A Trip to a Familiar Place

The girls and I ventured out to Disneyland last night- just the 4 of us :) We are still dealing with start of school colds, and are starting the 2nd cycle with Ashley sniffly again, but the girls wanted to go (I broke my rule and told them earlier in the week we were going- sigh- I never learn! LOL) so I figured even if it was just for a couple hours, it'd be nice to go. It was close to 90 degrees yesterday so we took lots of water and headed out to Anaheim!

To my surprise- all 3 wanted to ride Pirates of the Caribbean first- even Ashley! So off we went to Adventure land. They had a great time and Ashley was hysterical with her reaction to getting wet- she gets so offended! "That water got me wet mommy!" Vision this with hands on hips and a look that could kill!

After we went on the Jungle Cruise. As we got off we found Jasmine and Aladdin hanging out with no one around them- the girls chatted with them, while mommy changed her camera battery (grrrr). They asked the girls if they arrived by Magic Carpet or Camel which the girls found hysterical and are still discussing. Jasmine loved Emily's shirt of course :)Next we headed over to the Pooh Ride- but were side tracked by the Haunted Mansion. It's all done up for Halloween right now with Nightmare Before Christmas decorations. The girls know about Jack Skellington and his crew from mommy's collection at home- so they again surprised me and asked to go on the ride! They did great and loved it! We did get to the Pooh Ride and then went and had dinner and watched the Steam Boat go around the lake. It's so fun to just sit with the girls and listen to them talk. We then headed to Fantasyland to ride Snow White (which is a CREEPY ride if you ask me- creepier than Pirates or the Haunted House maybe?). Because of their riding restrictions (don't get me started) Ashley and Emily rode in the front seat of the car and Maddie and I got the back. We're finally getting to that point that we can do that!
After Snow White we hit the carousel for a whirl...Ashley with Sleeping Beauty Castle in the background Emily loves the carousel- she pets her horse and just smiles the entire time- lost in her own thoughts. After the carousel we found a spot along Main Street for the parade. One of the floats had an oil leak that proved to be a big issue for Disney- oil ALL THE WAY down Main Street- the characters were trying to stay out of it- FUN! LOL But it actually worked out great for us because the delay had Goofy and the 7 dwarfs right in front of us for several minutes! The girls got high fives galore!
Sadly- Ashley's asthma started to kick in mid-parade. So off we went to First Aid to find a plug for our portable nebulizer machine (I'm so grateful we have one of these!).
The girls did great waiting- though Maddie was a bit concerned that they were going to see the doctor and get a shot (sigh- Lord save us the day we DO have to go in for those!). The treatment did the trick and we were off again to the tram to come home. We made one last stop in the gift shop for a treat (coloring books) and then a picture in front of the big pumpkin.
Everyone was asleep within 5 minutes of heading home. This trip made me realize even more how much our girls are growing up! We only had one stroller and Ashley rode most of the time. The other 2 were troopers! This is going to be a great holiday season coming up! Our costumes came this week for Halloween! We are going to the Disneyland Trick or Treat event in a few weeks! Let the parade of holidays begin (but let's get healthy first! LOL)

FFF #23 Silly Smiles

Sarah chose "Silly Smiles" for this week's Favorite Foto Friday- here is a good one of Emily that my sister took: My girls are the queens of CHEESE! Ask for a silly smile and you got it- and most times you don't even have to ask! I'm usually asking for "regular" smiles- can't wait to see how their first school pictures come out!
We actually have to make Maddie say "Sardines" for pictures now instead of "Cheese" because she was sticking her lips out so far she looked like a fish- she got stuck on the /ch/ sound! (I know you are saying the 2 right now and comparing how your mouth looks- I'm right huh- "Sardines" gets a better smile! Maybe because its 2 syllables? hmmm....)

Silly silly silly girls- we certainly laugh a lot in our house!

Group shots always bring about the sillies- these were from Cinco de Mayo (the dresses are from San Antonio, Texas)
And of course Uncle Mike is always good for a silly smile too! That's what Uncles are for right?
If you would like to see more Silly Smiles- make sure you check out Sarah's blog at "Kiss the Frog for Me"

Have a great weekend! :)

Wordless Wendesday: What color is my tongue?

FFF #22 HOPE!

Happy Birthday Michelle! Today is my dear friend Michelle's birthday! It is the first birthday in 3 years that we have been able to celebrate with her because she was in Japan. It felt good to give her a hug this morning when she came through my front door! The girls decorated with streamers and made a sign for her. They were very excited!

