Scott's Birthday Festivities!

At the Knights of Columbus banquet we were given two small American flags, never did I think this is what would happen with them:

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Nothing like a one girl parade, huh?

Scott's parents came down last night to give Scott his birthday present, which is something he has talked about....incessantly....for months. He got the Xpress Redi Set Go.

My understanding is that it is like his snackmaster, but on steroids. All I heard last night was "Did you know you could make brownies in it?!" or "Did you know you could make a pizza in it?!" etc. Thanks Mimi and PawPaw ;) He does love it though, ask Mimi, she will tell you he has always been a gadget guy!

After presents we went to EPCOT because as annual passholders you can either get a free ticket for a later date, a super fastpass for the day or a giftcard in the amount of a daily pass. We were hoping to get the giftcard so we could get the kids some stocking stuffers, but we forgot one little, actually big, thing. Scott is a castmember now, and therefore, does not qualify. :(

Since we were there we thought we would have dinner in China at the quick service station that is there. They have some to die for egg rolls and potstickers, seriously. Aaron and I even shared (read: he ate most of) my egg roll.

There really isn't much that this kid won't eat. I still haven't decided if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

After dinner we went to see Mulan. Now you may be wondering where that photo is. Well the only person in focus is Mulan. Jill decided to run away and Aaron was trying to lunge himself out of my arms. What the heck, I'll put it up, it is rather humourous.

Yay memories....

We pretty much decided it was time to split after this. All of us are pretty tired from the weekend, so we headed for the exit but not before we stopped for a birthday treat! Scott and I split a delicious M&M cookie, and the kiddos got these:

I think they were in shock when I handed the cookies to them. This is only the second time that they have ever had a sugar cookie, granted these cookies are at least 5 regular cookies, right? Jill ate hers like it was corn on the cob, and Aaron, well I don't think the kid came up for air at any point. It was the quietest walk to the parking lot...ever! Not without the looks from the McJudgersons. Seriously people don't give that "Oh my God she just gave her kids those sugar cookies, I cannot believe that, how could she, how bad is that?!" look when your kids have chocolate all over their face, it loses it's effectiveness.

All in all I think Scott had a pretty good birthday. We are going to have a big dinner on Tuesday to officially celebrate since he will be off.

Hope you all had a great weekend and don't forget about Cans for Comments! Only a few more days left!

Knights of Columbus 4th Degree Exemplification

Doesn't that photo look like Aaron, minus the 1970's wardrobe and carpet????

Today's post is all about my wonderful husband, Scott. Today is his 33rd birthday, but if you ask him, he's 29.

Yesterday Scott received his 4th degree with the Knights of Columbus. It was an all day, and I mean all day (8am-10pm) event.

Before the men (278 received their 4th degree) went into the room for the ceremony they had a parade so all of us ladies could see them and channel our inner paparazzo.

In addition to all the men receiving the 4th degree, 13 priests and a few deacons also received theirs. Father Jean, our pastor, was one of them.

Scott was towards the end of the group. I'll admit after awhile I was starting to get nervous, I was afraid that I missed him, but then I saw my handsome husband!

He looks great in a tux, huh? After the processional the doors were closed and guards (seriously) were placed at them. While he was in the ceremony the ladies had a luncheon and we raised money for the VA/VS. It was nice to sit and talk with the other wives of the Knights and learn more about the organization.

Here are some photos of the men of St. Faustina's after receiving their 4th degree:

After the luncheon we went to mass and then on to the dinner banquet. I believe there were over 700 people at the banquet which was amazing!

All in all it was a fantastic night and I cannot wait for the next one! I hope all of you had just as fabulous of a weekend!

PS Happy Birthday Scott! Love you so much and am so very proud of you, Sir Knight ;)

Cans for Comments

Lani and I are doing a canned food/money donation drive on Multiples and More. Well really, Lani had the idea and I said "awesome!" The basic idea is for every comment I receive on my blog from today until December 2nd I will donate a canned food item to my local food bank. St. Faustina's actually has a food bank for anyone who needs assistance, so that's where my canned goodies will be going. If you want to participate head over to Multiples and More and sign into Mr. Linky. Then just send us an email at multiplesandmoreblog@yahoo.com with your final tally so we can proudly display it! Thanks in advance everyone, let's get these food banks stocked!!!

