The Taylor Family

Nothing like having a boy in the house

2012-02-07T19:04:00.000-05:00

That play set we put together out back has been worth it's weight in gold but we may need to buy a new washer and dryer to keep up with laundry produced because of it.

Pinkalicious

2012-02-04T20:57:00.002-05:00

Today after Peter got some more work done we headed to Orlando to see a play at the REP theatre.

This showing was Pinkalicious about a girl who eats too many pink cupcakes and turns pink. Both the girls had read the book (yes the play is based on a book) so we thought it would be cool for them to also see the play. They both thoroughly enjoyed the show and Javan was a very good boy and sat nice and quietly on my lap the whole time. After the play I had prepaid for Sonny's Dinner at the theatre so we enjoyed a nice easy meal at no additional cost. We stopped at the Altamonte Mall on the way home and Peter had his new iPhone 4s replaced because the speaker didn't work very well at all. This new one seems much better.

Happy Birthday Daddy!!

2012-02-03T23:30:00.002-05:00

Today is Peter's birthday and he has been working really hard to make up for not being able to last week. I don't work on Fridays but the girls had school so it was just three of us at home for the day. Peter still worked a lot during the day but around 12:30 we had to pick up the girls early to go to a doctor appointment that Bresa had. After the appointment we had to hurry home because Peter had a client or two on the way but after that we decided to go have some fun. Peter chose to go just down the road to Family Fun Town where they have miniature golf, batting cages, an arcade,

go-karts, and a bounce thing too. We have been there to golf before but the last time we went was before they had the go-karts. This time we wanted to try the go-karts out. The girls weren't tall enough to drive alone but they could ride with Peter and I. Javan also could ride so we had to take turns. Peter and Abbi rode together while Javan and I rode the first round too. After we got out Peter took Bresa for a run while Abbi, Javan, and I watched on. We had a really good time and the girls really enjoyed it. They had never been on go-karts before and now they want to go again real soon. When we got home Tina and Noah

came over with a bunch of fun party food and games. Also, our friends Joe and Jana came over. I been asking Peter what he wanted to do for his birthday and ultimately he decided he wanted to play a big game of Settlers of Catan and just have a small informal gathering with some friends. For dinner I bought a large ring sub from Publix and Tina brought a bunch of sides and then made some apple slices dipped in chocolate and coated in granola. We played a great game of Settlers and Jana took the win! Peter really enjoyed his day so I am happy. Another year older and another year I get to spend with the man I love.

Out with the Old in with New

2012-01-29T18:17:00.002-05:00

It's been just over a year now since we have used our dishwasher as a dishwasher. Though it still cycles through the whole washing process it actually makes the dishes dirtier than they were when they went in the machine. We have always had to clean all the food off of the dishes before putting them in to run but more and more we found we were practically washing the dishes just to fill up the dishwasher and run

it. As time progressed we noticed they all came out with white spots and we then we would have to wash them again by hand to get them clean. Finally we decided to stop running the dishwasher altogether and started using it as a glorified drying rack. This went on for a year or so until I finally was really fed up of washing the dishes 2 or 3 times a day just so we had silverware and plates for each meal. Before we went on the cruise we talked about it and decided when we returned we would look into buying a new one. Peter and I both did some research on different brands and read a million reviews and then we went shopping. At Home Depot no one could help us more than to point in the general direction of where the dishwashers were and at Sear's I don't think they could even manage that. We found ourselves at John's Appliance City which is a local dealer and we had friends who recommended the place. The salesman was a nice guy but as always he underestimated

our finances and tried to sell us the cheapest model he had. Problem was, we already had a cheap dishwasher, now we wanted a good dishwasher. We looked at everything they had and went home to do some more research. I really didn't want to wait any longer or wash one more dish (and the sink was full) by hand so we headed back out and picked up the one we thought was best. When we got home our neighbor helped us unload it and then Peter uninstalled our old one and drug it out to the curb (where someone promptly picked it up) and worked to install our new one in it's new home. After everything seemed to be in place I loaded it up and set it to run. Only time will tell how well we like it but for now just not having to wash everything and scrub the dishes down is a blessing to me.

Day 5 - Disembark

2012-01-26T18:13:00.010-05:00

This morning was a bit hectic as we had to be out of our rooms by 8am and off the ship by 9am. It helped that we were all packed the night before and didn't

have to worry about that luggage though. I made sure we grabbed every last thing in our room and didn't leave anything behind and then we headed up for a light breakfast. We ate our last meal at Cabana's and I think Christina pointed out that we started in the same place as we were ending, almost the same table too. We could look out at the port and see Oscar waiting for us in the parking garage just like we could when had lunch the first day. I think this time though we were all a lot more tired and ready to see our own beds again. After we ate we headed down to the atrium and took a couple more photos before we

stepped off the ship for the last time. We found our luggage and went through customs with no problems and very little wait and then we found Oscar right where we had left him. We drove Christina and Noah home and then headed to our own home. Mom was there with Javan and I so happy to see him. I really missed him a lot. I think because I had my girls with me I missed him even more than I would have if it were just Peter and I there. The days on the ship seemed

really long so it felt like we had been gone for over a week but I know to Javan it only felt like a couple days. Our house was still just as clean as we had left it and I was very grateful that I am so anal about scrubbing everything top to bottom before we go anywhere. I unpacked everything quickly and washed our dirty laundry and then ran to the store for a couple staples before I can do a real grocery shopping.

I don't have to work tomorrow but I think I am going to so I don't have to use any more of my PTO hours. We have another trip planned in April and it is going to be a pretty long one so I need all the hours I can get.

Day 4- At Sea

2012-01-25T23:57:00.017-05:00

This morning we slept in a bit later than we had planned but after we were dressed in our suits we went up to get breakfast at Cabana's. Even though we went to Cabana's everyday for breakfast and/or lunch the buffet always had different

food so we didn't have to eat the same thing everyday. We followed up breakfast with some fun in the pools. Bresa enjoyed going down the slide a hundred times and Abbi went with Daddy through the Aquaduck since he hadn't been yet. After some splashing around in the pool Christina and Noah went to the Anyone can Cook event while us

Taylor's finished up our detective game and then did the next one (missing puppies) too. By the time we had finished the whole thing up it was about lunch time so we went to our room to drop some things off. Today we decided to try

something different and go to Flo's Cafe which serves pizza, burgers, hot dogs, chicken fingers, paninis, and wraps. We sat down to eat and Christina and Noah joined us shortly after. After lunch we headed up to level 14 where the Observation Deck was. We hung out in there for while but there wasn't too much going on so we decided to do some shopping on the ship.

Peter isn't really into shopping so he went to get his book and read on one of the deck chairs that overlooked the ocean. The rest of us went down to the shops and the girls looked at every single thing before deciding on how to spend their gift cards that Aunt Janell and Uncle Wyatt had gotten them for their birthdays last year. Finally Abbi decided on a Tinker Bell doll and a Pirates of the Caribbean key and Bresa chose a Jasmine doll and a Tinker Bell coloring book. I picked up a couple Castaway 2012 trading pins for

the girls collections and as we waited for Christina and Noah we saw several princesses walk by and each one of them waved and said hello to the girls. On our way to the room to drop off our goods we left the girls at the Oceaneer's Lab so they could have some fun. When we got to the rooms Peter had just returned from his reading trip.

We really didn't have any plans until after dinner so we just stayed in our rooms and relaxed some. Peter turned on Captain America on the television and we watched it until it was time to get the girls and head to dinner. Tonight we dined at Animator's Palate. Of all the restaurants that we ate at this was my least favorite as far as the food went, that's not

to say it wasn't good, but the room itself was really cool. They had large LCD screens that looked like regular photos but after we got seated we soon learned that this was an interactive restaurant. Crush from Finding Nemo came out and talked to us a bunch of times and sometimes so did Nemo, Marlin, Dori, and Bruce. At one point Crush singled out Noah and made him stand up and talk "whale" to Christina which was extremely funny. Noah did a great job and we all had a good laugh.

After dinner we went to the atrium for Officer Pin Trading time. I had brought the girls lanyards with some pins that they could swap with others if we had the opportunity. There were about 8 officers there trading pins and the girls got a couple cool ones by trading. I had already bought the girls two pins from the trip, one that has the cruise ship on it with

"2012" and the one I bought them today that said "Castaway Cay 2012". Those are keepers of course so I didn't even put them on their lanyards, they are for their bulletin boards back home.

We left the atrium and went right over to the Walt Disney Theatre where we were going to watch "Disney Believe". We got there early and waited for the doors to open. The other night when we went to "Villain's Tonight" we got really bad seats and couldn't see everything on the stage so we wanted to make sure that didn't happen again. This time we got great seats right in the center about 8 rows back. The show had a rocky start I thought but it quickly redeemed

itself and proved to be very entertaining and fun. I definitely like the Villain's show better but I would recommend Believe as well. After the show we had to rush up to our rooms because we had to pack everything up. We had to leave all our bags (except our day bag) outside of our rooms by 10:30pm so they could collect them and get them down to the customs area where we would pick them up tomorrow on our way out. It was a bit stressful having to pack everything up the night before we had to go and try and figure out if I would be able to carry everything we were wearing that moment, would wear this evening, and all our toiletries that we needed for the morning but I managed. After it was all done so was I. We had told our Room Host that tonight the girls would be sleeping in Christina and Noah's room so he had made up the bunk beds in their room instead of ours. Christina and Noah wanted to see another show that was on tonight but it wasn't one that Peter and I were interested in. They took the girls to the Oceaneer's Club to play while they went to their show so Peter and I could have the evening alone. After their show they picked up the girls and took them back to their room to sleep. It was nice to have some alone time with Peter. I was so exhausted so we just hung out and relaxed in our room. It was really nice.

Day 3- Castaway Cay

2012-01-24T22:56:00.030-05:00

This morning we all awoke to reverse engines backing into Castaway Cay.

We didn't realize it was morning already until we figured out the light coming from the other side of the room was the sun and not a light that the girls had turned on. After we got dressed in our swimsuits we met up with Christina and Noah who had gotten up before us and went to breakfast.

When we got to breakfast we were surprised when we saw Carlos who showed the girls a cool straw trick. After we were all filled up we headed off the ship to explore Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. Just from our balcony the island was already impressive but when we got off and

started walking around it was even more so. The first thing we came upon was the kids Oceaneer's Club and they were excited to go play without parents so we dropped them off and found a wonderful shady spot with hammocks overlooking the ocean.

The area was not one that many others had discovered so it was very quiet and calm. There was a wonderful breeze coming through and when we laid on the hammocks we did not want to get up. Eventually though Christina and I really wanted to see more and since the boys wanted some relaxing time we left them behind to explore on our own. Christina and I explored the rest of Castaway all

the way to the adult's only beach which was pretty quiet too. As we went from place to place we walked through each of the shops to try and find some good deals and some gifts. When we decided to head back we called the guys to tell them to meet us for lunch at Cookie's BBQ. After a great meal and we decided to rent a 4 passenger paddle boat.

Only two people paddle at a time so Peter and I took the first shift. We rode out quite a ways which wasn't too bad but when it was time to go back in so we could switch with Christina and Noah it was a lot more work. While we were paddling Noah took lots of photos of the ship as we had a great view of it from the ocean. Christina and Noah

took their turns paddling and Peter and I enjoyed the ride and the breeze as we let our feet soak in the cool water while we moved along. We turned in the boat and then went to get the children. I wanted to get some good pictures of us all together as well as some of them just being kids and playing around on the shore

with the ship behind them. I did a little shopping after I finally decided what to buy and then we went off to find some hidden treasure that Mickey told us he put out for the girls. We followed the directions he had given us

and then behind a sign the girls found a message

in a bottle that was written just for them. We were all surprised that there was a personalized message with Mickey's signature on it. Bresa thought that he placed one for all the kids on the ship but when she looked behind other signs she didn't find anything. We started to head back to board but on the way we stopped and took a bunch of photos.

When we got back in the ship we cleaned the girls up dressed them in the dresses we bought them in the Bahamas and then dropped them off at the Oceaneer's Lab so they could play and eat dinner there. Us adults still had our suits on so we went to the Adult's only pool and

hung out in the hot tub until we were too warm and then we got a bit refreshed in the pool. It was about an hour or so until our dinner so we went to our rooms to clean up and get dressed up for our dinner tonight. Tonight we were treating ourselves to the Palo dinner which is an adult exclusive dinner that had a small additional charge per person. There was a dress code so we had to dress a little nicer than we had been but it was good to get all cleaned up to go out. I was a bit skeptical about the meal. The food so far had been so good and it was hard for me to imagine how it could be better. Since we were paying for this meal I wanted it to be really really great and... I wasn't let down. The atmosphere was amazing and very elegant. Our waiter was great and really took care of us. We started off with

different types of bread and then our waiter prepared an anitpasta with an assortment of meats, cheeses, and vegetables. As an appetizer I had grilled shrimp and Peter had a huge portibello mushroom over some cheese that was absolutely delicious. For dinner I

had scallops and Peter had two (yes he asked for seconds and the waiter said, "of course") plates of beef tenderloin. Dessert was a very delicious chocolate souffle that was the best thing we have had on the ship so far. We were all absolutely stuffed and very happy

with our meal. We took a couple pictures and then left to change and pick up the girls. Tonight there was a Pirates Party and though we had missed most of it we still had time to watch the fireworks that were to happen at 10:30. Carlos had told us the good spot to stand to see the fireworks so we found a good and empty spot and watched the show. Apparently, Disney has the only Cruise Line in the world that is allowed to shoot fireworks at sea. The girls enjoyed the show as did us adults. Once they were through we went back down to our room to get ready for bed. Peter started the movie Puss and Boots on our tv and I ordered some cookies

via room service for dessert for the kids. Abbi really wanted to do the room service thing so I had to find a good reason and dessert sounded better than missing out on one of the restaurants.

Day 2- Nassau, Bahamas

2012-01-23T23:56:00.013-05:00

I woke up a few times during the night but the sleep that I did get was very good sleep and I felt ready for the day this morning. The girls had been up for a while so they were excited when I started moving around. When we went out on our balcony we could see just little bit of land

so we knew we would be at Nassau before too long. We all got up and dressed in our swimsuits and then headed out to get some breakfast. It was about 8 when we got to Cabana's and there weren't too many other people there yet. We filled up our plates and then our tummies and then headed to the pools. The kids went straight to Donald's Pool but when they realized they couldn't touch the ground at all they opted for the Mickey Pool instead. When Christina and I got situated we decided to try the Aquaduck with the girls. They were excited to give it a go so we headed up the stairs for our ride. There wasn't much

of a line when we went up because most people were still at breakfast. Abbi and I rode together first and Christina and Bresa followed. The Aquaduck was really cool and you could see the whole top deck as you rode through the clear tubes. We even got to see and wave at Daddy and Noah on our way to the end. Once wasn't enough though so we headed up again but switched riding partners this time. The girls jumped back into the pool when we finished and Christina and I headed to one of the hot tubs. The hot tub was really awesome as it was straight against the very side of the ship so you are sitting there overlooking the edge the ship. The floor of the hot tub has a large portion that is clear glass so you can see straight below you to the

life rafts that are hanging off the side of the ship. It kind of freaked me out when I first realized it but it was still really cool. Once we were warmed up we headed back to the guys. The girls were still playing in the pool and I told them to go try the big water slide with Mickey's hand holding it up. Christina and Noah went off to go on the Aquaduck and Peter and I watched from below. When we had had enough pool time we went down to

our rooms to clean ourselves up and get dressed to go to Nassau. We ate lunch again at Cabana's and then headed to land. Peter and I knew we wouldn't want to stay too long because I remembered what it was like from when I came with Christina when we were about 7. Peter and the girls had never been so I figured it would be fun for them to experience it. The first thing we did when we got off the ship and took some pictures was get a single braid in each of the girl's hair.

Of course we had to haggle with them but when we decided on a fair price the braids were done in no time. We walked up the block and around the corner stopping in a store every now and then. I found a couple of really cute dresses for the girls so I let them pick out the colors they wanted and we purchased them. I was trying to find something for Javan and my mom but didn't have much luck. After another store or two Christina and Noah left us to go take a look at the Atlantis Hotel. Peter and I weren't too interested in it so we stayed behind and went around the block. We came across some cool markets which is what I really wanted to see. I remember going through them when I was younger and I wanted the girls to see how it was. We saw some cool wood figures and lots of straw hats and purses but nothing that we really

wanted. As we were headed back to the ship we saw one more of the market shops and stopped to talk to the lady running it. She was very nice and gave each of the girls a little turtle as we were walking away. When I turned back I saw an album that was the same style as the album I bought in Italy to put all our pictures of the trip in. I picked it up and decided it would be perfect for our Cruise pictures so we bought it and then returned to the ship.

When we got back on the ship we decided to work on the detective game that we had started earlier in the day. It is a game where you go around to different levels and areas of the ship and find paintings that are interactive. You hold up a card and the painting changes, then you have to do something to reveal either a

clue or a stolen painting. The point is to eliminate suspects to solve the mystery of who stole all the paintings around the ship. The girls are really into it and could probably play the game straight through but there are about 10

different paintings you have to find and they are spread all over the ship over 13 levels. After we found a few of the paintings we decided to get back to our room to put some things down before dinner. Christina and Noah had just returned when we got to our rooms so we all headed to dinner together. Tonight we were eating at Royal Palace which has a french menu. Once again we loaded our tummies up with wonderful food.

I had iced shrimp and lobster for an appetizer and Peter had piping hot french onion soup followed by lamb. The girls ate all their dinner and got to have a Banana split dessert with mickey mouse shaped sprinkles. Carlos was our server again (they follow their guests through the whole cruise) and he impressed us with more magic tricks this time with foam balls. When we went back to our rooms we found some cool towel animals waiting for us. Christina and Noah had a stingray and we got a horseshoe crab (we think). The girls took a

little nap as the rest of us went over tomorrows itenirary. We woke the girls up so that we could make the show for the evening which was "Villian's Tonight". The show was great and the girls really enjoyed it too. There was a lot of singing and effects. Once we cleared out of there we took the girls to the Oceaneer's Club while us adults went to get some night photo shots. After Noah had gotten a few good pictures Christina and Noah retired for the evening but Peter and I went to the hot tub and talked to a couple other guests for

a while. When we got tired we went to get the girls so we could get ready for bed for the night.

