Big changes coming . . .

Sorry for the long delay, I'm sure you all missed me terribly :) We have been gone, and sick, and just busy doing nothing! First off the big news, Derek has accepted a job in Twin so we are heading back to our roots! We are excited for opportunities there, but we don't want to move, We LOVE it here. It's a bitter sweet move. Derek also gets to go back to school. YAY!! Luckily, we don't have to do the 60 credits we first thought, just 16!! My wallet is super, ($20,000) happy. The biggest plus is that down the road, this will open the doorway (to more school) for Derek to become a family counselor! So we are good, busy packing (Well, I am~Derek has been flat on the couch for over a week~thought it was the flu~it's not, it's SEVERE GERD, so getting him to the Gastro ASAP!) Anyways, we are good, and I will update when we get settled!!!

FLORIDA!!!

Florida pictures are finally here:) I had an incredible time~I am so glad I got this time with my Grandma. She is such an incredible lady! We flew to Tampa Bay, where my Aunt Marilyn lives. We then drove into Orlando to our condo. The pool was outside our door, so we had fun relaxing in the hot tubs every night!

Our first major attraction was The Holy Land. It was quite the experience. They had several shows (about the arc of the covenant, etc.) that were interesting. Here we are in the whales mouth. Inside, there was a presentation from an octopus & Jonah inside his stomach!

They did a large show about Christs betrayal, death, and resurrection. It was weird (for lack of a better word) to witness. It certainly made me think of things, and what it would have been like to be in the crowd. It was hard too, because the actor depicting Christ was so overly dramatic, which is kind of the opposite of Christ!

All through the park are people in costume. We were always welcomed by "Shalom". We actually went to communion. We thought it was going to be more of a depiction of the last supper with the apostles etc. However, just over-dramatic actor Christ came. We got to keep our cool little wood cups though:)

Back at the condo, we spent a lot of time visiting and playing games.

Then to the Epcot Center (One of DisneyWorlds parks). They started a garden show the day before we got there. The grounds were beautiful. There were topiaries of all the disney characters through the park. Obviously, I won't post all, but very amazing!

Aunt Marilyn was recovering from a heart attack, so we stuck her in a wheelchair, and Grams was in one to keep her strength. Mom and I definitely got our exercise! This is in front of the China display. All in all, I was really disappointed in the park. I won't pay to go there again:) A few of the rides were ok and we enjoyed them, but the displays on the countries were a joke. Most of them were just overpriced shopping. I was hoping for some good German food (that is the food I miss the most from Europe!!) but was sorely disappointed! So, not worth the money in my opinion, but I know some people love it!

Grams loved watching "Off Kilter" in their fun little kilts. They were actually good and we had fun listening to "Oh Danny Boy"

Back in Tampa, we went on the sunset cruise of the bay. It was beautiful. Dolphins swam along side us, along the bay, some of the most beautiful homes I have ever seen (yes, 7 million dollar homes!!) It was wonderful! Of course, they had the bird island~just saturated with a variety of gorgeous birds~didn't bore you with pics though! My favorite bird was white and it was mating season so it would puff out its feathers~beautiful!

Bush Gardens. By far my favorite "park" we visited. I thought it was a million times better than Epcot! They had an incredible cultural show (below). They had a plain of African animals. We rode the train through and were mere feet from zebras, giraffes, some deer type animal (don't remember-one of the most endangered animals though!) There were water buffalo, rhinos, elephants . . .lions, hyenas, gorillas, apes, hippos. . . It was fascinating! There were also rides that we actually enjoyed. My faves were the raft down the river, and the jeep one. We rode through the animals again, then crossing a bridge-it washes out and you float down the river a ways. We loved it. So worth the money!

Last but not least, we hit the coast! My Gma was so excited to have touched both oceans! It was a gorgeous day and mom and I had fun collecting sea shells!

I love this picture. She looks like a terrorist doesn't she :)

Thanks for letting me share! I have a bazillion more pics, but tried to do just a few:) I had such a wonderful time with my mom, Grandma, and Aunt. Memories I will remember forever!

Just for Laughs!

