Happily Ever After...

So maybe , just maybe , the thought of driving 7 hours to Tampa on Saturday, meeting with just 3 realtors and finding a home to rent was just a tad ambitious, even for us. The first home was BEAUTIFUL, but the locals had warned us that although the area was safe, it was a heck of a commute for Greg. We had high hopes as we whizzed past suburbia and all the conveniences I have come to enjoy. It became rural, more rural, and then we started to laugh as we turned from road to road, convinced that GPS had failed us and gotten us lost. All we saw was strawberry fields and run-down trailers used by migrant workers. Oh and pitbulls. Lots of pitbulls guarding the shacks. Nothing says "welcome to the neighborhood" like pitbulls. And then, right smack next to a row of rusty trailers and barking pitbulls, was a BEAUTIFUL home. With a fenced yard. A pool, and a covered lanai. Ahem. Needless to say, we didn't even get out of the car. We called the realtor and told her not to bother. ...

Okay, I'm about to pull a skeleton out of my closet. Serious confession time here folks. I have this terrible, annoying quirk that when I am totally overwhelmed, I become very unproductive and focus on silly little things that don't help me in any way whatsoever. So it makes perfect sense to me to update my blog, peruse face-book and paint my girls toes instead of focusing on the tasks at hand, which includes: Copious amounts of washing/drying/folding of laundry. Unpacking fall clothes and re-packing summer clothes to take to FL. Did I mention we leave in 36 hours??? Canceling telephone/cable/and various other services, which will only take 12 hrs on the phone on hold. Packing my house. Deciding what to take/what to toss/what to donate/what to leave. More Packing. Ordering boxes and packing supplies. A shower.... that is much needed at this point. Maybe a making a meal to feed the fam? Nah, who am I kidding, I will be calling to order more take out. I DID start the dishwashe...

~Gianna had her first expansion surgery on Wednesday at Shriners. It honestly never will EVER get easier to watch your sobbing baby be carried into the O.R. We had not told her she was having surgery, and she was as happy as a lark playing in the PACU until I told her that the Dr. needed her to take a nap so that he could fix her back. She looked up at me with huge tears, and then just sobbed gut wrenching sobs. How can she know? It was very traumatic for this mommy. ~The wonderful news is, that after 24 hours she is difficult to slow down. She tried to hop and dance on her way to xray, and she is recovering MUCH faster than we ever expected! We are so thankful for all our sweet family and friends for their prayers for our baby girl. Keeping her down with her restrictions over the next 4 weeks of recovery should be interesting, but I wouldn't want it any other way! ~We left the hospital yesterday for a little R&R at Grandmommy and Papa's house. We were planning to stay un...

The beautiful sunrises while sipping coffee. The happy kiddos. The relaxed mommy. The evening strolls looking for sea shells. The sleepy children after a long day in the sun and sand.

Our day at the castle was HOT, HUMID and yet filled with AAALLL the magic of Dizzmee. The girls had a blast, loved wearing their dresses all day and got to ride all the rides they wanted to. I had all the employees asking me where I purchased their Belle dresses. Imagine their surprise when I told them I paid $15 plus shipping!! The dresses in the Dizzmee store are $60 and up so I think we did pretty well :) The girls were even awarded a certificate for the most royal princesses of the day. Too cute! Just in case you're wondering if I actually was there, I thought I'd ease your mind-Greg always fusses at me for never posting pictures of myself! I asked Aria who her favorite princess was, expecting her to say Belle. "Cinderell@ because I am wearing Cinderell@ panties today." Gianna squeals, " I am wearing Tinker/Bell panties, so she is MY favorite." Who knew the rise and fall of "most favored princess" status was as easy as an underwear change! We ...

Today we had another low key day around the condo. We went back to Downtown Dizzmee again this afternoon to walk around when the crowds were lighter. The girls wanted to wear their Cinderella dresses so it was fun for them to twirl and dance around. Royal kisses from his princesses. May they find a handsome prince just like their Daddy some day! I think we are improving on those curtseys. They picked Aurora since they didn't want Cinderella to feel bad that their dresses were prettier ;-) This one is for Papa- Princesses on a Harley! People and Puppies made from Legos.. Pretty cool! Tomorrow is our one and only day at the park. We were hoping to go a marathon open to close, but Aria's asthma is acting up, so we will probably have to return mid-day for a nebulizer treatment and a nap and then return for fireworks.