Dear Disney,

I am so very appreciative that you finally listened to me and have now posted an offer for the fall. However, the extension of the "Kids Stay and Play Free" offer, does not help the Loyo family out. We do not have any children 3-9 that this offer would apply to.
So, please see what else you can pull out of the discount bag.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Loyo

Fun Fridays

I love Fridays. At our school, we call them "Fun Fridays". They are so much fun b/c I let my students have free choice (however, I do set some limits) AND my friends and I are able to order lunch out each Friday. That is one of the biggest treats that a teacher can get!
Today is especially fun b/c it is also pay day--thank goodness! I really need to buckle down on my Disney savings (that is, if Disney would ever post some good deals for me-grr!)
LL loves Fridays too! This afternoon, I think that we will enjoy our Fun Friday together with another outing to the park! Yesterday, we went to the park w/ LL's boyfriend and it was a successful trip--no woodchips on the tongue or face! Hopefully, today's trip will be the same!

Wishful/Wonderful Wednesday

Wishfuls-
1) Oh, how I wish that this school year would just end! I am ready to have the summer for LL and I to enjoy and to be able to get away from everything else...well most everything else...it has been a rough year to say the least both at school and in our personal life as well. I hate to sound so negative, but it just seems as though I have been in a funk and no matter how hard I try to get out, I just sink deeper. I am hoping for a turn around soon! Hopefully, a less stressful summer will be the cure!

2) I wish that the rain would disappear from the forecast for this weekend. We have a friend's wedding to attend Saturday and I hope that it won't rain during their special occasion!

3) I wish that LL would forget how to climb. It has been her new discovery this week and it is WEARING me out--Children's Hospital--I hope that we will not see you anytime soon!

Wonderfuls-
1) LL and I had a wonderful afternoon at the park today--that was until she went down the slide face first and landed in the wood chips. As soon as I lifted her up, I noticed that her face was covered in wood chips and dirt--as was her tongue. She was such a trooper though!

2) A little friend of mine had a wonderful day today at school-great improvement from yesterday--thank goodness!

3) We get paid on Friday--thank goodness--I'm broke!

Full Moon

Why is it that full moons make everyone CRAZY?! I swear, after everything that has gone on at home and at school over the past week, I am ready to commit myself! My kids are going crazy, their parents are going crazy, it has just been a crazy week to say the least.
And then, as I am driving home tonight after attending a training, I look up to see a HUGE full moon.
That explains EVERYTHING! Hopefully it will go away soon....I can't handle another 22 days like this. I need a day off. I want a day off. Why can't I just have a day off w/out giving myself a guilt trip?!
I am waiting for Michael Jackson to come back from the dead and start dancing to thriller as my kids and their parents join in behind him!

Are you a goat?

I am not sure if LL is teething or what, but she is walking around BITING everything! I had some clothes drying on a rack yesterday and she walked up to it and started biting some of my clothes!
And then today, she decided that the clothes weren't good enough on the rack, so she bit me TWICE! I really think that she was just trying to bite and pull and the clothes w/ her teeth, however, she was quickly re-introduced to time out and a spanking (yes, she knows what a spanking is--it usually doesn't phase her though-you mention spanking and she will look at you and start spanking herself--its like she is saying "Now what, do you have anything else?")

Hopefully this is less than a 24 hour pre-terrible two phase!!!

The Fundraiser

Well, our big spring fundraiser of 2010 is finally over! It was such an emotionally exhausting weekend. It is amazing to watch people run in after waiting in line for several hours to get a ticket (some typically camp out to be one of the first in line) in order to get their first washer/dryer, couch, etc. for their homes. It is amazing how many people come to this event and the variety of people that you meet.
There are people who touch your heart, and others that just seem heartless. All in all, it was a great event. However, I am glad that this weekend is over so that I can get back to attempting to clean my house and spend some time with my family.

The mister and LL had some great quality bonding time this weekend, however, I think that they are glad that mommy is back too!