Still haven't had time to fix computer, so no pics yet, but had to share a little story ;) We all went down to Logan a few days ago. Brendan had to go to the bathroom so Derek took him while I glanced at clearance. What happened in the bathroom?
Brendan finishes, Derek goes. Brendan comes running over, (yes, there were other people in the bathroom at this time) and yells, "Dad, that's a big penis!!!" Derek was still bright red when he caught up with us! At least he didn't clap when Derek finished :)

Other quick news:
Brynlee is finally up and walking. Yes, she is 18 months old. Occasionally she reverts back to her knees, but we are working on it!
Derek is involved in baseball again. He is loving it~I miss having him home every night. Oh well, he is happy :)
Went to health fair last weekend. They had a teddy bear hospital and Bear Bear had to have surgery. Luckily he pulled through. Kids also got to play on the big bouncer slides~had a pretty good time!
I am playing on a volleyball league. I am excited. Derek even let me buy new shoes (since my others were cheapo Walmart ones and had no sole left!)
Travel, travel, travel. . . Derek has conferences galore this month. I went up to Boise and my MIL watched the kiddos. Since the grant was paying, Derek took me to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. I had never been there, probably will never go back (unless someone else is footing the bill!!) It was good though and we had a fun time! We also have been in Poky and IF. We will head back to Poky tomorrow. Yay! I think I may go and take the kids to the zoo.

That's a quick update! Sorry I haven't been very diligent in keeping y'all up to date. I will make a little more effort. Now that Bjo is a little more independent, it will hopefully be easier. I promised myself when I started this that I wouldn't desert my kids to blog, so instead y'all get the shaft while I play mama! Oh well, gorgeous weather today~we are going to go walk into town~ TTFN

I'm back

Hey all! Sorry for the delay on the pictures! I figured I would have time with D home for spring break. I was wrong! I finally bit the bullet and bought a camera that I absolutely LOVE! I was so grateful for it on my trip (I have over 500 pictures, many of those need to be deleted-I have a continuous shooting mode, I used it to get some good shots but haven't deleted all the extras yet!) Anyways, I've got to do some work on my computer and have to wipe all my programs off (I think there is a program error on my operating system-hopefully this fixes it so I don't have to do more drastic measures), so, I am waiting for Derek to make back up copies of some of his stuff (hopefully tonight!) so I can fix the computer, BEFORE I add all my camera stuff. Make sense? Anyways, wish me luck! I will try to get pictures for y'all soon!

Surviving

Hey all! So, it's been awhile! It has been a week from ???? at our house, at least for me! The kids have been sick with everything under the sun! I thought it was just a mild cold~not a big deal~the runny nose and cough. Well, Bryn's turned into diarrhea (6+ times a day!!) and vomiting (yes, lucky Derek went to work!!!) Luckily, the vomiting just last for a day, the other end a full week before it cleared. Gotta love it! Well, Brendan's cold was clearing up, thought I was doing good. Then he got a headache. Not a big deal~take some Tylenol & go lay down. Next day, another headache, then crying that his cheek hurt. Figured he bit it or something~I didn't know. D mentioned to friends who told us what it was. Yep, my 3 year old has a stinkin sinus infection! It was awful! Called Nurse, going to call in prescription. She didn't. Later that night Brendan screaming in pain, "it hurts mommy, it hurts really bad!!!" So, 6:30, what to do. Call the hospital almost in tears. ( I LOVE my hospital!!!) Nurse makes some calls. Prescription in, have less than 10 minutes to get there before pharmacy closes. I run to the pharmacy. 6:58~whew I made it~NOT!! They were closed!! I pounded on the window. They opened it~almost in tears I told them what happened and BEGGED them to get it for me! 5 minutes later I was on my way home to administer that precious liquid to my baby. He was cuddling Daddy crying in pain. Got him to take it, gave him more Tylenol, still screaming in pain. It is so hard to see them hurting so bad and not be able to do anything more to stop it! First 2 days were rough, but today, no more screaming pain. We are finally on the mend (after I kick the bug Bryn gave me!!) Just in time for me to leave! Look for some exciting pictures soon! I finally bought a decent camera and am going on a little girls week out trip w/ my mom, Gma, and aunt. I am so excited! Greatful for an awesome MIL who is coming to tend the kiddos so I can have this opportunity with my Grams! So, leaving tomorrow and we will post when I'm back!