Day one- Bon Voyage

2012-01-22T21:49:00.038-05:00

This morning we woke up at Christina and Noah's house to the sound of two excited little girls. We got up and got dressed and then had some eggs, bacon, and blueberry creamcheese rolls. After some quick

cleaning up and packing we were ready for the real adventure to begin. We loaded up the van and headed to Port Canaveral to see our ship. When we crossed over the Banana River the girls got so excited when they could see the Disney Dream Cruise Ship in port. They started giggling and talking really quickly. At this point I got pretty excited too. All week the girls asked me if I was excited but because I had all the things that needed to get done before we left on my mind it was hard for me to get excited about leaving.

Now, however, all those things were done and it was almost time to get this vacation started. We pulled into the parking area and left our bags with a porter before parking our car. We walked over

through the walkway, staring at the ship the whole time and telling the girls all the millions of things we could do on it. We had already checked in online so we just waited for a minute or two and had our photos taken to get our room keys then we went over to get the girls their wristbands so they could go into the kids clubs without us. I had registered them online too so it only took a minute for that also. Once that was complete we were free to board the ship. As we crossed over the water and took our first steps on the ship they announced "Disney Dream welcomes the Rusnock and Taylor Families." That was pretty cool. The first thing we wanted to do was find our rooms and drop some stuff off. Our luggage, of course, was not there yet but we had our day bags with us so we were good. We found our rooms which were adjoined like a hotel suite so we opened the connecting doors and then checked out our verandah. We were right next to the very rear balcony on the ship so the view was pretty cool when you looked forward. The girls were very excited about the room and the balcony but also wanted to see the rest of the ship, as did us adults. We hadn't eaten since breakfast so we really wanted to get some food. The Cabana restaurant is a buffet that is open pretty much all the time so we headed there. The girls were very excited that they could eat whatever they wanted and come back for more if

they wanted to. We ate some of everything and then ate some more. When we were all filled up we decided to check out the kids area where we could go drop

them off and enjoy some adult time. There were a bunch of rooms and we really had to encourage the

girls to move from one room to the next because they enjoyed each room so much. Andy's Room was really cool and the girls really enjoyed Pixie Hollow. We stayed in Oceaneer's Club and Lab until it was time to head up for our drill.
That part was pretty boring but that's to be expected. We stood for a long time but eventually it was over and we headed up to the top deck to check out the pools and be outside when the ship left port. The pools are all really cool but we didn't have our suits on so we continued to explore. We found the basketball courts and a little putt putt golf area where the girls played a round or two. We were on the aft of the ship and thought that would be a good spot to watch us leave but Christina and I decided to explore a little

more and found that the forward was very vacant and had a much better view. We ran back to gather everyone else and then ran back with just a few minutes to spare before we set sail. We stayed up top until we past the last strip of land and then headed back to our rooms before dinner. Tonight we dined at the Enchanted Garden where the food was delicious and equally beautiful. None of us were really that hungry because we had eaten lunch just a few hours earlier. Abbi ate her dinner in no time and her dessert too but the rest of us took a bit longer. We each had an appetizer, salad or soup, and a main course. I had Prime Rib and the meat was so tender it just about melted my mouth. I also tried some of Noah's scallops and some of Christina's lobster ravioli. Everything was absolutely delicious and after dinner we had some really good dessert. I had chocolate mousse and Peter had strawberry cheesecake. Our waiter, Carlos, was great with the kids and did a cool rubberband trick that none of us could figure out. When we left the restaurant we dropped the kids off at the Oceaneers Club so they could have some fun and we headed back to our rooms again.

We all unpacked and cleaned up again and had originally planned to do some more exploring but we were all pretty tired and figured if we got some good sleep tonight we would be up and energized earlier in the morning. Our Room Host had already come by and left us a cool towel animal and some chocolates as well as set up the girls bunkbeds. They were really neat, the bottom one was the couch and the top one actually came out of the ceiling. It swung out from the ceiling and then the bed swung out again to be parallel to the floor and where it

came out of on the ceiling it was painted dark blue and had stars there with consulations of the characters from Peter Pan. Christina and I went to pick up the girls and Peter went up to the pool deck to get a drink. While he was there he found a guitarist and so he stayed and talked to him a while. During the evening I felt a little dizzy at times from the ship moving but I never felt nauseous or too bad to walk or stand. Tomorrow we are going to Nassau so the ship will be docked all day once we arrive. I think I will be relieved to have firm ground again.

Getting ready to Sail Away

2012-01-21T22:20:00.002-05:00

Finally, after almost a year's wait we are finally leaving for our cruise tomorrow! The girls have been getting very excited about the trip since we let them in on the secret Christmas Day. We started packing up our things last night and finished it up this morning. Before we can leave on a vacation the house needs to be scrubbed down completely so that when we return home everything is spotless and nothing needs to be done except the unpacking and laundry from the trip. Yesterday my mom picked up Javan from my office to take him home with her. We decided that Javan would have just as much fun with Grandma and since he is so young he wouldn't remember the trip at all it. I know I will miss him when I only have my girls with me but he is in good hands so I am not worried. This morning the girls worked hard cleaning their rooms and putting everything in place while I cleaned the rest of the house. Peter worked hard on some last minute guitars that he was trying to finish before we left for a week and had a few clients pick up their things so they wouldn't have to be without it until Friday. Around 2 we packed up the van and got a few last things done before locking up the house and started our vacation. We stopped in Winter Park to see my mom and exchange a couple things we had both forgotten yesterday. We kissed our little man good bye one more time and then drove over to Christina and Noah's house. Christina and I had a pedicure appointment and after having worked all day long and scrubbing tubs, floors, and dishes I was really looking forward to a nice foot soak and pampering. Besides that, our toes had to look good for our trip. After a wonderful and relaxing pedicure we returned to Christina's house and discussed all the fun things we were going to do tomorrow. For dinner we had some California Pizzas and then Tina, Peter and I played a game while Noah and the girls watched a movie. Now it is time for bed and hopefully the girls will get a good nights rest. That may be asking a lot though, they are really excited!

Martin Luther King Day

2012-01-16T14:36:00.007-05:00

Because of the holiday the kids are off from school and I have the day off of work. There are a lot of things around the house that need to get taken care off since we were busy all day Saturday so I think that is what I will be doing today. This morning I made up a UV Gloss file for Peter so he could order new business cards and then I went out and worked on the play set. I took a little break to put up the photography lights so Peter could get some good shots of a guitar that he just finished and needs to ship out to the client. Peter helped me put up the slide and then I worked on the rest of the things that were still needing some finishing touches. I made the kids lunch and let them eat it out on the picnic table which they loved. I think everything on the play set is complete except the stakes for the monkey bars which I will let Peter do. We are really pleased with the play set, it has just about everything. I looked and looked at all the sets I could find online and this one was the best one I think. The club house is huge with solid walls instead of spaced out slats and it has a slide, picnic table, rock climbing wall, monkey bars, two bay windows, two swings, a glider and the best part, a crows nest up top. It also has a sand box but we are going to leave it empty because we don't have a huge need for a neighborhood litter box or ant farm. I am very excited about the play set and I think it looks great. It was definitely a lot of work but with everyone's help we got it up in minimal time.

Happy 3rd Birthday Javan!!

2012-01-15T21:28:00.002-05:00

My baby boy is three years old today. It is hard to believe that it was three years ago when I went into labor with him and had my first VBAC and only home-birth. A lot of things have happened since then but it is still hard to believe that my baby is so big. Today started like any other Sunday, we got up and dressed for church and then went out the door. We came home and after Javan had asked a hundred times if he could open his presents we finally said he could. He got a bunch of different Legos and some new Lightning McQueen, cups which he really needed. After some lunch Peter and I went out to work on the play set some more. It was just the two of us today so things didn't move as quickly but we did get just about everything finished up. We stopped just after 5 to clean up and eat dinner before our friends, Joe and Jana, came over for some games and adult conversation. We had really done Javan's celebrating yesterday with all our helpers when we had the cupcakes so today was a bit more laid back and casual. As for the playset we just need to add the handle bars, put in the slide, add the roof supports, put up the glider and stake the monkey bars down and I think we are done. I don't work tomorrow so hopefully I can finish it up.

Javan's Celebration

2012-01-14T21:29:00.001-05:00

Here are some pictures from Javan's cupcake adventure that Noah got during the Barn Raising. Too cute not to share!

21st Century Barn Raising

2012-01-14T20:17:00.002-05:00

A barn raising is an event during which community men come together to assemble a barn for one or more of its households, with the support of women. The event was particularly common in 18th- and 19th-century rural North America. Nowadays there really is no need for a barn, at least for our family, so instead we raised a play set. I sent out an evite to a bunch of people to see who could be of assistance and we had a pretty good turn out. Peter and I went to the backyard around 8:30 to get things started. Around 9 we had our first helpers arrive and then more came throughout the day. Liz and I separated and sorted all the wood so that it would be easy to find the pieces that were needed. My friend, Cindy, took the girls to Lowes to do a Build and Grow project so they would be out of the way for a little while. When she returned I took Bresa to a doctor's appointment and then picked up food for crew on the way back. When I returned, the play set had really taken form and there were more people helping out. We all took a break from the labor and enjoyed some Publix subs, potato salad and chips. When lunch was over we stopped a bit longer to sing Happy Birthday to Javan (whose birthday is tomorrow) and have some cupcakes. Christina and Noah were helping out by making the pieces that could be built separate from the main structure and then added on later. Peter worked on the main building with the help of Andy, Paul, Brian, and Woody. Kelly waxed up the screws that were needed and prepped them with locking nuts so they were ready to go. I did a bunch of the part and wood fetching as well as making sure everyone was fed and had a cold drink. As time went on a few people went home and pretty soon it was just Peter, Andy, Brian and I. We had worked a good 10 hours and we were losing light so we decided to call it a day. Most of the structure was complete but it still requires a few more hours of work. We had a great time putting it together and even though we were working we had a lot of fun. Peter and I really appreciate all the help that everyone offered and we were reminded once again of how very blessed we are with all our friends and community.

BounceU

2012-01-13T16:47:00.000-05:00

We had such a great time at BounceU last time that we were excited to get back over there. I called up my friend Becky and we made plans to go there today. I also told my friend Liz and Becky told her friend Janeen. When Becky and I got to BounceU everyone was waiting in the parking lot so we all went in together and started the fun. Javan had a great time bouncing and sliding. He sure has a lot of energy. Us adults had fun too but got tired a lot quicker than our littles did. All the kids bounced away and slide and did the obstacle courses and eventually it was time for snack. We went in the back and had a nice little drink and snack and then went on our way. I was ready for lunch so Becky and I told Liz to meet us at the mall to grab something more to eat. We had nice lunch and just talked and hung out for awhile. After that I took Becky home and picked up the girls from school.

Firetruck Driver

2012-01-12T17:43:00.000-05:00

Today Javan and Daddy came to visit me at work since they were in the area. So long as they were there I figured I could show Javan the firetrucks in the bay. When we came around the corner we were pleased to find that the Tower Truck was out. We walked up to it and Firefighter Bruce came around and asked Javan if he wanted to get in. Javan, I think, was a bit intimidated by the size of the truck. His little toys are much smaller so I think the size was a bit scary. He didn't want to get in but I made him anyway. Then Bruce asked if Javan wanted to drive the truck. Javan said no but again, I made him anyway. He sat up in the driver's seat and played with the wheel until he remembered he was scared. Bruce then showed us all around the truck and inside every little compartment. He told us all about what everything was for and what it did. Then he asked Javan if he wanted to ride in the truck while he pulled it up in the bay. Javan said no and I didn't make him this time we just stood back and watched. We looked around the bay a bit at the ambulances and the really old firetruck that had a hand crank siren (Javan really liked that). When I got home Javan said, "I want to see the firetruck" and pointed outside. I apologized and told him that I didn't drive the firetruck home which he wasn't too happy about. He went on and on about the "ladder truck" and told me that he drove it and it was loud. Silly boy, I am glad he was excited about it after he was far enough away to forget about how huge it was.

Happy 3rd Birthday Charlotte!

2012-01-07T16:52:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow is Charlotte's 3rd Birthday so today we all celebrated at Janell and Wyatt's house with an awesome Cowboy Party, complete with pony. All the kids had a great time playing on Charlotte's big swing set but when the pony showed up they all flew to get in line for a ride. Charlotte rode like a natural and then my girls followed after her. Abbi and Bresa were both very excited about the pony and they got in line several times until the pony had to go home. After some 4 Rivers BBQ for lunch Charlotte blew out the candles on her cake and opened her presents. I know my kids had a great time playing cowboy/girl and running around in the beautiful weather. Happy Birthday Charlotte, you are the cutest 3 year old cowgirl I know!!

New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T23:24:00.000-05:00

Peter and I aren't big partiers so we didn't make any plans for New Years this year. My friend, Brenda, said they were going to throw a party and since they are just down the road from us it sounded like a good place to celebrate. We had a great time at the party and ate good food and played a couple games of Apples to Apples. Peter and our friend Andy played some songs on their guitars but they weren't very good about taking requests. I started not feeling very good so we left around 11 before bringing in the New Year so I could get to bed. I am very thankful for all our friends and family and I can't wait to see what God has in store for this coming year.

Mémère

2011-12-30T18:29:00.000-05:00

I had recently gotten a couple letters from my grandmother, Mémère, asking that I come up to St. Augustine and visit her in her new place. I talked with my sister and my oldest brother and asked if they would be interested in joining me on the trip so we could all pay her a nice visit. Both Janell and Steve were up for the drive so today we met at my house where my mom was going to watch all the children and Janell drove us up from there to see Mémère. I had told Mémère we were coming up and I told my dad so he could remind her but when we got there she was really surprised to see us. It was lunch time so we took her out to Cracker Barrel and enjoyed a nice talk and meal. Mémère had a lot to say about pretty much everything so there were no pauses in the conversation. When we took Mémère back she showed us all around everywhere and told us all the things that they do for activities. After we had been there for a few hours we decided it was time to get going. We said good bye to Mémère but told her that we would be back to visit again. Her 90th birthday is this December so we know there will be a big party for that.

Fenced-In

2011-12-26T16:56:00.004-05:00

Peter and I have wanted to fence in our yard for as long as we've lived here. Our main reason is that we want our children to be able to play outside without worrying about them wandering off or strangers coming into our yard but also because we don't want strangers to be able to see the children while they are playing. Our neighbor on the North side fenced in his yard years ago because they have a dog and also wanted their privacy, the neighbor behind us has a chain link fence in place but you can't actually see it through the brush that we have in the back of our yard. So, really we just needed the south side fenced and the two front sides done to complete the yard. Before Christmas I had scheduled about 8 different companies to come out and give us quotes and since Peter was the one who dealt with them he made the final decision. We didn't go with the cheapest but we did get the company we chose, Dave's Fences, to drop their price by a couple hundred dollars. They were scheduled to come out tomorrow but this morning I saw them pull up and then start to head to the backyard. We didn't mind them coming early and since we had planned on being home all day anyhow it worked out for us. Now that our fence is up we are looking at getting a nice wooden swing set so the children can go out and play regularly. We think this will be especially good for Javan because he is a boy and has a lot of energy to burn.

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-25T21:26:00.004-05:00

This morning started early (as expected) and when we couldn't ignore the children's loud voices any longer we gave up trying to sleep a little longer and got up. There were lots of presents under the tree and the girls couldn't wait to open them all. Of course, we made them eat breakfast before we sat down to see what Santa brought. I think they forgot to chew and just swallowed their breakfast whole because they were ready in no time. Daddy was in charge of passing out the presents and one by one the pile got smaller. The children were all excited about their new toys and cool things (except the socks and underwear) and Daddy and I saved the best for last. We had Javan open his big present from us which was a Thomas the Train wooden track set, complete with multiple buildings, at least one of each engine from the show, and dozens of tracks. He couldn't wait to get the bins I had put them in open so he could play with them. Then it was the girls turn to open their gift. The other night Bresa saw it wrapped up in my room and asked, "Mommy, have you wrapped my present yet?" I said, "yes, it's right next to you" she says, "but that says its for me and Abbi." Me-"I know, you have to share it." She was not at all happy about this idea but I encouraged her that when she found out what it was she be happy to share it and she would be happy she didn't have to share it with Javan. When the girls started opening their joint gift they found the top part of the box filled with sea shells, binoculars, travel shampoo and conditioner, sun screen lotion, and a Disney Cruise brochure. Of course they pulled the brochure out without even glancing at it and said they think they are going to spend the night at the beach. I told them they were wrong. Underneath those things the girls found two white pillowcases (one for each of them) filled with a couple new outfits, new jammies, flip-flops, swimsuit covers, disposable cameras, travel toothbrushes, their Disney pin lanyards (to which they said we were going to a "Disney Beach") and at the very bottom they each found a long postcard with a picture of the Disney Dream Cruise ship on it. At that point they figured out what we were doing. Peter then picked up the brochure they threw aside and said "See, that's what this book is all about." I am glad they finally know, we have been planning this trip for months now and it's been hard keeping it a secret because I am so excited about it.
After we cleaned up a little bit we watched Shrek 2 together and had some leftover Publix sub for lunch. After the movie we got ready to head to Grandma's house for dinner and a few more presents. We got to Grandma's around 3 and hung out with Steve and Heather until dinner was ready. The kids all played together nicely and then we ate a wonderful ham dinner prepared by Jim. My youngest brother, Brian, was there too which was nice because he works a lot. He did have to work today but he got off early enough to have dinner with us. After everyone had finished eating we got together to open more presents. Grandma and Papa had bought the grandchildren a few gifts and Steve passed them out. Javan got a cool motorized train and tracks to keep at Grandma's house. I helped him put it together and had as much fun playing with it as he did. The older kids got these zhuzhu pet things with accessories so they went crazy playing with that in the kitchen on the tile floor. Today is also Jim's birthday so my mom had made him a special birthday cake for dessert which we all partook in after the gifts were opened. It wasn't real late but Peter and I were really tired from only getting a few hours of sleep last night so we decided to pack up the kids and go home. We had a great time with my family and the kids enjoyed a very nice Christmas. I hope everyone else had a wonderful day too!!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T23:54:00.002-05:00

Today was a nice relaxing day with not too much to do. Peter needed to finish up a couple gifts so we all went to the store together and then stopped at Chick-fil-a for lunch. At home I tried to clean up a bit so things would be nice and orderly for tomorrow. I like a clean house and I knew I would not want to deal with a mess on Christmas Day. The kids made sure their rooms were spotless because they knew that Santa doesn't visit homes with messy rooms. I had made cookies with my sister-in-law, Heather, yesterday so we would have something to leave Santa when he stopped by. Peter had to go to church around 3:30 for practice for this evenings church services. I started getting the girls all prettied up with their hair and beautiful Christmas dresses that Grandma had bought for them. Around 5 Steve, Heather, Tyler, Mom and Jim came over. Our church was having services at 5, 7, and 11 tonight and we were going to the 7:00 one. Around 6:15 we left for the church to ensure we got a good seat and parking spot. There was really no one there just yet which was nice and it gave me time to find Peter and see him a little bit before the service started. The 5 and 7 services were Kid Interactive and each child got a box full of goodies to use during the service as well as some fun stuff to do at home. There were bells for the songs and a shiny silver paper that the kids had to write a wish on and crumple up. The paper was collected and then taken to the front to make a huge star that was later raised over the alter. It was really cool. There were also some paper crafts and a glow stick to wave during Silent Night. After the service Peter was able to come home for a couple hours before heading back to church. I had ordered a large ring sub from Publix and Mom picked it up on the way over and brought dip, chips, and potato salad. We were all starving and happy to have such good food to eat. We took a few pictures and looked up Santa's flight track online so we had an idea of what time he would be coming. Eventually everyone headed back to mom's and my kids got ready to go to bed. I had wanted to go to the midnight service but the kids were tired and I didn't want Javan to be loud and cranky during the service at all. The girls got things together to put out the plate for Santa and the reindeer and when everything seemed just right they headed to bed. Peter had to be back at church at 10:15 so he left and I watched a movie while I waited for him to return. I was really sleepy and he didn't make it home until after 1:00am. I was pretty much asleep when he walked in. I was excited for tomorrow but I knew the kids would be up early and I really wanted some sleep.

