cruisin'

Preschool closes down the week before the new school year. Therefore, Michael and I have to take that week off of work. Since we had to take time off we decided to go on a family cruise. I did a lot of research on the internet and through word of mouth and everyone who took young kids on a cruise recommended it. We booked a four day cruise out of Port Caneveral. Boarding the ship is a little chaotic and since I was in charge of all documentation that you have to show eight times, it was a little stressful. Once on the ship, the kids went straight for the ice cream.

This was the one bunk bed in the room. Between this and the ice cream they were as happy as clams.

During the safety demonstration Addison took pictures of herself. Then they were ready to hit the hot tub.

That night we went to the dining room for dinner. The girls weren't on their best dining room behavior, but it was a long day with no naps and they were tired. My dad went on the cruise with us. It was nice to have the extra set of hands and help since I was a little worried about having the kids on a ship. He also got to spend a lot of quality time with the girls. My dad HATES pictures, but he quickly realized that I wasn't giving up. This one actually came out pretty decent.

After dinner we explored the ship. It was raining a little so there wasn't many people out. The girls had a blast running all over the miniature golf course.

This seemed like the perfect picture opportunity, except Addison isn't looking and Morgan is into these weird poses. Michael looks good.

I was trying to hide all of the crap I was carrying.

The nightly towel creation. This one is a seal. The girls didn't realize that when you pick it up it destroys the animal. It didn't last long.

The night was a little rough because of two very tired little girls, but we all woke up ready for fun the next day.

happy birthday

To the sweetest niece and cousin we could have. You're so special to us. We love you so much M!

Happy 2nd Birthday! We can't wait to celebrate tomorrow.

m.o.r.g.a.n.

Morgan has been working on writing the letters in her name for awhile now. It seems like they are always in a random order on the page and some of them I can't even make out. Recently we went on a cruise. One day at lunch I asked her to write her name. This was the first time I've seen her write it and it look recognizable.

She needed a little help. I told her the 'a' was a circle with the hook on it. Her hook is on the top. Close enough for now.

first day of school

I knew today was going to be hard. I knew I would be an emotional mess. I knew I would cry. I'm not going to lie. It's been pretty rough.

The girls were all ready for this morning. They had their clothes laid out and backpacks ready to go. And much to my delight, they were excited about pictures. 

Morgan had no problem. She walked into school like she owned the place. Same school, new classroom and teachers. She took it like a champ.

She graduated to the big kid playground and her class has the first play slot of the day. She was so excited about the new adventures. So much so that she wanted to be done with pictures and go play with her friends.

Addison was as excited as she could be while we were still at home. I still can't get over the poses she pulled out for these pictures.

Traffic at school was a mess so we parked a block away and walked. Addison held my hand and still talked about how excited she was.

We walked her into the cafeteria and then it started. The tears. I tried so hard to hold them back while we were still with her, but I couldn't help it. Then I found out they wouldn't let us into the classroom with her. I had about 30 seconds to say goodbye. We were both a mess.

Addison lined up with her class and then walked away crying. I caught one more peak of her in the hallway. I'm so thankful for this lady who held her hand as she walked. One day I'll find out her role at the school and thank her. Then I was one of those mom's lurking in the hallway. It only made it worse for me. Addison started crying again as she opened her backpack. I wanted so badly to burst in that room to make sure she was okay.

I spent most of the morning crying at my desk, hoping Starbucks would make me feel better.

I'm doing better. Not great, but better. I'm really glad I left the teacher's email addresses at home. I'm pretty sure if I had them that I would have emailed a thousand times already. I can't wait to see her and hear all about it. After all the tears, I'm sure she had a fantastic day.

random stuff

A couple of things that I'd like to throw on the blog so I have record of them. There's no theme here. Just fun stuff.

Addison likes to take pictures of herself with my phone. I love when I scan through them and find these gems.

This was in Target this past weekend. What is it with the tongue?

Addison brings home a million pictures a day. If she could, she would spend all day in the writing/coloring centers. This is one of my favorites.