Yesterday was pretty awesome, minus the fact that Scott had to work 12 hours :( We went to Mimi and PawPaw's for the day. PawPaw's cousin Dave, his wife Sue and their daughter Beth joined us, along with my friend Jenn and her boys. The kids wanted nothing to do with the turkey, like at all. They both ate their fair share of crescent rolls and cranberry sauce though. Always delicious, just not that nutritious.

Today we had a playdate with Lani, April and all their kiddos. Talk about a full house! Six 2 year olds and two 18 month olds. Phew! We were all talking about how different the playdates are now. We actually get to sit and talk and the kids actually, dare I say it? Play! Jill was in a bossy mood today, maybe bossy isn't the word I want to use....beyotchy yes that's the word I want to use. I think she staked claim on all of the toys and if someone so much as breathed in it's direction she had a fit. Clearly sharing is not a priority with her (check minus). Poor Aaron was struggling with the fact that he had shoes on and had a heck of a time getting around. Thanks again Lani for having us all over!

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving and survived the crowds if you went shopping this morning!

Thankgiving Thursday: Turkey Day Edition!

Gobble Gobble!!! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!! It's time for Thanksgiving Thursday, the Turkey Day edition! I am thankful for:

• My wonderful husband Scott! It's been a pretty rough year (hasn't it been for all it seems?) and through it all he has been the rock for us and by far has sacrificed the most for us. I love you and thank you for everything you have done!

• My kiddos! I am so thankful that they are healthy (minus the plague from a few weeks ago) happy and entertaining to say the least!
  

• My parents! To say I grew up lucky is an understatement. I had the best of everything growing up and still do. I am thankful for all the sacrifices you made so we could all have the best in life!

• Scott's parents! You guys are the best in laws I could ask for! I truly feel like a part of the family and I appreciate everything you have done for us over the years! I don't know if there are enough chocolate chips in the world to show you how thankful I am :)

• My brothers and sisters (including brother/sister in laws)! Even though you guys picked on me all the time (actually you still do...hmmm) I am so thankful to have all 5 of you in my life, you're the best siblings a gal could ask for!

• Great friends! I truly have some of the best friends around, you know the kind that would bail you out of jail at 3 in the morning, and the ones that would be right there with you going "God that was awesome!".
  

• A great business partner! Lani also falls into the previous friend category (I will not say which part of that category), and I am so lucky to have her as a part of Multiples and More! She is by far the more creative one and is always more willing to take a risk than I am. Without her I don't know where the site would be.

• The Wiggles, seriously! How else do you think I got all that stuff done yesterday??? ;)

From my family to yours have a very happy, healthy and joyous Thanksgiving!

Pre-Thanksgiving cooking

Today was definitely a busy day in the kitchen! And luckily the kiddos were pretty ok with it (phew!).

I started the day by making an apple pie for tomorrow. I've made this one before and it's really yummy!

Then I went to make my French silk pie for tomorrow and realized I didn't have enough eggs, awesome. So after naps and after Scott got home I made the mad dash to Sweetbay. I really didn't want to go, people are nuts-o the day before Thanksgiving (think hurricane season on crack). When I got home I started making the pie. It's really simple, and looks yummy. I got the recipe from Pillsbury.com:

INGREDIENTS
Crust
1 Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crust (from 15-oz box), softened as directed on box
Filling
3 oz Hershey's® unsweetened chocolate, cut into pieces
1 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, softened (do not use margarine)
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
4 pasteurized eggs or 1 cup fat-free cholesterol-free egg product
Topping
1/2 cup sweetened whipped cream
Chocolate curls, if desired
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 450°F. Make pie crust as directed on box for One-Crust Baked Shell, using 9-inch glass pie plate. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
2. In 1-quart saucepan, melt chocolate over low heat; cool. In small bowl with electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in cooled chocolate and vanilla until well blended.
3. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating on high speed 2 minutes after each addition; beat until mixture is smooth and fluffy. Pour into cooled baked shell. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate curls. Cover and refrigerate any remaining pie.