Life Group Christmas Party

2011-12-22T22:29:00.002-05:00

Tonight was our annual Life Group Christmas party. We all bring a dish and a gift or two for the White Elephant game and meet at someone's house (not ours because we host the weekly meetings so for our socials we always get a break). This year we got together at Kelli and Woody's home and filled it up quickly. Once everyone had arrived we blessed the food and then piled our plates high with all the different delicious dishes. I don't think we have one bad cook in the whole group and we always wish we had more room in our bellies so we could eat more of everything that is brought. We talked over dinner and then some more while we digested enough to be able to move again. When the game was all set up we started the rounds. We had a $10 limit on the gifts we brought so there were some people who really found a good bargain and then some how really didn't try or maybe tried to find a really bad deal. The variety of the gifts makes it fun though because you aren't sure if you want to chance opening a new gift or steal one from someone after they have already opened one and know what it is. Of course if you open a really good gift you know it will get stolen from you at some point. We had a great time with the gift exchange, there are always a bunch of laughs and probably a couple disappointed people but in the end we all have fun. After some more relaxing and talking it was time to pack up and head home. We are so blessed with such a wonderful life group and Peter and I are honored to lead such a wonderful group of people.

The parties continue

2011-12-21T22:12:00.000-05:00

Tonight we had a party at Christina and Noah's house. I had to work during the day so when I got off I changed real quick at home and then we took off. Rena, TJ, and Reba were already there when we got there. After we came in and got comfortable the kids got to open some gifts that were under the tree. Javan got a cool firetruck, his favorite and the girls each got really cool princess books that have them as part of the story and a few of their friends too; they are really cool. After the kids opened the gifts we all had dinner. Tina and Reba had really good stuffed shells which we had with salad and garlic bread. Everything was delicious. When everyone was full we did our little White Elephant gift exchange and had some fun stealing gifts and open others. After we talked and just hung out for a while Tina got stuff out to decorate cookies for dessert. The girls really enjoyed this, they spent a long time making their cookies just perfect and then only a few second eating them up. Us girls decorated the rest of the cookies until they were all pretty. It was getting kind of late so we decided it was time to head out. I have tomorrow off but Peter still has a lot of work to get done and we have another Christmas party tomorrow night.

All I want for Christmas...

2011-12-20T20:06:00.000-05:00

Abbi lost her first top tooth when we were eating dinner tonight. I didn't know she could get cuter.

Christmas Cards 2011

2011-12-18T19:02:00.000-05:00

St. Nick's Night

2011-12-15T20:55:00.000-05:00

St. Nick's Night is supposed to be on December 6th but I was not prepared. I always buy ornaments to put in the girl's shoes but I just couldn't seem to find any that I liked well enough this year. I went several places and pretty soon the 6th turned into the 9th turned into tonight. I knew I was running out of time so I went to Macy's to give it a look. I found a couple that I was satisfied with but still not in love with. I was really running out of time so I just had to compromise and make a choice. Javan is at Grandma's house so I had to put his shoe out for him but the girls both grabbed theirs and put it on the porch. They are both very excited to see what St. Nick leaves for them. Thankfully they are both young enough not to be too concerned that St. Nick's Night seems to skip all over the calendar. :)

Busy Busy

2011-12-10T22:32:00.002-05:00

This morning I took the girls with me to volunteer at our church's Giving Joy. People from the church donate new and slightly used toys for months leading up to December and then we let people from the community come and choose up to 3 gifts per child to have wrapped so they have presents for Christmas. It's always really fun for us volunteers and to see how excited the parents get to be able to give their children something is priceless. The children all donated toys from their rooms and we bought a couple new things too and it was cool for the girls to be able to see their toys that were going to go to a new child. After we were through with our shift we headed home and grabbed some quick lunch and then headed to the Orlando Science Center where we met up with our friend Angella. Peter had taught a quick class at the OSC over the summer and we got free tickets for admission for it. The kids had a great time touching and playing with everything. I hadn't been there in a long time so it was fun to see all the new exhibits. They still had the guitar exhibit up so we took the kids through it to see for the first time. I had to practically pull Peter out of there so we could see something else, even though he had seen it before. There was a cool bug exhibit and we got to see roach races (gross). They also had some chef there making things to eat from bugs (no thanks). There were some cool interactive things that the girls had fun with and Javan played in the fish tank part. We went in the room next door that was electronics and physics types of exhibits and there was so much to do. The kids had a great time going from one thing to the next and playing with it all. We were up there for a long time but headed down to the center area to see the alligator feeding. That was really neat and the guy who fed them answered questions from everyone as he dished out the food. The gators were pretty crazy about their feeding time and we got to see a few fights happen. After the gators were all fed we went into Kid Town and the kids ran around for a bit climbing the tree, gathering oranges, and playing with gears (wheels if you ask Javan). I got to sit for a bit which was enjoyable and after the kids had touched it all we went to grab a quick snack at the Cafe. Just next door is the REP Theatre where we have been to see some plays in the past and this year we got another subscription for the shows. Today we were going to see A Nutcracker's Christmas. We said good bye to Angella and then walked to the theatre. I really enjoyed the play and I thought it was really cute but Peter said it was his least favorite play we had been to. Javan was pretty good since it was a musical it kept his attention pretty well. The girls were mesmerized the entire time. We had planned to go home for a nice quiet evening but we got a call from Jana and Joe asking us over for dinner (authentic Thai Food) with a few other Life Group Leaders. We quickly found some
childcare, fed the kids on the way home, dropped them off and headed over to Jana and Joe's. Dinner was delicious and the fellowship and conversation was great too. Today was very packed but I had a lot of fun and was reminded of how much I have to be thankful for.

BounceU

2011-12-09T21:01:00.000-05:00

A long time ago I went to a place that had rooms filled with different bounce houses. You pay a flat fee for an hour or so and then you just bounce away. Recently a friend told me about that same sort of place that was closer and had preschool play time. You pay $8 and then bounce away for an hour and a half and then have a little snack and drink. This sounded like something Javan would really enjoy and be able to get some energy out and get him out of the house. I asked my friend Rebecca if she would be interested in joining me since she has little ones at home too. I was excited to try this out especially since Peter and I were having our friends Joe and Jana over later and we like to put the kids to bed early. I got there just after they started the preschool bounce and there was only one other mom there with her two boys. All the children must be 5 and under so it was nice that there weren't any big kids that I had to be cautious of. The boys played really well together, rough and rowdy of course. Rebecca arrived a short while later with her two children and her mom, and good friend of mine, Valleta. There were some really cool bounce houses, some just for bouncing, some with HUGE slides, some for boxing (complete with big gloves) some for shooting, throwing balls, obstacles, and so on. Javan and I had a good time shooting each other in the one house that had air compressed guns that you load with small foam balls. I think my favorite was the huge slide though, it really took your breath away. When it was time we moved into the next room with even more bounce houses. There was one that was a big obstacle course where you had to climb, crawl, squeeze, and then climb some more to get to the end which was a big slide. That one was really fun but it sure was exhausting. I said to Beck and Valleta that the idea was for the kids to get worn out not us. I was so tired by the end of it all. Finally we went in for the little kid snack which they all ate quickly. We had a lot of fun and we plan to go back again after the holidays, maybe with more friends too. Once we left there we went over to the Wing House for some real food before heading back into town. Bresa had an appointment with a new doctor and we had to take her out of school early. Then we had dinner before having Jana and Joe over for some adult conversations and coffee.

Playing Hooky

2011-12-05T23:59:00.002-05:00

This morning when the kids got up and started eating breakfast I said, "how about we don't go to school today and instead go to Disney World?" Of course, I got no objections from that and pretty soon we were on our way to pick up Grandma to join in on our day of fun. We parked at the Animal Kingdom Lodge and took the bus over to the Animal Kingdom park where mom's neighbor was getting us in. We walked around the park for a little bit and then took the bus over to the Magic Kingdom. The park was a lot more crowded than I had expected. My friends had gone last week and said there was no wait for anything. That was not the case today. Even though the park was more crowded than I prefer we did manage to have some pretty good timing on many things. When we first walked into the Magic Kingdom there was a short parade coming through and right as we reached the center of Main Street we grabbed the perfect spot right in front with all of Main Street ahead of us. We watched the parade and then headed to grab some lunch. After lunch we walked through Fantasyland but every line was so long so we ended up only riding Cinderella's Carousel about three times. Javan loved it and couldn't get enough. We walked through a few shops and kept checking the lines to see if there were any short ones but even Small World was a 40 minute wait, no thank you. We walked to our favorite Pin Trading Store and looked at all the cool new pins and the kids traded a few with the cast members too. When we had touched everything we went out just in time to see the 3:00 parade come through. The kids loved seeing all the characters and they waved at them all and pointed out their favorite ones to Mom and I. The next stop we made was at Aladdin's Flying Carpet Ride. I waited in line with the kids while Mom wandered around. When it was finally our turn the girls took the front seat and Javan and I rode in the back. The girls enjoyed controlling the height of the carpet and Javan had a blast just riding along. About half way through he started screaming, "That's what I'm talking about!" over and over again. It was pretty funny. After we excited the carpet we got a nice cold ice cream treat next door. We all enjoyed a our little rest and then went into the Tiki Bird Show. That use to be my favorite thing to do when I was a kid and Abbi says it's her favorite thing now. They changed the show from the last time we went and took out Zazu and the annoying bird from Aladdin. It's much better now and not near as annoying. When we came out of that we went over to Pirate's of the Caribbean. No trip to Disney is complete without Pirates. After some more shopping and pin trading we sat down to get our glow in the dark things out. Once we were all lit up we got on the train and rode it around the park. We took it back to the main entrance just in time to grab a spot of the electric parade. That parade was really cool but it seemed like it was 2 hours long. By the end all of us were ready to go. Before we left the park for the night we stopped in a couple more stores with the last one being the Emporium, the big Disney Store on Main Street. I had a couple things I was looking for but didn't find anything. Oh well. It was really late by the time we left and the girls have school in the morning and I have to be up at 5 for work. We dropped mom off and then headed home then we all crashed into our beds.

Another Thermometer

2011-12-01T17:47:00.002-05:00

Well since Abbi is now in the gifted course and has the same teacher that Bresa had we are seeing a lot of project requests that we have seen before. Abbi was all excited to tell me that she had to make a thermometer and I remembered just two years ago Bresa was one making it. So here we are again, same project and all but this time we have a different student. It took me a few days to get everything we needed but only a few minutes for Abbi to put it all together in working order.

One part each: rubbing alcohol and water, couple drops of red food die, one clear straw (that doesn't touch the bottom) and some molding clay to hold the straw and seal the top. Tada, one working thermometer!! I really wish all the projects were this easy and quick.

Beautiful Weather

2011-11-29T18:42:00.001-05:00

Today when I got home from school I found the garage door open and all the children running around in the front yard. The weather was so beautiful that Peter opened the garage door so he could continue to work as the kids played in the fresh air. When I got out of Oscar I started playing ball and hula-hoop with children. We had a great time and really enjoyed the wonderful temperature. Peter ran off to get a few errands done and I stayed outside with the kids. We played a good hour or so after I got home and then it was time for dinner and we all needed to clean up. I love weather like this, wish it would stick around for longer than just one day at a time though.

Oh Christmas Tree

2011-11-28T20:33:00.002-05:00

Since we didn't get a chance to put the tree up over the weekend we decided to get it done after school today. I was hoping Javan could help a bit but it was obvious he didn't sleep during his nap and the rest of us could really use a break from his screaming. After we put Javan done to bed for the night the girls and Peter and I got everything out to decorate our tree. Peter had already put the lights on it so we just needed to pretty it up with our ornaments. It was fun to go through all the ornaments and see the decorations that we have collected from over the years. There were so many that I had forgotten about and it was exciting to remember the cool ones that people had given us or the ones we purchased on trips out of state or even out of the country. It didn't take long to get the tree all prettied up. Peter topped it off with our Angel and it was all done. Goose was excited and very curious about the tree too. I wonder how many ornaments we will find on the floor in the morning.

Babies!!

2011-11-27T20:28:00.002-05:00

The parents of the twins decided to sell the car that they had here and asked if I knew anyone who was interested. I immediately called my friend Brenda because her car was dying and she had just asked me to keep my eyes out for a reliable car just the day before. Turns out the car was perfect for what Brenda and Bill were looking for and today they were going to drive over to where the parents were staying to pick it up. Since they were going over there and I figured I could tag along and that way they could drive home together in there new car and I could just drive home after I hung out with the parents and babies a bit. I asked the girls if they were interested in coming along. I didn’t know if they would be since we had just made the 5.5 hour drive last weekend but they were both excited to see the babies again. Peter had plenty to do at home and I knew he wouldn’t want to take the trip so after church the girls and I drove to Brenda and Bill’s and then the five of us were on our way. Traffic wasn’t bad considering it was the holiday weekend and when we got to the house we enjoyed some baby love and talked. We were there just over an hour before we headed back out. The girls have school tomorrow and I have to get up at 5am to make it into work on time. This was the last time I will see the babies for a while. The father’s job relocated him to China temporarily and they fly out on Thursday. We were invited to come visit them in Hong Kong and Peter and I have already purchased our tickets for our two week trip. I don’t know if I am more excited to see China (as you know I LOVE to travel) or to see the babies. I have to say though, I am pretty sure the babies win.

A Day to Play

2011-11-26T20:45:00.003-05:00

This morning the girls were very excited to go to a birthday skating party that a friend from church was having. My girls have never been skating before so couldn’t wait to get on the rink. I tried to tell them that was difficult and that they would have to learn how to skate before they would master it but like most things this seemed to go straight through heads without sinking in. We got to the rink and got the proper size skates and girls went at it. I told them to hold on to the wall and kind of shuffle along to get an idea of how it felt. Abbi was a super trooper and although she fell a lot at first she kept it and persevered the whole time. Bresa on the other hand had a breakdown and nearly got put in the car for the rest of the party. She wanted to get out on the rink and just be able to skate and when she couldn’t and kept falling she fell apart. If Abbi weren’t at the party too I would have just taken Bresa home at that point because she really was not acting like a child who deserved anything other than severe discipline at that point. I made Bresa take the skates off but she didn’t want to give them back to the rental desk so we put them aside and she played a couple of the arcade games until she calmed down. Javan was also with me and he was being very good. There was a racing game and he was happy to just sit there and “drive” without actually playing the game. After a while Bresa decided she wanted to try skating again but I warned her that there would be no outburst like before or she was done for good. This time, she did very well and made it around the entire rink in record time! I was very proud of her for trying again. She did have a couple moments of “it’s too hard” but after some encouragement she just got up and tried again. When it was time to eat the girls came in and had some pizza and drinks. There was some time to skate again before cake and presents and both girls got right back on the rink and went for it. They were still moving slowly and kind of scooting along but they had already come a long way from when they started. I was very proud of both of them for persevering and working at it even though I know it was very difficult and discouraging in the beginning. By the end Abbi was even skating a bit away from the wall and in the center of the rink. After cake and presents we had to get going because we were meeting my brothers at a park in Sanford so we could talk while the kids played on this beautiful day. We met Steve and Mark but the park was packed so we ended up going down the road to another park that had almost no one there. The kids had a great time and once again Abbi ended up with Tyler’s hat and guns and played with Garret. Javan had a bit of a meltdown but eventually recovered and ran off to play some more. We stayed at the park for a couple hours before Steve and Heather came over to our house for dinner. Mark and Angie had to get going since they were leaving to drive home this evening. We hung out with Steve and Heather and the kids played in the girl’s rooms and Javan got a bath and went to bed. It was nice to just relax after a long day of chasing kids.

