Our San Fran and Disneyland Trip

This vacation have really flown by! Why do they have to go so fast and never have enough time? I just wanted to post a few pictures for everyone to see what we have done. Already halfway through our stay I've had to dump both SD cards, one 4GB and one 8GB! Lots of pictures and videos. So here are a few pics from San Fransisco and from Disney.

Jay being Jay!

AT&T park.

At the pier by the baseball field

We are here!

Bay Bridge

Jay and Adam walking in the street. They closed the street for the day so residence could walk, bike, run, etc.

I would never be able to do this on a regular day.

Bella's store! This gelato was awesome!!

Alcatraz

We saw the sea lions!

Before we walked up.

On our way up!

We made it down! Then had to walk more down Lombard!

Golden gate Bridge. We were too tired to walk all the way there.

On the Cable Car!

We got to meet up with Chris! So great to see him after 7yrs!!

We made it to Disneyland!

We feel like GIANTS here, everything is sooo small and compact.

Can you find the castle?

They are still doing it the old way, handstamps when you leave the park!

Happy Birthday!

I wanted to say Happy Birthday to the most wonderful man in my life, my husband, Jay! Now that we are getting older we don't celebrate our birthday's like we used to but the thought of it and letting the kids make you things is more important. We love you and hope you have/had a wonderful day (depending on when you read this). So....
"Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Daddy, Happy Birthday to you!"
Love,
Quinn, Bella, Brinlee and Sarah

Spinning Around....

Well I am very excited and I think everyone else is too! We were able to work it out to get a new washer and dryer! Much needed around here to help save money on water and electric with Energy Star and HE!! We sold our old washer and dryer within 1 hour of posting on Craigslist too!

Here is a short video of our adventure....

Valentine's Day weekend and Big Girl Bed!

Well a little late in posting this but here we go....

The day before we took the kids to the local pottery place, Plaster Cottage in town and had a lot of fun. The twins each painted 2 things they got to take home. Bella chose a seashell and a car, and Quinn chose a car and Spongebob. Brinlee just watched of course. Jay and I painted letters for their names. Uncle John and Aunt Michelle met us there too to have some fun.



Afterwards Bella and Jay had a dinner date night at Chik-fil-A. So darn cute. They were seated at tables that had linens, and their orders were taken, and even got a desert and a Free picture! (I'll have to scan that one in at a later date). They had a nice little Daddy-Daughter date while Me, Brinlee, Quinn, John and Michelle at at Steak-n'-Shake, Quinn had no problem with that for sure! Brinlee had a lot of fun with the stickers at SNS!!!



Valentine's Day was a fun day. Jay had to work so it was me and the kids. We decided to go ahead and change Brinlee's bed into a BIG GIRLS BED!! I don't think she knew what was going on but sure did have some fun, here are some pictures.







The kids were also excited because they got some cards in the mail from Aunt Marlene and Uncle Dan. They each got $1 and the first words out of the twins mouths were "Let's go to the dollar store!" And of course we did. Quinn bought a box of DOTS CANDY, Bella bought a blue baseball bat and Brinlee picked out a pink calculator. Well Quinn's dots were eaten up fast, big surprise there huh?! Brinlee decided to eat off 5 of the buttons within 5 hrs, and Bella still has her bat to play with.

They also got really cute cards from Uncle Mike and Aunt Debbie. They were so excited to get even more mail!! They each got $5 which they wanted to put in their piggy banks.

Here are some pictures:

Then I was going to make Creme Brule for Jay as a V-Day gift but after buying the ingredients I realized it had to sit overnight, ugh. So I made a nice dinner and made KeyLime Parfait. I made my own recipe: Juicy Chicken and Delicious Dill Potatoes. You can find them on my recipe blog called Yummy Tummy Eats. Link is in the sidebar on the right!! Try it you'll love it! Here are some pictures.

Sarah's foot surgery

Yesterday I went in for foot surgery, 12/22/09. I was getting my bunion corrected, some pins/screws put in, etc. They rattle ff all those medical terms it totally confuses me. I had to be there at 7:20am, sat in the prep-area for a long time while they started an IV, asked 100 questions, talk to the anesthesiologist, etc. They had to lay me back with a cold compress because I started to pass out after they gave me the IV, I'm such a wimp! Dr. McRorie came in to also mark my foot and initial it so there were no mistakes. Jay stayed with me till I went into the OR. There was a nice flat panel tv to watch so we watch 'Let's Make a Deal.' Random thought I know.

My surgery was scheduled for 9:20am, they didn't roll me out of the prep area till about 10am. I remember getting wheeled into the OR, transferring to the bed, them strapping me down to the table and that's it. I think I woke up around 1pm, then we left around 2pm or so.

