Doing laundry on Mother's Day...

Yup, that's what I'm doing. Not a very "Mother's Day" activity?? Well, I don't have a choice! :o) Here's why I'm doing laundry (I'm really behind, but that's besides the point!!)

I woke up this morning to Hubby grabbing my shoulder and commanding "DON'T MOVE!" I tried to sit up, and he wouldn't let me...remember his arm was on my shoulder. I couldn't even roll over! He yelled for Abbie and Andrew...that's when I felt something on my feet. Apparently the little dears were trying to surprise us with breakfast in bed. Toasted bagels (with peanut butter!) and a cup of milk were on their little lap trays...which were ever so gently placed over our feet while we were still sleeping! Hubby heard something and rolled over, spilling his tray all over the bed, that's when he grabbed me! So...I'm doing laundry on Mother's day! They meant well...they really did. Abbigail even cried, she said she just wanted it to be PERFECT for me! How sweet is that!
Bethany made me a card and a gift at school, Andrew made me a book, and his class had all the moms join them for a Mother's Day luncheon on Friday. Abbigail's teacher didn't do anything for Mother's day, so she wanted to do something herself...so sweet! Hubby told me earlier this week that he was going to take me to Alco on Sunday to "look at all the MD cards"...so I wasn't expecting much!! But he did come through! He got me a beautiful bouquet of roses and a sweet card!
I remember those years we struggled with infertility, Mother's Day was so very hard. I wanted to crawl in my bed Saturday and not get out until Monday. So hard to celebrate everything you WISH you had, but don't. I pray today for all those women (and men) who struggle with the pain, loss, emptiness of infertility or infant/child loss. These are some of the most painful things I have ever experienced...and even though I have been blessed with my three wonderful children, I will never forget those struggling now.

Oh, and HAPPY MOTHER'S Day, Mom!! You're the BEST!

Prayers for my dad...

I know I posted this in my LONG post the other day, but I just want to ask once again that you keep my dad in your prayers tomorrow as he goes in for a knee replacement. Thanks!
Bethany took this picture of him the morning after we came back from San Antonio...I didn't even know she had my camera, and she took about 30 pictures, little turkey!

Pictures of San Antonio

I wanted to add some pictures of our recent trip to San Antonio. While it was a lot of meetings and learning, we also had an evening or two of "free time." One evening we went to the Riverwalk. As we sat on our bus, we saw the rest of our collegial group going down the steps to the Riverwalk...but we couldn't get off our bus yet. By the time we got off our bus and crossed the street, we could not find them! Hubby and I walked and walked and saw the beautiful Riverwalk...waterfalls, shops, restaurants, etc...finally we decided that we weren't going to find our group, so we picked a restaurant. The host said to go upstairs, that there were more tables up there (it was a patio overlooking the Riverwalk, PRETTY!). As we sat down and opened our menus, one of our group pretended to be a waiter! They were there all along! They were just getting their food, but we joined them and ordered our margaritas and food...we had such a good time getting to know our group in a less formal atmosphere! The guys all had to compare their phones... :o)!LOVE the hat Dek!

After dinner, our group followed us back around the Riverwalk to a store I had spotted...and I got a geautiful purse! Any of you who know me know that I'm just a bit of a "purseaholic"!!! I don't have any pics of my purse, but take my word for it...LOVE IT!!!Our group...Can't wait to see these awesome people again!

Forgot something...

I forgot something in my L-O-N-G post! I started Christmas shopping today! One of our local stores had their jewelry 70% off! I had seen a pretty little cross that I had been thinking about getting for Abbigail...REAL jewelry, not kiddie stuff! No, I wouldn't spend a lot of money on it, but at 70% off, it was reasonable to buy for a nearly 9 year old. I decided to go ahead and get one for Bethany, too (one is silver, one is gold...now, which girl gets which necklace?). While I was there, I spotted letter necklaces (A for Abbigail, B for Bethany, duh!) with TINY little diamond chips...and at 70% off...how could I resist? I mean TINY! The final price was less than $10....so, each girl will get a necklace for their birthday, and one for Christmas...which necklace do they get for which holiday...I don't know!!
I can't believe my baby will be turning 5 years old in just 12 days!!!!

