The coolest trike..ever

I don't know who likes this more.. me or Hunter.

Merry Christmas

I want a new mom

The other day Tina and Hunter wanted Burger King because thanks to advertising.. the kids know that they have lu lu the kitten in the kids meals. Whatever.
I told them no that they would NOT be having Burger King and Tina proceeds to tell me that's fine. I'll get a new mommy. I asked her who she would choose and after some thought she said " Aunt Morgan" She wanted to make sure that Aunt Morgan was having girls though as if she didnt want to go there if she was having boys.
Immediatly after she said this Hunter says all serious "Tina.. I'll miss you."

Later when I had MOrgan on the phone I told Tina that her new mommy was on the phone.. she quickly changed her mind and told me she was just joking. She also said she wants Aunt Sabrina to be her mommy too .. that she has cool dogs.

Say "cheese"

So Hunter says to me a few minutes ago that he doesnt like a girl at school. I asked him why and he said that she smells like cheese and that he doesnt like girls that smell like cheese.

Thanks Hunter.

Work the Hula (video)

Randomness of Hunter hula hooping it to WII fit tonight.

Great Pick Mom

So we were on our way to school this morning when Tina started asking me about getting married. She wanted to know if I married daddy so that we could be a mommy and daddy forever..then she said...


Tina: "Mom, I think you made a great pick.""yeah mom, that was a GREAT pick."
Tina: "Mommy, when can I get married?"
Mom: "It better not be for a long long time."
Tina: "But moooooommmmmm"

Lions, Tigers and Bears OH MY!

All three kids (Tina, Hunter, and Adam) had the day off today for Veterans day. We decided to head out to Animal Kingdom since we have not been to that park yet. The weather was PERFECT for going to a theme park. And if the weather was not good enough, the children were ANGELS. Seriously, they were the type of kids that you see at theme parks and restaurants and want to say "Damn, I wish my kids acted like that." I had a lady approach me and tell me that she had been watching us and wanted to say how well they were , and that we should be proud. Aweeeeeeee


We were greeted by these guys (Correct me if I'm wrong but is it Brer Rabbit and Brer Bear?)
We do not normally do the whole stand in line to take a picture deal but this time there were NO lines and the kids wanted to.


Just a small line for the happy cricket. Tina was having more fun looking at the snakes and I was MORE than happy to take Hunter to get his picture taken. We had the lovely experience of having a guy behind us that did not understand PERSONAL space. (SIGH)

Prior to this though I was scared to death by Rafiki the baboon. That damn thing came sneaking around a corner and scared me enough that I let out a scream and jumped. Oh yeah the tourists got a kick out of it.

At the petting zoo.

Waiting to go on the safari ride.

He's ready to go on this one. Our tour guide did not please Hunter though, Hunter was very upset that the guide kept telling lies about the bridges not being safe and that we better we careful crossing them.

On the safari ride. NOTE the ride itself was bumpy but the kids had a blast finding the animals. We got pretty close as well. (No zoom used on the camera).

I thought this was a kick arse tree.. Adam thinks it is fake, and I beg to differ.

Jammin out.

Ok, so this was way cool. I only caught it out of the corner of my eye, but this lady was dressed up in leaves and on stilts. That is a real person. She was walking over to go lean on a tree. To quote Adam "that is cool... Oh..wait..she is getting all artsy on us now." She just leaned on a tree and did not move. Weird..but cool.

Right before taking a break for lunch. Tina grabbed a bird by the leg and thought it was the best thing ever. The tree in the background was really neat. It had all kinds of animal carvings in it. We went to a 3d show about bugs in the base of that tree later in the day.

Dinosaurs. Hunter wanted NOTHING to do with this one so I took Tina and Adam took Hunter over to play in the dinosaur playground. Not a great ride, really bumpy and VERY dark. Tina said she closed her eyes and was thinking that she was going to have not so good dreams about this ride. Next time, I preview before she goes on.

After the dinosaur ride, we decided to preview the rides before letting our little daredevil go on them. Our next stop. EVEREST. Adam went on the ride and I waited with the kids. He came back and told Tina that it was a bit much for her so I went ahead and took my turn. It was a pretty good coaster, but I'm with him, backwards in the dark. NOt so much for a 6 year old. I dont care how tough she is.

