A MAGICAL VACATION!!!

Can you guess where we were?????

Ok, I'll give you a few hints...





Figure it out? Well if not, then you need to get out more! WE WERE IN DISNEY WORLD!!! WE MET MICKEY!!!Yes folks, the HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH was our home away from home for too short of a time.

We dined with MICKEY, MINNEY, DONALD, GOOFEY, POOH, TIGGER, EEYORE AND PIGLET! We enjoyed all four of the DISNEY PARKS!...MAGIC KINGDOM WAS MY FAVORITE!!! Did you know that they do a whole production in the mornings before opening the Magic Kingdom? Seriously, it's worth going early to see it!

Let's do a day to day recap...over the next week or so I'll try to post pictures daily of our vacation. Keep checking back for updates!

Day 1...
Our trip to the airport was uneventful. The plane ride was even uneventful (thank goodness). The boys even did well on the plane...plenty of snacks always keep kids happy!










I almost forgot to mention one important thing...we flew out on my big guy's 12th birthday!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TYLER!!! We celebraterd Tyler all week long!!!!

We got to the resort quite late that night...about 10pm and were definitely ready for bed. One nice thing was the weather was BEAUTIFUL!!!!

Early the next morning we had breakfast (bright and early...I feel the need to repeat how early it really since we had VERY little sleep) with Mickey, Minney, Goofy and Pluto at "Chef Mickey's". I HIGHLY reccomend this place if you happen to be in Disney! The service was great, the food was AMAZING and the characters make each kid feel so special! ...They even brought Tyler a "birthday cupcake"! It was just a wonderful experience!

Well, it's late and I've rambled on long enough. I'll start my next post with pics from Chef Mickey's! I'll post again soon, promise!

SCHOOL DAYS

Tyler brought home his 6th GRADE school pictures. Um, hello...when did he get old enough to be in the 6th GRADE? Take a gander at this handsome guy...if only I could get him to smile :)

TRICK OR TREAT!!!

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So yes it's been awhile since I've blogged, sorry! Honestly, life just got in the way of my computer time :( Here's an attempt to get back into the blogging world! First off, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! I can't believe it's the end of October already! Where did the year go? Next thing you know it will be time to bake Christmas cookies...ok who am I kidding; it will be time to beg MOM for some of her Christmas cookies ;)

Enjoy some Halloween Pictures of my favorite guys....







Now really; could Trick Or Treat night have gotten any sweeter than that? I think it's time to go raid their candy....

NEW PICS!

So I've finally started to update some of my pictures for your viewing pleasure. The first album that I put up can be seen here (it's my smugmug account...gotta love smugmug!) The most recent album is titled kids and ducks. The pics are from our camping trip we took about two weeks ago. We found this great little park to go feed ducks at and I was pleasantly amazed at the beautiful scenery the park offered for pictures. Ian, well, he was happier chasing the ducks than feeding them and Tyler was happier to be messing with the large fish in the pond. Boys will be boys! Enjoy the pics!

STELLAN UPDATE

Yes I promise a real update and post is coming soon...let me finish my work week tonight and I will put it on the top of my priority list...I have so many pictures to share!
For now, little Stellan (see post below) is headed into surgery today! Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as you go thru your normal day...life is anything but "normal" for this familiy right now.

CAN YOU SAY A QUICK PRAYER?

I frequently find new blogs that I read...yea I know kind of wierd...but anyway I do and I've recently come across this one. This little 5 month old is fighting for his little life right now. Please keep this precious little guy in your thoughts and prayers. Do I know these people? Well, no but no family should have to feel the pain that this one is feeling right now. "Stellan, I'm thinking about you and your family"

NEW MOON BOOK REVIEW

WHAT IT'S ABOUT:
(taken from Doubledaybookclub.com)
For Bella Swan, there is one thing more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with this impossibly handsome vampire is more dangerous than this ordinary girl could have ever imagined. Edward has already rescued her from the clutches of an evil vampire, but will he be able to resist his own bloodlust? As their relationship threatens all that is dear to them, the star-crossed lovers realize that their troubles may just be beginning. Is their love worth the cost?

(and this one is from Amazon.com)
Recovered from the vampire attack that hospitalized her in the conclusion of Twilight (Little, Brown, 2005), Bella celebrates her birthday with her boyfriend Edward and his family, a unique clan of vampires that has sworn off human blood. But the celebration abruptly ends when the teen accidentally cuts her arm on broken glass. The sight and smell of her blood trickling away forces the Cullen family to retreat lest they be tempted to make a meal of her. After all is mended, Edward, realizing the danger that he and his family create for Bella, sees no option for her safety but to leave. Mourning his departure, she slips into a downward spiral of depression that penetrates and lingers over her every step. Vampire fans will appreciate the subsequently dour mood that permeates the novel, and it's not until Bella befriends Jacob, a sophomore from her school with a penchant for motorcycles, that both the pace and her disposition begin to take off. Their adventures are wild, dare-devilish, and teeter on the brink of romance, but memories of Edward pervade Bella's emotions, and soon their fun quickly morphs into danger, especially when she uncovers the true identities of Jacob and his pack of friends. Less streamlined than Twilight yet just as exciting, New Moon will more than feed the bloodthirsty hankerings of fans of the first volume and leave them breathless for the third.

