Birthday Weekend (Pic heavy)

Today we headed over to Downtown Disney. The boys love the T-Rex Cafe but since it costs so much we don't do it often- only for special occasions. We decided before we left that we'd do drinks, one app (because I was hungry!) and dessert. We let the boys get *special* icy/slurpee type drinks in huge dinosaur bone cups. They were so tall that both had to put it on their chairs to even reach the top of the straw.






Our appetizer was delish! We got the Brachiosaurus Bruschetta which I need to learn how to make it at home. Yum! Grilled eggplant, tomato bruschetta, toasty bread, herbed goat cheese and balsamic vinegar. Just typing it is making me want some more!

The waiters sung to Logan when they brought out our dessert, the Chocolate Extinction. Four huge slices of 2 layer brownie/cake with caramel in the middle, vanilla ice cream topped with whipped cream and all of it topped with Butterfinger crumbs. Sooo good. It comes out with a martini looking shaker in the middle that they fill with water and dry ice. He even gave us the shaker to bring home. The website says it feeds 2 or more people and the five of us couldn't finish it all! We brought an entire slice of cake home.










We stopped by the T-Rex store and the Build-A-Dino store. Bella found a mini mammoth she just loved so Daddy ended up buying it for her. :) No matter what dino we showed her she just wanted that mammoth.

(It was bright outside)


The Lego store was next of course. The boys make some Lego mini-figs (people) and filled their cups up again. Daddy spoils them. He's been putting aside some extra money just for this occasion though. Bella and I played Peekaboo while the boys were shopping.






After that we just wandered around. We had never been to the Pleasure Island side of DTD so we walked over there and then down by the waterfront. It was a hot day but there was a nice breeze down by the water. We let the boys ride the little train ride they have there. Logan was bored after about 3 laps around the little track. :) Not sure what he was expecting. Thunder Mt RR it's not! Walked about some more before decided it was time to go.









Bella was an unhappy camper so we stopped by Taco Bell for dinner before heading home. Nothing like feeding a family of 5 for under $18. :) Her attitude turned around pretty quickly once she got some food in her and she was my happy baby once more. The boys have been playing with their new Legos since we got home and Bella enjoyed the freedom of running loose for a while before bedtime. She was pretty cooped up all day be it in a stroller or highchair.

Tomorrow is another adventure! We're going to find a new bike for Logan. Wish us luck!

7 years ago today...

I was 6 days past my due date, uncomfortable, having back pain and just done. I ended up going to the hospital, getting an epidural, being induced and then having a beautiful baby boy. He's no longer an itty bitty (9lb) baby but has grown into a happy, sweet, smart little boy whom everyone loves. Happy 7th birthday Logan!

4yr pics

So I'm just a bit late in getting these off of my camera but these are a just a couple of pics I took of Ian on his birthday. These are so perfectly fitting of his personality.

Ian's 4th birthday

So we didn't end up having a party for him but he did get treated to some fun. Last Saturday we took him to Downtown Disney to eat at the T-Rex Cafe. We love that place! Bella was only an infant last time we were there and this time she was so curious. So many sights and sounds!



Afterwards we went over to the Lego store so he (and Logan) could make some new mini-figs and check everything out. If they could go shopping anywhere, it would be the Lego store!


King Ian


Making their mini figures


Some of the Lego creations












I think he had a pretty good birthday. His Abuela came by with some gifts for him earlier this week so between us he got some good stuff!

Happy Birthday Ian!!

Happy 4th birthday to my little guy!

We took him to TRU last night where he picked out a small Lego set. I'm making him his dinner of choice tonight (nuggets, mac & chs, fries- really healthy! LOL) and Saturday we're taking him to Downtown Disney to eat at the T-Rex cafe. We'll also hit the Lego store there and let him make 3 mini-figures. I'm making his cake of choice today which was blueberry (??) with cream cheese frosting. Sounds good to me!

He didn't want to stand still to take a picture today so here's one from a few weeks ago.

Spring Break Is No Fun

It's Spring Break here. I haven't blogged much so you must be wondering what we've been up to. Let me tell you. Nothing, nada, zip. I've had at least 2 kids sick all week long. Bella's been super cranky and has had no appetite until today (teething perhaps?). Ian got sick Tuesday night so I had to keep him home Wednesday of course. We missed our annual Easter Egg hunt/party with our playgroup as well. Partly because Logan wouldn't be able to play with his friends on the playground due to his cast but mostly because Ian was sick.

