This is a tribute to my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary.  After clicking on Play, click on the square at the bottom right hand corner to enlarge to fit your screen.

Enjoy!  Some of the pics are classics!

Oldies but goodies...

Well today was another one of those sweet moments that make me just plain happy to be a mom.  My kiddos were waiting for me as I got home from work today.  Michael especially wanted to play so we went into the front room and started playing ball.  Aubreigh quickly joined in and we started doing Ring around the Rosie.  Michael got so excited to "fall down".  I started spinning around very fast and we were all dizzy by the end.  The kids thought that was great!

Then Aubreigh kept asking to play "Duck Duck Goose".  So we did.  At first I thought that it would be difficult, since Michael would be clueless.....but he did REALLY well.  He caught on quickly, and even if he didn't know the technicalities, he knew enough to tap you on the head and yell goose.  Mostly everyone was a goose but on occasion you just may have been a duck.  It really wasn't a structured game of Duck Duck Goose, but it just cracked me up watching Michael playing it, trying so desperately hard to fit in with his big sister.

Afterwards we played one more classic.....Hide and Seek.  This is one of Aubreigh's favorite games.  It is really funny to watch her hide in the exact same spot as I hid the time before.  When it was time to count I would go by the stairs and but my head down and cover my eyes and start counting to 10.  It was hysterical because Michael started doing the same.  I loved watching him imitate me.  However, the little guy could only count to two.  I would hear him saying one, two, two, two, two.  It was so precious.

Then it was time for bed.  Michael was so mad it was bed time.  The sheer mention of "Night Night" caused him to yell "No" and stomp his feet.  He eventually fell asleep while Aubreigh and I played a game of Uno Moo and colored some princesses with markers.

Another one of my simple, yet special nights!  The kids had a blast playing games.  They had more fun with me than they did with their toys and tv all day.  Definitely some oldies but goodies that I am sure will be played much more in our household!

Year in Review 2010-2011 Highlights

I do about an hour long video starting in August (when Aubreigh was born) and it goes to the following year. I like to have them completed by the next birthday. I am a little late with this one because it was over 1.5 hours long and my computer couldn't burn it. I finally broke it into 2 segments and that worked!

This is the final highlights clip.........

Ordinarily Wonderful

I really don't write a lot anymore. However today I feel compelled to do so. It wasn't because it was a grand day, party, or life milestone. It was actually, well, kinda ordinary.

I picked up a pizza on my way home from work. Then, our foursome gathered in the living room to watch the "Smurfs" which was free on demand. Not five minutes into the movie, we heard Mister Softee outside, so Aubs and I ran to get some. All the kids in the neighborhood were excited since we hadn't seen him all winter long.

Aubreigh couldn't wait to get a twist with sprinkles and we bought her brother the same. It was rather chilly so we ran back in the house to eat it. Of course Michael had a ball eating it. It was his first official Mr. Softee all to himself.

Of course I took a few pictures and then I could see that Michael was getting tired. I put a blanket and pillow and laid on the floor with him. It is this that I hope to never forget.

He was sticky and smelled of a combination of chocolate ice cream and papa johns pineapple pizza. He also had a random strawberry stuck in his clothes from the fruit he had after dinner.

Of course I took a wet paper towel to him a few times, but he was the sticky hands, dried hard streak of ice cream in his hair , a smidge of pizza sauce on the chin boy that I loved. I loved it even more when he would give me the big belly laughs as I tickled him, or as he pointed to different parts of the movie when Gargamel came on. And we snuggled.....for over a half hour. He was growing into a big boy now. But he was still my baby. And this baby boy was usually non stop all over the place!

Whenever I am away at work or out and about and I think of him, the first thing that comes to mind is scooping him up, tickling his belly, squeezing him to "reeces pieces" and smelling whatever meal had made its way into his hair, hands and face that day.

As he was getting tired, I asked if he wanted to go "night night" which he did and he started up the steps just as I suggested. I kissed him good night and tucked him in with his blankie.

