Our Budding Foodie

This morning, while we were in line for preschool registration (yes, it's that time of year already), Lily could not stop staring at this other mom. She kept making comments about her and asking who she was. And then she announced, "She looks like Giada!" (As in Giada De Laurentis, star of Everyday Italian and Giada at Home on the Food Network.) The fact that she knows who Giada De Laurentis is and made the association to this mother whose hair did, in fact, kind of resemble Giada's, is in itself both impressive and comical (although not particularly shocking since her father regularly has her and Cassidy in the kitchen cooking with him and has the TV tuned to the Food Network on a regular basis...the kids often sit mesmerized watching a dish being prepared by one Food Network star or another). But, it gets better. Lily kept staring and asking me to go ask the mom her name. After a few minutes, I finally realized that she was convinced that Giada was in line behind us to register her child for preschool...AND she was a little star struck. Even after I told the mom Lily's theory and she confirmed that she was NOT Giada, Lily eventually made her way over to her and got up the nerve to ask her name...just to be doubly sure! :)

Later at lunchtime, as Lily was making her sandwich and preparing her plate, I noticed that she was carefully arranging her goldfish around her sandwich, taking the time to carefully place each one in a particular spot. When I commented on her efforts she told me, "Giada always puts stuff around her food on her plate, so I like to do that too!" Our little chef...maybe one day she'll be The Next Food Network Star! :)

For Our Troops

I am thinking of our troops this morning and all they do to protect our freedoms. Perhaps I should explain. See, we have a stomach bug visiting at our house. I started throwing up Saturday evening and all three kids followed just a few hours later. Thankfully, Joey hasn't caught it so he's been on constant clean-up/nurse duty.

Anyway, no one's been able to eat anything in over 24 hours, which leaves us all very weak and lethargic. Making my way from my bed to the couch is an exhausting task that requires a nap. I'm feeling pretty rotten...and then I thought of our soldiers, in particular the ones who were prisoners of war. They endured starvation and sickness for years. They had no soft beds or warm blankets. They didn't have a toilet to throw up into, a warm shower to refresh themselves, or clean pajamas to wear. No endless supply of cool, fresh water or clean, healthy, non-maggot-filled food was always available to them when they needed it. To add insult to injury, they were often tortured and forced to perform manual labor. What strength of mind it must have taken to endure...I just tried to start a load of laundry and felt as if I were going to pass out. But endure they did, and all in the name of freedom.

So to the men and women who serve and have served in our armed forces, I say "thank you." May God bless you and your families for many generations to come.

Princess Cupcakes

Auntie Jenn likes to do baking projects with the girls over Christmas break. Last year, they did gingerbread houses. This year the holidays were hectic and Auntie Jenn was under the weather so we did an after-Christmas project instead...PRINCESS CUPCAKES!!!

 Lily carefully adding sprinkles to her cupcake.

 She was more interested in sneaking the candies and icing into her mouth than getting them on the cake!

 Cassidy is proud of her confectionary masterpiece.

(See the cool "paints" in the corner of the picture? We had princess pictures made out of sugar that we placed on each cupcake. Then the girls got to paint each picture and then decorate with sprinkes and more frosting.)

 Lily does not subscribe to the "less is more" theory when it comes to cupcake decorating.

 One of Cassidy's Confections

All finished! The girls have enjoyed eating them as much as they enjoyed making them! :)

Snow Day?

Last week, our little part of the world was expecting a MAJOR snow/ice storm. While several counties around us got several inches of snow, we saw only a few flakes.

 Here the girls are trying to snag a few flakes on their tongue. They kept asking, "Where's the snow?!?!"

 So, what do you do on a snow day when there's NO SNOW?!?! Fortunately, my creative girls came up with a solution. They found a project in Cassidy's High Five magazine and went to work making Rainy Day Boxes!

 Painting is soooooo much fun.

 Snugglebug

 Lily is proud of her handiwork.

Finn's 1st Masterpiece

(He had to get in on the action, too, ya know!)

 The artist's signature (at least at our house)...a handprint!

In the end we got an almost invisible sheet of ice on everything, including the roads. I discovered the ice as I was striding in a most cavalier manner down the sidewalk, talking on the phone to my mother about how our roads were fine. She got a good laugh from my screams when shoe met ice and I was flailing about in my yard trying to stay upright! :)

I WON!!!

I cannot believe it - I NEVER win anything! - but I won a $250 gift card from Best Buy just by commenting on a post from one of my favorite blogs: Product Reviews from a Quad Mom Named Suz! Woo hoo! Now, what to do with our prize???

I am one happy monkey this morning! :)

Walt Disney World

Disney was unbelievable. I've been to Disney World before, but not like this. Everyday life when seen through the eyes of your children is pretty amazing, but throw in princesses, faries, and pirates in the most magical setting imaginable and get ready for a mind-blowing experience. Below are just a few of the 1000+ moments we captured during our trip. 



 It's 3:00 p.m. on New Year's Eve and we're off. The girls are happily drawing with their Color Wonder Magic Markers and Finn is settleing in for a rest. Fifteen minutes later...

 Seriously, the excitement must have been too much for them! Cassidy's paper was actually stuck to her face. :)

 After spending a rest-LESS night in Jacksonville (I think Joey and I barely squeaked out 2 hours) we finally arrived at the Disney Gates.

 The computers at our resort were down so it took more than an hour to check in. They were actually turning people away, but Joey prayed - and refused to leave - and by the time we made it to the front of the line, the computers started working. This was just the first of many blessings from God during our trip.

After all the excitement, we were REALLY excited to sit down to our first meal at Disney!

