Disneyland; Day 1

The happiest place on earth!

Here we are in Disneyland! We left behind Ty's job, the kids' school, the immense hole in our living room, and the daily grind! We are ready for some fun!

Gucci had arranged for all of us to stay in the same hotel. We were flying in from Texas, the Ipsons were making their way to California from New York, and Great, Gucci, Talbots and the other Pearsons were coming in from Utah. We were the first family to arrive. The others were going to be here within the hour, so we decided to stay at the hotel and wait for them.

Here's how we "killed" time.

"The Sneak Game." How long will it take Maidie to discover I am creeping up behind her?

A little game of, "Who Can Jump the Highest." I'm betting on Tyler.

The, "Our Kids are Getting Bored, the Family's Taking Longer Than We Thought to Get Here, What Else Can We Do to Distract Them" game.

Luckily, we found a few thing to do to keep them occupied.

A word of caution to those living near us in 11 years, drive defensively when Eric's on the road!

Finally, everyone arrives! Yay!

Everyone is here! What's the first thing we should do?

I know, play on that tree outside our hotel! What enjoyment could an amusement park possibly offer that this old tree can't provide?

Okay, actually we were just killing MORE time waiting for the Ipson's to check in....

Finally, it's time to go into Disneyland! Whose ready?!

Clearly, not Miss. Mae. You see, it's past her nap time and she's hit "her wall". When this little sweetie-doo reaches the point of sheer exhaustion, nothing and no one can reason with her. The only cure is a few winks of sleep, and then all the kindness and goodness in her is restored. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen as we've just now entered the park and it's 4:00pm. No one is turning around and going to the hotel for some shut eye. It's going to be a LOOOOONG afternoon!

Did you know you're not allowed to climb Pooh Bear's "hunny" pots? It's too bad, they make for such a cute photo opportunity. Lucky for us we snapped these pictures BEFORE our little beauties were asked to get down.

Splash Mountain. I'm not a big fan of Splash Mountain, or any ride that gets you wet. There's nothing worse to me that walking around an amusement park with wet Levi's, and squishy shoes. Alas, duty calls when you're a mother. So, I girded up my loins and followed Talmage to become a passenger in the log of wet death. Talmage is sitting next to me in the picture below, although you can't see him behind the random girl who jumped aboard our log. If you can't tell, Eric really enjoyed the ride.

It's been a great first day! Bring on day two!

Leia Mais

The Crack...

Tropical Storm Hermine's wrath hit parts of Texas.

My friend, Rachel, called the morning after and asked how our house survived.

"Great!" I said. It was so nice to know our house could handle a severe rain storm.

Two hours after my conversation with Rachel.....

We watched the crack from the water damage just keep getting bigger,

and BIGGER!

Until finally, the weight of the sheet rock was so great that it fell.

Looks like we've got a leak! Good thing we're heading to the happiest place on earth in just two days!

Leia Mais

A Gift from Crampa

Oh, how we love mail.

Talmage received a package one fine September afternoon from his Crampa.

Talmage's birthday is coming up, so we're fairly certain it's a birthday present.....

Talmage was over joyed with his gifts! Thanks, Crampa!

Sorry, Maidie, there's nothing but peanuts for you!

Leia Mais

When the Boys are Away....

People have asked me if Maidie is doing okay now that the boys have started school and she is without her "bro-ies" (bro-ies is a Gucci term for brothers that we use).

Truth be told, she has never "hung out" much with her brothers. She is and has always been my shadow, and when she is not at my side, she is in her closet taking on and off her wardrobe unceasingly. She loves to create her own fashion and has a style very much her own. I don't even get her dressed anymore, because if I dress her in the morning, within 15 minutes she'll have taken off her clothes and put something more "Maidie" on.

Here are few examples of Maidie's exclusive designer fashions.....

Above, in this pink leotard, Maidie poses the question, "why should tutu's been worn exclusively around your waist?" And, in a similar fashion statement, she dares to think outside the box by wearing not only one skirt, but two. One on the bottom AND one on top, in the manner of a shawl or poncho. Skirts are so versatile, I'm surprised this trend hasn't caught on sooner.

Here we see how a simple night gown becomes more than just sleep attire. With this hat as an accessory, this nylon and lace gift from Grandma Riley is worthy of wearing to entertain guests at any breakfast engagement!

This orange polka-dot shirt with upside down kitten faces is sure to become all the rage when combined with these baby blue capri's. Add the sun glasses, and you're ready for an afternoon with your friends!

Maidie is among the few who can pull off the, "I just wolk up and threw on my brother's hat" look and get away with it. So cute!

My favorite Maidie-original would have to be this active wear. The hot pink petti- skirt is comfortable and enables you to keep cool. The cowboy boots are easy to slip off to a more tricycle and scooter friendly flip-flop. But safety is always first and fore most in all her designs, thus the pink princess helmet adorns her head while engaging in all of her off-roading activities!

I know I'm biased, but I think she's FABULOUS!

Leia Mais