Darren tucked Aubreigh into bed, but I had to go and give her a little snuggle as well. She was in a pleasant mood, despite the fact that she wasn't thrilled that it was her bedtime already.

She found some toy catalog that had come in the mail and was reading it while I tiredly lay beside her drifting off. I gave her a big squeeze and said "I love you"....and then in a squeaky, low whisper she said "I love you too mommy". My heart melted. I didn't realize I would get a response.

We laid there cuddling for a while. I was rather tired, and figured that I would just shut my eyes a bit. And that was when the compulsion began. This day was so very ordinary.....yet so very wonderful. I just had to write about it.

I hope to never forget cuddling that sticky sweet boy or hearing that wonderful mousey whisper from my little angel. And these are the very reasons why I will never take being a mother for granted.

DIsney Cruise Day 4: Sea Day

I chose the 4 day over the 3 day cruise to have a sea day. When I used to book cruises, I used to think that a sea day would be boring. However, it is just the opposite. There is usually so much to do, and if you don't want to do it, you can just relax!

The first thing I did that morning was go check out the nursery and kids club. They have a few limited times where they are open to the public (and not in session) for adults to check them out. The nursery was nice, had a bunch of toys for the tots to play with, but the Oceaneers club was AMAZING. They had all these areas for the kids to hang out in. My favorite was the life size "Andy's room" from toy story. It was so cool and there was so much to play with. They also had a tinkerbelle station with princess costumes and computer, a light up dance floor, a Monsters Inc lab, and something with Nemo as well. I remember thinking to myself that Aubreigh had missed out by not being left there at some point.

That morning after breakfast, I finished buying up a few souveniers in the gift shop. I got a cute Candyland Disney game, a watch for my mother in law, a stuffed Minnie and Mickey (how could you not?), and a nice Disney Cruise photo album to keep all of our memories in--because I am the obsessive compulsive camera picture taker.

Then we got in line early for the Incredibles Jack Jack Diaper Dash. It is a crawling baby contest and I knew that Michael would excel in it since he was 16 months and still NOT WALKING.

The diaper dash was a lot of fun. There were 10 babies, who were no match for Michael. He won his first heat without a problem. In the other heat, there was a twin by the name of Tobias who looked like he could give Michael a challenge. However, when all was said and done, Michael blew him out of the water and took home the medal (in the shape of Mickey Mouse of course). Definitely something for his memory box.

Then we headed up to ride the Aqua Duck. It is a water coaster on the newer ships. The line is usually pretty long and I expected it would be ridiculous on the sea day, but heck, I had to ride the Aqua Duck. I did probably wait a bit over 30 min. but the line wasn't that bad. I can usually amuse myself by people watching. I also had a good view of the ship and noticed a cute goofy mini golf course. We never got to play because there was not enough time.

The Aqua duck was a lot of fun. Not scary at all. I much preferred it to the salt water rush up my nose from the Pelican Plunge at Castaway Cay. Darren preferred Pelican Plunge, so I guess he likes a fast thrill that surely clears out the sinuses. I would have rode it again if I had another sea day or the line wasn't so long. I think you have to be 42 inches to ride with an adult. If you don't weigh enough you can apparently get stuck in the slide. My sisters had to wait forever in line because a person a head of them got stuck.

The kids played around the splash pad and in the Mickey Pool. I was a bit worried that I would be cold up on deck since it was only in the mid 70s, but I was fine--NOT CHILLED AT ALL. The pools are heated, and I believe the splash pad area was as well.

We came back to relax afterwards, pack, and get ready for our last dinner. Aubreigh and I also snuck in one last character meet and greet before dinner. They have a farewell party where Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisey, Chip and Dale, Goofy and Pluto stand around to take pics. They are only there for a brief period of time (Maybe 20-30 min), but we were lucky enough to hit all of them. We were doing mad dashes for the characters. We did miss out on Tinker Belle though. She had special time slots in a special section of the atrium with a back drop. We tried to get in line earlier that morning (were a little late because of the Diaper Dash), but they are very blunt and have a cast member who says who is the last family in line. I understand that this is needed, or the characters would be there forever! However, I think they could have longer appearances and more appearances. There is a section in the daily cruise report (the Navigator) which tells all the character times and appearances. I didn't realize Tink was so limited.