I finally got everyone out of the house today. No, not a fun trip. I volunteered to make my BIL's birthday cake for his party on Saturday so I had to go on a fondant run. The closest place that doesn't carry the yucky Wilton brand is a cake shop/supply store about 40min from me. Yes I could have made it but I was scared to. I read a lot of mixed reviews on the recipes. Bella was so cranky when we left that I came straight home afterwards and attempted to put her down for a nap. Yeah right. Ian took one though despite the fact he told me he wasn't tired. When he woke up I packed everyone up to go to Micheal's for more supplies. Once again Bella was Ms Crankypants. I gave up the idea of hitting Publix and came home yet again. Thankfully I was able to get out and go to Publix by myself once dh got home from work. And then I had to make a second run when I forgot key ingredients. Ugh.

Want to know what I'm making that I'm driving all over town for? An Xbox 360 cake with controller. Ambitious I know! I think I can pull it off though- or at least I hope so! I baked the cakes tonight and they are chilling. I made the rice krispy treats and shaped my controller and it's chilling in the fridge. Tomorrow I'll make some buttercream, trim and fill my cakes with buttercream and pineapple preserves and freeze the cake for a bit before carving it. Then I just need to roll out my fondant, cover the cake and controller and decorate it. Send me some good cake decorating ~~vibes~~. I need them! This cake has to be ready to go by 2:30pm Saturday afternoon! Now I know why cakes cost so much thru a small bakery. It isn't cheap to make one and it's time consuming! I know my BIL will appreciate the effort though and hopefully everyone will enjoy it. I'll take pics and post them once I'm done.

As for Spring Break, it's basically over and there's nothing much I can do about it. We'll do something on Sunday I'm sure and then next week while dh is on vacation we'll do something too. Maybe we'll hit the zoo after Logan gets out of school one day. Or go over to Downtown Disney. Or maybe we'll just veg and wait for summer break. ;)

Happy 1st Birthday Bella!!

With all the excitement I haven't been able to blog about my Bella-boo! She turned one today and I can't believe it! Here is my birth story from just one year ago and a bit more if you are interested in reading it.

So with all the excitement we didn't get to do much for her. Uncle Frankie stopped by and dh brought pizza home for dinner so he ate with us. My mom stopped by too and ate some. They both signed Logan's cast. I baked some cupcakes and gave Bella the first one and we tried to take some photos outside but since the grass is still pretty much dead and all she wanted to do was pull it up, they didn't turn out the best. She was tired by the time 7pm rolled around so it was into the bath and straight to bed for my baby girl. Dh wants to take her to the toy store and see if anything catches her eye. LOL I guess we'll do that tomorrow night. Here are a few photos of my baby girl's birthday! Happy birthday Bella!! I love you little mama.

Handuls of grass.






Testing a small bit of icing first.


Digging in




Funny face

25 days and counting

Until my birthday! Mark your calendars- February 26 I will be 29....... again! ;)

Happy Birthday Mom!!

You're the best!!

(this pic was from May- best I had. She's lost weight since then though and looks great!)

Just the usual...

Busy Saturday. Dh started the day by replacing my bathroom faucet. My mom came over for a few minutes to pick something up and bring Logan's gifts over and then my BIL/futureSIL came over to bring another gift. They also brought over cupcakes and candles so they could sing to him. Aww. SIL and I ran out to a yard sale in the neighborhood really quick so I could see what kind of baby clothes they had. I got Bella a couple of things. Most of it was just too worn looking or too small. After they left it was rush, rush, rush to get ready to go.

We had made plans to go to a friend's house near Dade City today to play with their boys and swim. This couple is so nice. Dh and I both worked with Frank for a few years and we've kept in touch. They have 3 kids too and we swear our kids are clones. They act alike, they fight alike, they're just as dramatic, etc.

Them- ds5.25yrs straight thick hair
Us- ds6yrs straight thick hair

Them- ds3yrs(month younger than Ian) curly sandy hair
Us- ds3yrs curly sandy hair

Them- dd3mo comb over hair
Us- dd6mo comb over hair

Anyway, we get along really well and always have a nice time so it was great to hang out with them for a while. They have a beautiful house on 7 acres with a natural fishing pond and pool. I can dream of a home like theirs- minus the pond. They are just too far out in the boonies for my liking though. The grocery store is 20 miles away. There is no pizza delivery. No restaurants. Nothing but orange groves and horses, cows and camels. Yes, I said camels. Dh said somebody over there owns them. Why they have them, I don't know.

So that was the bulk of our day. I'm thinking of going to MOSI tomorrow since it will be the last time we can get in free as a family but we'll probably end up working around the house. It's still a complete disaster but it's all going this week. I'm ready to have my house back!

Birthday Boy!

Logan wanted blueberry muffins as his birthday treat to share with his class today so dh brought home 2 dozen Otis Spunkmeyer muffins. Those things are the size of Bella's head! LOL I took them up to his school at lunch time (hello 10am) and helped pass them all out. Talk about a noisy room. But the kids were all pretty polite. This one boy who sits with Logan just talked and talked and talked to me.....I don't think I heard half of it since it was so noisy inside. He reminded me a bit of Logan since he's also a big talker.

