Fun in Florida

We had such a wonderful time in Florida last week with my Dad (and we took so many fun pictures; it was hard to pick ones for the slideshow!)

So you know what you're seeing....

.... We actually flew out of Indy. Flights were 1/4th of the price of anywhere out here, so we decided to take an 8 hour drive vs. a 22ish hour one (and flew for only slightly more than it would have been to drive)! We were able to spend the night with Scott's parents and had a great time with them!
.... As you might have noticed from the video clip of Isaac before, we loved flying.
.... We spent a great evening at Downtown Disney with my Dad.
.... Before we left for the trip, we discovered that our friends the Stumps and the Beers would be in Florida at the same time! We had a great time swimming with them at our condo and then enjoyed a pizza party together, too!
.... We spent Tuesday at the Magic Kingdom with my Dad. Such a perfect day! We even met up with the Stumps again for fireworks and the parade (as you can tell.... our boys were exhausted afterwards!)
.... On Wednesday, the four of us split the day between Hollywood Studios and the Animal Kingdom. It was fabulous!
.... We had two low-key days at the condo, enjoying more swimming, miniature golf, and tennis!
.... The last two pics are of our sleepy boys on the drive from Indy to Buffalo.... don't ya just love how Aaron fell asleep?!!

Flying to Florida

Needless to say, as you'll be able to tell from this video, Isaac loved flying. Both of the boys were so excited and provided much entertainment for us and those sitting near us. Having flown two days after the tragic crash in Buffalo, I needed this fun distraction as I was battling my nerves quite a bit, and I was thankful that I had the video camera to capture Isaac's excitement!

We were very blessed. The boys did an amazing job on the plane; we even got many, many compliments on their behavior. The cutest conversation though.... Scott was sitting by a lady, just having some small talk on the flight home. When she asked about his occupation, and he said that he is a children's pastor, she said, "Oh, no wonder your kids are so well behaved." Um.... no, sweetie. We just happened to get really, really lucky for the past 2 1/2 hours.... and a portable DVD player doesn't hurt either!!! :)



(you moms and dads out there probably recognize Isaac's actions.... Little Einsteins, anyone?!!)

Thankful Thursday...

Today, I am thankful....

1) For a laptop. I was very resistant to getting a laptop at first, but Scott convinced me. I love it now. I love that I can catch up on a blog or two while I am browning beef on the stove.... or send a quick message while I wait for Aaron to finish in the bathroom. Yep, it's a good thing to be mobile!
2) For an amazing week in Florida. We had such a great vacation.... I can't even begin to express how wonderful it was to get away and how wonderful the family was for us.
3) For God's provisions for our family. He always provides for us in such cool, unique, and interesting ways. I love the way He works.... To God be the Glory!
4) That a grocery store around the corner has fabulous deals on meat. I just got 20ish pounds of really great quality STEAK for around $ 3 - 3.50 / lb. Bring on grilling season! On a similar note, I am thankful for a deep freezer so I can buy in bulk and save bucks!
5) That Aaron loves school. I love that it is never a battle in the morning... he loves going, seeing his buddies, and learning!

Have a fabulous day! :)

A little glimpse of things to come....

I finally pulled the pics off of my camera today from the trip.... oh my goodness, there are some fun ones! Can't wait to find a chunk of time to post them.... but thought I'd post a super fun one first, just to give you a little glimpse into our great week in Florida! I am loving this picture. I cannot begin to express how thankful I am for Scott and for what a terrific dad he is to our kids. Let's just say.... this man has great balance between fun and structure with our kiddos. And boy, oh boy, they are CRAZY about him!!! I've decided that this picture is a CLASSIC. Two of my sweeties in Goofy hats being silly; can life get any better?!! (also, do you notice any similarities between Aaron and his daddy?????)

Prayer request....

Will you please join me in praying for the Glavach family today? They are enduring a heartbreaking road and need to be lifted up today and in the days to come. Read more here.

(Marceline and I went on a missions trip together during our time at Taylor.... in case you were wondering how I even know this family....)

Darlin'.....

I had a the sweetest little conversation with Isaac this morning. He was walking around somewhat aimlessly this morning shortly after Aaron had left on the bus. We were both pretty spoiled by having so much time with Scott AND Aaron last week. Here is how the conversation went between the two of us....

I: Where's Aaron (which comes out "A-wun"! So cute!)
Me: He got on his bus to go to school, buddy.
LONG PAUSE.
I: He's my favorite friend ("fav-wit f-wend")

Isn't that the sweetest little thang?!! It is SO fun to watch our boys becoming good buddies. They, OF COURSE, have their negative sibling moments, but the fun times definitely outweigh the bad ones.

Oh dear!

Shhhh!!!! Please don't tell Scott about THIS. He may require me to purchase one before our next road trip..... :)

We're back!

Hi all. We're home after a fabulous, fabulous, FABULOUS week in Florida! We had such a great time with my Dad.... spent two days at Disney.... enjoyed the heated pool.... played some golf and tennis.... and just embraced precious moments together as a family. I have plenty of pics to blog soon.... but first, I must dig out of the suitcases and find my sanity (oh, and getting some milk in the fridge would be helpful, too!) Love to all!

Leavin'....

.... for Florida! Have a great week!

Hello, Buffalo!

