64 days till disneyland...

2005: disneyland... i remember as a kid my dad buying a chocolate covered banana when we would go to disneyland... and for any of you who know my dad and his spending habits know that that would be a big deal/expense... back then the carts use to take the frozen banana and dip it into the chocolate and then roll it in nuts till it was heavily coated... today they come pre-dipped, not quite as good but a continued tradition that will be carried on again this may...

65 days till disneyland...

2006: disneyland plaza... the 'A' in california and or little abby... she was/is so cute!!!

Hmmm...

What was I saying about it starting to feel like summer? Never mind...

66 days till disneyland...

67 days till disneyland...

2007: disneylands california adventure... cole and zane ride on heimlich's choo-choo train...

we love this ride...

68 days till disneyland...

2007: disneyland... pinnochio... auntie holly, cole and abby get ready to take off on a magical flight...

this is one of my all-time favorites...

i need your help...

i have some friends taking their kiddos to disneyland for the first time and are interested in gems, little known secrets, not to miss attractions, (etc.) to the happiest place on earth...



now... i know alot of them myself but im sure there are some i would miss... comment on this post or give links to good informative websites so that i can pass them on... and who knows... maybe ill learn something new too...




thanks friends...

69 days till disneyland...

2007: disneyland's california adventure... noah posing with 'mater' from the movie cars... one of their favorite movies...

70 days till disneyland...

2006: disneylands' california adventure... 'Fliks Fun Fair' great area for a family with kids... and that we are...



lots of fun rides tailored for the younger mouseketeers... a must stop if you have little ones...

71 days till disneyland...

2005: disneyland... downtown disney rainforest cafe... every year we fly down early on a monday morning... check into the hotel and then head for the park... but before we go in to the park we walk down downtown disney to the rainforest cafe and enjoy lunch... then we catch the monorail from there into the park...

ethan, (6 years old at the time) was so tired he fell asleep while we waited for the food... it was cute and funny...

but its a fun tradition...

Feels Like Summer

Well, 50-degrees maybe doesn't quite feel like summer, but a beautiful sunny walk to the library followed by a stop at Starbucks definitely feels like summer ... and makes me a much happier mom! Thank you, Lord, for the beautiful day ... and thank you, Noah and Cole, for enjoying it with me!

72 days till disneyland...

2005: disneyland... abby and gwen get the exclusive 50th anniversary dumbo...


MADE OF SOLID GOLD!!!

73 days till disneyland...

2008: disneyland...roger rabbit ride... i worked in the tire industry for years... so i felt right at home...

lol...

74 days till disneyland...

2008: disneyland at night...

i can almost taste the ice cream...

75 days till disneyland...

2007: disneyland california adventure... grizzly river run...

auntie holly, uncle d, gwen and noah ready to get wet on the wild river ride...

76 days till disneyland...

2006: disneyland ... abby and belle

Noah's Extreme Make-Over

Do any of you remember Noah's "Terry Bradshaw" haircut for Awana crazy hair night last year? Well, that crazy 'do resulted in us having to completely shave Noah's head. He's been growing his hair out ever since and had emassed quite a bundle of blonde locks. But .... it was driving me crazy! So, being the great kid that he is, he agreed that it was time for a change. We, of course, enlisted my best friend, Martina, to take on the challenge!

Here's Noah before:

And after:

Cute kid, huh? Thanks, Noah, for being willing to cut off the locks to make your mom happy!

Oh, yeah, and here are the dads playing with Abby and Biz's pink DSs during the haircut :-)

77 days till disneyland...

2008: disneyland california adventure... we love to eat here while we are there... gwen loves the shrimp louie and i usually get the clam chowder or potato soup in a sourdough bread bowl...

the kids eat at the mission tortilla company and love getting their nachos there... they are both right next to each other so its very convenient...

in 2008 when gwen and i went down in september they were all decorated for halloween.... down to the cups and napkins.... every detail... very cool... maybe some year we will make it for CHRISTmas...

78 days till disneyland...

