Wordless/Wordful Wednesday!

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

We Are Still Here...

Wow, I can't believe how long it has been since I blogged. Even now, I have something else that I need to be doing. Things have been a bit crazy for me lately, they are going to slow down just in time for me to have one week to get all of the Christmas stuff done. So, the week before Christmas will be another crazy one, but in a good way.
Anyway, I receive an email from a friend this morning. In the email was a bible verse that really hit home for me. In so many ways I needed to read this today. I thought I would share it with anyone else out there who might be reading. Hope it brings peace to you too.

Peace I leave with you;

my peace I give you.

I do not give to you as the world gives.

Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:27

Ahhh...Fall

It's here, It's here, I think fall is finally here. When you live in Florida even a small drop in temperatures is noticable. Today we had a BIG drop. Again, a 20 degree drop in Florida is huge! It looks like the temps might go up a bit again next week, but at this point, I will take any 60 and 70 degree days that we can get.

The weekend is looking GREAT!!!

Don't Forget to Vote!

Get out and vote today.

Your vote does count!

Autumn Poem

Pumpkins in the cornfields

Gold among the brown

Leaves of rust and scarlet

Trembling slowly down

Birds that travel southward

Lovely time to play

Nothing is as pleasant

As an autumn day!

Is there anything better than a perfect fall day?

Wordless Wednesday

They love those crazy Disney hats!

Pumpkin Patch

P umpkins sitting in a patch.

U nder a sunny and bright blue sky.

M any children walking through.

P icking and choosing the perfect one.

K eep the seeds, they taste so good.

I t's time to take our pumpkins home.

N ext the pumpkins will have a face.

S ome will be spooky, some will be sweet!

~ Julie

Wordless Wednesday

My favorite catcher!

October

"There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on, and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings, as now in October."

~Nathaniel Hawthorne

Caley's Dress

A week or two before my girls started pre-k, in the fall of 2007, I took them shopping to find new dresses to wear to school on the first day. Both girls found dresses that they loved and were super excited to wear. I remember that at the time that we bought the dresses both girls were wearing size 4/5. I wanted to buy the new dresses in size 6/6x so that the dresses would be a little big and the girls would be able to wear them for a while.
Well, we could not find the dress that Caley LOVED in a 6/6x, so we bought the 4/5.
Caley absolutely loved her new dress. She wore it around the house many times before the first day of school. She could not wait to put in on that first day. To be honest, I think she was more excited about wearing her dress than going to school.
Since the first day of pre-k that dress has been worn MANY times. Caley pulled it out of the closet any chance she got. She worn it all through pre-k, kindergarten, and 1st grade. Finally, at the end of 1st grade I decided that the dress was getting too short. I took it out of her closet and tucked it away for safe keeping. As much as she loved that dress, I knew I had to keep it for her.
Even though the dress was no longer in her closet, Caley would still ask about the dress. A couple of times she saw it hanging in it's "safe place" and she would say, "aww, I wish I could wear that dress."
Well, yesterday Caley came up with a way that she could still wear her size 4/5, first-day-of-pre-K dress.


Here she is this morning, as a 2nd grader! She put a pair of black leggings under the dress and turned it into a tunic-style top. Eventually, she will grow out of the dress (I think), but for now, she still loves it, still wears it, and who knew a $10.00 dress from Wal*Mart would bring such joy to a very fashion-minded girl.

Wordless Wednesday

Enjoying some Fall baseball!!!

Is It Here?

After 5 long, hot, humid months, it seems that Fall may have finally made it's way to Central Florida. Yesterday, as we opened the garage door to start out on our 1 mile walk to school, the girls and I were met with a nice blast of cool air. It was so great to walk through the neighborhood and feel the crisp Fall air. I didn't want to get too excited because at this time of the year in Florida the temperatures tend to go up and down a lot. But, to my great surprise, the cool air was here again this morning! I know we are probably in for a few more hot, and I will whisper this in an attempt to not awaken the humidity gods, humid days, but it sure is nice to get a break. I will take it for as long as it wants to stay!

Happy 1st B-day ~ Crazy Dog

September 15th was Bailey, our newest family member's, first birthday. Bailey has been a great addition to the family. She filled a big hole that was left in our lives when we lost our very beloved Shelby last fall. It has been a new experience for the kids to learn to live with a puppy vs. living with an old, well-trained, dog.
Bailey loves all three of the kids and has fit herself into each of their lives in many ways. She loves to run and play sports in the backyard with CJ. She follows the girls around the house and watches them play with all of their girly things. She has even learned to put up with Caley and Caitlyn pulling her around the backyard on a leash.
She is a great dog with a very easy going personality. The kids talked about and looked forward to her birthday for weeks. So...when the day finally came they were all very excited.

When they came home from school they could not wait to give Bailey her present. She, on the other hand could care less about the present. She was just happy to see them and have her playmates home for the day.

Once she figured out that there might be something to eat in that bag, she became a little more interested in the present.


After digging around in the bag she found a new toy, and a big bag of Snausages. She was in doggy heaven! I am sure she had no idea why she was being treated like a queen on this particular day, but she loved it anyway.

