What a Wonderful Weekend!

I am really getting used to this "family time on the weekend" thing. This past one was a whopper! We had a nice long visit from Lisa and we packed lots of fun into three days.

The girls' dance recital was Friday night. It was great to see all those hours of lessons pay off. They did awesome. Click on over to my sister's blog for much better photos of the event. She was the official photographer.

Aunt Lisa and her girls....

Saturday morning, the fun continued with a HUGE surprise for Avery. We were blessed to be given a horse by a friend of Gus's. He went and picked it up and we brought Avery out blind folded to see what we had for her. The look on her face was priceless! It truly was a dream come true!

Getting to know each other. Jasmine (she came named, but it was perfect!) was enjoying a nice cool bath at her new home.

Lisa and I went antique shopping in Wildwood that afternoon and Sat. evening we all went to see Toy Story 3. It was great, but bittersweet in the end. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about, if not - I won't ruin it for you.

Sunday was Father's Day and we spent some time honoring our sweet Daddy, Gus. Avery and I made him this mug at Amazing Glaze. Avery picked out the Gator theme. One side has a "G" and the other side says "Fear the Swamp." He loved it!

I know every weekend can't be this fun, but it's so nice to have some time off work that just a simple weekend at home will probably still feel just as great to me!

Meagan's Graduation

Last Thursday night, we celebrated Meagan's Preschool Graduation. It was a great year at a wonderful preschool and although she's done there, Hunter is right behind her and will start there in August. We are so blessed to have been a part of such an excellent program.

The beautiful little Graduate in her new dress....

The whole gang - all dressed up.....

Meagan enjoying opening a few gifts from us including a Fancy Nancy "ABC" book



and some accessories to go with her outfit!

Daddy and his sweetheart.....

Mommy and her "mini me"

Love us some Mrs. Angela!!!

Congrats!!

We were so blessed that some special friends were able to come support Meagan's achievement. Thanks, Aunt Sam, Emma, and Maddie!

The gorgeous cake that Aunt Hannah made in honor of the event

The assistant teacher in Meagan's class - Mrs. Kadi (the funny thing is, I used to babysit her!)

So proud of this little girl!

We've been through alot this year including self hair cuts, learning how to obey and get along with others (even when they're not the nicest), how to write our name and lots of great songs. Most of all, it was a success in terms of her allergies. Her teachers all did an excellent job in keeping her safe and that is priceless to me!

Eleven years and counting..............

Just wanted to do a little tribute to my honey today since it is our 11th wedding anniversary. There is so much I could say about that day and so much I could write about how we've grown and changed over the last eleven years so I'll try to keep it concise.

The Happy (YOUNG) couple

I was twenty-one and Gus was twenty-two when we got married which was TOO YOUNG!!! Even though we had been dating since I was 16 and he was 17, we still had alot to learn about ourselves and life. I would not recommend my kids getting married that young and hopefully they'll listen to me when that time comes. (Probably not, but I can hope, can't I?) Anyway, we did have a beautiful wedding and reception. Looking back, I would not have spent so much money on that one day, but that was just a young girl living out a dream. We did have a wonderful time although I didn't see Gus very much at the reception - he was too busy "working the crowd" and "running for Mayor" as I like to call it. Well, at least I had him all to myself for a week in Gatlinburg, TN for our honeymoon which was great. We stayed most of that week at a beautiful B & B.

Just as we were settling into married life (eight months exactly), we found out that we were going to be PARENTS!! It came as quite a surprise, but we embraced it and got ready the best we knew how. Again, I would not recommend having children that early on in your marriage, but looking back I can see why God chose that for us. What I mean by that is that those first few years were HARD and it would have been pretty easy to just walk away had it not been for the "glue" we had in the form of our precious oldest daughter. Not that we just "stayed together for our child", but we chose to make it work and make our marriage better because we had a stronger commitment to our family. That is a decision we have all benefited from. Not to say that it's not still work because it is. Our marriage ebbs and flows as I think all do, but we are committed to one another and our family. And I can honestly say that I love him more than I did the day I married him.

Now onto our Anniversary celebration. Since I have to work all weekend and Gus had a three day weekend ahead, he and the kids are over at the camp at the river with his Mom. So we went out to Carrabba's (our favorite) on Thursday night and had a wonderful dinner. We were seriously overdue for some time together so it was such a treat. We even stuck to our weight loss goals and did not even get any bread!! Now that took some willpower, people! After our dinner, we went over to Target and got ourselves an anniversary present.............. a NEW coffee maker!!! I know, I know - how romantic, right? Well, we have had the same basic coffee maker since we were married and we thought it was time for an upgrade. In our defense, we did have some more romantic gifts for each other, too. I bought Gus an new wedding band (since he LOST his!) and I took my engagement ring to the jewelers to get repaired so I could wear it again.

Our new purchase - we were so excited!

Still looking pretty good eleven years later - at least that's what my hubby says! I swear he looks at me with a different set of eyes and I love that about him!

Here's to many more Happy Anniversaries together!

Weekends full of Fun!

We have had some big fun the past two Sundays. I decided to just give the highlights of both since I didn't get around to posting last week. Our first adventure was Dylan's birthday party at the Florida Aquarium on Sunday, the 16th. The girls and I rode down with Hannah and her crew. There was no way I would trust myself to drive that far after working all night! I was pretty tired, but the day moved along quickly and there was alot going on to keep me energized. The girls had a great time!!

Mom (Sabrina) and the birthday boy - Dylan....

Uh, yeah, I don't know either............

The kids loved petting this cute little baby alligator....

Some pretty little mermaids...