Hopefully it's as good as it looks!

While I was doing this Scott and Aaron left to go on a super secret mission and returned right before dinner with this:

It's my favorite everyday fragrance and I have been out for...well....forever really :) Thank you Scott it really made my night!

After the pies were done I got started on making cinnamon rolls for Mimi to serve on Friday morning. I got the recipe from my Williams and Sonoma Baking cookbook. I'd love to put it up but gosh that would take forever! If you want it I can scan it and email it to you.

They look good, I cannot wait to hear how they turn out!

As if I wasn't doing enough cooking I decided to make Cheddar Cheese Soup for dinner. The recipe is from Le Cellier at EPCOT. Scott and I are HUGE fans of this soup and get it every time we eat there. I was pretty nervous about making it since it is such a favorite of ours. But it turned out fantastic! Here's the recipe:

1/2 pound of bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3 celery ribs, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
4 cups milk
1 pound grated white cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Coarse salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup warm beer
Chopped scallions or chives, for garnish

Preparations
1. In a 4- or 5-quart Dutch oven, cook the bacon, stirring, over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.
2. Add the red onion, celery, and butter and sauté until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes over medium heat. Whisk in the chicken stock and bring to a boil for 1 minute. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the milk and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Do not boil after you add the milk.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper until the cheese is melted and the soup is smooth. Stir in warm beer. If the soup is too thick, thin with some warm milk.
6. Serve the soup hot, garnished with chopped scallions or chives.

I actually made a double batch because I'm crazy. I have plenty of soup for Scott to take to work for the week!

I'm totally pooped now! I think I'm going to cozy up on the couch with Scott, some Pinot Grigio and some Modern Family! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!

The laundry room mystery

What is it about the laundry room that draws kids like flies to, well...poop? My kiddos can be on the opposite end of the house but as soon as they hear that door open they are there in a flash! And if they hear the dryer door open, forget about it! They will be inside within moments! I wonder why that is...thoughts?

One year ago today

This time last year our kiddos were baptized. It was one of the best days, hands down! The majority of my family was in town for Thanksgiving (benefit of being a vacation destination) which was great! We ended up having to reserve two rows and that wasn't even close to enough for everyone that was there. Aaron was able to wear Scott's baptismal outfit and Jillian wore the baptismal gown that all of my family wore at their baptisms. We were also one of the last baptisms that Father Steve did before he passed, so it will always remain an extremely special day to us.

Here is a quick look back on our day:

Cannot believe it's been a year since that day!

Animal Kingdom with Mimi and PawPaw

We went to Animal Kingdom today with Mimi and PawPaw. I think it's the first time they have been there in 6 years. The park was unusually busy, I have a feeling more people are taking the entire week of Thanksgiving off now. We still had a great time and got to see a ton of animals.

We went back to Asia first, where I worked many moons ago, and walked the Maharajah Jungle Trek. This is one of the kids favorite paths because the tigers are back there.

We ended up seeing a total of 5 tigers. Jill was not pleased to have to leave the tiger exhibit, I think she could have sat there all day, seriously.

After our walk we headed over to one of the newer restaurants called Yak and Yeti. They serve Asian style food and it is way yummy! Scott and I had only eaten at the quick service place outside and thought that was great, but inside is phenomenal! I had miso salmon with bok choy and shitake mushrooms (sooooooooooo good!), Scott had honey chicken, Mimi had chicken lo mein and PawPaw had a Kobe beef burger (I'm not a beef eater anymore but oh my God! 'Twas the best beef I have ever put in my mouth). The kids had chicken nuggets, well Jill had chicken nuggets, Aaron ate some Jello and fries (so healthy, right?)

