Max's Birthday Trip

 A few years ago, Max decided that instead of gifts for his birthday, he'd like an experience.  With that in mind, this year, we took some Christmas money and had a mini-vacation in Orlando.

Our first stop was Legoland Florida.  I scored some buy-one-get-one-free tickets thanks to google, and we left early New Year's Day.  The Legoland portion of our trip was a complete surprise to the boys.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a reaction shot when they first saw the sign in the parking lot...thrilled was an understatement though.  :)

Once inside, I scored a map and used my planning skills from our Disney trip to set a course for our day.  The park is a decent size...we were able to hit everything we wanted in the one day we were there without being overwhelmed.

The first stop was the Duplo Play area.  They had an indoor farmyard with slides and climbing toys for the younger set.  There was also an outdoor play area (seen below) and a couple rides.  Christian and Andrew rode the rides in this area...Will decided he was too big.  

Andrew enjoyed the stocks in the Lego Kingdoms area.

And Christian made friends with one of the guards.  Max, Will, and Christian enjoyed the Dragon roller coaster in the Kingdoms area and rode it twice.  It was behind the castle, so I didn't get any pictures. 

The last attraction the boys visited in the Kingdoms area was a jousting ride.  The kids got their own horse and went through a circuit.  Christian took it very seriously.

After the Kingdoms area of the park was the Land of Adventure.  Christian and Andrew got cozy with one of the guides.  :)

 I think their favorite part of the park was Pharoah's Revenge, an enclosed area where you could shoot foam balls at other guests.  Max and the boys got into a little battle with a family from Japan.  Random children kept shooting at my head, so I waited outside after taking a couple pictures.

Lego City was the next area of the park.  This area had a really cute show that dealt with fire safety.  We took a little boat trip...Christian had a run-in with a shark.  :)

There was a driving school for kids in this part of the park as well.  Andrew visited the junior version of  the ride while Will and Christian went to "driving school".  They did really well on the course (I have to be honest - I was nervous that one of my boys would crash into one of the other cars).  Christian drives like Max; he was super cautious and took things slow.  Will was a bit more confident behind the wheel.  I'm so proud of my guys!

We hit a pirate show...

Met up with some old friends...

And watched the 4-D show (THREE times!).  Here are Max and the boys posing by the tree outside the theater:

There's a large garden area attached to the park.  Unfortunately, we didn't hit the gardens this time, but we did take a small detour by the waterfall.  All the animals are made of Legos.

This is the second Christmas tree.  It was really cute lit up at night.

The park closed at seven, which worked out perfect for our family because we had a 40-minute drive to Lake Buena Vista.  We didn't go to any of the Disney parks, but we're more comfortable on that side of Orlando (plus I found a great deal on a hotel).

We surprised Max the next day with a trip to Dave & Buster's.  We had lunch and then spent the afternoon playing games.

Max and the boys played a group Pac-Man game and then tested their skills on a racing game...

And since we were in town, we made a side-trip to Downtown Disney.  Of course, we hit the Lego store.  They've added some new Lego sculptures outside.  I enjoyed the Snow White display:

And one last one with the Lego dragon.  We also hit the Disney store...it's become tradition to grab some of the Goofy Cherry Sours when we're in Orlando.  I also scored some popsicle molds.  Now I need to do some pinterest-searching for homemade popsicle recipes.  :)

In the three-and-a-half years we've lived in south Georgia, we've yet to hit a beach.  Orlando we've done five times.  It's all about priorities.  :)

Happy 36th Baby!  I love you Max!

December 2011

It's a new year and all that, and one of my resolutions is to start blogging again.  I like having these memories recorded, and I'm going to really make an effort to stay dedicated.

With that said, here's a small recap of December 2011.

We started out the month by getting the boys the Lego Advent Calendar.  They were really organized and took turns opening a box each day.  I'd take a picture of the finished product, but the pieces are spread out among the boys' bedrooms now.

Rumor has it that my husband has already bought a Lego Star Wars advent calendar for himself for next year. ;)

Moving along, we also visited Wild Adventures.  I'll be honest, I wasn't as impressed with their Christmas program/display this year as in seasons past.  I'll chalk this one up to the economy and hope that next year is better.  Wild Adventures did have the s'mores station set up again...and of course, we had to stop.  I mean, who doesn't like overpriced chocolate-covered graham crackers and marshmallows?