In Her Shoes

LL has had a new fascination over the past week--SHOES! During the past few days especially, she has spent more of her playtime trying to put on shoes instead of actually playing. She puts on her shoes, mommy's shoes, daddy's shoes, whoevers!
And I must admit, she is pretty darn good at it! She can actually put some of her shoes on her all by herself!

Looks like mommy is going to have a good shopping/fashion buddy!

Rough Week

This week has been a rather rough, interesting, busy, tiring week in the Loyo house. Yesterday at work was not such a "Fun Friday" as I usually call it. To say the least, I should have some interesting things to deal with in the next 24 days of school! This has been a challenging, fun, rough, interesting, busy, tiring, rewarding year, however, now I am officially past ready to move on to summer and a whole new year!
It will continue being interesting, busy, and tiring through tomorrow as I am about to head to the big fundraiser to start my 18 volunteer hours.
I hope that it will be a very success event, however, the severe storms sweeping through our area today should make it even more interesting.
Hopefully, the mister and LL will have a FUN, interesting, busy, and tiring day. I can not wait to see them when I get home this evening!
I hope that everyone has a great weekend!

Happy Earth Day!

I hope that you have done something today in order to show our wonderful earth how much you care.
Lets see-Even though I was almost out of gas this morning, I did not pump my car FULL of fumes today (however, maybe that was more of a $$ thing)
Today at work, I did not print out countless sheets of paper in order to send home rough drafts (maybe that was because I wasn't quite finished, so that will be saved for another day!)
At dinner, I ate ALL of my pizza at CPK so that I wouldn't have to get a to-go box (maybe that was more of me just being a piggy--but boy was that Greek Pizza ever YUMMY!)

Seriously though, I do appreciate this beautiful earth around us and hope that everyone does their part to help keep it beautiful!

WHEW!

I am SO happy that we are over 1/2 way done with this week. I am actually looking forward to NEXT weekend, when hopefully things will calm down a little. This weekend will be the weekend of the big fundraising event. I will spend a total of about 18 hours there Saturday and Sunday. It is such an amazing event to be a part of, but man I am worn out just thinking about it!

We had another great Bible Study last night, although we missed several who were not able to make it. I must admit, yesterday was one of those days in which I just wasn't sure if I was wanting to be out all evening, but after being there, it is always so worth it. (However, I am regretting staying up until after 11 watching DVRd episodes of 16 & Pregnant after I got home).

We are REALLY trying to work w/ LL on her vocabulary. We are growing so tired of all of the grunts, cries, and screams that she usually makes when trying to express that she wants something. Hopefully, I will really be able to work with her on this during the summer. We tried to work on the word "UP" yesterday after school. She was able to say it (more like "UH"), so I hope that we can get it to stick after a few more practices!

Mystery Solved!

So, for the past week I have noticed this smell coming from our laundry closet located in the kitchen. I assumed that a load of towels or something must have soured and the smell just lingered. So, I re-washed the load of towels several times. I could never get rid of the smell, so I thought that the "sour" smell was just taking a long time to air out.
So, tonight I opened the dryer to get LL a pair of pjs to wear after her bath-when the smell just about knocked me down. I cleaned out the lent filter and told the mister to come investigate b/c the smell seemed to be getting worse. He pulls the dryer away from the wall and quickly tells our dog to go outside. **This can't be good.**
I walk over to the dryer,which is now in the middle of the kitchen floor, and see a big bushy tail hanging out in between the dryer and the dryer coil. It is a FREAKING DEAD SQUIRREL!!!!!! Now the mystery is solved. No sour towels--just dead squirrel towels. I have done SO many loads of laundry over the weekend despite the sour smell and now all of our clothes/sheets/towels/etc have dead squirrel scent on them! I am about to VOMIT!!

I guess the Stella Luna mystery from a few months back (in which I thought that I kept hearing a bat in the walls/vents) is now solved!! No, it was not Stella Luna, just Mr. Nuts!!

