We have 3 days until our 6/7 day trip to Disney. We are excited, a little unprepared as far as packing, did I say excited?
Kayla and I got our nails done tonight just for the trip. Mine just have a Mickey head on my ring fingers and Kaylas are painted to match Goofy. (Green for his hat, Orange for his shirt, Black for his vest, Blue for his pants and Brown for his shoes) Her nails were too small to paint any design on them so she settled for colors. She also got gel polish and treatment in hopes that the color will last longer, we'll see - her nails dont keep polish well.
P.S. -We're EXCITED!!
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Disney Pin Trading Prep - Part I
So we've taken on this little adventure obsession called Disney Pin Trading. Maurice and I saw videos on YouTube from "imsarahsnitch" and got hooked. So we ordered pins... 50 of them for $20 off of E-Bay so when we go to Disney the kids can trade pins! We sat down the other night and sorted them out, each of us getting 10 because Maurice and I already pre-sorted Limited Edition Pins we wanted to keep as well as some characters we have that aren't as popular that we could potentially trade-up for better pins.
We set it up in our dining room complete with a fish themed towel to match our fish themed (Finding Nemo) room for our hotel at Art of Animation.
We took turns picking the ones we wanted and once it was all over we attached them to lanyards Maurice got at Game Stop for free.
In addition to this, the lanyards came with name badge slots so the kids created fake names for their lanyard - initially this was my idea to keep them safe but I realize how silly it is now.
There will be a lot more posts on pin trading, how it went on our trip and more info on pin trading. I don't think we'll stop trading after our vacation is over.
We set it up in our dining room complete with a fish themed towel to match our fish themed (Finding Nemo) room for our hotel at Art of Animation.
We took turns picking the ones we wanted and once it was all over we attached them to lanyards Maurice got at Game Stop for free.
In addition to this, the lanyards came with name badge slots so the kids created fake names for their lanyard - initially this was my idea to keep them safe but I realize how silly it is now.
Kaylas collection of pins |
Putting pins on her lanyard |
My favorite pin yet - Winnie the Pooh :) |
Tristan attaching his pins to the lanyard |
The kids post home trading. |
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Young Womens and Cub Scouts
Tonight was pretty crazy for us schedule wise. I came home from work, answered Girl Scout/Church/Cub Scout emails - browsed Scout Stuff DOT org to find Tristan's uniform for cub scouts, browsed Old Navy online for some other items we need before our big Disney trip, made quickie dinners and we were all out of the house again for events.
Did I mention Blake fell backwards when standing and less than 1 minute later Kayla fell from astool Tidy Cats container filled with cat food in the pantry backwards and hit her chin and heavily bruised her shin? It was a mess for a moment but both kids are okay and I nicely asked made Tristan stay seated on the couch where it was soft and cushiony so he wouldn't also get hurt. I had to explain to my 8 year old that a lot of times in life, bad things seem to come in three's and that was his number!
Aside from miniature chaos, tonight was momentous for both Kayla and Tristan.
Kayla had a New Beginnings 2014 Reception with church since she joined Young Women's. (Age 12+ for girls in our church) We met and chatted with the Sisters when we got there and once everything was settled we sat down for what turned out to be a great evening for her and the Young Women in our Ward and another Ward. A few of the girls read values/testimony for Personal Progress, there was Leader Presentation and then closing remarks from our Bishop and another one. Snacks were served, Kayla was given a gorgeous gift basket and a Personal Progress Journal and then all of the girls retired to "picnic blankets" on the floor to play Apples to Apples. I got a few cute shots of them and Kayla was very happy to be there. I know she is excited, however I kind of fear she won't grasp Personal Progress or will struggle to get through it. I know - through Heavenly Father she'll be ok - she'll get it, it will click and I have faith that the other girls/women in Young Women's will help guide her. I really am VERY excited to see how she does with it and I am elated that I also get to go on a Personal Progress journey with her.
