Deerfield Beach, Florida

We spent a few days in Deerfield Beach, with my family. The kids LOVED playing with their cousins - Giana (4 yrs) and Max (2 yrs). This is a picture in Michelle's backyard - kid playland - climbing structure, bounce house, ride-on toys, you name it - they have it for kid fun. It was a great way to spend a lazy afternoon with my sister.

Me and Michelle, my sister. Love her, miss her.

Cooking with my Dad - seems to happen everytime we go to Florida. Love that about the trip. Matt & I are talking about who knows what - but it is always good to see him and the family.

Me & the kids at Gumbo Limbo - a nature park I used to go to when I was a kid. The kids got to visit with sea turtles, sharks, and various marine life. We are at the top of a look out point, loving the sunshine.

Couple of pictures of Dominick & Anna on the beach - this is the same beach I watched fireworks at as a kid, learned to love the ocean, collect sea shells, and fell in love with palm trees :)

My cute husband :)

Yep, this is where I was born. I do love getting to the Atlantic Ocean - it is so serene, warm, beautiful, and the beach is loaded with palm trees. Vacations are a beautiful thing.

January - photos of the fun

We took tons-o-pictures of our adventure in January. We celebrated Matteo's 7th Birthday in Issaquah, Orlando, and Deerfield Beach! The best birthday ever, according to Matteo. I'm attaching a few photos of the fun we have had while on vacation. We are now settling back to reality.

Matteo went back to school Tuesday, Anna went today, and Dominick is home with me this week as his preschool is doing conferences. Don and I have spent some time attempting to get the house organized and get caught up on life stuff. The mail is sorted and our laundry is non-stop, regardless of vacation! I think we are finally back to our time zone, as the kids slept past 6am today. They have been up around 4amish since we got home.

Some pictures...

Matteo's 7th Birthday in Issaquah. Matteo loves math, so we put some math calculations for the number 7 on his cake - Matteo loved it!

Here we are with Mickey - the morning of the kid's races at the Wide World of Sports.

The kids get their medals - oh so happy!

This is the start of the day in Magic Kingdom and the kids can't wait to start the fun! Anna had to wear her Snow White dress and kept it on all day - girl fun! We saw lots of characters on vacation - Tigger, Pooh, Mickey, Goofy, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Flick, Aladdin, Genie, the list goes on. Anna even met Cinderella, Belle, & Aurora - she was beyond excited! Matteo's favorite character was the Genie from Aladdin. The Genie taught Matteo how to pose for photos - take a look at these two photos.

Our dinner out with Russ & Elisa - don't we look grown up? I almost forgot I could wear something other than t-shirts and jeans. What a treat - truly was a memorable evening for us - thank you Russ & Elisa!

The kids get ready to hit the pool at the Caribbean Beach Resort.

Orlando Fun

We've been here a few days, it's been fantastic in so many ways. Anna is at my feet at this early hour coloring, a perfect time to share some of our adventures.

We arrived on Wednesday night - our flight was early, the kids were good on the plane. We boarded the plane with three kiddo's, no stroller, a few backpacks and a bag of fun for the kids. The kids were excited and really good on the plane - Don and I both actually were able to read on the plane. Yes, we have crossed a milestone in parenting - boarding a plane without a stroller - woo hoo!

We spent the first day of our trip attending the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex at the Health Expo picking up race packets and timing chips for the marathon and the kids races. It was a neat experience - truly Disney style - huge, well organized, and loaded with good stuff.

Thursday night was an entirely new experience for us. If I had to use one word, it would be "Indulgence".

Russ & Elisa took us to dinner, while their daughter, Amanda, babysat the kids. We went to a very nice restaurant - Victoria & Albert's. Don wore a suit, I was in a black cocktail dress - I can't remember how long it's been since that happened. Yes, we photographed the moment! The atmosphere of the restaurant was lovely - quaint, romantic, a harpist was playing in the background, an amazing seven course meal was served, wine pairings were out of this world, and the company for dinner was spectacular. Don and I were constantly thinking we needed to be pinched because we couldn't believe we were sitting in this lovely restaurant, having a world-class dining experience with such wonderful friends. It was a memorable experience for us - Thank you Russ & Elisa!

Friday - Magic Kingdom fun for the whole family. We had a great day - the weather was sunny, warm, and the park was so empty! Our longest wait for a ride was maybe 20 minutes! So fun - the kids went on just about anything and everything that we could get them on. A treat for them and us. Love Disney World :)

Saturday we started out the day with a character breakfast at the Wide World of Sports Complex - it was outside, so mellow, a beautiful morning, and Mickey, Minnie & Goofy were there for the fun. It was a great way to prepare for the kids races that morning. The kids ran their races, got their medals and had a fantastic time doing their part for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Fun was had by all.

The marathon happened on the 11th - worthy of it's own entry :)