Earth Day Movie!

Last Sunday was Earth Day and every year for the past 3 years Disney has released a nature film Earth Day weekend. And every year I have taken Kate to see it ( I know - I am such a teacher/nerd). Three years ago it started with Earth which was really good. Then two years ago it was Oceans which I thought was not all enjoyable! Possibly because I took Savannah who wasn't quite 3 years old and she squirmed and whispered throughout the entire movie!!! :) And last year I took both girls to see African Cats thinking that I could not go wrong! However, it was a little violent for a 4 year old and Savannah still had a little difficulty sitting still but overall it was good.

But this year was the year Kate and I were waiting for - Chimpanzee! The previews showed a tiny baby chimp growing up in the rainforest! I knew that Kate and I would love it and hoped Savannah would too!

Not matter how many times I tell her to stop moving because it blurs the picture, she just can't!

They are so excited to have their tickets in hand!

We rarely go to the movies anymore because we have Owen and Savannah even still has a hard time but I was thrilled because the running time of this movie was only 78 mins. I can do anything for 78 mins!! And thankfully there were only a handful of other people in the theater.

Everything basically went off without a hitch! Savannah enjoyed watching the chimps romp (are we surprised?) and Kate cried like a baby when Oscar the baby chimp lost his mother and was adopted by the older male of the group. And I bought them enough snacks to keep them happy and quiet for most of the movie!!! Finally - success!

Yard Work :)

With a house, three kids, two jobs, and tons of other responsibilities I am sorry to tell you that our yard is definitely not at the top of our priority list! But every now and then one of us gets an inkling to go out and put in a little effort!

Last week Mike introduced Kate to the lawn mower! While I paced in the kitchen waiting to call the ambulance when one of them cut their foot off, the rest of the family was out front watching her push the mower!

I managed to get a couple pics from the porch

Then on Monday after school Mike decided to have the girls help him plant the blueberry bushes they bought right before Easter :)

Catherine and I supervised from the swing set!

In all, they planted three blueberry bushes which is really good because my kids love blueberries! And they had a great time doing it. They all came in soaked and covered in dirt :)

Orlando Science Center

Last week the Orlando Science Center had a discount day where anyone could visit for just $5 per person. So I decided to skip church with the girls and we went over to visit. Kaitlyn and I have been there a few times but Savannah has never been so I was excited for her!

Upon arrival - they were so happy and excited!

and the first thing we see behind us is a snake! We later realized that it was a fake one, but still I was not pleased!

Savannah's first mission was to see the alligators

Savannah and I are both obsessed with alligators but for very different reasons. I have nightmares about myself or my children being eaten by one and shudder every time we pass a lake in FL and Savannah I really believe would try to feed, pet, ride, etc should she ever encounter one close up. Hence the nightmares almost always involve Savannah in some way. These alligators were very small and sweet looking and so was so please we had to back several times and look and of course say good bye on our way out!

water table

Driving a tractor at the Bob the Builder Exhibit

The girls each constructed their own race cars and then raced them down this ramp! Both girls won a round and were thrilled. I wish I could have gotten better pictures! It was very crowded due to the discount and the lighting in the exhibit rooms was terrible!!

Pretty soon we hit the post lunch lull and we needed a snack!

So while the girls ate rock candy and chugged a diet coke, I signed our family up for annual passes! They had a great deal going. If you joined that day they took 15% off, plus included your parking and admission costs for that day so I ended up paying $86 instead of $125 for a family pass for a year which also includes 4 guest passes! What a bargain! We will make several trips up this summer!

Next we were off to the Dino Exhibit where the girls completed a fossil puzzle, dug for dino fossils, and checked out some complete skeletons of dinosaurs. 

Next we went back to the Bob the Builder exhibit and let Savannah have some play time in more of her age range. They played at the water well, and Savannah even made a blue print of a house!

Because it was so crowded and it was a Sunday we were kind of crunched for time. We only stayed about three hours but we could have stayed longer. We wrapped up the day going into KidTown where Savannah gravitated to the orange juice factory!

Kate working the conveyor belt!

And our last few things that we did before we left for the day!

I guess she wanted to bring it home with her!

The other neat thing about the Science Center is that they have little movies you can watch too. There was one about Chimpanzees and one about Tornadoes. We didn't see one that day because it was crowded and we were pressed for time but definitely on our next visit!

Elmo!

The other day I bought Owen an Elmo balloon. He is picking up words left and right now and one of his most recent words is Elmo....enjoy!

As you can tell in the video, we are also working on short phrases....he says thank you and if I say it first he will add a Mama or Dada, or Nana (for Savannah) to the thank you. He also says "No nigh night!" or "Nigh Night Dada". Another one of his favorite words is apple. It's very sweet!!