I slept all day yesterday after I ate, I was so hungry. The meds are making me very drowsy and itchy too. The itching is subsiding a bit. It's hard for me to keep my eyes open, but I guess my body needs a rest. Just getting up to go to the bathroom on crutches is a chore and very painful, my foot throbs soooo much, so the couch is very much my best friend right now!!

Jay and I decided to get a new camera as our family Christmas gift so I played with that for a little bit yesterday and today. I will try to take some pictures of my lovely foot. You can't see anything right now because it's all bandaged up! More to come later this week.

Pics from 12-22-2009: Day of Surgery

Having fun with Michelle and John

SO back on Oct 10th, I know a little ways back we went to Disney with John and Michelle. We had a really fun day at Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom! OMG was the day super duper HOT!!! It was like 94 out plus humidity, we were dripping. We went on the safari, Kali River Rapids, yes the twins were tall enough and loved it....Nanny you get to go on it next with them! We then went to MK did Dumbo, Race Cars, Carousel, It's a Small World and watched SpectroMagic. Bella was excited to see Minnie 2 times that day!! We had a lot of fun!! and Mommy too TONS of pictures, so many that I have to post 2 slide shows!!! Here you go enjoy!

Halloween 2009

OK I know I posted out-of-order but hey it's posted right? Anyway we had a great time this year for Halloween. Quinn and Bella had a blast running door to door ringing the doorbell to get their candy. It took them awhile to say "Trick-or-Treat" but by the end of the night they did. Quinn even said, "Come on Mommy, I need to get more Candy!"

Brinlee got tired towards the end of the night, and so did Mommy and Daddy. She didn't want to ride in the wagon at all so our arms got a great workout from carrying around 20lbs all night! By the end she was ready to go again...LOL!

They got gift cards to McDonalds from Nanny and Gramps and loved looking at all the candy they got. We got back to Gramps house, had dinner and spent the night. Here are some pictures of the evening, enjoy!

Minneola Fall Fest - - - WINNERS!

First we went to a Fall Fest at Sweetbay, the local grocery store, they had goodies for the kids, cookie decorating, specials and stuff. They had fun, but we didn't stay long.

We went to the Minneola Fall Fest, CAD was performing so the entire family went, there was food, a small carnival and enteratinment. My students did wonderful for such a tiny stage! There was a costume contest for the kids so of curse I entered in the twins and Brinlee. From the pictures you can see that Quinn was: Peter Pan, Bella was: Wendy (to her TinkerWendy) and Brinlee was: Tinkerbell.

My Mother made the kids costumes, thnks to Emma she let BRinlee borrow her Tinkerbell costume. I of course made some fancey shoes, a matching bow and we customized her wings!! Oh yes she is ready for SPECTROMAGIC! If I had more time the entire costume would have been lit!

For the age group 0-4yrs Brinlee won 1st PLACE!!! They all thoguth they won, they go a basket of goodies, a cool trophy that Quinn had to put in the curio cabinet and a gift certificate to Kandiland Kidz Gym. So cute I must say, she loved those wings, didn't want to take them off at all! WHile my students were dancing she was for sure doing the Brinlee dance on the sidelines and Bella loved watching. (Not sure how the video came out, might post at a later date). We ha a great time, kids had fun....here are the pictures!

Featured on 1and1.com

Ok so how cool is this....Jay's lighting company's website www.holidaylighthouse.com is featured as a template/example on http://www.1and1.com the My Business Site section. It was chosen as a perfect example on how to use My Business Site to create a professional website for a business!!

I design his logo and website. Here is the link:
-Scroll down and click on HOME DECOR and ACCESSORIES, a new window will pop up and Holidaylighthouse.com is the FIRST ONE!!!

http://mybusiness.1and1.com/xml/order/sw...http://mybusiness.1and1.com/xml/order/switch;jsessionid=E5E32FAC2E9CFDF284FBBDE10FA67CCF.TC22a?__reuse=125

Fun Day!

Yesterday we took half of the day to get out of the house. Jay had to work but we met him at the park to just walk around, see the parade, Playhouse Disney and of course we ahd to find McQueen and Minnie Mouse!

While Jay worked my Dad, the kids and I walked around, we brought our lunch to save some green and just slowly walked around. Someone next to our table at lunch offered us 1/2 a pizza and taht was very nice of them. Then while waiting for the parade my Dad got us some frozen lemonade and Brinlee loved it! Drinking out of a straw even!! Bella enjoyed the parade even more this time around, Quinn just covered his ears.

Quinn did find something that he wanted in the store, Nanny- be aware you will be asked for something. It was a nice hot but relaxing and different day to just forget about things and have some fun. Not to worry that we had to see certain things, a time-frame, etc.

Here is a fun video of the pictures and videos that I took, Enjoy!

Saturday Night Fever...

Oh yes I must have a fever or something. I just finished painting the kids bathroom on a whim! Well I have been wanting to paint another room for a long time. Jay would love for us to paint the entire hosue but with 3 kids and us having no time it's kind of impossible so we had to start somewhere.

