One Year Ago Today

I got a positive pregnancy test.




This morning I woke up to one of the three sweetest smiles on this earth! What a wonderful year this has been! (And by the way, this is how he wakes EVERY morning! What a joy he has been!)

Thank you Daddy for being such a wonderful father, role model and supporter of me! I appreciate you and all you done for our family! Thank you for being the loving Christian man that you are. Thank you for being such a special part of my children's lives. They love you very much and are always excited to spend time with you. I appreciate the things that you are able to teach them.

Frank, thank you for being a wonderful father to our children. They love and adore you...just as they should. Thank you for helping to show Christ to them each day and for walking along beside me to care for them.

Poppa, thank you for being such a wonderful father-in-law. Not many women can say that. I appreciate the relationship that we have always had. You allow me to feel like your daughter instead of an "in-law". Thank you for helping to raise such a Godly man and showing him what it means to be a husband and provider. You did a great job! Thank you also for the special part you play in our children's lives.

Picture Overload!

We hit the ground running when we got home from Disney and I have just not had the time to share any of our pictures or anything about our trip!!

The first glimpse of the magic...

We stayed at the All Star Music Resort at Disney. It is one of their "value" resorts, but definitely still done up Disney style! I would not hesitate to stay there again.

On Thursday after we got in our room, we headed out to the Magic Kingdom. I really wanted the castle to be the first thing they saw. Silly me, I know!!

Of course we had to ride the old faves Dumbo and the Carousel (which apparently made Hayden a little sick, cause he spit up all over me right after this picture!!)

Mari Cate enjoyed getting all the characters autographs and pictures taken with them. I almost had to force Conner to get in the pictures (he thinks he is too old for that--except for the one with Prince Caspian!) They both bought the lanyards they are wearing in the pics. They have trading pins on them and you can go up to Disney workers and trade with them if they have a in that you like. We were totally shocked that Mari Cate would actually go up and talk to the workers and ask for their pin!! She really came out of her shell when it came to a pin that she wanted!!

We had a wonderful trip! Mari Cate's choir did soooooo good!! We were so proud of them! Conner enjoyed riding the rides and was totally amazed at how big Disney World is---it is really a "world" of its own down there! And Hayden was a perfect little angel--even through the sweltering heat, he slept away in his little "cadillac stroller" (equipped with it's own air conditioning battery operated fans!)

Hayden riding in comfort

The theater the choir sang in

Just before going on the stage

Waiting to be seated at Tony's Italian Restaurant after the performance. We had been told this was the best place to get to see the Parade, but you would have to have reservations. Well, God looked down on us that night. We did not have reservations, but were able to get seated, and even got a window seat to see the parade perfectly--and in the air conditioning, while we ate a wonderful meal!!!

My biggest complaint...........we didn't have near enough time to see what we wanted to see!! I am already ready to go back!! Never imagined I would say that after taking 3 kids with me! If their choir gets accepted to sing next year, we have already decided we will take the entire week at Disney instead of just 3-4 days...it just isn't enough!!

While we were in Hollywood Studios at a show we looked in the sky and saw this! There was a major brush fire very near the Magic Kingdom!!

After we left Disney, we went to my aunt and uncles house in Jacksonville and stayed for 4 days. That was a nice relaxing time for us with no specific plans the whole time. As always, thanks for letting us come visit Johnny and Linda!! We had a wonderful vacation and I really look forward to going again, but for now it has been nice to sort of get into a regular routine again. Vacations are exhausting!!

Wordless Wednesday

Please say a prayer...

for my friends Emily and Mel of "Ladybug Happenings". They have made their blog private for the time being, so I did not include the link. I am not at liberty to share their whole story right now, but feel it wold be ok to ask you to pray for them. They were to be leaving this weekend to fly to China to adopt their baby girl, but due to some unimagineable circumstances will not be getting her. Please just pray for them during this difficult time. Thanks!

Hayden's Feelings About It's A Small World!

Be sure to turn off the other music player and listen to "It's A Small World" to get the full effect!! Hayden did do much better on the other rides he rode.

Disney or Bust!

Well, we leave on Wednesday for Disney. Am I ready? NO. Will be ready Wednesday morning? Probably not. Will we still have fun? You bet!! With sunglasses, hats, sunscreen, and even battery-operated fans for the stroller, WE WILL HAVE FUN! I know that I am way more excited than the kids about our trip, but that is only because they have never been and have no idea what they are going to experience. Conner even asked how it compared to Lake Winnepsaukah, a local small amusement park....I told him he just didn't know!! : )

Will you pray for us as we embark on our adventure? I want the kids to have so much fun, but I don't want to stress over everything (which I am known to do before and during vacations!). I just want it to be fun. Also, Hayden's rash has still not cleared up, so I worry about him and if the heat will bother it or not. It looks a little better today, but no where near being gone, so please continue to pray for him. Thankfully, he still shows no signs of it bothering him. He allows me to clean it and put medicine on it and still gives me his big grin. He is such a happy child.

I can't wait to share pictures with all of you and hopefully video of Mari Cate's choir performing. We heard them do all their songs the other day and they are so good. What an awesome experience and memory to have!

Cost of Disney Tickets and Hotel----A good deal, but still a lot!

Cost of Gas to drive to Disney----Way too much!!!!!!!

Getting to see Mari Cate perform at the Galaxy Palace Theater in Disney----PRICELESS!!