Little Mommy

Today LL decided that she was tired of being the baby and wanted to be the mommy instead!
Right after we got home-she immediately headed for Mommy's tea that she had left on the coffee table last night and was trying to drink it-THAT turned into a disaster-oops!
I quickly grabbed a towel and she tried to "help" me clean it up.
A few minutes later, I noticed her sitting on the floor trying to hard to wedge her little fat feet into some of my heels!
She then "helped" me do a little laundry and empty the dishwasher.
Later on, as I was getting her bath water ready, I walked into her room and noticed her sitting in her Anywhere Chair. She was rocking one of her babies back and forth, patting it on the back, and saying "Aww, baby" over and over again!
After getting ready for bed, she wanted to get down so that she could "clean" her own little kitchen before bed.
All in all, she just cracked me up this evening! I am not sure where she has picked all of this up from (surely not me, who despises cleaning)!

Sunday, Sunday

We had a great time at the wedding shower last night. It was so nice to see everyone! LL also enjoyed being able to have a few hours to hang out with her BFF and her honorary aunt and uncle.
This morning we headed to church and then had a few errands to run. Our middle son (the dog), received his spring haircut. $67 later, LL didn't even recognize him! It was so funny to watch her facial expressions as she tried to figure out what happened to our dog and where this new dog came from!

I can't believe that the weekend is over, however, with 29 days left-we can do it!

Weekend

Yesterday, after I picked LL up from school, I decided to try something new. We headed to Sonic for our first experience with ice cream sundaes (one of mommy's weaknesses)! I ordered LL her very own mini oreo sundae and she LOVED it!
Last night we also headed to our favorite burger joint for some cheese fries-our other favorite!
Today, we headed to the science center with some of our Sunday School friends. I realized after we got there, that I had left my camera at home:( Oh well, we all still had a GREAT time!
Tonight, we will have an adult evening with friends at a couple's "Around the House" shower. We are super excited, as we are not able to see everyone as often as we would like anymore. Speaking of, I might want to start figuring out what I am going to wear and start getting ready considering that we need to leave in 30 minutes!

Teacher Gifts

I think that it is just perfect to do a blog post on teacher gifts since the year is about to wrap up and summer will be here (woohoo!!)
Being a teacher, I have seen some fantastic and not-so-fantastic teacher gifts. Don't get me wrong, but we love anything that is heart-felt, however, several things always end up in the BC pile!

What is the BC pile? Why it is a collection of all of those great gifts that teachers just don't quite have room for in their homes. I collect all of these items throughout the year and then donate them to a charity garage sale. It is a wonderful event, and it makes us love every gift that we get even more! And trust me--we have seen GREAT gifts come through--PLENTY of thematic apples, funeral flowers, fake jewelry, old boxes of candy, etc.

However, here are some gifts that you CAN NOT go wrong with in the opinion of a teacher:

1) gift cards!!! Gift cards are probably the most appreciated gift that a teacher can get. Whether to a restaurant, a spa, the mall, or even to Target, we get SO excited when we open those!

2) Bring them lunch! Have you seen what some of these cafeterias serve-BLECH! You are sure to see a teacher's face light up if you swing through a drive-thru and surprise her at their lunch time with a yummy meal!

3) And personally speaking---I love ANYTHING PERSONALIZED!!! Get cute stationary, anything fun and monogrammed--totes, towels, travel mugs, picture frames, etc! There are SO many cute websites out there full of this stuff-just google it!
I used to have a TON of websites saved for cute personalized gifts, but after the computer crashed, I lost them all.
Here are a couple off of the top of my head though!
http://www.shophollydays.com/large-jute-tote-p-643.html cute bag-ready for those beach vacations!
www.thepolkadotprincess.com They have precious notecards, recipe cards, mousepads, frames, etc for great deals!
http://www.thepreppypolkadot.com/

Things not to get:
Please don't get something just to get it. Somethings out of the $1.00 bin are GREAT, but not all. We really are not all about apples, supplies, everything "school cliche.
Also, while some candles and lotions/body wash are GREAT, it gets a little overwhelming when that it all that you are getting. We see so much of this stuff that we don't know what to do with it all. Plus, some people are funny about what scents they like in their homes and on their bodies.

