My How He Has Grown!

Gavin ~ Spring Break 2006 ~

Gavin ~ Spring Break 2009 ~

Omigod- are these cute or what? My baby is so big! Both of the pics were taken outside of Gavin's favorite ride at Disney- Buzz Lightyear. I guess it will be tradition now to take his picture there every time we go from now on.

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Spring Break Recap ~ Day at Disney ~

We started our day at Disney bright and early. The original plan was to be at the park right before they opened so we could see the opening ceremony. That didn't happen. By the time we left our hotel room and stood in line for the buses, we arrived 15 minutes after they opened.

We spotted Cinderella's Castle the moment we walked in and could not get there fast enough for Katelyn. She kept calling it "her" castle. We took the above picture right after we got to the park. After pictures Katelyn wanted to go in her castle so we walked through it. When we got to the other side Katelyn was very confused as to why we couldn't go upstairs. And then she asked about the upstairs of the castle all day long. Let me say that again. ALL DAY LONG she asked to go upstairs in her castle.

From there we hit a couple of rides that had absolutely no waiting since the park had just opened. We hit Snow White's ride first. It wasn't until after we got off that I noticed the ride was actually called " Snow White's Scary Adventures". Yes, that would explain Katelyn screaming her head off the entire ride.

After we met Katelyn's beloved princesses we did the walk through of Mickey and Minnie's houses. Katelyn and Gavin loved Minnie's house the best.

They sat in Minnie's chair:

Sat at Minnie's table for a cup of tea:

Gavin took a peek in Minnie's fridge:
and Danyelle had a seat out on Minnie's porch:

We played the shooting range game in FrontierLand;

And Katelyn had her first taste of frozen banana:

Katelyn and I fed some some ducks near Tom Sawyers Island while we waited for Ken, Danyelle, and Gavin to get done on Thunder Mountain. Thunder Mountain was our longest wait of the day - probably about a half hour. Even though we went right in the middle of Spring Break we wait time in the lines was only 10-15 minutes each. Perfect when standing in line with a 2-year-old.

We got some rain right as we were getting in line for Pirates Of the Caribbean ride. It was still raining when we got off the ride so we hung out in the gift shop for about 10 minutes. And that was it for rain for the day, thank goodness.

A couple of more rides and then we stopped for lunch.

We ate lunch at the restaurant that overlooks Its A Small World. Since we ate later in the day we were lucky enough to get a table right by the windows over the ride. Gavin and Katelyn spend the whole lunch waving the every single boat that went by our window. And they got so excited when people waved back.

After lunch, Gavin, Katelyn, and I rode the People Mover ride while Ken and Danyelle rode Space Mountain. Katelyn was finally starting to get cranky around 7PM, so Ken, Gavin, and Danyelle rode the Grand Prix ride twice while Katelyn fell asleep in her stroller and took about a 20 minute nap. I think she did wonderfully the whole day and I was kinda surprised it took her until 7 to finally crash in her stroller.

The finale of the day was the parade and fireworks- but those pictures are in another post!
Thanks for stopping by.

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Spring Break Recap ~ Princesses & Friends ~

Ah. I am finally getting around to posting our Spring Break Recap! Easter came so quick, we have been busy, blah blah blah. Those are my excuses. haha.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, its off to Disney we go.

For weeks Katelyn had been looking forward to seeing her princesses in person and seeing Cinderella's Castle. We got to the park 15 minutes after they opened and headed straight to get in the line to see some princesses.

I've seen the wait for the princesses be as long as 2 hours if you go later in the day to meet them. 2 hours + Katelyn = Go first thing in the morning.

Our wait was a tiny 15 minutes. The whole time we were in line Katelyn talked non stop about who she would be meeting. Would it be Snow White? Cinderella? Ariel? I was crossing my fingers that Belle would be behind the magic doors. Belle is Katelyn's favorite princess and she was proudly wearing her Belle T-shirt.

When it was finally our turn to enter the princess room, Katelyn went Ka- ray - zee!! She started screaming "I see Seeping Booty, I see Cinderella, I SEE BELLE!"

Only 3 princesses are in the room at a time, a fact that did not slip by Katelyn. After she sized up who was IN the room, she quickly pointed out who was NOT in the room.

Where is Snow White?Where is Ariel? Mommy, where are they?"

I told her they were still eating breakfast and maybe we would see them later.

Sleeping Beauty was first in line for us to meet. Katelyn ran right up and gave her a hug.

And while she was waiting for Sleeping Beauty to sign her autograph book, Katelyn told her that she was wearing her Belle shirt.

Next up was Cinderella. Again Katelyn pointed out that she was wearing her Belle shirt. I hope she didn't hurt Cinderella's feelings!

