Monday, April 30, 2012

April 365

Another month worth of pictures all captured & ready to help me tackle Project Life. 


You can't tell by looking at this but each day can hold more than one picture, which I take advantage of to the fullest! ;) 

I am, unfortuantely, behind on PL due to our trip to Disney & from how busy the month was for us.  I've been working on it, slowly but surely though & refuse to get discouraged.  We've got a lot going on which only makes my album BETTER! ;)

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Gianna's 1st Holy Communion


Today we celebrated Gianna's 1st Holy Communion.  I feel like we had Marissa's was not that long ago but it's been three years.  Hard for me to believe. 

We went dress shopping in March.  We picked out a few dresses to try on & almost immediately knew this was "the one".  It didn't stop us from trying on other dresses just to "make sure" though.  We even had Marissa picking out dresses for her sister.  The girl's got good taste!  I  get asked a lot if Gianna was going to wear Marissa's dress. No. They are two different people. Why should they? That's how I'd like to answer, but I don't. The only thing we passed from Marissa to Gianna was the shoes. Each girl should have their own special day.  Which is something I need to remember when it comes to their weddings & they tell me they don't want to wear my dress....but that's besides the point. ;)

The day started early with me doing Gianna's hair. We hadn't practiced really beforehand, but had an idea of what we were going to do. Thankfully the weather was beautiful (if a bit chilly for her), and didn't ruin her hair. Yes, I think about things like that. ;)

We did a marathon photo session around the house before leaving for the church. 

 I have to say how much I love this family pic.  I plan on printing it large (11x14) for the photo wall I've talked about hanging in the family room.
 My favorite weeping cherry tree, in the front of the house, bloomed early thanks to the warm weather we had in February, so I chose to take pics in the backyard.  I think it easier to take pics without the sun directly in her eyes.

This is another favorite shot.  I will definitely hang this up.


We went over to the church early to meet with the photographer for some formal pics.  He took her pics super quick so to pass the time, we then went outside for more pics.  She wasn't thrilled to have to take all these pics but she did what she had to.

Of course we took some pics inside the church too. 

We weren't allowed to take pics during the ceremony except for the very end when they handed the kids their certificates. 

Afterwards, we took more pics of course.  I told Gianna to stand in front of the altar & she posed herself like this.  Yes, it's another favorite.

We took pics of the cousins together.
 Then we went off to the restaurant.  We had a small gathering of family & friends.  I really like it better than having a huge party where you can't enjoy it.  This was perfect.  At one point, my nephew Tyler, who is about 9 months older than Gianna, took a seat by himself away from the kids table...basically he was the only boy & needed some "man" time.  However, Gianna went over to sit with him to keep him company.  They have always been close (when they're not fighting).  I took this shot because they look like a little bridal couple.  So cute, in a way.  Then I promptly took the wine off the table before it spilled. Gotta keep the dress clean....and the kids sober. ;)

Of course there was cake.  Decorated in Gianna's favorite color of the moment. 


Then of course there was fun by the adults too.  This is my friend Carolee, me & my sister Marie.  We've been friends since we all worked together years ago.  These are "my girls".

Yes, of course, we had sister time too.  We were goofing around at this point, but this is the only pic I'll post. ;)

This pic is of my cousin's daughter, Hannah, my niece Nikki & Gianna.  After I took this, I thought that I could easily be looking into the future, seeing Gianna at her wedding surrounded by her family.  That's how my mind works.  Can't help it.  Yes I was imagining Gianna in a wedding dress all day.  How could I not?


Here we have the 3 ten-year olds.  Hannah, Nikki & Marissa.  All ten, with braces.  They look grown-up too.  **sigh** Who let them out of the bubble & let them grow up??


They day wouldn't be complete with all the kids together.  They had a lot of fun hanging out together.
It was a beautiful day, full of love & happiness....

Friday, April 27, 2012

Braces

Marissa got her braces yesterday.  After finding the floating tooth & visits to the orthodontist & oral surgeon, the wait is finally over.

Of course, like any kid, she's not happy about them & calls them "stupid".  But she got purple elastic bands & that makes it a teeny bit better....So did the caramel apple we got her at Disney as a last hurrah! ;)
Today she had oral surgery to expose the floating tooth so they can align it slowly over time with the braces.  She did wonderfully during the surgery, although I did not.  I tried being brave & go in with her in the beginning but as the Dr. told us what he would be doing, I lost it a little.  I can't handle needles to begin with but seeing them do all this to my baby girl was too much for me.  Luckily Joe got there in time & kept me distracted.  Plus the office nurse was terrific!  She kept us updated & told us what to expect afterwords.

