The Soo Crew Does Disney

We are back in the frozen tundra after a week in Orlando and I'm only a little bit sad that we had to come home to a dusting of snow yesterday (it's all melted now anyway...). We had a marvelous time in Florida exploring Disney World with our friends. It was quite an adventure. Here are the highlights...

Before we left we spent the weekend with Grandma Mary and Grandpa Scott and got to celebrate Aunt Hannah's 18th birthday (and go to her birthday extravaganza at Chuck E. Cheese's). We also got to meet the new puppies. I'm not sure what their names were before we got there, but they are now Skully and Cinderella thanks to Abby's superior puppy naming skills. Abby is pretty much in love with Skully (the all white male puppy) and wanted to spend every possible minute holding him. The next time we visit he's going to be a running, barking puppy, so I'm not sure what she will think of him then. And by then Olivia won't pose a mortal threat to the puppies by picking them up by their little heads or hugging them in a rather crushing fashion.

But... back to that trip to Florida...

Being completely rational and sane people, we somehow decided that it would be fun to take 6 kids ages 3 and under to Disney World (it was going to be 7, but kid number 7 is 11 months and has had ear infections all winter, so we did what any rational adult would do and found him a grandma to love him so his poor ears wouldn't ache from the plane trip - we are planning to photoshop him into the pictures so he'll never know he got left behind). For being a large number of very small children they did remarkably well. Our Abby (just for added confusion we brought along another Abby) had a minor tantrum about putting her seatbelt on before the plane left the gate in Grand Rapids, we had a couple kids and adults looking a little green before the plane landed (thanks turbulence...), and my children may have possibly destroyed their clothing by devouring oreos in an attempt to keep them quiet, but hey... we got there and no one seemed to angry about having to ride with all our children. We arrived to glorious weather - sunny and near 90 if I recall correctly. Of course, we had all packed our swimwear in our checked luggage, which thanks to Disney's Magical Express was to be delivered directly to our rooms after we arrived. This, friends, was critical error number one. We could have enjoyed the evening at the pool, and had we known about the weather we were going to get we would have, but instead we took the kids to Downtown Disney to feed them and let them stretch their legs. If you are ever at Downtown Disney try Earl of Sandwhich - the food was great and it got all the kids fed fast and for a very reasonable price. And thus ended day one of our vacation.

We woke up Monday hoping to enjoy the various water activities the hotel had to offer. Instead we enjoyed the water activity known as day-long, torrential downpour. Luckily kids under the age of 3 seem quite content to sit in a hotel room if it involves watching movies, having snacks, and possibly using a whirlpool tub. All of which we had available to us. And we did manage to take them for a painfully long lunch at the Rainforest Cafe - we had funny, but super slow service and a very slow kitchen too. Thankfully we were dealing with the bad weather and crazy children with some great friends and we shared lots of laughs about how crazy the situation was.

And then, on Tuesday, it was time to go to the Magic Kingdom, rain or shine. Luckily we had mostly shine or very overcast and humid, but no rain. We got to ride almost all the rides (no one would ride the spinning tea cups with me), enjoyed the parade, and even got the kids into the hotel's pool before they went to bed and Steve and I watched them while the other two couples went back to the Magic Kingdom to enjoy the attractions for big kids. It was a great day and totally worth the other 3 days of icky weather. Abby even got over her fear of characters and gave Mickey a kiss on his mouse nose. It was adorable, but I was meeting Mickey too and the girl holding my camera didn't get that picture. Oh well...

Wednesday morning was lovely and we got the kids into the pool again (when I say we I mean everyone but me and Olivia who wanted to nap all morning long). After afternoon naps we took the kids to the Animal Kingdom Lodge and let them check out the African animals. This adventure, while fun, was critical error number two. While checking out the animals, the sky kept getting darker and darker. By the time we were at the bus stop trying to get back to Downtown Disney (since you can't get a bus from one hotel to another we had to go somewhere to make the connection) it had become a major storm - the trees were blowing almost straight sideways, the rain was coming down in sheets, and the kids were starving. The bus ride to Downtown Disney, which probably should have taken about 20 minutes, took about 45 minutes. We had lots of hungry and impatient little people by the time the bus ride was done.

