Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!! We don't do anything big tonight- and I still need a run to Target and some wrapping for our last Christmas this weekend and wrap gifts- so those are the big plans!! Hope it's safe and happy for everyone.
My New Year's Resolution is to lose some weight, learn some patience, purge and clean the house, and use the scrapbook stuff I have.....
Happy New Year's Eve! And Happy New Years Day!!
Judy

Time to clean up (or in other words- reorganize!)

We spent most of tonight sorting through Noah's "baby-ish toys" and cleaning up the family room. Countless times I heard Jim say - "he has too many" - but I guess my whole thought process is: 1) we didn't pay full price for any of them (most are used, garage sale, mom 2 mom sale items 2) He plays with most of them during the week 3) and - isn't being messy what childhood is all about? Sure- he doesn't clean right up after him- and SURE he loves to dump the ball pit or the blocks- but if we teach him that cleaning is fun- does it really matter? So- when Jim says that- I ignore him (and please don't ever tell him!) and figure- the smile on Noah's face is all that really matters.

We also had to clean because of the loot we got for Christmas (well- I should say Noah). He didn't get a ton- but he did get enough that forced tonights Great Purge. I also put away the DVD's we got (in alpha order- obsessive compulsive I know), and the Wii Games we accumulated the last week. I did get one from my in-laws that is the Family Game Night 2 (with operation)- I really want to play it- I just haven't had ANY time. I also have to upload and print Shutterfly pictures before my coupon codes run out.

I did score alot of nice things for Christmas - for instance- Jim bought me a ruby bracelet and a necklace, I got a cute Paris wallet from my in-laws, some DVD's I wanted, the rest of the 39 Clues Books (if you haven't read them I encourage you to go buy the first one- and you will likely be hooked), the Sherlock Holmes books (always wanted to check those out!), a bunch of Quickutz dies (they were $1.00 at the craft store up north), 2 Hobby Lobby gift card, a Visa Gift card and some assorted other things. We still have Christmas with my cousin, aunt and other brother this weekend. I still am trying to figure out what to get with the HL gift card. I was leaning toward a Slice, but now I think I might buy the 12 inch QK adapter for the revolution and the stuff for that.

The munchkin loved Christmas and scored some new shakey cars, the shake and go race track, some Tonka Cars, and this really cute Elmo Live that he absolutely adores. In fact I think if I let him sleep with it he would- but can you imagine how freaked out I would be if I heard Elmo at 3 am because he rolled over on it? So- Elmo stays safely downstairs.

Hope you all got everything you wanted- I know I did!

Judy

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas!! This is my absolute favorite holiday!! I love it!! (and even better it lasts like two days!) We will have a quiet Christmas Eve and an even quieter Christmas letting Noah open his gifts from Santa and playing lots with all his new toys. When I was little we opened our gifts on Christmas Eve before we went to bed. All after Midnight mass. It was so much fun- I loved it. We all have our little traditions. Jim's family eats the Pillsbury Orange rolls on Christmas morning - so we have been making those the last few years. It's nice to let Noah see all the family traditions and even nice to have a white Christmas. SO- Merry Christmas!! Hope you get ALL that you want from YOUR list!

Happy Holiday's from the Great White North!

So- so far- we've put the tree up (Friday Night)- played endless games of Mario Kart on the Wii - played Guitar Hero for the Wii (and I am HORRIBLE!!), watched Julie & Julia (excellent movie- Meryl Streep is phenominal!), watched HangOver (Hilarious!!), watched I Love You Beth Cooper (cute - not a run out and rent- but had cute moments), and watched the Ugly Truth (it was okay- definately a rental). We also let Noah play in the snow (he loved it!), ran to Walmart, and hit the Family Dollar Store and Glens for milk that I forgot to buy there- and ended up spendijng 4 dollars at the gas station. Tomorrow we might go into town and I might actually get to go to Arnie's - one of the best scrap stores up here! Also need to finish up wrapping the munchkin's presents. It snowed up here yesterday - so we have to brush the car off before heading to Walmart and Ponderosa (and maybe the outlets tonight!)....how sad does that sound? Jim also gave me this Scene It game for the Wii- so we've had some fun playing that too.

Off to finish reading my chapter from Vampire Diaries since everyone else is napping.

Happy Christmas!

Judy

New House Pics & A Visit with St. Nick

These pictures are from the Saturday we got back in town. All the drywall was done and we had shutters. It's nice to see it all coming together.

Took kiddo today to see the Big Guy in Red at the Elks with my cousin and her son. He loved all the kids that were there and was pretty good at sitting on Santa's last. But, his favorite thing in the whole place was the inflatable decorations - how cute is that?

