Alligator Angels

Our Memorial Day was spent partly by enjoying this great land -- the Everglades of Florida. We headed over to St. Cloud to Wild Willy's Airboat Tours. The folks there were very nice. The girls donned their life jackets; we all put on our hearing protection; and off we shot across the lake. We managed to see a momma alligator and her babies, various birds, snail kite hawks (endangered), an eagle, flowers, snails, and swimming rabbits (although they were on dry land at the time). We even got to hold, pet, and kiss Thunder (the "pet" alligator) when we were all done. The girls loved it. They were able to bring home flowers, snail shells, and one of the boat captains even drew pictures for the girls.

School's Out, School's Out!

2010 May 466 edit, originally uploaded by counsel14.

Olivia had her last day of school this week. We celebrated with a fun lunch at her school. We will truly miss Miss Elaine, who made Olivia's first school experience great. She is ready to tackle Kindergarten next year!

Head of the Class

Olivia's class photo. She has thoroughly enjoyed going to school (most days). Hopefully, that will continue as she starts Kindergarten next year!

Cat Days of Summer

Yesterday was a relaxing day of church, Japanese grill for lunch, hanging out at the pool, and an early bedtime. Ahhhhhh, good times.

Sisters

Pet the Belly

I could get used to this.

I could get used to this, too!

Final Mission -- Atlantis

We decided we needed to watch the space shuttle launch since we are so close and will not likely have the opportunity again. We were warned the traffic would be horrific. They were right! We left Orlando a little before 10:00 a.m., and we reached the Space Coast about 3 hours later. It is normally about an hour. We really weren't sure where to park or view the launch, so we just kind of followed the crowd for the most part. We ended up in front of a hotel or retirement home with a packed lawn of spectators. The crowd cheered as the shuttle started its ascent, and another cheer went up as the rumble of the rockets reached us. Of course, then we jumped back into the flow of traffic heading back to Orlando. All in all, it was a fun family adventure of historical proportions!

Happy Mother's Day

Courtney enjoyed a good Mother's Day, complete with gifts, good eating, great pampering, and gobs of love. She was immediately showered with a homemade gift from Olivia -- a lovely hand-painted sun catcher. It is currently hanging on our patio door. Then, we went to church. After church and starving, it was time to introduce mom to Five Guys Burgers! She was a light-weight and only ate half of one, but I think she ate a full cup of fries! Then, time for some pampering at the Salon next door -- pedicures and paintings for all the girls. Courtney was treated to a pedicure while Olivia got her fingernails and toes done (a beautiful blue). Katelee opted for a powerful pink. Of course, the Vietnamese women loved the girls. How to you top off a pedicure? Ice Cream! (Cold Stone to be specific) Finally, we made it home, where gifts awaited Courtney, and the rest of the day was spent basking by the pool.

Out of the Mouth of the other Babe

Courtney had a new story for this morning. It goes a little something like this:

Katelee brought Courtney a baby doll. Then, she proceeded to play for a while. Before long, she returned to Courtney to express her frustration toward her big sister for not moving over in the chair. Courtney explained to Katelee that Olivia did not have to move since Katelee got down from the chair and was playing.

At this point, Katelee took the baby doll back from Courtney and declared, "Baby is mad at you! Baby does not want you anymore."

Then, she walked away with her baby in tow.

Out of the Mouth of Babes

Courtney tells the story of Olivia asking one of her typical questions.

She asked, "How big is the baby now?"

Courtney showed her with her fingers.

Olivia continued, "And where is it?"

Courtney showed her by pointing to her lower belly.

Olivia responded by aking, "Then what is all this fat up here?"

A Trip to Dinosaur World

Today, we went to . . .

DINOSAUR WORLD

Dinosaur World is about 30 minutes from our home, and we bought tickets around Christmas. Unfortunately, we weren't able to go until today (and we lost the original tickets). It was a fun half-day outing. We packed a lunch, put the dog on a leash, and loaded everyone into the truck.

