Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Years! Wow...what a fast year 2007 was. Lee & I are spending our 20th New Years Eve together- that is crazy. We were not sure if we would actually be together at midnight...I am on-call until the morning & I have the 'honor' of delivering the last baby of 2007 at Celebration Hospital (10:31 p.m.) . So we are able to welcome in 2008 together (along with the girls & a sleeping Griffin). To all of our friends & family- we are hopeful that 2008 will be a wonderful year, we cannot wait to see what is in store. Here's to a very happy, healthy, joyful year. Cheers!

Baby it's cold inside (a.k.a. Brrrrrr)

We had to beat the heat (really it is still in the 80's here) so we went to visit the ICE exhibit at The Gaylord Palms Hotel. The bummer was that my camera was not charged so I missed several wonderful photo opportunities. The good news is that we had so much fun despite the 9 degree temperature that after 20 minutes, I can definitely say I have zero tolerance to the cold. Anyways, seeing the kids in parkas (especially Griffin who we temporarily nicknamed "The Penguin") was worth the price of admission alone. Perhaps, it is because over the last 9 years, I can count on one hand the number of times my kids have had winter jackets on their backs, I thought they looked especially cute. Okay...so back to our day, we had so much fun going down the ice slides, it really is impressive- but once we could no longer feel the tips of our fingers we decided to head back to reality & short sleeved shirts. We had lunch at the hotel & then Lee, Sydney & Josie went ice skating- also something that our kids are not too familiar with but always enjoy. Griffin & I walked throughout the hotel...if he saw them skating he would no doubt want to participate. He did have a "meltdown" once he saw them taking off their skates. I have to say it was fun to get bundled up, but I for sure appreciate that we do not have to deal with hats, mittens & gloves on a regular basis.

Our Little Drummer Boy!!

Griffin loves to play all sorts of musical instruments and apparently he combined that love with another favorite pasttime-being naked!!! We have dozens of photos of Josie (eating frosting) & Sydney (at the beach) around the same age without any clothes on...so I guess we need to give equal "exposure" to each child.

Girls just wanna have fun

Another fun night out in Celebration. My friend Dee invited a group of us to their restaurant Siena Flats for a night out to eat, drink & catch up- all of us are running in all different directions- it's hard to find the time to get together, but the holidays are a great time to celebrate with one another. Great food, good conversation & a wonderful musician rounded out our night. Too bad most of us woke up with "headaches"!!!! Cheers to all.

Pajama Day!!!!

Last night Josie came downstairs three times because she was so excited that should could not sleep. No, it's not her birthday, we've already celebrated Hanukkah...today at school it is Pajama day. If there was ever a taylor made day for Josie, it would have to be pajama day. She could care less about clothes, but definitely get her a high quality pair of p.j.'s Ever winter break she stays in her pajamas the majority of the time. She has gone to the movies, the grocery store, even the mall in her pajamas.

Josie LOVES school...she loves Art,PE, her teacher, she has made many new friends, she is enthusiastic about fundraisers...but the # 1 reason she was so excited to go to Celebration School this year was "Pajama Day". She was greeted by her teacher when she got out of the car (also in her pajamas) & she carried a trash bag full of all the essentials...pillow, comfy blanket, slippers. She was looking forward to a day of hot chocolate & watching The Polar Express. Another bonus...she is almost already for bed tonight!!!!

Eating Our Greens

I am not really sure why they are sitting on the floor, but last night Lee & Griffin "shared" a big salad for dinner. Griffin had already had his 1st dinner & when Lee came home from the gym he made a salad & Griffin had to get in on it. I guess we should consider ourselves lucky that he likes to eat spinach, radishes, tomatoes & various lettuces. I am sure it is a case of "monkey see, monkey do"...but we'll take it. It makes the days when he exists on "treats" a bit easier to take. As they say, everything in moderation.

An Addendum to the haircut

A second haircut compliments of Meg Sweeney (and a supply of candy), who layered Griffie's hair & it looks absolutely adorable. Too bad we went to Publix and the man who was bagging our groceries asked "how old is she???".

2007 In Review...

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Warning....This is EXTREMELY LONG!!!! Like, "I am waking up & so I'll watch while I am drinking a cup of coffee long!!!" You can watch it in chunks. After I briefly lost all our photos when my hard drive crashed in November, I decided to put our photos on a DVD (another option to scrapbooking)...and why not set them to music!? If you are related to us, you probably have seen a good portion of these. I think it sums up our yearly well...very busy. Enjoy, I don't expect you to hang in there..so if you don't make it to the end....here's to a wonderful, exciting, joyous, happy, healthy 2008!!!

