Welcome to our World

    With the end of competitive volleyball and dance, I feel like whenever I’m headed somewhere it is either to buy food or go to a field.  Lol.  I love seeing how much fun Natalie is having with softball and it has been great to see Danny playing in some baseball games again.  After the tournament in Eaton they had two local games that week.  The first one I dropped Danny off for warm ups, went home to be able to take Michelle to dance class, and got back to the field  right before game. (Apparently the coach took mug shots with a trash can before I got back.  Lol.) I was glad I was on time because my boy had great catch in center during the first inning.  At one point he turned a little bounce into a triple. He then had a solid hit to first but got out at second. I felt kind of sorry for the other team but without trying (no stealing bases and using a back up pitcher) our team still mercy ruled them 16-1 in the 3rd inning.  Well, at le...

   Spring weather has arrived. The day I got to help with softball practice it was so warm the girls were sweating and then two days later it was snowing again. It was half rain and half snow as I walked most of Natalie’s friends home from school for her birthday party. Natalie had originally wanted a camp out in the back yard but I told her if she wanted that kind of party she would need to wait until summer. Instead, we had a Bluey themed party (thanks to Instagram telling me Target now carried Bluey party supplies). I was so grateful to be working part time as I cleaned the house and prepared for the party almost all day long. While they waited for Natalie’s last bestie to arrive after an appointment they raised the pantry for snacks, talked about which Bluey character they would be, and played with the Bluey Play Dough set I accidentally found at Walmart the day before. The 8 girls were a barrel of laughs as they played pass the parcial, Bluey charades, Bluey paw game (lik...

Do you have any idea how grateful I was the day Natalie turned 10 that she was alive and that we could do something nice for her?  Well, if you went to her friend’s funeral a few days before like we had, you do understand.  I was so emotional I forgot what Natalie even wanted for her birthday and she did too. We had been talking about it for months. Along with a party at our house and a Squishmallow, she really wanted to paint her bedroom different colors. What she had was pretty bold and in a small room she was ready for something different.  Here’s a before photo: When I look back on this, even though she loved it at the time, I can see why over the years as she added more things to her room it was just too much for a small bedroom.  Everyone except Kate pitched in to help (she was feeling sick and spent all weekend in bed) and it really didn't feel like a chore at all.  It took 3 coats of paint to cover up such bright colors but in between coats we baked Nata...

The kids' first day back at school we woke up to snow.  I told my Universal travel buddies it looked like Hogsmeade out there.  I was grateful for the sun and warmth we got to enjoy before we came home and even for my sunburn to help keep me warm -- until I laid down on the reformer at Pilates class.  The only place I was sunburned was the area in between my shoulders and neck & that is where the shoulder pads hit. Ha!  My sunburn at class wasn’t the only mistake of the day.  Hubby took Danny and P to basketball practice and -- got a flat tire due to a pot hole -- with his new car.  I ended up getting the boys while Hubby waited on a tow truck.  It ended up being good timing because I could go get him from the tire shop after dropping the boys off at home and then I took Hubby back first thing in the morning before we both went to work.  So he has new tires done and taken care of.  I suppose it would have happened eventually. Here is the ...

They say, “Third Time is a Charm.”  Well, I think I’ve found the best way to celebrate becoming a teenager: escape the snow and spend the week at Universal Orlando Resort! We flew in Michelle’s last night of being a tween and instantly appreciated our hotel’s location. It was an easy walk to try out Bread Box and the place did not disappoint.  The weather was chilly (and would be the next day as well) but we saw signs that spring had already sprung in Florida. Not much sleep was had due to excitement and time zones but we were all up and ready to explore Diagon Alley before the park opened. Michelle’s birthday saw members of our group enjoy (not in order): the show at Ollivander’s, ride Gringotts, eat brunch at the Leaky Cauldron, ride Men in Black twice in a row, try out Large Lad Donuts (the big pink one of course), laugh at Fast & Furious Supercharged, laugh way too hard at Horror Make Up Show, run into characters in Hollywood, ride ET and take pictures at the gift shop...