Thanksgiving: Take 2

2011-11-25T21:43:00.002-05:00

After a wonderful meal yesterday we were, once again, lazy this morning. Not too much went on at the house. Peter did manage to get the Christmas things down from the attic and I baked a couple loaves of Pumpkin Bread for this evening. The Christmas tree that we have was given to us by my Dad and Judy and my Dad had rigged it to be pre-lit by wrapping the branches with lights himself. It was great and looked really nice but in the last couple years we realized that more and more strands were going dead and at this point only about half of them were lit anymore. We discussed our options and decided that taking all the old lights off was our best bet (at least from a financial standpoint). Peter and I started the task and the children eagerly jumped in and were quite helpful. I think every bit helped for this chore. My Dad was very thorough in stringing the tree so it took a long time to get anywhere with it. We finished the very top and very bottom of the tree before we called it quits and decided to head to Target for a little Black Friday shopping. I didn’t really need much, most of the children’s gifts were already purchased, but I like to see the specials they have and pick up a couple cheaply priced gifts for gift exchanges for the various Christmas Parties we go to. We got to the store in the afternoon so the morning rush was over and really the store was not that crowded. We got a couple things and looked at others but in the end we really only spent money on the new LED lights we got for the tree. We stopped at the house and dropped off the goodies and picked up the things we needed for tonight and then drove over to Mom’s house. When we got there we put all the kids in the backyard so they could run around outside and play with each other without destroying the house. My two older brothers have sons who are about 7 months younger than Abbi. Mark had bought cowboy hats and guns for the boys but somehow Abbi confiscated Tyler’s set and played with Garret as a cowgirl. They had a blast together and Abbi really didn’t want to give up the hat. When Janell arrived Javan had a playmate too, Charlotte who is just a week older than he is. It’s always interesting to see them play together and this was no different. When Brian showed up with his girlfriend that was our cue to eat. Dinner was great and everything was delicious. I was smart enough to leave room for dessert this time. After everyone had finished eating I took all the kids and started a craft. I had bought a box of foam ornaments that the kids could decorate but before I let any of them start their artwork I asked each of them what was something they were thankful for. On the back of each ornament I wrote what they were thankful for with their name and age on it. When the ornaments were down the kids hung them on the Christmas tree. It was starting to get a bit late and the children were getting tired but we couldn’t leave until we had taken a few family photos of all us kids with our spouses and then all the cousins together. It was very interesting trying to get 7 kids, all under the age of 8, to look in the same direction and smile. I think we did pretty well though. Steve took the good pictures because he had his good camera there. I am excited to see how they turned out.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T22:24:00.000-05:00

With so much to be thankful for it is hard to pick just a couple things to note. First and foremost I am thankful for our Awesome God who is so gracious and merciful even though I totally don’t deserve it. Of course I am thankful for my wonderful (and I am quite certain he is also the best) husband in the world. He supports me and encourages me like no other and reminds me constantly of the true meaning of this life is. Also, my three beautiful children who not only drive me absolutely crazy but somehow fill my life with more joy and love than I ever knew was possible before I became a mommy. That being said we can move on to the day’s festivities. All my brothers and sisters were coming in to town but with all of our schedules tomorrow seemed a better day to celebrate together. Since Peter and I didn’t have any plans I asked Christina what she and Noah were up to. They had planned a great dinner with a couple out of town friends and Christina’s mom and were very excited at the idea that we were available to join them. We took the morning easy and didn’t do much of anything other than lounge around. Eventually we got things together and headed out to Christina and Noah’s house for some fun. We arrived around 2 and the kids ran off to watch a movie as us adults conversed and I attempted to help with appetizers and setting tables. We played a couple games and the girls helped decorate one of the trees. Christina pretty much had everything under control, even with the about 20 things that were on the menu for the evening. After all the guests had arrived we enjoyed a fabulous dinner in which I cannot even begin to describe the wonderful gourmet foods that were had. Dinner was absolutely delicious and everyone cleaned their plates. I didn’t even have room for dessert, though I was tempted. Christina and I discussed how we have been friends for 22 years and this was the first time we had spent Thanksgiving together. Eventually I realized that we actually had spent the Thanksgiving in 2000 together when she lived in CA and we lived in AZ and she drove over to spend the weekend together. Apparently we are on the 11 year plan which is better than the 22 year plan. Once things were pretty cleaned up and leftovers were dished out to take home we gathered the crew and headed back. Thanks for an awesome night Christina and Noah!! You guys really know how to cook, I am never disappointed!

Shapes

2011-11-21T15:56:00.000-05:00

Bresa and Abbi were playing with their little shape pieces and Bresa came in to ask me if she could use the camera to take a picture of hers. The girls don't have much camera experience but they do know how to take a shot. I said that was fine and pretty soon Abbi was asking if she could take a picture of hers too. Here are the pictures they made and took. Bresa made the butterfly and Abbi made the fish.

Day Trip to see Babies

2011-11-19T20:03:00.000-05:00

Today Peter and I packed up the kids and headed over to the Tampa area to see the babies. The parents are still in town, staying with the intended father's aunt, until Dec. 1st so we made a trip out to see them. We had been planning to go for about a week and I surprised myself with how excited I was to be able to see the girls. I had been pumping my milk so I brought them everything I had as well as a couple cute outfits for them to wear when they get a little bigger and the weather gets a bit cooler. When we arrived the babies were sleeping peacefully so we let them be and talked with the parents a while. We all enjoyed some pizza for lunch and then Peter put a movie on for Javan. After lunch it was time for the babies to eat so we woke them up and I fed one with the help of Abbi while Bresa helped feed the other one. The girls were really taken by the babies and Bresa pretty much wanted to take one home. After the girls were all fed and burped Peter and I held them for a long time. We just laid back and talked with the parents some more while the girls fell back asleep on us. Eventually it was time to drive home so we put the babies down and gathered our own children and loaded up the car. We said our goodbyes and then we were on our way. It was really good to see them and how they have already grown in the last 2 weeks but I still didn't have any feelings of custody for them which was really refreshing. I know they are right where they are suppose to be. I know the pictures look like there is only one baby but there really are two, they are just wearing the same outfit.

The Mad Scientist

2011-11-13T15:42:00.004-05:00

Bresa had quite a bit of homework to do for a project that is due on Friday. She got a bit overwhelmed and we had to separate her from the computer so we sent her to her room to practice violin. While that was going on Abbi asked if she could do her experiments from her Science Lab yesterday. I picked out half of the cards and said we could do those. With Daddy's help our kitchen was soon the laboratory for Dr. Abbi. The experiments on the cards were simple and didn't require much and the ones I picked out were ones I knew I had all the ingredients for. Some of them worked out well but some not so much. Abbi had a good time and got to practice her measuring and cleaning up skills. She was excited to see how they worked and also how different ingredients interact with each other. She also realized that vinegar smells really really bad. :) After a few different experiments it was time to get things cleaned up. Abbi really enjoyed the whole thing and I think learned a thing or two also.

A little something for everyone

2011-11-12T22:33:00.000-05:00

This morning I left Peter alone to see if he could get some rest but he decided to try and get some work done instead. It didn't work out so well for him though because his meds make him feel bad. Anyhow, I had signed the kids up for a workshop at Lowe's so we drove to the store and got our materials after we had signed in. This week the kids were making a Science Lab. It was really simple and only had 8 nails to pound in and was pretty much done in no time. All the kids had fun nonetheless and I was happy I could get them out of the house for at least a little while. The Science Lab came with two test tubes and bowl plus a 5 cards that had 10 simple experiments on them. When we got home and ate the kids wanted to do all the experiments but Peter and I had other plans. We were meeting up with Christina and Noah to have some fun of our own. I met Tina at the nail salon and we got some nice pedicures while Peter and Noah played video games and watched the kids. When Tina and I were done we went back to her house played a few games ourselves. We played Skipbo with the girls and then we played Quirkle with just the two of us. The kids watched movies and played Animal Crossing and when the boys were done we played a few rounds of Tsuro with the four of us and then invited the girls to join in on the last couple games. Since daylight savings time last week we are still adjusting so we were ready to go home a little earlier than usual. No big deal though we still had a ways to drive to get home. We all had a great time and I was so happy to have a pedicure again. I had been wanting one for a few weeks and really wanted to go before I gave birth but I never had time or someone to go with and I didn't want to go alone. Thanks for the fun Christina and Noah, can't wait to do it again!!

Peter's Turn

2011-11-11T17:12:00.000-05:00

Well I got all the medical attention last week so it is only fair that Peter gets some too. Last year when Peter went to the dentist for a regular check up and cleaning he was informed that he needed to get his wisdom teeth taken out. Peter had told me that he had already had his WT taken out but it turns out that the teeth previously removed were his premolars before he got his braces on. We kept putting off getting his WT pulled because of the expense and the time that it takes for recovery and everything else. Finally I made a phone call to the oral surgeon that our dentist recommended. Peter went in for a consultation and got a price quote and for the first time ever I was happy to have the insurance we have. Because two of Peter's WT were impacted, one was completely parallel to his jaw bone, only an oral surgeon could pull them out. The other could have been done by our dentist under local anesthesia but that would mean Peter would be awake for it and he would have to make two trips and recover twice to get all his WT out. When we figured the costs both ways it wasn't much more to have the oral surgeon remove all four and Peter would get completely knocked out for it so we went with that. This morning we dropped the kids off at our friend, Liz's, house and I took Peter to the Sanford where the office was. I had to stay for the entire duration of the procedure to prove I was capable of driving him home (liability issues I presume). We went in and did the payment part and then they prepped Peter with the IV and got everything prepared. I was there when the Doctor put in the medication to put Peter under and right after he inserted the first into the IV he stopped to pray, that was awesome! It seemed to only take a minute before Peter was loopy and saying weird things and then I was sent to the waiting room. I thought it would take a while but the whole thing only took about 20 minutes and then I was called back to wait for Peter to come out of the anesthesia. When he started coming around he again said a few odd things and asked the same question over and over again. He asked what time it was about every 45 seconds and he also asked if they had already taken his teeth out about 8 times. Just as quickly as he went under he started having a bit more clarity and pretty soon we were ready to go home. I got him into the car and we picked up the kids on the way home. I left Peter and Javan home for naps and took the girls to get his prescriptions filled. I had stocked up on some soft foods for Peter but I picked up a couple more that friends had recommended. Now on to recovery. Right now Peter looks pretty puffy and swollen and his pain is pretty high. Hopefully in the days to come he will start feeling much better and be himself again. We have both agreed that we are really happy his WT have been removed. That is one less headache (or should I say toothache) that we have worry about again. Personally, I think if you are really wise you will just choose not to grow any WT so you don't have to have them removed, after all, that's what I did.

Javan's Rock'n his new Jammies

2011-11-10T20:32:00.000-05:00

Life Goes On

2011-11-05T15:16:00.003-04:00

Today was our church's Annual Family Picnic. Peter and I hadn't RSVP'd for it until last night because we didn't know when the twins were coming or how I would feel when the day came. When the twins were born mid-week and my labor and delivery went perfectly I was excited about being able to go to the picnic and I knew the kids would be excited to get out and run around with friends. Since I was technically only 3 days postpartum I knew I had to take it easy and I planned to pretty much just sit around and talk with people and not get into any activities. I did well and did mostly just sit. It seemed like everyone already knew about the delivery and they were all surprised to see me up and about so soon. The way I saw it, I either sat around there or I sat around at the house so why not get to talk to people? The kids had a great time with the crafts, face painting, games, and food. Peter also had a good time talking with people and actually being able to have a longer conversation than what is normally available before or after church. Towards the end of the picnic I was ready to go so loaded up and went home where I rested even more. It was really good to get out though and I really enjoyed being able to be a part of picnic.

Going Home

2011-11-03T18:35:00.005-04:00

Last night around 10 or shortly after Peter and I went to bed. I took some minor medication for the cramps I had been feeling. I really wanted to get a good nights sleep and I knew the pain would most likely wake me up. I didn't have any trouble falling asleep as I was so tired from not getting much yesterday. I slept until exactly 5am when my body decided it was time to get up. Peter woke up about 10 minutes later but wanted to go back to sleep so I figured I would try too. I asked him if he wanted to share the bed with me and he got pretty excited. We found a comfortable position and soon we were both asleep again. I think that sleep was better than any other I had in the last couple of days. Around 8am we woke up again and decided to stay up. Peter ordered me breakfast and when it came there was enough to share. We didn't do much just relaxed and caught up on emails and texts again. We watched the TV a bit and read some from our books. It was nice not be on a schedule or have to worry about childcare things. Around 10 the IPs came in to say hi. Last night they had brought me some bottles so I could try and pump some so this morning I had just a little bit for them to take. I asked about baby B and they said she was doing well but they were waiting for her to have a bowel movement before they would consider letting her leave the NICU. After the IPs left we were served a special couple's lunch that is provided for patients and their spouses who just gave birth. The food wasn't too great but there was a decent quantity of it so it filled us both up nicely. Around 1:15pm my doctor came in and talked about follow up appointments and made sure that I knew the routine. Shortly after that a nurse came in with the discharge papers and told us there was no rush for us to leave but that we could whenever we wanted to. I had spoken to the IPs and they said that as soon as baby B had drank the milk I pumped for her she had a bowel movement and now everything was looking great. Around 3 Peter and I went up to the nursery to see the babies. It was baby B's feeding time and the IPs were with them. They had taken baby A into the NICU with them so the sisters could be together. I picked up baby A and held her while the IM fed baby B. When she was through she handed me baby B so I could finally hold her. The IPs wanted a picture of me with both babies which was a dream for me as it was all I wanted from the first surrogacy but never received. I sat in the rocking chair and held a baby in each arm. It wasn't hard to get me to smile for the camera for those shots. Peter took baby A and I just sat and held B for a while. Eventually we went back to our room to pack our things and Peter started taking things to the car. Our friends Bill and Brenda came as we were getting ready to go so we took them to the nursery and showed off the sweet little girls. When it was time we said good bye to everyone and headed back to our house. I was really excited to see my children and my bed. It had only been a day and a half but it felt like we were gone for at least a week. We stopped on the way home to get a few things from the pharmacy and then made it back to the house. Abbi was very happy to see me, my mom said she was worried about me since I had to be in the hospital. Bresa wanted to know about the babies and when she would get to hold them. We showed the girls a bunch of pictures and told them we would meet up with the parents in a couple weeks after the babies were home and things were a little more settled.

Later that day

2011-11-02T21:25:00.003-04:00

I got very little sleep last night. It's never easy for me to sleep somewhere other than my own bed and even harder when Peter isn't next to me. He stayed in the room with me last night but he was in a recliner next to my bed. The nurses came to check on me regularly so it was hard to get sleep there and then my internal clock had me up at 5am because that is when I normally get up during the week. During one of the check ins I requested some pain relief for my cramps. They weren't really bad so I only asked for the very smallest and weakest strength medication they had to offer. At 7 my doctor came in and woke me up. He asked if I wanted to go home today. I was really surprised he would release me so soon but he knew the situation and knew that I would want to get back to my normal life and since I didn't have babies to take care of here I had no reason to stay since the birth went so well. I told him I wasn't sure because I knew it would be easier to get rest here whereas at home I have three children and a house to take care of. He said it was up to me and after we spoke for a few minutes I was too awake to go back to sleep right then. I checked my phone and answered some emails and texts and then updated my status on Facebook so everyone would know the girls had arrived (I was too beat to do it last night). Peter ordered breakfast for me and when it came up he went down to get some coffee and food for him too. Shortly after Peter came back with his food a nurse came to my room with baby A. There was some confusion with the nursery nurses and they didn't understand that I wasn't taking care of the babies while they were here. I texted the IM to see where she was. I didn't want to step on any toes by letting A come in my room but I was excited to see her again too. It was feeding time and since I didn't hear back from the mom I said I would take over the feeding. After she ate and I burped her, the IPs came to my room. They were perfectly fine with me having taken her. We all talked a bit and then they left with Peter to put in the carseats and get some coffee. I sat with A and just enjoyed holding her. It was pretty amazing to hold her but not feel like she was mine. I know she grew in me and that I birthed her but I had no attachment that would cause me not to let her go. Eventually Peter and the IF came back in and I passed the baby to her Daddy. As the morning went on my lack of sleep was catching up to me so the IF left to give me rest. I held the baby a little longer but then called the nurse to take her to the nursery. I tried to get some sleep but after about an hour my friend Jennie came by to visit. I was happy to see her and we talked for a while but pretty soon I was tired again. Peter ordered me lunch and then he left grab a bite for him and head home to take care of a few things. After I ate I laid down and slept a little bit. It seemed every time I would get into a good sleep someone/thing would wake me before I was an hour in. This happened 2 or 3 times before I decided I would just sit up and read for a while. Peter came back after a while so I decided to get up and take a shower while he was there to assist me if I needed it. Once I was all cleaned up and dressed more comfortably we chose to head to the nursery and NICU to see the babies. When we got there the IPs were out and about but we got to see the babies nonetheless. Baby A was sleeping so sweetly so I talked to her a little bit but didn't pick her up. We went to the NICU and saw baby B. Today they said her lungs were clearer but earlier she was breathing very quickly and they couldn't feed her until she had calmed down a bit. By the time we saw her she had calmed enough and had eaten. Up to this point she had been pretty fussy but now she was nice and happy and sleeping quietly. I really wanted to hold her but I was afraid that if I picked her up I would wake her and they would have a trouble getting her back to sleep. Just like I did with baby A, I just talked to her and stroked her face a bit. We didn't think to bring up the camera but Peter had my phone so he took a few pictures with that. We went back to the room and just hung out and watched some tv for a while. As for me, I am doing really well. I am so grateful that I didn't have to have a c-section. I am a bit sore but not much at all. My hands and face are a little swollen from all the fluids I was given last night through the IV. I can walk pretty well and do have to take my time getting in and out of bed but other than being a bit sleepy I can't complain. I have a lot of support from my friends, family, and church and I can feel the love and concern from them all.