We also baked.  And baked.  And baked some more.  And then we made candy.  Lots of chocolate went through my kitchen this year.  Unfortunately, the only pictures are of some snickerdoodles.  I think I was so traumatized by spending 8 hours (and I really wish that was an exaggeration) making chocolate covered pretzels and oreo truffles that I just couldn't stand the sight of chocolate.  Thankfully, that passed after a few hours, but I still forgot to take pictures.


Back to the snickerdoodles though.  We made about 5 batches of snickerdoodles last month.  Most of those were for a church event, but the boys still went through their fair share.  My family has a thing for cinnamon.  You should see my pantry.  Seriously.

Dad had back surgery to fix a nasty herniated disc.  After a couple weeks, he got the go-ahead from the doctor to make the trip to Georgia.  So Mom and Dad had two weeks at their house down here.  Mom, who attracts bees/wasps/yellow-jackets/anything-with-a-stinger got stung the first day down.  This is her about 10 minutes post-sting.  About 30 minutes post-sting, she called me to take her to the ER.  It's never boring in our family.

In between the sting and the ER trip, we took some pictures for our Christmas cards, which are still sitting on my kitchen counter.  One day...

Fast-forward a week, and Will left cookies and milk for Santa.  I find it amusing that Will chose the diabetic portion plate for Santa's cookies.  On a side-note, the entire mantle is full of snowmen (no, we haven't put our Christmas stuff away yet).  Snowmen make me smile...Max, not so much.  So they've been relegated to the mantle and hutch in the kitchen.  It's all about compromise.

Our tree Christmas morning.  We bought our tree to fit in our rental with 8-foot ceilings.  In the new house, we have 10-foot ceilings.  'Nuff said.  It's truly not so puny in person.  :)

Andrew's pile of gifts Christmas morning.  He got lots and lots of Trio sets.  We now have the entire Trio western town set up in our living room.  yee-haw.

 Will told us the only thing he wanted for Christmas was the K'nex Mario Kart set.  He got 3 sets plus the expansion between Max and me, my Mom, and my sister.  He was a happy camper.  The cars can be battery powered, and have quite a bit of go.  Just ask our cat.

Christian had an awesome Christmas.  He got a Nintendo ds.  He really, really, REALLY wanted a ds.  

Max and I had a good Christmas as well, we're just not captured on camera (except for a stray arm or leg).  I really need to work on that.

Next, up...our New Year's trip.

Our new home...

We've been renting for a while, and I've been monitoring the local real estate listings for longer than I care to admit, but finally, we found a house. This house wasn't even on my radar because of the price; then, in early July, the seller made a huge price reduction. I made Max drive past it as we were out running errands, but we didn't get our hopes up because we needed a lease/purchase home and had a feeling this one would be sold in 2 or 3 days. Fast forward 3 weeks later, and the house was still on the market. I made a call to the agent, found out the seller was agreeable to a lease/purchase, and we made our first visit. Three weeks later, the final contract was signed.

This home is our favorite floor plan (and trust me, we've seen a ton of floor plans): a split 2/2 with 2 bedrooms sharing a jack-and-jill bathroom and the third child's bedroom next to a third full bath. The kitchen is huge - there's even an extra "nook" space that we are thinking will be an office or library space...I'm still deciding. The yard's not huge, but the backyard is private, and there's plenty of space for tossing a football or getting on a mean game of bocce. :)

We love the extra bonuses in the neighborhood - a community playground, pool, and tennis courts, not to mention the golf course. Not that my husband would be swayed by an 18-hole golf course down the road. ;)

the new house from Dawn Hopkins on Vimeo.

Considering where we were less than 2 years ago, this is such an amazing blessing. God has been so faithful to us, and He really has blessed us beyond what we ever expected.

Now, I'm off to homeschool and then pack. In the next five weeks, I need to craigslist some furniture, pack the house, go on vacation (yay!), move, and then have surgery. The vacation, which was planned months ago, is our breathing time (thank you, Mom and Dad, for having a timeshare!).