After Dinner we went to the show "Believe". It started off slow at first, but then got really good. Aubs loved it because there were princesses in the end.

Then we headed back to the room. Our signed pillowcases were waiting for us. I had taken them to guest services the first day to get signed by all the characters. Some other things people take are photo mats and t-shirts. You slip the fabric markers and pillow cases in a ziploc, along with some candy for the castmembers and they sign them for you. You can get all the characters, or just ones that you want (some boys don't like princesses, but I had Michael's pillowcase signed by them all).

One of the neat features of the Disney TV is that there are a TON of disney programs to watch. So that night I put on "The Parent Trap"--the original with Hailey Mills, not that Lindsay Lohan junk! Unfortunately I fell asleep quickly, so I never did get to finish it.

Tomorrow we were going home. My father had been released from the hospital and was going to meet us at the Airport. I was so glad that we ended up going. It really was a great trip despite all that happened. I am still super sad that my father wasn't there to experience our once in a lifetime trip, but at the same time I know that it happening at this particular time (being in Orlando at the biggest Cardiac Clinic in the nation) was not bad luck. It was fate. He needed to be there for his life to be saved.

Disney Dream Day 3 Part II Pirate Night

During the Disney Cruise, they designate one night as Pirate Night. I think it usually ends up being the day that you go to Castaway Cay (at least on the 4 night Dream).

When we got back to our staterooms after Castaway Cay, we were greeted with Mickey Mouse Pirate bandanas in our stateroom for everyone. I had made Aubreigh a special litte pirate outfit to wear for the party as well, and brought some pirate patches, but I totally forgot about them. When you are on the cruise there is just so much to do, and you don't want to miss ANYTHING!!! So sometimes you are in a rush and forget what you packed and where you packed it. Or it could also be that i planned and packed for all of us and my mind just couldn't hold it all in:)

We went to dinner that night, and as in Disney Fashion, the waiters were all decked out in their pirate fashions! That is one thing that I loved about the Disney Cruise. I loved that each night whether they were pirates or members of the royal palace, our waiters came to life. Our wait staff was just outstanding and exceptional to begin with, but this added a whimsical note. This is what the magic of Disney is all about. And if you really don't care about what the waiters wear, or how they entertain your children while you eat (they would actually do "air planes" with Michaels spoon to feed him, and even one time pushed his high chair around the restaurant for a ride), then maybe you won't get anything out of a disney cruise. However, to go out to a nice meal, and not really worry about your kids behaving(because there are kids everywhere) is just wonderful. And all the little touches, like Miguel our waiter making a Mickey Face with the ketchup he poured each time for Aubreigh, were priceless, and really added something special to the trip.

After dinner we went to the first Pirate Party. We had early dining, which for our family is key. The first Pirate Party is the character Dance Party. By the time we got there it was getting a little crowded, so we headed to the top deck. We didn't have the best view of the stage, however, we were right where a few characters came in, so it was still fun. At one point Smee (who is Captain Hooks assistant) started hugging my sister.

After that, we all went back to the rooms to rest for a bit. The big Pirate Dance Party with the Buccaneer Blast fireworks show was at 10:30pm. That was a bit late for us, but when on a disney cruise, you feel compelled to do everything! So we all went. The fireworks were ok. They weren't anything magical like the Castle at Disney, but still nice. The only thing I would recommend is to sit on the left side of the ship when facing the stage. The fireworks tend to go to the right side, so if you are directly beneath them, you won't have a great view.

After the fireworks, there was a dance party (hip hop type of stuff). Honestly, I preferred the character dance party more. I guess i am just a kid at heart as opposed to a club hopping twenty something. ANd if I did it again, and missed the fireworks, I would be ok with that too.

We headed to the fast food places and got some burgers and fries and snacks for a late night treat, because you always starve on a cruise....lol. Then we headed to our rooms for some must needed rest.