WHAT I THOUGHT: OH MY GOD I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! This book kept me turning the pages just like Twilight did. I went from loving Edward (who doesn't) to seriously hating him, then to loving Jacob, back to really hating Edward to finally thinking that there is just something seriously wrong with Bella. Stephenie Meyer has done another fantastic job with this book...I just wonder what's wrong with her to have thought up all these crazy story lines. I'm onto book 3!

I'M HOOKED!

This photo site is amazing! If you're into editing photos and don't want to pay a thing check this site out! I'm finding all sorts of cool things I can do with my pictures...and it doesn't take many brain cells to figure it out! Here's one from Ian's recent first birthday party that I messed with...I'm pretty happy the way it came out...scratch that...I'm extremely happy with the way it turned out! Thanks again Kim for telling me about this site!

LOOK WHAT I LEARNED HOW TO DO!

Courtesy of my wonderful sister in law's teaching (and her ability to google to find out anything) I now know how to take a black and white photo and add a little color to it! Just what I need...a new hobby to waste time :)
Here's my first attempt at being a little creative with a pic...this is an old pic of Ian but it's one of my faves of him...

MY SISTER'S KEEPER

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

What it's about: (taken from Amazon.com) New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult is widely acclaimed for her keen insights into the hearts and minds of real people. Now she tells the emotionally riveting story of a family torn apart by conflicting needs and a passionate love that triumphs over human weakness.
Anna is not sick, but she might as well be. By age thirteen, she has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate -- a life and a role that she has never challenged...until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister -- and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves.

My Sister's Keeper examines what it means to be a good parent, a good sister, a good person. Is it morally correct to do whatever it takes to save a child's life, even if that means infringing upon the rights of another? Is it worth trying to discover who you really are, if that quest makes you like yourself less? Should you follow your own heart, or let others lead you? Once again, in My Sister's Keeper, Jodi Picoult tackles a controversial real-life subject with grace, wisdom, and sensitivity.

What I thought: I now officially love this author! This is the second book of Picoult's I have read and all I can say is wow! Both books I've read have definitely made me think. This book makes you explore the world of a teenager who you think is simply saying "what about me"...but in reality is just trying to carry out the wishes of someone else. And the end of the book...what a turn of events! Another must read on my list! I'm going to look for more books by this author...well as soon as I finish the stack of unread books next to me :)

Two favorite quotes from the book...
"I realize then that we never have children, we receive them. And sometimes it's not for quite as long as we would have expected or hoped. But it is still far better than never having had those children at all."

"When I first became a parent I used to lie in bed at night and imagine the most horrible succession of maladies: the bite of a jellyfish, the taste of a poisonous berry, the smile of a dangerous stranger, the dive into a shallow pool. There are so many ways a child can be harmed that it seems nearly impossible one person alone could succeed at keeping him safe. As my children got older, the hazards only changed: inhaling glue, playing with matches, small pink pills sold behind the bleachers of the middle school. You can stay up all night and still not count all the ways to lose the people you love."

ANOTHER BOOK REVIEW

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

What its about (taken from amazon.com): Bella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Bella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Bella, the person Edward holds most dear.

Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.

What I thought: I read this book after being very hesitant about it...I don't do vampire stories...but, after much persuasion from my sister in law and hearing people rave about it I had to see what the hype was all about. I'm so glad I decided to take the plunge! This book was amazing! It was definitely not what I was expecting. I'm now hooked on this series...can't get to the next book fast enough. I don't want to give anything away so all I'm going to say is that this book is a must read...even if you don't do vampire stories!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!

Yep that's right...to us...my baby boy and I are celebrating our birthdays today! I can't believe that Ian is one year old! (I'm not telling how old I am, sorry) Where did this past year go? All I do know is that this little boy has blessed my life in so many ways and I love him more than words can describe. He has gone from sweet and precious little baby to a complete handful of a toddler in such a short amount of time. Ian is definitely the center of attention at our house and he knows it. I love watching him go thru each phase and milestone that children go thru...from the first time he smiled, the first time he sat up, the first time he crawled to now watching him run thru the house. Here's to another wonderful year for my beautiful little boy... "happy birthday guppie! mommy loves you with all my heart!"

Ian Blake one year ago...


Ian going home from the hospital...


Ian today...

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

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JUST ONE MORE REMINDER...

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OH HELL YEAH BABY!

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CAN YOU GUESS WHAT I'LL BE DOING TOMORROW...

GET YOUR BLACK AND GOLD ON, YOUR TERRIBLE TOWELS WAVING AND THE BEER ON ICE! IT'S SUPERBOWL TIME!


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LOOK WHO GOT A HAIRCUT!

Yes I know a haircut is normally not a huge deal but today was Ian's first haircut! He did so good...no tears. It probably helped that Elmo was on tv for his enjoyment. Here's some shots of our big event...

Sitting in the chair (and a before shot of his hair)


All ready to go...


It helped that the hairdresser was someone I know...


Almost done...


He didn't even mind getting "tickled"...


All finished...


Here's two "after" shots from this evening...he wouldn't really sit still for me (and by this point in the evening his hair is all over the place) to get a good one so look for more in the coming week...