Poop stories

So, nothing really going on here-but thought I could give you all a laugh. A few days ago, Derek, Brendan, and I were in my room talking while Brynlee was in the bath. She started fussing and calling mama (which is normal) so, I just hollered I would be there in a minute. I came in and found her kneeling against the edge of the tub, bawling, saying icky, and fishing pieces of poop out of the water and throwing them out of the tub onto the floor. It was a mess, but luckily I have Clorox wipes (which I scored for free-yay!!!) so it made for a pretty quick clean up. Well, you would think we would learn. Last night, Derek and I were talking, Bryn was in the tub when we heard her start bawling. I went running, Derek wasn't far behind. Once again, she was kneeling at the tub, fishing out poop, crying & saying "icky". What is it about the warm water?

BeCentsable

Hey all! I was just going to tell you about the BeCentsable link. Click on the link. Once you are to their site, click on the orange tab that says grocery gathering. Scroll down and you will be able to find links to blogs/websites for other stores nationwide. There are several for Walmart even. I checked out some of the deals at Walmart last night. Only one was similar here, but that's where I live. The paper had an article not too long about grocery pricing in Cache Valley-it is above the national average. So, Walmarts deals were not as good as they are else where. Perhaps if I made the drive to Pocatello, it would be better. Anyways, happy shopping to all! I hope you find a site that pertains to you, I know I love checking the ones here!! Let me know if you find some great deals!

Kids Movies 2/ $6.75

Hey all! So, I have been going in bargain mode and actually shopping. I have learned it can be quite fun! (Especially when you make money- I made about $10 last weekend!!) Anyways, this deal came through PYP email. Deep Discount is doing buy 1 get 1 free on select kids movies. Prices start at $6.75, and shipping is free. So, two movies for 6.75. They have a wide assortment of titles: Brendan has been wanting a Thomas movie for sometime so I think we will take advantage of the deal! Happy shopping! P.S. deal goes until Feb. 20!

Superbowl XLIII

What a game! Derek doesn't like watching the big game with anyone else, so it was just us at home. We had a fun little "allergy free" feast. Derek was going to make a cheese dip because I could get the cheese for free. However, I decided it wasn't worth it (it was an 8 oz. block-tiny!!) so I chose to do fresh salsa instead. Can't say it tastes better, but it sure is healthier! Besides, I like not having to worry to much about Brendan. Here's our spread: bacon wrapped little smokies & brown sugar (so good-my friend showed me how to make them-thanks Brit!), grapes & olives for B-boy, popcorn balls, spicy chips (Dorito's-there are a couple kinds that are milk free-Brendan and Derek both love them so it's a win-win & they were FREE!!), little smokies in BBQ sauce, and Chips & salsa. We also made french dip sandwiches & potato chips for lunch before the game. We had a great time-Brendan loved eating in the living room & sharing Daddy's Gatorade (also FREE!!)

Hope all you other sports nuts enjoyed the game as much as we did! Of course it would have been neat to see Arizona finish their "Cinderella Story" but we didn't care who won. We just wanted a good game-and weren't disappointed!

Free Cable Shows!!!

Derek and I have chosen not to waste money on cable tv. Not really a big deal, until it comes to sports. My sweet husband has done without ESPN almost the whole time we have been married. His ESPN fix comes when we visit his parents, or happen to be in a motel (I wonder why he loves traveling for conferences!!) Anyways, this morning on GMA they were talking about a couple who did away with their cable to save money. I know that you can watch local shows online (I am a Grey's Anatomy fan, so I have done this several times!) I learned this morning, however, that YOU CAN WATCH CABLE SHOWS FOR FREE ON YOUR COMPUTER!!! I am mad though, the site ESPN360 is free, but our internet is through a cheap company and we aren't an affiliate. I'll get D on that! But check out hulu.com. It is completely free and has several movies & shows for you to watch. We don't watch a lot of tv, but it will be fun to have more options. Please read terms of use though. You agree not to copy etc. the content. Please follow that, I really get ticked off on people who think they have the right to "steal" and burn DVDs (well, used to be able to!) and send to people. Anyways, if there are shows you are missing because you are in the same boat as me, check it out.