2005: disneyland turned 50 years old... what a great year to go and experience the celebration...

everywhere you looked there were 50's... hints to the big birthday celebration were all over the park... very cool to be there...

2009 daddy - daughter dance...

tonight was the annual daddy daughter dance at chloe clark elementary school in our small town of dupont... this was abbys and my second time going...(2007 and 2009)...

we had so much fun... there was italian sodas, food(including cupcakes), pictures, dancing and prizes...

abby looked adorable and we had so much fun... i am so lucky to have a daughter who loves me so much...

abby sat with her friends and their dads so we could all talk while we ate the nummy food... here kristina and abby pose for a picture between cupcakes...

the night was very special... happy valentines day...

79 days till disneyland...

2006 disneyland...one more reason why noah and ethan think disneyland is the happiest place on earth ... nachos

skateland...

today, gwen and i took the kids to skateland for some good ol' family skating... it was... well... interesting...

i think the kids had fun and gwen and i kinda did... we do have a fresh perspective on why we DONT do that more often... we are not good skaters...

abby and i skated together... warming up for the valentine daddy-daughter dance tomorrow night at her school...

post on that after the dance...

(our friend darick in the background, not some psycho skateland stalker)(lol)

80 days till disneyland...

2006: disneyland... looking a little more calm on the teacups....(me that is)(same year different day)(gwen refuses to go on this ride)

81 days till disneyland...

2006 disneyland... mark and abby on the tea cups

82 days till disneyland...

2007 disneyland... cole waiting to get on the astro orbiter ... often one of the first rides we do upon our arrival at the happiest place on earth...

83 days till disneyland...

2005: disneyland.... winnie the pooh... papa and noah loved that ride... ill try to get the same picture again with papa and noah on the pooh ride...

84 days till disneyland...

2006 disneyland... uncle d with noah, ethan, abby and cole ... maybe this year the kids'll get that sword out...

My New Favorite Recipe - Texas Caviar

I first tasted this super-delicious dip when Mark's dad made it for a family gathering. It was so yummy that I had to get the recipe from him. I have since made it several times for various gatherings, and it has always gotten great reviews (from everyone except my husband, who refuses to try it). I am not normally a bean lover, but this is so delicious, you HAVE to try it!



1 can black-eyed peas, drained
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can white shoepeg corn
1 small jar pimento
1 chopped jalapeno pepper (or one small can)
1 small red onion (chopped small)
2 stalks celery (chopped small)
1 small green pepper (chopped small)

Dressing:
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 TBsp water
3/4 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup olive oil

Boil dressing ingredients for 1-2 minutes and then pour over all other ingredients. Let marinade in refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours, preferably overnight. When ready to serve, drain well and serve with Frito scoops, tortilla scoops, or any way you like it! Enjoy!

85 days till disneyland...

2007: disneyland... uncle daniel, uncle greg and auntie holly went to disneyland with us in 2007... all three and (holly's family and my mom and dad) are all joining us in may... we are so excited!!!

86 days till disneyland...

2007: disneyland trip... staybridge suites... pool... it doesnt matter what time we get back from the park... as long as the pool is open the kids want to swim...

but hey... we are at disneyland on vacation... what would you expect?!?!

goodies for a dollar...

today while i was doing a little shopping i came across some great dollar deals(at safeway)... pop tarts 1 buck... gummy snacks 1 buck... (not pictured) chips, fritos and puffy cheetos 1 buck... 2 liter mug root beer 1 buck...

my kids were pumped...

87 days till disneyland...

2008: disneyland... jungle boat ride...(the same jokes going on 56 years) classic...

88 days till disneyland...

2007: disneyland...cole and uncle greg ready for a spin on autopia

89 days till disneyland...

2006: disneyland... uncle 'd', ethan, abby, cole and noah in front of the castle...

90 days till disneyland...

20007: disneyland... abby and mom on mr. toads wild ride...

91 days till disneyland...

2007: disney's california adventure... the golden zephyr... mom and noah pose right before lift off...






great ride... relaxing and you get great views of the park from up there...