Celebration Snowfall Performance

It is not a holiday season around here without watching our kids at a snowfall performance. Over the last year we have made some adjustments to their extracurricular activities, but they were still able to participate in performing downtown at the Celebration Snowfall. They performed some of the dances from the holiday revue...we were able to see much better at the snowfall since we were so close. It was very casual and alot of fun. Plus some of their friends were able to come and watch them. Once again, good job Sydney & josie!

Sydney & Josie's Holiday Revue

Here are some photos from the girls' dance revue. It was really cute & they have worked really hard the past 4 months, especially Sydney. All of the dances were to holiday themed music. Unfortunately, Josie recuperating from some dental work this past week, was experiencing some pain so she only participating in one dance. Greg and Jen were in town so they were able to see the girls dance which was great (Wyatt & Griffin stayed home to play with a sitter:)). Mollye & my mom also joined us. Afterwards we went out for dinner and the girls were able to relax. Competiton season is just around the corner, so Sydney will be putting extra long hours over the next few months. Way to go girls!!!

Well, I finally did it...

...I cut Griffin's hair. Lee has been persuading me to do it for awhile now & I've gotten mixed comments like "when are you going to cut his hair " to "you can NEVER cut his hair". It was getting a bit fluffy on the sides. I just couldn't bring myself to cut off the ringlets. Anyways, cut to today(no pun intended)...Lee is in Baltimore & I just gotten this feeling like I should cut his hair RIGHT NOW. So I armed myself with holiday chocolates, scissors (nair scissors, btw) & just started chopping. From this picture, I know it does not look like much, but there was a pile on blond ringlets on my bathroom counter, not to mention several candy wrappers. I can already see it is a bit uneven...oh well, that suits his look & I guess with all the curls he can get a way with it...I just hope I don't try to "even it off " too much. We washed his hair right after the cut & now he is sleeping, so I'll see what I am dealing with in a short while. As we found out with Josie...it's just hair...but definitely great hair!!!

The Holidays Have Begun

This picture was taken of us yesterday at The Magic Kingdom- we were just on our way out and Mickey's Enchanted Chrsitmas party was starting- The castle was lit up like it was covered in icicles- it was really beautiful - holiday music was playing & it really got you in the spirit of the season. Last week Lee was out of town speaking at a conference in Cancun & I was very productive in organizing for the holidays. I managed to start & finish my Hanukkah shopping (as I was panicky because it falls so early this year), organize our cards- Josie was a tremendous help, and start baking. I love the energy of the holidays but have felt as each year passes that there is more and more things to do. This weekend Josie & Sydney are performing in a Holiday Revue with their dance studio- they have been working really hard so we are excited to see them perform. It really is important to slow down and enjoy the time with your friends & family. As we start the celebration of Hanukkah tomorrow night, I am sure we will post about all the excitement- the girls have been counting down. Have a joyous and safe holiday season.

Well it was just a matter of time...

...before Sydney & Josie got there hands on Griffin & did his hair!!! Lee is going to kill me for posting this but I couldn't resist. A few times a week, strangers come up to me say "you have such a beautiful daughter". For those of you who haven't seen Griffin in person in awhile- he has the same beautiful curly hair that Sydney had. I just cannot bring myself to cut it & I think it fits in perfect with the surfer look that I am going for!!!

The girls managed to have him sit long enough to put his hair up in pigtails & barettes (hello Sydney 1999!!). They even put lip gloss on him. I think for a little guy with two big sisters this is probably a right of passage. He was a good sport but I think he'll probably give them a karate chop the next time they come near him with rubber bands!!

Let It Snow!

The 1st night of "snow falling" in Celebration was last Saturday. Lee took the kids down to play & Griffin was a bit apprehensive at first, but he definitely was in to it. I met them for the "2nd falling" and Griffin was totally in to it. Some years it has been "cold" (well for us Floridians)- this year we are experiencing very warm weather & the kids were playing in the snow in their shorts. The festivities have begun!!

We Give Thanks!!!!