Did I mention Blake fell backwards when standing and less than 1 minute later Kayla fell from a
Aside from miniature chaos, tonight was momentous for both Kayla and Tristan.
Kayla had a New Beginnings 2014 Reception with church since she joined Young Women's. (Age 12+ for girls in our church) We met and chatted with the Sisters when we got there and once everything was settled we sat down for what turned out to be a great evening for her and the Young Women in our Ward and another Ward. A few of the girls read values/testimony for Personal Progress, there was Leader Presentation and then closing remarks from our Bishop and another one. Snacks were served, Kayla was given a gorgeous gift basket and a Personal Progress Journal and then all of the girls retired to "picnic blankets" on the floor to play Apples to Apples. I got a few cute shots of them and Kayla was very happy to be there. I know she is excited, however I kind of fear she won't grasp Personal Progress or will struggle to get through it. I know - through Heavenly Father she'll be ok - she'll get it, it will click and I have faith that the other girls/women in Young Women's will help guide her. I really am VERY excited to see how she does with it and I am elated that I also get to go on a Personal Progress journey with her.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
The Life of a Cookie Mom
Kayla joined Girl Scouts last year as a junior so this is her second year working cookie booths. I'm the "cookie mom" so I get to manage some of the booths! Last year I was too pregnant to really get involved.
This weekend was our first weekend and it was a success!
We have several more booths to do this week and next before we go to Disney. They're $4/box and you can download an app to find locations and times near you!
This weekend was our first weekend and it was a success!
Kaylas first booth of 2014 and Jasmines second one for the day! |
We have several more booths to do this week and next before we go to Disney. They're $4/box and you can download an app to find locations and times near you!
Happy 33rd BIrthday!
Sister Houtz |
Kayla and Tristan LOVING on some lobsters! |
Stopping for a photo-op to let me get a picture of them |
Photo credit: Kayla |
Blake didn't want to be left out of pictures. |
Sister Williams |
Tristans CHEESY smile :) |
Between Princess hats and Lobster bibs we were...ADORABLE! (hahahahahaha) |
(Another post for the night = mini catch up time!)
My 33rd birthday was this past Thursday and it was great. I'm not a partier (anymore) so I decided to make it very chill... best word I could describe it as!
I went to work and when coming in from my first break my coworkers surprised me with this:
It took FOREVER to remove all of those post-its |
I cried when I saw it. I'm normally the one to do this for other people on their birthdays (I'm kind of a "birthday decorator) and I didn't expect it AT ALL for them to do it for me. It was SO awesome. |
After work Maurice, the kids and I went to look at a house we were potentially going to buy (another post!) then dropped his car off and took mine to meet our missionairies, Sister Houtz and Sister Williams at Red Lobster for my birthday dinner.
Dinner was delicious, our waiter, Julio said that he was once a missioary which made our missionaries VERY happy (Really it seemed divine!). We enjoyed appetizers, salad, dinner, a lesson, talking, singing Happy Birthday to me and just spending time with the 2 women in our life who are helping us transition into the Mormon church. It was perfect.
Sister Houtz and Tristan playing tic-tac-toe in Tristans bible-based game book. |
Kayla and Sister Williams enjoying Sister Williams VERY cool light pen. |
Random Blakeness!
Right before Blake goes to sleep he gets into a weird goofy/laughy/uncontrollable laughy mood. I don't mind it (nor do I think any parent would considering this is what trumps bedtime fussiness). Tonight I secretly snapped some pictures of Blake (from the dining room table) as I played a peek-a-boo game with him and Kayla. He's got such a sweet smile!
Without a doubt, these children are what bring light in my life.
Without a doubt, these children are what bring light in my life.