Tomorrow was a sea day. I had purposely scheduled a 4 day cruise for this reason. I wanted one day with no agenda....well sort of anyway:) And I needed to finally ride the Aqua Duck!

Disney Dream: Day 3 Part I

This was the day I was waiting for-- Castaway Cay (Pronounced Key)

I was looking forward to a nice relaxing day at the beach, even though i am not a huge beach fan. I was longing for some crystal blue waters and sunshine.

We ate a nice sit down breakfast (the only dining room that does this is the Royal Palace). Then we headed to the beach. The weather was the best it had been.....80 degrees and full of sunshine.

There were several photo ops along the path to the beach. I wished we would have gotten the one with the ship in the background, but instead we got the one with the character drums. It was still cute. It was a little bit of a walk (maybe 10-15 minutes) but it wasn't bad. They have a shuttle if you don't want to trek it -- or have small children who have little feet that get tired quickly. We found some beach chairs and an umbrella without much issue despite the fact that we were not the first ones off the boat. Aubreigh immediately headed towards the water. It was a tad cold, but not too bad. My mother found some sand pails that they were selling so the kids could get to work building their sand castles. Note to self: if we ever go again, pack some pails and shovels or spend $20 on new ones.

I also rented a tube ($6) for the day. Overall, I didn't feel the prices of the rental equiptment was bad at all. My sister and I did an aqua trike (one of those bikes that float on the water) for about $15. You had the bike for 1/2 hour, but the girl who rented us one said that they don't calculate the time you are on them. She said that you will get a work out on them and probably be ready to return it at about that time anyway. She was correct! I couldn't take Aubreigh on them because she was too small. I don't remember the exact age, but i think it was around 5 yrs old to ride them. That was fine, however, because I could only imagine how tired I would have felt to have to do all the peddling!

They had a special area called "Spring a Leak" for the tots. Michael loved it. He didn't care if the water shot right up and hit him in the face. He had a smile from ear to ear the whole time!

We also gathered in front of one of the Pavillions for a Character dance party. Mickey and Minnie came out in some beach attire and danced with the kids. Castaway Cay was turning out to be an awesome place. But really, how could it not be awesome with soft serve (self serve) ice cream stations that greeted you as you walked along the pathways?

Castaway Cay also provided lunch (so you didn't have to pay anything extra or go back on the ship). They had a huge buffet line of ribs, chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, slaw and salads. It was pretty good:) And Aubreigh is a huge ribs fan, so she rather enjoyed herself.

For the last hurrah on the Island, Darren, Deneen, and I decided to try the water slide that goes into the sea-- Pelican Plunge. You actually have to swim out to the dock that it is on. The water was a bit could at first, but it was actually quite refreshing. There wasn't much of a line--maybe 5-10 minutes. All 3 of us did the second slide. The line was slightly longer on the first one. OK, so there was a reason for that. The slide we chose was the fast, enclosed tube slide. One second I was starting the slide, the next thing I knew had a rush of salt water up my nose. One thing for sure, my sinuses were cleared out afterwards! :::me thinks waiting for line 1 would have been the better option:::

Darren actually lost his sunglasses on the slide (i did warn him ahead of time. There was no way that i was going to lose my new Juicy Couture aviators- so I tucked them in a shirt and left them on the beach). One of the life guards heard us talking, and told Darren to check back with guest services later. Apparently they have a dive team that goes in after the slides close and finds all sorts of stuff that is lost. Only at Disney.... (but they never did find the glasses).

I don't remember the exact height restriction for the slide. However, I do remember thinking Aubreigh would almost make it, and she is only 3. And she is a peanut. I can't imagine a 3 y/o going on this. Let alone swimming to the dock (the water is 6 ft deep). I am sure they have to wear life jackets, but I still think I would want my kids to be 6 or 7 to do this....and to definitely wait for the first slide!

There is another area on the beach called Scuttles Cove. It is similar to the Oceaneers Club onboard. If kids are 3 and potty trained, you can leave them in the adult supervised setting (it was not near the water). Darren and I have said that we would love to go back when Michael is older. They also have special cell phones on the cruise. Every room has 2. You can call each other or other staterooms on the ship (and I believe Castaway Cay too) so you are never too far out of reach. Normally, I would be leery of kids clubs, however, I was very impressed with Disney, and I am sure they do all that they can to insure the highest standards since that is what their name is built upon and associated with.