Happy 1st Birthday Sweet Puppy!

We could not be more happy to have you in our lives!

Six Word Saturday

Hello Blog, sorry I neglected you.

Wordless Wednesday

9/11/2010

Never Forget

A New Season

Last night a new season of Fall Little League baseball started in our town.

This season CJ is playing in the Major's division for the Mets.

Game 1 did not have the ending that we were hoping for.

The guys played great and were leading for most of the game. In the last 3 inning we just ran out of pitchers and ended up walking in 7 or 8 runs. At least our guys had the satisfaction of knowing that all of their runs were earned!

Final score - Yankees 13, Mets 9

Wordless Wednesday

Fall...Where are you?

Wordless Wednesday - What a Hat!

Happy Wordless Wednesday!

For more WW photos go here and here.

It's a Twin Thing

About a year ago I wrote a blog post about the "Florida Twin Project," a study that my twins are participating in. This summer I received another research packet from Florida State University asking me if I would like to continue to participate in the study. Because I am very interested in the mystery that is twins, I agreed to have my girls continue to participate.

The main purpose of the study is to find out how much genetics vs. environment influence a child's ability to read. So far the study has found that various types of reading skills are influenced by a common set of genes. It has also found that beyond genetic factors, kids in high quality classrooms were able to reach their potential much more easily than those who were not in high quality classrooms. Not much of a mystery there. The need for good teachers and the need for schools that are committed to a high quality of education is as important as ever.

In addition to the information about the study, the newsletter also listed a few "Twin Fun Facts." I thought I would share them with you. I find them interesting, maybe you will too.

Twin Fun Facts-

• Identical twins share the same DNA, but will have their own fingerprints.
  
• China has the lowest rate of twinning in the world, about 1/300 births.
  
• Once you have had one set of fraternal twins you are 3 to 4 times more likely to have another set. (Yikes, that's why our twins were my last pregnancy!)
  
• Gemellology is the study of twins and the phenomenon of twinning.
  
• The average time between the delivery of the first and second twin is 17 minutes. (Mine were born 1 minute apart...thanks Doc!)
  
• The Florida State Twin Registry includes over 2,600 pairs of twins and other multiples, making it one of the largest of its kind in the world.

Wordless Wednesday

Thrilled to be driving at the Magic Kingdom Speedway!
For more WW go to
5 Minutes of Mom
&
Seven Clown Circus

First Day of School

Yesterday was the first day of school for my 3 kids. This year is a year of big changes for our family. My oldest is no longer an elementary school student, as of yesterday he is officially a middle school student.
This year we have two schools to keep up with. This year we get to learn how middle school works, what is required of the kids, who all of the new teachers are, who the principal is, how to find our way around the campus, and most importantly how to orchestrate two different schedules. Gone are the days of dropping all 3 kids off at one place, going to one school for "Meet Your Teacher," Open-House, and all of numerous events that happen throughout the school year. This year we will be running back and forth between two schools, in fact the next time that our kids will all be in the same school again, my oldest will be a senior in high school and my twins will be freshmen. OUCH!!! So, yesterday it started. First up was the girls. We headed out the door for our not-so-short walk to school. The girls were really excited. They know most of the kids in their class, they meet their new teacher last week, they were loaded down with all of their new supplies, and they had on new outfits. They could not wait to start a new school year!

After dropping the girls off, I walked back home to get my oldest ready for his first day. He had been sick all weekend, so whether or not he was going to school on the first day was still up in the air. When I arrived back home I was very surprised to find him dressed and ready to go. I was really proud of him for making the decision to go to school.
Normally, he would have walked to school, and on the first day I was going to walk part of the way with him...for moral support, of course. Because he wasn't feeling good, I decided to drive him and brave a whole new "car rider circle." I didn't know what to expect, but was very happy to find a well organized, smooth running car rider circle.
As I pulled the car to a stop, I gave him a few last words of encouragement, made sure he knew where he was going, and told him to have a great day. Dropping him off at middle school was almost a difficult as dropping him off on his first day of Kindergarten.
In the end, all three kids had great first days. We made it through the first day of middle school and 2nd grade. Only 179 more days to go!

Thursday Thought

"Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire."

~William Butler Yeats

Wordless Wednesday

Dear Beach, I miss you already!

For more WW go here and here.

Mini-Golf is Fun...Isn't It?

Summer vacation is quickly coming to an end for my kids. In an effort to end the summer on a good note and have a little fun, last Friday I took the kids to play mini-golf at the Fantasia Gardens mini-golf course at Walt Disney World.
The day started off pretty good. Everyone was excited to go, although we were a little apprehensive because the weather was looking a little sketchy.

Caley teed off on the first hole and we were on our way. At this point everyone was having a good time, even if CJ was being ultra competitive with his sisters.

By the time we got to the 4th hole the weather took a turn for the worse. You can't tell by looking at this picture, but at this point we were standing under a tree waiting out a downpour. CJ wanted to keep playing and was mad that I made him stand under a tree out of the rain. Luckily, there wasn't any lightening...YET!