 We stayed at the All-Star Movie Resort in the 101 Dalmations building. The kids LOVED all the characters around the property...Finn would pant like a puppy every time we passed them!

 Our 1st stop at Hollywood Studios - Playhouse Disney LIVE!

 The girls LOVED anything 3D...here we're about to see the Muppets. Cassidy kept trying to reach out and grab whatever appeared to be right in front of her!

 My Favorite Part of the Day - the NYC street was lit with a billion Christmas lights. Music was in the air and "snow" was falling from the sky. It was breathtaking and I couldn't stop smiling!

 Decked out in our matching Mickey/Minnie shirts for our first day at the Magic Kingdom

 Mommy and Finny

 We were one of the lucky few that got to meet Rapunzel at a special meet and greet that included dancing with the princess. We were actually the last people they let get into line for one of the groups...we were SO thankful and the girls were beyond thrilled. Finn wasn't as happy...he cracked his head on the stone walkway...the first of at least a dozen spills he took on Disney property.

 The fairies were another must-see for us. This encounter was the first time Joey and I noticed that our girls were getting a lot more face time with the characters than most. The girls were so engaging and animated that many characters spent a LONG time talking with them before taking pictures. We got at least 10 minutes alone with the fairies because they (and the rest of the Disney staffers) thought Lily was a riot! :)

 Day 2 - We are getting ready for Animal Kingdom and this is where I find Finn.

 My Monkeys posing with the giant gorilla on the Tree of Life

 Lily attempted to collect every leaf in the Animal Kingdom...she seemed fascinated with all the different sizes, shapes and colors. We finally had to put a stop to her collection as she was seriously impeding progress!

 Here is where we learn that Lily is terrified of costumed characters that "do not talk!" Every time we made her pose with one, she would repeatedly scream at them, "Please don't touch me!!!"

 On the safari - Cassidy was very intent on getting pictures with her new camera. After the safari, she complained that "Mommy and Daddy kept putting their arms in my picture!" because we were pointing out animals. As part of the tour, we chased poachers away from a baby elephant. After the ride was over, Joey said to Lily, "Lily, you did it! You saved the baby elephant!" Lily, in her very Lily way, responded, "I DID??? HOW DID I DO THAT?!?!" With an angry fist up in the air, she referred threateningly to the "pokers" the rest of the day.

 No need to worry about keeping up with your normal exercise routine at Disney...you will walk miles while carrying your children!

 The kids were eager to see more animals after the safari. They especially loved the fish!

 The tigers are always my favorite. :)

 After staring at him from a distance at Magic Kingdom, Finny finally got to meet Tigger. He was not thrilled to be so close to him. :)

 Best Show at Disney: Celebration of the Lion King

AWESOME!!! One of only two shows that had REALLY good singers...not to mention the dancers and acrobats! :)

 Pocahontas was a great surprise at Animal Kingdom

 Finding Nemo: The Musical was a close second to the Lion King. Great puppets and performers! :)

 Our 2nd Day at Magic Kingdom

There were NO lines this day so we flew through so many fun experiences! :) I will ALWAYS visit Disney in January!!! The weather was fabulous and there were NO crowds!!!

 The girls were as excited to meet the stepmother and stepsisters as they were Cinderealla. They got lots of visiting time with them and during the parade later that day the stepmother came over and said, "Oh, here are my friends, Cassidy and Lily!" Joey and I were thrilled that she remembered the girls!

 Finny gets a kiss from a stepsister

 Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen

During the parade Tiana looked down at us and said, "Oh, look! There's the Frog Prince!" Again, we were so excited that she remembered us! (Finn was wearing his frog prince shirt that day.)

 Another loooong visit...this time with Ariel. At this point, Joey and I are saying to each other, "Is it just me, or have we been standing here a really long time???"

 Riding Aladdin's Magic Carpet

 Princess Jasmine and Aladdin

 Even Daddy, who doesn't like to spin, rode the magic carpet ride...twice!

 Patiently waiting for Mommy and Cassidy while we....

 ...rode SPACE MOUNTAIN!!! This was Cassidy's 2nd roller coaster...she rode Thunder Mountain with Joey earlier in the day. She was very brave and didn't back out even when she had to sit in a seat all by herself. I leaned over her seat and wrapped my arms around her as best as I could. Then we took off in our rocket. Either leaning forward was a BAD idea or I am getting too old for roller coasters, but spinning, dropping, and flying around in the dark is not as fun as I once thought. I tried to make my screams sound like I was having fun (and I threw in a few "hang on babys" for good measure) but really I was thinking, "When is this thing going to be over??? Get me off!!!!" When the ride was over I half expected Cassidy to be crying, but she just looked at me with a half smile and said, "I did it, Mommy, and guess what? I was a little bit scared." Me too, baby, me too.

 Joey further conquered his fear of spinning - and then throwing up - and went on the teacups twice! :)

 Finny couldn't leave Disney without a ball and an Tigger hat!

 Breakfast with the princesses at Epcot on our last day began with a photo session with Belle.

I would do just about anything to see those smiles. :)

 Later in the day, we boarded clam shells for a ride through the ocean with Nemo.

 We got to see more sea creatures in the aquarium. Finn especially loved the dolphins...he would scream and laugh every time one swam past.

 Peeking out of Bruce's mouth

 Meeting Belle and the Beast in France...Finn was not scared of the Beast at all...he was fascinated!

 Playing in the Sensory Funhouse

 We put ourselves into a computer game that we then got to play.

 Daddy and Finn on the fire truck in the fire safety center

We were VERY sad to leave on our last day, but the memories we made will last us a lifetime! :)