We....

were at the park from 8 a.m. until after midnight and Sweet Girl ran out of juice. She lasted until 10 p.m. then woke up around midnight for a while.

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY....

Addie turned 4 on New Year's Eve....the park was at full capacity so we couldn't leave and risk not getting back in. We celebrated with dinner and cake at the Main Street Bakery. This child really is an ANGEL.

Main Street Parade....

As you can see Addie really enjoyed the parades....dancing to the music & waving to all the characters.

Pooh Bear & Dumbo....

We got to ride in a Hunny Pot in the Hundred Acre Woods. And fly high in the sky on Dumbo. This really is the most magical place on earth.

Thunder Mountain....

Another fav, Thunder Mountain. Plus Minnie's house, Tomorrowland, etc.

Trouble makers....

IT'S A SMALL WORLD....

Tea Cups, etc....

Pooh Bear, Tigger and Eeyore....gotta love them.

Magic Kingdom....

Electrical Parade....

EPCOT....

We left Animal Kingdom and went to Epcot. I only rode Test Track which I didn't get to ride last time. It was cool, some of us were worn out so we headed back to the condo early.

Primeval Whirl....

This roller coaster is in Dinoland but sooo much fun, for adults and kiddos too.

Dinoland....

This dinosaur ride was a little more kid friendly....LOL.

DINOSAUR....

This ride was scary, in case you can't tell by the photos. Gabi did a great job of helping entertaining Addie for us.

Expedition Everest....

When we were at Animal Kingdom in '05 this coaster was being built. Well worth the wait....when you get to the top the tracks are broken, you have to go backwards for about 12 seconds to get to another track. :-)

This....

cutie was getting all kinds of attention!

Safari 2....

The baby giraffe and baby elephant were adorable. We were thankful the big kitties were napping or wanting alone time.

Safari....

After we grabbed a danish & coffee for breakfast, we headed for the Kilimanjaro Safari. The pics speak for themselves.

Addie....

gives the best lovings. After lunch it was Uncle Howie's turn.

Rainforest Cafe....

We made reservations at The Rainforest Cafe for lunch. Another first for us....it was yummy!

Tree of Life....

HARRY POTTER....

was off the chain. As soon as the park opened you had to wait in line for stand-by tickets just to enter the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. You could only go in during the time on your ticket and once you left, you could not reenter. It was by far my favorite ride. I've never seen the movie or read the books but this ride was awesome. I even tried butterbeer, butterscotch & root beer....yummy.

Of course, The Incredible Hulk coaster rocked and I couldn't help but take a pic of some of my favorite childhood sites, Spike's doghouse and Olive Oil's cry for help.

Dr. Suess....

this was one of the kids favorite areas. Addie even shook hands with the characters.

This was....

our first time to spend the week after Christmas here. Very crowded but so awesome.

Universal Studios Parade....

Last time....

We were here the JAWS ride was not working, it was a new experience for most of us. TWISTER & DISASTER are two of our favs. Addie wasn't too sure about it though.

We spent....

the first 3 days at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. It was so cold....coats, gloves, scarfs, hats....what ever it took to keep warm.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

Lunch at Universal Studios....Forrest Gump is one of my families favorite movies so it was fun to eat here. Shrimp kabob, fried shrimp, boiled shrimp, shrimp salad....

We're here....

We made it to our condo this afternoon & you can see the first thing on the kids agenda. It was freezing....the pool was heated and all 3 of them had to hit hot showers as soon as they got out.

In memory of....

Evan Ryan and Ethan Reed. Today is the one year anniversary of my nephews deaths. Please take a moment and say a prayer for my sister and niece.

C'mas Day @ Aunt Sue's....

Gabi woke us up at 4:15 this morning to let us know Santa had been to our house. We managed to keep our eyes open long enough to see what the girls got then went back to bed for a bit.

We later headed to Aunt Sue's for Christmas dinner. I think everyone ate way too much, but it was awesome.

SANTA....

My camera is not very good at taking night pics but here's SANTA on the fire truck in my sister's neighborhood. Addie is terrified of Santa so she was content to keep her distance and even more content to go back inside in the safety of her own home.

