First Day of School! First Day Of School!!

We were having so much fun on our vacation, finally soaking up the sun that had been neglecting Alaska all summer, we flew home stand-by two days before school started. I knew all of the school supplies would be out by then, so I bought everything down in California and flew it home with us. I must say it is the least prepared I have ever been for school for my kids. But we had the essentials and I could always shop on-line this week. Everything worked out, I still need to buy a few more things like a box of kleenex and ziplock baggies, but when don't you find out you need to buy something for school after they start? I took one for the team and stayed home with the sleeping babies and left hubby up to taking the important first day of school pictures...and he did better than expected and better than I would have. I was a very happy mama!

Just a side note; I took this photo. Not as good as hubbys!

A trip to Legoland!!

One our favorite trips is our annual family summer trip to California. Each year we try to visit a different theme park. This year it was Legoland and Legoland's newest addition, it's water park! I found a smoking deal on Ares Travel. Since the new water park is at the back of Legoland's park and they don't sell separate tickets to it yet, you have to purchase a day ticket to Legoland and add on the water park ticket. At Ares travel they had the best deal I found anywhere, 2 days to Legoland with one day access to the Water Park for only $67 for an adult/$57 for a child. On Legoland's website is it $87/adult & $77/child. So with our crew (one is still under 3) we saved $80!! Which we were able to spend in the park. If I had figured it out quicker, instead of at the end of the last day. I would have bought a refillable cup sooner. It was around $6.95 with around $1 refills, don't quote me on that, as I am going off my memory and we all know the airplane and babies have sucked all my brain cells away.

With the deal you have to use your water park ticket within 48 hours of using your 1st Legoland ticket. Otherwise you have 9 days to use both of your tickets once you make your 1st visit. So we decided to use the water park ticket on the 1st day and then we had 9 days to come back to visit Legoland.

The day we went to the water park was a little overcast and in the low 70°. 

The actual pool water was chilly in the Build-A-Raft lazy river, 

but we had still had fun and prompted my middle son to repeat over and over 

"I wooove wegowavnd!" 

Even though it was mid-week, the lines were long for the big kid slides. :-(

The DUPLO^® Splash Safari was pretty cool. They shut down the area from time to time on a schedule to probably check the area for floaters and to give the kids a break to use the restrooms. A must have is a locker rental. The price is around $9 for a family size locker and it opens and lock on a wrist band scanning system (pretty high tech!!) Also the large changing rooms are a huge plus!!!

It was so cold that day we ended up changing out of our swimsuits and going to the actual Legoland park. We ate in Fun Town at the Fun Town Market, which was a nice change from normal park food. They had a fresh soup and salad bar, Philly cheesesteak sandwiches, fresh cookies, and Asian Stir Fry and the best homemade churros I have EVER had!!! I think I ate close to 3. We went to The Big Test show all about  a volunteer fire department. My oldest even got chosen as a volunteer to help them in the show! My boys LOVED it and giggled the whole time. Even my big firefighter laughed and enjoyed the show too! 

Afterwards we went to DUPLO^® Playtown and let the kids run around for about an hour, since the sun wasn't beating down on us. My kids LOVED it! It really was the most incredible play area I have ever seen. A big fun firehouse, a school, a vet clinic, etc. and it wasn't too crowded. We then went on a search for a Lego Batman set. 

We looked in every store, including THE BIG STORE and came up empty handed. I was really surprised as the have a Xbox 360 game out called Lego Batman, but no toys?? We called it a day, much to the sadness of the kiddos.

The next day, Thursday we took a break for a  pool day! 

And Friday we went back for more! I was thrilled when our printed passes actually worked on the 2nd day, like they were supposed to! We headed to the back of the park immediately and started wondering through. My kids loved Fun Town Fire Academy (who doesn't love driving fire trucks and spraying water??!!), Miniland, Hideaways (worth sending an adult to stand nearby in the long line to get Granny's Apple Fries as the other one watches the kids play), Dune Raiders, Pharaoh's Revenge (no wonder it was hard to pull my kids out of here, as I could have played in there a long time too!), Xbox Family Game Space, Dig Those Dinos (where they provided free buckets and shovels to uncover dinosaur bones!) 

We had a great day and were amazed how all the staff was so nice! The youngest fell asleep before we even got off park property. The oldest stayed awake so he could build his latest lego set! 