My Labor Story -Twins 2011

2011-11-02T03:05:00.005-04:00

I woke this morning as usual, to the sound of my alarm clock going off at 5am. I got up and ready for work and started my day. When I got to work I was greeted by a large amount of evidence from a search warrant the day before. The morning went pretty quickly with all the work I had to do and my weekly appointment at SCSO and before I knew it it was lunch time. Since I hadn't brought anything for lunch I decided to meet Peter for a quick bite. We just got Wendy's since I had to be back at work by 1pm for a news conference regarding the evidence from the search warrant. Right before I left I started feeling some small contractions that were stronger than the Braxton Hicks I had been feeling but not so painful they prevented me from doing my normal activities. I returned to work and the contractions stayed fairly consistent. I decided to wait a little bit before I called the IPs because I didn't want them to head out if this wasn't the real thing. The intended mother (IM) beat me to the call though when she called me out of the blue just to see how I was doing. I told her about what I was feeling and we decided she would call back in an hour to see how things were. I made sure to get everything set up for if I were to go into active labor and not return to work for a while. I told my boss that I didn't think I would be coming in the next day and sent out a couple emails to tell people about what to do in my absence. The IM called again and I told her things hadn't changed much; that the contractions weren't stronger but also had not subsided. She said they would get things together and head our way. I stayed at work until my normal time and left just before 4pm. I was still having contractions but they weren't getting stronger but I was feeling a lot of lower abdomen pressure. I still wasn't sure if this was prelabor or not. I had called my mom to tell her this could be it so that she could get her things together and come to the house to take care of the children if we had to head to the hospital. When I got home I wasn't really sure what to do. At one point the contractions stopped for at least 30 minutes but then would come back at 2-3 minutes apart but not real strong. Just before 5pm I called the doctor's office and my doctor called me back just after 5. I told him about the contractions and how they had stopped and started up. I wasn't sure what to do but he told me to come in. I told him it would be a while and he said that was fine. Mom made it to the house and I took a shower as Peter finished packing my hospital bag. Once I was out and dressed I was ready to get going. I wasn't in much pain still and could still walk and talk and be normal during the contractions. I kissed the kids goodbye and hugged mom and then Peter and I left for the hospital. It was about 5:45 at this point and Peter said we should get something to eat on the way. I wasn't hungry but I knew that if they decided to keep me they wouldn't let me eat until after the babies were born. We stopped at Chick-fil-A and then got on I-4 to head to the Halifax Hospital in Daytona. We made it to the hospital and went up to the maternity ward where we had to stop and register before we could go in. It didn't take very long and we were sent in around 6:20. When we got to the front desk they directed us to a triage room where I changed into a gown and got hooked up to the fetal and contraction monitors. My contractions were peaking around 60 and were about 2-3 minutes apart still. I still really wasn't sure if they would keep me or not. At my appointment last Friday I was 3 cm dilated and I knew that it probably wouldn't take much to have me dilate more. The nurse asked me to rate my pain and I told her it was about a 2 (on a scale of 1-10). I was still able to talk and laugh even with having to stay in bed with the monitors on. I was back in triage for a half hour or so and once the nurse had me monitored for while and had gotten my previous pregnancy history she did an exam and said I would be admitted because I was 5 cm dilated. An ultrasound was performed to find the position of the girls to see if a VBAC was still possible. Baby A was still head down (yay!!!) but B was breech and happy. I was unhooked from the monitors and moved to a labor/delivery room when it was just after 7pm. I got all hooked up to new monitors and was told that I would actually be delivering in an operating room since I was having twins. I already knew that so I wasn't upset or surprised which was nice. I told the nurses very early on that I wanted an epidural so they started an IV for my fluids and put me on the list to receive the epidural. There were a few other things going on in the hospital so there weren't any anesthesiologist available right away. The pain was still minimal but I bumped up my rating to a 3. The contractions were getting to about 100 at this point and still about 2-3 minutes apart. In this next hour my contractions really started to get strong and some were peaking off the charts for a while before they would come back down to where we could see them on the screen. Having had Javan at home with no medication at all I knew the contractions could and would get a lot worse so I think I told my nurse my pain level was about a 5-6 at this point. The IPs made it to hospital but I was so much pain I couldn't talk to them. The contractions were really close together, some never fully relieving itself before the next would start and I just had to breath through each one and try to ready myself for the next one to come. There were a few that were very hard and almost made me cry but again, knowing what they could be, I knew this was not as bad as it was going to get. Finally the anesthesiologist arrived to do the epidural and not a moment too soon. I was definitely ready for some relief. The anesthesiologist told me about complications, what to expect, and he made sure I understood what he was telling me. I sat on the edge of the bed as he prepped my back and tried to hold still while he inserted the numbing medication. I didn't remember the pain that went with this from having the girls so I was a little taken back but the pressure and burning of it. I was trying really hard to hold still but I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. Finally, he inserted the catheter that would administer the medication and then taped me up. Just knowing that relief was coming was enough to give me a breath or two even though I knew it would take a little bit before I would really feel it. A few minutes after the epidural was in my doctor came in to break my water and to do another exam to see where I was at. He broke my water and found I was at 6 cm, much less than any of us had expected. He said he may give me potocin to strengthen the contractions and get me dilated faster but then decided he would wait an hour or so before doing that. I was really glad to hear he would wait because I have never heard anything good about potocin labors. By the time he left the room, around 9:30pm, I wasn't feeling any pain. The IPs came back in the room and I was finally able to greet them and tell them I was okay. Since we were to be in the operating room Peter and the IM had to put on scrubs. There really wasn't much to do but wait at this point. Baby B was really feisty and dancing all around. It had taken a lot for the nurses to get her heartbeat on the monitor all night, at one point I even held it for the nurse so she could do other things. Eventually they got a decent reading and were able to leave the room and not hold it in place. About this time the IPs left to give me some rest and I tried to shut my eyes. I dozed in and out but didn't really sleep at all and Peter did the same. The nurse came back and checked on me and I mentioned to her that my contractions (on the screen) seemed to be less intense. They were still consistently coming every 2 minutes or so and they didn't seem to be going below the 20 mark but they were also only reaching about 60-80 on the scale. The nurse didn't seem too concerned since they were consistent. She did an exam around 10:30 and found that I was still only about 6-7cm dilated. I knew that because the contractions weren't strong I wouldn't be dilating very quickly. She said she was going to talk to doctor and left the room. I had always been a bit fearful of having a repeat c-section but now I was getting a stronger feeling of it. I knew because it was twins I was at greater risk and since the doctor had broke my water we now had to watch the clock. In the next 30-45 minutes my body decided to kick into gear and at the next exam I was 8cm. The staff started prepping the operating room for the delivery of twins and the possibility of a c-section. Around 11:30pm I transferred to a stretcher and was wheeled down to the operating room where I moved over to the delivery bed. Once I was all prepped and they did another ultrasound on the babies Peter and Vandita were aloud in the room. My legs were put in stirrups and once everything was in place my doctor did a quick check and found me at 10cm so he waited for a contraction and told me to start pushing. In that first contraction I pushed three times for about 10 seconds each and baby A was born at 11:56pm on 11/1/11. I was glad I remembered how to push, right before we got to that point I thought I may had forgotten or couldn't feel enough through the epidural to do it. Once A was here they laid her on my belly and I got to see her as they sucked out her nose and throat before they moved her to her little bed. Baby B was still breech and the doctor had planned to just pull her out by her feet but he could only get a hold of one. The doctor broke her water as he tried to grab her and at one point she gave him a hand but he couldn't pull her out with a foot and hand. With the help of other doctor in the room and the nurses they performed a version and were eventually able to spin her around so she was vertex. The entire time they were working on getting B into position I was simply praying for God to give me strength and allow me to have her VBAC and not via c-section. Finally, the doctor said she was in position but she was still a bit up the birth canal and her head wasn't quite low enough. He had me push through a contraction to bring her head down and I pushed with everything I had to try and get her where she needed to be. After I had pushed twice for 10 seconds my doctor asked if I wanted to rest or push one more time, I said push and when that contraction ended she looked to be in a better spot so when the next contraction came I was going to be pushing to have her be born. After a quick rest after that contraction the next one came on and my doctor told me to push again. Again, I pushed 3 times for 10 seconds each and baby B was born at 12:09 on 11/2/11. They put her on my belly and I got to see her tiny little body before they swept her away to her little bed. The doctor delivered my placentas and said I was good to get cleaned up. I had no tearing and only a very minor abrasion from the birth so I didn't need any stitches. The nurses called out that both babies were exactly 5 lbs 6oz (apparently it is rare for twins to weigh the same amount at birth). A measured 18.25 inches and B measured 18.5 inches. After things calmed down in the operating room I was moved to a recovery room and monitored for blood clots and all my vitals. Since I had delivered twins there was a greater chance of clotting and other blood issues so I had to be checked every 15 minutes. I stayed in the recovery room until about 2 am before my nurse started me towards my staying room. On the way we passed the nursery and we could see the IPs through the window. My nurse asked if I wanted to see the babies and of course I said yes. She wheeled my whole bed into the room and then I was handed A. All I could do was stare at her. She was so tiny and I couldn't hold back my tears of joy (though I didn't try). Finally, I was experiencing the surrogacy I had always dreamed of. After never seeing the triplets when they were born I couldn't shake the doubt that I wouldn't be able to see these babies either. I knew all the circumstances were different: the agency, the IPs, the birth style, the hospital, experience, but even still there was a doubt that had been growing larger as I knew the birth was approaching. There were times I was afraid to even have the babies because I just didn't know if it would be the last time I ever got to enjoy them. The IPs knew about my previous surrogacy experience and I had been assured that this was not going to be the case for this pregnancy. It wasn't that I didn't believe or trust them but having only experienced how terrible the last surrogacy was I didn't know if I could expect anything else. But now, holding this sweet baby in my arms instead of only my belly it was if I was getting even more closure from the triplets and also getting closure for this pregnancy. God is so good and His love me is so obvious even though at times I don't recognize how he is working in my life. Eventually I asked about B but was told that she was in the NICU because she had a little fluid in her lungs and they wanted to evaluate her. I handed A back to the nurse and was then taken to my room to get some sleep around 2:30am.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T20:58:00.002-04:00

Well we made it through the weekend. I was really hoping I would get to ate the children trick or treating but with the twins coming at any moment I was afraid to get too excited. My friend, Kelli, told me about a special that Cici's Pizza was having for Halloween and how kids ate free if they were in costume. After I got home from work the kids got their costumes on without my prompting and prepared to leave. Peter and I made sure everything was in order and we lit our pumpkins and were off. I had talked with a few other friends, Cindy and Lisa, and we all decided to meet Kelli there to eat dinner. We all had our fill at Cici's, and maybe a little more and then after some good conversing we all headed over to Kelli's neighborhood (one of the few in Volusia County that has sidewalks) to go trick-or-treating. It was probably just after 6 when we started going door to door and we had quite the group characters with us. Everyone was really concerned for me walking but I assured them I was fine and that walking in late pregnancy is good for you and could even help bring on labor if your body is ready. Every year we go out we seem to go farther and farther and get more houses done before calling it quits. We walked a good 2 hours before we were all exhausted. Javan was quite the trooper though and wanted to keep going. He didn't want to be carried or have help with his bag. He was dripping sweat but wouldn't let us take off his hat or unzip his jacket. Abbi on the other hand was tired about half way through. She didn't really want to go on but when I said she didn't have to go up to all the houses she wouldn't stay back either. She persevered through the night with a little carrying and help but was relieved when we made it back to Kelli's house. Bresa did really well with getting to each house and for the most part lead the group to the doors. She did have one incident where she fell down and got a very tiny scrape on her hand but you have thought from her screaming and crying her entire arm fell off. I told her that if she was that hurt she needed to rest and we could sit down and wait for the rest of the group to continue trick-or-treating before they came back for us to go home. she didn't like that idea and pretty soon the drama ended but not without her holding her hand up all night because she "couldn't use it." After all was said and done we had way too much candy and three exhausted children to take home.

Never too much fun

2011-10-30T20:56:00.002-04:00

As Halloween nears many churches are putting on Fall Festivals for the children to enjoy. I had a list of ones that were local to us and had planned on taking the children to one yesterday but Peter wanted to take me on a date and I couldn’t refuse such an offer. So, rather than go out last night we all went out tonight to get in some fun. Peter played at both services this morning so we had to go to an evening festival and we found one that sounded very promising in Daytona. The kids got all dressed up and off we went. There was face painting, trunk-or-treating, bounce houses, balloons, games, crafts, food and more. I think the children did just about everything. There were a couple inflatable things that had a long line so we skipped a few of those and then a few games that didn’t look too exciting so we skipped those too. The children all had a great time and couldn’t get enough. They weren’t ready to leave but Peter and I sure were. Since the kids have school tomorrow we knew couldn’t be out too late and Javan didn’t get a nap so we knew we would be battling two-year old crankiness if we were out too long. The festival was a lot of fun and I enjoyed seeing the children get all excited about every little thing. I am pretty sure I am all festivaled out though for the year. We have our trick-or-treating tomorrow and after that I will be happy to call it quits.

Sharing Traditions

2011-10-28T20:15:00.000-04:00

When I was growing up I remember every year around Halloween my mom would get Apple Cider and Donuts. Sometimes we would sit to eat and drink together and other times we would have it on our own but it was always available once Fall came around. Now, every year when Halloween comes around, I always have a craving for Apple Cider and donuts. Tonight when we stopped at the store I picked up these special goodies and after Javan got a bath and went to bed I shared my tradition with the girls. They were very excited to be having a donut (not something they are usually aloud to have) and they really liked the apple cider. I will have to make sure that in the years to come I make time to stop and share this tradition with them so they can share it with their children when they grow up.

Pumpkin Carving and Festival

2011-10-28T19:57:00.000-04:00

We had picked up a couple pumpkins last weekend but everyday this week was filled with something after work and school and our first chance to carve them was this evening. When I got home from my doctor's appointment and had a moment to rest I asked the girls if they wanted to do the pumpkins. Of course they said yes so I woke up little man from his nap so he wouldn't miss out on the fun. We got everything together and I cut the tops off all the melons so they could get cleaned out. Bresa asked if we could cook the seeds to which I agreed. Both she and Abbi did a good job of separating the seeds from the pulp and cleaning out the all the goo from the pumpkins. I worked on Javan's and the entire time he made sure that I knew it was his. He tried to help a bit and did a little of the seed separating too but he was quickly distracted by just about everything else. After the pumpkins were clean we went in the house to figure out what type of design we wanted for them all. The girls drew their pictures and Peter printed a cool Lightning McQueen template for Javan's. I started with Javan's but Peter took over for me so I carved our Abbi's. Bresa had a hard time drawing her design she had chosen on the pumpkin itself but eventually she finished it up and I carved it out. It was too early to light them and we didn't have any candles anyhow so we quickly cleaned all up and then we drove down the road to local church which was having a festival. We brought canned goods for admission and then had a hot dog dinner and did some crafts. Peter had to meet a client at the house so he took off for a little bit but the kids and I hung around to have some fun. When it was time I gave the children their Halloween bags and we went through the parking lot Trunk-or-Treating. They got all sorts of yummy candy and they got to pet a horse on the way. When we had hit every car we went back in for a couple more crafts and then grabbed a cupcake for dessert. Daddy came back just as we were finishing up so we headed to the store to grab a couple things and then went home to light our pumpkins.

Journey Kids Costume Night

2011-10-26T17:39:00.002-04:00

Tonight the kids were supposed to wear their Halloween costumes to church for groups. Javan didn't have to wear his but I had just borrowed it from the Sanford Fire Department (the PD and FD share a building) today and was just trying it on him to see the fit (way too big) and he refused to take it off. No problem he can dress up too. He looks really cute in it and the hat and boots fit well enough. The jacket is really big on him but the arms stay up so he can use his hands and I just won't use the pants (which is fine because he would probably get way too hot). The girls were excited about showing off their costumes a bit early. Bresa decided she wanted to be a Ninja this year. Not sure where she got that idea but it was easy enough to come up with an outfit for it. We just dressed her all in black and then Daddy designed the hood and face part and cut it out of some black material we picked up and I sewed it all together. It came our really great! Abbi wanted to be a bride and wear a dress she already had in her dress-up clothes. Doesn't get much easier than that. She had a real veil that our friend gave her after her wedding and pretty silver shoes to go with it. She even had some fake flowers to use as a bouquet and I wrapped some white ribbon around the stems and she was done. I think this years Halloween may be the easiest and cheapest yet. There are some festivals this weekend so maybe the kids can use their costumes a few more times before the actually Halloween night. I will be taking more and better pictures of them when we have more time to get everything just right and aren't rushing out the door.

It’s Fall!

2011-10-22T22:48:00.003-04:00

This morning Peter and I had a Life Group Leader meeting at the church but it was also another Lowes Workshop Day. I had wanted to take the kids but the times conflicted with our meeting. Our friend, Cindy, was going to be taking her son so she offered to take our children too. I knew they would have a great time because they were so excited about the last two that they went to so Peter and I dropped them off before our meeting and then picked them up when we were through. All the children were very eager and excited to show us their “Monster Trucks” that they had built and of course Javan wanted to show us the wheels and the cool green light on top. Once we got home and had some lunch we did a couple quick things around the house and then I had the kids get ready for a Fall Festival that was being held out in Port Orange. It was a bit of a drive but it was going on until 6 and all the other ones that were closer were ending within a ½ hour of when we left the house. I figured this way the kids could have some outdoor fun and Peter could get some quiet time at home and be able to concentrate on some work. When we got to the festival we purchased some tickets for the games and then went around and decided what we wanted to do. The children each had 6 tickets to spend so they had to be wise with their decisions. Javan played a couple games just for littler kids and had fun flipping a froggy into a bucket of water. The girls went through an inflatable obstacle course and then decided to spend another ticket on cotton candy. I took a little piece off of each for Javan. At first he didn’t like it but after watching the girls he decided he would try again. There was a bounce house there that didn’t cost any tickets and all the children played in that for a good while. Eventually I had them come out so we could take a look at the pumpkin patch. They had really nice pumpkins but the prices were a little too steep for me so we just took a few pictures and pointed out the big ones and then went to play more games. The girls really wanted to paint little pumpkins but between the three of them they were shy just one ticket. I gave Bresa the money and she got one more ticket and then all the children got to sit and paint pumpkins. They had a really good time and Javan sat for a long time and worked on his. When all the pumpkins were pretty we set them out in the sun to dry before we went home. We were headed back over to the bounce house when a lady stopped me and gave me 12 extra tickets that they weren’t going to use. The girls were very excited about this and after each of the children had a snow cone we went and played a few more games. We didn’t use the rest of the tickets up but it was about time to be heading home for dinner so we passed the remainder of the tickets on to someone else and then started our drive back. Daddy had hot dogs all grilled up for us when we returned and then later our friends Janna and Joe came over for some adult conversation while the little ones played a bit and went to bed.