After the Beach We headed back to get ready for Dinner and Pirate Night. Since there is still so much more to talk about, I think I will save that for the next post.

They may say that Disney World is "The Happiest Place on Earth", but I am thinking Castaway Cay may claim that title. Just think about it. When you go to the parks, kids are having melt downs everywhere, you are always waiting in line for something or another, and you are overwhelmed by EVERYTHING...trying to make the most of each second. On Castaway Cay, there is a nice balance of relaxation and stimulation. Heck I would like to take a vacation just to Castaway Cay:)

Disney Dream: Day 2

As I woke up for the second morning, I could see the sun starting to peak out. This was going to be a much better day...I could feel it.

Aubreigh and I got in line early to meet the princesses. They had 3 princess meet and greets set up on the ship. Aubreigh took her story book for them to sign, and I was armed with the camcorder and camera--because I am obsessed with preserving memories. We stood in line for a little bit (20-30 min) but it wasn't too bad. We got to meet Snow White, Belle, Aurora, Cindy (apparently she and Aubs are on a first name basis), and Tiana. We were very excited to see Tiana since we she was the only one that we hadn't met at the Dinner we had in the Castle while at disney a few days prior.

After we left the princesses, we stood in line for Pinocchio and Peter Pan since they were short. We also saw Tinker Belle walking through the hallway (she was being escorted to an appearance or something). When characters are being escorted you are unable to take pics and just say a quick hello. We also saw Aladdin just roaming the halls as we walked back to our stateroom. He stopped to say hello to Aubreigh and asked her to keep a look out for Abu--his pet monkey. She thought this morning was the best. She loved the characters!

Afterwards, I took Aubs to my mothers room and brought us back some things to eat from the buffet.. Michael and Darren had eaten while we went to the princesses. Then we got ready and headed out to Nassau.

A lot of people had said that it was best to just stay on the ship that day. However, if I am somewhere new, I have to check things out-- If only for the fact that I can say I have been there.

We were greeted at the port by tons of Bahamians wanting to give us a taxi ride somewhere. We could see Atlantis in the background and decided to go there-for 4 bucks a person (It was my mom, Deneen, Michael, Aubreigh, and myself). We got to Atlantis, but honestly it was not as nice as I expected it to be (at the reception area). We were not going to do the water parks because the kids were too young, and I didn't feel it would be worth the extra $40 pp to visit the aquarium, so we just walked around the shops and stopped at the candy store, and then headed back.

The cab driver on the way back was very informative. He showed us different landmarks and one of them was the PRIVATE hospital that Anna Nicole Smith had her baby in. Let me just say, I would never want to have a baby in the Bahamas, and I could only shudder at the thought of what the public hospital looked like. My mother and I looked at each other and thought the same thing....Thank GOD that my father did not have his heart attack in the Bahamas!

When we got back we decided to go on a horse and carriage ride. I am a sucker for them. I love to get a tour of the city and hear what the tour guide has to say. I do believe, however, that this tour guide was drunk. I was also a little worried that the carriage was going to fall apart every time we hit a bump--it was super rickety. But, we made it-and Aubreigh said she enjoyed it and Michael's eyes were as big as quarters the whole time. I was also worried that our city mini jogger was going to be sold to the highest bidder by the drivers assistant who promised she would watch it while we went. Fortunately, she was standing there with it as we got back. She asked for a tip and I gladly gave her 5 bucks and she seemed good with that. Something on this trip worked out.

Then we headed back to the ship. Nassau was not a destination that I would long to go back too, but I am definitely glad that I experienced it.

On the way back I saw some pay phones and was going to try and call my father. I couldn't find any info on how to get them to work or how much they would cost, so I just let it be. I was actually having a semi good day, and I was kind of nervous about calling my dad. I knew that if something happened they would contact us immediately on the cruise ship. And I kind of just needed a break from stress. I had not been sleeping for a few nights and had an upset stomach the day before, and as terrible as it sounds, I just wanted to hide from the chaos for one day.

