. I didn't get to make my usual Sunday afternoon trip to the grocery. I have learned the hard way that is doesn't pay to go grocery shopping first thing on Monday morning because the stores are out of everything. So, I shopped on-line yesterday afternoon and for $6.95 my groceries were delivered. As soon as the nice delivery man stepped into the house he asked, "Where is the kitchen?" I love it that the delivery men carry all the groceries into the kitchen and sit them down in front of the refrigerator.

Grocery delivery is a real treat for me. The kids also got a treat this morning. One of our two cats is getting desperate enough for attention that he is starting to let the kids pet him.
Sometimes he even lets Wesley carry him around.