Firetruck

2011-10-18T19:09:00.001-04:00

This afternoon Bresa had a doctor appointment and in the waiting room there were some toys for the little ones to play with. Javan found a set of wooden blocks and quickly went to work building things.
When I looked over I saw a little structure and asked Javan about it. He said, "That's firetruck Mommy!" I asked Peter who made it and he said Javan did. I may be bias but I think that's pretty ingenious for a two year old. I was quite impressed.

Play Time

2011-10-15T16:00:00.001-04:00

Peter and I have a lot of friends from church that we like to hang out with and, like us, some of them are very busy and we have to schedule things quite a bit in advance. Our worship Pastor Jason and his wife are a couple of those people. When Peter had Worship Team practice Friday nights I would go to Jason and Karen's house and all our 8 children would play together while Karen and I got to talk and hang out. Since Peter's practices have been on Tuesdays I haven't had that opportunity so we needed to schedule a new time to get together. Jason knew about a cool park in Deltona that had a huge playground so we decided we would meet up in the morning so the kids could run while us adults could talk. When we got to the park there was no one there at all and all the kids had a blast running around and exploring everything. As time went by other families and a party showed up which made it a bit more difficult to locate all our children from time to time but everyone was good. Peter and I were able to have a nice conversation with Jason and Karen and the kids were able to get some Vitamin D and exercise. Around lunch time the sun was warming up and one by one little children came up to complain of empty tummies. We said farewell until next time and went our own ways. After a quick stop at McDonald's for lunch the kids each got showers at home and I tried to rest a bit before we had to head to church for our designated hour for the 24 hours of prayer the church was having.

Halloween Setup

2011-10-14T18:51:00.001-04:00

Over the years we have gathered a few Halloween decorations here and there. Nothing really elaborate or out there but just a couple things. We don't usually get them out for the holidays, mostly because they are up in the attic and it is such a chore to get anything in and out of there especially in the FL heat. However, this year we had to put our stuff away from our last beach trip and since I knew we would be getting out things out of Christmas I decided we should go ahead and pull the Halloween stuff down. The girls were very excited about this and really wanted to put up the inflatable globe that goes in the yard that lights up and has bats flying inside of it. While Daddy was at church one night we put all the indoor decorations out and I told the girls about how Grandma had painted a couple of them and how I had painted some of them also. There was a story for each one.
Finally we went outside and the girls helped me stake up the globe and then plug it in to be inflated. Both the girls and Javan were very excited about it. At first Javan wasn't sure what to think. He was playing around in the yard and when the globe started getting bigger he just stood back and watched with caution. Eventually, when he saw how excited his sisters were, he came up to the globe and told me all the things inside of it and what colors he saw. When we came back inside he was happy to just sit on the couch and look out the window at it even though from the backside you can't see a thing.

Girls will be girls

2011-10-09T19:21:00.001-04:00

What to do on a Rainy Day

2011-10-08T17:42:00.002-04:00

I had planned on taking the kids to a Fall Festival that a local church was having but the weather for the day called for rain with no end in sight. Peter had to be at our church to judge Worship Team Auditions so it was just me and kiddos for the better part of the day. We knew the farmers market was out but we still had to go to the grocery store so we all got ready and headed out in the rain to do our shopping. I was hoping we could make it in the out of the store during the very little windows of dryness but no such luck. We all got wet but we also got food so we accomplished our goal. When we got home and put everything away it was lunch time and I had picked up a special treat for me and the girls; sushi (cooked of course, no raw fish for these babies I am growing). Since I had really wanted to get the kids outside today I decided we should have a nice outdoor picnic. Sure the weather was not the prettiest but I have always enjoyed the rain so I set up a little eating area on the front porch, under cover, and we ate our food while enjoying the sound of the rain fall. Abbi decided she didn't like sushi but was a good sport about it. Javan ate his normal PB&J and Bresa decided she liked the crab out of the sushi but not the rice (so really she didn't like the sushi either). I had gotten a Hawaiian Roll for myself and was happy with my selection. After we all ate our meals the kids went and played in the rain with their umbrellas. The girls each had their own umbrellas but Javan doesn't have one so I let him use mine which he thought was hilarious. It is rare that we have rain storms without thunder and lightning so I wanted the kids to take advantage of this occurrence. Once we were back inside and Javan was down for his nap (which he actually took) the girls worked on cleaning their rooms so they could help me make cookies. Bresa decided that was not enough incentive so while she continued to "clean" Abbi and I started baking. Abbi did a great job and in the end we had a couple dozen peanut-butter oatmeal chocolate chip coconut cookies. Just as they finished baking Daddy came home and we cleaned up the house a little bit while the rain still came down outside. This evening my brother, Brian, and his girlfriend, Rachael, are coming over for dinner and to just hang out. I hope the rain doesn't make their ride out here difficult.

Abbi's School Project

2011-10-02T18:20:00.004-04:00

Abbi brought home her first assignment for a project a few days ago. She had to make a building that belongs in a community for the class. All the students were responsible for different buildings and Abbi chose the Library. Bresa had to do the same thing when she was in first grade in Mrs. Wright's class but she made a church. Since Grandma loves projects I had Abbi call her and tell her what she needed. Grandma came over this weekend and helped Abbi with the inside and outside of the building. Abbi came up with all the ideas and after church today I helped Abbi with the landscaping to finish off the project. Really I was just in charge of the hot glue gun and a bit of cutting. Abbi worked really hard all weekend on her project and it really paid off. Everything looks really great and it is obvious that this is going to be the best Library ever! Abbi is really excited to go to school tomorrow and take it in to show all the other kids. I am really proud of her she was very diligent and would work on her project without being told from the second she got up in the morning until it was time to go out or to bed at night.

Last Beach Day

2011-10-01T22:42:00.001-04:00

Our friends, Machelle and Larry, have been trying to arrange a beach day for all of us to go out with the kids and have some fun. We had scheduled this trip a couple times but for this reason or another we had to move the dates further and further back. Finally we made the date and it stuck but wouldn't you know it was the first cool day (you know under 90 degrees) we have had since March. It didn't matter though we were determined to go. So after some morning work and errands with some house cleaning things we headed out to Ormond Beach to meet up with our friends. They have three boys (I don't know Machelle does it) that are all the same ages as our kids. Machelle and Larry have a time share in Ormond and although they didn't have the room right now they do have access to the pool and beach year round. We got to the beach and it was really windy. I had brought my suit but figured I wouldn't be into swimming and I was glad that I had made that decision when I felt the wind and the cooler air. After the kids played in the ocean a bit they came up and played in the sand for a little while. The ocean water was pretty warm but once they came out of it all the kids were freezing. After a bit of sand playing they wanted to go up to the pool. The adults cleaned up the chairs and such as the kids rinsed off and jumped in the pool. There was a nice hot tub too but I can't enjoy that with the babies I am growing so I just sat at the edge and put my feet in. The kids played in the pool a long while but eventually everyone ended up in the hot tub. We had a good time with Machelle and Larry and were grateful we all got to hang out even if the weather wasn't totally beach appropriate. We even made it home with no sun burn! After we got home, my mom was over and was spending the night again so she was closer for church in the morning. Peter and I dropped off the kids with her and made them a quick dinner and than he and I went to Five Guys to enjoy a nice simple date with no children. After we were filled with burgers and fries we went to our friend's Kathy and Jay's house for a board game party they were having. We hadn't planned on going since we knew we were doing the beach thing and possibly a date but it was still early so we stopped in. After all whole days events I was ready for bed by the time we got home.

Fire Trucks

2011-09-24T15:31:00.000-04:00

Javan LOVES firetrucks so when my friend told me that they were having a workshop at Lowe's and the kids each got to build one I thought it was something we definitely had to do. The girls had each gone the day before with my friend, Cindy, who runs a daycare. Cindy had arranged for her kids to go to Lowe's to build Police Cars and asked me if I wanted to join them since I had the day off. I wanted to of course but I had a doctor appointment in Daytona at the same time so Cindy said she would take the girls with her. She would have taken Javan too but she can only have some many kids in each age group and she already hit her quota for his age. When I picked up the girls they proudly displayed their police cars and told me all about how they built them all by themselves and how the light on top really worked. Today after the Farmer's Market I took the kids to Lowe's and they quickly set to work after getting all their tools and supplies. Javan was a big helper but also let me help. Once his truck was done he went to work driving it all over the area we were stationed at while his sister's finished his up. This truck doesn't have lights but it does have a working siren. Javan has not put his firetruck down and when we got home he brought out his other firetrucks so they could all say hi.

Rain on me

2011-09-18T18:42:00.003-04:00

Women's Ministry Fall Brunch

2011-09-17T14:33:00.002-04:00

Our Women's Ministry usually does a fall retreat but this year we decided to take a year of and do a much smaller event. After many meetings and ideas being thrown around we decided on a Fall Brunch. I am the quote-unquote graphic designer on the team so I am in charge or all the publications, name-tags, rave cards, printouts, etc. During the events I also take care of the photography and me and another lady are in charge of the WM Facebook page. During the event itself, other than taking pictures, I help out where I am needed but I also get to enjoy the events too. Our Fall Brunch went on today and was absolutely wonderful. The food was could have been gourmet and we had three women from the church give their testimonies about how God had moved in their lives, all were pretty extreme stories and very encouraging and inspirational. It often seems like so much work and planning when we are putting on these events but in the end it is easy to see how well worth every bit of work was.

So tired

2011-09-15T16:32:00.000-04:00

Javan hasn't been taking his naps like he should. We put him down but he gets up and plays quietly in his room. As you can see, he still needs his naps.

Computer Guys

2011-09-12T16:11:00.000-04:00

Sew it up

2011-09-11T21:04:00.000-04:00

For a few weeks now Bresa has been asking me to teach her to sew. She said she wanted to know how to make doll clothes for her animals and dolls and wanted me to show her. I was not opposed to it but I wasn't really sure how to go about starting it either. I went to Michaels looking for a simple sew kit that would get her to understand the most general stitches and their purposes but there was nothing that really stood out to me. When my mom asked what they wanted for Christmas this year I told her about Bresa and a sewing activity. My mom was pretty excited about the idea and decided she would show both the girls this weekend while Peter and I were away. They all went to Michaels and got materials to make pumpkin pillows. Mom started by showing the girls how to sew buttons (for the eyes), then embroider (the nose), how to sew material together (the mouth), and finally sew a seam to make a pocket before stuffing it with fluff. When Peter and I got home the girls were just finishing up their pillows and they had both done a beautiful job! Bresa was so proud of herself and wanted to show me each detail. They really did a great job and I was really impressed, not only with the girl's ability, but also in the creativity mom had with the idea.

A Weekend to Remember

2011-09-11T20:59:00.001-04:00

Peter and I were talking with our good friends, Brenda and Bill, one day about marriage conferences and retreats. I said in passing that I had always wanted to go to one but we had never made it yet. Brenda and Bill had both been to a couple so they had a lot of things to say about them and different things various organizations offered. A couple months later Brenda and Bill surprised us and told us they had booked a Couples Retreat for us in Tampa and Brenda had even called my mom to make sure she could watch the kids for those dates. The conference was 3 days long, starting on Friday and ending today, and had various sessions within it. There were a lot of topics covered including, communication, threats, God's plan, conflicts, intimacy, and legacies. There were more topics included but I can't name them all. There were also several application projects that we each had to do individually and as a couple together. Saturday night we were have a date night together so Peter and I went to one of the local malls and ate dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. I wasn't really sure what to expect from the weekend, I was really excited to go but I didn't know how much I would get from it. Peter and I have one of the strongest marriages of any couple that we know but we also know that there is always room for improvement. Just from the first couple sessions we went to Friday night I was already learning knew concepts and opening my mind to see "his side" over "my side". One of the applications we had to do was answer a few questions about what drew us to each other when we first met, what kept us attracted after we got married, how we appreciate each other's differences and how the other's character helps us grow to be a better person. As you answered the questions you were supposed to write them in form of a love letter and then read the letters to each other. I cry about every 45 minutes anyhow so this was no easy task for me. When I finished my letter I read it to Peter (stopping a few times to calm the tears) and then Peter read me his. It was so amazing the things that he said to me, things that I had no idea he felt. Everything was positive of course but to hear how I inspired him and how I did things that made him change his ways or thoughts for the better just blew me away. He didn't agree with the letter I wrote to him but everything I wrote was completely from my heart. By the time the conference was over today I was really amazed at how much I had learned not only about marriage but personal and specific things about Peter that I didn't know even after 13 years of being together. We had a great time and we both took a lot from the conference. There are a couple more getaways coming in this next year that are actually closer to home so we are going to try and get a bunch of our friends to go to it because we honestly thing everyone can benefit from it.

My Beautiful Children

2011-09-07T16:19:00.001-04:00

I am still working on Peter and my bedroom and decided that I needed some good pictures of the kids. We have one wall that I painted green and only two dressers on the wall. There is a plant shelf above it but it has baskets and is set back so the wall itself looks very plain. I thought of many different things I could do but eventually decided that I should get good head shots of the children and make square canvas prints of them to hang. I also decided the prints would be a Sepia tone and ultimately Peter and I choose to make them 24"x24" in size. I had to take the kids outside to the get the lighting I wanted and also the type of background that would go with our room's theme. It took some time and Javan was pretty hard to photograph because he doesn't understand the whole pose thing and likes to just run around. I just had to be ready and shoot him as he flew by me. Bresa was a bit of a drama-queen (what was I expecting?) but in the end I was happy with my shots. I tried many different angles and directions and then I checked all the shots out on the computer and made my choices. These here are the shots cropped but still full color. I ordered the prints and they should be here next week sometime.

Labor Day

2011-09-05T11:08:00.001-04:00

Happy Labor Day! As usual our Life Group met for breakfast this morning and enjoyed some fellowship and friendship over our meals. After lunch Peter had to get some work done so I took all the kids to see my childhood friend, Ginger, who was in town. She and her husband just had a baby 6 months ago and I was excited to meet her. I went over to Ginger's mom's house where she was staying. The children all played with the toys available while Ginger and I got to catch up and I got to hold her beautiful baby girl, Teagan. We hadn't seen each other since before Javan was born so we had a lot to talk about. After a few hours I gathered up the kids and headed home. I had told them that if they behaved and the weather was good I would take them to a splash park before going home. Well the girls did behave very well and Javan was good for a 2 year old boy but the weather was a bit threatening. We were in Longwood when we got left but I told the girls that it may be nicer up by our house so we would just have to see. There were some scary black clouds in sight but there was also some nice blue sky with sunshine so I told the girls we could go but wasn't sure how long we could stay. They all got their suits on and went to town in the splash pad. I had brought my book, Crazy Love, to finish up and we ended up staying about an hour. We still had to have dinner and get cleaned plus the kids have school tomorrow or we could have probably stayed longer. After some yummy grilled chicken, rice pilaf, and green beans the kids all cleaned up and went to bed a bit early. Peter and I were having some friends over for some adult conversation and dessert. Nothing beats a day full of friends and fun!

Birthdays

2011-09-04T22:57:00.000-04:00

Today is Christina's Birthday and next Monday is Noah's birthday. They are both turning 30 this year so they decided to have a pizza party at Christina's mom's restaurant in Baldwin Park. After church Peter and I took the kids over to Mom's and then we headed to Tina and Noah's house. Tina and I went out for pedicures while the boys stayed home and played video games. Once we got back and ready to go again we headed to La Bella Luna for the party. There was a lot of food, about 6 different courses all served at different points. I thought we were just having pizza but that was just a small portion of what we enjoyed. After garlic bread, mozzarella sticks, calamari, salad, pasta, and then pizza it was time for cake. By the time we got through all the food it was getting pretty late and we still had to pick up the kids and drive home so we left after saying good bye and happy birthday one more time. Happy 30th Christina and Noah!!

Making it Special

2011-09-03T11:05:00.000-04:00

For Aunt Christina and Uncle Noah, the girls worked very hard on birthday cards. They both made each of them a card and added extra drawings, pictures, and things like word searches (already completed ones). Bresa made her own envelopes for her cards and added poems to them too. They were both very proud of their work and I know Aunt Tina and Uncle Noah will really appreciate them.

Sam I am?

2011-09-01T17:48:00.001-04:00

Javan's favorite book is Green Eggs and Ham. He will get the book out and say, "Read 'Sam I Am' Mommy?" How can I resist that little man? We will get up on the couch or bed and Javan will help read the book. He knows just about all the words since he has been read the story so many times. He also likes the book It's not Fun being a Bunny, which is about a bunny who decides he wants to be other animals and goes to live with the bears, possums, moose, etc until he realizes he wants to be a bunny after all. When we finish reading Green Eggs and Ham Javan will usually say, " Read Funnybunny?" and then he runs off to get it before I have time to respond. I am glad my little man loves books so much, I hope his love for them continues as he grows.

Meet Buster

2011-08-31T16:15:00.002-04:00

Today Peter had to drop off some guitars at a music store that he does repairs for in Sanford. Since he was going to be out my way I met him for lunch at Panera which is in the same parking lot as the music store. The girls were in school but little man Javan was with Daddy so I got to have lunch with both of my boys. When I drove up Javan saw me get out of my Crime Scene van and wanted to go see it. I told him we would see the van after lunch. We had a nice meal and break from the normal craziness of work days and then I asked Javan if he wanted to see "Police car". Of course he was all for it so we went and I introduced him to Buster (which I really thought he already knew but I guess not). He climbed right up in the front seat and told Daddy, "bye bye!". I tried to explain that he was still going home with Daddy but we could sit in Buster for a little bit. Javan wanted to touch everything as usual and go for a ride but we told him that he had to go with Daddy to go find his sisters. Once Daddy mentioned going to school and picking up Brye Brye and Abbi Javan got right down and said "Bye bye Buster." On the way out of the parking lot I turned my overhead light bar on which Javan thought was pretty cool. Too cute. When I got home today Javan greeted me at the door with, "I see Buster?" I guess he had been thinking about him all day.

