Happy Birthday Pepere! (and Memorial Day)

We celebrated Pepere's birthday on Sunday, the 24th because there was a threat of rain on Monday, his actual birthday and we wanted to take full advantage of the pool! It was a very low key celebration this year and we ate our little hearts out and swam as long as we could.  Emaline loves the pool and is going in almost everyday, weather permitting....So we barbecued, sang happy birthday and ate some awesome chocolate cake.  

  

"Have a Magical Day!"

A few months back, my dad and I were invited to a drug trend conference in Orlando and when confirmed he decided that we should bring the whole crew and do Disney World! So...plane tickets were purchased and rooms reserved for the Thomas/Little/Ahmad traveling crew. We went Mon-Fri, May 11-15th and had an absolutely wonderful time. It all started bright and early (well, not so bright) at 3:30am for me and Miss Piper getting up to eat and then get ready and driving me and my girls to the airport to meet up with the rest of the clan. We made it to Orlando around 1pm and quickly caught our bus to Disney Yacht Club Resort, getting us to the hotel at 2:30 or so. I picked up my rented stroller from Orlando Stroller Rentals and we were on our way to Hollywood Studios for the afternoon! Emaline got to see a Playhouse Disney show with all her favorite cartoon characters (Handy Manny, Little Einsteins, Mickey's Clubhouse) and then decided to fall asleep after a long day of traveling. So..me, Pepere and Aunt Kayleigh took advantage of this opportunity to ride some "big kid" rides. Then, everyone was tired and cranky, so we went back to the hotel to get some rest for our big day at Magic Kingdom...


Tuesday, started very early with a 7:45am breakfast reservation with Mickey & Pals at our neighboring hotel. Kids were still pretty cranky, but got better when hugged by Goofy, Donald Duck and Minnie Mouse...apparently Mickey was on his break. Then after that, we took a short rest and then headed out to the Magic Kingdom! It was pretty hot and we grabbed some water bottles once there and...Emaline and Kaya fell asleep! It was pretty funny, so yet again we took this time to hit the bigger rides. The first was Splash Mountain, thanks to a Fast Pass we were given by Wade at the bus stop at our resort (we had to wait a while for a bus). It was a great start to a very fun day and soon after we hit a couple other rides, the girls were awake and ready to enjoy the splendors that Disney had to offer. I think we rode everything that day, except for 4 or 5 rides, when the rains came at us around 6pm or so. We weren't really prepared...so off to the hotel to rest for the following day.


Wednesday was spent at Epcot and it was a beautiful day to walk around. Although...this was the day when all of us were starting to get sick. Yes, I know, what wonderful timing we all have. It started with Kaya, which quickly spread to Emaline, then Steph, me, Piper and finally Nana on the way home. So...the girls were a little cranky, but still excited to see fun stuff from the world showcase and future world. We started the day with a Princess breakfast at the Akerhaus in the Norway showcase. We got to see Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White and Aerial! Emaline wasn't very excited when we got there, quite honestly, she threw a fit because she didn't want to sit and have breakfast, but quickly came around when she saw the lovely princesses walking around and greeting the tables. After that, we walked and walked...then Em fell asleep again. While the kids slept, we went to a couple other "bigger" rides. When awake we rode Finding Nemo, which I thought was really cute and the kids really had a blast with it, I think it was one of Em's favorites that day. Even Piper was awake and taking it all in! Thank God, I brought the Bjorn! We stayed almost until it closed to watch fireworks, but then had a meltdown by all parties, so we split for the hotel.

Thursday was my first day of meetings, so while Pepere and I attended some sessions, Nana, Steph, Kayleigh and the girls met with Stephani's sister-in-law, Sophie, who drove all the way up from West Palm Beach to visit with them. They went to lunch on the Boardwalk across the lake and then hung out at the pool for a little bit. After our sessions ended, we met up with the rest of the crew and decided to hit the Magic Kingdom again before we left the next day. Although, Mother Nature decided we should experience this in the rain! We were prepared this time and took umbrellas and bought ponchos for the kids to keep the strollers semi-dry. We did mainly indoor things and made the best of it. It wasn't too bad when the rain finally stopped around 7:30-8pm-ish. Just in time for the parade and fireworks! I'm glad we stayed and saw everything. Emaline and Kaya were amazed at the light parade and enjoyed the music and characters all lit up! After that was over, we quickly grabbed a spot for fireworks in front of Cinderella's castle and it was beautiful. A fantastic ending to our fun time at Disney.

Friday, Pepere and I attended the end of our sessions for the conference and ducked out a little early to check-out, get bags picked up and then have lunch with everyone before catching the Magical Express to the airport. We didn't get home and in our beds until 11:30pm that night! All in all, the girls did well in my opinion and I would have no problem traveling with them ever. I can't wait to take them again, possibly for Emaline's 5th birthday. She'll get in free and Piper won't be 3 yet, so she'll get in free too! Excellent idea. Thanks to Nana and Pepere for making our trip extra special and I couldn't even have imagined it without Steph, Kaya and Kayleigh.

Once all the pictures are loaded up on Kodak Gallery, I'll post that link here.

Mother's Day

We had a really simple and low-key Mother's Day Buffet at Straub's in Ellisville. They had all sorts of goodies for $15/person. I really like Straub's and wished that everything wasn't so expensive in there. It is a great atmosphere to shop in and I think I like it better than Trader Joe's or Whole Foods.  The hot bars for lunch are great! We unfortunately didn't even think to take pictures of the day because after brunch, I immediately went home to pack for our trip to Orlando very early the next day. I did find out that they do a Sunday Brunch every week for $7.95 so I think I might drag Josh out when he is off on weekends again! If you live nearby, you should check them out. 

