Birthday - Luau Style

In honor of my 32nd (OMG!!!) birthday, my family and I celebrated at the Disney's Polynesian Resort enjoying the Spirit of Aloha dinner and show. Really we would have used any excuse to go there and since Jill was in town and it was the week of my birthday, we thought it sounded good. We did leave poor little Hunter with Mimi (Gus's Mom). We thought the show might be a little loud/scary for him and it was going to be a late night. I was glad we didn't bring him although I did miss my little buddy.



I was in the Hawaiian spirit with my leis and tropical shirt. Jill did my make up that night. It doesn't look like it in the picture, but I had a lot more eye makeup on than I normally wear.

All of the dancers (male and female) were great. These were my favorite costumes.

We got there a little late to do the official picture from the Disney photographers, so we had some fellow tourists take a group shot after the show. I think it turned out great and saved us thirty bucks!

Just the ladies in this one - we all look beautiful if I do say so myself! Definitely one of the best birthdays I've had in YEARS!!!

Little Miss Meagan had a fabulous time!!!! She loved the show and once again the chefs at Disney did an awesome job with the allergy free food! She loved the pork ribs the best!


ALOHA Ohana!

Madeira Beach

We just got back from a three day beach trip over to the west coast. Gus is not crazy about the beach and didn't want to take his week's vacation to go there so I asked my sister Lisa to go with us since I knew I couldn't do it alone. I really do like the beach and I knew the kids would love to get away for a few days, plus Hunter has never even been to the beach so I figured it was time. The weather was perfect and we did have fun despite the accommodations being less than what we were expecting. Basically, it was a dump but we made the best of it. For a much more detailed and creative description, head on over to my talented sister's blog. We were frequently reminded of the movie "Summer Rental" with John Candy. If you've never seen it - you must!!
We enjoyed collecting shells, playing in the sand and the ocean, swimming in the pool, a shopping trip to John's Pass Boardwalk, eating out at Sculley's, and even taking in the movie "UP". By the time Wednesday rolled around though, we were ready to come home!!


Lisa took this sweet picture of the the girls sharing a moment together. Why can't they always be like this???

Enjoying a walk on the beach at sunset.

Hunter was very content to play in the sand and loved being covered in it from head to toe!

Aunt Lisa and Meagan cooling off in the water. Meagan was still kinda scared of the water and preferred to curl up in a towel and hang out on the shore. Lisa and I often referred to her as the "Diva!"

Avery was by far the easiest one to entertain at the beach. She loved to swim and collect shells. She did get a little burned on the first full day, so day two wasn't as great, but she was a trooper anyway!

Hunter and Meagan making their masterpieces

All morning of playing on the beach plus a dip in the pool makes for a very tired little boy!

10th Anniversary Getaway

On May 29th, Gus and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. We had talked about going on a cruise, but never really made plans to do that so we decided we'd just go away for one night. Gus arranged for his mom to come to our house and watch the kids for us - Thank you Katrina!! I took Saturday night off work and we headed over to St. Petersburg. Gus found a beautiful hotel for us to stay in - the Renaissance Vinoy. It is a very historical place and it was in downtown St. Pete. We were able to walk around the area and enjoy the park, shops and even eat at a great restaurant without having to get back in the car.


The hotel wasn't right on the beach, but it was by a marina

Gus really pulled out all the stops and took me on a carriage ride around the park while we enjoyed some delicious gellato!

Okay - my FAVORITE part of the weekend was that we ordered room service for breakfast and I got to lounge in the wonderful king size bed, read the Sunday paper and eat this yummy meal! Oh yeah and NO KIDS to tend to!!!!!!!

We did drive over to the coast for a quick walk along the beach before it was time to head home. It was a perfect weekend and we can't wait til next year to do it again! I think we've found a new tradition!!

End of another school year

So, it's May and another school year is drawing to an end... It has really flown by once again. This morning I attended Avery's awards ceremony that her three teachers do for their classes only so it's really special and they talk alot about each child. Avery has been in a program called Project CHILD since kindergarten in which each grade has a homeroom teacher, but they also rotate to the other two teachers for different subjects. We have been really blessed with such a great group of teachers. Each year I like to show my appreciation for them with an end of the year gift and with having to do whatever I choose times three, I have to consider the cost factor, too. I usually like to involve Avery in making at least part of the gift or writing a card - something that is from her, too. This year I found these cute flower pens that were about $10 each in a gift shop and I just bought some inexpensive clay pots and let Avery paint them and write each teacher's name on them. Then I added some candies to the bottom and I think they turned out really cute! I brought them to the school today for Avery to give her teachers and they all loved them!

I also made cards for each teacher specific to the subjects they teach which I think turned out super cute, too! I have actually been making alot of cards lately and I'm really enjoying it. I have tons of scrapbook stuff and cards are a great way to use up miscellaneous stickers that you wouldn't have enough of to use on a page but are perfect for a card. And with most cards at the store costing at least two dollars (and more!) I figure I'm saving money, too!