Sleeping peacefully

2011-08-30T18:53:00.001-04:00

Planting Trees

2011-08-28T15:29:00.003-04:00

Over the summer I started working on Peter and my room. I figured all the kids have cool pretty rooms and Peter and I have been married for over 11 years it's about time we have a nice room too. This is just one of the walls that is complete. I am still working on one of the larger walls but I need good pictures of the children to complete it. It's hard to tell in the photo but the writing on the wall by the tree is Psalm 1:3 which says, "You will be like a tree, firmly planted by streams of water. You will yield your fruit in season; your leaves will not wither, and whatever you do will prosper."

Daddy's Helper

2011-08-26T18:38:00.004-04:00

Today I had the day off and went to Ikea to meet my mom and pick up my little man who had been at Grandma's all week. Cousin Charlotte was also with us and everyone thought that the kids were twins (of course it didn't help that I was wearing my shirt that said twins with an arrow pointing to my very pregnant belly). We shopped around Ikea a bit and then went to lunch at Chick-fil-A at the mall nearby. When Javan and I got home I had a few house things to take care off and then I took the girls grocery shopping with me. When we returned from the store I found that Daddy had started putting together the dressers that I had picked up at Ikea and he had gotten a lot accomplished because of the very good helper that he had.

First Day of School

2011-08-22T19:31:00.000-04:00

Today the girls had their first day of school for the year. Daddy and I were very ready for them to return. The girls were pretty excited too but I think a little anxious as well. We had worked together to get everything ready last night so this morning there would be no delays and everything would run smoothly. Javan went to Grandma's house last night so this morning Daddy just had to get the girls up and dressed before heading out the door (I was already at work for 2 hours). When I got home I asked the girls how their days went and they both were happy and excited about their new classes and friends they had made and reconnected with. As a treat Peter and I took them out to McDonald's dinner and then to Rodeo Whip which is an ice cream place down the road from us. So far school is off to a good start.

I Brake for Oscar

2011-08-21T18:27:00.001-04:00

Just the other day the "Brake Lamp" light lit up on my dashboard. Since I drive to work while it is still dark out the idea of not having all my brake lights on made me a little paranoid. I told Peter and he saw that my passenger light and my overhead brake light in the back were both out. He picked up some bulbs at the auto store and pretty soon Oscar was as good as new.

Meet the Teacher

2011-08-19T14:21:00.001-04:00

Today was meet the teacher day at school for the girls. Bresa is going into 3rd grade and Abbi is going into 1st grade. Over the summer the school had Abbi tested and decided she needed to be in the gifted program so she will have Mrs. Wright who was Bresa's teacher for the last 3 years. She teaches K-2 grades gifted so she will have Abbi next year too. Since Bresa is moving up to 3rd grade she has Mrs. Cothran who teaches 3-5 grades gifted. We know Mrs. Wright pretty well by now and we are excited that she will have Abbi in her class. Since they are both gifted teachers their classes are right next to each other and connected by a door. I am not sure how the girls feel about this but it is very convenient for Peter and I. This photo is taken in Bresa's new room. All the kids had a good time drawing, coloring, and doing a word search while Daddy and I filled out some paperwork and talked with the new teacher.

Worn Out

2011-08-16T13:18:00.000-04:00

Everyday we put Javan in his room for a nap but he usually just stays in his room and plays quietly until we say he can come out. He starts in his bed but pretty soon you can hear him playing with some toys through the closed door. Today I went to tell him he could come out and this is what I found. Too cute. I guess all the vacation fun was too much for him and he is still recouping. We are potty training Javan right now and he actually is doing really well (much better than I had expected for a boy at his age) but for naps and bedtime we always put a diaper on him.

Home

2011-08-13T19:59:00.000-04:00

Peter and I got up this morning with no children and no plans. We had to be out of the condo by 10 so we did some last minute clean up and packing and were on our way. We stopped at Panera for breakfast and then headed to Daytona just to hang out. We went to the mall, a furniture store, Sports Authority, Best Buy and Family Christian Store and then decided to head home. We talked about hitting a movie but after being away for over a week I really wanted to see my bed again. We got home after lunch time and it was so nice to have my comfy couch back. Goose missed me terribly and talked to me about her week for about an hour straight. She wouldn't let me out of her sight and wanted all of my attention. The children didn't really care that we were home, Grandma was still there so that was all that really mattered to them. After dinner we all watched August Rush and then went to bed early. Tomorrow is church and then one more week off before school starts up again (YAY!!!!).

Our 11 Year Anniversary

2011-08-12T23:01:00.002-04:00

Today Peter and I celebrate 11 years of marital bliss. Okay, so maybe not all 4,015 days have been quite bliss but most of them have been. Last night Peter and I met up with Christina, Noah, and Reba at Port Orange's Red Robin. My mom stayed back with the children and started packing some things up. This morning I made everyone pancakes and then Peter and I finished packing all the things we wouldn't need for tonight or tomorrow. Mom took the children back to our house before lunch so Peter and I could have some alone time. We didn't really have plans until the evening so we headed to Panera for some lunch and when we got back to the condo it was eerily quiet. We had never been there without the children before so the lack of giggles and yelling was unusual. We didn't stay too long as we had an appointment at a local spa for a couple's massage and they had some heated saltwater pools we could use before or after our treatment. When we found the spa there was a little gift shop in the same parking lot so we wandered around there, taking our time and not rushing. We found a couple little things for the children and a couple things for myself and then headed over to the spa. We checked in and then went to the pools. We sat out and read for a while and then took a dip in the pools. Peter tried the hot pool that was about 102 but I stayed in the warm pool that was about body temperature so that the babies or myself didn't get too hot. The pools were like oversized spas as they had lots of forceful jets and lots of seating so you could enjoy them. After we took our dip we got out and read some more. I tried the cucumber eye treatment that was supplied while I relaxed by one of the waterfalls. Everything was so peaceful. When it was time for our massages two ladies found us out by the pool and took us upstairs to a very quiet and dark room that had rose petals spread all around. I had a prenatal massage since I am pregnant. Your bones are more brittle during pregnancy since all the nutrients first goes to the baby (babies) so I couldn't have anything too intense. Peter had a Swedish Massage. It was the first time for either of us to have a professional massage done but we have had lots of our friends rave about them. After our 50 minute massages Peter and I got to enjoy some chocolate covered strawberries, champagne (Sprite for me) and nice warm bubble bath. When it was time to go we didn't want to move, I could have easily fallen asleep. Since we aren't from the area we weren't really sure where to go for dinner but a couple people recommended The Garlic so we decided to give it a try. The food was good but a bit pricey for what you got. We didn't stay there too long since our seats were outside and had no breeze and it was really hot. When we got back to the condo we decided to go swimming once again and enjoyed another quiet relaxing dip as the sun set. Peter and I both love the children but it is so nice to get away and only have each other to talk and listen to. Happy Anniversary Hottie!! I love you so much more than I could ever express!

Work those Muscles

2011-08-11T22:35:00.003-04:00

Since our first kayaking adventure got all rained on we decided we would try again today since there seemed to be little chance of rain all day. We, once again, left Javan with Grandma and took the girls to JB Fish Camp to try kayaking. This time the skies, though a bit overcast, had a lot of promising blue in them and were pretty inviting. We got in our kayaks and took off. We went against the current so the return to the launch wouldn't be as hard. It didn't take too long for Peter's and my arms to get tired but we persevered and went almost a mile out against the pretty strong wind today. We were hoping to see some manatees but there didn't seem to be any about. We did see a lot of pelicans and cool fish that jumped straight up out of the water and fell back in. I told Bresa if one jumped in our boat we could cook it for dinner. I also told Abbi if she put her feet in the water maybe the fish would think her toes were food and she could pull up the fish that bit on. She said, "can I take my flip-flops off first?" Silly girl, I didn't think she would be willing. We went around a large marsh bank and got stuck in shallow water a couple times but nothing that we couldn't overcome without getting out of the kayaks. After we rounded the marsh we headed back to the launch area, paid, and went to the condo. Grandma and Javan were inside just hanging out. Peter and I decided that we were going to take the kids to the Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse Museum and Grandma wanted to get away to the beach all by herself. After some lunch we headed to the inlet to explore. All the children were very excited about the lighthouse. We purchased admission and had the lighthouse plus 14 other building museums to choose from to start and the kids wanted to go up the lighthouse first. In the end it turned out to be the right choice because we probably wouldn't have had enough energy after we went through all the museums to climb up 203 stairs to the top of it. The Ponce de Leon Lighthouse is the largest lighthouse in FL and one of the largest in the nation. The girls were eager to climb up and Javan climbed quite a bit but Daddy ended up carrying him the rest of the way. I didn't mind climbing but after each flight I grew more and more tired. After what seemed like forever we finally reached the top. Poor Daddy was tired from not only climbing up also carrying Javan so we took our time at the top before heading back down. The climbing reminded me of our trip to Italy and how we went to Vatican City and climbed to the top of St. Peter's Cathedral. I was pregnant with Abbi then and there were no other children but I wouldn't say that climb was any easier. We looked from all sides to see all the views and took a few photos of the kids and us all together. Climbing down was easier for me but still very tiring and hot. Peter carried Javan all the way down and was pretty beat when we hit the bottom. We took a few more lighthouse shots before going through the museums to learn all about it. Everything was very interesting and we all learned a lot about the lighthouse and it's origin and construction. Peter's favorite part was the house which held all the lamps from various lighthouses and explained how they worked and what they were for. He also liked seeing how the light shown through and was redirected by the prism glass that made up the outside of the lamps. After we had exhausted all the museums we headed back through the giftshop and let all the children pick out a souvenir. They all ended up with different necklaces and I found something for our friend Lisa who is watching our house and taking care of Lucy Goose while we are away.

Errands on Vacation

2011-08-10T21:23:00.002-04:00

Well no matter how we try we can never get away from normal life completely. Today I had a doctor's appointment for the babies but since it was just up the coast about 25 minutes or so I didn't mind too much. The appointment was set for 10:15 but at 11:00 there was a PEAF meeting at Daytona PD. We have our meetings quarterly and this quarter it just happened to fall on our vacation. The PD is literally 5 minutes down the road from my doctor so I told the board that I would try to come but would probably be late because the dr office always makes we wait at least 30 minutes past my appointment time before they call me back. I didn't have to go to the PEAF meeting but since I am VP and I really enjoy the meetings I didn't mind going on my time. Also, I had already told the other board members about my situation and told them that Peter would be with me if I were to come. I had previously said I would give a presentation on Aspergillius Fungi and prevention and awareness of Aspergilliousis and I had a banner that I had made for one of our members who was retiring that everyone was supposed to sign. Grandma stayed at the condo with the kids and was going to take them over to the pool while we were gone and told us not to hurry back. Peter and I left the doctor's office about 11:15 and then headed to the PD. The meeting went great and we ate while we were there so Peter was happy too. After a tour of the evidence division at the PD we headed back to the condo. I checked the radar and saw there was some rain but looked to be going south of us so we planned to wait until about 3 and then go to the beach. When we got back to the condo Grandma was still at the pool with the kids. They had gone in the morning and then came in to eat a snack and reapply sunscreen then headed back. We called the kids in and fed them lunch and had them change into their SPF suits. Peter went to the cabana for little bit to do a bit of business on his computer and Grandma and I packed up what we wanted to take to the beach with us and reapplied more sunscreen to the kids and ourselves. When Peter returned we just loaded everything up in the wagon and off we went. There weren't many people at the beach so we picked a good spot and set up. We did the usual swimming and such and I started to dig another water hole closer to the ocean this time so it wouldn't have to be so deep. Grandma worked on the dirt I pulled out to make a castle and the girls worked on their own little projects here and there, even Daddy got down and dirty and made a volcano just for Abbi-gails. The water came up sooner than we expected so soon everyone was working on building a wall around my hole to save it. Soon all the inside walls were caving in and the water was coming up over the barricades we had created and there was no salvaging it but it was fun while it lasted. Daddy and Abbi played some paddle ball and I played in the water a little with Javan before taking a seat and trying to read my new book a bit. We stayed there for about 4 hours and then packed up and headed back for some dinner. Before we went back in the condo we stopped at the pool and rinsed off in the shower and then took a dip in the pool. I made tacos when we returned and Grandma made chocolate milkshakes.

Rained Out

2011-08-09T21:09:00.003-04:00

This morning Peter and I took the girls to a surprise of "something fun that we have never done before". Javan and Grandma stayed behind and were going to go to the beach after we left. Peter and I drove down the street a couple miles and stopped at a place called JB Fish Camp. It is a restaurant but also has rentals for fishing gear and kayaks. Peter and I have been canoeing before but never kayaking so we decided to take the girls on our first go. We rented two double kayaks and Bresa sat with me and Abbi went in Daddy's kayak. We didn't get very far past the boat launch when the rain started in. First it was just a little sprinkle to a harder steady fall and then it cleared up for a little bit. We had started to head back to the boat launch when the rain cleared so we figured we would just go across the bay there to the marsh. As we approached the marsh the rain really started to pour down. I thought it was kind of scary but we weren't too far from the boat launch so I knew we would be okay. I just prayed that God would give me the strength to paddle back (Bresa was more of a hinderance than a helper just because she didn't know how to do it). Peter and I didn't know it was to rain so early in the day. We expected some rain in the afternoon but when we left the condo it was nice and blue out. We pulled the kayaks back up to the shore and went to pay but since we got rained out and didn't get to really go out at all the guy didn't charge us so we will most likely be back later in the week. The time we did spend was fun and I didn't even care about getting wet in the rain. We went back to the condo and mom and Javan still hadn't left yet. We told her about the rain just down the road but she decided to still go to the beach with the little man. The rest of us stayed back and went to the pool for a little bit and then went inside to get showers and cleaned up. After we were all clean the four of us played a game of Sorry as the skies grew darker outside. Pretty soon the rain started down again and we expected Grandma to return any moment with the boy. We turned a movie on for the girls and Peter and I read some. As the rain got heavier I decided to call mom but just as I did she walked up carrying my little boy all wrapped in a towel. There was no thunder or lightning so when the rain had started they just sat under an umbrella at the beach and kept each other warm. I washed Javan up in the shower and then I laid down for a little rest in the perfect napping weather. Just before I got up Grandma did the same. When I went downstairs I cleaned up a bit and then started dinner. Eventually Grandma came down too and I finished making the baked chicken with mashed potatoes and green beans. Dinner was great and hit the spot and after a little strawberry shortcake we put Javan to bed while Grandma and Abbi ran to the store. Bresa practiced her violin while Daddy and I did more reading. When Grandma got home the girls went to bed and Peter started the movie Pay it Forward for us adults. I finished my book, Bait of Satan that my Life Group ladies have all decided to read together, and then I watched about half the movie before Peter and I decided to head upstairs to go to bed. So it may have been a rainy day that prevented us from doing much outside but it was a nice relaxing day of rest and peace.

All Around

2011-08-08T22:56:00.002-04:00

After getting cleaned up a bit yesterday we all found the spots that didn't get coated with sunscreen. Not too bad for the most part. The girls looked real good but Javan had red cheeks and a red chin and I had two nice strips on one of my arms and one of my legs. Peter had a bit on his legs too but since he burns easier than the rest of us it was more uncomfortable for him. I had bought him a UV shirt for the trip and that seemed to do wonders for his back and chest. He didn't put any sunscreen on there but he was not even a little pink when it came off. Since we still have a whole week to go we decided to do something a bit different today and drove down to Canal Street where there are some little shops all along the road. We parked and walked down each side of the street but there really wasn't much there and when you got out of the shade it got hot real quick. We only stayed an hour or so and went back to the condo when we saw there weren't any shops we were really interested in. Around lunch time Peter and I took the kids up to the Volusia Mall to wander around a bit. Mom stayed back at the condo to catch up on some sleep and enjoy some quiet time alone. At the mall we had some Chick-Fil-a for lunch and then just walked through to see the stores. This mall may not be far from home but I don't think I have been inside it for at least a dozen years. When we reached the end of the mall we bought tickets for the kids to ride on the train that drives around the walkways. Javan had seen the train while we were eating and couple times after while we were walking and was so excited about it. He would yell, "Hi Thomas the Train!!" and wave and wave until it was out of sight. I had to ride with him since he was under four but Daddy hung back while we were one our trip around the mall. The girls really enjoyed the ride and Javan just looked out the sides at all the things happening around him. When we were done with that we headed down the road to Angell and Phelps Chocolate Factory. It is just a small store with a free tour of the kitchen and design area. We took the tour and learned quite a bit but the best part were the free samples at the end. We picked up a couple chocolates for Grandma who missed all the fun and then headed toward Port Orange where we stopped at the movie theater to watch Winnie the Pooh's new movie. Javan loves Winnie the Pooh and it was short enough to keep his attention while he sat and ate popcorn. The girls really enjoyed the show too and told us their favorite parts. I thought the movie was really cute but glad it wasn't any longer because Javan had just started to get ansi. It was a good day not to go to the beach as it had rained on and off ever since we left. On the way back from the movies Javan fell asleep in his carseat and didn't wake up until after dinner. When we got back to the condo Grandma had a wonderful surprise for us for dinner: grilled steaks, fried potatoes, grilled butter crescents, sauteed mushrooms and sliced tomatoes. Dinner was delicious and very filling but for dessert Grandma brought out prepped smores so the yumminess was not over yet. We roasted our marshmallows over the hot coals on the BBQ and made gooey delicious smores to chase down our steaks. It was pretty dark out by the time we finished cleaning things up which was perfect for what we had planned next. Javan woke up and I gave him a light dinner and then we headed to the beach with our flashlights and buckets. There were only a couple other people out on the beach at 9pm in the dark so we had free reign over the sand to search for the crabs we wanted to catch. Daddy was a great spotter and used his flashlight to point out the crabs while Grandma and I chased them into our buckets using shovels. The little crabs were the fastest and really hard to catch so we let a few of those go without even trying for them. We did catch one really big crab that could almost get out of the bucket when he stood on his side, he was the girls favorite. Abbi caught a crab all by herself which made me really impressed. While on the beach we ran into some girls who were also catching crabs and had found 3 so far, we showed them our 8 or 9 that we had collected and decided to team up to find more. They had a net which worked great for trapping so with some teamwork we collected at least 8-9 more. Bresa had started helping by grabbing the crab through the net to drop in the bucket, I told her to be careful and eventually she did get pinched. Once we had decided we had enough we set up our racing lines and then let the crabs run for it. They were everywhere and some so fast you didn't even see where they went. Some were just stunned and sat there but if you stepped toward them they would take off again. Another day of fun completed and I am definitely ready for bed. I am sure all of us will sleep well tonight.