A Family Affair!

A WEDDING!! I love weddings! I cry at weddings! I think about how I can be a better wife at weddings! And I love to dance at weddings!!


My youngest brother just got married to his grade school crush! I adore my brother! For those of you who don't know he is also a firefighter with the same department as my hubby. He and his bride-to-be (a good friend of mine) asked our entire family to be in the wedding! I played the role of Matron (I hate that word! LOL!)-of-Honor, my hubby was a groomsmen and my kids were ring bearers and the flower girl! What a special day to be a part of! It was a big day for them and us. We are so blessed to have gained a sister, but also her awesome family! 

The Loss Of A Brother...

We recently lost one of our own: A Firefighter, A Marine, A Husband, A Son, A Brother, An Uncle, and A Friend to so many. We met Elliott, when Elliott & my husband were in the fire academy together. He and my hubby immediately connected on another level once they found out they were both Marines. Elliott's wife, Lacey, is also a Marine. They are both such incredible people and are well liked by many. Elliott served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. They were a perfect couple; best friends, sooo in love and good to each other. As you can imagine, a loss of one so great shakes up the world you are walking through. 


The funeral was unlike any I have ever been to. A perfect blend of representation of the Anchorage Fire Department and the Marine Corps. The video montage, photos and speakers were something I will never forget. It was like a gift from Elliott just to be there and listen to people talk about him. He strived to be the best, but very humbly, while doing it. He was the epitome of an awesome Firefighter, Marine, husband, son, brother, uncle & friend. He made you want to be more like him, a better person. He had a way of making everyone feel comfortable, and bringing out the laughs as well. He was someone who loved his God and served him faithfully. He was, in all sense of the word; Perfect. 


It rocked our firefighter family to the core. To lose someone so wonderful, so young, and someone everyone seems to know, in a blink of an eye. I am sure everyone of us held our love ones tighter, said the things they were meaning to say, and no longer worried about the small stuff. I, for one, found myself thinking "why stress about this? Cause Elliott's young widowed wife, Lacey, would probably give anything to have the chance to be even thinking about what I was worrying about."


Most of our firefighter friends have never been to a firefighter funeral, especially one in that magnitude. Even our city mayor attended, although, several people noticed him drifting off to sleep. To see all of our men in their Class A uniforms sitting together in unison with red teary eyes, sucked the air out of my lungs. And all the wives, sitting together supporting each other through their tears grieving for his family and our own personal loss. We were surprised how many friends we knew from other circles (hockey, school, Marines) that came to the service. He obviously touched so many lives in his short life.


This is a family. A very tight family. Unlike anything else you will never, ever experience with any other job. Just as these firefighters work to help others on the job, they LOVE to help each other off the job. It is in their blood. So one of our own needs a deck/roof/help moving etc., 10 guys show up. A wifes' car won't start, call anyone off duty and they are there like AAA, or as my hubby tells me "So & So NEEDS someone to go with him fishing, I have to take one for the team (with a grin.) Elliott's family needs us, so even in our own grief, we are there, holding his widow's hand, listening, sharing memories, and of course cooking, cause firefighters are good at that too. It makes us feel better too. And every one of us knows that if things were different, Elliott and Lacey would have been the 1st ones to be there for you. They had asked for firefighters and spouses to come help set up and bring food for the food gathering they were having afterward the service. I have never seen so many people show up to help, that there was nothing to do, because it all got done in a very short while. At one point someone asked if anyone could take out the trash, 5 guys jumped up to take out 1 trash can! And the food! There was so much food, and good food for people to comfort themselves with afterwards. Here in this family, you ask for help you get more help than you ever wanted. 


We take care of our own. To be part of this family is an honor and a privilege and Lacey will ALWAYS be part of this family. She is a young widow, now without health insurance, or a job as she is a college student trying to better her life, but now to also support herself. She could use any and all support you can give. I can tell you it would be more than appreciated. 

Donations can be made to the Elliott L. Taylor Benefit Memorial Fund at Wells Fargo Bank. The account number is 7553161261. Thank you for your generosity ♥

You can also visit his Legacy Book and/or at Elliott Taylor at afdstatus.org

A Birthday Fit For A Mouse!

