Memorial Day Hi-Jinx

I don't know about you, but I THINK Monday should always be a holiday.
Luke left early in the morning for an impromptu rock crawling trip up on the Miller Jeep Trail. That meant I was up with the kids and in charge of breakfast....
Donuts!

Yes, even Petunia got to experience glazed donut holes for the first time.
They were a hit.

Fortunately for me, a stomach bug for me meant I steered clear of the sugar. (Heavenly Father knew I wouldn't have the will power on my own)


My breakfast--(Don't be jealous)

Next up....relaxing. (That included letting the boys veg out and play their DSi's)
After lunch we headed to the park (or the "pok" as Bubba calls it) down the street. Bubba took the basketball, I pushed Jiggs in her stroller and Tubbs rode his bike. What a blessing it is to have the pok so close!




Luke got home before 1pm and that meant it was time to cool off in the pool. Petunia got a new swimsuit she had to try out. This little 9 month old is wearing 18 months!
Whew-wee!



Going for a Ride---in the air

It was Tooney's lucky day. She also tried a sugar free Popsicle for the first time. Imagine that...she loved that too. I think it really felt good on her little beaver that's trying to break through on bottom.

Can you tell these kids are related? If not by the facial features, their love of sweets bonds them!


She loved playing near the edge and trying to see how far she could get before falling in.


I had to include this picture.
These are my thongs..and I wear a size 10 in women's.
Bubba slipped these on and I couldn't believe they almost fit. If he grows into his feet, I think this boy is going to be HUGE.

Not that he isn't a big (tall) boy all ready. He is my string bean.

Then there is my little brick...who knows how to take it easy.

Nothing like relaxing on the raft with a Popsicle.

All in favor of three weekends EVERY week?
I thought so.

Florida....

How I love you!
We have officially decided that Florida is where we wanna be when we kick the bucket....head to that "pie in the sky...." or whatever you want to call it.
Yes... its heck on my Afro (aka the "curls") but who says shaving my head won't be socially acceptable by the time I have grand kids!? :)
I must also say I am really, really, REALLY having a hard time getting back to reality after this getaway. I guess it wouldn't be a "vacation" if we lived in Florida...but that would be okay-do-kay with me!

Two weeks ago we packed up the fam damily and headed to Orlando! I had an SAP conference for work and we thought it would be a great (and cheaper) opportunity for a family vay-cay.

Day 1
(I don't know if you can really count this as a vacation day)

After Luke got home from work we loaded up and headed to LA. We stayed at a hotel near the airport since we had an early flight the next morning. Unfortunately we checked in a little late and missed the beginning of the "DomCom" Convention (Dominatrix) that was being held there.
Darn it. I always miss the good stuff!
Let me just tell you...that as we waited in line to check in at 9pm, we saw some of the "scariest" get-ups on women walking through the lobby. But it provided tons of entertainment while we waited in line for over 20 minutes! I was just disappointed that I neglected to get out my camera phone since I was too busy standing there with my jaw on the floor.

On to Day 2...Saturday....the flight!

The direct flight from Los Angeles was GREAT, mostly because Petunia slept 40% of the flight AND we were seated next to a grandma/grandpa. Does it get much better than this?!
I don't think so.
But LAX was a disaster.
Talk about CHAOS.
We were there two hours before our departure and still ended up barely making it to the gate 20 minutes to spare.
But we made it. Thanks to Laura for letting me borrow a small stroller that just BARELY squeezed into the back of the rental car with our luggage. It was a lifesaver for sure this week.

Arriving in Orlando


Dinner our first night....Cracker Barrel. The guys playin' checkers on the porch after chowin' down.

We stayed our first two nights at the Disney Port Orleans Riverside. Nice hotel, but didn't work for our family of five.

This was on our bed when we arrived at our hotel. This is why it costs so much to get into Disney....we gotta pay the salary for the towel-folder people.

Day 3....Conference.... swimming....and Downtown Disney
A swim at the hotel pool

The pool bunny


We took the river cruise from the hotel to Downtown Disney. Very neat...and free.



Everyone smile--whether you want to or not...or I'll make you!!



Princess Petunia

The boys designed their own apples at Goofy's Treats. Because of the humidity, the Reese's PB cup was melting quick...and it was messy and delicious!