We got back and Darren took Aubreigh to the pool so Michael and I could nap, which of course didn't work out too well. We got ready for dinner and went to the "Enchanted Garden" for dinner. Miguel, our assistant waiter was top notch again. He did magic tricks for the kids and had apple juice and water waiting for them as they were seated. Afterwards we went to see "Villian's Tonite" another broadway-esque disney themed show about the lighter side of the villians. It was pretty good, but Aubreigh and Michael both fell asleep, so we left towards the end.

Day 2 was actually nice. Could it be quite possible that the doom and gloom mood we started the trip with was getting a little lighter?

Disney Vacation: The Disney Dream Day 1

How does that saying go....the best laid plans????

That pretty much sums up our vacation this Feb 9-16th. My father, who was traveling with us ended up having a heart attack during the first leg of our trip. Fortunately, he was well taken care of by both the Florida Hospital and my extended family that lived nearby. He would have to miss the cruise portion, but since it was all paid for and he wanted us to go, we went (with a bunch of worries and guilt of course).

The first day we boarded, we (myself, Darren, Aubreigh, Michael, Mom, 2 sisters, and my Neice) were in a bit of a haze. We were unsure if we should even be on the cruise, worried about how my father was managing back in the hospital, and guilty for actually going on the cruise while he was recovering.

The weather was not pleasant at all. In fact, it was downright cold and windy. It was actually fitting for our mental state. Instead of being excited to enter the ship, I kind of just wanted to get this vacation over with, but I had a very excited little 3 year old, and I was determined to make the best of an unfortunate situation.

There was a photo spot as soon as you were entering the cruise. I didn't know how the rest of my family felt, but I just couldn't bring myself to take a picture of my whole family without my father in it. So I just quickly passed the photographer stating we were not interested. I pretty much had this attitude at any photo opportunities for the 8 of us.

We had the buffet lunch in the Enchanted Garden Dining room. We were all starving. Then we went to our rooms to rest a bit, and went to the sail away party. I took Aubreigh. By the time we got their, we really had a hard time seeing the characters and it was rather cold. So we went back to the cabin to get ready for dinner.

There are 3 main dining rooms on the Disney Dream. You have a rotating schedule and get to visit all of them. Our first night was the Animator's Palate. It was probably the least formal looking of the dining rooms, but was still very cute. There were cute Mickey themed seats and there was a large screen TV at the foot of our table. This is where "Crush" would come and talk to Aubreigh. Our assistant waiter was Top Notch. He had water in a children's cup waiting for the kids as soon as we were seated. He drew pics of Mickey mouse on them and totally catered to the children. He even made a Mickey Mouse with ketchup for Aubreigh to dip her chicken in. Once he learned what their drink choices would be, he would have them ready each night for the kids as we sat down.

I don't remember a ton about the meal, as my head was still in the clouds, but I do remember ordering some blueberry drink that was really good. I am not much of a drinker, but I definitely needed it.

Afterwards, we took Aubreigh to one of the character meet spots. Donald was there and there wasn't much of a line (it was in the bingo room instead of the atrium, which normally gets swamped). We got some pics and then it was time for Mickey to make his debut, so we just stayed and got some more. The Characters usually only did 15 minute greets, and there was always a crew member who would stand at the end of the line designating who would be the last family to have their picture taken. There was a list of where the characters would be, but it is hard to hit them all with all of the other activities going on. I am sure that if you are on a 7 night cruise it would be much better.

We took Aubreigh back to the room to change in her PJs for the show. My family watched Michael so Darren and I could spend some alone time with her. We went to "Golden Mickey's" which is like an awards show for Disney (We also got to see Minnie in the bingo room on the way to the show). Aubreigh enjoyed it very much. She especially loved seeing the princesses on stage. Then we went back and got some much needed sleep. The few nights prior had been rather restless. Was it possible that we were actually starting to relax and enjoy this cruise?