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. --Romans 15:13

Menu Plans to Share...

I really, really need to be a better blogger. Five months between posts is just embarrassing. I've got pictures to upload and memories to share, but I just haven't made the time to sit down and post. It's on the to-do list. :) In an effort to simplify things in our house (ha!), I've decided to start menu-planning a week or two ahead of time. Since Word is my buddy (I didn't completely ditch Microsoft when I got the iMac), I made a some menu plans, and saved them to pdf so I could share. Feel free to download and print if you'd like. Menu Plan Green Menu Plan Black Menu Plan Red And by the way, the "Location" heading is so I can fill in which book or website the recipe came from. I have the memory of a gnat, and I need all the help I can get. ;)

Happy Valentine's Day!

I've been thinking about this post for a little while now, so here goes...

First off, I am so absolutely, incredibly thankful that God gave me Max. He is my best friend, and I genuinely like being around him. We've said more than once that we could be together 24/7 and still get along, and it's true. That's not to say that we don't ever fight or just plain get on each other's nerves...we do. Especially when Max chews his ice cream. Or I fall asleep and leave the bedside lamp on. All night.

But, at the end of the day, we both know that the other one is there - no matter what. Marriage is not easy - there are a lot of adjustments and compromises that need to take place - but it is so worth it. I know that no matter how cranky or unloveable I act, Max loves me. And he knows that even when he's at his grumpiest, I love him. It's not a question in our minds. We made a commitment to each other before God that we are in this for life. And we didn't make that commitment lightly.

Some pretty major things happened to our family this past year and a half...things that break up some marriages. But I can honestly say that our relationship is stronger now than ever. When I was at my weakest, Max stood by me in a way that I've never seen before. And for that I am eternally grateful.

He lets me vent to him about work and politics and injustice. He makes me laugh even when I'm mad. He knows just when I need a hug. He thinks I'm beautiful. He loves God. He is an incredibly hard worker. He is an amazing Daddy to our three boys. He's my husband, and there's absolutely no one else in this world I'd want to spend my life with.

I love you, Max. Happy Valentine's Day.

Laryngitis is not my friend...

It all started with a sore throat last Monday...and it went downhill from there. Tuesday I woke up with laryngitis, and my poor voice hasn't come back yet. (yuck.)

So, we've had a pretty low-key week, mostly hanging out around the house. I think even my homebody boys are starting to get cabin fever. I'm hoping this week will provide us some opportunities to visit the park.

I did pull out the paints and create a little wall-hanging for Andrew's room. Max says it looks like it was painted by a 4th-grader, but that's sort of the point. Plus, it was my first attempt at painting more than chipboard or a solid color background. Christian wants a construction vehicle for his painting, but I'm thinking I may try a little mixed media for him. I'm feeling brave! ;)



The boys did help me bake this week. I'm beginning to think they only offer to help so they can do clean-up (see video below). :)

(My voice is better now than it was on the video, but it's still kinda pathetic.)

Last week in January...what???

Maybe it's just me, but January really seems to be speeding this year. It feels like we were just celebrating Max's birthday, and it's already time to start planning for Valentine's Day and Christian's big day (of course, my poor Leap Year baby doesn't get his "real" birthday until next year).

And speaking of Christian (nice segue, eh?), he had a blast playing with a pit bull puppy this weekend. We just had a little house built over our well (we've had major issues with our water freezing - not fun). On Saturday, the guy who was building the well brought his puppy for some socialization. And of course, the boys were more than happy to oblige. ;)



Christian is very much like me and loves animals. This little puppy is a sweetie and he followed Christian around the yard. We have Oreo the cat, but he really wants a dog...hopefully after we move.



On a totally different note, today we made playdough - and I still have the food coloring stains on my fingers to prove it!



Andrew showing off his blue coloring.



My Will...