A great idea is to have your teacher fill out a little info sheet at the beginning of the year: favorite snacks, places to eat/shop/get nails done, her initials, etc!

Fun Run and FOOD!

Today we had a fun run fundraiser at our school. I like to call it the "Not-So-Fun Run" because I always have the pleasure of being one of the only adults "running" around the little track at least 20 times with my students. All in all though, they had a great time and it wasn't so bad other than the fact that I was BURNING up in my jeans (too early for people to see Casper's legs in shorts!)
This evening, we met the mister at PF Changs for dinner. We did the awesome 2 for $39.95 dinner meal, however, it wasn't so awesome this year b/c they wouldn't let us combine it w/ the 15% off for tax day like they did last year.
And even more exciting FOOD news......
I have started booking reservations for Disney....FOOD reservations that is! We may not have a place to stay or tickets to the parks, but by golly, we are going to eat! (That is if they eventually offer us the free dining plan to enjoy these meals!)

We are officially less than 30 school days away from Summer Break---WOOHOO!!!!!!!!

Can I get a WOOT WOOT?!

The mister surprised me this evening by coming home at 7:30 (instead of 11-12). He is OFFICIALLY done with his 2010 tax season!!!!!!! PRAISE THE GOOD LORD--HALLELUJAH!

We will be going OUT to dinner tomorrow night to celebrate having daddy back! I know that LL will be THRILLED!!!!

I was really starting to wonder if I would make it through another day/night on my own. ESPECIALLY given that I am still knee deep in trying to clean out the closet! At least the pile has dwindled from originally being neck deep! Hopefully I can get a handle on it by the end of the weekend.

Letters

I have two important letters that I need to write today, so I figured that the best place to post them was here since neither recipient would care.

Dear LL,

I know that you love eating out just as much, if not more, than mommy does. However, it hurts mommy's feelings when you scarf down any and all food at restaurants and then turn your nose up at mommy's attempt to cook by slinging your dinner on the floor without even tasting it. As much as mommy would LOVE to go out to eat for dinner every night, it is just not financially feasible, nor is it healthy.

Sincerely,
Mommy

P.S.-I hope that the next time I am trying to get my frustrations out by blogging, that you will NOT decide to turn off the computer while mommy is typing. Thanks!

Dear Mr. Disney,

I know that Walt has passed, but I need to address the person who is now in charge. My family would be more than thrilled to be able to attend your parks this fall. I know that it will be just as magical for my daughter as it was for me. However, I need to you post some MAJOR fall discounts ASAP. I was comparing the current prices to the prices that we paid over 12 years ago (the last time I visited your parks) and I am FLOORED by the increase. Maybe you didn't get the memo that this country is in a economic depression since Disney World is in fact in its own world. So, if you could post those discounts for the fall so that the Loyo family can pack up and head to the most magical place on earth then that would be FANTASTIC!
Sincerely,
Mommy Loyo

Everyday Oops!

Some things I just choose not to mention....the nitty gritty of being a parent is sometimes kind of gross.
However, here are some things that I am going to admit happened to us within the past two days (I am sure that I am forgetting some as well)!

You know that you are a mom when:

1) You are trying to shovel food in your mouth after getting your child fed only to look over and see that she has now decided to squeeze all of her milk out of her sippy and onto her tray and is finger painting/splashing/slinging milk EVERYWHERE--as the dog walks around and licks it up of course!

2) You are trying to change your child in the Babies R Us parking lot after smelling a "stinky" halfway through your shopping trip and realizing that you left the diapers in the car. You then have the "stinky diaper" fall on you and then hit the pavement as you are wrestling with the child in order to get her all cleaned up...so gross, but so true and so happened yesterday!

3) You are standing in line at yet another store and an 80 year old grandma is giving lots of oohs and aahs to your little one who is pretending to be shy and hiding her face in your shirt (while wiping her snotty nose all over said shirt in the process) in which you will sport to dinner afterwards.