Below are before pictures, and then after pictures. We had the rubber ducky theme in our old house and loved it! The only thing I need now is Quinn and BElla have towels with their names on them, Brinlee doesn't ahve one yet. I'd like to get them all a rubby ducky hand towel with their names on them.

It feels so good to get it done! I think next will be Quinn's room then the hallway. Might as well work our way arond the house slowly.

**FYI: YES I made all those bows, YES the girls wear them all, YES Bella is stll asking me to make her more, YES I make and sell them just email me at scsimplecreations@gmail.com if you are interested.**

A visit with Payton

So on SUnday Brinlee was 13mo and Payton James turned 1 week old and we went to meet her! Our friends Andy and Janelle had Payton on August 16th, 2009 weighing 10lbs. 2oz. We made a short visit on Sunday to meet her and welcome her.

Brinlee wasn't too sure of Payton, but then wanted to touch her. She was kinda wondering why Mommy was holding another baby...I got that LOOK! QUinn and Bella weren't too sure but were more interested in Andy and Janelle's fish.

Here are some pictures of us with Payton!!

Friday Update

One again I'm slacking on our blog...that's a Mommy's life huh? I'll try to wrap up what has been going on with all of us today.

Brinlee: Wow what a fast growing little girl! She is now on whole milk. No problems what-so-ever with the change. We started her a bit early because finances are very tight, she did fine and I think is stronger than ever! She is now on completely whole foods, no pureed food, some things I have to mash, but mainly cut into small pieces. She now eats, mixed veggies, bananas, applesauce, pears, blueberries, fish sticks, mac n' cheese, pasta, cherrios, pudding, jello, juices- not citrus, and pretty mucha nything else she can get her hands on!! She is definately transitioning from one thign to another, as far as standing. She is not standing by herself without holding onto things yet. And we are not walking. However she is a very fast crawler!

Bella: She is our little helper, tattle-tale, attention getter, yes all around GIRL! She loves helping out and folding clothes or doing small tasks. Her job now is to make sure that Finna has water in her dog bowl. So she takes her plastic cup, fills it from the fridge and even puts it in the fridge to keep it cold then fills the dogs dish. Too cute! Bella is doing good on the potty, we had a few accidents here and there but now I thinkw e are getting a hang of it and actually going to the potty by ourselves and washing our hands. YES!

Quinn: Let me just say BOY BOY BOY! We are definately still into our tantrums, I guess it's just the age. We whine about everything and anything, getting him to talk things out, understnad things is hard. However I shouldn't say he doesn't understnad things, he does it's his actions and just not wanting to listen I think/ He teases Bella like crazy with hitting, bitting and also teasing the dog. This is something we are working on. Eating is a challenge with his as well. He just wants SNACKS all the time so this is where our tantrums come in....a long process here for this. Potty training is coming along, he still goes in his underwear, which I don't knwo why so we have to keep a close eye on him. The only thing I can think of is that he just wnats the attention right now! There is a lot of yelling in the house because he hits, bites, screams, throws tantrums, constantly teases the dog (she wil bite him oneday, honestly I don't blame her). He is very smart, loves to do puzzles with me, make-believe, count, etc. So I'm still trying to figure out what is going on....

The twins do play together very well for the most part, of course they have their moments. THem being in seperate rooms, nighttime routine has been better, and they are sleeping through the night for the exception of Brinlee. They play very well with Brinlee, I don't think Quinn gets the idea that she doesn't know any better when Brinlee takes his toys. Poor guy. Bella loves to share her things with Brinlee and sharing a room. She calls it 'THE GRISL ROOM'

Jay: First I have to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY! It was yesterday!! Jay is working everyday still, and trying to pick up overtime whenever he can get it. It's July already and we just put together a flyer to post on his website for Light House..check it out! http://www.holidaylighthouse.com We are hoping that Light House gets even more business this year!

Sarah: Do you really need to know about moi? Yep still keeping things as sane as I can around here. Taking care of the kids and the house during the day and teaching at night. Summer sucks for me since I don't get many hours at all. We ahve asked for my fathers help to put ourselves on a very strict budget. It's going to be rough but worth it in the long run! I try to keep some 'Mommy Time' by designing siggies, blinkies, and more on 3 sites. This is my relax time late at night.

So as a family we are doing the best we can and surviving. This economy sucks but we ahve to keep our heads up even when it looks really really bad. We are enjoying the times at home sicne we can't go anywhere. We are gearing up for the Twins Birthday on the 19th, and Brinlee's 1st Birthday on the 23rd! One party to celebrate too!! So that's about it, I know I'm so slacking on keeping this blog up, I think about it then never get to it, another thing to try to schedule into my very booked schedule...LOL!