Watched Angels and Demons tonight too- maybe I can catch up on all the shows I wanted to see in the theaters but never did. Have some Christmas shopping to do tomorrow.

Happy Saturday Night!

Judy

Disney Day 6 - Hollywood Studios

It will always be MGM Studios to me. Our last day at Disney was spent at Hollywood Studios. Jim, Mom and I headed over early- did some shopping in the stores and had breakfast at the Pastry shop. We also took Noah over to the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, saw Prince Caspian and the sets of the movie, met Sulley and Mike from Monster's Inc and then headed over to the Sci Fi for lunch. We were sat pretty quickly and had one of the rudest waitresses there. She did the same thing that the guy did the night before (ripping the salt and pepper shakers from Noah) and she even insisted that she charge us for Noah's juice (which is fine- but since we were on the dining plan and this was our last day- we hadnt been charged until then). Had a relatively LONG lunch - since she also happened to be the SLOWEST waitress too. After lunch, Noah fell asleep and we headed over to the Animation exhibit. Mom and I went through well Jim stayed out with Noah. Did some of the stores around there (and I was a bit irritated by the snack vendors over there since they all had trouble taking our cards for our snacks on the dining plan). When Noah woke up we went over to Indiana Jones and then headed back to see the characters of Up (which he loved-especially the doggy), then on to Toy Story Mania (we had fast-passed). We left pretty early and headed back. By then- we were SICK of Disney Counter Service food- so we took Noah swimming and opted for ordering Dominos (which was probably the best food we had all week). When we left the next day- we had issues with Magical Express (which I won't go into). Suffice to say- I was glad to finally get home. I have some new pictures of the house I will post soon (maybe this afternoon). I have to finish cleaning the house and I finally got Noah unpacked from Disney. Need to also do some Christmas shopping.

Have a good one! J

Disney Day 5

Epcot!! Jim hates it- I like it! It turned out to be a pretty warm day too. We arrived at Epcot and rode Spaceship Earth - which actually has been revamped and now has this cute video in it- that starred Noah (it takes a picture of you in the car...oh never mind- just trust me- it was cute!). After waiting for the in-laws and not having much luck- Mom, Noah and I hit the gift shop- picking up a stuffed Pluto for Noah and a ball and some other miscellaneous stuff. We then decided to have lunch and start the countries. We started in Mexico and took the "new" boat ride- much better then the old one- actually has Donald in it- really cute! Then we were Norway bound - where we rode the boat - Noah was *okay* on this ride- certainly no match for the Carpets of Aladdin! Onward we walked to China and purchased some Peach Iced Tea (not bad- could have used less peachyness) and then Noah fell asleep. We meandered through the rest of the countries- stopping for fried ice cream in America and even taking in the Japenese Marketplace. Mom and I hit the shops in France and the shop at the edge of the World Showcase. By this time- Noah was up- and it was warm- and he was warm- so we changed him into a swim diaper and his shorts and some sandels and let him run through the splash pads. He had a blast. People stopped to watch him, take pictures of him, and one person even took a video of him. It certainly cooled him off- and I think it helped us get him moving again. After we changed him - we went to The Seas with Nemo and Friends. They brought back the old Living Seas ride- it was fun- really interesting and Noah loved all the fish. We hung out there for a little while, took him up to the observation decks to see the fish and stuff. When we headed out from there we went to the Land. We took the boat ride in the Land (not one of his favorites) and headed to the Garden Grill for dinner (meeting up with the in-laws there). We were sat in this booth- that faced the Living Seas boat ride. The restaurant actually rotates too. It was a tad bit annoying- as they stuck Noah's high chair in between two tables- so his back was actually to my in-laws for the entire dinner. Our waiter (Jeffrey)- also proceeded to take things (namely the Salt and Pepper Shakers) out of Noah's hands when we sat down- and he basically was rude to us the whole rest of the meal. We have a sneaking suspicion he didnt like the baby- cause he was nice to my in-laws- just not to Jim and I. Our characters were Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale. The food was decent- even though our service left much to be desired. When we left the Garden Grill (after a two hour meal) - my mom and I headed to the bus- we made it- and by the time they were done loading mom and the scooter- Jim made it to. We went back to the hotel- and Noah feel pretty much right asleep. Jim watched Noah and mom and I checked out Downtown Disney. It was raining a bit when we got back- but Jim and I still hit the hot tub- and then off to bed we went- ONE more day in Disney to remain!

