Disney Again

We still had 2 days left on our Disney passes and I just couldn't stand the fact that we weren't going to use them. (They expire May 25th.) So I talked Jay into letting us go back to Orlando yesterday. I'm so glad we did because I think it was our favorite day of the 3 we were able to go.

The girl

The boys

We are here!

This was an exciting moment for the boys.

Lightning McQueen and Mater!!!

Poor Olivia. We made her go up there.

What?? She'll look back one day and wonder why she was always left out.

This character trades junk. If you take him something, he'll put it in his pouch and pull out something that someone else has given him. I didn't have anything with me but change in my pocket. Of course, he couldn't accept that, but the boys had fun trying.

I asked a guy (foreign) to take our family picture. He was very kind and snapped this photo. I asked him if he could try one more time.

That's better.

I don't know all of the Star Wars characters, but the boys were loving every minute of it.

I finally told the kids that I had had enough of this waiting-in-line-to-take-pictures-with-characters business. So they got this picture...with the bonus of a father/son duo.

A clone trooper...Quick Isaac! Jump up next to him and I'll take your picture! haha

To infinity and beyond!

This was a fun ride. We actually waited in line for 110 MINUTES just to enjoy a 5 minute ride. Crazy I tell ya. But...it was in air conditioning. We brought our stroller in without realizing we were supposed to leave it outside. But because of that mistake, we had all of our snacks with us and a place for Olivia to sit (when she felt like it). The kids were super sweet and didn't complain a single time.

Candyland

We found Olivia's favorite color!

Me and my sweet boys waiting.

My monkeys.

Dancing with Daddy to pass the time...

Why is she looking up, pulling on her ears, and saying "wiggle wiggle"?

Aha. She thought he was pulling his ears.

I asked Olivia if she wanted to get out of her stroller and take a picture with Mr. Potato Head. She thought about it for a minute and then was very excited and determined. So I stood with her (in front of the rail) to take the picture. She kept pointing and saying that she wanted to go up on the stage. I finally figured out that she thought she was going to take a picture with him like the boys did with all of the other characters. She just didn't understand. She was finally ready and then wasn't allowed. Poor girl.

I love this picture because of the teenage girl next to us. Haha We got to stand next to her group for the entire wait. Wowzers!

Ready!

They all had a blast on the ride.

This was Olivia's favorite place. All she wanted to see the whole time was Minnie Mouse. And Minnie had a birthday in here. Bubbles fell from the sky for her to catch, and Tigger and Pooh even made an appearance.

I could have stayed in here the whole day just to watch her dance and listen to her sing "Happy To Chu" to Minnie Mouse.

These characters were so funny. He (or she) was so sweet to call the boys over for a picture.

On the way home, Olivia kept telling us that she was ready to take a picture with Buzz. We tried to explain to her that it was too late. I finally told her that when we got home, we would take her picture with her "Baby Buzz". So as soon as we walked in the door (at 9 pm), she told me she was ready. I love that girl!

What a great way to spend a Friday.

Rainy Day

One of the first times I visited Florida, it rained A LOT. The locals were complaining and I just could not understand their complaints. Growing up in the Texas panhandle sure makes a person appreciate the wet stuff. Well, after nearly two years, I can sort of understand how one might get tired of always walking around with an umbrella. I mean, we don't live in Seattle. Isn't Florida called The Sunshine State?

Well, rain was in the forecast for today and I can tell you that I was super excited for it. It's been pretty "dry" around here lately. I say "dry" because the dirt actually still stays on the ground when the wind blows.

Anyway, my boys enjoyed the rain as much as I did today.

They are probably trying to figure out how to plant their umbrellas in the dirt. They are always trying to plant something, much to Jay's dismay.

A somewhat innocent pose.

This made me laugh. He opened the umbrella and smacked himself in the face. Don't worry, he was just fine. He's just so clumsy--one of those run into the wall as he looks over his shoulder types. I wonder where he gets that?

Another laughing moment. Isaac decided to fold his umbrella up while he was out in the rain. He was drenched by the time he finally got the strap snapped closed.

This is a very long branch that Josiah colored with chalk yesterday. He was so disappointed that the rain washed off his artwork.

