Wish I was back in Disney

I know there is no point in wishing it, we can't go back now. It has been a tough week. We have all been sick with head/chest colds and lots of coughing. Even Little-G has had it. I think we are finally on the upswing to getting healthy now. I have had enough sleepless nights. That is one thing about having 3 kids ... they all wake up at night when they are sick, but never at the same time, just one after another after another. Thankfully by Christmas it should all be long gone! We had Christmas/Thanksgiving dinner at my mother-in-law's house. We had to reschedule Thanksgiving because they were sick. There was lots and lots of good food. Unfortunately, we had to leave early because the kids were just not feeling good. I felt so bad for them because they had been looking forward to it so much. I didn't even take any pictures because they just looked so pathetic. Hopefully we'll be able to get everyone together again soon so that they can have fun playing with Grandpa, Grandma and Aunt K.

On Christmas Eve we are having Christmas with my side of the family, then Christmas day will be just us. Then on the weekend we are traveling up north to see my dad's side of the family. There should be about 30 people there, so it will be lots of fun. Then the next weekend there will be more traveling to my husbands family up north. We look forward to celebrating Jesus' birthday with everyone.

Here are some more vacation pictures:

Uncle M and Middle-G having fun at Mickey's house.

This was the Lights, Motor, Action show. Big-G's favorite. He actually cried when it was over.

Here is Big-G and Daddy with Lightening McQueen and Mader.

This is Big-G and Uncle M on the backlot tour at Hollywood Studios.

This is the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights. It was really cool!

We're Home!!

That was by far the best vacation ever. Where do I even start. I think I'll just try to cover a couple of days today and then I'll tell you more later when I have more time. First off, we have to praise God for a safety, health and wonderful weather. We were so blessed during this trip. We didn't know how it would be traveling with Middle-G and all the extra things he needs done, but things went very smoothly. Little-G was perfect. Uncle M and my husband took turns and drove straight down with only a few bathroom/gas stops, about 24 hours. Little-G cried for a total of about 10 minutes the whole way. The kids traveled a lot better than I thought they would.

We got there a day earlier than we had planned because we drove straight through, so we found a hotel for the first night and went to Sea World the next day. It was a beautiful day. I think it was about 65, but it felt like 80 to us. We all had to change into shorts in the parking lot of Sea World because we were so hot. The kids loved it. I hadn't been there for many years, but it was just as good as I remembered. The boys just loved the whale show and the sea lion show. I think they especially loved the very friendly squirrels and birds who hounded us when we were eating.

That night we got to check into our Disney hotel. It was very nice. The landscaping was beautiful. We stayed at Port Orleans Riverside, so it was supposed to feel like you were in the bayou in Louisiana. It was very lush. Not anything like home right now! It was a tight squeeze with all 6 of us in 1 room, but I think everyone slept better than expected.

The following morning was our first day at Disney World. We went to the Magic Kingdom first of course. The boys loved everything. Their eyes were like saucers. It was really neat watching them see everything for the first time. They loved every ride. We were very surprised, but neither of them were afraid of anything the entire trip. Big-G loved the Peter Pan ride and Middle-G really loved the Pooh ride. We all had so much fun.

We didn't know when we planned this trip, but apparently we were there for the weekend that they filmed the Disney Christmas Day Parade for ABC. It is not at all what you would think. The whole thing is fake. All of the spectators are special audience members who act happy when the director tells them to. Those people had to stand in their spots from 8 a.m. until around lunch time before they even started filming. Then when they do film, there is no music or sound on any of the floats. I guess they just add that in later. So, basically a bunch of people stand around all day cheering at nothing. I guess it doesn't all come together until they put it on TV. We did get a couple of pictures of Regis and Kelly who were there for the parade. It was neat to watch. I always wondered how they got such put together tourist on camera at the parade.

I'll try to post a few pictures now, and then I'll fill you all in on some more details/pics when I have more time later.


Here are the boys at Sea World. This is one those rare pictures where everyone looks good.


Here is Shamu. This show was awesome.



Here is Little-G with one of those very friendly squirrels.


Here is me and my hubby at the sea lions.



Here is Middle-G and Daddy driving on the raceway.


Uncle-M and Big-G on Dumbo the Flying Elephant.


