Some Time to Celebrate!

For Over a Year we have planned to go on our anniversary trip with our CCFs (Closest Couple Friends, thanks seriouslysoblessed!), Dan and Emily. They celebrated their fifth anniversary five days before ours. We went back and forth over exotic locals and finally decided on Costa Rica...Well over the summer after years of trying and two cycles of invitro they are finally preggos! So exciting! But we decided that zip lines and surfing wasn't the vacay for Emily and she needed to be close to the states, just in case, sooo...we decided to go back to Mexico! Anywhere would have been great, really, we just wanted to get away...

So our exciting week came and went with lots of rain that we never envisioned! So it was indeed VERY relaxing! There just isn't a whole lot to do when it's cloudy and rainy outside...but we managed to have a really good time just hanging out...So here it is, the pics from Mexico, at least the ones we're allowed to post....JK!!!

On the road to drop the kids off at Nana and Popi's house down in Miami...


At MIA waiting for our flight. You know you're in Miami when you have a box of pastelitos to down....Food Fest '08 became the theme of our trip. You'll notice increasing fatsos as the pics go on....


If I was going to binge and purge it would be on these things...

Checking in....

So happy the day was finally here! And we had the whole week before us!...

Half of the Lobby...if we only knew this is where we would end up playing games on all those rainy days....

The boys doing the dirty work...

While the girls horsed around....

Checked in and immediately dawned swimsuits...ready to soak it all in!!...

Boys chillin'...

The water was quite cold...that should have been the first sign that the weather hadn't been the greatest...

Our wannabe ad for the hotel...I could use a little more grace...

Dinner the first night...Asian food...service was fab! Thank you Carlos!

The pool was too cold and Em can't boil the baby in the hot tub...so we soaked in the tub...It actually was hotter in our tub than in the luke warm "hot" tub they had...

While soaking in the tub the boys were running an errand. When they came back they had a nice surprise...This poor thing crossed the path in front of the wrong people...

We both screamed as he bolted into the room with Mr. Crabs...I thought he was going to throw it in the tub with us...I'm so glad he didn't...


But it did hang out in our shower before being freed outside...

Dinner another night at Bordeux, french cuisine...delicious goat cheese salad!...

The one day it was semi-sunny was the day that we decided to go into Cancun...In hindsight not the smartest move...If we had known that we would have stayed at the hotel and baked in the sun all day without sunscreen, maybe even with baby oil. That way we could have looked like we had actually been on vacation.....This was a random building in Cancun...

This was the only use of my sunglasses all week...

Capturing Emily, capturing me....

Walking on those glorious scenic Cancun streets....

With lines like, "Come take a look at my junk." and "Almost free.", who can't resist the shopping in Mexico. We did buy a few items, like a nativity and D & E bought a frame for $10, can you believe that bargain?!...Look at these amazing treasures....

We were looking for anywhere to sit at the end of the day trying to find our way back to the hotel and found this kodak picture spot...


We stayed out of their pic but Daniel just had to be in ours...this would have been my fav pic of the whole trip, but SOMEONE had to ruin it....Geez!


Hangin' out in D & E's room...playing games while we wait for the rain to pass...it never did...


Another evening eating....


The Snider/Munns connection...


So romantic...


Look how happy Daniel is to stuff his face, yet again...

Sequence...the girls are the champs...


Our last night there...we went to several of the restaurants and just ordered our favorite things...


The group dinner shot...


I can't believe how tan we are!...Not! You can't say we didn't try...we kept trying to lay out in the sprinkling and clouds and kept saying, "You know, some of the worst burns can be when it's cloudy outside."...It is a total lie!...


We played a round of Sequence in between dinners...


This could be an engagement picture...

TWINNERS for the flight home...the shirt says "friends"...We're sure one of ours is supposed to say forever or best, but we bought them at Last Chance and this is all they had...so we are just settling for friends...


Adios Mexico!


Squeezing in a game of Rummy before the flight...

D&E are such a fun couple and we're so happy to share an anniversary around theirs! We want this to be the first of a lifetime of anniversary trips....We're looking at making up for this one in five years...Bora Bora here we come!!!...


Coming home...Time to get back to reality and pick up the kiddies who had a total blast in Miami with Nana and Popi. They did tons, a train ride, the movies, and visited an animal shelter...They left begging to go back! We love our Nana and Popi!

Our Tenth Getaway!

I can't wait to be here! We leave for Miami today and fly out tomorrow morning for a whole week!!! Happy anniversary babe!!

TEN Years together!!!

Happy Anniversary Babe! I can't believe it's been ten years! You are amazing! I would do it all over again! Forever and ever I'll love you...

Ten years ago today this is where we were...



We've come so far and grown so much since the beginning...