We did survie!

I know...rumors of my demise were greatly exaggerated! We did make it home from San Antonio...better late than never! Let me tell you...air travel STINKS! Or, maybe it is just the airline we chose. Or maybe it's trying to fly out of a very small airport....whatever the cause, it was no fun!
After canceling our original flight, we had to fly out a day early. On Monday, we were running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to get things ready to go, showing my parents around town, etc...and we got a phone call that our 5:00 flight was canceled and that we needed to be at the airport in less than 2 hours to catch an earlier flight...and we live an hour away! Talk about STRESS!!! We made it to the first of 4 flights that day. No direct connection here. Not even the one transfer we had booked...yes, we went UP and DOWN 4 times!! Three separate planes! We left 2 hours earlier than planned, and arrived in San Antonio 2 hours later! It was midnight when we arrived and then caught the shuttle to our hotel. We were blessed that we didn't have much on Tuesday until evening, we slept a lot!
The conference itself was AWESOME! At pastor's conferences, the wives sometimes feel like tag-alongs...not terribly important, just added on as a second thought. This was different. The wives (called partners) are an integral part of the program. I felt very important and cared for. I was greated with a hug from one of the leaders of the program...and while hugs make some people uncomfortable, I'm a hugger! Getting together with other wives of pastors is always a wonderful experience. There is just an instant bond...an instant connection. We hae a unique roll, experience unique challenges and blessings. We were put together with what is called a "collegial" group...a small group that we will be with for the next 4 years. The men get together 3 times a year (I think) and the women come with the guys for the yearly conference, and have a partners retreat on our own once a year. We get along so well with our entire group! What wonderful people! We have two couples from California, one couple from Texas, one couple from Arizona, and a man from Illinois (I think that's where he was...his wife chose not to come because she was worried about people trying to put her into the pastor's wife cookie cutter...not happening here, so we are trying to get her to come next time!!!) and us!
We learned so much...mainly looking at our gifts, passions, abilities, and where God is already using us. I felt so affirmed in my role not only as a wife and mother...but also as a teacher/director. My ministry is so important and such a gift. We learned a lot about ourselves and our partners. We were able to spend time together just studying and praying. We were to try coming up with a family mission statement, and we did! We took the kids to the lake earlier this week and chatted about it with them. Here it is:

"A joyful family of integrity that shows the love of God through service."

So...what do you think? "Joy" was a word that kept coming up in my week. Joy...the ability to be joyful doesn't mean you are always happy....joy is being able to remember what is important (Christ's love) even when things aren't going your way.
After a wonderful week of study, learning, pondering, and time with my husband, it was time to go home. We missed our children SO much, and were ready to see them! We arrived at the airport in SA to find out that our flight was already 2 hours delayed! Luckily we had already planned on a 2 1/2 hour layover in Denver, so we would still make our connection...many of the PLI couples on our flight were not so lucky. They had to make other arrangements and some ended up staying in Denver over night and not getting home until a day later. By the time we got to Denver, we were hungry...and we had an hour, but wanted to check into our next flight befcre we ate...good thing! We had forgotten to figure in the time change. We were to board our next flight 5 minutes after we checked in! EEK! McDonald's drive-through at 11:30 pm never tasted so good!
I heard my mom getting ready the next morning..she was even getting the kids up and ready so that we could sleep a bit more. She didn't remind them that we were home. I sat up on the couch just as Abbie was coming down the hall. She stopped dead in her tracks for a moment, then she RAN full force and wrapped her arms around my neck and didn't let go! SO WONDERFUL to hold my babies again! Soon, Andrew heard us and came running down the hall. I think he became airborn about 6 feet from me and landed in my arms. He wrapped his legs around my waist and his arms around my neck and squeezed so hard I couldn't breath! Dad was coming down the hall with his walker, and Bethany was right behind him. He kept going from side to side so she couldn't get around him...such a tease! As soon as she could get around him, she came running, too. She then became my leech, and didn't let go for a long time. It was nice to be able to give each of them their own time, not having to love on them all at once. Oh, how I missed my babies!
I cannot thank my parents enough for taking a week out of their lives to take care of our children. I didn't worry about them at all...I worried more about my parents than my children! Speaking about my parents...my dad is having a knee replaced on Monday. Please keep him and my mom in your prayers...His LONG hospitalization from a year ago still weighs heavy on our hearts and we just want him home!! Pray that the surgery is a success...and that he gets the mobility and strength that he needs...and that he recovers QUICKLY! :o) I LOVE you guys!
Besides all the "normal" (is there such a thing?) stuff going on this week...my preschool had enrollment. Right now, we currently have 59 students enrolled for the current year. After only two days of enrollment, we arlready have 65 children enrolled for next year! Our preschool board will meet this week and finalize how many children we are going to have in each class...I think we already have a waiting list!
So, yes...busy week...great conference...wonderful time with my husband...and wonderful to be runited with my children! God is good!!!