So what does this have to do with FFF and Hope? Michelle wanted to go for a picnic lunch on the beach today. We were happy to go! The girls are at a great age in that they can go some place like the beach and will stick close enough to me that I don't have to run after them. Michelle and I were able to SIT and TALK together for a good hour today while the girls played and chased birds around us. Our topic- HOPE! I mentioned today's theme and how I was having a hard time deciding how I was going to blog about it. We had a great conversation about it... So here it goes- with pictures from our adventure today in between! The weather was beautiful! High 70's! :)My hope is with my girls and when I think of hope, I think of them. People are constantly asking me if we are going to have more children. How do you respond to that? It's a personal choice of course, but what more could we HOPE for? We have 3 beautiful, healthy daughters that 6 years ago we believed we could never have!Having infertility issues is earth shattering! No one expects it to happen to them, we didn't expect it to happen to us, but it did. We sat there with our mouths open in disbelief and actually made the doctor run the test again!Infertility opens you up to a whole new world of medicines, doctors, tests, shots, procedures... the list goes on and yet, none guarantee you will come out with a baby. But, there is HOPE...The morning we had our procedure, all we hoped for was a baby. We would be happy with one and were prepared with emotional walls of steel to accept that even one wasn't possible. Still we hoped...Our friends and family hoped for us too...When we found out we were pregnant we were thrilled, but that guard/wall was still there. It was so early and anything could happen...And then we had our ultrasound and the screen came on and there they were! 3 beautiful babies- all we ever hoped for times 3! That ultrasound day was a little over 5 years ago... our hope had been answered and look where we are today! Life is good! Keep hoping!

I have many friends that have traveled the infertility path alongside me and some are still marching on (with me cheering them on). None of us have the same issue/cause, but we have all shared the same HOPE. Rick and I are blessed, we know we are. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't thank God for my daughters or ask for his blessings upon my friends. Some have been able to get pregnant and have babies, some have adopted, some are still going through procedures as I type and some have had to let go of their hope and face a different future. My hope for them is that no matter where the path takes them, they know I am here for them and that at the end of their path, they find peace.

Too see more stories/pictures of HOPE please visit Sarah's blog: Kiss the Frog For Me. Sarah and her family were hit good by hurricane Ike and have not had power for several days, our thoughts go out to all those affected by Ike!

Oh- and in case you are wondering about our response to more children questions, here is my general response, "We are not actively going to pursue more children, but if God has a different plan for us, we will gladly welcome more" :)

BIG big girl beds!

My friend Lisa recently remodeled her girls' bedroom and offered us the twin beds that were in the previous room. We of course said yes and drove over on Sunday to pick them up. The girls were so excited! We discussed the layout of their room and we also tried to discuss the fact that there were only 2 beds coming. Everyone was eager to offer someone else up to stay in a toddler bed- no one wanted to volunteer themselves. Finally Ashley and Emily decided that they could sleep together. Problem solved,... for now!

The girls room with 3 toddler beds (their cribs converted) Starting to dismantle the cribs- very emotional for us!
Maddie loved all the extra room once the beds were out- little did she know she was soon to have less room than before!
Starting to build the first bed... lots of helpers!
Now onto the second bed- wow twins are bigger than i remembered!
The final arrangement (for now)...
Everyone asleep!

Ashley at the top and Emily at the bottom.

Madeline- of course under a pillow!

Thank you Lisa!!! We love them!!!

FFF #21: Sleeping Habits

Sarah asked us to come up with our own themes this week for Favorite Foto Friday. I've had this one in my mind for a post for awhile so I was happy to actually have an idea, especially after this week (I'm exhausted! LOL)! The girls did great on their second day of school- maddie cried again upon leaving, but perked up on the way home. Here are the girls sounds asleep after their first day of school...

This is how I found Emily...My girls are funny sleepers- always have been. We never really co-bedded them because they were so active. Maddie couldn't sleep in the family crib because it was on wheels and she could get it to move across the floor! Ashley and Emily were together in one crib for awhile but that stopped the morning we went in because Emily was fussing- only to find it was because Ashley was gumming Emily's foot!

So here are some fun pictures I've taken while the girls are asleep. I honestly never know what I will find when I walk into their room each night before I go to bed.

Emily has by far fallen out of bed the most, here she is dangling on the edge of the next fall, we caught her just in time...

Here we didn't catch her until after- but she didn't flinch so I went ahead and took a picture first

I've done this many nights myself...

Lost in thought...

Ashley is a pretty good sleeper- the one time she fell out of bed she took it so personally, poor dear cried like she was mortally wounded. And everyone has loved this picture of Ashley and Tinsel passed out after a long day of play!Madeline is a creature of habit- since she was little she would not go to sleep unless we put a pillow ON her. It freaks me out (especially when she was younger) to do it- but if she falls asleep- well ok! I always go in after she's asleep and move it off- but it never fails that she always gets it back on- she's like an ostrich!Yep- she's in there~ above you can just see the top of her head and below you can see her back peeking out...Maddie has outgrown her Toddler bed- those legs are so darn long! She wore pants that were size 5 today to school!This one made me laugh- she looks like she's practicing the latest head dressing techniques!So there you have it- silly sleeping girls! Of course I can't always get the best kodak moments (usually because I'm too sleepy to look for the camera myself) and I'm saddest about not getting a picture of Emily when I walked out of our bedroom to find her on the floor in the hallway asleep! She had her blanket, it wasn't on her, but it was with her and she was curled up in a little ball. 3 a.m.! I woke Rick up to see that one (and also so he would pick her dead weight up!) LOL

BUT! No sooner did I finish this post when Rick called me over to see this....

That's my girl Emily!

Too see more ideas for FFF, make sure you visit Sarah at Kiss the Frog for Me!

I'm still waiting on a total from Mira's fundraiser- but I can tell you that the triplet canvas sold for $750! I know this because us moms that put it together pitched in to raise that much and to surprise Sheryl :) The canvas will be displayed in the atrium of the new Children's Hospital wing in Mira's area!