Field Trip...

Carsyn's class took a field trip to a local nature center called Hidden Pond Park. Maren, Daddy, and Mommy also got to take part in this fun day. All the children enjoyed learning about, seeing, and even touching lots of different amphibious animals. Carsyn was feeling particularly brave--she held a small garter snake, and she let a much larger corn snake wrap around her neck. Maren stayed in the back with Daddy and just watched. Mommy was happy to be behind the camera and not have to touch anything. After the hands-on demonstration, the kids all got to go out to the pond and net for tadpoles, freshwater shrimp, fish, and other creatures. To Carsyn's excitement, she found a few large tadpoles. It was a lot of fun, and Carsyn had a blast bragging to Nana and Logan all about it!

Carsyn loving nature...

Maren too...

Carsyn and a corn snake--eww...

Maren getting ready to go netting...

Carsyn hoping to find a fish...

Maren and Daddy may have something...

Sunny Sunday...

What warm weather we've had this weekend. Yesterday it got up to 90 degrees. The girls enjoyed playing in the backyard with Daddy and climbing up in the tree house. We went to mass this morning, and it was already getting warm. So warm, in fact, that the girls were complaining of being hot. There's no winning with them. It will always be too cold, too windy, too sunny, too cloudy, too rainy, too hot, or too something ; ) One thing is for sure, it's gorgeous out.

The girls before mass...

Sweethearts...

After church we were all excited for Logan's first loose tooth to finally fall out. Her two front bottom teeth had been loose for almost a month, but she would never let anyone pull them out. Now she can't wait to see what the "tooth fairy" leaves her.

Logan: minus one tooth...

Logan's First Field Trip...

Logan's class took a field trip to George Mason University to see Seussical the Musical yesterday. This was Logan's first field trip--she's been so excited for it. They had such a great time, especially riding the bus ; ) It was a good show, and all the children were outstanding. Mommy was lucky enough to be able to tag-along as a chaperon!

Logan on the bus...

Check us out...

Click on the link to see our girls on Ideal Bite's blog! We had such a blast--Thank You, Ideal Bite! It's great to be green...

Spring Break: Part 3--L.A....

Okay, so when we were in Florida we found out that we won a contest that Mommy entered on a new "green" website called Ideal Bite. It was a family trip for four to Hollywood for the premier of the new Disneynature film Earth. We weren't sure if we would be able to go or not because we were out of town already. But, the company responsible for the give away was extremely accommodating. They arranged for us to fly out of Tampa and then return to Reagan National. Originally we were supposed to stay in Treasure Island until Saturday. But, luckily for us, Nana offered to take us to the airport and drive our car home for us.

We left for the airport very early Friday morning, made one connection, and landed in LAX just before 11 am. The second our plane landed, Logan said, "It feels so great to be home!" What a funny girl. Then we picked up our rental car and headed over to Anaheim. The sweepstakes also gave us a one-day ticket to Disneyland! So, last weekend we were in Disney World...this weekend, Disneyland! Pretty awesome. The girls were super-excited. It was lastJune, just before we moved since we'd been to Disneyland...and we've really missed it. The girls had the best time. They were a little disappointed at first that we weren't going to be able to go to California Adventure too, but they got over it. We wanted to ride all our favorite rides, especially the ones they don't have at Disney World (or the ones that we think are better at Disneyland--like Pirates, Buzz Lightyear, and It's a Small World!) Small World had been closed the last few times we were at the park because they were refurbishing it and enhancing it. They added geographically appropriate characters to the corresponding countries. It was so exciting for the girls to spot all the new parts of the ride. It was well worth the wait to see the joy on their faces. It definitely is the "happiest cruise that ever sailed!" Carsyn got to ride Splash Mountain, and Logan rode Thunder Mountain. Maren was as happy as could be on the carousel and the tea cups. The park was packed, and it wasn't the same not having our annual passes and discounts anymore, but we had a blast and were so grateful to have been able to go to Disneyland again!

Logan, Carsyn, and Maren waiting for the tram to take us to the park...

We're at Disneyland...

Maren's favorite: the carousel...

Carsyn and Logan with Chip...

Getting dizzy on the Tea Cups...