Andrew's "grumpy" face:

Don't those F's look good? :)

And my little stinker about 30 seconds after the previous pic...yes, he's trouble! ;)

As part of Max's 35th birthday celebration, we took the boys down to Jacksonville for the Winter Jam concert this past weekend. Will, of course, was in heaven...he has not-so-secret plans to be a drummer (and just doesn't understand why Max and I won't buy him a drum set!). Christian wasn't so into it; he kept asking if it was time to go home yet. And Andrew had his moments. He wasn't so into the first band, Red, as evidenced by this picture:



However, it got better for him...he was dancing once David Crowder came on the scene. By the middle of the Newsboys though, he was sound asleep. Only a little one could sleep at 100+ decibels!

I had the hardest time getting a picture of Will - this is my best shot and he looks like a deer in headlights!



Will played air guitar and air drums and danced and waved his arms and had a great time. Unfortunately, it was too dark at our seats to get a decent picture. But I hold his joy in my heart...it really is remarkable to see the change that comes over him when he's surrounded by music.

I was excited about Francesca Battistelli (love her new music!):



And who doesn't like David Crowder?



Max really enjoyed Kutless:



And of course the Newsboys:



They did a meet & greet after the show, but the line was so long and the boys were so tired, we didn't go through. I did manage to catch a picture (notice the kinda scary looking security guard):



And finally, just because I didn't get a decent picture of my Christian at the show:



I seriously love this kid!

Our next concert is tobymac in April...just so happens to be on Andrew's birthday. :) I ordered our tickets this week (15th row center). Will is ecstatic - he's already counting down!

I started the new quarter at work. I'm still on my hybrid/online course schedule - and I'm very thankful to my dean who allows me to only come in once a week. It's been such a blessing to be home with the boys and still bring in a paycheck each month.

Max and I are working to build a house later this year (unless our dream home comes on the market very soon, but 5 bedroom houses seem to be in very short supply in south GA). Right now I'm doing a slow purge of this house, going through and deep-cleaning/sorting/tossing all our stuff. And then I get embarassed that we have so much stuff...seriously not necessary. But I'm working on it.

And now I need to make a late breakfast for my boys. Their late-night chat fest last night made for a late morning. :)

Happy 2011!

I'm not so much into resolutions, but I'm definitely hoping to be a better blogger this year. Part of the reason is entirely selfish though...I've been slowly re-arranging several rooms of the house. Possibly the most cluttered space is my scraproom (eek!). I've got paper and embellishments all over the place. So, I'm challenging myself to create 100 projects before buying anything new (except adhesive). (Now, where's my "thud" emoticon when I need it?)

I'm putting it out on my blog as a way to hold myself accountable as my self-control is pretty pathetic. And with CHA around the corner, all those emails with sales and new releases are VERY tempting. ;)

Right now, I'm in the midst of re-organizing the scraproom. I just got a new bookcase that will be replacing a large table (that's not serving any purpose but to hold a couple baskets). Max is going to cut the legs of the table in half and we're re-purposing it as a table for the boys. It's a win-win! ;)

For now, though I'll share some pics of the boys. We didn't get too many pictures right around Christmas because all three of my guys caught that nasty bug that's been going around. Christian held off the longest, and he's almost over it - just a bit of the sniffles left.

I tried - really, really tried - to get a nice picture of the three of them in front of the fireplace, but Andrew just was not cooperating. So, here's part one and two:

Fast forward to New Year's Eve...we ended up having a family sleepover in the living room. Christian and Andrew were on the couch and love seat, while Will, Max, and I were on sleeping bags on the floor. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of our indoor camping site, I (strangely enough) got a pic of our last dinner in 2010:

And really, who can resist breakfast for dinner?

Christian lost his first tooth of the new year. He's been wiggling it for a while, and it finally came out during dinner. :)

He's holding the tooth (the part of the photo that's in color), but it's really hard to see in the picture.

Yesterday was Max's 35th Birthday! I love my husband so much, like ridiculously so, and enjoyed spending his special day with him (he got off work for a mini-vacation...sweet!). We're taking the boys to a concert next (www.jamtour.com) as his "present".

And, finally, today we visited Chick-fil-A in the morning for our free spicy chicken biscuits (super yummy!), hit Chancy Drugs at lunch for free hot dogs and chips, and visited a couple parks in between.