How is it that it was nearly 60 degrees today, but when I hopped online tonight, a "weather advisory" popped up.... calling for 3-7 inches of snow tomorrow?!! Geez.... surprise, surprise!!! :)

Wordless Wednesday

Nose-to-nose

Cutest little moment just happened....

Isaac was just jumping on the couch (shh.... don't tell Scott.... it's the only-new-to-us-1-week-couch!) and he leaned over, nose-to-nose with Ollie, and said,

"Wanna come play with me? Wanna come play with me? Sure?!! Come on up and jump wif me!" (while proceeding to try to pull Ollie onto the couch with him. Sweet.... very, very sweet! Yep, I think that he misses Aaron while he is at school.....)

Meeting Baby Isabelle!

Our new, beloved neighbors welcomed a precious baby girl into their family on January 11th. Because she was born 7 weeks early, weighing only 3 lb. 7 oz., she spent a couple of weeks in the NICU.

Scott and I were able to meet Miss Isabelle in the NICU. Here is the beautiful girl with her beautiful momma, Gina.

Gazing at her mommy before trying out another bottle!She's home now, so we were able to take the boys to meet her awhile back! Look at how little she looks in this pic (actually, she IS little.... just over 4 pounds at this point)!

Aaron keeps saying that he needs to go over to "help" Ms. Gina with Miss Isabelle. He loves babies....

Isaac's sweet reaction to meeting her....

Miracle....

Thanks, guys, for letting us share in your journey with you! Isabelle is such a precious darlin'!

It's tough to be in Kindergarten!

2 different days.... 4 pictures.... 1 week.... 1 sleepy boy! These pictures reflect what full day kindergarten has been doing to my kiddo.... he gets completely wiped out! We make sure Aaron is in bed between 8 & 8:30 every night, and he still gets up by 6:15 every morning (even though he COULD sleep until 8:00 and still not miss the bus.... BOO! Have I mentioned that momma is NOT a morning person?!!) Anyway, he just ends up really wiped out by the end of the day and has fallen asleep many, many times before he even makes it to bed in the afternoon/evening! Thankfully, he does love kindergarten, so I guess it is all worth it! :)

I love this one in particular.... I would probably have to find a chiropractor if I fell asleep like this! :)

We love the Schmitt's!

In mid-January, our dear friends, Brandon, Angie, and Liza visited for a weekend! We had such a great time hanging out and enjoying our time together! They are so precious to us! Unfortunately, Jacob couldn't make it this trip as he was headed to FL with his grandma and grandpa instead, but it was a great time for Aaron, Isaac, and Liza to become even better buddies!

Aaron and Liza enjoyed Legos throughout the weekend.

Isaac LOVES the Schmitt's!

I miss these girls already....

Liza is so precious. She is a natural nurturer and loved on Ollie all weekend! As you can tell, he loved it.... he looks like he is in a trance in this picture!

A visit with our family wouldn't ever be complete without a dance party! They are surfing in this pic!

Come back anytime, friends! We loved having you!!! :)

Flashback Friday....

Yeah, these pics are a bit overdue! My 33rd birthday was January 10th, and I had the huge blessing of celebrating the day with my friend Jen and her family (she celebrated her 34th on the same day! How fun is that?!) We had a great night, full of laughs, good conversations, and fellowship (oh, and we can't forget a Dairy Queen ice cream cake!)

Do recognize the little sweetie in this picture, my loyal blog readers? Yes, this is sweet Emma.... Aaron's sweetie from preschool!Battling it out at Mario Kart....

David and Jen duke it out at boxing!

This is fabulous....

Hats off to the Peppler's for posting another amazing, inspirational video. Check it out....

Thankful Thursday...

Today, I am thankful....

1) For my warm house. It was 4 degrees on my way to Bible study this morning; I was thankful that I came from a warm house into a warm van.
2) If all goes well, that Baby Tripp is going home from the hospital TOMORROW!!!! HOORAH!
3) For new, great friends! We had so much fun watching the Superbowl with our neighbors, Kevin and Gina and their kiddos (including their brand new baby, Isabelle!) They have been such a blessing to us!
4) For the Wii. We had a fun family night last night.... battling it out at bowling, tennis, tanks, golf, and bull riding! :)
5) For Scott's days off! I am so excited about tomorrow and Saturday!

Have a blessed day! Much love!

Yippe!

Guess who finally found her USB cable and can post pictures again?!!! HOORAH! We've taken a lot of fun pictures over the past month; it will be fun to post some of them! :)

Last weekend, my parents and Deb were able to visit! We even had some fun in the snow!

Fort building with Grandpa

Play sets are even more fun in the snow!

Isn't my l'il sis cute?!!

Isn't my l'il Isaac cute, too?!!

Working out and stretching with Grandpa!

Helping Grandma frost cinnamon rolls!

Thanks, Dads.....

I just saw this on a friend's blog and loved it.... so inspiring and such a big reminder to the dads of the world. I'm so glad that I've had a great dad.... and that my boys have a great dad, too! :)

USB woes....

I am still looking for my USB cord so I can post pictures.... I've ruled out the toy box (my kiddos didn't hide it, hmmmm!) Has anyone seen it?!!!

This information floors me!

I saw this video awhile back.... it floored me then; it still floors me now.