I'm leaving....

No, I'm not leaving for good. No, I'm not leaving my husband...he's coming with me! We're leaving our children! :o( We are going to Texas for the week. We are going for the Pastoral Leadership thing that Hubby was nominated for. We knew this trip was coming. We've known since December or even before. But, it's here, NOW! My parents will arrive within a few hours. Tomorrow I will take my babies to school, get on an airplane and leave. I know my children will be in good hands. I know my parents can handle it. But I am FREAKING OUT!!! My BABIES! I have never left them for more than one night. My parents love my kids, I know that. My parents will do only what is best for them, I know that as well. The sad truth is that my parents live 4 hours away and know my kids through visits, not long term contact. My parents have come to visit us here in our town, but they don't know where everything is. They don't know our friends and neighbors. They don't know the kids' routine. I wouldn't trust anyone else to keep my babies, but it is so hard!
Please keep all of us in your prayers this week. Prayer for safe travel (my parents and Hubby & I). Prayer for my parents as they are with my kiddos. Prayers for my kiddos...that their hearts will not hurt. That they will be on their best behavior. Prayers for my heart...that it doesn't break leaving my kids. I am looking forward to this time alone with my husband, but I will miss my babies!!!

PS....Andrew took his Pinewood Derby car to the district competition yesterday. He won FIRST in his age group!! SO COOL!!!!

Easter Pics

Andrewism....

Happy Easter! He is RISEN!!!

We had a wonderful Easter, but one thing leaps out in my mind. I made a yummy Easter dinner...ham, cheesy (au grautton...no idea how to spell it!) potatoes, green beans, rolls...the whole package! It was all yummy! Andrew particularly enjoyed the potatoes. He asked if he could have some more ROTTEN potatoes!!! What a guy!

We started the day with Easter sunrise service and then breakfast at church. Sunday school Easter egg hunt and then worship. Home for the yummy lunch. After a bit of time to unwind, we went with Hubby to his vacancy church. A family who have been there for a while was moving, and they were having a dinner after church to celebrate Easter and say goodbye to this family. It was a nice day. It was nice to be able to spend the entire day with Hubby!
My big family (mom, dad, brother, cousins, etc) all got together yesterday at my parent's home. I wished that I could have been there...but I am really trying to make our own traditions with our little family. This is the place that God has placed us to do His work. I am trying to accept that we just aren't able to be with our bigger families for these traditional family days and make them special for our smaller family...for my kids and my husband. I am so thankful for my husband, my children, and for my church family.
I will try to post pics of our Easter finery soon!

Boy Scouts

Last Sunday, Andrew's Boy Scout group had their "Blue and Gold Banquet" and Pinewood Derby. It was fun, and the icing on the cake is that Andrew's car won FIRST place in the derby! Here are some pics of the day! Before they could race, they each received their own driver's license! And here is the WINNER!

