Disney World Post 1: Animal Kingdom

Colby and his step-dad had business in Orlando, so his mom had the brilliant idea of making it a family trip to Disney World by getting there a week before their conference.  Day one: Animal Kingdom!

This became Ronin's usual form of transportation for the week:

Reid was pleased to find a bright aquarium in this tunnel and not another "snowman" encounter like at last year's trip to Disneyland:

 The live animals were a hit with Ronin:

 While Reid seemed to prefer the ones that didn't move:

 

Both of the boys were into the parades:

 And of course anything they could touch and make noise with:

Gary knew Ronin had just about reached his limit of excitement towards the end of each day when he would feel Ronin get heavier and heavier on his shoulders:

That's Right. I Got a Mommy Van.

With plans to bring home a third baby in a few months, it was time to get over my mommy van stigma and say good-bye to my beloved 4Runner.  After borrowing my mom-in-law's 2010 Toyota Sienna XLE Limited, with its soft leather interior, smooth wooden steering wheel, comfy bootie warmer and life-saving navigation system, I learned that this mommy van business could be quite... nice!

Unfortunately, I got used to driving the Lexus of minivans and after weeks of Craigslisting for a 2004 or later version of this van, as my mom puts it, I developed champagne taste on a beer budget.  While realizing that we couldn't get what we wanted at the price we were hoping, Colby started looking at other options and came across a listing for an old Toyota Previa like this one (except it had 22" Lexus rims??).  We had a good laugh as he went on about how awesome it was and asked me if I ever had a car that I felt uninhibited to beat the crap out of.  I had to remind him that it would be our family car and I wouldn't get to enjoy the... luxury... of hitting random objects as I felt the impulse.  The joke became less and less funny to me as I sensed him becoming more and more serious about the Toyota Previa option.  Previa... isn't that a pregnancy condition where the placenta blocks the birth canal??  I started to get a real sense of my own vanity as I envisioned how mortified I'd be to drive a bubble van, even if for only a year or so, until we could afford what I really wanted.  He tried to sway me with Dave Ramsey references, reminding me that this would truly be "living like no one else", but I didn't want to talk about it anymore.

By the following morning, I was almost completely over it.  I told Colby that if this was what he thought we should do, then I would go with it.  Of course I had a condition... I would need a Dave Ramsey bumper sticker or two as an explanation for why I was caught driving this thing...

But Colby said never mind.  He had changed his mind.  I give up.

That was when this van sort of fell into our laps.  Friends of the family offered this '99 Nissan Quest to us for only $3,350.  We couldn't pass it up and drove it away after seeing it for the first time.  We decided that, instead of spending $14k and settling, we would stick with this for a year or so and continue saving for my Lexus of minivans.  

This is the pretty side.  The other side has dents and, well, a bit of a hole in the bumper from the teenage daughters' driving lessons.  It's sort of like Two Face from Batman.  The inside is immaculate though.  Leather interior, clean as can be, with no evidence of raising kids in it, not to mention meticulous maintenance records.  The best part?  Being fully loaded, according to 1999's standards, it came with a removable console with a VCR... that's right, a VCR!  The console is about 1.5' x 10" x 1.5', while the color screen is a mere 5 inches, lol!  The kids think it's awesome...  and we think so too, in a nostalgic kind of way.  :)

HGTV Waltenburg Style

After several gold-buying parties, I reached my goal (and then some), of earning enough cash to renovate our downstairs guest room into a playroom/classroom for the kids.  Colby and I were so into the project that we finished in only a couple of weeks.  We were on such a roll, it felt like we were on one of those HGTV shows!  I wish I had taken the time to take photos of the before and during stages, but we were too focused on just getting it done.  Just picture a bland, catch-all room for forgotten toys, with light beige walls, beige carpeting and white blinds...

Phase 1: Paint!  We did the first coat on our own and are slightly embarrassed to say we hired someone to finish because part way through we both decided we hated painting and the labor was too cheap to pass up.

Phase 2: Flooring.  Colby and my step-dad had the back-breaking job of installing these really cool laminated 4' 6"x 8" click-lock planks from Ikea... well, just about everything was from Ikea.  The finished product looks like a seamless sheet.  Very cool.

Phase 3: Assembly, assembly, and more assembly.  I spent nearly every free moment assembling Ikea furniture.  Every day at the kids' nap time, I could be found in front of the T.V. with a screwdriver, assembling something new for Colby to install when he got home form work.

Phase 4: Accessorizing.  That was fun.

Phase 5: The Unveiling.  The kids LOVE it.

This wire is stretched across the wall and has clips to display the boys' projects from homeschool and church:

 Pics of the kids & Joey:

 I sewed these curtains, which are clipped onto another wire to just slide open:

The Billy cabinets look pretty on the top half (until I fill it with all our homeschool books and stuff!) and hold toys in a store-like display for the kids in the lower, covered cabinets:

 Found these fun decals to go with the robot theme on whatisblik.com.  Their decals are so fun and inspiring:

 These stackable robot blocks were a gift from friends for us... I mean, the boys and go perfectly with the design:

Colby mounted the cubbies about a foot off the floor to give them a cool floating effect (and maybe also to keep the kids from knocking down our their robot blocks every time they come in:

 I filled these photo frame coasters with robot pics to continue the theme:

 I think Ronin's getting too comfortable in the mommy chair I strategically included:

There is also a collapsable table in the closet that can be rolled out and folded chairs hanging behind the door for more school-like activities in the future, but for now, it's the coolest play space in our house!

Porchin' It

Sometimes the best plans are no plans!  We had a refreshing Saturday morning doing nothing as a family.  :)  That includes Joey, whose become quite beloved by the boys and it's obvious the feeling is mutual.  For that she just may have converted a cat lover like me.

Happy Easter!

The kids helped get my mom's house ready for this year's Easter celebration by hanging some of their crafts from church.

 They are at such a fun age for the Easter egg hunt.  Doesn't Ronin look so grown up!

My aunt hooked them up with these confetti-filled eggshells that they thoroughly enjoyed cracking over their grandpas' heads.

Enough about the kids...  I know what you're really wondering is, "what kind of cake did Colby decorate this year??"  First, a reminder of the previous years' cakes by Colby:

In 2008 he brought you Zig Zag Jesus:

In 2009 you saw Little Bunny Foo Foo:

In 2010 it was Easter Island:

And now he brings you...

The Carrot Junky Bunny.  Well done, honey!

Happy Birthday to Papa Ray!

Hope you enjoyed your special, one-of-a-kind play doh cake by Reid.