Not...

NOT pregnant

No I am NOT going to have a December 2011 baby.

I know it will happen. But after 3 months of taking clomid, I thought it might. God's timing is perfect. But, it's not an easy road. And I am not patient. It's been 14 months and I am starting to get to the point of saying I am DONE. Of course, Paul had to offer his "that's ok" before trotting off to a fun day at work, where he can think about his beloved cars all day and not be constantly thinking about what his body is doing or what it's not doing. Bleh. I hate this. And I don't say hate much.

HAPPY 5th BIRTHDAY!

Well, my big boy is 5 years old. And the trip went very well. We couldn't wait to tell him, so we decided to tell him Saturday afternoon. We filmed ourselves telling him his surprise, then showed it to him on the computer. I filmed his reaction as well. Maybe one day I will download that...
We left Sunday afternoon and had a nice flight in perfect weather. The first night, we walked to CityWalk at Universal and ate at Emeril's. It was ok... I have had much better meals there and was a bit disappointed. We walked around a bit before heading back to the hotel for a night time swim. Paul Vincent was very pleased when Batman was playing on the big screen at the pool. Very cool.
The next morning we were up bright and early for our first full day - at Universal's Islands of Adventure. Paul Vincent just loves it there. Dr. Seuss' area is his favorite. He really enjoys the water part, where they can splash and play in the spouts that surprise you with a splash. He did just about all the rides that he could do at his height. He would be super nervous in line and then come off jumping and giggling about how awesome it was.
Tuesday we spent the day at the Blizzard Beach water park. Fun! Paul Vincent was definitely all smiles here - I have water babies, for sure. That evening Paul Vincent had a great surprise - his Paul's parents had arrived to spend his birthday with Paul Vincent! He was very excited and couldn't wait to tell them all about the hotel, their room and the water taxi we ride from place to place. We all rode down to eat at a little Italian place at one of the other hotels. It was excellent.
Paul Vincent woke early Wednesday morning and I was eager to cuddle with my brand new 5 year old. We talked all about his day ahead and soon we were set to our first destination - a Disney Character breakfast at O'hana. Let's just say that I will NEVER schedule another character breakfast. Paul Vincent hates the big costumes. We would have been MUCH better off just eating breakfast a the hotel and heading straight to the Magic Kingdom - the happiest place on Earth. LOL! Again, we rode just about everysingleride. The lines were not too bad. Each was about 35 minutes. Paul Vincent was greeted with a "happy birthday" wish about every few minutes. He wore his special birthday shirt and he had two birthday buttons to wear. Even with all this, he still managed to ask, "when is my party?" HELLO! THIS IS YOUR PARTY! Ha! 

On our way to dinner.

Trying to get him to smile...

Riding the wave at CityWalk

With the 'gold diaper' at Hard Rock

Beautiful night

Don't ask ;)

Dr. Seuss' Land

Seuss' Landing

Riding one of Seuss' rides

Any idea who this is?

Dinner at Portofino Bay

Breakfast at O'Hana

Going into the Magic Kingdom

I'm 5!

Parade

Eeek! Excited!

Birthday Mickey - thanks Nana!

Dumbo ride

Islands of Adventure

Blizzard Beach - nice smile...

On "It's a Small World"

Silly Boy!

We're HOME!

Thanks for watching Christopher, Nini!

Great Day

This morning I dropped Paul Vincent off at school and Christopher and I decided to get out and have some fun. We made our way to the zoo with the rest of the world. Membership has our perks and we were able to bypass all of the elementary bus traffic. First stop was the barn, where Christopher can be frightened by the roosters that 'cockadoodledooooo' back and forth to each other. He did enjoy the sheep and goats, which is funny, because Paul Vincent used to be terrified by them! Then it was off to see the BRAND NEW elephant in his BRAND NEW habitat. It was pretty awesome. Giraffes, zebras, big cats, primates - oh my! We worked up quite an appetite with all that looking and walking. We I decided that we would stop at Chappy's (kids are free!). I had a yummy wrap and Christopher had mac 'n cheese. It was a great morning.

After picking up Paul Vincent, I felt like getting a little dirt under my nails. We ran to HomeDepot and grabbed some soil, sand and a few plants. A few hours later and the backyard garden is shaping up. We have bell peppers, mint, cucumbers, watermelon, tomatoes, basil and eggplant. Can wait until we see something happening! The kids had fun in their sandbox, too. We have a new fence and I am SO EXCITED to have a little outside safe space where they can run and I don't have to be all bossy mommy with them.

One Week...

We have one week until our super secret trip to Orlando with our big boy. I am starting to organize
clothes and schedules. I am super excited and I cannot wait to tell him the big news about his birthday surprise! I hope things turn out the way I have them playing out in my head. Because the story in my head is AWESOME! LOL! Eeeek!

BEAUTIFUL Morning!

We have been in a cloud for more than a week, here in the south. So, I am sure you can understand my excitement over SUNNY skies and a T-ball game! Christopher is so ready to get outside and have some fun. He lives for dirt and fresh air. My older two 'boys' are still snoring and it's 8am! Glad they are resting, but you are missing out people! Sun!

It's been a while since I got out by myself. Honestly, my only 'free' moment has been recent doctor appointments. And that's no fun! So, I am hoping that I can run out and play while Christopher naps this afternoon. What to do? What to do?

Anyone?

I am feeling a bit like giving this whole 'blog' up.
Is anyone out there?
Is anyone reading?
I feel silly typing away at no one...

Photogenic Baby 2011

Sunday afternoon, I took the boys to have their pictures made for a little contest we enter every year. It's a little bit of a modeling thing. Lots of fun and I get some great photos of the boys. PLUS the proceeds go to the Children's Hospital. I just wanted to show a few of the shots that they took. The boys did great!

Trying to "Fly"

I have tried many times to follow the FlyLady program. It's a great tool to use when trying to keep your house in order, without going crazy or getting overwhelmed. I was pumped when I saw that the FlyLady and Cozi have combined forces and NOW I can add all my tasks to my planner/to-do list. Easy-peasy. All I have to do is keep my iPhone with me and I always have my lists with me, too. No more scraps of paper. There is even a place to keep my recipes and grocery list!

Lazy Sunday

We are having a very lazy Sunday after a fun-filled Saturday. Paul Vincent had his first T-Ball game! It was a lot of fun to watch. Everyone had fun seeing him play - he hits and runs like a champ. We'll work on fielding and being 'baseball ready'. That same afternoon, we went to see his cousin play ball. It was great to see the big kids play, too. Christopher and I are having a pajama morning and we'll head to mass this afternoon.

Reece's Rainbow

Andrea just posted a blog regarding Kirill and his fight for a family that loves him. Please follow this link to the
Reece's Rainbow
blog post. Thanks!