Thursday was another day-long torrential downpour, and was our last day at the hotel. The pool was closed all day because of severe weather and I believe there may have been a tornado west of us somewhere. We still managed to have a guys lunch out and a ladies dinner out, although the kids never left the hotel room. And the weather turned perfect just in time for us to leave. That wasn't the end of our adventure, but Olivia is demanding my attention, so it is the end of this chapter.

Sniffles and Sickies

Both our girls have had a serious case of the sniffles and some pretty barking coughs. I'm hoping that the naps they are both taking right now will be a big help in making them feel better. Tomorrow we have too much to do for us to be dealing with sick kids. We've got a doctor's appointment for Olivia's one year checkup, a dentist appointment for me and Abby, and we've been helping our friends make a move across town. That doesn't leave any room for whining, but unfortunately we've had an abundance of whine around here.

Happy Birthday Olivia!!!

Olivia turned one last Thursday! Hooray for her! She enjoyed her chocolate cupcake with white frosting and m&m's candy on top. Maize enjoyed them too - about 3 of them while we were out picking up the castle slide that Grandma Mary and Grandpa Scott got Olivia for her birthday (and sent via Walmart's site to store service right to our Walmart). We had a lot of fun celebrating our little girl's first birthday and Abby really enjoyed the party, cupcakes, and presents (she did a lot of helping with opening and stuff like that).

Running Olivia?!?

Yep, it's true. Olivia walks. And not the wobbly baby walking. Just plain old big kid style walking. A little slow at times and prone to tripping, but she pretty much just walks all around our house. It's quite funny to watch her try to run while chasing Abby. She started walking just about two weeks ago and she's already made attempts at running several times. She is growing up too fast!

We are only 2 days away from Olivia's first birthday. Where has the last year gone??? Abby is so excited about the birthday, especially the cupcakes and presents for Olivia. And there is a Princess Jasmine barbie doll for her if she continues to remember not to suck her thumb. For the last two weeks she's been trying hard to break that habit and she's done a really good job. I just have to mention the doll when she starts to pop her thumb into her mouth and she pulls it right out - that is way more will power than I have.

Happy March!

We are done with the contracted portion of our kitchen and playroom project - just a little work left to be done by Steve and I and then we will have a cleaner and cooler kitchen. The playroom section is all done, except for the addition of cabinet hardware. I am very pleased with the finished product - it is exactly what we needed in functionality and the style matches the space perfectly.

We took a trip last weekend to watch Hannah perform in her high school's musical - Bye Bye Birdie. She did a great job! The girls had lots of fun seeing their grandmas and grandpas. And we came back with a car full of stuff and a head cold for me. I have that feeling like I need my ears to pop, but they won't. And my coughing is keeping Steve awake at night... I hope this is short lived!

Standing Olivia

Olivia is getting braver by the minute. Yesterday she decided she was
going to stand. And she did, for almost a whole minute. On purpose.
Abby was cheering for her and that was pretty awesome since poor Abby
spent a lot of time in time out for hitting, pushing, and toy stealing
yesterday. This big sister job is much harder than she realized when
Olivia just slept in my arms all day.

We had a crazy day yesterday. It went from 39 to 29 within just a
couple hours, then it got really windy - like up to 50 mph gusts
windy. And of course snowy. That combination blew all the snow
straight up our driveway and into the ba k entry. So when I went to
let Maize out this morning the snow was knee deep against the back
door (which I have to use since the patio door that leads straight to
the backyard is totally busted). The drift by the car door is closer
to waist high. But the funniest part is the fact that the rest of the
driveway is totally clear. Good thing there is a good snow blower in
the garage.

And now... Off to he kitchen. We are having a party (shocking, not if
you know our calendar) for friends who are moving this weekend to the
Midland area permenantly. I've got lots of cleaning and cooking to do!

Stage One Done

We have the counter tops in the kitchen installed. It's a dramatic difference already. Not picture ready yet, since we ripped out the old back splash and the wall behind is pretty ugly with old adhesive and no paint. So, this afternoon Abby, Olivia and I may be going to pick out some possible paint colors. Then we may have to host an online straw poll. It's nice to have new counters that look clean. Next week will be the workspace/desk/cabinets. I'm very excited about that!

