Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Memorial weekend get-together

Although the weekend weather was not near as fantastic as one might hope, we still managed to enjoy
it.  We got together with some friends on Sunday afternoon/evening, all of whom have
children around the same age.  It was fun seeing all the kiddos interact and play!  Bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and swing-sets.
Hot dogs, juice boxes, and freezies!  Every kids dream!  Then throw in some sparklers... you've got yourself a hit!
gotta love the Bubble Mower!
not all looking, but at least all sitting!
getting sleepy... time to say Good-bye~

Yesterday, we ended up spending a chill-out day at home! Once the weather cleared up some, the girls and I spent a little time at the neighbors, letting the kids play in their little pool.  It was a relaxed day, and a great way to end a long weekend.  We did however, miss someone special.  My Mom.  It was her birthday and for various reasons, it just didn't work out to meet up.  But we chatted on the phone, and sent our love!
Mom, Happy Birthday, I hope it was a great one! (most relaxing in 40 years, I'll bet!)

Lastly, one more Birthday wish today to Ryan's sister Kim!  Kimmy, we love you and hope you are having an awesome day!  Lots of love from the Volovsek clan of BP!

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Just a few cute pics

I have a few photos from the past week or two that I wanted to share.
No other real post, just some pictures.
Who doesn't love a good book?
Mmmm, I love lilacs!
This is a shirt of mine from when I was little!  "Dew is alive in 85'! "
Okay, so it was more than a few, but who can blame me?
Happy Saturday!

Tale of a messy eater!

Elle tends to get a little messy when she eats.
She also isn't particularly fond of bibs, so unless they tie on, well... they aren't.

She is a fan of putting things in pockets, or in this case... down her shirt!

What a silly girl!

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Terrible Two's

Hmmmmm.....  what is it exactly that makes the "two's" so truly terrible?

The whining?
The back-talk?
The wanting to be independant one second, then demand you do it for them the next?

Or is it,

The throwing things,
and constant "NO's",
and persistant, PERSISTANT, "I want's"???

Umm, YES!!!

That being said, it happens I still somehow manage to love my "terrible two" year old!
Because through all that junk,
she still manages to be sweet, and kind, and well... loveable.
 I mean, really... who could resist this squinty, goofy grin?!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

The sun will come out!

Through all the weird weather we've been having, 
none of it really hampered out weekend at all!

We managed to get our "tasks" crossed off our list.
(clean the house, pot some plants, the never ending laundry...)

We also managed to enjoy ourselves!
(Use the grill both nights, and actually eat out on the porch once, take a few
walks, visit with my parents, play with our kiddos...)

This weekend we've seen rain, clouds, some more rain, hail,
a little bit more rain, and then... that occasional lovely peek of something greater.
A pretty darn good weekend indeed~!
Now I'm going to put my oldest to sleep, mix myself a cocktail, and sit
on the couch with the hubs and watch some non-Dora the Explorer TV!

Friday, May 20, 2011

Sunny pictures on a rainy day

Last Monday, the whole family took advantage of the lovely weather that finally decided to show up.
We took a walk and visited all 3 of the parks we frequent.
It felt amazing to be out, even more so that all of us were there.
Not just me and the kids, not Ryan and the girls after I leave for work, 
but all of us.  A unit.  A family!
It felt good!

Turns out, it looked good too!
(at least they did... I was running on 30+ hours with no sleep)

On this rainy Friday, I'm going to share my little rays of sunshine, 
before I go crawl up cozy in my bed and take a nap!
NERD
Lila on the slide
Not to be outdone, here come Elle!

Thursday, May 19, 2011

"Ginny blanket"

So, Ryan's Grandma Virginia makes a blanket for all her Great-Grandchildren when they're born, and then again when they're 3.  She currently has 30 great-grandchildren with #31 due in August!   That's a lot of blankets.  A LOT!

Lila is not quite 3, but Grandma Ginny decided to send her blanket home with Ryan's parents and they gave
it to her the day we celebrated Elle's birthday.

Long story short.... She loves it!
She naps under it each day and will ask for her "Ginny blanket"!
Thank you Grandma! We love you!

Friday, May 13, 2011

Ouch!

Elle came home from daycare yesterday with a new "decoration".

She apparently took a header off a chair into a shelf.
Owie :(
Of course, doesn't make her any less gorgeous!

Another Florida post (beware... it's LONG!)

I know, I know... there are a ton of photos... sorry.
Here it goes...

~Sea World~
Ryan and I really had a lot of fun the day we visited!  The weather was warm, but just slightly overcast.
Perfect in my opinion for walking around a theme park all day!  It sprinkled lightly while we ate our lunch
on a covered deck, and during one of the shows we saw (also covered).  It really was nice!

We got to the park right at opening, and I was so happy to discover that they play the National Anthem
prior to letting people into the park!  What a way to start the day!  To follow that up, we decided to
jump on the new roller coaster they have since there was no wait.  It has been a long time since either Ry or I have been on one, but what the heck, right?
OMG!  Hahaha!  It was SO FUN!  Both of us said that it was the best ride we've ever been on! 
If you ever visit Sea World in Orlando... this is a MUST!
The Manta:  Ride It!

We saw two of their shows, and both were fun.  I liked the "One Ocean" show best and felt like a little
kid as I sat there and watched those huge animals perform!  Again, I was very happy at the fact that they
recognized all the service men and women in the audience!  It was so great to see attention being paid to our
country and those that serve it!

It was a full day, and I had sore legs by the time we were done, but it was great!


~Discovery Cove~
This was one of the parts of the trip I was most looking forward to!
It was different than I expected, not quite as "exclusive" as they make it sound,
and it was difficult for me to figure out where the heck I was all the time.
(note: I'm a bit directionally challenged.)
(ok, honestly, I could get lost in my own backyard, but I digress)

It was however, lush, and sunny, and fun!
And I got to kiss and hug a dolphin, so really... it was pretty awesome!
They had a large freshwater pool with a lazy river that Ryan and I took about 4 trips down!
The stingray lagoon, snorkle reef, and dolphin pools were saltwater 
(man, saltwater tastes bad)
and a tad cooler than the pool.  
Is 72 degree water cool?  No, it's FREEZING! Yikes!

They also have an aviary with lots of pretty birds!
For those of you that know me, I'm really not fond of anything that flies at me
or has the potential of getting stuck in my hair, but I really enjoyed this!
The birds come right up and eat out of your hand!
They are just lucky none of them landed on my head!
(Ryan got that lucky ticket!)

I did have an underwater disposable camera, but don't have the photos back yet.
If anything turns up worthwhile, I'll share later.

Discovery Cove...  Lovely Day!

~Time to Relax~
After two days of being "busy" and out an about, we packed up and left Orlando
for St. Pete's Beach!  The drive wasn't too bad and we got to check into our room early
after they sent us just down the road for some lunch while they got our room finished up.
PJ's Oyster Bar was a fun little place and I had a great lunch consisting of Mahi-Mahi wrap, 
sweet potato fries, and $2 draft beer!  Awesome!
Mother's Day

We spent the next 2.5 days relaxing on the beach, taking in the view, eating, 
drinking, and playing Angry Birds!  The beach was nice and not too crowded,
the sunsets were fantastic and we even took in a beach wedding!

Ryan somehow forgot to put sunscreen on his chest the first day on the beach, and
got a little crispy... so he spent the next day under our cabana, but otherwise all was delightful!  

~The Sunsets~
The view from our balcony!

What a wonderful trip!
Thank you so much to our parents who took care of our girls and pups
while we were away!

Thank you Ryan, I love you so much!