Thanksgiving is definitely one of our favorite holidays around here. This is the 2nd year we've had it in our home & we really enjoy hosting. This year my mom & Mollye, our friends The Arces, The Merrills & The Bedfords joined us...what fun we had! The kids had a ball too. The food was great & the company even better. It was just so nice to relax with friends & family - we truly are grateful for what we have.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Josie does a good deed

This past week Josie donated 10 inches of her hair to "Locks of Love"- she has been growing her hair since August 2006. She decied to do this after viewing pictures via e-mail of my friend from high school Emily who was in the middle of treatment for breast cancer(who thankfully had a successful treatment). Sydney & I are also growing out our hair for the same cause however it is taking us a bit longer. The three of us originally planned to cut it at the same time, however, Josie's curls were ready to get lopped off. She looks adorable although it took her a few days to get used to. I think she feels really good when everyone praises her on such a positive choice.

The Red Bulls finish their season

Another great soccer season comes to an end. The Red Bulls finished strong and Josie had a great time playing this fall. A short break follows and then another soccer season starts at the end of January. Josie has been out kicking the ball around a few times this week with friends...she truly loves playing the game.

A Wiggly Party

Last summer Lee & I went to see The Police in concert & we set a goal to see more concerts because we really do love going to see live music and we really have not been to many shows in recent years. We made good on our promise to ourselves and went to see (drumroll please)- "The Wiggles"!!! Now let me preface by saying this is the music that is played the most in our home (TiVo season pass #1)- watched atleast 4-5 times daily. All 5 of us know their songs not only in English but spanish & mandarin!!!!
It actually was a very fun show (did I write that?!) , the girls each brought a friend, and Griffin did not make a move in over an hour!!!! Okay, so we can cross that off our list of bands we've seen...anyone know when U2 goes back on tour!!!!

Founder's Day Kids race

Josie & Sydney ran in the annual Celebration Founder's Day Kid's Race. Sydney ran a mile in an impressive 9:10 and Josie completed the race in just over 11. Griffin & Lee cheered from the sidelines & I ran alongside Josie. Sydney has set a goal to complete a 5K (3.1 miles) the next time the race is held. It looks like I will have some running partners in no time at all

Way To Go Sydney!!!!

Sydney received 3 awards this past Friday at Celebration School's Honor Roll assembly. Sydney works so hard balancing school and many hours dancing and her schoolwork has never suffered. She stays very organized which is a big relief to all of us. We are so proud of you Sydney...keep up the great work!!!

The Barnstormer Rocks!!!!

I think this picture pretty much says it all. Griffin's favorite ride is definitely "The Barnstormer!" which is a rollercoaster for little ones. It is fun to have an adventure boy! He can definitely keep up with the girls. I think we'll put a hold on bungee jumping for a few years though.

Boo!

Another great Halloween in Celebration. I have to say that there are so many opportunities to dress up before the actual night with all the parties leading up to Halloween that it can be kind anticlimatic. I was exhausted before the night even started!!! We had fun at The Sweeney's Front Porch pre- trick-r-treating get together. The adult costumes are getting better and better each year- and of course the kids we all cute as well...but some of our friends' costumes were hilarious! The girls and some of their friends plus Griffin in his wagon headed out for a full night- at first, Griffin got out of the wagon at each house, but then he was content to open up one lollipop at a time, take ONE lick and then go on to the next one. I am pretty certain he ate his weight in sugar. Some of the houses were outrageously decorated (can you say Disney?)- everyone had a great time- Lee gave all of our candy away & we had the usual end of the evening ritual which is kids ringing our doorbell after 10 p.m. even though all lights are out and there is no indication that we are even home! The holiday season has begun.

Go Team Dan!

Last Saturday night I participated in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Tower of Terror race. Some of you may remember I ran The Rock-n-Roll Marathon in 1997 with The Leukemia Society...fortunately, this race was much shorter- 4 miles! Still, running at night (10:15p.m.) had it's challenges- specifically I like to be in my p.j.'s by 10 p.m.!!!! I was really tired that day & it was rainy & my motivation was low. A group of us ran in support of our friend Dan who was diagnosed this past summer with a brain tumor. Many of our friends who did not run came to cheer us on which was so awesome. Once I got there, the energy was great and it no longer felt like a late night out (for me anyways). I have run my fair share of races over the last 10 years, and no matter the distance, the last 1/2 mile is always tough. Our race was not timed, but it felt as if we were running at a fast pace. It was a great experience and although I am still a morning running, I will definitely do it again.