Brotherly Love
Just a quickie post on what I caught this weekend. Tristan and Blake spending time with each other. It's rare. Tristan is 8 and I think Blake scares him, or the thought of hurting Blake scares him. Blakes a lot smaller than he is and as an 8 year old he doesn't always understand why Blake cries or fusses. Tristan plays with Legos a lot so he never wants Blake around him when he does that (nor do we for fear of choking or small parts funneling through Blake's tiny body to a diaper change). Sometimes Tristan just wants to spend time with him though and it's so sweet when he does. I've tried to boast or praise him on how well he's doing with Blake in hopes that he'll want to play with him a little more but I've yet to see that happen. I'm pretty sure as Tristan get's older he'll feel as comfortable as Kayla is with Blake.
I just love these two together and Blake looks so content playing with his big brother.
Disney Part I - Our Trip and Magic Bands
As mentioned in the first post of our blog, we're headed to Disney this month. I know a ton of people go to Disney every year, and Maurice and I have both been before. I went to Walt Disney World with my parents, paternal grandparents and sister when I was 17 then when my mom worked in Orange, California when I was 18 we basically lived less than 10 minutes from Anaheim so my sister and I went almost every single day to Disneyland for an entire summer. She and I have grown up with Disney. Maurice went with his mom when he was about 12. As a family of 5 though, we've never been. I want this experience for Kayla and Tristan especially to be as "magical" as it can be. I've got a lot of surprises planned for them and we've done a lot of preparation in a short time (we're last minute - down to the minute people).
I booked our vacation directly through Disney, which a lot of people don't necessarily recommend (especially if you don't live in Florida or California) because the price can be more expensive. However, we are Florida residents and the park is offering 4-day Park Hopper Passes with resort for Florida residents at a pretty great (cant pass it up after tax time) deal. I booked it. We need a vacation, the kids are off school for the week we're going for Spring Break and both Kayla and Tristan are at an age where it'll be fun for them and they'll remember it. Blake, not so much but by the time he's old enough to remember Kayla and Tristan will be out of the house and we can take Blake on his own separate trip. We're staying at Disney Art of Animation resort which is in Value Level of Disney Resorts. This means, the price is less than say resorts closer to the parks or with more amenities geared more toward an older crowd, in my opinion. Art of Animation offers family suites, which we're staying in - ours is Finding Nemo themed, which is perfect for us and less tacky (also my opinion) than the other family suite offering, Lion King. It's geared towards the "art of the animation" of Disney movies and I'll post more on the actual hotel once we get there, or get back.
In addition to booking a Disney resort + 4-day Park Hopper, we were invited to test and try Disney Magic Bands. (Magic Band information found here!) We've received these in the mail after making "Fast Pass" selections on our My Disney Experience portion of our trip. We're "testing" them and according the website, they're limited on who tests them.
I think they're so cool. You can customize the color you want by family member preference. The box they come in is well-packaged and as you can see from the pictures everyone's name is under their band. We mostly chose our favorite colors (except I prefer purple and they didn't offer it and Blakes is yellow because he's our "bee"). All of the bands also have your name personalized on the inside of them. In addition to that they have gray edging on them. This can be removed for smaller wrists, like that of a baby and if you look closely we've removed the edging on Blakes because he has tiny wrists.
Magic Bands can be used as your hotel room key, to make purchases (if you link your debit/credit card to it) as well as your link to Fast Pass - the shorter wait times for rides you pre-select on your My Disney Experience either through the website or the app that are more popular or would normally have long wait times (1+ hours). I've selected 3 Fast Pass items for every day we're going to be in Disney according to our scheduled itinerary. We are able to change those times/locations on the app or through the website if plans change.
This was the first of many magical items we've received from Disney since booking and I will share more as we get it. Also, I will come back and post OUR experience with Magic Bands.