At the first park, we took a nice walk and spotted the Hahira Fire Department cleaning their trucks. As they were leaving, the fire fighters tooted their horns for the boys. :)

We only had a short stay at park number 2, as Andrew decided to go down a slide and land in a puddle of water (there's a reason we call him "Trouble"!). I did catch this photo of him riding what he dubbed the "Bumble Bee Train". He keeps us hopping, that one.

It's been a busy 4 days already, and I'm hoping and praying that 2011 holds only the best!

Scrap Gal New Blog Contest

The Scrap Gal ladies just started a new blog and are having a contest to go along with the new blog. Between now and November 6th, stop by the blog and become a follower for your chance to win this fantastic prize:

Dying lace...

There was a question posed on the Scrapbook Express forums about dying lace. It just so happens that I had some lace that needed to be dyed for a little home decor Halloween-themed project I'm making.

All you need is some shimmer spray (I'm using Shimmerz Spritz in Licorice), your lace, and something to catch the extra spray (a cardboard box works great!).


Now, for the fun part. Spray liberally. I mopped up any extra spray with the lace.

And a close-up of the end result. It turned the lace a nice vintage gray color - you can even catch a bit of the shimmer in the photo.

As my 4-year-old would say, easy-peasy. :)

Have a great one!

Scrapbook Get-Away Blog Hop!

The Scrapbook Get-Away is having a blog hop next weekend in celebration of their first birthday! There will be RAK's and a prize, so come join the Get-Away gals on August 19-22!

Some new(er) layouts...

Right now I'm in the middle of organizing my acrylic stamps. It's taken much longer than anticipated, but I think it's going to make my life easier once the process is done (I hope!). I'm really trying to get organized and simplified...unfortunately, it takes a while when you've got a lot of stuff! ;)

One more thing, you need to stop by Top Shelf Memories. Taryn has all her past kits (plus some other goodies) on sale 50% off!!! And shipping is really reasonable (flat rate $5) and super fast! I got a package today with the three kits I ordered a few days ago. Very happy mail! ;)

I've been a busy girl lately...

We started our summer quarter at work two weeks ago, and it's been crazy! With the merger, and our high numbers, we've been hopping. I seriously spent every night the first week just recovering from my day. This past week has been so much better thankfully, and now I only have 43 days until the end of the quarter - not that we're counting or anything ;).

I'm still in the Camp Friendzy competition over at http://www.scrap-friendzy.com/. There is a fantastic group of ladies over there, and I encourage anyone who scraps to stop by and visit. It's such an encouraging place, and the best part - it's drama-free!

I'll upload a few newer layouts once I switch them from one computer to another, but this is my layout for this week's challenge. We just had to tie something on our layout. I pulled out my baker's twine and went to town!



I used papers from the Pebbles Tree House line - it's adorable!

Now I'm off to clean the house. It amazes me the mess that accumulates while Max and I are working during the week.

Before I go, though, a big Happy Birthday to my Dad! We love you!

A new scrappy home...

After Scrap Diner closed, I've been looking for a new scrappy home on the web. And I think I've found it! I saw a contest for www.scrap-friendzy.com advertised on www.scrapbookcalls.typepad.com and decided to check it out. Good move! What a fantastic, friendly group of ladies! I've felt so welcomed and so "at home"...I've even scrapped for the first time in months!

So, for any of my scrappy friends, I strongly encourage you to check them out. Camp Friendzy is taking place right now - and there's still time to sign up! Just tell them Dawn sent you! ;)

I'm off to work on another challenge!

Home today...

I'm doing a rare thing...staying home today. I caught a little stomach bug yesterday evening, but thankfully I'm starting to feel better. I have to admit, I'm enjoying the extra time with the boys, even if I'm not at 100%. Cuddling and watching dvd's is always a good thing. ;)

I made a fun scrappy discovery today. I was catching up with emails and some sites I had bookmarked, and I found out that Top Shelf Memories is having a launch party on their blog. I'm personally giving the sketch challenge a try...I need a push to start scrapbooking again! Definitely check it out - they're having a great sale in the store as well!

Before I close, I thought I'd share a couple pictures from the past week.

First up, muffins...we made chocolate chip, strawberry, and blueberry muffins this weekend. Yum!



Next up is the jumbo-lego mini golf course that Will created in the playroom. That boy is super talented!