You have ALWAYS put me on a pedestal and I've felt treasured...


Our family has grown....little by little...From the sweet days with just our little girlie learning from eachother...


...To three amazing children who are the light of our lives...and to think it all started with you and me...


We've made amazing memories together...from family holidays...


to just the two-of-us...


You've surprised me in ways that are straight out of a fairytale...


Thank you babe for giving me the happiest most fulfilling ten years of my life so far! I can't wait for forever...I love you!!!

Thirty, Flirty, and Thriving!!

I thought about this day for a whole year and it finally came...

Yesterday was my 30th birthday! I can't even believe it!

I thought I was fine about it...

I went for a dark early morning run and listened to songs like Tim McGraw's, My Next Thirty Years and Jay-Z's, Thirtysomething (I'm sure he would be embarassed if he knew I had his song on my ipod)... I was feeling good about thirty...

until my sister-in-law, Karen, called me and told me how she felt strange on her 30th....then I burst into tears and told her that yes, it does feel a little strange turning that first digit...and not quite as happy and exciting as it did when it went from a one to a two...She told me when she turned 30 that she wanted to act immature so she told me to go out and buy the shiny leggings I've been looking at that I thought might be too young for me...

I didn't buy the leggings...

But Joey did get me an iphone that makes me feel very youthful...

The day was great...went to my favorite place (Disney) with my favorite peeps (Joey & kids...had to say peeps because that's what young people do) and I ate my little heart out at Epcots Food & Wine Festival...

Thanks for all the calls and texts to help me celebrate!!

High Five

Our Rett celebrated his 5th birthday this past Tuesday! It was especially exciting because five has been his favorite number for a couple years and in his little life that's huge! We love this boy and feel so lucky to have him as our son!
All about Rett:
fav color: Red
fav food: Apples
fav movie: Chronicles of Narnia
fav music: Rock n' Roll
fav thing to do: play with his toys
fav place to go: on the Disney Cruise
what he wants to be when he grows up: a knight
what makes him sad: taking things away from him
what makes him happy: coming home

We began the morning with balloons and decorations...


He was so excited to bring dinosaur cupcakes to school...


When school was done we got Emree out early and went to our favorite place...
Disney!!!


Rett got a complimentary birthday badge! Which I would recommend for everyone's birthday. All the cast members were saying, "Happy Birthday Rett!", and he was serenaded in the candy store in front of everyone...it's not the sticker on his head, we don't know why he puts stickers there...We went on his favorite Buzz Lightyear ride...


silly hats...and so proud to be driving the race car...


Rye was giving everyone kisses on Small World...Rett on the carousel...


We capped off the night with our favorite Carvel ice cream cake...Happy Birthday Rett!!!

Tidbits

We had a visit from my parents and there sweet dog, Ami, a few weekends ago. The kids love her and Rocky wants to eat her...

I knew Rye was tired one day, but I didn't realize just how much...

Such a comfy spot on cold hard tile...

In the Groove

Our new schedule isn't as rough as I thought it would be, atleast not yet...The kids are doing great and funny things continue to happen...

Emree's gossip column is back in circulation...She's gets in the car and immediately tells me about who was in trouble, what people ate, wore, said...she's so funny! She thinks she's the teacher's pet because when the class is "chit-chatting" (this must be something her teacher says a lot because Emree says it all the time now) Ms. Horn will say, "I see Emree sitting nicely and paying attention.".....
Emree and Rett surprised me with this the other day. Rett buried Emree...they were so proud...


Rett is LOVING school!...His teacher puts him in the car everyday and she said that they were eating snack and Rett asked "Why don't we say a prayer before we eat?" His teacher is this sweet Christian lady and it melted her heart when Rett said this and she told him that he could say his own prayer if he would like....awww...he really is such a sweet boy!...it was a proud moment for a mom... This was his first paper he brought home...Evan what do you think? Is he a future artist?...


Rye loves being home with Mom...His latest is when I take a shower I squeeze the bubbles from my hair and put them on the shower wall and he runs his trains back and forth...He loves it!...

Bittersweet...

Let's shed some tears for Summer...


But let's ring in the new school year!! Woohoo! Let's hear it for learning!...
Monday Emree started second grade...

Emree sporting her new school uniform...


Tuesday tropical storm Faye came through and they cancelled school...someone was a little too excited for this...


Wednesday Rett started pre-K!! He thought he was such a big boy!...


Rett high tailed it to the tiger that he had seen during open house and couldn't stop talking about...


Lizzie waiting for Rett...


Not one tear was shed, because pre-K is only three hours, but I still considered it a great accomplishment! Rye and I went to breakfast to celebrate our alone time...


Picked Rett up and he was so proud! He asked if he could do it again, awww...so cute..."Yes, Rett for the next 13years and beyond..."