I booked our vacation directly through Disney, which a lot of people don't necessarily recommend (especially if you don't live in Florida or California) because the price can be more expensive. However, we are Florida residents and the park is offering 4-day Park Hopper Passes with resort for Florida residents at a pretty great (cant pass it up after tax time) deal. I booked it. We need a vacation, the kids are off school for the week we're going for Spring Break and both Kayla and Tristan are at an age where it'll be fun for them and they'll remember it. Blake, not so much but by the time he's old enough to remember Kayla and Tristan will be out of the house and we can take Blake on his own separate trip. We're staying at Disney Art of Animation resort which is in Value Level of Disney Resorts. This means, the price is less than say resorts closer to the parks or with more amenities geared more toward an older crowd, in my opinion. Art of Animation offers family suites, which we're staying in - ours is Finding Nemo themed, which is perfect for us and less tacky (also my opinion) than the other family suite offering, Lion King. It's geared towards the "art of the animation" of Disney movies and I'll post more on the actual hotel once we get there, or get back.
In addition to booking a Disney resort + 4-day Park Hopper, we were invited to test and try Disney Magic Bands. (Magic Band information found here!) We've received these in the mail after making "Fast Pass" selections on our My Disney Experience portion of our trip. We're "testing" them and according the website, they're limited on who tests them.
I think they're so cool. You can customize the color you want by family member preference. The box they come in is well-packaged and as you can see from the pictures everyone's name is under their band. We mostly chose our favorite colors (except I prefer purple and they didn't offer it and Blakes is yellow because he's our "bee"). All of the bands also have your name personalized on the inside of them. In addition to that they have gray edging on them. This can be removed for smaller wrists, like that of a baby and if you look closely we've removed the edging on Blakes because he has tiny wrists.
Magic Bands can be used as your hotel room key, to make purchases (if you link your debit/credit card to it) as well as your link to Fast Pass - the shorter wait times for rides you pre-select on your My Disney Experience either through the website or the app that are more popular or would normally have long wait times (1+ hours). I've selected 3 Fast Pass items for every day we're going to be in Disney according to our scheduled itinerary. We are able to change those times/locations on the app or through the website if plans change.
This was the first of many magical items we've received from Disney since booking and I will share more as we get it. Also, I will come back and post OUR experience with Magic Bands.
Hello!
Hello! Welcome to our little slice of blog-heaven. I contemplated starting a blog, mostly because I never follow through on things like this. I make a plan, I start it, I write a couple of posts and then I forget about it because somehow kids, work, life... get in the way. This time I'm determined to make things a little different. In the past year we have welcomed a new family member, a new furry family member, moved from one apartment to another in Florida, are in transition to a new church, celebrating a first birthday and going to Walt Disney World in two weeks. With that said, we have a lot going on and a lot we want to document. You'll see posts from me, Nicole and my boyfriend/fiance/significant other for 7 years+ (Maurice) posting on this blog. Ramblings from both of us as they come. I'll have product reviews of things we've tried, current events and Maurice will likely write about cooking, gardening, collecting (things), video games and his new adventure.. Disney Pin Trading!
So now that I've explained why we're here and what our not-so-set-in-stone plan is, let me introduce us. I'm Nicole - I work F/T for a large online sports retailer [If you've purchased sports apparel etc. it has likely been from the company I work for] as a Quality Control Coordinator. I've been with said company since April 2012 with a small 8 week break between February 2013 and April 2013 to have a baby. I enjoy graphic design, photography, dance (I was classically trained), raising awareness for Multiple Sclerosis and Congenital Heart Defects (CHD), books, movies and lots 'o other things.
Maurice is a F/T SAHD. Yup that's right - he stays home full-time with our nearly 1-year old son. He enjoys cooking, gardening, video games, the outdoors, books, rebuilding/revitalizing furniture and exercise.
We have three children.
Kayla, our oldest is 12. She loves arts and crafts, animals of any kind - even the gross ones, dirt, fishing, hunting, four wheeling and anything else that would require her to be muddy or out in nature. Kayla is without any doubt...a tomboy and will argue even on Sunday to wear a dress to church. (She believes she should be able to wear jeans under her dresses.) She is in 6th grade, involved in Girl Scouts and Young Womens (with church). Nicknames Kayla-bug and Skeeter.
