Finally pictures

So I FINALLY have some pics for you. We took 130 yesterday and today.

Tonight we are mixing it up a bit and we are going to have some guest bloggers coming at ya. They will tell you about our day and hopefully they keep it clean. I take no responsibility from this point on!!! :)

Mindy here coming at you live from Ft. Myers Beach; where we are having fabulous weather, and creating even better memories. We had a great morning. We awoke around 8:30 am. Watched a little TV, then headed to Heavenly Biscuit for a fresh cinnamon roll. They we AWESOME until Amanda hit the BAKED in hair. Needless to say, it was down hill from there. Well, I hope all her readers are having a super great evening. It's been nice chatting ...... now time for your next featured guest !

Hello all, its me Beth :) After breakfast we watched Ellen for a bit because she just turned 50 years old and she was showing highlights from her birthday party...crazy. She also had JT on her show, who I have to admit, is pretty cute for a youngin. We then headed to the public pool because our pool here at the condo is being gutted and re-done. The public pool is pretty much right across the street so that was nice. It was only $4 to get in, and let me tell you it was worth every buck LOL. There was a slide that was sooooooo fun and we laughed so hard at times that we almost peed our suits. We can really make anything fun...we are an easy crowd. So, we hung out there for a while then came back to the condo for some lunch and afternoon delights. Good times!! After lunch we went back out to the pool and had some more good belly laughs and a run through the kiddie pool (with permission from the lifeguard, of course :)) Then we came back to the condo for showers and a little relaxing before dinner. Julie and I made spaghetti and garlic bread for dinner while Mindy and Amanda relaxed. Julie also provided a little live entertainment while jammin to some old school songs on my ipod. We ate dinner on the porch and it was a gorgeous night out with a light breeze and the waves crashing on the beach. How awesome is this vacation?! Mindy and Amanda then cleaned up the dishes while Julie and I relaxed and that leaves me with the next boggin guest.....

Can anyone believe this, Julie is coming to ya blogger style:) We are having somewhat of a low key night, I think the pool and the slide tired us old ladies out. We are currently scrappin (well I'll be honest, Amanda is doing the majority of my scrappin for me) Thanks Amanda everything looks great. I hope everyone is having a wonderful night and enjoying reading about our girls gone wild vacation (just kidding). Signing off. Julie

There ya have it folks - I will say - this post took quite a while to compose with all these girls blogging! Not sure what our docket holds for tomorrow, but I am sure we will have more good times! Thanks for reading!

Aaaahhh....

:::WARNING::: This is again being used really more as a personal journal for me to look back on details to remember - may be boring to some people!!!

8:00AM. That is the time I got to sleep in today!!! I have not slept in for that long in quite some time. At least not without Braelyn coming to ask me if she can get herself cereal, or Selah coming and twirling my hair. Don't get me wrong - I love those moments at times, but to truly SLEEP until that time is sweet! Anyway - I went directly out to sit out on the porch and watch the waves. Need I say more??? Bliss - true bliss. We all had our breakfast and by 10:00 we were on the beach sunning! I of course kept feeling like I was getting nothing, and of course tonight I am FRIED. Nothing a little aloe can't heal though - thanks Mindy! :) Before heading in for lunch we took a nice long walk to the pier (about 2.5 miles there and back). Little pasta salad and chips for lunch and we were right back outside to play some shuffleboard!!! Yeah - when in q-tip city do as the q-tips do!!! Beth and Julie won 2 of the 3 games so they are reigning champions - until tomorrow - LOL! We worked up a sweat so we decided to take a swim in the ocean! It was so fun, but salty and sea-weedy - yuck. I did manage to tackle Beth and with the help of the other girls we managed to get her under, which I guess doesn't happen all that often!!! Showers were definitely needed by this point so we headed in to shower and we got dolled up and hit the town. We did dinner at Red Lobster and then hit Bealls Outlet and I picked up two swimsuits for $30!!! What a steal!!! Next it was back onto the island for ice cream and a little souvenir shopping (which I didn't find anything - any suggestions?). Now we have just been sitting in the living room gabbing and scrapping. What a perfect day, huh???!!! It's so fun to just have a girl week and to gab about girl things and mom things! We are all so different and yet so much alike in many things! Love you girls!!! (OK - they are going to read this right after I post so I am a little bit sucking up!!!) (Just Kidding ;))

I do miss Hubby and the girls a lot! Sounds like they are all having fun and keeping busy! Grandma and Grandpa Huizenga have been helping out a ton b/c Kyle is running the garage sale all by himself - so thank you MaryJo!!!