After the girls all started dosing off (around 9 pm PST) we drove over to our hotel. They put us up at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel and Spa right at the Hollywood and Highland Center. We could see the Hollywood sign right from our room! On Saturday morning we went to the hotel restaurant for a delicious buffet breakfast. Then it was time to get ready for the Earth premier at the El Capitan Theater. The girls got such a kick out of walking the red carpet and posing for pictures (that Mommy was taking--not the paparazzi.) We did see a few celebrities attending the premier as well. In fact, Tony Dovolani and Carrie Ann Inaba from Dancing with the Stars were sitting across the aisle from us. The girls also got to meet some of their favorite Disney Channel stars: Jennifer Stone (from Wizards of Waverly Place) and Debby Ryan (from Suite Life on Deck.) They were so sweet to the girls. Inside the theater we were all given a souvenir bucket of popcorn and free drinks. The girls were stoked about that. They also loved the movie. It was very cute and well done. Go see it--it opens this Wednesday!

The girls across from the El Capitan Theater...

Rocking the red carpet...

Carsyn and Logan with their new BFF's...

Afterward we walked around the Hollywood walk of fame, checking out the stars. We also spent some time at Grauman's Chinese Theater. Then it was time for dinner. There's a C.P.K. at the Hollywood and Highland Center, so the decision wasn't difficult at all. What a super-fun weekend--incredibly exciting and memorable for sure! We'll never forget our first red-carpet premier.

Star struck...

Mommy and Logan, Hollywood-style...

Logan checking out Ali McGraw's hand prints...

Carsyn knew Debbie Reynolds from the Halloweentown movies...

Little Jean Harlow...

At the Hollywood & Highland Center...

Back to reality...we sure were feeling the jet-lag Monday morning. But, it was all worth it!

Spring Break: Part 2--Treasure Island...

What could be better than a trip to Disney World? How about a relaxing, week-long beach vacation? We arrived at our hotel in Treasure Island (just a bit north of St. Pete Beach) shortly after 11 on Saturday night. We stayed at the Residence Inn by Marriott (our favorite hotel chain!) When we woke up Easter Sunday morning, we went down to the lobby for a delicious hot (and complimentary) breakfast. Then it was time to get ready for Easter mass. We got there early enough to find seats--it was crowded. The service was pretty short, so the girls were able to conduct themselves like little ladies. They received several compliments, not only on their dresses, but also on their behavior.

Our family on Easter morning--Happy Easter!

The girls getting ready for mass...

After mass we ate a quick lunch in our room before getting all lathered up in sunscreen and heading out to the beach! The girls were in "heaven!" They were so excited to find all sorts of shells, dig in the sand, splash in the waves, and just enjoy the warm weather.

Ready for the beach...

Looking for shells...



Maren--the next Coppertone girl...

We also hid some Easter eggs for them to hunt for up near the sand dunes. They weren't that hard to find, but they still enjoyed collecting them and seeing what treasures they held inside.

Easter egg hunt...

Sunday night, after a long day at the beach, Mommy and Daddy went to the grocery. We decided to stay in and just made dinner in our suite. We really had a wonderful Easter.

Monday was another beautiful day. The girls wanted to check out the hotel pool after breakfast. They had quite the time swimming with Daddy (Mommy thought the water was too cold.) Logan has really improved her swimming skills, while Carsyn and Maren have gained more confidence in the water. They had so much fun.

Logan...

Maren...





Having fun...

After lunch we went down to the beach. It was so nice to be just steps away from the Gulf. The girls are so into collecting shells. We also worked on a sand castle. That evening the hotel had refreshments and snacks in the lobby=free beer and wine for Mommy, Daddy, and Nana, and free cheese, crackers, and Shirley Temples for the girls. It was fun, but not enough to sustain our hunger. So we ended up going out for pizza at John's Pass, followed by yummy ice cream.

Logan and Carsyn at John's Pass...

It rained almost all day Tuesday, actually it stormed. There were 45 mile per hour winds and periods of torrential downpours--yuck! So, we did some outlet shopping. The sun eventually came out, just in time to set.

Logan getting wind-blown...

Carsyn didn't like the wind...

We're lucky Maren didn't blow away...

