mother's day

There is no better feeling than holding your child and seeing their face for the first time. Your heart fills with a special love and you're never the same again. I'm lucky enough to have experienced that feeling twice. Each was just as special and just as magical. I'm so blessed to be their mom. This was take after church. Morgan made those necklaces for me in Sunday school and Addison handed me a card with a Dove chocolate bar stapled inside. I also received other handmade goodies and two new necklaces that I've wanted for a long time.

I was going to be good and request a healthy lunch out somewhere, but that all flew out the window when Michael mentioned M Shack. Since it was my day, I feasted on a cheeseburger, sweet potato tots and vanilla milkshake. Totally worth the 5000 calories. If you haven't been to M Shack, come visit me and I'll take you. It's good stuff.

Over the Easter break I went through a bunch of old pictures at my mom's. I took a ton of them home with me to keep and to scan. They're still sitting on my dresser and I go through them every couple of days. All the memories and good times come flooding back and I smile from ear to ear. This is one of my favorite pictures in that stack. My mom.

Happy Mother's Day Mom! I love you more than you know.

the princesses

I learned that Disney lets you take coolers into the park. I was actually shocked at this. I figured it was another way for them to suck my wallet dry. We packed up PB&J, grapes and plenty of drinks for the day. We got the girls some chips to go with their sandwich and had a nice little picnic before heading to see the princesses.

If we didn't find the princesses before we left then I would be declared the worst mother ever. Lucky for me,  three of them are in one place. The girls eyes lit up when we walked in the room. It was like a dream come true. First they met Rapunzel and had her sign their autograph book.

Meeting Sleeping Beauty. Morgan was sad that Belle wasn't there, but they're all just as good in her eyes.

The last princess we met was Cinderella. Probably Addison's favorite, although she loves them all.

We decided to go to Ariel's grotto so the girls could meet her and get their booked signed. On the way, this happen. 

Needless to say, Morgan did not get to meet Ariel, but I took her book in to have it signed. It's probably best that she got the rest.

We had a very successful Disney trip. We learned a few things to do and not to do that will definitely help us out on the next one. The girls had a blast and I smiled all day. I love to experience new things with them.

Five minutes into our trip home and they were out.

I wasn't far behind them.

happy birthday morgan

My sweet baby girl turns 4 today. She's been given the royal birthday treatment so far today. At school she went for a ride in the birthday bike. A fun tradition they have.  

Then we had a Chick-fil-a birthday lunch to celebrate with all her school friends. I made crock pot mac 'n cheese which was also a hit.

I love this girl so much. Not a day goes by that we don't laugh at something silly she's done. She's so full of life.

Tonight we're taking her to Build-a-Bear for a birthday treat. She may not have had a formal birthday party with friends, but we sure do everything we can to make her feel special. I think she knows she is loved.

disney rides

The first thing we did was get a fastpass for the Little Mermaid ride. I heard that one got crowded pretty quickly. The first ride we rode was the Dumbo ride. I'm not a big fan of things that go around in a circle so I was more worried about myself than the kids. We all did just fine.

Don't let the look on Morgan's face fool you. She loved it!

Believe it or not, Addison braved Space Mountain. I don't think she completely understood that it was a true, big kid rollercoaster. Since Morgan isn't tall enough, she and I hit up the flying spaceships. Just another thing that goes around and around.

We met back up with Addison and I was anxious to see how she liked the ride. She excitedly told me that she liked it and then in a soft voice said to me that she didn't want to do it again. Well then. So much for the fastpass I had. I'm just glad she did it. Michael said she didn't freak out or lose it. She screamed a few times, but who doesn't on Space Mountain.

We were standing in line for It's a Small World and Michael didn't know what it was. Huh? I was a little floored. What grown adult doesn't remember this ride as a kid. I guess maybe it's different for guys.

 The only picture of Michael and I together that day. It's such a romantic ride.

The carousel. Who doesn't love a good carousel ride.

Morgan's favorite ride of the day was the Pooh ride. She kept calling it the honey pot ride. We tried to ride it again in the afternoon but the line was just too long. Addison really liked the Brainstormer which was the kids roller coaster. Actually, we all loved it.

the happiest place on earth

We've been talking about it for awhile now. Since summer break is fast approaching we decided it was time. To beat the heat and the crowds we surprised the girls with a trip to Disney World. They're very first time. They were excited about the trip and even more excited that they got to skip naps that day. We headed to Orlando to spend the night so we could get up bright and early Sunday morning and head to the park. Evidently hotels make Morgan excited as well.

We took advantage of the heated pool and the hot tub and let the girls swim for a little bit. I took advantage of the bar coupon. We were happy to see that we were in walking distance of Old Town. There were shops, places to eat and amusement rides. We took a quick ride on the Ferris Wheel.

We got up bright and early the next morning and had breakfast at the hotel. We packed up our lunch and we were off. The 10 minute ride to Disney was a piece of cake. The fun started on the shuttle from the parking lot to the ferry.

The Magic Kingdom. Where dreams come true. The girls were beside themselves when they saw Cinderella's castle. They couldn't wait to meet the princesses.

Maybe a shed a tear of happiness when I saw the smile on their faces. I feel very lucky to be able to do these kind of things as a family. I definitely don't take it for granted.

They both had birthday pins that they wore on and off all day. Morgan didn't quite understand why all these strangers knew her name. The puzzled look on her face was priceless every time. Lots more pictures to come.

fun shots

It's been raining here since Wednesday afternoon. Last night we decided to enjoy it and go play in the puddles. Take that Mother Nature. This is one of my most favorite pictures EVER! Also a PL365 picture. #nature

Wednesday we missed the bus. Totally my fault. Ironically we now had time to spare before I could drop Addison off at school so we did the most productive thing with our time and went to Starbucks. Who doesn't love a cake pop in their lunch box.

Didn't you know there was a bike gang that lived on our street? Such hoodlums.

Another family bike ride to Publix.

Happy Friday!

spirit week

The week before FCAT testing, the school did a spirit week to encourage the kids. Much to my surprise, Addison participated in all of the activities. I was extra shocked when she agreed to do missmatched / crazy dress day. She's not very girly  but she is very OCD when it comes to her clothes. She decided on this.

The weekend before I went out and bought a hair crimper. Why would I do such a thing? I needed to dress up in some 80's gear and I wanted to look the part. I knew with having two girls that it would come in handy. I just didn't know it would be so soon.

Addison was a little hesitant about the crimped hair at first, but it got rave reviews at school that day. She liked it so much that she asked me to do it again for Rockstar day on Friday.

She looks 13 in that picture. Ugh! Stop growing up.