The Magic Kingdom

This was by far the best trip to Disneyland I have ever taken. Seeing Gabe experience all things Disney was incredibly awesome!

We met all of John's family in California and spent four fun filled days at Disneyland and California Adventure. Thanks to Rose, Wayne and family for a great trip!

By the way, I think I took half a million pictures at Disneyland. These are just a few of my favorites . . .

Because of the three hour time change our kids woke up every morning between 4:30 and 5:00 AM. So here we are bright and early waiting for the park to open!

Both our kids loved the carousel rides!

Gabe lovin' the teacups - again and again!

Autopia, a Disney classic.

What Characters!

The Bruce Family, Kolten, John, Gabe, Porter, Mater and Lightning McQueen

I love how Gabe and Aiden are checking out Mater's teeth.

All though we deprived Gabe of several Disneyland experiences like It's a Small World and the Monorail, as parents of a train loving little boy we couldn't leave without taking him for a ride on the Disneyland Railroad. The conductor was cute and hopped out of the engine and stood next to Gabe for the picture we were taking.

Porter having some fun on the Railroad!

By far John's favorite ride was the new Toy Story ride. He and Gabe rode this at least five times. And it definately made Gabe's top three favorite rides!

If you ask Gabe he will most likely tell you that his favorite ride was Dumbo. We all had a great time on this ride, even Porter loved it! Notice Porter holding the magic feather that makes Dumbo fly.

Gabe was a trooper and went on several big rides too. He tried the Matterhorn, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Railroad. They weren't rides he wanted to go on again, but I was proud of him for being a big kid and giving them a try! Here we are on Splash Mountain, my favorite ride!

Grandma Rose had all of the kids faces painted. Gabe wanted to look like Spiderman. Very cool!

And finally, just a few random pics that I love!

And in case you wanted to hear some Disney stories, here are some of the funnies from our trip. I'm sure there are more, but I can't remember them right now. So enjoy these for now.

1. Gabe seeing Darth Vader and calling him Darth Mater. (As in Mater from the Cars movie.)

2. Me yelling at Gabe to watch where he's walking just as I run over a cheerleader's leg with the stroller. Why was she sitting on the ground anyway, aren't cheerleaders supposed to be peppy, enthusiastic and jumpy, not sitting on the ground? So really this was her fault . . .

3. John throwing Porter to save Gabe. When John took Porter out of the stroller before taking Gabe off the top it started to tip and Gabe would have ended up a lot worse off if John had let the stroller fall. So thanks Porter for taking a small hit so Gabe didn't take a big one!

3. And then to top everything off there was the time I confronted some ladies in line at Pirates of the Caribbean. I was totally at fault, Porter and I cut in line to be with our family. They couldn't handle it. I couldn't handle the comments they were making about me while I was in ear shot. I probably totally embarassed my husband in front of his family, but I couldn't help it. I guess we now know what happens when a normally nonconfrontational person spends four sleep deprived days fighting kids and crowds. Eeek! No, really we had a totally awesome trip and can't wait to go back someday for more Disney fun!

Gabe said . . .

Happy Monday everyone! Here's a collection of cute/funny things Gabe has said lately that had to be preserved for posterity's sake. Enjoy.

"Congratulations Mom, you just woke up Porter."

"I'm going to be in a rock band, but not until I'm 4. You have to be 4 years old to be in a rock band."

"Holy Gracious!"

(We think this is a combo of Holy Cow and Goodness Gracious.)

"One, two, buckle my shoe.

Three, four, shut the door.

Five, six, pick up sticks AND FIGHT!"

Gabe: I'm going to Disneyland with my Mom and my brother, his name's Porter.

Dana: Is your Dad going?

Gabe: No, he's sick.

Dana: Maybe you could say a prayer and your Dad will get better so he can go with you.

Gabe: No, that won't work. He needs medicine.

Mom: (very serious) Gabe, do you want a spanking?

Gabe: No, thank you. Oh, and you're welcome!

Mom: Gabe, why didn't you eat all of your cookies?

Gabe: Because I don't like the crust..

Gabe: Can I watch cartoons?

Mom: No, I'm watching the news.

Gabe: Why?

Mom: So I know what happened today.

Gabe: I know what happened. Jesus died.

A Hard Day

Porter's been running a fever the past few days, but today he took a turn for the worse and it was a hard day on the little guy.

Woke up with a fever of 104.8 degrees.

Dry heaving.

Lethargic.

Sleepy.

Not eating and drinking very little.

Had me very worried.

Got him in to see the doctor and they were worried too.

Poor baby had to be catheterized for a urine sample.

They also drew blood samples, gave him an IV, and got a bag of fluid in him.

Thankfully all his tests came back normal, so they think it must be a viral infection.