One of Andrew's friends recently became a big brother. Here is Abbigail holding little Abigail! Bethany didn't want to be left out!

Dance Recital!

Here are some pictures of my girls and their buddies at their dance recital today...aren't they just ADORABLE??? Abbie's group danced to "Girls just wanna have fun" and "Sneakernight" (or something like that). Bethany's group did "Lollipop," "Me and my Teddybear," and "God bless the USA." They had fun and did a really good job.

Time flies!!

Has it truly been an entire month without blogging? I am so sorry!!! If anyone ever bothers to read here again (and I don't blame you for not coming back...not much to keep you returning!), thank you! I keep thinking that soon life will settle down, and then it doesn't. I thought it would settle down once wrestling was over...well, it is over and life is still crazy. One by one we are finishing school-year activities. Dance will be over after tomorrow's recital. Like I said, wrestling is already over. Boy scouts is over (by the way...Andrew's car won FIRST place in the Pinewood Derby!!!). After-school choir for Abbie and after-school art will go until the end of the school year as far as I know. Girl scouts will probably be over here in the next few weeks. 4-H runs all year long. Of course, my school year will be over in 6 weeks, however the summer looks busy as well! In June we will have t-ball for Bethany, softball for Abbigail, and baseball for Andrew. Then there is the ever popular activity of swimming!! During the summer I will need to get everything in place for next school year and there is always VBS to plan!! EEEKKK!! I really need to learn how to say "NO!" and mean it!! On the plus side...I've started working out again. I have started joining some other ladies three mornings a week for aerobics. The first morning I thought my legs were going to fall off...well, I HOPED they were going to fall off. MAN they hurt!!! The next morning we focused on our arms, backs and abs. MUCH more doable! I have survived....I can't wait to see what we do tomorrow....and I am curious to see how badly my legs hurt after the next "leg day"... Hubby turned 35 this week. So I have approximately 3 1/2 months to tease him about how OLD he is! :o) Then, magically, on July 21, 35 won't be so old after all! ;o) Well...we're off! A pancake supper in support of a new park that the community wants to build here in town...Dance recital tomorrow...I'll try to post pics! I know everyone always wants to see pictures of the kids, but this is a picture that we took recently of Hubby and I...do you like my new haircut/color??

CRAZY weekend!

Abbigail is better...for the most part. I don't believe she had the tummy flu or anything, I think she just got worked up playing at McDonal*s play pl*ce and started coughing. She was pretty congested and I think she gagged on her mucus...sorry, TMI!! She was feeling better on Saturday, so we had tons of work to do!
The preschool where I teach has a scholarship program. We want to be able to let all children in our community have a preschool education, no matter of their financial status. We do fund raisers throughout the year to help fund our scholarship program. This year nearly 1/3 of our children are attending with the benefit of a scholarship! We are so blessed by our community support to assist in this program...one of the fund raisers we do is selling pizza pockets. Not the frozen kind....fresh baked, homemade, YUMMY! So, yesterday, the preschool board, teachers, and a bunch of the moms got togther and made 200 dozen pizza pockets! Yes, 200 DOZEN!! Some of us measured out the dry ingredients on Friday morning...and then the lady at the donut shop allowed us to mix the bread dough in her BIG mixers! Starting at 6:00 Saturday morning, we worked nonstop until 6:00 pm...LONG day, but fun! I didn't actually get there until around 8:30 because I wasn't sure how Abbie was going to be...but she was fine. Unfortuantly all of my babysitters were busy, so I knew my kids would have to come with me and send the day there! We took games, movies, and then of course, all the toys at preschool to keep them busy. Considering how long we were there, they were excillent! Bethany came in and said "Andrew is being mean!" a few times, but they didn't fight all day, complain about being bored, and they didn't run amock around the methodist church! I was/am proud of them. Today, my feet are sore from standing all day, my shoulders and back are sore from rolling out the dough all day...but I did claim one of the "easy" jobs...I was the "scooper." My job was to scoop the filling onto the big pieces of dough and then someone would come along and cut the dough and fold it into a pocket. Quite an assembly line we had going! We had wonderful women working all day...which was the only thing that made such a long day bearable!!!
Last night when we got home, I just collapsed! SO TIRED!
Bethany is going to a birthday party this afternoon...a "Fancy Nancy" birthday party...she gets to be all gussied up in a FANCY dress. She is SO excied! I will try to take pictures of the fancy girls and post them soon!
Did I mention earlier that my brother-in-law, Nick, got to leave Iraq this week? His tour of service is over!!! He is currently in Hawaii for debriefing or something like that. I actally chatted with his wife this morning, and she is in Hawaii with him right now. What a blessing that he is safe, and they get to spend some time together again!!!
See...three posts in a week! A bit better!!! BTW, Mom and Dad...you wanted me to blog, where are the comments??? ;o)