This past Sunday we had plans with Sabrina and her two oldest boys again. As a birthday present for Meagan she bought us all tickets to the Disney on Ice show in Tampa. This time I did get a couple hours of sleep before we headed to the show. It was a beautiful show and the kids got along great. Sabrina and I enjoyed hanging out together and catching up, too.

Me and the birthday girl.....

The theme of the show was celebrations - perfect!

Sabrina and her two oldest - Ryan and Dylan......

It was hard to get good pics, but I managed a few.....

Me and my girls - we had a blast!

Next weekend will be low key - I'm working four nights in a row!!! No playtime for me!

Scientifically Proven FUN!

On Monday, Hunter, Avery and I headed south to the Orlando Science Center. (Meagan was at school.) I had been planning on going there many times this year while we were homeschooling, but I just kept putting it off. We finally made it and it was great! I went ahead and bought us a one year membership so we can go as often as we like this summer, too.

Avery and Hunter pretending to be archaeologists uncovering dinosaur bones.

This was the cutest little center with cars, trains, and planes that Hunter just loved. Future mechanic maybe.....

Avery operating the orange grove pulley system. This area was alot of fun, too!

Hunter working hard to pick those oranges...

Another one of Hunter's favorite areas was this little house/kitchen center. He pitched a fit when it was time to move on!

Avery checking out some microscopic bugs...

More fun in the water splash area!

My two cute little scientists!

This little lizard was so funny! He would come right up to the glass, look you in the eye and stick his tongue out. He kept trying to climb out too. Hunter got the biggest kick out of him.

There was a cool frog exhibit that Avery really enjoyed. Here she is "inside" the tank.....

Can't wait to go back and bring Meagan along this time, too!

Mother's Day

Just wanted to say a few words about being a Mom and my Mom on this special day. When I became a mother on October 6, 2000 I was young, scared, and overwhelmed. I was also hopelessly in love with that 8lb, 5 oz bundle of joy. She was so beautiful, soft, sweet and mine! I was blessed to be able to stay home with her for the first 8 months of her life and it was a wonderful time. Alot has happened since then, and Avery Anne has grown into a caring, smart, creative, thoughtful 9 year old girl. I love the way she makes me cards, helps around the house, and is a respectful young lady.



Four and a half years later, my little (well, okay - BIG) baby girl Meagan Ashley came into the world. She was so cute, chunky, and cuddly. We've learned alot as we've traveled this road of food allergies, asthma and such but she is so much more than all of that. She is strong yet sensitive. She is funny, fun-loving, and full of it! She has taught me and challenged me and I can't wait to see the woman she turns out to be!

While Gus and I thought we were done adding to our little family, God had other plans for us. On a hot day in August 2008, we were blessed with a son - Hunter McKinney! I never knew how much I wanted a boy until I had one of my own. He is so loving, funny, and spirited. He melts my heart more than I thought possible by some of the simplest things he says and does. I am so grateful to God for seeing fit to entrust us to raise this wonderful little boy.

And last but not least, I can't let this day go by without paying tribute to my mother. I never understood how much she loved me until I became a mother. I remember our relationship changing after Avery was born. I respected that she stayed home for 10 years until my sisters and I were all in school. Then she worked full time to support us all and tried her best to give us what we needed and wanted. I know those teenage years couldn't have been easy and I wish I could take back some of the things I said and the way I acted sometimes, but I know she loved me even through all of that. That's what moms do. I love the relationship we have today. She is my support, my prayer warrior, my sounding board and most of all, my friend. I love you Mom!!

Girls' Weekend in Savannah

Sorry it has taken me so long to get this post up! I have been super busy at home and this just seems to get pushed to the end of my to-do list. I spent last weekend in Savannah, GA with some wonderful ladies. It was so nice just to hang out, relax, and basically do whatever we wanted. We have 15 children between the six of us and while we're all loving, dedicated mothers we sure did enjoy not having to wipe any noses (or behinds!), cut up anyone else's food, or do any housework for an entire two days!

The whole Gang - (b) Leslie, Sabrina, and Jennifer

(f) Me, Hannah, and Heather

Me and Heather hanging out at the hotel lounge Friday night.



Cheers! to a great weekend!

We spent most of Saturday shopping in downtown Savannah which has a ton of great shops. While we didn't meet Paula Deen, we did enjoy her shop and at least there was a life size cardboard cutout that we could take pictures in front of!

Me and Heather in the Savannah Candy Kitchen. Let's just say that I lost all my willpower when I entered that place and they handed me a sample of a fresh, WARM pecan praline! It was to die for! Don't ask me how I know, but the caramel pecan apple wasn't bad either!

We did take in a little bit of the historical landmarks. Saturday night we enjoyed a horse drawn carriage ride in which we learned about lots of "ghost sightings" over the years. My pics didn't turn out too great, so you'll have to take my word for it.

We ate at some fine restaurants over the weekend as well. Uncle Bubba's (Paula's brother's place) was great for some fresh seafood. Vinnie Van Go Go's offered us some great pizza and salad (even if we did wait over an hour for it!) But, probably my favorite one was the wonderful art gallery and cafe we went to on Sunday morning. There's just something I love about going out to breakfast on a Sunday. It has a different feel than any other day of the week. Lisa - I couldn't stop thinking of you when I was in this eclectic little place. If we ever make it to Savannah together - this is a MUST do!

This was my selection and I was not disappointed. I'd never had a Greek omelet before and it was sure delicious!

After a stop off at some outlets where we tried our best to clean out the Carter's store, we finally got home to our lovely families. My kids were so excited to see me and it hit me how much I missed them when I saw them, too. Can't wait to do it again, girls!

By the way "G Y O F!"