Thursday, March 31, 2011

What's Going On

Here's what's going on in our neck of the woods.
Please pretend to be interested.

  • We made it in the Prosper Press again this week. The boys think we're famous. 
Photobucket
  • The weather has been BEAUTIFUL here lately. Especially on the weekends. This past weekend, Ryan and I spent all day Saturday hanging out with friends at their pool watching a little March Madness and later cooked steaks on the grill. We were determined to eat outside...eventhough the temp dropped about 15 degrees when the sun went down. Yes, I am wearing an Auburn sweatshirt. That's all my friend had. Ryan was not happy.
Photobucket
My husband the Unabomber.

Photobucket
  • Baseball is in full swing here at Casa de Soladay. For real. We have practices and games during the week and a tournament nearly every weekend. If I didn't keep a calendar, I would be lost. Ryan tries to get me to keep all my dates in my phone, but I'm old school. I have to have an actual calendar that I can write on. Arcaic. I know. Am I the only one that still uses an actual calender?
Photobucket
  • We decided to sign another year lease on our house. The plan was to buy after 1 year, but the people renting our lease house needed a little longer to build up their credit in order to buy house, and we need them to buy our house so we can buy the kind of house we really want to buy. We LOVE the home we're renting, but after living in it for awhile, we have realized that we need 1 more bedroom, and a 3 car garage is a must. All we know right now is that we're definitely staying in Prosper (preferrably in the same neighborhood), but haven't decided if we want to buy an existing house or buy a lot and build. Here's to another year of renting!
  • I have been consummed with planning the golf tournament. I want everything to be perfect. I want Ed to be proud. The response has been overwhelming. I have even received emails from people in New York wanting information. Just goes to show how loved Ed is. On a side note, when we were at the funeral home in New York, the funeral director told us that he and his wife had lost their son in a car accident when he was very young and in order to keep his memory alive, they light a candle in rememberance of him everytime their family gets together. Carol and I loved the idea, so when she was recently in town, I suprised her with our own memory candle. We let it burn all evening long. The candleholder and sand have sentamental value as it was used to hold Ryan's and my unity candle at our wedding, a time when Ed was with us. Sometimes after the boys go to bed, Ryan and I light it and just sit on the couch and talk about Ed. Miss him so much. It still doesn't seem real.
Photobucket

That's it, my friends.
I hope you had a wonderful Thursday,
and have a fantastic weekend!!!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Spring Break 2011!

Spring break was a blast.
I have been trying to put this post together for awhile now,
but Blogger has been giving me issues when adding pictures, and let's face it,
no one wants to read a boring post about someones awesome vacation without seeing the pics.
You know I'm right.
I was finally forced to add them via Photobucket.
Let's see if it works.
Hang on, friends, there are LOTS of pics.

Boarding the boat!
Let the fun begin!!
Photobucket
The first thing we did was check out our rooms.
The boys shared a room, and Ryan and I had the adjoining room next door.
Perfect arrangement.
Preston and Trysten loved their balcony.
Check out T's bling.
He won it in the arcade on the boat promptly after boarding
and wore it every single day.
Awesome.
 Photobucket
The first 2 days were spent at sea,
so we took advantage of all the ship had to offer.
The pool was fantastic.
Ashylnn and Trysten were inseparable for the majority of the trip!
Photobucket
I kinda like her too. =)
Photobucket
Our little devil
Photobucket
I heart my brother and sister!
Photobucket
The kids also loved the ice skating rink.
Photobucket
Especially Carter who spent a lot of time on the ice...I mean REALLY on the ice.
             
Can't forget the in line skating.
That would be The Teenager in the Rangers hat and sunglasses.
Shocker.
I think they are permanently attached to his head lately.
Photobucket
Silly Carter!
Photobucket
Carter's in line skating skills closely resembled his ice skating skills.
Hey, at least the kid tried.
Best of all, he had fun!
           
Can't forget the rock wall which was T's personal favorite,
although we didn't get a pic of him on it.
Fail.
Photobucket
Remember the arcade I mentioned earlier?
It was on the very top of the ship along with a whole area dedicated to teenagers.
Photobucket
What would a cruise be without miniature golf?
How handsome are these 2!?
And how about that backdrop!
Photobucket
The kids spent A LOT of time hanging out
with Mimi and Grandaddy in their room.
My parents ate it up...so did the kids!
One of the best parts of the trip was seeing all the cousins bonding.
Photobucket
Photobucket
Every night we had the option to eat in the formal dining room,
but with 9 kids in tow, we decided not to subject all the innocent
guests to our crew of clowns night after night
and opted to eat at other places aboard the boat like Johnny Rockets.
Our first night in the formal dining room.
Photobucket
Father and son.
It was fun to see the boys all dressed up.
Photobucket
My sister and her sweet family.
Somehow I managed not to get one single pic of my brother's family all together.
Bad sister.
Photobucket
On the menu for our last night in the formal dining room...LOBSTER!!
Photobucket
Lobster just so happens to be Trysten's favorite thing to eat...with melted butter of course!
Eat up, boys!
Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket
Every night after dinner,
we'd rush back to the room for the boys to change
and to see what creation our stateroom attendant had made for us.
These aren't your average swans made out of towels, friends.
Prepare yourself.
Photobucket

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Impressive, I know.