ICK!

Cranky, sad, lonely...yup, that's me.

Sickenss continues. Bethany got better after staying home two days. But the night she was feeling better, Andrew began throwing up (that was Wednesday night). So, he stayed home from school on Thursday...thankfully, Hubby was able to stay home with him so that I could go to school. He was better on Thursday, so I decided to send him to school on Friday. After school and after school ativities, I took the kids to Little Big City for some shopping and time OUT of town. (Found a GREAT winter coat for Bethany for next year 75% off!!!) We went to Appleb**s for dinner to use a gift certificate we received for Christmas. Momma even got a margarita! (small one since I was driving!) The kids behaved relatively well, so I treated them to a McD's ice cream and time in the play-place. When we left McD's and realized the wind had really kicked up! Decided since the wind was SOOO strong I should probably get some gas. In normal weather, I could have easily made it home, but with the wind blowing completely at me that my mileage would be WAY down...and it was! About 10 minutes out of Little Big City, I heard Abbie yelling, but couldn't make out what she was saying because the wind was SO loud...turns out she was saying "Pull over, I'm gonna puke!" Yea, got that after the fact. So...I opened the back windows and kept driving...what else are you gonna do in the middle of nowhere, by myself with three kids...night time, with 50 mph winds?? Keep going!! I did pass a cup back to her and told her if she was going to puke again to try to get it in the cup. She feels horrible, poor kid.
After we got home, sent the other two to bed, Abbie to the shower, and myself back to the garage to shampoo out the van.
Now, I'm finally getting to sit down, and I think the cat just peed on the floor...more shampooing!

Man...what a day. Is it over yet?

Oh, and Hubby is out of town...he'll be home tomorrow.

Cranky, sad, lonely...yup, that's me. But, thankfully tomorrow is a new day.

Family, Sickies, and Wrestling (OH MY!)

BLOGGING! BLOGGING! BLOGGING!! I am BLOGGING!!
Thank you...Thank you, Thank you!

Sorry mom and dad...I'll try to do better!

What have I been busy with lately? Sick kids, wrestling, more sick kids, more kids' activities, more sick kids...and MORE SICK KIDS!

