march madness!!!

i know, i know. you are probably shocked to be reading this, figuring that i havent posted in almost a month.

i just got into a habit of not posting anything and just doing other things instead. so i am here today to catch you all up on our family and our adventures.

i have finished all the harry potter books. boy, were they great!!! it was really tough to put them down once i got into them. now i kind of miss them. i had been renting the movies after i watched each book, so i could see how the movie compared to the book. once i finished the last book, i realized that the last movie hasnt even come out yet. i did some research and found out the last book is being divided into two movies, part I and part II. they will be released in november of this year and july of next.

i will be like one of those little kids dying to see the movies as soon as they come out.

i made some valentines day treats this year for the kids and jj’s teacher. they both turned out great. i made coffee sugar cookies and cake pops. they both were huge hits. in case you were wondering, i got the recipes here and here.

last saturday, jesse had his first conference. he has been invited to speak at different conferences and meetings throughout the past year, but this one was all his. he was sponsored and promoted by larry bell. he gave school administration and teachers all great information on how to boost their test scores and how it worked for his school.

the bad part, was that he got sick right before he left. he made it through the day, but was exhausted afterward. he did such a good job and i am very proud of him and how hard he worked on the presentation. good job babe!!!

while jesse was recovering at home on sunday, my mom and i took the kids to disneyland. we hadnt been in a couple months and since we have passes, we like to go every so often. this trip was a HUGE milestone for us. i was determined that since ellie will be 4 this month, that she doesnt need a stroller anymore. she is a big girl now. so i didnt bring it. she did complain a little bit and i did hold her a couple of times, but overall she did great. she also grew a couple inches since our last visit too. she is over 40”, which means she can go on a lot more rides.

we got there in the morning, and bee lined it for the haunted mansion (5 min. wait) and then went on pirates of the caribbean (5 min. wait). afterward, i was trying to convince jj to go on big thunder mtn railroad with me, but he refused. ellie on the other hand was all for it. once i started to get in line, i asked jj once more if he wanted to go and he gave in. so here we are a party of 4 for an actual rollercoaster. i couldnt believe it. he was completely terrified and excited all in one. once it started he held on super tight and made it out in one piece. so did ellie. she is by far the tougher of the two. as we were walking out of the exit, jj says to me, my heart is beating so fast and its hard to breathe. i tell him he will be ok, but to take deep breaths. i ask if he ever wants to go on that ride ever again, his response was a flat out NO! at least now he can truly say he doesnt like it.

for lunch we were able to get a table at the elusive restaurant, the blue bayou. if you have ever been to disneyland, you know this restaurant. its the one that overlooks pirates of the caribbean. you eat in the dark by candlelight. for years, probably decades, my mom and i have wanted and tried to get a table here, but they are always booked for the day. they said if we came back at opening time, we could get a table and sure enough we did!!!

the kids meals were steak, salmon, chicken or fancy mac and cheese. they both chose salmon. ellie because it was fish and jj because its the same thing that bears eat. i ordered the monte cristo and my mom got the chicken. this monte cristo was the.most.amazing.thing.ever. instead of dipping the sandwich in egg batter and frying it, they didnt use bread and dipped the meat and cheese in funnel cake batter and deep fried that sucker. then…they sprinkled powdered sugar on top. it definitely wasnt the healthiest thing in the world, but it was the tastiest!!! so good!!! i wished i had taken a picture to show you.

we made our way out toward tomorrowland and waited to see….drumroll please….captian eo. yes, you heard me. captian eo is back in its original form. i remember that show so well. it was great to show the kids and see how much they liked it. after, we went on soarin’ over california, and ellie thought it was the coolest thing to “fly” in the clouds. she tells people that she “got to fly and see the whole world”. we had a great time. my mom is going to take them back during her spring break in a couple weeks. one on one. jj can do the things he wants to do and ellie can see all the princesses she wants.

next topic…this month is CRAZY!!! starting today, we are booked almost every single day. we had ballet class, a dr. seuss party at the library and then tball practice tonight. basketball is just finishing up while tball gets going. jj is on the pirates this year. he is going to look so cute in his uniform. i cant wait.

this weekend we have jj’s basketball game, jj’s friend’s bday party, and a bridal shower to co-host. next weekend is just as crazy, and so is the next and the next. there are bridal showers, bday parties, practices, games and other crazy things all month long. i am making 4 kids bday cakes this month too. yes, four!!! one monster truck, one backyardigans, one rainbow and one hello kitty cake. busy, busy busy.

we leave for cabo san lucas in 26 days!!!! my sister in law is getting married there. ellie is the flower girl and jj has some part in it too, i just dont know the official title yet. jesse is performing the wedding. he became ordained online and will marry his sister. she had really wanted him to do it, and so he made it happen.

so for the rest of this month, i will be posting our many adventures leading up to our tropical vacation. then you can be sure i will have a huge post with lots of pictures of the big day. we cant wait. the kids are excited too, i think more about the plane ride than anything else.

ok, i must go and fulfill my motherly duties of being a chauffer. have a great day!!!