Like Sister, Like Brother....

It took me a while to find the pic of Savannah covered in spaghetti but once I did I realized that they are the exact same age in these photos - 20 months! Too funny!!

And just for fun....

They really do love each other :)

Human Science Experiment

When Kaitlyn was first diagnosed with diabetes there was no doubt that her diabetes was different than just Type 1 or Type 2. First of all she had no symptoms - we only discovered it through routine blood work for her kidney doctor. Secondly her blood sugars were elevated despite testing negative for all of the Type 1 markers and not being overweight. Her doctor explained to me that Kate probably had MODY which is a monogenic (single gene mutation) form of diabetes which is passed down through families. Unfortunately hardly any insurance companies pay for the genetic testing required to conclusively diagnose it. So her Dr suggested we take part in a MODY research study done through the University of Chicago. So for almost a year now I have been e-mailing and trying to get in touch with the Drs in charge of the research. On Good Friday I hit pay dirt! After e-mailing (yet again), calling, and also getting on their website registry I finally got good news! They would be mailing out a DNA kit right away.

On Thursday I got the kit!! Kaitlyn had to do a blood spot card which basically means any time she pricked her finger to check her sugars we had to squeeze out some extra blood and fill in these circles on a card. She then had to spit into a vial for a DNA sample. I was literally gagging watching her do it!! I hate spit!

after her hard work!

I for the longest time couldn't figure out why the Dr was so adamant that we verify her MODY through this study. The insulin she is taking is keeping her blood sugars in check. But when I was on the research study website I found out why. There are actually 12 different forms of MODY each with its own gene mutation and relating symptoms. There is one type that actually links with kidney problems which Kaitlyn has. So I realize now how important it is for us to find out exactly which form of MODY she has so we can understand its implications on the rest of her health.

So off we went to the post office to mail in her samples! Here is hoping we get a swift answer!! The Dr in the research study was telling me that they only test one gene at a time so it could be months and multiple samples before we have an answer. The upside is though once we have verification of her MODY through this study then her insurance should pay to have her tested through a certified lab.

Man do I love my little human science experiment....and her brother who stole my McDonald's cup to eat my ice and then insisted on being part of the pictures :)

Three Years Ago

About this time three years ago our family was headed on a Spring Break Vacation. Mike and I were still both teaching, Kaitlyn had just turned 7 and Savannah was about to turn 2. Owen was not even on the radar!!!

On a whim, and the advice of a google search of great family vacations, we ended up flying to Hershey PA and I think I speak for everyone in my family (minus Owen) when I say it was the best week we have had together as a family. It was such an amazing trip that we still to this day talk about it and dream of going back! Here's a summary of what we did!

We spent the first 2 days at Hershey Park!

Look at Savannah!!!! She was so little - and hairless!

They had lots of great kids rides

Did I mention the only downfall is that it was freezing?

I had to buy Kate a pair of souvenir socks to use as gloves

Then we had a rainy day so we took off to Philadelphia. It was awesome!

Liberty Bell

We took a carriage ride through the city

Liberty Hall

Up next was Hershey Gardens and Chocolate World. Call me crazy but Chocolate World was my favorite part of the trip! That and the Amish mashed potatoes :)

Daddy and Savannah stayed back for a nap

We took a narrated trolley ride through Hershey

And because her nickname is Kit Kat, we had to eat at the Kit Kat Cafe...yummy

random cute pic from the hotel :) 

One day we went to a children's museum and had a blast!

face painting

farming

grocery store

and games!

Up next was the place I was looking forward to most but it ended up being the place we enjoyed the least! It was small, crowded, overheated, and just not so much fun! It was the Crayola Factory (what can I say, I am a teacher at heart!). I will hand it to them though, it was colorful!

Even though it wasn't the most fun, we couldn't leave without getting a picture of Kate with the largest crayon in the world and buying Savannah a cute pair of crayola socks :)

And though it wasn't on our original itinerary, we kept passing a sign for an underground cavern/cave and decided it was worth a stop.

Did I mention it was cold?

As a treat, I bought the girls rock candy for the ride back.

About 2 mins later...rock candy plastered around her lips and the stick dangling from her fingers :)

 Our last stop, literally on our way to the airport to fly home, was an Amish house and farm.

the house

covered bridge

buggy

school house

church

and piglets!!! :) They were so cute!

Our visit would not have been complete with a stop at the local Amish restaurant...and yes, I ordered mashed potatoes. They were delicious :)

 It was an awesome trip and I seriously can't believe it's been 3 years and that now Owen is the same age Savannah was then. It's kind of scary how fast time goes. Hopefully soon we can take another family vacation that will be just as memorable!