And last but certainly not least was Belle. We started off with Katelyn showing Belle that she was wearing her Tshirt.

Belle was so sweet and took time to listen to what Katelyn was saying about her being her favorite princess. So adorable. And of course we got her signature in the autograph book.





Gavin refused to go anywhere near the princesses. I guess thats normal. haha

Throughout the day we also ran into many other Disney friends.


Like the Fairy Godmother:

Why is Katelyn chewing on her shirt? Who knows. She had actually just got done telling the Fairy Godmother - can u guess - that Belle was on her shirt.

We also saw Captain Hook and Mr Smee:

Katelyn refused to go see them.

Buzz Lightyear:

Once again, Katelyn refused to go get her picture taken.

We also saw Mickey and Minnie of course. We have no pictures of this experience though. Why? I believe we were attacked by Mickey and Minnie. They were more excited to see us than we were to see them. Seriously. As soon as it was our turn in line Minnie grabbed me and Katelyn and pulled us both in for a hug. Then a kiss - which was kinda surprising. Meanwhile Ken and Danyelle were being attacked in the same manner by Mickey. I don't even know where Gavin was during all of the hugging and kissing. We were all being passed back and forth by those mice. Then they pulled all of us together to get our picture taken by the Disney photographer. And then it was over. It was a whirlwind I tell you. haha.

That's it for Spring Break recap Part 1. More to come!!

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Remembering Maddie

Please stop in and offer prayers for Heather and Mike .

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Easter Recap

We had an amazing Easter Sunday with the kids. Gavin woke up around 815 excited that the Easter Bunny had come. We had to go wake Katelyn up and tell her the bunny had left her an Easter basket.

Gavin and Katelyn excitedly looked at everything that was in their baskets before starting on the egg hunt in the house. Katelyn was confused at first as to why the Easter Bunny did this to her house? It was quite funny to watch. But she got over her confusion fast and ended up with more eggs that Gavin.

We went to Easter lunch over at my inlaws first. Katelyn wore her pretty pink "princess" dress and brought her fairy godmother wand with her. She twirled around all day and kept calling herself Cinderella.

We had a yummy yummy lunch and all the cousins had a wonderful time playing together. After my inlaws house we headed out to the beach to have dessert with my side of the family. Katelyn and Gavin headed right out to start building sand castles and make "snow" angels in the sand. The Easter Bunny had even hidden eggs at my moms, so the kids got to do another Easter egg hunt. We were there long enough to watch the sunset before we headed out back home.

We had a wonderful Easter!

***And I'd like to say hi to everyone in Tempe, Arizona, Thanks for checking in****

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Making Life Better ~ Review ~

Everyone loves to gather friends and family around the dinner table for good food and good company. Families are seeking affordable recipe ideas, yet still want to prepare a special meal the whole family will appreciate.

MakingLifeBetter.com has great holiday and everyday meal ideas. With a combination of trusted brands that offer great quality at affordable prices as well as plenty of recipes and tips to help make everyday life better, Moms now have an easily available resource to help with meal prep any day of the year.

MakingLifeBetter.com features great articles such as:

• Budget Recipes
• Recipe of the Week
• New Favorites
• Favorite Recipes

They offer expert advice and even a Recipe Quick Search that allows you to search for recipes by cooking method, ingredients, and meal type.

And don't forget to use the coupon came out on this past Sunday April 5th to get up to $20 back on your ham or turkey purchase by mail when you buy $40 in Unilever products during the month of April.

Thanks to MomCentral for the opportunity to review this great site!

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OverHeard

In the car on the way home from picking up Gavin from school.

Katelyn: Knock Knock
Gavin: Who's There
Katelyn: Mickey Mouse


Gavin: Katelyn, say something different
(because she says Mickey Mouse every time she plays knock knock)

Katelyn: Knock Knock
Gavin: Who's There
Katelyn: Mickey Mouse

Gavin: ( very frustrated ) KATELYN stop saying Mickey Mouse every time!! Say something different like cheese, backpack, or picture.

Katelyn: Ok Gavy

Katelyn: Knock Knock
Gavin: Who's There
Katelyn: Mickey Mouse


Gavin: UGH- I'm not playing anymore!
Katelyn: I not playin anymore

Gavin: Good
Katelyn: Good

Gavin: Are you copying me?
Katelyn: You copying me?

Gavin: Katelyn STOP!!
Katelyn: Kateyan STOP!!


And the whole time I just sat in the front seat laughing to myself thanking God neither one of them was talking to me!