And lastly, here's Christian feeding one of the horses next door. I'm not sure if I'll ever get tired of looking out the window and seeing horses at the fence...and the boys have definitely made some four-legged friends!

Have a great Wednesday! God Bless!

Saving money is good...

We're trying to be more frugal (not an easy task for me) and have decided to start using coupons. I used to be a great sale/coupon shopper, but got out of the habit. With the help of the Southern Savers website, I embarked on grocery shopping trips to Publix and Winn-Dixie, coupons and sales flyers in hand. I stocked up big-time...we were over-flowing the back storage area of the van. In the end, I spent $190, but I saved $155! Math nerd that I am, I had to figure out the percentage - 44% off the grocery bill! Besides milk, we're now stocked for at least two weeks.

For Mother's Day, Max let me go on a little scrapbook shopping spree at Scrapbook Chicks. They happen to be having some fantastic sales running right now. I bought over $60 worth of product for $35 (including shipping)!

Moral of the story...saving money feels really good!

A season of change...

I feel like I've lost the entire month of April. Working full-time has been hard on me and the entire family. I'm so thankful I'll have a few weeks at the end of this quarter to spend at home with my boys. I miss them so much every day; it's hard to walk out that door and leave them behind.

Fridays are my favorite. I only have a half-day at work, then a full weekend at home with my guys. Makes Momma happy. :)

Things have been so busy with work that I still don't have the scrap-room unpacked and organized. It's sad really, as we've been in the house since February. I'm making it a priority to get that room finished because I need to start creating again. I've got so many ideas in my head that I really want to get out - plus it's just plain fun to play with paper and paint, not to mention all the embellies floating around! I've decided to commit to submitting to some mags and really putting forth effort into my scrapbooking. I have a couple ideas up my sleeve and want to move forward with them.

Before I close, I want to share a couple pics of Will and Christian. We recently had a visit with "Flat Tyler" and the boys took some pics with him in the yard. I have to say, I'm still a little blown away by the fact that we can pet horses from our backyard. Living in the country makes me very happy!





By the way, that's Max mowing the lawn in the backyard. That riding mower was our 10-year anniversary present. We're so romantic (insert eye-roll here!).

P.S. I got an email today from Vocalpoint...Pampers is giving away samples of their new Dry Max Cruisers. Just follow this link! You must be a Vocalpoint member to get the diapers, but the sign-up process is super quick!

Last night was amazing...

Will and I went to see Skillet and tobymac down in Tallahassee...such an amazing experience to share with my son. The joy on his face when tobymac took the stage blew me away. I'm super tired today, but it was so worth it.

We actually got the tickets for free (thank you Way-FM ). On a side note, please support your local Christian radio station. I wish I could give more to ours - it's always on in the car. The boys know the words to the songs, and I'm so thankful that we have the opportunity to share "Jesus music" with our children.

Skillet was fantastic! The talent in that band blew me away. Seriously, if you don't know their music, check it out. Their drummer rocks it out - that girl had some skills...wow!

The highlight of Will's night was tobymac...the rest of the concert was just an appetizer for him. His face when tobymac walked up to the platform was priceless - I tried to get a picture but I just couldn't capture the sheer joy on that boy's face. And tobymac did not let us down - that man had such a high-energy, crowd-pumping show that the entire crowd was on their feet! It was awesome! And he sang "Jesus Freak" toward the end, which was pretty cool. I did feel a little old when I realized that the teenagers around me were babies (at best) when the song was released. Yeah.

And as a souvenir, what did my son choose? Not a poster, or stickers, or a hat or t-shirt. No, not Will. He had to have drum sticks. Now he wants to know where he can get a drum set. ;)

Some changes...

I've updated the blog background, and am committing to regularly updating the blog. I need to get my craft room unpacked so I can start creating again. I'm working on opening up an etsy store (it's actually created, I just need to fill it!), and I've got some plans for later this year. I'm hoping for some positive changes in 2010. We're in our wonderful new home, and I'm working on actually being home to enjoy it with the boys.

Right now, I'm focusing on the tobyMac concert I'll be attending with Will later this week and a nice long weekend. :)