So what did Logan get? He got $100 from dh's boss/friend, the 3rd season of Scooby Doo (bc that's what Ian picked out), a Wall-E game for his Lmax, and 2 video games I got on clearance earlier this year. He plans to go buy a new Lego video game tomorrow night after dinner. He also got strawberry shortcake ice cream cake. Yum!

I didn't get many shots of him today. He was being silly and wouldn't look at the camera.
Lunchroom today-


Cheeeeeese smile after opening his gifts- still sweaty from tumbling class.

Happy Birthday!

Sorry about no post from me yesterday. I had nothing to talk about. I know how much you miss my witty (not) posts so I apologize. ;)

So today is Logan's BIRTHDAY!! My baby boy is 6 years old. Officially he won't be 6 until later tonight but I was in labor lying in the hospital bed bored but comfy at this time. We have tumbling tonight but we plan to celebrate tomorrow with his choice of place for dinner. When asked where he'd like to go I've gotten Olive Garden and Sweet Tomatoes. Why ST? From his lips, "I want a salad." Woohoo!! Maybe I am doing something right!

Dh and Ian are going to get him a little cake tonight though for after tumbling. As for a party, maybe next weekend. It's too darn hot to do anything outside and I don't have enough room for family inside much less adding all our friends in. I was thinking of having an Un-Birthday party for him when it cools off a bit. No gifts, but just a fun party so all his friends could come. We'd still do cake too! Think I'd get flak for that?

Anyway, Logan was born at 5:58pm I believe. My memory is shot. He was 8lbs 15oz and is still my big boy. He towers over some of the 1st/2nd graders and even some of the 5th graders at school. He's the sweetest boy and is loved by everyone. I'm very blessed!

Just a "few" pictures. ;)

Just born! He was just a wee bit bruised.


1st birthday- Sesame Street theme. He devoured that cake!!




2nd birthday- Farm theme


Yes, that's my fat self back there. And that's a tiny Trey next to Logan if you didn't know. They were always best buds.


3rd birthday- at Pump It Up, Wiggles Theme


Go Jen!!

There's Trey again!


4th Birthday- Cars theme


5th birthday- spent the week at Disney


6th birthday- no theme yet....pics to come

Today is your birthday

Today was dh's birthday. Poor guy is just getting old(er). LOL He's suffering from bald-itis and keeps thinking out loud about shaving his head completely bald. I even went as far as researching those shampoos that help "regrow" hair. Not worth it.

So I asked him last night what he wanted for dinner tonight. He said he really wanted calzones. Great. I have no bread dough, I have no yeast, I can't get to the store. After asking online about alternatives to frozen bread dough or making my own, I decided today to pack everyone up and head over to Publix to get the fixins' for them. I ended up with refrigerated pizza dough in a can, pizza sauce, ricotta, Hidden Valley ranch dressing, croutons and a Carvel M&M Ice cream cake.

I had it all planned out- a nice salad, a slice of calzone and some ice cream cake for dessert. He was so happy when he saw I made his calzones that he didn't even see the salad stuff smack dab in front of him. I made 2 huge calzones (one pizza crust/can each) and would you believe he ate the ENTIRE freakin' thing!! The boys and I shared part of the first one and he ate the rest of that too. Good heavens!! He said it was so good, he just didn't even think about it. It made me ill just thinking about it. I thought he'd at least get a lunch tomorrow out of half of it.

For his birthday gift, I got him 2 tickets to see Phantom of the Opera at the Performing Arts Center. He really wanted to go see it (yes I've got a hubby who likes plays/musicals!!) so he was excited about that. The boys made him some birthday pictures too. I think he had a *good birthday overall!

*(He did find out we are completely losing health insurance though today so that was a huge bummer. We thought we may not be able to afford the new coverage and then we got notice that we could cover him and the kids but now there's not even a option for coverage which bites!! The company didn't qualify for the program or some BS like that. I had to apply for the FL Kidcare program today. Whole other vent!!!!)

Hot and Tired

The 3 kids and I just got back from a birthday party for one of our neighbors. Their little girl just turned 3- exactly 1 month apart from Ian. She is so darn cute too. So we were invited over to bounce and slide. They rented a combo unit and I don't think the bouncy part got used much as everyone loved the slide. It was so much smaller than the one we rented which was good bc Ian loved this one. I think they were on that thing for over 2 hours.

We also had snow cones. Yum! Dh provided them the syrups and they rented the machine. We may have to do that for Logan's birthday. It was so refreshing! I ate Ian's. He only had a few bites and was done.

Everyone loved on Bella. And everyone said "oh she looks JUST like Robert". Do you have any idea how many times I hear that? I swear I was just the incubator in all 3 pregnancies. LOL





Birthday girl, her mom and Ian. Think Ian and Hannah will make a cute couple one day? LOL


Sleeping in her stroller.