Disney Day 4

Disney Day 4 - Food Posioning Day

Woke up that morning with HORRIBLE food posioning. We had breakfast reservations at Tusker House in Animal Kingdom. I really didnt want to miss it- so we treked ourselves over there. We saw Mickey, Goofy, Donald and Daisy. Had breakfast- didnt eat anything- but the waitress still charged us a dining service (which I didnt think was right- given that I was sick). Rode the safari - Noah LOVED it- he loved the animals, the ride and everything. Walked through the Pandgoni (sp?) Forest Expedition- saw Gorillas and other Monkies. Then walked over to Asia to see the Tigers. Felt sick to my stomach- so left eveyone back at Animal Kingdom and Jim and I took Noah to the hotel for a nap. We napped for like 3 hours- and then took him down to the pool. He had a blast swimming. Met the in-laws for dinner (at the cafe in the hotel) and then got ready to go to Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. The Magic Kingdom was all decorated- and I was feeling "marginally" better by then. Rode the Carpets (AGAIN) and took Noah to the Carosel and to ride Dumbo - another big favorite - also let him run around in the Pooh Corner. Rode Small World again and then headed back to the hotel. Jim and I did the hot tub again - and surprisingly I was starting to feel much better- but Jim was starting to get a cold.

Disney Day 3

Day 3 - Monday

Headed to the Magic Kingdom. Ended up at the end of Main Street outside the Barber Shop waiting for Jim's sister. Noah had fun chasing the ducks and other birds. Took Noah over to the Carpets - AGAIN - and then on to Pirates. We fast passed Splash Mountain and ate at Pecos Bill (note to anyone who goes- DO NOT EAT THE CHICKEN WRAP!!). Rode Splash Mountain and mom got Noah to take a nap. Ate a funnel cake while he was napping and then headed over to Fantasyland. Almost got to see Pooh and Tigger but everytime we got in line they took the characters for their *break*. Rode the carousel and then let Noah run around in the little Pooh thing and then took him over to Toon Town to see Mickey. Saw Mickey and Minnie (Noah was awesome with them and the characters were really good- they even got on the ground next to him when he sat down). The line was a little long, but overall he did good. Walked through Tomorrowland. Met the in-laws at Crystal Palace for dinner- was VERY dissappointed. First, we checked in around 4 (our reservation was scheduled for 4:30- which they then told me was really 4:45) the lady at the podium told me it would be like 15 minutes. So at 4:30 - I went up to the door and asked. They said we were the next table. At 4:45 - I went back and asked AGAIN- they said- "This is your reservation time and we are only seating 4:25" - we got sat at 5:05 and our waiter didn't show up at the table until 5:15. He was horribly RUDE. In fact he basically ignored Noah the whole time. By this time- Noah had enough sitting around- we did manage to see Pooh, Tigger, Eyeore and Piglet. The food wasnt all that good and once again- the selection was horrible- but it was the first time we actually got Noah to eat something solid instead of french fries. After dinner, we went over to Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin. We headed back towards Liberty Square to watch the Spectromagic Parade and the fireworks. People were very PUSHY and rude, plus it was way more crowded then I thought that it would be. Hung out a bit after the fireworks and then rode Haunted Mansion (since it was technically Disney Magic hours). Walked back up toward the Jungle Cruise, Jim and the in-laws rode it, and I took Noah on the Carpets (again!!). Headed back to the hotel- Noah falling asleep on the bus again and Jim and I hit the pool. We were going to do the Hot Tub- but I walked up on some people doing....you...know...what...in ...it - eew!!

Disney Day 2

Bright and early on Sunday we hit Magic Kingdom. We had breakfast in the hotel and took the bus over to the park. It was a tad chilly (Noah had jeans on) and we all had sweatshirts. The first ride was the Jungle Cruise. Our guide was REALLY loud- so Noah wasn't a big fan. The second ride of the day were the Magic Carpets of Aladdin which Noah LOVED. It was his favorite ride while we were there. We also rode Pirates of the Carribbean (which he also wasnt a big fan of), took in Small World (which he liked) and the Carousel (another favorite of his). Also rode the tea cups. Then we headed back up Main Street and checked out Santa- Noah had a good smile (and it is definately the photo for the Christmas Card). Took a train ride and then headed over to the Contemporary for Chef Mickeys. Jim's sister was going to meet us there for dinner. Checked in and were sat pretty quick. His sister ended up meeting us and got to see Noah's first experience with the characters. He loved them. Thought that they were funny and most of all wanted to touch their noses. We saw: Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Pluto and Mickey. Noah's absolute favorite was Pluto, and even followed him around the restaurant. The food was okay- I didn't think that the selection was very good for a buffet, but we had a very good server. Left Contemporary on the bus and headed toward Hollywood Studios (formally MGM Studios) to check out Fantasmic since that was going to be our best opportunity to see it. Met the in-laws there- had a rather good seat in the handicap section because of mom's scooter. Noah liked parts of Fantasmic and then parts not so much. After walking out with the swarms of people for Fantasmic (we really should have waited till it cleared), we headed to under the Sorcers Hat (my father in-law and sister-in- law and her boyfriend rode Tower of Terror and then met us there). Headed back to the Osbourne Festival of Lights which danced to the musci (very nice), and then stopped so the in-laws could have dinner at ABC Commisary. Took Noah back to the hotel (he fell asleep in the boss) and then DH and I went to the pool, we even managed to take in the hot tub too.

