Postponing My Vacation

I had mentioned in previous posts that I was trying to plan a trip to Orlando, Fl...both as a mini vacation and also trying to find an apartment for when I move back there. I was excited to find out that I can finally get a direct flight from Grand Rapids (the closest airport to where I live) to Orlando. Because I will be taking Mya with me, I really didn't want to have a layover and have to transfer Mya and all of our stuff onto another plane. I was planning to make the the trip this month but, being that it is around Spring Break and Easter, the ticket prices are ridiculous. I have now decided to wait until June. I just found (and booked) tickets for only $71 (each), which is a great deal! Now I need to look for a good San Diego California hotel to stay at when I take a trip out there to visit some relatives in July.

Happy Birthday Michael

Today has been a long day. This morning I spent quite a few hours shopping which, for me, is a chore because I am one of those few women out there that hates to shop. I had wanted to get a new TV for my bedroom since the one I had finally died on me. They had some good tv deals at Best Buy so I was able to find one there. I also need to get some spring/summer clothes for Mya.

This afternoon we went to my nephew Michael's birthday party. I can't believe he is already 2 years old! It was pretty nice outside today so the kids were able to go out and play. Mya loves going over there just to jump on their big trampoline. So now we are home and she is laying here by me on the floor watching one of her cartoons and trying to keep her eyes open and insist that she isn't tired.

The Terrible Twos

This has been a long week. I have been working both jobs, my sister (who still can't walk around much) has been over here during the day recovering from her back surgery, I have been trying to find some information on motorcycle accident attorneys from a friend of mine that doesn't have access to the internet, AND to top it all off....this is the week that my sweet, angelic 2 yr old has seemingly officially entered the stage known as "The Terrible Two's".

I suppose it's true that most kids go through this at some point. All of my nieces and nephews did. I remember the times when they cried or screamed or threw themselves on the floor when they didn't get their way. I also remember, at the time, silently praying that I never had to deal with that. And in fact, I haven't had to deal with the screaming fits. The approach Mya has taken is a bit different. When I ask her to do something she will just look at me and calmly, but firmly tell me "Mommy, I don't want to do that right now" or "Mommy, I'm not going to do that right now". OR, if I ask her to stop doing something I hear "Mommy, I am not finished yet". At this point I think I would actually welcome a screaming fit...this quiet, stubborn defiance is much more maddening!! LOL

Free Movie Saturday

This morning my sister and I took the kids (all 7 of them!) to the free Saturday matinee at the local movie theater. This week they were playing Madagascar 2. The first time I took Mya to a movie (about 6 months ago) she did not have the patience to sit through more than about 30 minutes. This time she sat through the whole thing without crying or whining or even trying to get off the chair. BIG improvement! She loves animals so she loved the movie!

Now we are back at home and she is taking a nap. I am using this time to get some cleaning done. Just finished doing the Window Blinds and next I need to do some laundry. I'll save all the vacuuming until after she wakes up!

Get Well Soon

I have been very busy the past few days. My sister had her back surgery yesterday and thankfully, she is doing well. She should be getting out of the hospital sometime tomorrow. Her three kids have been here while she was gone so it all has been a bit chaotic. The weather is cold once again. It has even been snowing. I can't wait until the weather finally stays warm. The kids can go outside instead of being copped up going stir crazy in the house. Plus I can get out and work in the garden, plant some new flowers and rose bushes and just enjoy the sunshine!

A Little Spring Cleaning

I am loving the weather we are having right now! I don't know how long it is going to last, but I am going to enjoy every minute of it while I can. I had the day off today so Mya and I went on a walk to the park. After that my Dad stopped over and decided to take Mya into town with him while he went shopping for a new tuxedo shirt. While they were gone I had some time to myself, so I opened all the windows, turned on my mp3 player and did some early Spring cleaning. If it is this nice tomorrow I am hoping to take Mya down to the river to feed the ducks. But I think I will wait until morning to tell her about my plan, just in case!

Lions and Spiders and Bears...Oh My!

Today it almost felt like the beginning of Spring was here! I really don't know how warm it was, probably only about 40 degrees but the sun was out and compared to the sub zero weather we have been having, it felt good!

It was a nice enough day to get the kids outside so, rather than go to playgroup, we took the kids to the zoo. There were only a handful of people there so the kids were really able to run around and play. Of course they loved looking at all the animals. Mya was fascinated with the lions and bears, while my nephew Michael kept stopping to check out various spiders he saw on the ground. I didn't really get down close enough to look though because I have somewhat of a spider phobia. Way back when I was about 8 years old I woke up one morning to a large spider making it's way down from the ceiling and was right over my face when I opened my eyes! Ever since then I have been terrified of spiders. Obviously Michael takes after my sister, who used to try to make spider traps so she could catch them and save them in bottles...Yuck!

The kids all had a fun morning at the zoo...that is until we wre about to leave and Mya decided to jump over a mud puddle and ended up falling right into it. She was quite upset about having to ride home with no pants on!

Not-So-Wordless Wednesday

Mya After Surgery
These photos were taken the day after Mya's surgery. In the first one I was asking her to show me her neck, but of course she was trying to hide it...

Going to Disneyworld!

I am finally going to be taking a vacation! I am so excited! In May Mya and I are going to be heading down to Orlando, FL for a week. While we are there I will also be looking for a place for us live when we move down there at the end of the year. It feels like it's been ages since the last time I was there, and I am really looking forward to seeing everyone.

We were planning to stay with my best friend and her family but we ended up getting a free hotel stay, thanks to another friend of mine that is a manager at one of the hotels close to Downtown Disney.

I am especially looking forward to taking Mya to the Magic Kingdom for the first time. She is going to love it! She may get a little freaked out by all the costumed characters at first but I know she will love the rides!

Build-A-Bear Workshop

This weekend I took Mya to Build-A-Bear Workshop. Mya loves stuffed animals so I figured she would get a kick out of being able to pick out her own and then watching them stuff it.

When we first got there, Mya made her way down the line of animals and went right to work holding each of them for a few seconds before finally deciding on a cute brown dog, which she decided to name Sonny. She then was able to pick a heart out of a bowl to put inside Sonny before they stuffed him and sewed him shut.

After that we went over to look at all the clothes and accessories they had available to dress up the animals. For those of you that have been there before, you know that they have everything from t-shirts to full outfits, purses, pajamas, etc..etc..It can really add up! Thankfully for me, Mya was happy just picking out a t-shirt, and she now has a new little friend that she carries with her everywhere!