An Ode to Joy

(you can click on the collage to see it full size)

Birthday Ideas....for those who asked

Liliana's birthday is approaching quickly and I've had some requests for ideas.  Lili has a plethera of toys, so many in fact that she does not care when some are removed.  So we are leaning towards getting her larger items, items that go with the toys she already has, or crafting items.  Of course she can always use clothes.

Lili is wearing size 3T in dresses and size 4T in outfits most of the time.  She wears size 8 in shoes (she only has tennis shoes right now).

Some toys she might like:
Disney Princesses : She has all of them except Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Jasmine, and Princess Tiana
Play-Doh: They make many playsets.  And she loves to play with it.
Craft stuff: Glitter paint, color wonder sets, sidewalk chalk, crafts kits for ages 3 and up.
Books: She LOVES them.  She has a TAG reader so books that go with it would be a hit.
Dress-up stuff: She LOVES to dress up.  She has the disney princess stuff, but she loves anything that has to do with dressing up. (Please no make-up)
Littlest Pet Shop: She has one of the playsets and would love more animals.

For anyone that is looking for something to give her that would be different....She loves to flip and jump, climb and dance, so gymnastics or dance lessons would be neat.

I hope this helps to give those that asked some guidence.  If you wan any more help, you can always email me.  Love to all and we are looking forward to celebrating Liliana's birthday with you on June 5th.

My Mother's Day Surprise

Greg planned a surprise outing for me on Mother's Day.  He even misled the kids cause he knew they would tell me.  We went to an earlier Mass, came home and packed a picnic lunch and headed on our way.  All I knew was that I needed to dress like I was going to potentially get dirty and that we would be outside for most of the day.  I also knew that we were heading South towards Lexington.  He thought I'd put it all together but I didn't.  I had no idea until I saw the exit sign....

ALRIGHT HORSES!!!!  My husband sure knows how to make me happy.  Others might find it a bit boring but it was right up our alley.  They had some small shows (the one we saw was horses from around the world) that you could see, museums to tour, and carriage tours.  They also had several barns with horses you could visit and pet.  It nice and open.  The kids could explore and touch.  And they had a great playground for them.  Very peaceful and laid back.  Can't wait to visit through the summer when we can possibly catch a competition event too.

Strolling up to the Hall of Champions.  We missed the parade but we were still able to meet the horses.  They were huge.  And It was Greg's favorite part since he likes the sporting aspect of horses.

Liliana peeking through the fence to see some of the draft horses.

They had two mechanical Morgan horses the kids could "ride." SO worth the few quarters I spent.

You could get up close and very personal with some of the horses.  This one was ornery but very sweet.

Toby and Mommy lovin on the horse.  I could've stayed right here all day!

All the trail horses going back out to pasture at the end of the day.  It was neat to watch.

The kids challenged Daddy to a race....I'm not sure who won ;)

He is just too cute!  He smiled as soon as he climbed up there.  He's an animal lover just like his Mommy.

My Natural born horse girl.  Someday we'll get her lessons (and maybe even a horse of her own)

A picture with my kiddos.  The littlest one stuck her tongue out...stinker!

One Happy Momma!!!

Mommy

Thank you babies for making me a Mommy! Even though the road isn't always easy , you two make it all worth it. You make me laugh every day and your kisses and hugs are the stuff of legend. I love our snuggle times and our roudy times. I love you both SO VERY MUCH! And I LOVE being your Mommy.

FFF: To my Mommy...

For all those times you stood by me

For all the truth that you made me see

For all the joy you brought to my life

For all the wrong that you made right

For every dream you made come true...

You gave me wings and made me fly

You touched my hand I could touch the sky

I lost my faith, you gave it back to me

You said no star was out of reach...
You were my strength when I was weak

You were my voice when I couldn't speak

You were my eyes when I couldn't see

You saw the best there was in me

Lifted me up when I couldn't reach

You gave me faith 'coz you believed

I'm everything I am

Because you loved me

(Paraphrased from Because You Loved Me by Celine Dion)

And because I've probably made you cry Mommy, I'll give you a good laugh...

Fun at the Zoo

While NaNa and PapPap were here over the weekend we had loads of fun.  On Friday we took them to the Cincinnati Zoo for the first time.  We had so much fun and it was such a beautiful day.  Here are some pics from the day...