Once the rain lightened up we were back on our way. On the 8th hole, all 4 of us got holes-in-one. We were all very excited...well 3 of us were excited. Caitlyn, as you can see by the look on her face, was not excited because she was worried about the weather.

The 10th hole is where the real excitement came. Caitlyn and CJ had just finished the hole (both getting 2's) Caley and I were taking our 3rd stroke when...BANG!!! A huge lightening bolt hit very close to where we were. The Disney cast members working at the golf course announced over the PA system that the course would be closed until the storm had passed. We headed to the arcade to take cover for a few minutes and wait out the weather.

Of course, in typical Central Florida weather fashion, not a single raindrop fell and there were no more lightening strikes. So, back out to the 10th hole we headed.

This time we were able to finish the course, with only a few more minor melt downs. Caley and CJ had a good time. Caitlyn on the other hand got very upset because I would not let her walk through the water spouts that were shooting out of the ground on the 16th hole. Normally I would have let her junp in and get soaked if she wanted to. However, on this particular day she choose to wear her brand new sneakers(the ones that we just bought to start the new school year), so I said "absolutely not!"

Needless to say, Caitlyn did not end the golf course on a happy note. While CJ and Caley laughed and played around, she pouted. I think she was also hot and hungry, which did not help her mood any.

So, we headed over to the McDonald's on Disney property. After everyone ate, all was right with the world again. Caley took this picture as we were walking out of Mickey D's. As you can see the sky was still looking a bit stormy. All-in-all we had a good time, give or take a few minor melt downs.

Photo of the Week

Once again, I am way behind on blogging. We recently spent a week at the beach, I have tons of pictures to share. This week I am going to work on getting those posted. I think I can commit to posting a few each day.

Today Mama Kat is hosting a "Picture of the Week Link Up." That sounds like a great place for me to start. So, here is the first of many pictures of our time at the beach.

My two beach bumettes playing in the sand. They loved the beach and could not get enough of playing in the sand and the waves.

To see more "Pictures of the Week" go to Mama's Losin' It!.

Friday Funnies

A friend of mine posted this on Facebook.

Only in Florida do you find people swimming in a lake with a big sign warning about the dangers of alligators just 10 feet away.

I am not sure if that makes Floridians brave, stupid, illiteriate, or just so darn hot that we will brave any danger for the chance to cool off!

Beach Time

We are off spending a few days at the beach. I will post pictures when we get back.

I hope your Thursday is as full of sun and beaches as ours is!

Wordless/Wordful Wednesday

Oh the surprises you will find when you have kids in your house. The girls were trying their hand at photography again this week. Here is what I found when I went to look at some pictures that we took on Sunday.

Caley posing with Bailey...

Caitlyn and Bailey on the bathroom floor...
Caitlyn's new shoes...

Caitlyn being silly...

Well, now I know what they were up to while I was in the shower.

For more Wordless Wednesday go to;

5 Minutes for Mom,

Seven Clown Circus,

and Our Family Ramblings.

Wordless Wednesday

A great way to beat the Florida HEAT!!!
For more Wordless Wednesday go to ~

5 Minutes for Mom

Seven Clown Circus

The Good & The Bad

This week the girls and I had a chance to spend a whole week at home together without out dad and big brother. I has been a really nice week. I has also been a very different week. It got me thinking that I should write a list of all the good things about this week and all of the bad things about this week.

The Good
~The house has been very quite this week.
~I have has a lot less laundry to do. I can't believe how much laundry two additional people add to the basket.
~Making and cleaning up meals has been a breeze!
~The grocery bill was very small this week. Again, I can't believe how much more food two additional people can go through.
~There has been a lot less sibling bickering.
~The house has been really easy to keep clean.
~I got a bunch of old projects finished.
~I have had a whole week to spend "girl time" with my girls. That has almost never happened since they were born, and it was the best part of the week!

The Bad
~The quiet house seems a little bit lonely without the boys here.
~I have never spent a whole week away from my first born before. I really miss him.
~I (and I think the girls too) miss both of them a lot and will be glad when they come back home.

It has been a really nice week. I think it would be great to do this more often. This week really gave me a chance to spend quality time with my girls. It also gave the girls a chance to have my undivided attention. I devote so much time to my son's activities, it was a big relief this week to put all of that aside and just focus on the girls. And even though we had such a great week and we are not quite ready for it to end, we do miss the boys and we will be glad to see them come back home tomorrow.
Did I mention they will be bringing home a huge load of dirty laundry? Ugh...here we go again!

Through the Eyes of a 7 Year Old

This week the girls and I went to Downtown Disney. While we were there, they got a hold of my camera. It is interesting to see what the world looks like through the eyes of two seven-year-olds.

Here are a few of their pictures...

The Tinker Toys sculpture

An outside shot of the "Once Upon a Toy" shop


The "Mickey" water fountain outside "Once Upon a Toy"

A Monopoly card

Caitlyn with "Genie" from Aladdin

They took some good pictures. Who knows...maybe they are budding photographers!?