One of the activities available is a Fossil Dig. The kids (and mom) got to dig through the sand and find fossils (shells and shark's teeth). They could keep three of the fossils they found.

The park was packed with every dinosaur, and it was quite educational to read about a bunch we didn't know. For example, the Packasaurus was a military dinosaur who went extinct after too many PCS moves! That one wasn't really at the park, but I'm sure he existed. Here, the girls put on their best scared faces as T-Rex towers above them.

And really, what good dinosaur outing is complete until someone is eaten?

New Dog

Kaya had a good shave today from a local groomer -- U Dirty Dawg. They actually bring their mobile unit to your house, trim the pooch, bathe her, and turn her back over to the owner! Pretty nice! I think the dog is about 10 pounds light now!

Next week: The Cats!!!

11.5

Eleven and a half weeks, and this is the latest ultrasound. The entire video is longer, but here is a snippet of Baby #3 strutting her stuff. I say "she" based on the technician's best guess at 11.5 weeks. Of course, we'll have a better view in another month. She turns over in the first part, and the second part is the heart beating. Enjoy!

Friday Fun

Friday morning was relatively normal . . . breakfast, a video, coloring, ring-around-the-rosie, nap, etc. But then we decided to mix it up a little bit for the afternoon. We headed to the Bill Frederick Park. We picked up some dinner at Firehouse Subs, went to the park, and ate and played on the great playground equipment. Kaya (the dog) even joined us. After playing on the playground, we headed to the Children's Farm, where the girls saw horses, pigs, goats, guineas, and bunnies. No touching, but fun to watch. Then, we wound around to a campground and chatted with some campers for a bit who were there for a rowing race the next day. Finally, we made it back to the truck. As we were leaving, we spotted a couple of raccoons, which the girls loved seeing.

After we got home, we assembled the camping tent, squeezed it into Olivia's room, and said goodnight. We'll see if the girls actually make it through the night!!! (We've already gone in twice to settle skirmishes.)

Easter Pic

2010 Apr 123 edit, originally uploaded by counsel14.

Pet Pics -- Just for Fun

Easter Sunday

Sunrise over Sea World

It has been a bit since our last post. We have been quite busy playing host to vacationers to Orlando. We had a good day today though. We woke up EARLY (o'dark 30) to participate in a sunrise Easter service at Sea World. The place was packed! Then, we slipped through Krispy Kreme on our way home. The girls found their Easter baskets, as well as the one and half dozen eggs hidden in the house. They loaded up on sweets (like the doughnuts were not enough), hunted for eggs a few more times, and then headed back to bed. This afternoon will be filled with lunch at a friend's house, complete with more sweets I'm sure! But, isn't Easter a sweet time anyway?

New Additions

We were able to add a couple additions to the family prior to the new addition to the family arriving. Meet Orion and Ariana -- 11 and 14 pounds of fluff! We agreed to take the cats from a family in Sarasota who had to find another home for them due to health problems. They are Ragdolls and still getting used to our home, but they are already claiming their spots. Needless to say, the girls love them!

Orion

Ariana

Run Baby Run

Running with a Grin!

Meet #3

First appointment was today, and all is well. Courtney enjoyed testing a new ultrasound machine that let her see things very clearly. Enjoy the first pics below. Obviously, a very cute baby.

Disney Half Marathon

The ladies woke up at 2:30 a.m. to head to the Disney Park. They were off the starting blocks about 6:15, and they finished in under 3 hours! Now, time to rest.

Fly In the Babysitters!

Grandpa & Grandma made a special trip to babysit last week while Mark & Courtney helped with a marriage conference. Thus, while Mark & Courtney welcomed around 1800 people to the marriage conference, the girls enjoyed some good spoiling! On the flipside, Mark & Courtney enjoyed a good date night out! Then, on Sunday, we all enjoyed a fun day at Downtown Disney and eating at the T-Rex Restaurant.

Of course, we finished up with some ice cream!