I am finally here to catch up! I have had a busy week. I love the pics of Bella with Stitch!! Crack me up. It was so cute! I am so glad you get to spend time with your girls. My boys are with their Mimi today, which means Mommy and Daddy get some much needed time to rest. I just laughed when I heard about John's spreadsheet. One of my patients is an engineer. He is diabetic and has high blood pressure. I always want him to bring in his blood sugar and blood pressure readings. He brings in a complex spreadsheet with averages, means, etc. It cracks me up! Yay for your trip dates! We are not sure if we are going still in March or not. My sister is probably not going and my nephew will not be able to see me much. He will be with his friends. I am still waiting on discounts and we are looking into doing a
disney cruise or
disneyland also. We will see.
Well. since we're still in 'make fun of engineers' mode, I can tell you that when Brooklynn was born, and the doctor told Jill to keep up with feedings, sleeping, and diaper activity

, John, too, created a spreadsheet. There was a moment in time when he was standing there with his clipboard asking Jill, "Was that a cough or a burp?"

He was dead serious about tallying the small sound she had just made. Engineers are just cut from a different cloth, I guess. We should be glad they are like they are, so that our buildings stand strongly and our missiles shoot the right way (John does something with missiles, I think), but boy, in real life, they can sometimes be really annoying making big issues out of little issues or even non-issues. I will admit to being a very laid back person, too, and I don't stress over hardly anything. I'm just sort of 'go with the flow' on stuff, so John and I are from way different ends of the spectrum. I'll just keep my mouth shut about his clipboards and overzealous attention to detail when as much as picking out a can of corn at the store, and he'll keep his mouth shut about my straw house and nonchalant attitude, and we should be okay.
Our February/March dates ended up being so much cheaper, but the downside is that I have to take three days off from school. I have not taken three off for a trip before - only two. I took more than three off for a couple of surgeries, but never for a trip. I feel kind if weird about doing that, but to be able to afford to go, it was just best to do it this way. Now that the trips involve seeing Trent, I am more willing to take the time off and not feel badly about it, though. I have ten days each year to use however I want, and I have never used all ten of them. I usually only use maybe 3 all year.
Cute pictures of the girls with the characters! How was Brooklynn with them when she was Bella's age?
Brooklynn never showed any fear of the characters, but she was a bit more reserved with the Princesses when she was little. It was like she understood that anybody with a big, colorful head was okay to come up close, but when face characters got in her space, she wasn't sure who they were or why they were so close to her.
I need those 4th of July dates....
OK, that sounded really silly!

BUT, how many days? From when to when?
I think we may be out on the coast for a wedding that week and are planning on driving back to Disney on the way home.
Did I already tell you that?
Looks like maybe July 2nd to 9th, which is a Saturday to Saturday. If flights are outrageous because of the holidays, we can drive. We'd start out Friday night, drive to Perry, sleep, and drive in by early lunchtime on Saturday. Leaving, we'd do the same thing coming back so that the working people could have Sunday afternoon to rest up. I sure hope it works for us to see you. You did tell us you were going to a wedding, but didn't give exact dates. When will you be in Disney World? That was/is going to be one of the drawbacks for going at the end of July, if we choose that - not hooking up with you guys.
The character pictures are great. Good luck finding the perfect car for the right price. My nephew hit a deer last week to the tune of $8000 worth of damage.
I wonder if they might just want to get an estimate on getting this one fixed. It doesn't look that bad to me - just the passenger quarter panel and a wire or two hanging, but I guess there could be more interior damage than it is worth. I know nothing about cars, but if they could fix this one for a couple thousand dollars, it could be the solution.
Hey MeMom, it's me! I'm back somewhat to my old self. I'd say about 90%, but I'll take that! I know you are really enjoying your time with all your girls. I really loved seeing the girls with all the characters. I hope Jill and John find a car soon. Both of my girls have been car shopping within the last few months. Ugh! Is all I can say. They both finally got new cars and now I don't have to hear about it all the time. lol Jill is a very special person, huh? Looking high and low for that special thing just for you. Way to go JILL!
Can't wait to hear more about your trip.
Oh yeah here is the flag the kids got me for my birthday!
I am so glad you are feeling better!
Jill is a keeper, for sure. I love having my sweet, thoughtful daughter.
Love the flag. I have one with just Mickey's face, but I like yours with Mickey and Minnie. Minnie is one of my favorite characters.
Sounds good on the plans! We will make something work for sure!

for the mixing bowl!!!!!!!!! eBay can be amazing, can't it?
Yep, I guess you can find just about anything you are looking for on ebay.
Awww, adorable pics of the girls with the characters!! Bella cracks me up with them. I am sure Hannah will be the same way!
I see Hollie as being more of a leader in getting Hannah by the hand and saying,
"Come on, girlfriend, we have characters to see!"
Just one bowl. It's the one with the spout. You can tell it is used, but that kinda makes it fun. I hope it belonged to some really great cook whose skills will filter over to me through this magic mixing bowl. Maybe I can pretend it belonged to Paula Deen.
great updates and pics. Hope they find a car quickly.
Me, too. This is really hard on Jill. John has to take the car, because he has to travel during the day, so Jill is just stuck and at his mercy. She's having to go in early or stay late and not have the freedom to get out to do her errands, etc. If he doesn't decide on something quickly, Jill might become a very unhappy little girl!