A Taurus No More-us

After 8 years of owning and caring for her, she has decided to call it quits. We tried time and again to give her a chance at life, but she decided that her time with us is done. Of course, once she is in the hands of another family, she'll probably give them 15 years. But that's how it goes, right?

Goodbye!

Hello!

Enjoying your first rain?

Jay is pretty excited about his new ride. I don't know if he's most excited about the car or the fact that he won't be calling the tow truck once a week anymore. Jay came home today and announced that he drove over 35 miles in his own car and did not once worry about stalling in the middle of a busy intersection by the 3,000 student high school--right as school let out. :)

A Weekend Away

The batteries died in my bigger camera and I kept forgetting to charge them. So I am just now uploading these pictures. Of course, I only had my camera out for a few minutes while Jay and I were away. Oh well.

Jay and I went to South Carolina for a clergy/spouse retreat last month. We went with two other couples on staff from our church and had such a great time. Jay and I cannot seem to get over what a beautiful part of the country we live in.

Here is Jay on the beach. Unfortunately, it was too windy to be able to really enjoy.

This is a picture of the cabin we stayed in. It doesn't look that great from the photos, but it was a really nice place. I've never slept at the beach before. What a great experience!! We slept with the windows opened and listened to the waves. I always thought how strange people were to want to live on the beach with hurricanes and all. But now I see why it's such a great thing.

We were told that dolphins were always jumping around out in the water. So I promised the boys a picture of a dolphin. I scanned and scanned the waves, but didn't see a dolphin until my camera bag was already packed. But I found a dead jellyfish on the beach. The boys were pretty impressed. :)

Granny's Visit

My grandma came to visit us for a few days. It was fun to have her out and show her a little bit of our life.

The only pictures I got were of a day at Isaac's first flag football game and a day under the bridge at an Arts Market.

At church on Sunday, Granny was introduced by Isaac and Josiah as their "Great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandma." :)

How many great-grands can fit on a lap??

They were having a pizza picnic in the living room and watching Little House on the Prairie.

Defense!

Isaac's loudest cheerleaders.

Granny and Josiah watching the game

After the game.

It took some coaxing to get a smile out of him. He's suddenly become cool and poses without smiling.

Loving having his Granny!

Granny paid to have some balloons made for the kids. I love Olivia's "cheese!"

Under the bridge

Josiah waited for a few minutes for this lady to finish talking so that he could hold her kitten. He is our animal lover.

Eating and listening to live music

Granny is always amazed at how much my kids can eat.

Granny and the great-grand kids

They watched on, but they were a little unsure of how safe it was to be so close...

to this guy.

I love that Granny thought this was a painting of Elvis.

The artist did this in under 5 minutes.

Josiah was fascinated.

Another animal to pet.

It was so fun to have Granny out to Fleming Island. I love that my kids know and appreciate my grandma so much. Thanks for air mailing her to us, Uncle Gary and Aunt Amy. :)

Josiah's Last Soccer Game

We are so proud of Josiah and how much he improved in the 6 weeks of his first soccer season.

During the first few practices and during the first game, Josiah cried and begged to never go back. He has never done anything on his own before. Isaac's always with him. Once he got the hang of venturing out and enjoying himself, we learned that Josiah is quite the athlete. He had a blast and we had a blast watching him.

Final tunnel

The coach called him the "Ghost." He said that Josiah would vanish and pop back into the game and stun us all.

He received his first medal.

Somehow they always end up together.

We never saw Isaac during Josiah's practices or games. He was usually hanging out with Pedro. After Isaac's first flag football game, he ran into Pedro. Pedro was so excited and said, "I thought I'd never see you again!!"

It's Almost Been A Month!

Let me catch you up. I'll have to do it in stages.

The day after Disney, Josiah got his birthday waffle (1 day late). You can see by his eyes how exhausted we were.

This month, Olivia took her first shower.

She loved it.

Josiah finished his last reading lesson and is such a great reader.

Isaac finished his last day of school.

We celebrated like last year...with Maggie Moo's!

Olivia slept on a pillow for the first time.

I'm not sure why we've waited until now to give her a pillow, but that's just how it happened. She was so proud that she carried it around all day long.