4) You start your little one's bathwater only to realize that you don't have a washcloth with you. You walk 5 steps away and the next thing you know your little one is standing in the tub fully clothed (shoes and everything)laughing hysterically!

5)You dress your child in a super cute new outfit for school and plan a park date with her "boyfriend" after school. Once you pick her up, you realize that she messed up the super cute outfit and now has on an outfit that you left at daycare as an emergency backup outfit (that you really didn't want anyone out in public to see her in)!

6)While cleaning out your neglected closet you start to try on some of the awesome 10 year old clothing that you had originally considered getting rid of--only to decide that maybe those awesome pants that went out of style 10 years ago and are super faded, don't look so bad on you after all (especially when you face the fact that you only buy clothing for the little one mentioned above now).

Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful week of spring. Only 2 more days left of the 2010 tax season--WOOHOO!!

Day Off

Today, I had the day off. I decided to keep LL home with me, although I had some conquering to do. Conquering of the closet. My closet. The one that has been COMPLETELY overlooked and had basically become non-functional over the past few years. I thought that it would be something for me to do while LL napped...HA! HA! HA!
Let's just say that the mister and I will be sleeping in the guest bedroom tonight b/c the contents of the closet have taken over our room and I don't even know where to begin in order to get our closet "organized" and get rid of all of the JUNK..like the clothes that I keep thinking that I *might* wear again, although I have not worn them in about 10 years. I so wish that my brain would let me think in a practical, organized fashion for just one day..
ANYWAY, on with our day off....
After LL woke up from her nap (and I was trying to swim my way out of the sea of clothes in our room), I decided that it was time to get out of the house (there was NO way possible for me to continue on with the closet with my little "helper").
So, we headed to Chick-Fil-A and then to the zoo.
Let's just say that I am beginning to see flashes of the "terrible twos" and I am ever so worried as to what is yet to come.
LL was PERFECT while we ate. She scarfed those nuggets down faster than anyone that I have ever seen. Then we headed to the zoo and that is where I started seeing the sneak peaks. I *thought* that it would be a good idea to stop by the petting zoo first. Little did I know that right before we left, LL would discover the hand washing station and refuse to leave...attempting to plop herself amongst the dirt, hay, sheep poop, etc. I tried to then put her back into her stroller, which didn't happen. So, I thought that she would be fine walking through the barn beside me. Then she spotted the chickens. They were loose in the barn and she happily ran up to them, until they turned on her.....then she tried to make a B-Line out of the barn. I tried to pick her up to just put her in the stoller, she started thrusting about, slinging my camera out of my purse, onto the concrete floor, which made the camera bust open, the batteries roll into drain, etc....all while my child threw herself to the barn floor rolling about. (And I read an article today stating the reasons why you SHOULDN'T spank kids--have the researchers ever witnessed kids in action?!)
So, I finally was able to get her back into the stroller and all was good (until we decided to repeat the throwing ourselves on the floor (parking lot) when we didn't want to get into the car). All in all it was a good day. However, I will be ever so glad when tax season 2010 is officially over. I am amazed how strong single parents are--I have no idea how they do it. It has only been a few months and I am about to lose my mind!

Success!

Although I am exhausted, yesterday's party was a huge success! 1003 tickets were sold--woohoo! We had a lot of fun and the mister was even able to come for a couple of hours.

AND

Our first babysitting experience was a success! Our babysitter was super nice and she just LOVED LL. She said to call her anytime-so I am hoping that it a good sign!

Today

Today will be a very busy day! I will be working from 9am-11pm at a fundraising event kickoff. Whew! It makes me tired already just thinking about it, but it is all worth it in the end.
LL will be spliting the day with her aunt and then her very first real babysitter ever! I am a little nervous (mainly that I remember to tell her everything, that they will have plenty to do, that I have the right food, drinks, etc), because I have been promised that I am getting an AWESOME sitter! I also hope that LL will behave and will not follow her around fussing like she did with me last night.

Has it really been that long?

