The Winter Break is Over

And we are all back at school and work this morning. It was hell getting up at 6:00am considering that we have all been sleeping until about 10ish everyday. It was also hell trying to fall asleep before midnight last night. Not only for Matt and I, but for the girl as well. But we all managed to make it to our destinations on time this morning.

Over the break, here is what was accomplished:

1. Bssement furniture moved to make space more functional.
Despite this being Matt's "domain" I had decided that the space was just not being used very effectively. With Matt grumbling the entire time, the furniture was moved and the space is now much more effective for everyone to use. (With Matt's permission of course.)

2. Closets in basement cleaned out as well as some of the utility space in the basement.
It would appear that this time spent cleaning was all about the basement! But that's because it needed it. We have a huge storage bin that is built into the basement that spans the width of the house. Perfect for storing things like Christmas decorations and Halloween decor. Which also makes it perfect for storing nothing but crap. Which is what has happened in the last 4 years. So that storage bin was cleaned out.
We also have a row of closets down there that is perfect for hanging extra coats and storing things like wrapping paper and such. While we had those things in there, we also had a load of other crap that needed to be purged.

3. I managed to read 3 novels (they were all parts of a trilogy).
I forget how much I love reading until I am able to just sit down and completely devour a book. Which is precisely what I did after New Year's. The books I read were Uglies, Pretties, and Specials. They were written by Scott Westerfeld. The genre is sooo not what I normally read. But I was intrigued by the first one and found myself back at the bookstore to buy the second and third in the series. There is a fourth, and I read the blurb for it, but I am not so sure that I woudl enjoy it as much as I did the first 3. So I haven't decided if I am going to purchase it or not.

4. Portion of the garage cleaned out.
Our garage is a dumping ground. Literally. We put anything and everything in that stupid garage. And the garage itself is a piece of shit. We had a really bad wind storm over break and the shingles were actually flying off of the roof into our yard and into the alley. So Matt was up on the roof on Christmas Eve replacing the stupid thing.
Because the garage is such a piece of shit, we have to try and salvage what we can of it, even if that means patch up after patch up. We just don't have the money right now to replace an entire garage.
So as we were putting away the Christmas decor, some of which is stored in the rafters of the garage, I got the bug to start throwing a bunch of things away in there. I tossed the baby swing, a few bags of clothes, and some random stuff that I found in corners coverd with things I can not identify, nor do I want to.

5. Purchased and set up wireless internet and set up Caitlyn to have access to the internet.
Matt and I often want to be online at the same time when we are home. When you have to have the computer plugged in, it can't work. So we bought ourselves wireless for Christmas and set it up. Which was surprisingly easy. So now, Matt can sit in the basement and do his homework and such and I can sit upstairs and play backgammon.
Caitlyn is also wanting to be on the internet quite a lot lately. She has her Webkinz World subscription and she loves going to her school's website as they have links to other websites that she can go to. I have been letting her use my log in, but I wanted to be able to restrict certain things for her so I had to set up her own email account. Which she is head over heels thrilled about. She is terribly excited that she may actually get email from someone! So I have to send her an email this afternoon so that she will feel all special when she gets home from school. If anyone else (that I know of course) would like to send her an email let me know and I will pass along her email address to you.

6. Purchased the new car that we have been waiting for!
The van was paid in full last month, so we went out and bought the Dodge Charger that we have been wanting for over a year now. Matt is way too excited about this car. I have the feeling that he may be recieving a few speeding tickets this summer ;)

And now we are all back to our normal routines. Which I am kind of glad for.

Some pics of the trip

On the Disney Magical Express between the airport and the hotel.


On her way to breakfast with the princesses


A princess and her prince


Her very favorite princess of all time


Just being cute


A family shot


The birds from Nemo


Inside of Bruce's mouth


The duck that she loved to feed at Epcot


With the mouse himself


Running to give Minnie a hug


Getting ready to weather the storm (literally)


Seeing the castle for the first time


Spinning on the tea cup ride


The infamous Dumbo ride


Playing at Ariel's Grotto


With Ariel


Riding the carousel with Mary Poppins


My favorite picture of the castle


Dancing in the High School Musical Pep Rally

Vacation One

We have returned from vacation number one. I say vacation number one because it seems that the entire month of July is going to be spent travelling somewhere. Both as a family and separately.

We spent 5 glorious days at the cottage in Waupaca. This is the place that Matt's family has been going to since he was an infant. They have been going there since his mother was 6 years old. So they have some history there. And Matt has always wanted his daughter to love it there as much as he does. And I think his wish has come true.

My little lady, who is usually very timid when it comes to physical activities, those that require gross motor coordination, got her little ass on a tube and went tubing. I was stunned. Flabbergasted. Floored. Couldn't believe my eyes that this child was actually doing this.


And she did it a few times so I know it wasn't a fluke. I know the pictures are hard to see, but I certainly don't have the energy to zoom in on them and save them. Lazy=Nancy.

Getting ready to go


Caitlyn is on the right with her Uncle Bernard and Danny is on the left. (If she were to go by herself in that tube I probably would have had a coronary.



There was also plenty of time to just play and have fun. She is bound and determined to get this hula hooping thing no matter what!


After all the tubing and hula hooping, she was just wiped out and ready to go home.




And I think this has to be my favorite picture from the trip. Could these kids and Grandma Rita look any happier???? I don't think so!


Next week I am off to Country Thunder with the girls (woot!!) and Matt is off to the lake again for the annual Daddy/Daughter vacation. Mostly because it helps soothe the girl during my absence, but it is a fabulous thing for them to do together. And something that I know Caitlyn will grow up remembering forever.

2 weeks after that, it's back up to the lake for all 3 of us. 2 days after we get home, it's off to Disney. So it seems that for the month of July I will be doing nothing but packing, unpacking, doing laundry, and packing again. Only to unpack and wash it all again.

We Did It

We booked the trip to Disney World!! We leave on July 31st and come home on August 4th.

I can not wait to see the girl's face with all of the goings on there. She is so so excited and is counting down the days. We also scheduled breakfast with the princessses. An event that is sure to push her right over the edge.