He still isn't eating, but the fluids sure helped him yesterday. I didn't realize how dehydrated he was. Hopefully, we can keep him hydrated the next few days while the fever runs its course so he doesn't need another IV.

Enjoying some spring weather!

The past three days have been so beautiful, the kids and I have spent every afternoon outside! It's been so nice to be able to play outside again after being cooped up inside all winter! The kids are now enjoying the swing set they got for Christmas and I scored big time today when I bought the Cozy Coupe Car for five dollars!

Wicked

I bought tickets to see Wicked six months ago - six months! It was a real treat to finally see the show last night after waiting in anticipation for so long! We LOVED the show - yes, even John loved it and he was miserable with strep throat! We saw the show with eight other couples and then we all went to dinner afterward at UNO Pizza. Thanks to all our great friends who made it a fantastic night!
And lastly, I have to tell you about my favorite song from the show. I had no idea this song was from Wicked until last night. I will forever associate it with my cousin McKay. Give it a listen, it's a great song. As for my second favorite - it would have to be "Popular" but I'm not going to ruin that one for you . . . go see the show! You won't regret it!

Is that a Snuggie???

I was reading a book to Gabe this week and found it extremely funny to see the characters in the book wearing Snuggies. Really! They were wearing Snuggies! I had to take a picture. Does anyone doubt that those are Snuggies?

And just in case you don't know what a Snuggie is . . . watch this.

The Indianapolis Children's Museum

claims to be the "World's Largest Children's Museum." Well, I believe them! 5 stories of hands on cool stuff for kids, it was too much to see in one day - but we gave it our best! 100% worth the two hour drive!

Look out! Gabe's driving an Indy Race Car!

Bob the Builder Exhibit

No surprise here - Gabe loved watching the electric trains!

Amazing hand blown glass sculpture in the center of the museum.

Chomp! Chomp!

Porter having a ball!

Gabe is always drawn to the computer games . . .

The Kids 2 and Under area - was probably one of my favorite parts of the whole museum because Porter could get out of the stroller and play without me worrying about him getting mauled by older kids. It was a completely enclosed, soft padded play area. Porter loved the mirrors he could see himself in, the different textures he could touch, and the little obstacles he could climb in, on, through, and around!

We loved our fun day at the museum!

Bed & Breakfast

On Wednesday John called me from work and said, "Let's go somewhere this weekend. Let's get away and do something fun!" I would never say no to an offer like that, so we decided to head to Indianapolis Friday night.

On Friday as soon as John got home from work, we loaded the suitcase and kids into the car, and drove all the way to the front of our subdivision where we realized we had a nail in our tire. So we headed over to Midas and waited for our tire to be fixed as the road conditions rapidly deteriorated outside due to an incoming snow storm. After an hour of waiting we hit the road (after hitting Wendy's of course) just in time to leave Dayton in a snowstorm during rush hour traffic. Thankfully we made it to Indianapolis safe and sound - just later and slower than we had planned!

This is the Bed and Breakfast we stayed at.

It looked charming online, but we couldn't believe how old it was when we got there! The floorboards creaked and the all house sloped to one side - it was disturbingly unlevel!

Our room

Spiderman.

Jumping back and forth between the pullout sofa and the bed.

(Reminds me of one of my favorite scenes from the movie Rat Race. Just wait until Porter is old enough to join in!)

Watching a movie before bed.

We forgot Porter's pack-n-play, so he and Gabe shared the pull out sofa bed . . . that was interesting. Gabe slept like a rock and Porter thought it was cool that he could get up and crawl to Mom and Dad for an hour and a half before he finally fell asleep. NOT COOL!

Apparantley really old creaking houses remind me of ghosts. I had nightmares all night long about being chased by ghosts in this house! John said I even howled like a ghost in my sleep a couple of times. I have nightmares frequently at home, but I don't think I have ever actually dreamt about ghosts before. Weird.

The breakfast portion of our Bed and Breakfast.

When I made the reservation "Miss B&B" asked what we wanted for breakfast and asked if my kids would eat pancakes. I said my kids preferred waffles and asked if that would be okay for breakfast. Miss B&B assured me that waffles would be no problem! Here we are waiting for our waffles to be served . . .

. . . Miss B&B served banana crepes for breakfast. Huh? What happened to the waffles? The crepes were good, but I'm still confused about the whole waffle conversation. (Gabe wouldn't eat the crepes.)

R&R

So today has been an incredibly lazy day at our house. I stayed home from church so I could get some sleep and try to knock out a 24 hour headache. John took the kids to church where he noticed Gabe had a fever, so they came home from church. Pretty much we've just spent the day sleeping and vegging out in the front room. Sometimes you need days like today to recoup and
start the week fresh - let's just hope Gabe gets feeling better soon. Poor little guy is not himself.