Wednesday the clouds and rain were gone, and so was the humidity. It was a perfect day. We spent the day at split between the beach and the pool.

So much fun...

So sweet...

Carsyn's got the posing thing down...

That night we found a great seafood grill walking distance from our hotel. However, the girls stuck with chicken fingers, fries, and pasta. Oh well, they thought it was great. Afterward we enjoyed some ice cream and Lost in our room!

Maren and Carsyn on our balcony...

The girls ready to go out...

Sisters...

Logan at the restaurant...

Thursday ended up being our last day at the beach (but more about that later,) so we wanted to make the most of it. We went for walks, combing the beach for the prettiest shells. The girls and Daddy worked very hard on their sand castle. It turned out great! And, we spent some time swimming at the pool too.

Maren having a blast...

Beach blonde Carsyn...

Fun in the sun, and sand...

Our sand castle...

After another Manager's reception in the lobby, we went out for Italian food--the girls' request. They got to do a little souvenir shopping afterward too.

Waiting for our table...

It was a great vacation. We couldn't have asked for a nicer hotel--gotta love free breakfasts! The girls loved every minute of it. They are definitely warm-weather beach girls! But, Friday morning it was on to part three of our Spring Break...

Spring Break: Part 1--Disney World...

We hit the road for the first part of our Spring Break vacation right after school on Thursday. We stopped for dinner in South Carolina, and finally made it to our hotel very early Friday morning. This was our first time staying at the Shades of Green military resort at Disney World, and we were very impressed. It is very beautiful, and very big, and not a bad price either. The resort is located just across the street from Disney's Polynesian Resort, on Disney property.

Maren waiting for the shuttle at our hotel...

Since the girls went to bed at a decent time (in the car,) we still tried to get up and get going to the park at a decent hour. We made it to the Magic Kingdom a little after 9:30. The girls had a great time riding all their favorite rides and seeing some characters. They were especially excited to see Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny!

The girls with the Easter Bunnies...

We stayed at the Magic Kingdom for a majority of the day. It was pretty crowded, but we were able to do a lot.

Maren has always been a huge fan of the carousel...

Carsyn too...

Logan and Mommy on the ferry...

Carsyn checking out the Grand Floridian, maybe someday...

That evening we headed over to Hollywood Studios to ride their newest favorite ride: Toy Story Mania. After waiting in line for over an hour and a half, we finally made it on the ride. Unfortunately, while in the middle of the ride--it broke down : ( We all had to get off and walk through the ride to the exit. But, they did give us a Fastpass for the next day.

Logan on the Toy Story ride just before it stopped running...

After a full day at the parks, we headed back to the hotel for dinner. We had planned on watching the fireworks from there, but the girls all fell asleep after eating.

On Saturday, we decided on Epcot. The first thing we did was get our Soarin' fastpasses. Then we went on the Nemo ride before heading over to the World Showcase for lunch.

The girls at Epcot...

Carsyn checking out all the flowers...

Logan...

While enjoying our yummy lunch outside at Mexico, Maren fell of the bench, under the table and started screaming. I immediately picked her up and tried to calm her down. Daddy also wanted to comfort her, that's when I noticed the blood. She had hit her head on the base of the table and was bleeding. Luckily we were very close to the first aid station. The nurse was wonderful. She cleaned Maren up and gave us some antibiotic ointment and Tylenol for the pain. The cut ended up not being as bad as it initially looked from all the blood, and we were able to go on with our day.

Maren is such a tough girl...

One of the new things the girls were really looking forward to is the Kim Possible Mission. The girls got a cell phone to communicate with Kim and her friends. They were given several missions to help "save the world!" It was a lot of fun for them. After completing their mission and walking through the World Show Case, we got to ride Soarin'.

The girls ready for their mission...

The girls with Senor Donald...

Carsyn's always up for photo with a character...

Leaving Epcot...

Afterward we went back to Hollywood Studios and finally were able to ride the Toy Story ride...in its entirety! We also went on few other rides and went to the Muppet's 3D show. The girls just LOVE anything Disney and always have such a fabulous time at the parks! And, the perfect weather was definitely icing on the cake.

Maren and Daddy hanging out at Hollywood Studios...

That hat is a little too big for Logan...

Time for the second part of our Spring Break...