Here is a LO I just posted for the Lilypad blog challenge (a little late I am!)

And here is a LO I just finished up using the Shabby Princess kit I bought and am just getting around to using!

That's all tonight - thanks for tuning in, and thanks for all the well wishes for our trip gals - so fun!!!

Coming at ya from Fort Myers Beach!!!

Yep - we're here safe and sound! Our travels went great really! We left last night by 8:30pm to arrive in Detroit by 11:00pm! We got checked into the hotel and pretty much hit the hay - just a little bit of chatting while lying in bed. :) We were up bright and early this morning - 5:30am for showers and breakfast at the hotel and then off to the airport by 7:00. Check-in and security at the airport went fairly well - besides Beth and Mindy having overweight suitcases - LOL! We had to do a little re-arranging and shoved Julie's suitcase a bit more full so that none of us had to pay the $50 fee. Then of course we waited for the flight. I picked up the book "Have a New Kid by Friday" by Dr. Kevin Leman so I read the first chapter of that! Plane landed in a balmy 86 degree Fort Myers and after getting our bags and rental car we were officially on our vacation!!! We stopped for an AWESOME lunch at Ribs City. Got settled into the condo and did a grocery store run. Hung out, I got a scrapbook page done! We went for a great long walk down the beack (well, Beth ran) and then came back and decided we weren't really hungry for our spaghetti dinner we had planned and just came in and all took showers - hair masks and all. And so we just finished our night off with watching 27 Dresses! Wow - very good movie, and so now as I type we are just discussing movies. Fun stuff folks!

FYI - this is just for me to look back on and remember all the fun stuff we did so I am sure it is a TAD boring for all you folks!

1st of two birthday celebrations done!

My little Braelyn, my first born is soon to turn 4. Wow - I think it's really hitting me lately. She is getting so old and independent! Well, yesterday during our flurry of Mother's Day stuff we celebrated her birthday with Kyle's family. We really celebrated Mother's Day, Jake's 6th birthday, and Braelyn's 4th birthday! Braelyn LOVES all her gifts! She got a Razor scooter (which is can ride like a BREEZE around the house!), some new goggles for swimming this summer, a chearleader dress up outfit and pom poms, Hello Kitty makeu-up and a clip on Doodle Bear (which I might save for our trip to N.C. actually!!!), a Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) barbie doll, a princess Disney Tee, and some princess wash clothes from Disney store. She just loved all her stuff, which was so fun to see! Her big present from us arrived too, but it is all under a box and waiting to be assembled. This is what she is getting from us!!! She has wanted a pink quad for a couple months now. And no - it is not just her Daddy that has been trying to impress that on her - it is actually the neighbor kids. She watches them ride their little quads and keeps saying she wants one. So, of course Daddy says "OK, if I must"!!! Anyway - so that will get assembles sometime this week so we can give it to her on her actual birthday - the 22nd!!!

Here are the pictures from the little birthday celebration!

Here is Braelyn in her little chearleader outfit - so cute!

Waiting to open gifts!

We have another birthday party tonight for my niece Ainsley who turns 3 today!!! Happy Birthday Ainsley! Then tomorrow is my night to take of to Detroit for our early plane ride on Wed. morning to FLORIDA!!! I am so excited, and just a touch nervous! I have not been without my hubby or kids for that long!!! I have left them for long weekends with the girls, but not for 6 nights before!!! Kyle has left me for that long so we are somewhat used to it b/c he hunts, but I of course will worry that Gracyn will get fed well, and that the girls keep on a normal routine, that they can manage without me, etc... But you know what? I KNOW they will do great, and I know that even though Kyle doesn't do everything the way I do it, it might be even better!!! They are in good hands and I really am SOOOO looking forward to having some me time! No real schedule! Yipppeeee!!! We will have internet of course so I am sure I will blog at least once! I hope to do a fair amount of scrapping!!!!