Officially Beginning

2011-08-07T21:22:00.002-04:00

Well it's our first day of our beach vacation so what better way to start than to head to the beach. With three kids and three adults the supplies needed isn't very light. Because Peter burns so easily we invested in a large canopy that has already paid for itself at the garage sale last week. We also brought along our wagon so we didn't have to carry as much but could just pull our things along, including children when necessary. After a breakfast of Sam's big muffins we gathered our things and packed the cooler and walked out to the beach. It was about 9:30 or so when we got there so there weren't many other people about just yet. We set up our space and sprayed everyone down with sun screen and then let the fun begin. The kids wanted to go to the water right away so Grandma and I took them out while Peter read under the shade. The girls played in the surf with their little body boards Grandma had brought them and Javan just played at the very edge of the water with his bucket. After some time I talked the girls into going back up to the sand to start their sand castle. I took a little break but before long I was working on digging a big hole in an attempt to hit water. Grandma went a little closer to the water to do the same but got sidetracked and started building a trench. The girls worked on a "dribble castle" and Javan just shoveled dirt and water to and from his bucket. I worked and worked on my hole and it took a bit but I finally hit water. By the time I got there the hole was so deep I had to lay on the sand and could barely touch the bottom of the hole with my shovel. I worked on widening it a bit and the girls were all excited that they could see water down there. After the hole was a bit wider I put Javan in it just to get a picture. From the other side of the dirt mound you couldn't even see his head when he was standing up. I thought he would fight me on getting in the hole but he had no complaints and didn't want to get out after the picture was taken. I let him play in there and us adults moved the canopy over him so he could be in the shade. I took the girls back to the water, I sure needed a good rinse and after a little bit Javan and Peter joined us too. We played some more but then I mentioned lunch and everyone was back at the canopy in no time. The kids had Lunchables and the rest of us had tunafish on crescents with chips and fruit. After lunch I sat and read a little bit while the kids played in the sand again. We got out the kites that we had picked up for the kids and even Javan got to fly his (Lightning McQueen of course). Peter was ready to get going so after a few more quick pictures we tore down and loaded up. We dropped our stuff off at the condo and headed over to the complex's pool. We rinsed off in the shower before getting in and only stayed 10 or 15 minutes but it was enough to get all the sandy and salty feel off of us. After cleaning ourselves up at the condo we put a movie on for the kids and Peter and I went to the cabana where we could get internet access and look a few things up . When we returned, the movie was just about over so, we decided to head to the library and get a few books and movies and then off to Wal-mart for few more last minute things (including a nice digging shovel for my next water hole). Back at the condo we had hoagies for dinner followed by Strawberry shortcake that mom prepared. Peter read the kids a couple chapters out of the Narnia book and then it was off to bed for the little ones. We stayed up and watched a movie Peter got at the library but I fell asleep shortly after it began and apparently mom followed thereafter. All this fun is just too exhausting for us I suppose.

Our Summer Vacation 2011

2011-08-06T21:58:00.002-04:00

Finally, after weeks of anticipation and excitement, the day to leave for our vacation was finally here! This year we decided to stay close to home so there wasn't as much travel involved and we would have more time to enjoy our vacation spot. All day yesterday and this morning I had been shopping to pick up last minute things and making sure the house was spotless for our return. After making a run to Sam's Club it was time to load up the car and head out. I found a really good price on a condo in New Smyrna Beach and the original plan was to just stay 4-5 nights but the price for the whole week was only a few dollars more. Since I had the time to take off from work there was really no reason not to take advantage we booked it for 7 nights. Peter and I really aren't big beach people. Peter burns really easy and I grew up going to the beach ALL the time so there was really no excitement to it anymore. The kids however LOVE the beach and would be happy living right there on the sand. The excitement and joy that they get from our trips to the beach are enough to make Peter and I want to return over and over again. Another person who loves the beach like no other is my mom. Since she rarely gets to go anymore and her birthday was just two days ago we decided to take her along so she could have some sun too. After we loaded up Oscar we drove the short 35 or so minutes it is to the condo and unpacked. The children explored the two story condo and found all the good hiding places and picked out the beds they wanted while I unloaded the coolers into the fridge and Daddy attempted to gain internet access unsuccessfully. Oh well. A short while later our friends Bill and Brenda showed up, they were over this way visiting Brenda's mom so they stopped by for some company. Since it was already after 6 we decided to forgo the beach today and headed to our heated pool in the complex after eating some grilled hot dogs for dinner. Both of the girls impressed us with how well they could swim. I knew they both had a basic understanding but because it is usually the three children and just the one me when we go to a pool I can't really work with them on getting stronger and building a good technique. Since Daddy was here today and also Grandma and Bill and Brenda, there was plenty of adults to keep an eye on each child as the girls got tips and tricks from Daddy on how to swim evenly and come up for a breath and then go back under. At the end of the night they were jumping in the deep end of the pool and swimming underwater all the way to the other side of the pool (taking a breath or two on the way). Both Daddy and I were thoroughly impressed and proud of our little girls. After we dried off and changed we headed to my favorite ice cream place, Banana Split Republic, where we all enjoyed a delicious cold treat. We said goodbye to Bill and Brenda and are headed to sleep back at the condo.

Awww, Home

2011-07-31T19:10:00.001-04:00

After another long day in the heat it was finally time to pack up and go home. I had come to mom's house on Wednesday night with all the children and we had stayed there until this evening. I don't think I have ever been so happy to be home. My feet are so tired and my back hurts. Sitting outside (even in the shade) I am all sweaty and tired. Around 4 I told mom I needed to start cleaning up so I could get home. I have to work tomorrow and be at the station by 6am. This morning when I got up early once again I was hesitant about setting up the sale again. It is so much work and so hot. We still had a ton of stuff and most of it was easy set up so there really was no reason beyond laziness not to do it one more day. I must say though, I am extremely glad we did! Today was my best day of the three and just about all the big stuff I really was concerned with selling went. Being the last day I made a lot of deals but none that would leave me feeling ripped off or insulted. Mom did really well too but this was her least profitable day. In the end I was ready to go and started to pack things up and clean the house inside where all the children spent their time. I helped mom pack up some of the sale things but she told me to go home before we were all done. I didn't argue too much with that, I was totally exhausted. Peter had come by earlier in the day so he stayed a little longer with the girls and I took Javan home. We showered and put on jammies and Peter picked up some dinner on the way home. I am so tired and so very happy to be able to sleep in my own bed again and with my hubby, I really hate sleeping alone.

Second Day of Sale

2011-07-30T19:36:00.001-04:00

This morning we lugged all the stuff out and again and found more things to fill in the spaces of the items we sold yesterday. Another hot hot day but still a pretty steady flow of customers came through. I had advertised on Craigslist and a lot of people came as a result. We had signs out too, of course, and mom's house is in a nice location. One of mom's neighbors had a sale today too so that drew more people in. I didn't do very well today but I really can't complain. Mom had a great day and I was happy to see a lot of stuff go. After the heat had gotten the best of me I took the kids to the next door neighbors and we went swimming in his pool. The kids were happy to be outside and not so hot and have something more to do than watch tv and sit around. I figured this would help them release some energy and get some sun too. I taught the girls how to do cannonballs into the pool (I didn't show them but explained the actions) and after just a few tries they both had it down. Javan played on the stairs and then swam out with me a couple times to deeper water. After almost 2 hours I was ready to get out. The kids wanted to stay but I still had to help mom put all the stuff back in the garage. Most of our big items were still there so it looks like tomorrow we will continue to be open.

Grand Opening

2011-07-29T19:29:00.000-04:00

Today my mom and I got up around 5-6 and started working on the sale stuff. We have so much stuff that even after we pulled a ton out and loaded up the driveway the garage was still full. I hate stuff. I am really a minimalist and I would like to have just a couple comfy chairs and a stocked kitchen and nothing else. Since it was our first day we were pretty firm on our prices (we marked things to move and thought all the prices were more than fair). We know that we have tomorrow and possibly Sunday still so we can always mark things down later. Anyhow, the temperature was in the 90s but thankfully we had a nice canopy for shade, I don't know how we ever did a sale without it. We stayed open pretty late because people kept showing up right when we would decide to start packing it up for tomorrow. Today was a great day and we made a nice amount of money from all that was sold. If tomorrow goes the same we will be very happy. Javan and the girls stayed inside most of the day but he came out a couple times and found his old toys and played with them all. He didn't understand we were selling them and probably never realized they were missing from his room. He had a good time despite the heat and kept me entertained in between customers.

Helpers

2011-07-28T16:27:00.000-04:00

I took today and tomorrow off of work to have a HUGE Garage Sale with my mom at her house. We have been accumulating lots of things for this sale but it kept getting pushed off so more and more stuff stacked up. I took off today to start with the organizing and pricing and get all the things prepped that we needed. Hopefully tomorrow we can get up early and pull things out of the garage and sell it all!

22 Weeks

2011-07-22T20:21:00.001-04:00

Peter took my picture after we went out for a nice quiet dinner at Vienna's. Our friend watched the kids and him and I got to escape and listen to a live cellist. Of course, it never fails, we ran into people we knew even though the restaurant is a tiny little one that few people know about. Peter and I enjoyed a wonderful meal and dessert then went to a local park and took a nice walk until I was too tired to go on. After we picked up the kids and returned home Peter snapped this shot of Javan and I to send to the IPs to show how their little girls are growing.

Spoiled

2011-07-20T16:14:00.001-04:00

How many people can say they have their own personal hair stylist?

Housewarming and Birthday

2011-07-16T21:04:00.001-04:00

Today is Bresa's 8th birthday! It's hard to believe it was an entire 8 years ago when she made Peter and I a family and no longer just a couple. We already celebrated her birthday and Abbi's when we went to get manicures last week but there were still a few presents to open today. Daddy made her pancakes for breakfast and we let her choose what she wanted for lunch and dinner as well.
We had a housewarming party to go to today for our friends, Rodney and Valleta so the kids had to help decorate the present. We got them a gift card but we put it in a balloon that we then blew up and filled this box with more balloons. We each drew a picture of a house for them. Peter used Illustrator, I used Photoshop, Bresa made a castle, and Abbi cut out shapes and glued them together to make a wonderful house of her own. I wrapped the box in butcher paper and then we set to work decorating it all. We each put our hand prints on one side and then the kids had a great time coloring the others.
When we got to the housewarming party Bresa was surprised to find a beautiful princess Brenda cake just for her birthday. Brenda was going to make a cake for the party anyhow so she asked me about making it a birthday cake for Bresa. Like the rest of us, Bresa loves Brenda cake. After the party we hung out with R&V for a while playing Mexican Train and then we went to Panera (Bresa's choice) for dinner. Christina and Noah met us there and picked up Bresa for a couple nights birthday sleepover and the rest of us headed home. Happy Birthday to my beautiful red head. You are very stubborn, independent, and too smart for your own good but I love every bit of what makes you who you are. It may have been 8 years ago already but I will never forget the way I felt the first time I held you in my arms the day you made me a Mommy. I love you pretty girl, you will always be my baby.

Mmmm, Yummy

2011-07-13T19:03:00.000-04:00

So much for the bath I gave him 2 hours ago.

Titanic, The Experience

2011-07-10T21:13:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago Christina called and asked if Peter and I would be interested in going to Titanic, The Experience in Orlando. Apparently her mom gave her and Noah tickets but Noah wasn't interested. I asked Peter but he wasn't interested either so Tina and I decided we would go and leave the guys with the kids. After Peter got home from church and we ate lunch we drove to Christina and Noah's house. Peter brought his laptop so they could play video games and the girls got set up on the Wii with Animal Crossing. Tina and I went to the museum and it was really interesting. I knew a lot just from watching the movie Titanic that came out in 1994, on the DVD there are a lot of special features that tell about the Titanic with a lot of details but the museum was really fascinating. You walk through the building of, into the inside rooms, to the sinking at the end of the tour. I thought the difference in all the classes was the most interesting and how third class had to be separated from first class at all times. After we went through the museum we went over to the Mall of Millennium to walk around a bit. When it got to be dinner time we ate at Mimi's Cafe before heading back to the boys and kids. I don't think the guys would have enjoyed the museum much but it sure did make for a great girl's night out.

A very good night

2011-07-08T23:02:00.000-04:00

Today is national Cow Appreciation Day and just like last year Chick-fil-a was giving away a free meal to anyone who dressed up like a cow. Well, our family is not one to pass up free food so we made our cow attire and drove over to get some delicious chicken dinner. Bresa missed the fun because she is at Grandma's for her week away but that didn't stop the rest of us from getting our fill. After we finished eating we let Abbi and Javan play in the play area for a little while and our friend Cindy showed up for some food too. She was not dressed properly though so she wouldn't be getting free food tonight. We were just catching up when I saw our other friends, Bill and Brenda walk up dressed very nicely in cow-wear. We all talked for a bit but then Peter and I had to run because we had plans to go over to our friends, Machelle and Larry's, for some games. All the kids played really well together and us adults got to enjoy a lengthy game of Carcassonne.

Happy Independence Day!

2011-07-04T22:34:00.000-04:00

This morning we got up a bit early for a day off but for good reason. We were meeting our Life Group at one of our member's houses for breakfast. Everything was delicious and there seemed to be a never ending spread different foods to have. We ate and talked and hung out for a while before going home. Peter and I got our things together and we drove the girls over to Christina and Noah's house where they were having a BBQ later on. Before it was time for more good food Tina and I had an appointment with the girls to get pedicures and manicures. The girls had never been to a nail salon before but they always asked us if they could come when Tina and I went to get our nails done. For their birthdays they decided that rather than having a birthday party they would be able to go and have both their toenails and their fingernails done with Aunt Tina and I. Both, Bresa and Abbi, were very excited that the day had finally come and when we got to the salon they took their time picking the perfect colors for the nails. We got to soak our feet in our own hot tubs and then we had our own technicians come and pamper us thoroughly. The girls were very interested in all the steps that were done and Bresa must have asked 100 questions (this is not unusual). Once we were all prettied up with shiny new polish on all our nails we went back to Tina's for dinner. They had a lot of guests over for the BBQ and we enjoyed seeing old friends and met new ones too. Dinner was wonderful and very filling and when the sun finally set we took the girls outside (Javan was at Grandma's) to light our own sparklers and see the beautiful display of fireworks above the tree line. When it was time to get going we stopped to pick up Javan and drop Bresa off to spend a week at Grandma's (for her birthday) and headed home.

Surrogate Babies

2011-07-02T15:48:00.003-04:00

Anyone who has followed my blog for any amount of time knows that I am not a totally normal person. I am okay with this and what's better is Peter is okay with this too. As you may recall I carried triplets as a surrogate mother back in 2006/2007. The journey with that surrogacy wasn't the greatest but in the end God blessed me beyond belief and I finally had closure after three years of struggling to forgive the intended parents and accepting I would never meet or see the babies. Anyhow, back in mid 2009 after our son was born I decided that I would like to be a surrogate again (for a different couple) so I started the process of filling out applications and submitting them to various agencies. Some wouldn't accept me because I refused to waver on my stance of not killing a baby because he/she may have down syndrome. There were a couple agencies that were interested in bringing me on but there was one that stood out as being more friendly and I decided to activate a profile with "Open Arms." In my profile I specified who I was willing to carry for and what I was looking for in a couple and of course added information about me, my family, and my previous pregnancies. Pretty soon I had a call from the agency telling me about a couple who lived in Tampa and had been trying for several years to get pregnant with no success. They didn't have any other children and had been married for 11 years. We set up a conference call in September 2009 and then after meeting a couple times in person we decided to draw up some contracts. They had a donor in mind but she wouldn't be available until the spring of 2010. We waited patiently but unfortunately she fell through and so did the next 3 donors. Finally, in the summer of last year a wonderful experienced donor was found and things got underway. The contracts took a bit longer than usual to finish but they were ready just in time for my mock trial to start with all the meds and appointments to follow. In November of 2010 we transferred two embryos via IVF but two weeks later we found out that neither of them took. After a week of total devastation and lots and lots of tears I called the new IPs to see if they wanted to go again. After so many years of disappointment I wasn't sure what their stance would be but they eventually called me to tell me they wanted to try again. Our clinic in Tampa is closed each December so we waited until mid January and started the cycle again. Following up to three shots every day for months as well as several medications and weekly doctors appointments we were ready to try the transfer again on March 12. Again we transferred two embryos and after two of the longest weeks of my life I went in for my first Beta Blood test to check my hormone levels. Hours after my test the clinic finally called to tell me that we were pregnant!! After many more tears (this time of joy) we followed up with two more Beta test to confirm that the pregnancy was still strong. Two weeks later we had our first ultrasound and found out that both of the embryos had taken. Twins. Not really what I was hoping for but I was very thankful it wasn't triplets this time because last we only transferred two and one split after they both took. The following week we had another ultrasound and confirmed that both hearts were still beating strong. The fertility clinic released me to a normal OB/GYN and I was eventually weaned off all the painful shots that left me in tears many nights. Today I am a day shy of being 19 weeks along. This past Wednesday we went in for another ultrasound and found out that both of the twins are girls. I am so excited for the IPs, after trying for so long God has blessed them with two strong and growing babies at once. He is so good. My expected due date is November 6th (a little earlier than 40 weeks since they are twins). The photo here is my new addition to the back of my van. Three fish for the triplets (the one with the cross is for baby Isabella) and two for the twins.