Disney 2011

We had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend spent at Disney World! My aunt lives near WDW, had the weekend reserved at the park, and wanted us to go. After thinking about it for a while, we thought, "Why not?" Mary Beth had only missed one day of school all year (for a Bama game), and it seemed like a fabulous trip. Lauren and I took Matthew and Thomas to Mt. Rushmore a few years ago, and thought it was Mary Beth and James's turn for a mommy/aunt trip.

To make it even more fun, we waited until the morning we left to tell the two we were going. I told my boys several weeks before the trip what our plans were, and they were thrilled for MB and J. I was relieved by their reactions! ;)

The morning we left, we all happened to meet at Starbucks at the same time! ;) Dad asked the kids if he could spend the day with them....going to Disney World! At first, they seemed hesitant to believe their good fortune, but it soon sunk in. Mary Beth kept saying, "So THAT'S why.....you were looking for my suitcase/I wasn't playing soccer today/etc."


These two are thick as thieves. We knew they would have a blast together! Lauren and I were so excited that Mom could come with us as well. Sort of a belated 60th birthday party!




On the Magical Express headed to Saratoga Springs.
Ready for our first day....Magic Kingdom!



Our family loves Uncle Remus. The kids were excited to be in the Laughin Place!
It's a Small World

Lunch at Chef Mickey's





I think this pic is out of order, but here were are hanging out with Aunt Susan and cousin Blair. We had so much fun with these two!
Here is me with my Type A personality, "Come on! No lines at Pirates of the Caribbean!"









After a fun first day at Magic Kingdom, we needed a little pool time!



Day 2: Epcot
Turtle Talk
Lunch at Coral Reef.


The flower festival was going on at Epcot. It was more beautiful than normal.
Princess topiaries everywhere!







Day #3 Animal Kingdom. Mary Beth was a roller coaster maniac and rode Everest twice!






Heading over to the Wilderness Lodge for dinner on a gorgeous night!



We could see Magic Kingdom from our hotel room. We spent our last evening watching the fireworks from our balcony.


Time to go home! What a fun and memorable trip for these two cuties!
A few extras from Animal Kingdom...

April

Well, this has been quite an eventful month! Probably the biggest news of the month, is that I am working as close to full time as I did before the kids were born! Several therapists in our hospital network have left (moving, babies, etc), and I am filling in for them. I have absolutely loved working, and am finally getting used to the new work load. Bryon and the kids have helped out so much around the house, and I have much more of an appreciation for working moms!

Here are some Easter pics of the kids. ...






Mary Beth's field trip to Homestead Heritage....

Diva Dash weekend

Last weekend was a wonderful girls' weekend in Austin! Several of us decided to brave a 5K race full of obstacles in the first annual Diva Dash in Austin. Some of us are very athletic, and some of us (me) never exercise. There was lots of (well, some) preparation involved in training for the big race. Here is a picture of us the night before the race. Instead of getting a good night sleep before the event, we stayed out way too late eating a fabulous dinner at La Condesa. Not the best way to prep for a race the next morning, but too much fun to pass up!

We made it! There was lots of running, and quite a bit of walking involved, but we did it!
After a day of shopping at the Dominion on Saturday, we had a fun night in downtown Austin, then capped off the memorable weekend at the Gospel Brunch at Stubbs Barbeque. I'm so blessed by these girls' friendships and look forward to making this an annual event!

JDRF Gala

We had a fun date night a few weeks back at the JDRF Gala at the Anatole in Dallas. We have dear friends, whose daughter was diagnosed with diabetes when she was 11 months old, and we have watched her grow up for the past 12 years with the disease, so it is a cause near and dear to our hearts.

My wonderful friends, Martha Kate, and Sherri. We had a wonderful evening together!

There were a few celebrities at the event. Many former Dallas Cowboy players. The one I was most excited to meet was Lee Roy Jordan, who was one of Bear Bryant's all time favorite Bama players in the early 60s. He was such a sweet heart!

I also met Brett Michaels, who has lived with juvenile diabetes since he was a child.