We finished off the day with the Finding Nemo musical (the kids loved it). There was a bird show that we all got a kick out of and then the parade where Daddy surprised the kids with ice cream.

Came home, cleaned up, and all kids are passed out early and ready for school tomorrow :)
For as much as we bitch about Disney, I really have to give them props. The parks are clean, the staff is courteous, and it WEARS the kids out!!

Long overdue

Fall season. Why is fall such a busy time of year? Isn't this the time of year that we can slow down and relax a little? Not here. We have been going non-stop. Pumpkin patches, fall festivals, Costume contests, and the best TRICK or Treating.

Our Puppy in box that came in 1st place at the local Boo at the ZOO. Hunter (Darth Vador)was upset that he did not win his age group so he told me today that he wants to go back next year so that HE can be the puppy in the box and win. They were both in the local newspaper though.

We entered another contest on Halloween day; Tina came in second place right behind a "washing machine". She informed me "Mom, they had a better plan than us." ha!

Two of my favorite boys hanging out at the St.Marys Pumpkin Patch.

Hunters Kindergarten class at St.Mary's. They had a halloween parade and all marched around the school getting high fives from the other classes. You can see our Darth Vador right up front.

The "loot" from trick or treating. We have the best neighborhood ever. We walked around with some neighbors and the kids had a blast.

It is hard to believe we are already into November and its getting time to start buying presents and getting the good ole "elf on the shelf" out to keep the kids out of mischief. Tina and Hunter are both doing really well in school. I'll try to post some videos of them reading soon. We did make a few changes at the house with them. Both kids are now sharing a room. Hunters old room is now the "playroom". They love being together at night and they still go to bed right at 8pm. Who knows how long it will last them being in the same room, but for now it seems like a really good fit, so we are going to stick with it.

Other big news in the family that I am not sure if I posted yet.. but Aunt Sabrina will be getting married in October 2010. Tina tells me how excited she is to go see a wedding! She really does have a special bond with her Aunt Sabrina.

Aunt Morgan will be having TWINS in April! I asked the kids if they were going to help babysit and Hunter said "No way, I dont like poop."

What is love?

Picking out all the teeny tiny carrot bits from a bowl of soup just because you asked. So Hunter, this one is for you.

I hope that one day when you are in your teen years and giving me a hard time about "Never doing anything for you." that you come to this blog and read that I just spent MY time removing every little speckle of orange simply because you nicely asked me to. :) Love, MOM

How much is that puppy in the window?

Tina has chosen to be a "puppy in a box" for halloween this year. Trying to get a jump start on things we worked on her "costume" a bit tonight.

I think I have a full fledged mutt on my hands ladies and gentlemen.

Keep in mind I have not finished the costume.. this is a very rough draft.

What doos cats butts look like?

Oh yes, there are more little jewels from the other day.



And Hunter just had to try again so he could get it right.

What do cats eat?

How could I not post this one as well.

What do cats be angry for?

Tina and Hunter were entertaining themselves in the car with "cat trivia". This was one of our favorites with "when a cat has a straight tail is it curly or straight?"

The best laid plans..

Don't always work out so well.

Hunter and Tina were playing with a empty box this morning. Tina decided to make it so that they could both stand in it and walk around with it. Sounds like a great idea right? Well as Hunter was climbing into the box, Tina moved and Hunter fell on his butt.... right on the tile floor.
He is not injured; I think it hurt his feelings more than anything,
but as he stands up he crys "Tina! That is NOT the best idea ever!".

Green Thumb

The landscaping is pretty much done in the back "yard" now. We extended out the bed and planted a ton of Palm trees.

These are the white birds of paradise and the row of plants on the left are Viburnum. They should get as tall as the screen.

The blue stuff in the background is a solar cover for the pool. It is being fit to size right now.

3....2....1... Blast off

We took a trip to Kennedy Space Center yesterday with the kids. We all had fun and the kids had a blast. They were not tall enough to ride the main "ride" there but I think they enjoyed learning about robots and getting to walk in the shuttle.