It seems like this entire town has it bad! There are so many different illnesses going around that once you finally kick one, another comes to take it's place! I started with a sinus/cough thing about a month ago, Hubby soon caught it and his quickly turned into his pneumonia that he was still recovering from. Since then, all three of my kids have had it. Bethany started coughing about the same time I did, but never seemed really sick. However, she has been running a temp on/off since Friday (I know...I'm sorry I exposed you all to it on Saturday...please forgive me! I thought she was over it!) Today it is right around 101, even with tylenol. So many in our town have had this, and it has even hospitalized 3-4 kids that I know of! The kids act fine, except the cough and fever. Not feeling icky, just coughing. So we (parents) let it go, treat the cough and the fever, but don't get worried...and it has turned into pneumonia in those kids and they end up in the hospital. There is also a stomach virus going around which we have NOT caught at our house, YET! I know it is coming, it's just not here yet. Our neighbors have all had it, and the kids were all together yesterday, and another one of their kids came down with it today...so I know it is coming. :o(
Hubby was able to stay home with Bethany this afternoon while I went to teach at preschool. While we were there, one of my co-teachers started feeling sick to her stomach. Another teacher's daughter called from school, sick..."Mom, come get me." I had to come home this afternoon to be with Beth...that left us with one, ONE, teacher. God does provide! One of our normal subs is actually helping out in the church office this week while our secretary is on vacation, but another lady generously offered to come cover the office so our sub could come to school...and one of our parents agreed to stay and help cover both classes. We ALL got our stuff organized and ready for tomorrow...Only God knows what tomorrow will bring! Prayers for health and healing are very much appreciated!!!
On the subject of healing...I have a problem with one of my feet. I have been experiencing a lot of pain in the mornings, and some days all day. So, I took myself to see the doc last week. I have planters fascietus (No idea how to spell that!!) Which just means that the lining covering the tendon that goes from the calf to the toes is inflamed. She gave me stretches and exercises to do to help the pain, and told me to take ibuprofen to help with the inflammation. I can get insoles for my shoes that might help. Most days, after I get up and stretch it out, walk around for a while, it feels better...but yesterday and today it has been just a nagging pain. Guess I'd better go look for those insoles! Prayers for healing for my silly foot are also appreciated!

Andrew wrestled in another tournament this weekend and my parents, brother and his family were able to come and cheer him on. Wrestling is such an intensive sport! It is so tense and stressful for the 3-5 minutes your child is wrestling, then you wait 2 hours or so until it is his turn again...hurry up, wait, stress, boredom, AHHH, YAWN! Andrew ended up taking 4th in his weight class, which was pretty great considering he was smaller than the other kids and should have wrestled in the next class down...long story. Anyway, he did great. The last kid he wrestled was bigger, stronger, and way faster! I think he had been wrestling a few more years! He kept picking Andrew up and slamming him into the mat! I almost couldn't watch! I kept saying "Don't hurt my BABY!" but of course I was WAY up in the bleachers and there is no way anyone could hear what I said...but I had to say it, even under my breath. But, even while being manhandled, Andrew didn't give up. He fought with the heart of a lion. He did his best and I'm more proud of how he fought that last match than many of the matches that he has won...Way to go Doober!! (sorry...his nickname, someday he's gonna hate it!)

Menu plan....TUESDAY

NEED TO GET BACK TO COOKING!!
NEED TO GET BACK TO BLOGGING!!

Shall I get two birds with one stone, so-to-speak?

OK, so here is the plan for this week. Hubby is going back to low-carb after being sick for a while, so here's the plan...

Monday (no low-carb): Spaghetti and garlic bread
Tuesday: Meatloaf, asparagus, and mac-n-cheese (Hubby can't eat the mac, but that's ok)
Wed: (Hubby is out with the youth group) Chicken pot pie
Thursday: Roast, salad, and maybe potatoes for the kids
Friday: (Hubby out of town...maybe the kids and I will go out!)

That's the plan...now to stick to it!

ANDREW IS THE MAN!!!

We just got home from Andrew's first wrestling tournament this year. He had to wrestle 3 other boys, and he won against ALL of them!! He pinned his first opponent, and won by points with the other two!!! OH, YEA, THAT's MY BOY!! He worked so hard! I told him I am so proud of him for working SO hard!!

Sorry I haven't been around much...I'm a bit under the weather. There is so much "yuck" going around, and I think a preschooler or two(hundred) coughed on me this week...and gave me a yucky cough, sinus headache, etc. Feeling icky, but keeping on keeping on. Too much to do to slow down for long!

And, now we are off! Gotta pick both girls up from birthday parties and then we need to run to "little big city" to do a little shopping and go to a concert. One of our church college kids and her college choir have traveled all the way to Kansas from South Dakota...so we are going to go listen to the beautiful music!

um....here I am!

