ICE

This year, my brother/sister-in-law decided to take us to the local attraction of ICE! For those of you not familiar, it is at the Gaylord Palms and it is a walk-through attraction where everything is made of, you guessed it, ICE. They have elaborate carving and an ice slide. In order to keep everything frozen, the entire exhibit is a chilly 9 degrees. So, we borrowed and bundled in our best Florida winter gear and headed out.

It only takes 45 minutes to walk all the way through, but we wouldn't have been able to last any longer. Everyone was cold and ready to go by the end. Fun times! Thanks Jarrett and Jaime!

Getting a Tree, Decorating and Turkey Day

Ok, I have a few minutes (actually this took me 4 days to complete :) and I just have to document some fun moments to look back on one day. This post will include 3 different events because they all happened within 4 days of each other.

First, I should include that my husband has some temp work that started last week that will last through the end of the year. The good news is that he will be working 6 days a week (50 hours). The bad news is that he will be working 6 days a week at the same time as I am working 4 evenings (25-30 hours). So, this next month is going to be even crazier than usual.

So, we looked at the calendar last week and realized that the only time our schedules were going to mesh for decorating a tree was going to be this week before Thanksgiving. So, on Monday, we headed to Home Depot for our tree. Luckily, they had just received all their trees that day. So, we had some good, fresh trees and nothing picked over. Also, the size we were looking for were only $20 and we split the cost with the family living with us. The first tree we looked at is the one we picked and we were gone in 5 minutes. Doesn't Jordan look happy to be there?

Our very own "kid tree"

It couldn't have gone smoother. Then, we headed home and set the tree in water for a couple of days.

On Wednesday, we decided to have our decorating party. We have a tradition in our family of eating a prescribed diet of junk food while we decorate the tree. In case you wondering, it is Rotel dip (with hamburger), french onion dip, chips, pigs in blankets and Christmas candy. Oh ya, junk food to the max.Junk food on Wednesday night and Thanksgiving the next day. I'm pretty sure I gained 10 pounds in 2 days.

So, the main point of my blogging about Thanksgiving is to have documented proof of my fun-ness (is that a word?). I actually decided this year to do something creative with my kids. I usually rely on someone else, but I have been learning creativity by doing a lap book all year with my students at school, so I figured I could handle it. So, we worked on a family Thanksgiving lap book and made turkey pop-up cards. Below is the result.

Now, That's Dedication!!

I read this news story today and just couldn't help but to share!

Sometimes, you should just let the turkey burn :)

Avery's 9th Birthday

About a month ago, Avery turned 9 years old. We had a great day. We started the morning with breakfast sandwiches. After much debate between herself and herself, Avery decided she wanted to stay home and watch a movie and play outside. She is so my home-body.I know this isn't the greatest pic... but this is all the kids enjoying the movie and eating in the living room (big treat around here).

We had some frozen pizza for lunch and then headed to grandma and grandpa's for chicken pie dinner with the whole family.

The week before, Cory took the kids to Georgia for 4 days and she celebrated with Mimi and Papa. She was so excited to get a brand new bike!! Actually, I think that is the first new bike my kids have ever gotten. Until now, we have been fortunate to get bikes handed down.

Back to Orlando, she also asked that she be the one to decorate her cake. So, we got a cake mix, frosting and different colors of icing and sprinkles. Below is the result. What a creative little girl! She is one of a kind.

Happy Birthday, my little love bug!! And yes, she is already planning her 10th birthday party :)

My Baby Turned 10!!

No, this does not mean that I am back to blogging, but I couldn't not mention my oldest girl turning 10. She crossed over to double digits on the 13th. Since, we only do non-family parties on milestone years, she has been planning this one for a long time. But, before I get ahead of myself, let me back up.

The weekend before her birthday, I decided to take her on a weekend away with just her and mommy. The purpose of the weekend was 2-fold - to have a rockin' girls weekend and to have "the talk" (yes, that talk) with her. Cory and I have been discussing what age is the right age to have this talk. As much as I would love to wait another couple of years, the last thing I want is for her to hear about it from someone other than her mom. And, I know several of her friends already know. It was only a matter of time. So, we ordered a great kit called Passport2Purity by Dennis Rainey. A great friend told me about it.

So, I got the hook-up from my dad for the hotel. He is part of the Florida Barter network and was able to get me 2 hotel nights at no cost! Sweet. Now, I just got to plan the fun stuff.

We started the weekend by heading to the hair salon and Morgan receiving her first ever professional cut! Take a lookThen, we headed to the mall and got some shoes on a great sale! She has outgrown every pair she owns and we just happened to find exactly what we were looking for at a better price than I expected. Don't you just love it when that happens? After the mall, we headed to the local pizza shop where I had a coupon for a free pizza with the purchase of 2 drinks. Perfect. Dinner for $3.75. Gotta love it. After all that, we headed to the hotel to check in, watch some t.v. and go to bed.

The next morning, we started the day by getting matching pedicures. I let her pick the color and boy did she pick it :)The rest of the day, we spent window shopping, a little actual shopping, swimming and just hangin' together. It was fun.

"The talk" went without a hitch. She was a little grossed out and thought it was weird, but didn't have any questions for me. She also knew NOTHING!! When I first asked her if she had ever heard the word sex before, she answered yes. I asked her if she knew what it meant and she said whether you or a boy or a girl. I asked if she knew the other meaning and she said no. Then, I asked if she knew how a baby gets inside a mommy's tummy and she said, "I have NO idea!". Well, now she does.

One more thing I have to share. The packet I ordered comes with cd's where he does all the talking for you and you just sit together and listen. Well, after he described what exactly happens, he asks her to repeat back to her mom what she thinks it is. With a very confused look on her face, she looks at me and says "When a boy (now the tone in her voice turns to a complete question) pees on a girl?" I almost bust out laughing! Instead, I decided to describe it again to make sure we had the info right. So, that was our birthday weekend away.

On to the actual weekend of her birthday...

She chose 2 friends to have a sleepover on Friday night. We kicked daddy and Jordan out of the house and Morgan and her friends slept in my room while the littler girls slept downstairs. We stayed up till midnight watching a movie and actually got to sleep by 1.

The next morning, Morgan picked waffles for breakfast at Grandma's and wanted to swim most of the day. So, her friends hung out and swam their hearts out. For lunch, she picked homemade pizza and dessert was ice cream sundaes.It was a fun-filled and busy weekend. It is still hard for me to believe that she is already 10. The years have flown by and I know these next 8-10 are going to go even faster. Lord, thank you for blessing me with such a fun, confident, loving girl.