Avery received nine awards, but I have to say the most special one was the "Measuring-Up Award". Only six kids out of all three classes together got this one. The teachers described the children who they gave this award to as ones who are always on task, good leaders and never any trouble. I would have to say I was pretty dern proud of my sweet Avery today!

Granola

So, Hannah and I often refer to people who are very "natural" as "granola". To use it in a sentence we might say, "She's so granola she crunches when she walks." Not that being natural is a BAD thing - as we all know the whole world is "going green." It's just kind of hard to break those bad habits we have and try new things that might be (okay ARE) better for us, the environment, etc.
Anyway, I have been following a lovely woman's blog for a while now named MckMama. If any of you do too, you know that she is what I would classify as Granola - BIG TIME!!! She's into exclusive breastfeeding for the first YEAR of life, cloth diapers, drinking RAW milk, washing with goat's milk soap, really healthy eating and on and on. She's also really cool, witty, a great photographer and a really strong Christian who has been through such an ordeal with her youngest son's health recently. She inspired me to try a new recipe and let's just say it didn't go so well.
She often talks about eating hummus and while I love the store bought version (I usually buy Sabra brand - Roasted Pine Nut flavor) I've never made it myself. She posted the recipe about a week ago on her blog and I gathered all the necessary ingredients today at Publix - including ORGANIC chickpeas. I also bought carrot chips and sugar snap peas to use as my dippers instead of crackers. I KNOW!! So, this morning after I got everything put away I broke out my (okay Hannah's that I have on an extended loan agreement) Food Processor and got to pureeing up some hummus! So far, not so good. The flavor is alright, but the texture is way too runny. Not the smooth, creamy store brand texture I'm used to. It is chilling in the refrigerator right now and I'm hoping that will help it thicken or else it's headed straight for the garbage disposal!
Anyway, I am trying to be more environmentally friendly overall. I have a LONG way to go, but I have been consistently using my canvas grocery bags and I have to say that it is so much better because the hold a TON more than those flimsy plastic bags. I also do buy some organic foods - mostly dairy and it tastes so much better!! I have changed most of our light bulbs out to the CFL ones that use less energy, too. Simple things that make a difference in the long run. But just let me set the record straight - there will be no cloth diapering going on in this house! Sorry, it just ain't gonna happen!! I am thinking of trying some of her suggestions for more natural cleaning methods. All those chemicals can't be good for us. I'll post on that if I get better results that the hummus!

Spring Break in Georgia

As I said in my Easter post, we made a trip up to GA recently. Gus had to work, so I took the kids by myself. Jill had been down here the week before on her Spring Break so we actually caravanned (is that a word?) up on Saturday and I drove home alone the following Thurs. I was kinda nervous about that but I have AAA, a cell phone and a reliable vehicle so I figured I could conquer it! We actually had a really good trip home and only stopped ONCE!! I couldn't believe it myself. I just got in the zone and kept on driving. Hunter slept alot and the girls watched their new American Girl Chrissa DVD which kept things pretty quiet in the van. It was great to see my parents and get away for a while. We didn't do a whole lot - our big outing was up to Cleveland/Helen to the CPK home. Mom and I took the girls to the Hannah Montana movie one day (really cute!) while Dad stayed home with Hunter and they enjoyed some male bonding. It was nice to just relax and hang out together!



The kids enjoyed popcorn and TV every night before bed.

Me, Hunter, and Dad at an outdoor cafe' overlooking the Chattahoochee River for lunch in Helen.

Avery, Meagan, and Mom - bundled up to stay warm. It was a little cool that day!

The girls at Babyland General in Cleveland. We had a great time and it always makes me feel like a kid again! My grandparents used to take me and my sisters here when we came up for visits in the summer.

Meagan was in her element as much as she loves dolls!

Meagan's 4th Birthday

Meagan in her custom made outfit that I ordered from a seller on etsy.com

Hunter's initial reaction to the characters wasn't so great. He finally warmed up to Donald Duck a LITTLE by the end of the meal. Poor thing!

Meagan's favorite was Donald Duck. She really love the special waffles and I think she ate about four! The chef was so nice and made sure Meagan's birthday was extra special!

My Favorite picture of the day! I think Disney may want to use this in their advertisements!

For Meagan's birthday we made plans to go to Chef Mickey's at Disney's Contemporary Resort. Jill was down for a visit and Gus and Lisa took the day off work to join in the fun. We had a great time and they were AWESOME when it came to working with Meagan's dietary restrictions. They had Mickey shaped waffles and even a cupcake that Meagan could enjoy. After our meal we did a little shopping in the gift shop and took a free ride on the monorail. We all had an awesome day together!