Cheers to 50 Years!

What a weekend!!! Back in February Mitch's parents celebrated 50 years of marriage. Well February isn't really the most opportune time to get together. And Tootie wanted a family trip to celebrate. So this weekend we made that happen. We hauled it up to Minnesota on Thursday night and Friday. The girls were excited to get there. Our van went all the way to Florida and back and then to Minnesota and back in the span of 19 days!!! After we arrived on Friday they girls wasted no time. They went straight to the dock for some fishing. Uncle Todd, Aunt Lori, Justin and Mitch did a great job showing them how to bait their hooks with nightcrawlers and how to take the fish off the hook. Obviously I was having none of that. They were loving it and spent a majority of the night with poles in their hands. After Dave and Toot showed up, Grandpa Dave took Leah out and taught her how to drive the boat. I think she loved it.

On Saturday we were up and at'em early. The girls grabbed their poles and Mitch took them out for some fishing...Grandpa took a turn with them too. Then things got really fun. Uncle Todd brought his tubes so they hooked them both up and the kids all took turns out on the water. Grandpa Dave drove the boat a little smoother for our girls than he did for the big kids. We had a bags tournament. Mitch and I weren't too shabby...but ultimately Lori and Bradyn were the winners. Leah even got some time on the skis. I think Mitch was having fun teaching her and he even got up a few times.

Saturday night we had dinner and a small celebration. Lisa did a photo video tribute and we had cake to celebrate. Sunday morning came too soon and we were sad to hit the road but thankful for the memories made. It always goes too fast!

Back to School 2018

Today was the day! We kicked off the new school year and this year will look very different from years past. For the first time in forever, I'm going to school too!

The girls are excited to get back to their schools and their friends. This year everyone is returning to the same building. I have accepted a position covering two different maternity leaves at the Jr. High and High School. I'm excited for the opportunity and I like working with this age of student.

Leah will be in 5th grade with Mrs. Jozwiak, Kiersten will be in 3rd grade with Mrs. Logue and Hattie is starting 1st grade with Mrs. Cravatta. We're all hoping...and know we will have a great year!

Disney Dream Cruise Day 4

Day 4 was crazy, because it was a day at sea as we traveled back to port in Florida. We made the most of it and the girls picked plenty of activities that they wanted to do. Gigi even took all the grandkids to see Christopher Robin. She and Uncle Jeff said it was amazing, best Disney movie yet, so now I need to see it. While they were at the movie, Uncle Matt, Aunt Cynthia, Mitch and I took advantage of the adult only area. Later that afternoon we enjoyed an amazing couples massage.

Dinner the last night was fantastic...and extra special because we got to celebrate Jackson turning 5!!! He was so fun to watch. He got to talk to the turtle Crush on the screen at the Animators Palette and his birthday cake was delicious! After dinner we did NON-Pirate family pics and attendeds The Disney Believe show. It had songs and characters from a variety of Disney films and was narrated by the Genie who did an amazing job. By far, my favorite show of the cruise. It made me cry as it talked about enjoying the fleeting time of childhood. Afterwards we went to the send off party. We said Hi to Minnie Mouse and ended the night with a little karaoke.

It was truly a magical vacation. Everyone was a little sad on Friday when we woke up and had to get moving. I'm not a fan of Disney World, but I would do a Disney Cruise again in a heartbeat! Thanks for the memories, Disney Dream!

Disney Dream Pirate Night

Pirate Night was a hit! We had shirts made for the kids and they looked adorable. Even us grown ups did a good job playing the part. Papa even bought a Mickey Pirate shirt on the island. Dinner at the Royale Palace was great. Papa bought the kids pirate mugs as souvenirs. We went and saw a show with the magician David Gatti and afterwords there was a Pirate Show on the top deck complete with a Disney style Fireworks show. It was a late night, but one the kids won't forget!

Disney Dream Day 3 Castaway Cay

Castaway Cay was amazing!Before we got off the boat, we made one quick pit stop to see our favorite cowboy Woody. The kids had fun trying to see if he had "ANDY" written on the bottom of his boot. Then we headed to the gangway to get off the boat. Right off the bat, getting off the boat we saw lots of characters. We opted to get pics with Stitch and Capt. Jack Sparrow and skipped Mickey and Chip and Dale. We wanted to get to the beach. Mitch had packed his own snorkeling gear. Once Macy heard my kids were snorkeling she wanted to snorkel too. Next thing you know, Matt and Colby were snorkeling too. The girls said they saw some pretty cool fish with black and blue and yellow. Macy saw a rainbow fish and Hattie saw a sea turtle that was bigger than she is. She says that was the best part of the trip. I think Mitch really enjoyed being able to share something he loves with the girls. I wish we had a picture of Hattie in her gear. Mitch was taking her out on her own so he could really help her. They all had a blast. Back on land the kids all had fun with the water slide, but mostly they just wanted to play in the sand. The island did not disappoint. We are ready to go back!