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Baby Einstein ~ World Of Music ~ Review

At a very young age, our children are aware that the world is both very large and yet extremely interconnected. Thanks to digital technology, we can instantly connect with countries around the world, and our own communities grow more diverse every day. We feel a great importance in teaching our children about different cultures, as we want them to grow up with the understanding, respect, and appreciation of every person and culture they meet. And as the language of music transcends cultures and borders, it serves as an excellent way to engage our children and expose them to global diversity.

Because of the focus Moms place on these important lessons, Baby Einstein created World Music, an interactive product line of DVDs, music CDs, books, toys and gear that embrace the brand's philosophy of touch, talk and think, while promoting together time between baby and parents. World Music encourages parents and little ones to foster a lifelong love of music and an appreciation for diverse cultures from around the world. Susan McClain, Vice President and General Manager of The Baby Einstein Company shared, "Based on the thousands of moms who contact us, there is a real desire to expose their little ones to different cultures. From Africa to Australia, music is a common thread that ties us all together. With this new line, our goal is to begin a lifelong appreciation for the world."

Thanks to MomCentral, Katelyn and I were able to review the World Music DVD, which came out March 31, 2009, encourages live interaction and introduces children to the world's distinctive sights and sounds with fun-loving puppet host Jane the Monkey and her toy drum as she travels across the globe to play music with her puppet friends.

It features real-world images of global musical instruments, regional toys and animals, and takes an extraordinary look at the universal language of music, encouraging viewers to join in the fun by blowing on a flute, strumming on a harp and singing along to songs from all seven continents. And for a more customized experience for each family's stage and needs, the World Music DVD provides two settings- Grow with Me and Select-a-Segment. The "grow with me" setting offers a second viewing mode containing spoken words and additional content that grows with babies, while "select-a-segment" gives parents the choice of viewing shorter segments, such as five or ten minutes, as opposed to longer programming.

Please visit Baby Einstein.com to see all of their wonderful products.

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Listerine Total Care ~ Review ~

With our ever growing to-do lists it can be so easy to neglect our personal oral health, but with 92% of adults ages 20 to 64 experiencing dental decay in our permanent teeth at some point in our lives, proper oral care routines and preventive dental care visits prove more essential than ever for achieving a cleaner, healthier mouth.

We need to take notes from what we tell our kids - by doing simple things regularly including brushing, flossing and rinsing twice daily and visiting your dentist twice a year for preventative care, you can avoid bigger problems down the line that require painful oral procedures and may cost thousands of dollars.

An alarming recent survey by Cigna indicates that 41 percent of Americans are taking worse care of their health because of the economy.

Thanks to MomCentral I was able to try out LISTERINE® TOTAL CARE, Anticavity Fluoride Mouthwash, now available, is the only fluoride mouthwash that contains six benefits in one:

Helping to prevent cavities

Restoring enamel

Strengthening teeth

Killing bad breath germs

Freshening breath

Fighting unsightly plaque above the gum line

For more information please visit http://listerine.com

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Easter Egg Hunt

We spent the afternoon today at an Easter Picnic / Easter Egg Hunt. It was held at a local park right on a beautiful lake. We were so lucky to have a gorgeous day today too!

The kids had fun playing hula hoops, bubbles, basketball, soccer, jump rope and running around.

It was potluck so everyone brought a dish to share. Mmmm such good food. Tons of casseroles, fruits, veggies, and of course tons of dessert trays.
After games and food, it was time for the egg hunt. Our church brought tons of plastic eggs and they were spread out as far as the eye could see.

Definitely enough for all the kids. Katelyn took off running as soon as they said go!
And Gavin was just as excited:







Danyelle was too old to participate in the egg hunt with the little kids, but she had a great time helping Katelyn and Gavin get their eggs. Oh, and I'm sure she loved her bear hug from Ken!


Have a wonderful week!

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Back

We are back from our toooo short spring break mini vacation. We got home Friday afternoon and as of right now I still haven't unpacked. Its the worst part of coming home ( right Katie?).

We spent some time today at the eye doctor for Gavin. He broke his glasses in half - yep, in half - last week so we went in to have a new eye exam and pick out new frames. We ended up with the exact same frames as before since they look so good on him. I was not looking forward to having to pay for another pair of glasses, but the little lady behind the counter informed me that all of their glasses come with a year warranty ( yippee ) so I would be receiving them for half off ( double yippee! ).

We also spent some time outside in the beautiful weather. Gavin had a couple of friends over so they got on their swimsuits and ran around in the sprinkler for a couple of hours until dinner time.

Tomorrow we are going to our church's Easter Picnic/ Egg Hunt. I am looking forward to watching Katelyn run after all the Easter eggs!!

Vacation posts and pictures coming soon!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

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