Disney - Day 1

Disney Day 1:

Arrived on Saturday - checked in- had some issues with the hotel having the corrected information. Also had to convince the lady that I really wanted a crib, not the pack and play in the room. Then signed for my box that was supposed to be delivered to the room with the rest of Noah's diapers and swim stuff. Headed to the room (which was really far from the lobby- given that we were checking in at 1pm). Let Noah explore the room and took some pics of the animals outside our room (we got the Svannah View at Animal Kingdom). Took a walk to the counter service restaurant by the pool, bought out mugs and some quick lunch for the starving little boy. Checked out the animals by the pool and the gift shop before heading back up to the room to chill out. Didn't end up getting the box till around 4:30 in the afternoon. Headed over to Animal Kingdom in the evening for our dinner at Rainforest Cafe. Sat by the elephants and enjoyed a relaxing dinner of BBQ chicken wrap (for me), Ribs (for Jim), Stir-Fry (for mom), and Chicken nuggets (for Noah). Headed back to the hotel- watched some TV- put Noah to bed and then Jim and I hit the pool.

Back from the overpriced, horrible customer service, most infant unfriendly place in the world - Disney!

Now don't get me wrong, the whole trip wasn't HORRIBLE - but there were moments that made me NEVER want to step foot in a Disney Resort again.

I'll recap it soon- I promise- we had some fun times, like Noah LOVING all the characters, him playing in the water at EPCOT, and the Giraffes and animals on the safari.

The low parts included the horrible customer service at some of the restaurants (i.e. the two waiters/waitresses who ripped the salt and pepper shakers from Noah's hand), the Magical Express people who apparently thought it was okay to arrive by magical express but who truly wanted to make it difficult returning to the airport with an infant, to the people doing some "extracurricular activities" in the hot tub. Overall I found the customer service to be very disappointing. And let's not forgot the day I got food poisoning from Peco's Bill in the Magic Kingdom.

I was never MORE happy to get home and sleep in my OWN bed. I'm craving some home cooked meals - so I am off to the grocery store today and to Walmart. Might also check out the new house.

I'll follow up later!

Judy

Happy Pre-Thanksgiving and Off to see the Mouse

Happy Thanksgiving. We are off to Indiana to see grandma and the rest of the Lucas clan. Then we leave to see the Mouse. So I leave you with this picture. Courtesy of the disney blog. Soon I will be looking at signs like that and well that just makes me happy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Judy

Sad News

We had our first Fish Casualty. The little yellowish orange one went to fish heaven....Guess we have to get a replacement fish when we get back home.

Missed a Week

Last week - we had columns on the porch, some siding and a bunch of duct work started in the basement. This week - we have.....DRYWALL!!!! For the most part, the ceilings were all drywalled. Our bathroom was done, one of the bedrooms upstairs was done too. Some of the siding in the back was done too. And all the duct work in the basement was done. Nice to see progress.

Only a few more days till we go see the mouse...first we have a stop at Great Grandma's for Thanksgiving!

It came....

We are now the proud owners of a new IMAC. Such a cute box....

November?? Already???

I had one of those moments when I counted the weekends to Christmas and about fell over. Time is flying by so fast. This past weekend we had some of the MOST beautiful weather here- so we took a ride to check on the house. It's been two weeks since we were able to get there. But, what a difference two weeks make. The whole house is INSULATED - and it was so nice and warm in there....it was nice to see all that pink insulation (and see the true depth of it all). So nice....plus, all of our cabinets were the garage in their respective boxes. It was fun to see all that. We also saw some of the siding up there- there were two guys who were just setting up to finish one of the sides with the siding. The furnace was also in, as was the water heater and everything seemed to be getting ready for them to start the inside. They also poured the front porch- it was nice to see that completed too. We also have three new members of our family- they are nameless - although my mom suggested Huey, Dewey and Louie....not bad....we'll see. But for now, Noah LOVES them....

J

The Big Hallows Eve

We had like maybe 50 kids. It was so cold. We didnt even take Noah out cause it was cold. We did however let him come to the door and help pass out candy and see all the kids. And he was a Pirate - I totally didn't get a great picture- but I did get a couple of cute ones.

Scrapped today too- got 3 layouts down...pretty good for a Sunday. now to settle in and watch Amazing Race....

Happy Weekend

J