After lunch we definitely needed to do some walking so we headed to Pangani Forest to see the gorillas and other animals and then headed to Kilimanjaro Safari. The kids absolutely love this ride! Aaron fell asleep before we got there and was in a daze the entire time. Jill pointed all the animals out to Mimi and PawPaw and even danced along to the traditional African music.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

All in all it was a really great day! I hope Mimi and PawPaw had as much fun as us!

Hope you all had a great weekend too!

Zucchini Bread

We had a pretty busy day today! I made some zucchini bread this morning and it is way super delicious!

Here's what you need:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 beaten egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup finely shredded unpeeled zucchini
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Here's what you do:
Grease a loaf pan and set aside.
In a medium bowl combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder and nutmeg. Make a well in center of flour mixture and set aside.
In another bowl combine egg, sugar, zucchini and oil. Add all of this to the dry mix and combine. Fold in nuts and spoon into pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes.


This bread is so yummy! It was barely cool before Scott was digging in!



This afternoon Scott and I went to get him a tuxedo for his 4th degree with Knights of Columbus. It worked out that we were able to get the tux and shoes for just under $100. How perfect is that?! I also was able to get myself a dress for the event for $40. Gotta love the holiday sales!

The kiddos hung out with Mimi and PawPaw so we could shop and try things on in piece. They even helped cheer PawPaw's team (Ohio State) to a victory! Sadly, even though they were in their Notre Dame gear the team lost :(


Hope you had a great day, and be sure to check out our family photos from Impressions in Time!

Photo Sneak Peek!

Kim posted some of our photos on her blog, they are so adorable! Head over and check them out!

Quick update

We took our family photos today in downtown Celebration with Kim of Impressions in Time Photography. I cannot wait to see them!!! Hopefully she will be able to get some up on her blog, I seriously cannot wait!

The kiddos naturally were much more interested in doing all things not photo related. Aaron wanted to run into the fountain and Jill wanted to run into the lake. 'Twas awesome. Scott was barely alive, he had to work the grave shift last night so he was running on fumes.

Tonight we went to see our friend Jenn's sons baseball and t-ball games. They were the last games of the season and both teams (I think?) won. Brandon says Scott and I are his good luck charms since they always win if we are there.

That's all I got right now, just wanted to post a quick update.

Thanksgiving Thursday

I missed last weeks Thanksgiving Thursday, and even though it was a crazy week I still have a lot to be thankful for. So here we go! This week I am thankful for:

• Scott being the rock that he is and was during all the craziness of last week.

• The support from our families, most especially Mimi and PawPaw for making it to our house in record time :)

• Lake Sumter EMS, you guys/gals rock my socks off and I am eternally grateful for everything they did.

• All the kind words from everyone during all the difficult times this past week.

• The couple that was on a blind Myspace date last night at Devenney's. Seriously that was some quality entertainment and I will never be able to listen to Journey the same way again.

• My parents. I really lucked out in that department :)

I know there is more but I am so pooped I cannot think of anything. Play along with Elyse at Following Him!

What we've been up to

I'm still trying to catch up over here. Who knew so much could happen in one week?! And I seriously feel old because I'm still not recovered from the past week. I'm pooped for sure.

The kiddos are doing so much more nowadays. They are starting to talk a lot more and pick up on things a lot quicker, sometimes that's not a good thing. Jill's new sign is "train" and she says "choo choo" when she does it. How adorable is that?! Aaron's new obsession is the sandhill cranes that live in our neighborhood. At last count I think there are 12 or so and I dislike each and every one. Aaron loves them though and runs for the window yelling and signing "bird" when he hears or sees them. Apparently they like the attention and have taken up residence in my front yard which is awesome because I really wanted to re-seed it (pause for eye roll).



They are also big fans of their new trucks that I got them when they were sick. I'm a firm believer in buying your kids something when they are sick, my Mom did it for me and it always made me feel better. I'm not saying go out and buy them the most expensive toy, I was happy with coloring books and a fresh box of crayons, my kids like the little Playskool trucks. They love to sit and their table and play with them or roll them up and down the hallway while making the "vroom vroom" noise.

That's about all I've got over here. Hope you're having a great day!