After our lovely meal, we went back to Nana & Pepere's house to exchange some gifts. I got a cute pair of new fancy flip-flops and a swimsuit cover-up for our trip (which I barely used...). I also told Josh that I wanted something specific for myself, a mounted wall mirror so I can see my face when I put make-up on in the morning (I'm blind). I didn't think he listened to me, so I wrote it off. Lo and behold when coming home from brunch I walked into the bathroom and it was already mounted with a note saying how much he and the girls love me. :-)  It was the best surprise! I know it doesn't seem like much, but little things are what make me happy.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

We had a low key May 5th this year and went over to Nana & Pepere's for some delicious homemade tamales, chile rellenos and tacos! Mmmmm, tasty! All the girls wore their Mexican style shirts and we even got a few shots of the kids running around in sombreros. It was a lot of fun. I love it when we do things like this cause it reminds me a lot of my grandmother when I was young. I hope the girls will remember Nana at the stove making tamales and helping out when they get older too. It definitely brings a smile to my face. :-)

Bath Time!

Emaline and Piper had their first bath together last week and it was pretty funny. I thought it was kinda early to put them in at the same time but, when one kid is already in the tub and the other poops herself up to her elbows, its a no-brainer. I can't wait (actually I can...) for Piper to get old enough to sit up on her own so they can play together. Emaline even helped out with the bathing! Many more bath time adventures to come in the future.

Vehicle Day at Selvidge Middle School

On Saturday morning, we all got up (relatively early) to get ready to head to our nearby middle school for a showcase of public service vehicles. We belong to our local Parents As Teachers group through the school district and this was one of their workshops for kids and parents. It was a lot of fun! Emaline was a little overwhelmed at first, but I think she wanted to see all the trucks after she got over all the people and loud horns. We got to see the inside of a firetruck, a police car, an ambulance, a recycling truck, an Ameren UE truck, a school bus, a UPS truck, a flatbed, sat in a tractor (for 5 seconds) and got that sweet pic above of her on a Harley. I think she had a good time and thankfully the rain stayed away, cause that would have been messy...she got some goodies including a "power on" hat from the Ameren guys. Sticker, pencils and more filled my pockets. It was a fun little outing and glad she wanted to go, poor Piper was stuck in the Bjorn carrier but at least her face was hidden from drizzle :-).

Easter Bunny & Eggs

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Basement Waterproofing

See all that water?? It was high time we got this show on the road to finish the basement and this was the first thing we had to check off our list. We found a recommended and very reasonable waterproofing company to come in and get the deed done. It took about 10 (working) days total and so far, we are pleased with the results. Although, the jackhammering was something to sit through! Usually, me and the girls went for walks to the park or over to Nana & Pepere's house so that we didn't have to listen to the constant banging. That was the only rough part to the whole process. First they cut a trench around half of the basement perimeter and pumped all the water out, roughly a thousand gallons was the guess! Then they filled in with the drainage tile/hose and then filled in with gravel and finally sealed back up again with concrete. Then they repeated with the other side and put in a sump pump in the northwest corner of the basement. I'm very happy to get the area cleaned up and remodeled! Hopefully it won't take forever...

Madisyn's 10th Birthday!

The past Saturday we also went to my niece Madisyn's 10th birthday party. Milestone birthdays all around! It was great to finally see Chad and Angie's house, since I was yet to get out there, and they have made great strides with the place, kudos to them! It was nice to see most of Josh's family and have Emaline play with all her cousins she doesn't see too often. They even had a pinata in the garage! It had to be in the garage cause in case you didn't read in the post before, the weather was rainy and cold. I can't wait for consistently warm and pleasant weather! We enjoyed cold cuts, fruit and an awesome ice cream cake! Can you tell I love dessert, probably a little bad for me... Me and Emaline got Maddie a cute new summer outfit and an iTunes gift card. The big gift her mom and dad got her was a new bike! I hope she had a great day, cause we enjoyed sharing it with her. I think all the aunts were excited to see Piper too ;-) Thanks for the party!!

Nana and Kaya's Birthdays

Last weekend we celebrated Nana & Kaya's Birthdays. First with Kaya's birthday party on Saturday at her house where lots of kids ran around and got crazy! Tabasco was one of the highlights of the day. It was unfortunate that it was only 39 degrees outside and rainy! It's spring for crying out loud! Well, we did what we could and had a great time playing with all the kids and enjoying some lovely Mexican food that Steph and Nana made. Emaline even got to make cupcakes and decorate them the day before for the festivities. I can't believe Kaya is a year old already, how time flies. Emaline was very excited, she loves parties and even got a cool Backyardigan Look & Find book and heart sunglasses in her goodie bag! Here are some more pictures of the day:

The following day we celebrated Nana's birthday at Maggiano's in Brentwood. Of course it was very delicious and I enjoyed going out to a "real" restaurant for a change. Now that Piper is six weeks old, I have no qualms about taking her anywhere! We sat upstairs and had a little corner area all to ourselves and that was great with three kids! Emaline surprised us all and ate a giant plate of spaghetti and meatballs and only got a little sauce on her sleeve. She is getting better at eating and trying new things again. I think she might be hungry after refusing to eat anything of substance over the last six months :-) We all had very large portions and had to bring something home...I enjoyed my favorite, veal and mushroom ravioli and tried a bittersweet chocolate pudding pie that was WAY to rich for me. Other dishes we had around the table were Braised Beef Cannelloni, Gnocchi, more Spaghetti & Meatballs & Fettuccine Alfredo...mmmmm tasty!