Friday, May 27, 2011

Karen's Birthday Character Breakfast

A Character Dining experience at Disneyland is something I always wanted to do as a kid.
So in honor of her graduation and birthday,
Karen and I did the Minnie and Friends Character breakfast.
If you're going to do Character dining (unless you have little ones DEAD SET on having the princesses there) this is the most bang for your buck as far as both food goes and the character to diner ratio.

There was so much to choose from as far as the breakfast feast and it was all buffet style so you definitely get your $$ worth.
They had bacon, ham, sausage, hash browns, biscuits and gravy, mickey waffles, pancakes, french toast, assorted muffins, fresh fruit, breakfast cereals, oatmeal, even a made to order omelet station.
Plus about every non alcoholic beverage you could think of.

Karen even got a cute kiddie princess birthday chest. :-)


Karen mickey waffles 2 web 
 

karen bite web 
 
Karen Jacque Eeyore web



I have so much Disneyland Vacation wisdom that I would love to share with y'all.
Seriously, if you want to do Disney on a budget, tips on how to stay on that budget, and how to squeeze the most out of your Disney experience- Let me know!
Refer me some followers so I don't feel like I'm wastin' time!
I'll deliver, I promise!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Karen's Graduation!

Congratulations Karen Ann!
F-dub class of 2011

grad girl web


fw grad 2011 70s web


Karen had alot of supporters out there, and to top it off she had a couple of unexpected attendees as well. Her Daddy, Kenneth Gene, was given leave from deployment and Karen's uncle Steve and aunt Yvonne surprised everyone by driving down from Cali just in time.

web 2







You should have seen the lot of us out there with our DSLR's making Karen dance around like a circus monkey so that we could get some jump shots. 
It was hilarious. 
Karen is such a sport.

jump shot buddy web


jump shot




We had ice cream Sundays afterward with a smorgasbord of fixins. I was too busy stuffing my face to take pictures of that.




Just one last picture... :-)

eye roll jump shot

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Such Big Helpers








Why I can NEVER GET THE LAUNDRY PUT AWAY!



I have too much "help"

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Monday, May 16, 2011

The Driver on the Bus Says...

"Good luck, preschooler, crossing the parking lot without getting hit by cars! Peace out!"





I've got a bone to pick with a Marana School District transportation protocol breech.

Or what I assume was a breech, if it wasn't, it will be reason 5,682 that I'm not sending my kids into the public education system once they reach kindergarten.
(I know that there are amazing, wonderful teachers in public ed. It's the system that's lacking)

Tenley attends the PEEC program at a local elementary school for developmentally challenged preschoolers.
It really is a WONDEFUL program, I adore her teacher, and we are VERY grateful that through the state, Tenley can attend. 
They offer curb to curb bus transportation through the district.
I was assured by many that these little tykes love riding the big yellow school bus like big kids, and although it made my stomach turn, I agreed to let Tenley ride the bus home everyday where it would meet me at the curb of our complex.
They were right, Tenley LOVES THE BUS.

I've never really been able to depend on a solid five minute window of time in which to meet the bus, so I head to the curb with Scarlett fairly early and usually end up waiting a long time for Tenley.
The bus driver won't pull into the complex and it's a million and one degrees in the afternoon here, so I wait in the nearest shaded parking spot with the stroller and let Scarlett walk on the shaded grass area while we look out for the bus.

Last week I saw the bus approaching so I scooped up Scarlett and started buckling her into the stroller before I wheeled us over to meet the bus.
As I'm buckling I here that compressed air noise of the bus door shutting and driving off.

Oh no! Did the bus driver not see me?

I look up to see the bus driving away and Tenley just running through the parking lot.

Three year old, Tenley.

SPECIAL NEEDS, RIDES A SPECIAL BUS, DOESN'T UNDERSTAND DANGER: 
TENLEY!

The bus driver circles back around after I've buckled Tenley in the stroller and am furiously rummaging through my bag to find the number to Marana Schools Transportation. She leans out the window to "make sure Tenley made it, ok"

LADY! She is three years old! You don't just toss them into a parking lot and cross your fingers while driving off!
Have you lost it?!
 If you wanted to make sure she was ok, then WHY DIDN'T THE AID HOLD TENLEY'S HAND UNTIL I CAME TO HOLD HER HAND LIKE SHE IS SUPPOSED TO!
Are ya kidding me?!
Or at the very least not driven off until you knew she is safe.

The driver told me I needed to fill out a form that stated that need.

You've. Got. To. Be. Kidding.

A form that says a three year old doesn't get to cross the street alone?
Is that not common sense?!

They will be HEARING from me!
Mama Bear is AWAKE AND ANGRY!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Growing Up Too Fast

This is an old pic, but I love it so much.

sweetest thing logo

Saturday, May 14, 2011

I can finally divorce walmart!

Dear Neighborhood Target,

I hope this won't make things awkward between us, but I just have to put it out there:
I kind of want to kiss you on the mouth right now. 
Thank you.


Tuesday, May 10, 2011



This week's challenge over at iHeartFaces 
is motherhood. 
This is my Mother with my youngest daughter Scarlett. 
She is the epitome of honorable Motherhood:
a little bit crazy and utterly selfless. 
She may give you the speech about how she has to do things to take care of herself, 
because you have to take care of yourself first and bla bla bla. 
But the truth is this woman puts down everything she is doing, anytime you call, 
no matter who you are, 
to help you.
Big deal or small, she'll be there.
This is for the woman who went to every choir performance, 
every doctor's appointment, and even (as an office clerk at the school I attended) 
threatened disciplinary action to the boy I liked in the 7th grade if he wasn't nice to me.
She is the best Mom in the world because she isn't just my Mom, 
she is maternal toward everyone she meets.
I love you, Mom.

Make sure to check out the other beautiful faces of Motherhood entered over at iheartfaces.com!

Mother's Day

Enjoying your Mother's Day Ice Cream all by yourself is well worth doing it with a fork (straight from the carton) and waking up before the kids to do it.


Friday, May 6, 2011