Day 4....Conference.... more swimming....and treats!
We decided Monday that the Disney hotel was not working for us...so we got on Expedia and checked back into the place we stayed when we came in June 2008.
SO MUCH BETTER!
And we all had room to breathe.
If you EVER go to Orlando, you have to stay at the Lake Buena Vista Resort. They have multiple room suites, washer/dryer, living room, kitchen, huge jet tub in the master bedroom. Oh---so much better than one room room we were crammed into the night before! And not bad for $120 night if I say so myself.
While I was at the conference Luke checked into the resort and headed to Super WalMart to get groceries. Sweet!

The boys found their room. They were all giddy until I saw how close the bed was to the window and reminded them not to horse around because falling through a window 12 flights up would make quite a mess. Then they refused to go anywhere near the window and had Luke pull the bed right up next to the first bed.
Hey--Moms are supposed to be paranoid!


Petunia in her new floaty

Bubba relaxing in the hammock next to the pool.
While I was at my conference, Luke liked to send me pictures....taunting me! But I loved it. This one was my favorites:

Petunia tries out the ice cream sandwich poolside

Modeling her swimsuit for daddy

Her souvenirs...new pacifiers from WalMart

Day 5....Conference.... more swimming....and treats!


After my conference we headed to Downtown Disney to walk off dinner and "people watch."


Its hard work being on vacation....

Day 6.... Last day of Conference.... more swimming....and treats!


Love Birds by the Pool (pics courtesy of Tubbs)


Snacking out by the Pool


When you go to Cheesecake Factory you have to get the Fried Mac and Cheese!

Day 7....Clearwater Beach (West Coast)


The Three Amigos


Jump


This beach was by far the nicest beach I have ever been to. I would love to be homeless on this beach. White sand and warm water from the gulf. Perfection.


Napping with mama under the umbrella


Flirty girl on the beach


(...Didn't know Tubbs could do the splits)

Day 8....Cocoa Beach! (East Coast)
This beach was on the Atlantic coast so there were more waves and the water was a little cooler. We rented some boogie boards and the boys loved it. We also rented an umbrella again and it was well worth it. No naps today and Luke and I actually both got sunburned on our backs. Thankfully it was our last "fun day" and we got to enjoy lots of fun in the sun this week.






End of the Day---can you tell? (My hair has had it!)

Day 9....Pack up and Ship Out!




Lucky for me, Petunia passed out for almost 3 of the 5 hours on the plane. I think I was able to doze off for a bit too.
We absolutely loved the business/vacation trip...and thankfully we didn't have any sick kids this time around!
We are ready to head back!

Funny Girl

This little girl is such a joy. She makes me laugh all the time. I cannot imagine getting upset with her, but I am sure its going to happen. As soon as she flashes one of her three beavers and the dimples are in full glory, you can't help but grin ear to ear with her!
Tooney-roon will eat anything. The boys were never like this at this age. I am really hoping thet Petunia is a great eater when she is the boys' age and will actually in indulge in adult food like SALAD. Maybe its a pipe dream....

At her 9 month check up today she weighed in at 20lbs 5 oz and 28 inches long! Big girl! The doc asked how tall Luke and I were and projected she would be about 5 foot 8 inches. I am going to go out on a limb and predict she will be taller than that!

Things I Could Have Gone Without Seeing in Florida

1.These bugs, appropriately called "Love Bugs" were EVERYWHERE. Bubba called them "fighting bugs."

The front of a car, courtesy of the love bugs. Apparently they really eat up a paint job!


2. Don't EVER get lost or take a wrong turn on the roads in Florida---its VERY expensive!

Minutes after arriving in Orlando we were looking for a Cracker Barrel (of course) for dinner. The directions on Google maps left much to be desired and we were all ready frustrated BEFORE paying $5 in tolls in about a 10 minutes time.
But boy oh boy--the roads sure were SMOOTH!! :)

3.
Q:Guess what is this?
A:The blackest burger patty I have ever seen, courtesy of BK.

(Sure doesn't look like the picture)--But Luke ate it anyways...


4. At least this joint in Cocoa Beach was named appropriately.
I can just imagine "the boys" planning a rendezvous for fun: "Hey Billy Bob, wanna go to Cheaters tonight?"
Sounds like a good time.
haha


5. I was so disappointed we were going to miss this one. Looks like we came over a few weeks early.
Darn it!


6. I would have preferred to skip the "looking like a lobster" portion of the va-cay! Thankfully we waited until our last day to toast ourselves silly. Luke and I learned that when you spray the sunblock over your shoulder, it doesn't spray very far.
Lesson learned....and we will be applying lotions from now on.
But this delicious treat from Basin was sweet relief. http://www.basin.com/