Have a great week everyone and I hope all of you Mom's had a great Mother's Day!!!
MandaKay

Can't think of creative titles

I can't - not sure why, but I can never come up with creative titles. I'm sitting listening to baby mozart on tv - Gracyn is loving it! The older girls are playing outside - they too are loving life! We've had a real nice week so far! Playing with cousins, going to Grandma's houses, school, all the usuals really! We did go to the parade yesterday for Tulip Time and we'll go on Sat. too so that will make for a fun week right there! Tomorrow morning I get to walk with Braelyn's class to Captain Sundae for ice cream! The rest of the weekend we just have to set up some of our garage sale stuff for Kyle to sell the next weekend! I need to have it all set up and priced before I head out of town! We are also celebrating Mother's Day and Braelyn and my nephew Jakes birthday on Sunday at lunch time, after my niece on my other side's baptism! Busy Mother's Day. I feel like it is not really mother's day for me - if you know what I mean. If I had my wish for mother's day it would be to sleep in, have breakfast with my sweet girls and hubby, then scrapbook all day! :) Oh wait - I get to do that in Florida (although I will not be with my sweet hubby and girls, but my girlfriends will come in a close second!!!).

So Shabby Miss Jenn Designs has a new kit for sale at SiStv!!! What a fun guest spot! Her new kit is fabulous as usual - Flea Market Studio! I got to create a LO with it and it is of my DD's with their babysitter Cassie! Can I just say that Cassie is like an answer to prayers?! She is such a great babysitter and such a blessing to the girls! I totally enjoy her when she is over! She takes fun pictures of the girls and these pictures just happen to include her which is great b/c I want my girls to remember her, and the fun stuff she does with them!

I am sure I have a few LO's I've done recently that I haven't put on here, but I can't think of which ones - as usual - they are all in my galleries!

Off to get kiddos ready for bed and to cuddle with Gracyn while feeding her her bottle. Did i mention I am done nursing?! I feel free, and yet I miss my cuddle time a little!

Toodles

Look at my little cutie!

Here is Gracyn - 7 months old already! Where oh where does time go?


Isn't she the cutest ever??? I know I am biased!


Yuck right?!!!


Another enabling thread here - Shabby Miss Jenn's store has a TON of kits for $1 up in her store, including a new one called Sunshine Blossom! This is the LO I did with it!


So, go check out her store - you just CAN'T pass up a deal - $1 for a great kit is awesome!

Hop on Over...

To the Pad that is!!! Yep - a day early!!! Normally new products go in on Fri., but the designers decided to suprise us all and put it up a day early!!! And it's another great BYOC!

Here is my first LO using this kit (I say first because I know I will use it more!)

Saturday is National Scrapbooking Day and so there are just so many awesome things coming out!

Janet has put out a TON of new stuff, and if you are looking into dabbling in some hybrid stuff I would run, not walk to her store! And I just got the link to her grab bag last night and I can't WAIT to play with that!!!

And of course SMJ might just have something up her sleeve for NSD too! ;) ;) ;)

This week has been busier than I anticipated to say the least! Tue. and Wed. night we swapped date night with my sister and her husband so we had their 4 kids Tue. night and they had our kids last night! it is so nice to do dinner out with NO kids! We ate at Olive Garden and strolled the mall and had Cold Stone for dessert!

We also had our third showing with the same couple thru our house yesterday. It was actually kind of a suprise b/c it was set up for today at 4:00 and all the sudden they knocked on my door and they meant for it to be Wed. at 4:00. Luckily I was in the process of cleaning it when I got home from work while the girls napped, so I had it all pretty much ready - just didn't get to mopping the floor. These people are very interested in our home I guess, but I have been told that they are VERY indecisive! So we will see what comes of it! Kind of a stressful time with all the unknowns, but I am just trusting God knows the timing on this and what will happen - guess that is quite comforting!

I have an appointment tonight and then tomorrow is the fireworks kick off for our bit Tulip Time Festival here in our city! Big week ahead of parades, junk food, dutch dancers, etc...! The girls will LOVE it!

So I will try to pop back in this weekend to show off some more LO's! I hope to really do some scrapping tomorrow since my house is clean and it's a stay at home day (other than bringing B to school)!

Have a great day!