On Sunday I took Addison shopping for school supplies and clothes. And then I freaked out a little because I'm about to have a Kindergartner! She doesn't like shopping and hates trying on clothes even more. We broke up the day by stopping for lunch at McDonald's. I even let her have a milkshake.

This is Morgan's favorite dress because it spins. It's a size too small and extremely faded even though it doesn't look like it in this picture. If it's clean, she wants to wear it. Last week she wore it on Monday. She didn't make it to the bathroom in time and had an accident at school. That night I washed it and then folded it on Tuesday. Guess what she wore to school on Wednesday? I don't have the heart to get rid of it yet.

The kids have family books at school. A couple of pages of pictures that they can look at when they're missing mommy and daddy or just having a bad day. Morgan's new teacher asked me to draw a picture that will be hung up on the first day of school and then put in the family book. This is the best I got. Couldn't they have asked me to solve a math problem? That I can do.

Ever watch Good Luck Charlie? It's a show on the Disney Channel. The girls love it! Sometimes on Friday nights we all pile in the bed before bedtime and watch an episode. Don't be fooled. Michael and I like it just as much. Actually, I get upset if they watch a new episode without me. Afterwards we always have a tickle fight.

One morning I woke up and these two munchkins joined me for some snuggle time. They are my heart. I couldn't imagine life without them.

family photoshoot

While we were in Tennessee we planned a big family photo shoot. Everyone was dressed in their blue and yellow and ready to begin at 7 p.m. Out of nowhere came a freak wind storm which majorly delayed the whole thing. Trees were being knocked down and I didn't want to risk a life just for a picture. While we hung out on the porch waiting for it to pass, I snapped these shots of the girls.

Michael does not like taking serious, family pictures. So this is what I get. He may be worse than the kids.

You can see that the wind was still blowing, but we felt that since we were all dressed up we might as well get a few. By this time the kids had waited long enough and were over it. This was the best family picture we got. I actually love it!

 Me and my sister-in-laws, Krista and Angela.

The goal of the photo shoot was to get one good shot of the entire family. Well, this is it. Wind blown and all.

There was a little stress and a lot of laughs that night. Thank you Mother Nature for not cooperating with our plans.

I wasn't lying about trees being knocked down. The next morning we had front row seats while the utility company fixed this little problem.

bringing back the 80's

Last Saturday Michael and I went to a surprise 80's themed birthday party. We got all decked out in our favorite 80's gear. Believe it or not, my entire outfit is currently being sold at retail stores. Everything was off the rack. Michael is wearing Gloria Vanderbilt jeans and a belt from the women's rack at Goodwill. I love that he was willing to participate in the festivities.

Beth put on the fabulous party for her step daughter who was turning 40. It was complete with a Rubik's cube cake and karaoke to our favorite 80's music. There is a video of me doing a lovely rendition of Baby Got Back, but you won't see that here.

Me and the hubby before heading home.

This was a perfect night for me. I am a huge fan of the 80's! I'm going to turn Pandora on right now so I can jam out.

team USA

Dear NBC,

I would really appreciate it if you could put gymnastics and swimming on during Primetime viewing hours. Some of us have a 10:15 bedtime. This late night crap is killing me and I'm way over on my Starbucks budget. Ping pong and kayaking are fun, but really?

Sincerely,
A sleep deprived Olympic fan dependant on coffee.

kite flying

Addison found a Spiderman kite in her room the other day. I think I picked it up at the dollar store a long time ago. We took it to the beach with us and the girls were in awe.

I love Morgan's little cheeks in this picture.

Hanna Park put in a new splash park this year. The guard at the main entrance recommended we do the beach first and then head to the water park to rinse all the sand off. I'm glad he suggested that. It makes for a much better ride home. I don't have to hear about the sand itching their butt. We packed PB&J's and had a little picnic lunch after splashing around.

Addison was off onthe playground and I was cleaning up. I wasn't paying attention to Morgan while she ate her pudding. Then I look up and see this. I don't even know what to say. This child is a mess.

I almost took her back to the splash park to rinse her off.