Pre- Halloween Activities

I think we already have enough candy.

Everywhere we turn Carmella seems to be getting more candy and it isn't even Trick-or-Treat night yet. She dressed up for dance class this week and chose to wear a bee costume. Then we got invited to a neighbor's church for Wednesday night dinner and costume parade. She again wanted to wear the bee. I think she looks Bee-u-t-ful--even if it is just a play dress-up, hand-me-down outfit. Her actual trick-or-treating costume will be a lovely ballerina tutu that I wore for a recital when I was a little girl in dance.

Two more events to go. A neighborhood party on Saturday and then the actual trick-or-treat night, Monday. So many opportunities to dress up. It's perfect for my little one who is so in to dress up these days.

Carmella's 3

Oh my goodness! I can't believe that our little princess is already three years old. She is no longer a toddler, she is a long and lean little girl who loves Disney princesses and everything that goes along with them.

I kind of felt bad that we basically sang happy birthday to her last year and didn't do much else. We had just moved here and didn't know anyone at the time. Over the past year we have made some wonderful friends and have become close to several of our neighbors. So this time around it was actually difficult to pick and choose and put a limit to the amount of guests we invited. All and all we ended up with 32 people at the party.

We didn't want to overwhelm our sweet girl with too many gifts all at once so we had a small family celebration on Friday evening. Daddy was finally home from his trip and Grandma and Pop Pop were here to wish her a happy day. She got a few clothing items, some hair accessories, a fun packet of princess arts and crafts and a set of magnetic dolls with dress up clothes to put on them. She was thrilled.

The next morning the bouncy castle arrived. Her dad told her that the princesses sent her a gift for her birthday party. And as the castle quickly filled up with air she saw all the princesses on the front of it and got so excited. She couldn't take her shoes off fast enough to get to be the first to jump in it. What a special treat.

The guests arrived, the party was under way and our little girl was the perfect hostess. In fact, all the kids did a great job. We only had one full blown tear fest when a little boy tried to climb through a folding chair and it collapsed on him. It took him a while to calm down after that. I don't think he was hurt, it just scared him to tears.

She got a pretty Ariel cake and managed to blow out all three candles by herself!

When the party was over, and after she took a nice long nap, our little family of four climbed back into the bouncy house and hung out bouncing around for a while. Our new neighbors, next door, came over and joined us for a while. It was a nice relaxing way to visit with them and get to know them a little better too. It really was a perfect day.

Then on Sunday, Mark and I gave her our present. A few months ago I was able to call in a favor to a consignment sale that we have a special connection with the lady that runs it. She set aside a two seater, Jeep kid's car that came in so we could purchase it for our kids. It is in perfect condition and retails close to $600. It was on sale for a mere fraction of that and was a deal we couldn't pass up. Mark's folks went halfsies with us which made it even more of a steal. So after church yesterday we got Mark's folks on Skype and they were able to witness her reaction to the gift in real time. I love modern technology and laptops with built-in cameras.

And that's it...I promise. The birthday girl is officially 3 and there are no more surprises until next year--I swear!

I need to send out a special thank you to my parents for helping me put all of this together and pull it off seamlessly. We miss you already.

What a Week!

My parents drove down from Pennsylvania to hang out with me and the kids while my husband was in Ireland for business. It was so nice to "do life" with them for a week. We simply kept on doing what we normally do, but with help from Grandma and Pop Pop. It was great! My dad's sciatic pain was not bad at all, which allowed him to do a lot more than we originally expected. He and my mom actually went hiking at Kennesaw Mountain one afternoon.

Grandma got to take Carmella to dance class and witness how much she LOVES to dance. Then on Thursday we took a trip to the aquarium and saw the impressive dolphin show and other exhibits. That is always a fun activity for the family.

I especially loved the extra help. Every time I turned around, someone had made dinner, cleaned up the dishes and swept the floors. It was so great. I even had extra help scrubbing the floors when the spit-up king, Leo, struck again and again and again. I wasn't as exhausted as usual by the end of the week. Except that we threw a little birthday party into the mix. But that will be another post.

[Grandma and Pop Pop mingling with the natives.]

[Trip to a nearby pumpkin patch.]

[Morning of dance class.]

[The aquarium.]

[Carmella showing off her talent as a singer/drummer.]

Disney/Beach Vacay

My sister, Laurel and her kids get to do Disneyland every week. We are not that fortunate, but we did get to go to Disney World for the first time last week. We packed up our car and drove to Florida to spend some time with my Grandma Julia, see some dear friends, jump in the ocean, and of course, go to Disney.

Both kids got really sick the day we left. I honestly thought we would end up in the ER with Carmella for a horrible croup-like cough. We made it through the first night at a hotel along the way and continued our drive the next day. By the time we arrived at Grandma's house her cough was getting better and there was no fever. Thank goodness. Both kids continued to have a lingering cough the entire week, but every day got a little better.

That first day we spent some time with Grandma, took her to Grills, one of my favorite fish places right by the port. We sat outside and watched the big cruise liners go out to sea. A Disney Magic and a Carnival cruise left that evening. I loved that the Disney boat blew a whistle to the tune of "When You Wish Upon a Star".

We then headed to our condo on Satellite Beach. We were blown away by how close we were to the ocean. It was so relaxing to be able to open the balcony doors and listen to the waves crashing right outside our windows. The next day we invited some of my Florida buddies over for a little dinner party. It was so nice to see everyone again and meet their beautiful children.

Our time at the beach was awesome. We couldn't have asked for better weather! We were even able to go on a boat ride with a good friend of mine, and neighbor of my Grandma's, Pixie and her husband Capt. Mike. Carmella loved seeing the manatees and dauphins playing in the river.

Tuesday was the big day that we have been waiting for--Disney! First thing first, we had to see the princesses right away. Carmella was in awe of their beautiful dresses. She couldn't wait to meet them. The rest of the day was so much fun. I honestly think I was more excited than my little girl. Mark loved that I was having such a great time, and Leo was just along for the ride. In fact, he took three naps that day. Oh well. However, he clearly liked the It's a Small World ride and Buzz Lightyear.

It was so difficult to leave. Sometimes I find myself sitting quietly and wishing I could open the back door and hear the ocean waves again. I guess the nearby traffic will have to do. I will just have to use my imagination... Sigh.