 Now, on to the ports!
Cozumel was our first stop, but we chose not to get off the boat.
The kids wanted to stay on and play, and with all the dangerous press that Mexico has received lately,
we decided to opt out since we had the kids.
It was beautiful though, and the weather was PERFECT.
Photobucket
Photobucket
The next day was The Grand Caymans,
and it did not disappoint!
I took a picture of our ship from the smaller tender that took us to land.
Check out the size of our ship compared to the 2 Carnival ships next to us!
Photobucket
The fam on the beautiful beach!
Photobucket
Sweet boys on the beach!
Photobucket
Photobucket
The boys after a $100 lunch.
Seriously.
$100.
Getting off the boat cost us over $300.
But....it was so worth it.
Austin, whatever you do, do NOT smile.
Photobucket
That night while we were getting ready for dinner,
these arrived at our door:
Photobucket
With this:
Damn I'm lucky.
The man is awesome.
PhotobucketThe next day was our last stop
JAMAICA
Let me start by saying that this place is crazy.
Photobucket
Where else can you see a donkey wearing this:
Photobucket
and this:
Photobucket
Yep.
Only in Jamaica, mon!

Checkout Bob Marley's long lost cousin on the right.
Love it.
Photobucket
Come back again, mon!
Photobucket
The last night on the boat,
we said goodbye to some of our favorites:
Herb, our waiter in the dining room, who was from Honduras
Photobucket
Fransisco, our stateroom attendant, who was from the Philippines
Photobucket
and Ash, our favorite bartender, who was from a small island between Australia and Madagascar
Photobucket

The next morning came early,
and the kids were not ready to leave.
We love you, Voyager of the Seas!
Photobucket
"Sea" you next time!
Photobucket
This is what our laundry room looked like after returning home from the cruise.
Totally worth it.
Photobucket

I cannot end this post without thanking my incredible parents.
Thank you both for such a fantastic trip full of memories to last a lifetime.
We are so blessed.
We love you, Mimi and Grandaddy!
Photobucket

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Thursday, March 31, 2011

What's Going On

Here's what's going on in our neck of the woods.
Please pretend to be interested.

  • We made it in the Prosper Press again this week. The boys think we're famous. 
Photobucket
  • The weather has been BEAUTIFUL here lately. Especially on the weekends. This past weekend, Ryan and I spent all day Saturday hanging out with friends at their pool watching a little March Madness and later cooked steaks on the grill. We were determined to eat outside...eventhough the temp dropped about 15 degrees when the sun went down. Yes, I am wearing an Auburn sweatshirt. That's all my friend had. Ryan was not happy.
Photobucket
My husband the Unabomber.

Photobucket
  • Baseball is in full swing here at Casa de Soladay. For real. We have practices and games during the week and a tournament nearly every weekend. If I didn't keep a calendar, I would be lost. Ryan tries to get me to keep all my dates in my phone, but I'm old school. I have to have an actual calendar that I can write on. Arcaic. I know. Am I the only one that still uses an actual calender?
Photobucket
  • We decided to sign another year lease on our house. The plan was to buy after 1 year, but the people renting our lease house needed a little longer to build up their credit in order to buy house, and we need them to buy our house so we can buy the kind of house we really want to buy. We LOVE the home we're renting, but after living in it for awhile, we have realized that we need 1 more bedroom, and a 3 car garage is a must. All we know right now is that we're definitely staying in Prosper (preferrably in the same neighborhood), but haven't decided if we want to buy an existing house or buy a lot and build. Here's to another year of renting!
  • I have been consummed with planning the golf tournament. I want everything to be perfect. I want Ed to be proud. The response has been overwhelming. I have even received emails from people in New York wanting information. Just goes to show how loved Ed is. On a side note, when we were at the funeral home in New York, the funeral director told us that he and his wife had lost their son in a car accident when he was very young and in order to keep his memory alive, they light a candle in rememberance of him everytime their family gets together. Carol and I loved the idea, so when she was recently in town, I suprised her with our own memory candle. We let it burn all evening long. The candleholder and sand have sentamental value as it was used to hold Ryan's and my unity candle at our wedding, a time when Ed was with us. Sometimes after the boys go to bed, Ryan and I light it and just sit on the couch and talk about Ed. Miss him so much. It still doesn't seem real.
Photobucket

That's it, my friends.
I hope you had a wonderful Thursday,
and have a fantastic weekend!!!

Monday, March 28, 2011

Spring Break 2011!