Tonight, I attended a bridal shower for a friend at work. As I was sitting there w/ LL next to me, I remembered back to the months before our wedding. It was such a wonderful time in my life, and I just can't believe that it has been almost 7 years! Time flies by so quickly. So much has happened within those years, yet it seems like only yesterday that we were able to walk down the aisle. My only wish is that the next 7 years don't fly by as quickly, although I fear that they will.

So Thankful!

I know that I say this basically every other Wednesday, but I am just SO thankful that I have met such wonderful ladies within my Bible Study group! I could just sit around and talk-err--mainly listen--to them for hours!
Tonight LL's future mother-in-law and I hosted. We had Mexican night and made a little too much. However, we didn't mind, b/c we will actually have an edible lunch tomorrow at school!

Here are some wishfuls and some wonderfuls:

Wishfuls:
1-I SO wish that I could locate my keys to school. I misplaced them yesterday afternoon at school and I am about to lose my mind! I worry that a child picked them up and thought that they would be a great "play" set of keys to take home with him/her.

2-I am still wishing that I would be able to go on the girl's beach trip at the end of the month, however, I will be volunteering away!

3-I also wish that I could sell some tickets to our big fundraiser this weekend. We are supposed to each sell 20, and I have sold 1 that I bought for the mister!

4-I wish that Disney would put their free dining plan deal up--I am ready to reserve so that we can start making meal reservations (I have heard that they book up super fast)!

Wonderfuls:

1-35 days of school left--WOOHOO!!!

2-7 more days until this year's tax season is OVER and I have a husband again!--Another WOOHOO!!!

3-I love seeing all of the pregger girls in our Bible Study. It is so wonderful that God has blessed the lives of so many and I hope that he continues to do so for others who are waiting patiently. It *ALMOST* makes me want another one, but then I come back to reality and realize that it will be a few more years before it is right to expand our family.

4-The spring weather has finally arrived and I am LOVING finally being able to enjoy the outdoors. Especially being able to take LL to the park almost every afternoon.

Owie! and Awesome!

Today we got our first scraped knee! We decided to head to the park after school today and she fell while chasing her boyfriend:( It isn't bad at all, but I have just envisioned that this is the beginning of what is yet to come!
I am not ready for those perfect baby soft fat legs to be covered in scars like mine are from falls, bike wrecks, go-cart wrecks, carelessness, etc:(

Also, Carter's online is having an awesome sale right now if anyone needs anything. I bought LL some super cute things including pjs, dresses, bubbles and much more for $60 (8 pieces)--with free shipping! Just remember to also use the coupon code ccc20 for an extra 20% off! An added bonus--I ordered it late Sunday night and it was waiting at my door this afternoon (Tuesday)!

Yummy, Yummy!

Today was an exciting day! Guess what I ate?

And for dinner WE ate:

Why was this such an exciting time?
Because it was the first time that I had a fast food drive-thru meal AND chocolate candy in 2 months due to the observation of Lent!
It was also the first for LL (which she was SUPER excited about once she realized where we were) and the first FRIED food for the mister in 2 months.
Last minute, I had also decided to give up chocolate CANDY, which was a big sacrifice for me since all of my favorite chocolate candy comes about during the months surrounding Valentines and Easter. I also decided to give up sodas as well (although sweet tea is my biggest guilty pleasure, I do tend to stop by the drink machines at school several times a week for a Coke or Dr. Pepper). So, needless to say, I was pretty proud of myself for not giving in, although I had SEVERAL moments of temptation!

He is Risen!

I am so thankful that Jesus died on the cross for US! Let us always be thankful!
We have had a wonderful Easter today. We woke up to see what the Easter bunny had brought us, opened a gift from the grandparents, and headed to church. Afterwards, we drove around to get a few pics, ate lunch, and headed home for us all to take naps. This afternoon has been spent mainly outdoors enjoying the beautiful weather that God has given us for this glorious day!