Kitchen Touch-up Before

Our kitchen counters were delivered today and tomorrow starts the resurfacing project. Here's the before pictures so that when it gets done you'll have something to compare it to. I am so excited for new, clean, stain-free counters!

p.s. the new counters look amazing... even just sitting in boxes on the floor :o)

Blogging in Bed

The computer still hasn't got a home where it is convenient for me to use it during the day, but we pulled it out tonight to catch up on a t.v. series we like (and record, except our tivo had a problem and missed two episodes), so I thought I had better take a moment and update my blog, since I really want to do better at keeping up with it. I promise...

Not much exciting happened last week. We are still waiting for the cabinets to come in so our contractor can get our work station/toy storage installed. The counter tops arrived last week, but they are keeping them at the hardware store until everything is in. I also met with the artist who is designing me art glass cabinet pulls. She has some great pieces started and I am excited to have a one of a kind knob on all of my cabinets. The wider pulls (with the 3 inch gap between the two screws, if you know what I mean) will match the stainless steel stove, so when everything is in our kitchen should have a modern pop to it. And a coat of bright green paint should liven it up a lot. I am very excited to have new, clean counters to work on.

Olivia is still working on walking behind things and hasn't quite figured out whether she wants to stand unassisted or not. She's had a couple brief (2 or 3 seconds) attempts at standing on her own, but she sits down pretty fast when she realizes that no one is supporting her. I'm sure she will be running before too long. She's also been attempting to do the three steps that are up to Abby's bed (it's one of those "dog steps" you used to see advertised on t.v. It works great for helping a little girl into and out of her bed). We've got to get something figured out to keep her away from all our stairs while still letting Abby easily get to the potty. Good thing I'm still faster than Olivia.

In the saga of whether or not I am going back to work we've also made no progress. The offer to work with the other two attorneys still stands, but it is riding on them getting a contract to provide all the public defender services for the county. And we haven't talked salary yet, so it could still get to the point where I have a job offer, but not one that pays enough to cover child care and other expenses. So, we are still praying and waiting. I didn't seek this out, so if it comes about it will be just another "God thing" that has happened to us. We're amassing quite a list of those...

Abby and I are starting a preschool workbook and art projects during Olivia's nap time. She has been showing increase ability to concentrate on an activity and has been thriving in Sunday school, so we figured it was time to start working on some basics at home. Today we bought a workbook, construction paper, scissors, and crayons. I really hope I don't regret the scissors purchase... For good measure Abby also snuck a Tangled (the latest Disney princess movie) t-shirt and a Michigan Wolverines t-shirt into the cart. Since she's outgrown a lot of what we had for her to wear this spring I figured I'd let her get away with selecting her own shirts. It took almost 10 minutes for her to decide which Tangled shirt she wanted. I think there were 8 or 9 options. She is going to be very disappointed if she wants to be a shopper like Grandma Mary and is limited to the Soo for her stores.

Walking Olivia

Olivia has been cruising around things lately and today started walking behind the baby stroller. It's not going to be long before we are chasing her all around this house. I'm not sure if we are quite ready for that new level of activity. I better get my running shoes out of the closet.



We got back last night from our travel around the state. We left Tuesday morning to see Grandma Lorraine and Grandpa Harley for a few days. I love being there with them. I have so many happy memories of times spent at their house as a child and during our grad school years. Abby and Olivia decided to make themselves right at home and had a great time. Abby even told me that Grandma Lorraine had the best toys in the universe, which is quite funny considering most of those toys are older than I am. The girls both enjoyed getting spoiled by their Grandma and Grandpa. Abby didn't want to leave - she told me that I could leave her there and see her later.

We got to do some much needed retail therapy on our trip. Abby has sprouted up, literally, in the last few weeks and now wears size 4. So, we hit the winter sales racks for size 5. I hope that she is still wearing size 5 when next fall rolls around. If not Olivia will be a lucky girl. We got lots of warm shirts and soft pants for Abby to cruise around in next fall. And coffee - mom's best friend. We also got a two screen dvd player for the car. The upgrade to a screen for each little person made our trip home much better. Olivia loved being able to see and hear the movie on her way home.

So, we arrived home to a freshly painted dark blue wall behind where my new cabinets will be installed in the next couple weeks. It looks amazing and it was great to have that get done without having the extra assistance of Abby and Olivia. Now for the big task of keeping them away from the project when it really gets going.