Gabe vegging on the living room floor - we knew he was sick when he asked me to turn off the movie because he just wanted to sleep : (

Porter getting in on some Leapster action - rare since this is usually attached to Gabe's hip. I love how his tongue is sticking out, like he's concentrating so hard.

Our friends Johnny and Shelby hosted a Japanese dinner at their house last week. One of the things they made were Sushi rolls. John is a hug fan of Sushi so he wanted to learn how to make it at home. So, after watching several YouTube "how to" videos this is the shrimp Sushi I made for dinner tonight. Delish! (Taylor, quit licking your computer screen.)

GABE UPDATE: So before typing this post I gave Gabe a dose of Ibuprofen. While typing he perked up, started talking, playing, and even eating. Up to this point he'd only had grape juice and water, he didn't want to eat anything. We were happy he was feeling better - Ibuprofen works great for fevers! Anyway, Gabe had fun Skyping with Papa and Grammy, Gabe ate a bunch of chocolate chips, had some rice for dinner, and then we put him to bed. Well, he woke up and unfortunately we saw those chocolate chips and his rice again in his bed. Poor kid was so upset that his pillow, bed, and jammies had throw-up all over them. We got him cleaned up and put back to bed. He woke up every two hours all night long, finally at 4AM I let him go downstairs and watch cartoons. That way he only bothered us every 3o minutes (every time a cartoon ended) until 7AM. Glad I caught up on some sleep yesterday because after a long night I have a feeling it's going to be a rough day. Hopefully me and the boys can all take a nap at the same time - that would be awesome! Anyway, Gabe's seems happy right now - Ibuprofen in the blood and a Popsicle for breakfast. Keep your fingers crossed that Porter doesn't get this bug!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Okay, so I have to explain this picture. This is Gabe on Valentine's Day. I fed the kids pancakes for dinner and Gabe got syrup everywhere, so he had to take off his clothes so he didn't get syrup all over the house. He ran around like this for about an hour before we put him in the bathtub and got him ready for bed.

Behold, the power of green!

Green . . . as in veggies . . . as in vegetarian . . . you know, no meat. Just so you do know, I am in no way a vegetarian - I like meat! However, I don't mind eating vegetarian meals and I actually cook quite a few vegetarian meals for my family. So I thought I would share a few of our favorites with you. If you have a vegetarian recipe you love, send it my way, I'd love to give it a try!

Our favorites:

Homemade Veggie Pizza large pizza crust
ranch dressing for pizza sauce
couple handfuls of mozzarella cheese
couple shakes of Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper (if you like spice)
top with sauteed squash, zucchini, onions, and mushrooms
We also add artichoke hearts, Roma tomatoes, olives, and jalapenos.
This pizza is to die for!

Veggie Chowder
My visiting teacher made an awesome Zucchini Chowder and when I made it I couldn't add just zucchini. So I call it Veggie Chowder because I end up adding everything but the kitchen sink to this soup . . . and it's always good!

In a large soup pot saute:
2 zucchini, 1 small chopped onion, 2 T. parsley, 1 tsp. basil, 1/3 cup butter.

Add 1/3 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper.
Add 3 cups chicken stock, 1 tsp. lemon juice.

Add 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can evaporated milk (I just use regular 2 %milk), 1 can corn (drained). Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese and a pinch of sugar.
Heat through and serve.

Fresh Tomato Pasta
so easy, so yummy8 tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped red onion
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
1 lb. angel hair pasta prepared

My favorite Rachael Ray recipe ever!
Spinach-Artichoke Cheesey Tortellini

Click here for the recipe.

And finally the
Super Green Shake
A breakfast favorite!
And after a workout this hits the spot without destroying your diet!
I know it looks gross, but it's super healthy for you and yummy too! I had to post pictures of my kids drinking it because if they will eat it then you know it must be good!
So what's in the green shake?
Put the following in the blender:
Handful of ice cubes
BIG handful of frozen pineapple chunks
1 banana
Scoop of protein powder
Couple gluggs of whatever fruit juice is in the fridge (I usually use apple)
Then fill, and I mean FILL the blender to the top with fresh baby spinach!
Blend away!
You have to try this!

Awesome!

That is the only way I can describe the last two days. Thank you Annette, Lisa, and Megan for such a wonderful time! I loved having you here and will never forget the memories we made these past two days! We worked out, we shopped, we watched a movie, we dined with some really amazing people, we knocked on strangers doors, we chatted, we laughed, we cried, and it was amazingly awesome. Thank you.

Me with my amazing Aunt Annette,

her best friend Lisa Bearnson,

and my beautiful cousin Megan Marie

Lisa with my boys

Megan was so good to Gabe while she was here!

Here he is taking his girl for a drive.