A very blurry picture of the backs of Regis' and Kelly's heads.

Thanksgiving

Here is Middle-G obviously enjoying his Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time on Thursday with our own little family and then another delicious meal on Saturday with Thanksgiving with my family. Saturday was a very relaxing day and much needed. I haven't had a relaxing moment since then with all of the packing. Me and my brother spent many hours yesterday packing and repacking the van, but we finally fit everything in. We are very excited to be leaving this afternoon. A little scared to be in the car with all the little ones for so long, but still excited. Please pray for our safety and sanity. We are just so grateful that everyone is healthy and we can take a trip like this. We have so much to give thanks for. The list never ends!! Gotta run, lots to do today!!

Here are a few pics:


Daddy and Little-G taking a nap on Saturday.


Big-G eating his meal on Thanksgiving.


Our attempt at trying to get us all in the same picture without a 6th person to take the picture. We'll keep trying!

Fairwell Old Friend

This Sunday we had to say goodbye to someone we have known for the past 8 years. He's gotten us through a lot of tough times and was faithful to us even to the very end. I guess what they say is true - "Parting is such sweet sorrow." I didn't know when the day would come, but we finally had to say goodbye to our old Ford Crown Victoria. It was bittersweet. Now that we have the new van we don't need the old Vic as our second car anymore. My husband had a friend from a previous job who had always wanted this car, so we gave it to him. At least maybe we'll still see it again someday! Even though it was a rusty junk heap, it was still sad seeing it go. I hope that Lamont enjoys the same faithful service we got from it.

Other than that, we had a fun time over the weekend. My husbands aunt and cousins came over with their kids. The boys had a fun time playing with them. Also, Lamont brought his wife and son who is also 3-1/2 like Big-G, so he had a great time shooting some hoops with him. Lamont and my husband played a game of "tiny hoops." That was the only catch for us to give him the car. It was a very exciting game, and my husband won with a huge come from behind victory.

I also put up the tree this week to get that done before we leave on vacation (6 days left). We usually get a real tree, but I just stuck up the fake one this year because we won't be home much. I don't even know if it will last until Christmas. I might just get sick of trying to protect it from Middle-G. He is a monster around that tree. He has the glass ornaments in his hands every time I turn around. He broke 3 yesterday and also cut his finger. That hasn't slowed him down though. He is already at it again this morning. I hope he eventually learns to "look with your eyes - not your hands." Little-G thankfully isn't old enough to bother the tree yet, but he loves laying under it and watching the lights and shiny bulbs. He just kicks his legs, coos and smiles. I'll enjoy it while it lasts!

Tomorrow we are having Thanksgiving with just us 5 because I have to work. We are having dinner with my side of the family on Saturday. Other than that, we will probably just be getting everything ready to go. Uncle M, thankfully, helped to clean out the van, and now it smells like a new car!! I don't want to think of what it is going to look like when we get home!

We have a lot to be thankful for. We are sooooo thankful for our family and everything they have done to help us get through tough times. Sometimes I feel like I shouldn't be accepting so much help and should be taking care of everything on my own, but God reminds me that this is what family is for. They have been such a gift, and our boys are sooooooo blessed to have them. Thank you to everyone who has blessed us with your time and prayers, and may God bless you in return.

Here are a few pics from the weekend:

Big-G and Little-G. They are going to be the same size soon!


Here is Middle-G playing with his cousin Miss E.


Here is Lamont trying to make a shot without hitting the ceiling.


One last ride for old time's sake.


A rare picture of mommy with Middle-G.

YIKES, SNAKES!!!!

Here's Big-G at the annual Snake Day at the museum. This was our first time going, but it was really cool. Even though he loves the reptile building at the zoo, I was sure that Big-G would decide he didn't want to touch anything as soon as he got there and saw them all out of their cages. That's what happened when we went to pet the sting rays at the zoo. But I was very surprised how much he enjoyed it. He was so eager to pet everything he could. We even went back to the exhibit again before we left so he could pet them all again. It was a very nice exhibit. There were probably about 60+ snakes and other reptiles you could touch. The snake above is a python. It was ridiculously large. It probably could have swallowed Big-G whole!