Spring break was a blast.
I have been trying to put this post together for awhile now,
but Blogger has been giving me issues when adding pictures, and let's face it,
no one wants to read a boring post about someones awesome vacation without seeing the pics.
You know I'm right.
I was finally forced to add them via Photobucket.
Let's see if it works.
Hang on, friends, there are LOTS of pics.

Boarding the boat!
Let the fun begin!!
Photobucket
The first thing we did was check out our rooms.
The boys shared a room, and Ryan and I had the adjoining room next door.
Perfect arrangement.
Preston and Trysten loved their balcony.
Check out T's bling.
He won it in the arcade on the boat promptly after boarding
and wore it every single day.
Awesome.
 Photobucket
The first 2 days were spent at sea,
so we took advantage of all the ship had to offer.
The pool was fantastic.
Ashylnn and Trysten were inseparable for the majority of the trip!
Photobucket
I kinda like her too. =)
Photobucket
Our little devil
Photobucket
I heart my brother and sister!
Photobucket
The kids also loved the ice skating rink.
Photobucket
Especially Carter who spent a lot of time on the ice...I mean REALLY on the ice.
             
Can't forget the in line skating.
That would be The Teenager in the Rangers hat and sunglasses.
Shocker.
I think they are permanently attached to his head lately.
Photobucket
Silly Carter!
Photobucket
Carter's in line skating skills closely resembled his ice skating skills.
Hey, at least the kid tried.
Best of all, he had fun!
           
Can't forget the rock wall which was T's personal favorite,
although we didn't get a pic of him on it.
Fail.
Photobucket
Remember the arcade I mentioned earlier?
It was on the very top of the ship along with a whole area dedicated to teenagers.
Photobucket
What would a cruise be without miniature golf?
How handsome are these 2!?
And how about that backdrop!
Photobucket
The kids spent A LOT of time hanging out
with Mimi and Grandaddy in their room.
My parents ate it up...so did the kids!
One of the best parts of the trip was seeing all the cousins bonding.
Photobucket
Photobucket
Every night we had the option to eat in the formal dining room,
but with 9 kids in tow, we decided not to subject all the innocent
guests to our crew of clowns night after night
and opted to eat at other places aboard the boat like Johnny Rockets.
Our first night in the formal dining room.
Photobucket
Father and son.
It was fun to see the boys all dressed up.
Photobucket
My sister and her sweet family.
Somehow I managed not to get one single pic of my brother's family all together.
Bad sister.
Photobucket
On the menu for our last night in the formal dining room...LOBSTER!!
Photobucket
Lobster just so happens to be Trysten's favorite thing to eat...with melted butter of course!
Eat up, boys!
Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket
Every night after dinner,
we'd rush back to the room for the boys to change
and to see what creation our stateroom attendant had made for us.
These aren't your average swans made out of towels, friends.
Prepare yourself.
Photobucket

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Impressive, I know.

 Now, on to the ports!
Cozumel was our first stop, but we chose not to get off the boat.
The kids wanted to stay on and play, and with all the dangerous press that Mexico has received lately,
we decided to opt out since we had the kids.
It was beautiful though, and the weather was PERFECT.
Photobucket
Photobucket
The next day was The Grand Caymans,
and it did not disappoint!
I took a picture of our ship from the smaller tender that took us to land.
Check out the size of our ship compared to the 2 Carnival ships next to us!
Photobucket
The fam on the beautiful beach!
Photobucket
Sweet boys on the beach!
Photobucket
Photobucket
The boys after a $100 lunch.
Seriously.
$100.
Getting off the boat cost us over $300.
But....it was so worth it.
Austin, whatever you do, do NOT smile.
Photobucket
That night while we were getting ready for dinner,
these arrived at our door:
Photobucket
With this:
Damn I'm lucky.
The man is awesome.
PhotobucketThe next day was our last stop
JAMAICA
Let me start by saying that this place is crazy.
Photobucket
Where else can you see a donkey wearing this:
Photobucket
and this:
Photobucket
Yep.
Only in Jamaica, mon!

Checkout Bob Marley's long lost cousin on the right.
Love it.
Photobucket
Come back again, mon!
Photobucket
The last night on the boat,
we said goodbye to some of our favorites:
Herb, our waiter in the dining room, who was from Honduras
Photobucket
Fransisco, our stateroom attendant, who was from the Philippines
Photobucket
and Ash, our favorite bartender, who was from a small island between Australia and Madagascar
Photobucket

The next morning came early,
and the kids were not ready to leave.
We love you, Voyager of the Seas!
Photobucket
"Sea" you next time!
Photobucket
This is what our laundry room looked like after returning home from the cruise.
Totally worth it.
Photobucket

I cannot end this post without thanking my incredible parents.
Thank you both for such a fantastic trip full of memories to last a lifetime.
We are so blessed.
We love you, Mimi and Grandaddy!
Photobucket