Tristan, our middle child is 8. He loves anything Lego. If it can be built, he can do it and within record time - at least by 8 year old standards. He's very outgoing and loud but very cuddly. He's my "poopy" - to be explained later, I promise! - and is a very social child. Nicknames include Poopy (only by me), TBone, Buddy.
Blake, the baby is almost 1. He's not walking yet but he either army crawls, crawls-crawls, or cruises anywhere he needs to go. He is a sweet baby and rarely disappointed with how things are unless of course his diaper needs changed or we're not on a schedule with feeding. He's very silly and has been the *perfect* pea in our pod. He has many nicknames - Blakey Boo, Bake Bake, BD (his initials pronounced as they are), Baby Bear, Baby Bee, Chunkers.
In addition to 5 people in our home we also have 3 cats and 1 additional cat who doesn't technically belong to us but I've claimed his as "our stray".
Our cats include Aveeno - a 15 year old Norwegian Forest Cat. I got him when I was 18 years old from a farm with his sister Lavender which my roommate kept. I like to refer to Aveeno as my "roll dog". He's almost as big as a dog but he went through the end of my teens with me, all of my 20's and now early 30's. He's been around for a long time. For awhile I wasn't able to keep him because I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and unable to go up and down stairs to change his litter or feed/water him so he stayed with my mom and sister, then spent a short time with another owner entirely who fed him table scraps and called him Tom. He doesn't respond to Tom and per the friend of the friend who owned him for that short time, he never did. He's my Beaner cat.... I adore him.
Then there's Conor (which is what Maurice and I call her) or Prissy (what the kids call her). She's 4 and a tan long haired super-soft cat. Maurice and I have affectionately named her "Baby Kitty". We couldn't initially agree as a family what her name should be so she ended up with two and answers to two. Right before we moved to Florida, she got out of our house and was gone for several weeks. We spent every hour of daylight we could searching for her because it was snowy at the time. She finally did come home, not pregnant, very skinny and only a little scratched up which we quickly resolve with a trip to the vets office. The month or so she was gone was M-I-S-E-R-A-B-L-E for our family and I remember looking for her everywhere I went, even illogical locations. She's now happy and healthy!
The third and most recent cat we've acquired is Oscar. He's gray... The kids and I got Oscar from the shelter in our city. We went one day to the shelter to bring dog biscuits to the dogs in the shelter and when we were through the kids asked if we could go look at cats. I was adamant about not letting them add to our ridiculous brood of animals, and we did well to pass up kittens or cats with missing limbs (so heartbreaking!) but the last room we went to was off the beaten path and according to the worker there, not many people came into the room we were in - it was sealed by sliding glass doors at the end of the hallway. Oscar was in there... well "Carlos". He wasn't the most friendly but he was the softest and with nearly the saddest story. He was 7 years old and had spent his entire life in a shelter. All of the other cats cost money to take home but Carlos was FREE! In addition to that he was scheduled to be euthanized that same week. I couldn't let that happen. We signed papers, got his information, officially changed his name to Oscar (because he randomly bites/scratches in play.. he's grouchy) and were on our way. He's been with us a year and is pretty content. He's not as skiddish as he was, no longer hides on top of our kitchen cabinets and nearly forces himself on you to be pet. He's awesome.
The other cat we don't technically own is Shadow, who I've named wholeheartedly because he's completely black. Stereotypical, right?! I feed him outside of our apartment occasionally and sit outside petting him from time to time. He's beautiful... I wish I could keep him.
As a family we love the beach, travel, busy schedules (sometimes), YouTube, and we are "investigators" for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We're LDS "investigators"aka transitioning to become Mormon. (Upcoming post!) We are five/fifths of a group hug, we are Five Peas in a Pod - new again on the interwebs. :)
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