Sorry to all my faithful blog readers...I will try very hard to get back to updating my blog at least a few times a week. Getting back into "real" life after Disney has been hard to do. The term "Disney Hangover" really applies. This week was very crazy, on top of normal vacation make-up work...my husband was out of town. My co-teacher has had the stomach flu. I've been able to get a sub to help me out in the mornings, but the afternoon classes I've been on my own. After school, I've been on my own with my kids. It has been crazy...I think I cornered one of the dads at preschool drop-off just to talk to another adult!! But, Hubby is now home...my co-teacher came back to school yesterday afternoon. I am not the only grown-up anymore!!
I have a mountain of laundry, and a kitchen full of dirty dishes to catch up on. We don't use our dish washer very often because it just doesn't do a very good job. But yesterday, I decided I was going to use it to help with all the dishes...I opened it up and GROSS!! There was MOLD in the dish washer!! ICK! I put some detergent and bleach in the dishwasher to run it empty and see if it could clean it out. Well...the dishwasher ran for a bout 10 minutes and quit. Water sitting in the tub, won't start...nothing. We've been talking about getting a new dishwasher, but I guess this makes it a bit more urgent...no, I don't use the dishwasher very often, but I don't want a completely broken appliance sitting in my kitchen taking up room!

With the new year (after vacation!) come new resolves. I want to get back to the treadmill...back to eating better...back to cooking! Along with those resolves, I have walked over 4 miles on my treadmill this week. I'm back to doing the slim-fast more often. I think I've lost around 5 pounds since we've been back from WDW...so that's a little step in the right direction.

Hubby and I are getting ready for this Pastoral Leadership Institute. We have both written our letters of recommendation for each-other and are only waiting for one more letter from a colleague. We are planning for a trip in April to Texas. But, Andrew is not very excited about this prospect. He has started having dreams that I (his mom) is flying in an airplane, and jump out...but I forget my parachute! I have tried to assure him that I will not be leaving ANY airplanes until they have come to a full and complete stop, ON THE GROUND!!!! But he has dreamed it 3 times and wakes me up and he is just SHAKING like a leaf. He dreamed that the "yeti" was getting me one night. One thing that makes him happy about the trip is that my parents will be coming here to stay with the kiddos during the week we are away. He has 3 months to get used to the idea of us being gone for a week....which means I have 3 months as well. I've never been away from my kids except the once-yearly pastor's wives retreat I try to go to. But I didn't even get to go to that last year because the kids were sick. My brother and his wife go on trips (usually business related) quite often and our parents and my sis-in-law's mom play grandparent tag team to take care of the girls. Sometimes (ok, quite often) I envy that they have baby-sitters at the ready. They can go out to dinner, shopping, or just have some time alone nearly any time they want/need to. I am SO thankful that my parents are able and willing to come spend the week at our home with our kids so our children don't have to miss any more school...

Ok....Marilyn, you asked me to come back...I'm back, but I don't think I am making any sense! My mind is kind-of all over the place today. I guess I just emptied a bunch of my mind here...enjoy! :o)

And, since I can't go without remembering WDW...here are a few pictures!
These were some beautiful little flowers growing on a bush right outside our resort room.

Trying to pull the sword from the stone (or anvil) to become the new rulers of England!

And, our day at Animal Kingdom...

Funny story...there is a ride called "Test Track" where you are in an 'experimental' vehicle and they are taking you through road tests (breaking, cornering, bumps, acceleration, etc.). This was one of our FAVORITE rides. We rode it many times! Now, I can't accelerate in my MINIVAN without the kids yelling "TEST TRACK!!!" It is so funny! Sure to bring a smile to my face!

Disney Pics...

I have added a TON of Disney pictures to my Facebook account. If you would like to see them, JOIN FACEBOOK!!! :o) Let me know and I will add you as a friend so you can see them. It's EASY, really!!! Mom & Dad...Aaron is on FB, so he can help you out if you need it!

I'm sorry I haven't been as faithful with this blog as I used to be...but I have become rather addicted to FB!! I have reunited with old friends from high school that I haven't talked to since graduation!! Seminary friends, and current day friends. SO fun!

We're home!!