Otherwise, this week has been very busy with packing. I'm trying to pack every possible thing ahead of time that I can. We are leaving for Disney (by car!!!) in 11 days now. Pray for our sanity! This weekend my husband's aunt, cousins and their children are coming down to our house on Saturday and then we are going to my mother-in-law's house on Sunday for early Thanksgiving. Then next weekend we are going to a baby shower on Saturday and late Thanksgiving at my mom and dad's house on Sunday. Then we leave on Tuesday night. On top of all that I still have to work my full times hours for my job until then. I don't know what I was thinking when I didn't take off any days before we leave, but it's too late now. We are buying my husband's boss's old minivan which we could be getting today, so I will also be cleaning that. I figure if I can't afford a new car, I at least want it to smell like a new car!

It's going to be quite a busy 11 days, but hopefully it will all be worth it. The thing I'm looking forward to most about vacation is not getting up at 4 a.m. for nearly 2 weeks! I'm going to get spoiled. It's going to be hard to come back home to the snow and 4 a.m. wake-up calls again. But I'm sure after going to Disney with a 3-year-old a 23-month-old and a 3-month-old that I will be ready for home again.

Here are some new pics:

Big-G and Middle-G petting the giant tortoise.

Big-G and Middle-G with the white snake. It wasn't an albino because it had black eyes and not red eyes. They said it had just lost all of it's pigment.


This is a pretty common occurrence during Middle-G's meal times.

What you can't see in this picture is the caramel dip in his hair. And FYI, it's my husband who keeps giving him the caramel dip, not me, but I still end up doing the clean-up.

Praise God, it's just lumpy!

Very busy week this week. We started off on Monday heading to the hospital again..but this time with Little-G. We had to have x-rays done of his head because the pediatrician wanted to rule out a dangerous bone disorder that causes the skull bones to fuse together too soon. His head was so lumpy that it made her suspicious. Thankfully though the x-rays came back normal, and it's just lumpy!!! I'm sure it will even out over time. Nothing to worry about. It's nice not to have to think about another health issue. After getting lucky with 1 in 40,000 with Middle-G's Prune Belly, we don't feel like we can count anything out. So it will be nice to leave on vacation and have 1 less worry.

That was our big excitement of the week. Otherwise, I've just been working, working, working, making meals, wiping butts!!! That's my life... and I love it!!

Tomorrow we will be getting haircuts, which we need badly. We always look forward to haircuts and chatting with our favorite hair cutting ladies. I've been getting my hair cut there for 25 years, and now they are cutting my kids hair. After that we will be off to the museum where they are having a special event where you can apparently pet live snakes. Big-G always likes the reptile buildling at the zoo, so we are going to take him to see the snakes. He will probably refuse to touch them when we are actually there, but I bet Middle-G will enjoy himself. We'll see. Hopefully, I can get a few good pics.

We are now selling Hersheys candy to help raise money for the Prune Belly Syndrome Network, so feel free to contact us for all of your candy needs!!

Here are a couple pictures from this week:

Here the boys are with Aunt K. The cell phone can hold their attention for quite a while.

Here is Middle-G reading the paper. He's turning into Daddy already.

Kisses for Little-G!!!

A zoo within a zoo

Monday was our big day out at the zoo. (Big-G is in the yellow with Middle-G behind him.) We had tons of fun. The weather was perfect - 75 and sunny. All of the leaves were changing. The ground was just covered with every color. It was gorgeous. We went with 2 other home school families. With 10 kids under 5 with 3 mommies, people were probably thinking "who let the monkeys out?" Eight of the 10 are boys, so we practically are our own zoo.

It is good to finally see Big-G coming out of his shell and making friends. A couple of the other kids are going to be doing the same grade when I start kindergarten with him, so we will be able to do field trips together. It's nice that he is finally starting to talk about his real friends instead of just his imaginary one. I don't think I have mentioned "Alex", but he tells about him all the time. He is always saying what Alex does and what Alex's mom and dad do. He even says that Alex lives across the street in a yellow house, even though there is no yellow house and I know for a fact that no Alex lives over there. I'm sure he'll grow out of it eventually... I hope!

We are still enjoying another day in the 70s today. This is crazy weather. I haven't slept with my window open very many times in November. My husband stayed up until 3:00 a.m. last night watching election returns. We didn't think our guy wound win, but it's still depressing when it's official. He's such an optimist though, and he was still happy with a lot of the other returns from other races. He's a political news junkie, and I think he's already counting down to the next election.