Here is the Easter loot that the Easter bunny and LL's grandparents (the mister's parents) sent her...we LOVE the outfit, DVD, and the bracelet set! I know that she can't wait to use the sprinkler this summer. She also enjoyed putting her money in her piggy bank.:


**I have to apologize to her other grandparents (my parents), they gave her Easter gifts to her while we were down there for Spring Break and I did not take a pic of everything. She loves the outfits, shoes, and her Build A Bear bunny!
Here are some pics of LL enjoying her new golf set and sidewalk chalk:

Limit

I am ALL about smocked outfits, bubbles, rompers, jon-jons, etc. However, I believe that there should be a cut-off once a child really starts to lose the baby fat and look more like a toddler/child. Fortunately, girls are typically able to get away with this a little longer than boys are.
Some times you just have to realize that your little one is growing up and can't dress like a baby anymore. It would also help if the clothing manufacturers did not make bubbles/rompers in sizes bigger than about 24 months nor smocked dresses much bigger than 5 or 6. I saw this today and the only word that could come out of my mouth was "WOW!"
*disclaimer*-I have no idea who this child is. I am sorry if you know this child and I have offended you.
Bless this child's heart if he decides that he REALLY needs to go potty after drinking that bottle of water.

Egg-hausted!

Whew!!! Today has been a super busy day!! We were at our first Easter egg hunt before 9am this morning! LL had loads of fun even though it POURED twice while we were there (once before the hunt--thank goodness for the pavilion, and once after--too bad mommy forgot the umbrella as we had to walk back to the car during the rain and got SOAKED!)
Here are some pics from the first hunt:




We had a limit of 12 eggs, however LL continued to pick up more. SO, I would throw one out as she put on in (although I saw several older children with at least 50 in their basket-tisk tisk)
Afterwards, we headed home, changed clothes, and took a little nap. Next, we grabbed something for lunch and then headed to our next egg hunt. The mister met us there and we joined some friends as well. LL had a great time and even found the silver egg for her age group! So, she received a stuffed teddy bear for her prize.




The Easter bunny was also there and LL was VERY interested in him, although she didn't want to get too close at first. She waved and waved and would get a step closer each time she saw another child walk up to him. Eventually, she let her daddy take her to him and she rubbed his whiskers and paw. We are getting better about meeting those gigantic characters!




Afterwards we ran a few errands to pick up some last minute things. During our outings, LL had a COMPLETE tantrum in Pottery Barn Kids, as well as a COMPLETE blowout in Target--Lovely way to end the day! I guess that she was telling me that she had enough fun for one day!

Park Pics

Here are some pics that were taken at the park over the past 3 days. Yes, I realize that we have been going to the park almost everyday, but it is basically a hop, skip, and jump away from our house. It also has 2 different playgrounds and lots of walking trails, so we can basically do something different each time if we would like!






Today, LL enjoyed a morning at the zoo with her daddy. They then came to eat lunch with mommy and we met up at the park after I got off of work. She discovered one of the bridges at the park today and she ran across it at least 25 times! Wow-this weather has been AMAZING!! I hope that the 30% chance of rain stays away tomorrow in order for us to enjoy both of our scheduled Easter egg hunts!

Good Friday

Happy Good Friday everyone! Let us all remember what today is all about and thank the Lord for doing the most selfless act that anyone has EVER done for us.
Today, LL will be spending the day with her daddy. I am so happy that SOME people still observe Good Friday as being one of the most important days that we know. Both LL's school (which is a Christian based school) and the mister's work observe this day as a holiday, which I think that others should do as well. It is amazing to me that many are still expected to carry on as normal and should not even mention why today is so important (lets blame that one on the separation of church and state).

However, I am so happy that the mister will be able to spend a special day with just his daughter. They are not able to do that often (especially during tax season) and I am thrilled that in the midst of the most busy time of year for him, the Lord allows him a day to bond with his daughter and hopefully Him.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend. Ours will be filled with Easter egg hunts, church services, and hopefully lots of pictures to finally post!
**I had planned on posting pics from the past 2 days at the park last night, however, I feel asleep on the couch instead-oops!