A birthday fit for a mouse, that is Mickey Mouse!! My son was turning 4 while we were visiting my parents in Georgia, so we all decided to celebrate it in style and go to Disneyland on his birthday! I should mention that his favorite thing is MICKEY MOUSE!!  I think we have seen every Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode! I did some, o.k. A LOT of research on www.tripadvisor.com to find the perfect hotel for the perfect price...low and behold Coco Key Water Resort!!! We found it for less than $89/night with the water park included! I didn't know what to expect, but was very impressed with what we came upon! The water park was 20 feet from our door and it was awesome!! My kids played all day, until we forced them to eat dinner before they fell asleep well before their heads hit the pillow! 

Coco Key even had a little store on-site that sold ice cream cakes!!

It was the middle of June and the temperatures were well into the 100's with humidity so high you needed another shower as soon as you walked outside! But I guess that it pays off because the lines were Short!!!! Disney gave my son a button that said "It's my 4th Birthday!" and nearly every cast member wished him a happy birthday!! It was so special!! His face would light up when they said it to him! My only goal was to get to meet & greet Mickey & Minnie. The line was so short it was no problem! They got to give Mickey & Minnie high 5's and hugs! It was priceless! 

And then we tried our chances with the princesses and my kids were in awe! My son said "Hi princess!!" He had instant crushes! 

We paid nearly $30 for a double stroller, that was NEVER used for more than a backpack carrier, because my kids insisted on walking all 14 miles that day. YES, I said 14 miles! My dad has a pedometer and tracked it. The only time they sat was when after the electrical parade and the fireworks, it was crazy trying to get out of the park with everyone else, and so we put them in the stroller, KICKING & SCREAMING! Within minutes they were ASLEEP!!! We had to carry them the rest of the way out after returning the stroller, which is a l-o-n-g way in sweltering heat and each kid weighing in at 35 lbs!

All in all it was a day full of memories I will forever cherish! No one could put a price on the amount of smiles I got from my birthday boy! And a cast member even stopped my husband (he was wearing a fire t-shirt) to thank him for his service. He was caught off-guard and speechless. ;-) He actually told her that he is thankful he can do this job and serve others with support of people like her and thanked her.  

Cancer

Cancer seems to be everywhere all of a sudden. Recently I started following Layla Grace's story on twitter. Her mom, Shanna & dad, Rick blogged about Layla's brave battle against neuroblastoma. She was about the same age as my daughter, with siblings that were about the same age as my other children. They blogged their triumphs and defeats throughout this battle. They were so relate-able to me. It broke my heart. I found myself praying like I haven't done in a really long time for Layla to be healed. I hugged my babies more, snuggled them more, listened and relished their every word.


What if that my was baby girl and our family going through this...I can't say I would even begin to fill their shoes. They are the most humble, god-loving, good people. What's neuroblastoma you ask? I recently just found out myself. It is cancer of the nervous system. The survival rate is less than 30%. The most upsetting thing is that a simple urine test at birth would have been able to dignose this cancer before it had a chance to really grow. It wasn't Layla was 15 months that it was diagnosed giving it time to grow into massive tumors. This is probably why the survival rate is 30%. Had it been diagnosed early on maybe the survival rate would be higher.


Now parent should have to go through this. Her father recently spoke on-air to a radio station saying "we just feel blessed to have borrowed her from God for a short while." WOW! Their faith is inspirational! Layla did more in her short life, than I have ever done in mine. She has brought so many of us closer to God & closer to our families. Her mom had blogged during the final weeks at home with hospice that it was too quiet and she would give anything to have Layla playing at her feet while she tried to load the dishwasher. Layla has changed me as a mother, for that I am forever grateful. I have cried many tears for her family and the grief that aches their hearts. I pray for her sisters, one to young to quite grasp all this entails, and almost too young to hold on to her memories of her sister and the other old enough to experience the pain & grief as an adult, but as we all, can't really understand it all.


So today we will get 4 pink, purple (her favorite color), blue & yellow balloons, write our prayers to Layla, and watch them as far as we can as they make their way to Heaven, where Layla is healed and dancing with her angels. She has left her smile on our hearts & we will continue to pray for her and her family that they may be wrapped in His loving arms of comfort during the days, weeks, and months ahead.

Her parents have now started The Layla Grace Children's Cancer Research Foundation raising money to further research to help other families that are dealing with neuroblastoma in their own precious children. You can visit her website at www.laylagrace.org