What a WONDERFUL, MAGICAL week!! We had a wonderful time with eachother, and having fun at Disney World. We are now home, and back to "real" life. Laundry is waiting, refirgerator is empty, school is calling...Hubby is even back to work already! I will write more and post more pictures when I can keep my eyes open!! Love to you all!
A

We are at DISNEY!!!

(Our Internet connection is through our cell phones, and very slow...so I will wait to post most of the pics when we get home, sorry).

We are having TONS of fun at WDW!!! We arrived Monday before noon. Spent the afternoon resting and getting ourselves settled. Then we ate dinner at Chef Mickey's, and spent the evening at Hollywood Studios. Tuesday morning we were up early for breakfast with the Princesses at EPCOT. We had planned on returning to the resort by noon for a swim, bite of lunch, and a rest. But we kept finding things to do at EPCOT...and there were nearly NO lines, so we didn't want to stop!! We had a 15 minute wait for Test Track, and most of that was just walking through the cue. We walked onto Space Ship Earth. We walked onto Living Seas with Nemo and Friends. Sat in the front row for Turtle Talk with Crush, where Andrew became the "MiniMan" of the hour...talking with Crush and asking/answering questions! Such fun! Finally around 3, we did get back to the resort for a quick swim. When we got into our room we found a fun surprise!! Our "Mousekeeper" (housekeeping in Disney) had made us a fun scene on one of the beds using the kids' stuffed animals and towls. One crocodile towel was trying to eat one of Andrew's frogs, and Abbie's cat and panda were taking a ride in a canoe! Fun!

After a rest we went back to EPCOT, where we used our only Fast Pass to ride Soarin'. We enjoyed it, but my fear of heights kept me from really getting into it. When Abbie leaned forward to see what was below her, I nearly came unglued!!! No fear in that one!! We were able to catch the firework show "Illumi-Nations" but didn't have a very good viewing place, so we are going to try again on Friday so we can SEE and hear all that is involved in that firework show!

Today was a fun day at Animal Kingdom (I'm not even going to try any more pics tonight...they take FOREVER, and I want to go to bed!). We saw the Lion Kin Festival and Nemo the Musical...both were AWESOME! Expedition Everest was a fun ride! We also got to go on a safari and see all sorts of animals. It only rained for a bit, while we were waiting for the safari, and that was covered, lucky us!

Tomorrow we are off to see the Magic Kingdom and have breakfast with Pooh and his buddies.

Hope all is well with all of you!

Today we slept in a bit and got to the Animal Kingdom around 10:30. We got a Fast Past for Expedition Everest, and headed out across the park toward the Safari ride. We were able to "walk-on" the Safari. When I was putting the stroller into "stroller parking" it started raining, so I put the rain-flap on it, as well as a poncho cover the rest. Unfortunately Warren's jacket was hanging out one side and I didn't realize, it got a BIT dampish. Sorry babe! When we were about to board the ride, something went wrong and they kept sending the vehicles to the other stop, don't know what was going on there, but we ended up waiting about 15-20 minutes...I know, NOTHING compared to what MOST people wait, but it was frustrating to be so close, and not be able to get on. Turned out ok, because by the time we got on and rode, the rain had nearly stopped. Just the occasional drizzle for the rest of the day. We went back across the park, grabbed some lunch and headed to Expedition Everest to use our fast passes. Bethany was too little, so Warren took Andrew and I waited with the girls. When they came out, I took Abbie and Warren waited with Andrew and Bethany. It was a lot of fun! After EE, we were able to catch Nemo, and then hit the perfect time for a trip across to another part of the park to see Festival of the Lion King. I have to say that the two musicals were my favorite part of the trip so far!!

After the Animal Kingdom, we went to Whispering Canyon which was fun. The servers are just plain silly. It is in the beautiful Wilderness Lodge, which I have wanted to see FOREVER! Unfortunately, I had a bit of a tummy ache and didn't take any pictures...something I already regret. Now we are resting in our hotel, kids are bathed, and ready for bed! Night all!!

Tomorrow...MAGIC KINGDOM! We are having brunch with Winnie the Pooh and all his friends at the Crystal Palace.