Christmas Eve @ Jenn's....

We always go to Jenn's on Christmas Eve for our family get together. And of course, the more comfortable the better so PJ's were in order. Mom ordered an Edible Arrangement for the kids & Jenn melted chocolate to dip it in. The kids had a really good evening & even Uncle Howie had a blast playing with Julien's helicopter.

The LEFT-RIGHT game....

The first event of the evening was to let the kids play the left-right Christmas game. We had shirts made for them indicating where we were going. They had a blast playing the game & it was so much fun watching them trying to put two and two together.

Kayla's Room....

We've almost finished getting her room together. As you can see she loves Paris. We painted a chalkboard wall & Gabi is loving that. I'm not sure what was going on with the lighting but her room is not 4 different shades of pink.

It didn't take long....

for Mary to make her way to the gingerbread house. She's been good, sweets are very tempting this time of year. I don't blame her.

Gingerbread house....

Kayla, Ashley & Gabi made this gingerbread house tonight. Awesome & yummy.

2ND CHANCE....

My brother surprised Kayla with this 2005 Toyota Camry last night after dinner. Uncle Howie gave her ground rules as he should. And Aunt Jenn quickly reminded her "not everyone gets a second chance". There have been so many teens killed in car accidents over the last month or two and it scares the he** out of me. God has already made it very clear that he's watching over Kayla and I pray everyday that he along with her Guardian Angels remain with her always.

Look who's back....

Mary made it back today....apparently she's been very busy at the North Pole. She went with us tonight to the memorial. On the way back to the parking deck we had to stop & listen to the carolers in the lobby.

National Children's Memorial Day....

Cecilia, Gabi, Kayla and I attended the National Children's Memorial Day, "FOREVER IN MY HEART" at the Children's Harbor Building tonight. It was standing room only....there was a litany of the children's names as well as a special remembrance video. We each lit two candles in memory of Ethan & Evan and raised the candles as the boys names were called.

Gulf Shores....

I've been to Orange Beach once before & that was to retrieve my daughter when Gabi was born. That was our last stop & I have to say I could have stayed on that beach all night. The waves rolling in was enough to make me forget about everything else around me for 2 seconds.

LAMBERT'S, etc....

Kayla was the only one of the 4 of us who had been to Lambert's so it was a new experience for us. I ended up wearing my smoked baked beans when I missed catching a "thrown roll' but that's part of it & it was fun....we were stuffed & our left overs made it home with us. I tried hog jowl for the first time....not something I ordered or would ever order but I can say I've had it.

Hurricane Katrina Memorial....

I saw this memorial featured on "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition", so I made it a point to see it while we were there. It's at Biloxi Park....and consists of a mosaic wave, symbolizing Katrina's storm surge, and a black wall with a glass case filled with personal art from Katrina victims.

Biloxi & Gulfport....

I use to spend a lot of time in Gulfport with my Mom & Kayla. We have not been down since Hurricane Katrina & boy what a difference. The weather was perfect....the water a little chilly but we managed.

The Marine Life Aquarium where Kayla swam with the Dolphins was completely destroyed....all the animals relocated. I can't imagine the devastation the residents of these towns endured.

MSU....

We took a road trip to Mississippi State University today to pick up CHEESE. I've never been on a University campus during game day....WOW! It gives tailgating a whole new meaning.

We went to San Marcos for dinner then drove on to Hattiesburg for the night.

Happy Birthday MOM....

Today is Mom's birthday....we all met at Cracker Barrel. Then Gabi went to Disney on Ice with Aunt Sue while Addie Mae Mae & her Mom and Dad come back to our house. We're finally getting around to painting Kayla's room. Thanks to Chris & Kayla, it's starting to look very PINK! We still have lots to do....it's amazing how much has been put on the back burner....while we juggle school, work, hospital stays, surgeries, fall festivals, baby showers, birthday parties, ETC. I'm blessed to be able to fuss about it but will be grateful when things settle down. And even more grateful when Mom starts feeling human again.