Marissa did wonderfully during the surgery, according to the doctor.  She says she kept her eyes closed so she wouldn't see any blood, & she says it felt like it took forever.  Unfortunately, after the surgery while the nurses were telling us what to do etc., the pain kicked in & she had to have more Novocaine.  Luckily the doctor gave us a prescription for the pain. 

The first part of the afternoon was tough for her.  She was hungry & could only eat soft mushy foods.  Chewing was tough for her.  I feel so bad for her since she barely had time to adjust to the braces & now she has to adjust to a couple of stitches on the inside of her chin.  I keep telling her that this is the worst of it & it will only get better from here!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Easter in Disney

We spent Easter at the Happiest Place On Earth this year.  While I won't be blogging every pic or detail of our trip, I just wanted to share our Easter.

Disney thinks of everything, and so does the Easter Bunny!  He made a special trip to bring the girls their baskets.  When they woke up they were quick to spot them despite bring so sleepy.  They have serious bedhead but were happy with their goodies!

 After a quick breakfast, we went outside where the hotel was doing a "Candy Scramble" (their equiliant to an Egg Hunt).  The lawns were split into section by age, taped off & covered in candy.  Every kid got a bag & when the buzzer went off the kids were free to fill their bags (& pockets) till they couldn't hold anymore.  Joe & Gianna were waiting with her age group. While I was with Marissa.

Can you see all the candy on the ground?? 


 When the girls' bags were jam packed with goodies, we dropped them off in our room & headed to the Magic Kingdom.

We took the girls for driving lessons....Gianna wasn't too bad at it either.


We did a few more rides then watched the show at the castle.
 In the afternoon, we watched the Easter parade that marched before the regular parade.  Kicking off the parade was Mr. & Mrs. Easter Bunny of course!  The girls took pics with them the day before, which must've helped with the delivery of their baskets. ;)

The Azalea Trail Maids were back again in the parade, looking lovely in their beautiful gowns.  You can read more about them HERE.  There was an ocean of girls in colors ranging from yellow, aqua, baby blue, lavender & peach.  There is only one that wears pink.


Following the maids are an assortment of Bunnies.....


Then starts the normal parade which wouldn't be complete without Mickey & Minnie!

We left the park shortly after the parade to relax back at the hotel. Basically, we were tired.  I got sick the week before we left & Joe wasn't feeling great either, so we (the adults) took naps while the girls watched TV.  They didn't complain, they had CANDY!! ;)

We had dinner at the Yachtman's Steakhouse that night.  While we were waiting to be seated we took pics. Looking back, I should've asked someone to take a family pic, oh well.



I didn't take pics of dinner but the girls' desserts required pics (they asked).  They each got a hollow egg to decorate with edible "paint".  They had fun with it, of course!


Going back to our hotel we made sure to stop in the lobby to take pics of all the handmade chocolate eggs that were on display.  There were so many beautifully done eggs but I'm only going to share a few, since this post is so pic heavy.  If you have Instagram, you can look me up (sarar7499) & see all the pics I took while on vacation.  In case you need to see MORE!! ;)




As much as I enjoy all the cooking & Easter activities at home, celebrating it at Disney was relaxing!

Thursday, April 12, 2012

12 on 12 April

Can't believe it's the twelfth of April already! This month is just insane!

Since Blogger won't let me post the pics in order (I'm on my iPhone), I can't give you the reasons for my pics, though I'm sure some are self-explanatory. I'll fix it when I get back!   ETA: All fixed!

Taking a bus ride over to Hollywood Studios after Breakfast.


Hollywood Studios



Went for FastPasses for the Toy Story Mania ride.  Good thing we got them early!!


Face Painting is a must at least once (or twice) a vacation!


Still young enough to get her face painted.


Went to see the car show.  No matter how many times we've seen it, it's still exciting!

Waiting to see the Muppets show in 3D.


Watched the parade with all the Pixar characters


Had to see the Little Mermaid show


Introduced the girls to Indiana Jones, they had no clue about the movies, but liked the show


After all day at the park we got to see the Fantasmic show.  We haven't seen it since Marissa was a baby.  It was great but chilly that night.  The girls liked all the effects.


After the show we stopped in a gift shop to buy the girls t-shirts to wear over their clothes, since it was CHIL-LY!!