Well, we're off to the pediatrician tomorrow for Little-G and Big-G's flu vaccine. I told him he had to go and get a shot, and he wasn't too happy about it, but I think he'll cooperate if he can hold his lambie and get a special treat after. Hopefully all goes well.

Here are a couple pics from the past few days:

Big-G and Middle-G playing in the leaves on Sunday.

Little-G keeping warm with Papa.

Middle-G at the playground at the zoo.

Big-G taking a big slide.

All pooped out on the way home!

God of Wonders!!

What a gorgeous October day! The sunshine, the warm breaze, the smell of dried leaves and smiling kids running around the yard... God sure is good. It's nice to have a day like this to look back on. It makes it easy to be thankful and count your blessings... and we are richly blessed.

Papa came over again to take the boys outside. He had them running downhill through the flower beds and into a pile of leaves that he raked together. They were enjoying every minute of it. Middle-G isn't too coordinated, and he planted his face in the grass a few times, but it didn't stop him from heading right back up the hill again. Big-G wanted us to watch him constantly as he did all kinds of "tricks" while rolling/running down the hill. His "tricks" are very interesting. I don't know that I could really explain them, you'd have to see them with your own eyes.

I actually got some good pictures of Little-G. He went out in the swing for the first time which he thoroughly enjoyed. He was content for a long time and did a lot of smiling. He is cooing and talking up a storm now. I'm just waiting for the day when I wake up in the morning and realize that he didn't get me up to feed him during the night. That will be the day!!! I'm sure it's coming soon - I hope!!

A few things going on this week. Big-G is looking forward to Sunday School tomorrow. He's finally starting to enjoy it. Then it's off to Nana and Papa's for a turkey dinner - Yum! Me and Nana and going to go to a craft fair after lunch... with no kids! Then Monday we're off to the zoo with some other home schoolers. I know they'll take good naps when we get home from that. Last time Big-G ran nonstop the entire time. Lastly, Little-G is going to the pediatrician on Thursday. I can't wait to see what his official weight is. Unfortunatelly for Big-G, he will be tagging along for his flu shot. He doesn't know that yet though!

I'll leave you with these:

Thank God for brothers. These 2 have the best time together.

Middle-G running down the hill.

Middle-G's first time on the big kid swing.

Little-G having a fun swing. He's so cute!

This is Middle-G having apples and carmel dip after lunch. He is covered in it. He even had to get his hair washed when he was done. At least he's happy!

Splish Splash!!

This guy is having tons of fun. On Tuesday they have "Mom and me" time at a nearby water park. You get a nice discount to swim for a couple of hours. The boys really, really enjoyed it. I thought we would have an extremely difficult time getting them out of the water, but they actually both came out on their own, partly because they were hungry and partly because they were freezing. Their lips were soooo blue. Middle-G was trying to jump off the steps into Daddy's arms in the water, but he was shaking so bad he couldn't realy control his muscles. Kind of pathetic looking but kind of funny. I tried to get him to come out and warm up a few times, but he would have nothing to do with it. Big-G got to ride in the lazy river with Daddy and play a little water basketball. Little-G slept almost the entire time. I think the sounds of all the rushing water kept him sleeping. Daddy was brave, and did all of the water slides by himself, unfortunately I didn't get any pictures because I was trying to control the 3 little ones. Maybe next time.

Over the weekend we also went to get one last carmel apple from the orchard before fall was over. I think these boys could live on apples. Papa encourages their love of apples by bringing apples with him every time he comes over. Middle-G was actually saying "Papa apple" last night when I was tucking him into bed. The only problem with a lot of apples is that it is a lot of fiber... if you know what I mean!

I actually got a good picture of Little-G, so I will post that. The boys were outside in the backyard burning off some energy with Papa, but I can hear them stirring downstairs, so I better go.

Here are a few more pics:


Daddy and the boys at the orchard.




Big-G with carmel on his face and looking kind of crazy!!


Pure excitement at the water park.


I inadvertantly got both of them smiling in the same picture.


Here's our Little-G... what a chunker! Can you believe he's only 7 weeks?