It was so sunny outside that we could not get a great picture of the kids, but here they are posing outside of the shuttle.

"Thats what I'm talking about"

When are children are small we often here "instead of giving them flashy toys, just give them the box and they will enjoy it just as much" Well that saying still holds true in our house. We just purchased some new items and the kids had/are still having so much fun with the boxes. Who needs expensive toys when an empty box and a bag of pipe cleaners provides HOURS of play (and two kids who are not fighting)

Tina improvised today and made this "bridle" for her horse. At least she is being creative :)

Monday Funny

Hunter was in the backseat of the car getting into trouble for some back talking (his new favorite activity). Tina leans over and whispers to him "Hunter... CRY!"

Really?? I've got your number now Tina. The drama llama tears will not work so well with Mommy and Daddy now that we know you are playing us. To think I've thought all this time she was just super sensitive.

Back from a break

Lots of happenings at the Casa De Neil. We had friends come down from Virginia that we have not seen since Texas. Mary, Lance and Amanda came down to see the shuttle launch , the shuttle was not so cooperative but they did get to finally see it. The weather here in central florida is a bit ugly in the late afternoons and they had to keep delaying the launch.

The kids had their birthday party. We ended up with about 16 kids and close to the same amount of adults. Thank god for the margaritta machine! While Mary was here, we made up some adorable goody bags and tshirts for all the kids for party favors. They were a huge hit.
It was a fun party, and the kids loved having friends over, but I did learn that next year they can have seperate parties if we are doing it at the house. Hunter had the hardest time figuring out that his birthday was on the 7th but his party was on the 18th. NEVER AGAIN. Trying to tell a 5 yr old to WAIT is damn near impossible.

Upcoming visitors: Sean, Becky, David, and Ashley should be here on Friday. Adam leaves on Sunday and then on Tuesday the whole family comes down. Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Sabrina and Nate, Aunt Morgan and Uncle Greg. They get in on Tuesday and Leave on Monday. We have lots of fun activities planned and can't wait for the visit.

We hit Epcot center on Sunday, Had a great time. No lines, etc. Hunter did not want ANYTHING to do with the rides until later in the day when he decided he liked them. I dont know about that boy. I had to take him crying on the finding nemo ride. I mean its slow enough for a newborn, and he was in TEARS! He stopped as soon as it took off and he realized it was slow. I think his exact words were "this is not so bad." I am afraid to say that his fear is completly gone, I know the next time we go, its going to start all over again. But have you ever heard of a 5 yr old that wants to go home instead of being at DISNEYWORLD???

I found a local place that has Shorin Ryu Karate. (the type that Adam did with Grandpa). Adam took both kids to it with him on Saturday and Hunter went again the other night. The instructor told Adam that he has NEVER seen a child do what Hunter does at such a young age. Adam was proud as a peacock over that one :) Tina is still on the fence. Problem is they want to quit right after they start something because "its too hard" or "I'm scared". We are working on it though.

Now I have a question out there for all of you moms and dads. Hunter has started getting up earlier and earlier and coming into our room . If its after 530 we let him crawl in bed with us and snuggle, but this morning it was 430 so Adam took him back to bed. He carried on crying about how scared he was of ghosts and the dark for the longest time. Then he came back into the room around 5am. I have no idea how to break him of being "scared". He has a night light, he has soft music, hell we even kept the door open this morning. He KNOWS there are no ghosts, and part of us thinks he is lying (which how do you prove THAT one?) He doesnt fight us about going to bed, so why the freak out in the middle of the morning? Thoughts?

Daisy the gaurd dog.

Daisy gets sooo worried when the kids are in the pool. She paces back and forth the entire time, and barks at them when they are about to jump in and when they go ahead and jump.

Even if they just in the water, she paces and follows the kids. For whatever reason she is really concerned about Tina, not so much about Hunter.

We are SWIMMING!!

The pool is up and running!!! After 5 weeks we are swimming! Last night, the kids and Adam took the first dip.

But first, my brilliant husband had the kids eat a serving of green beans (they HATE green beans) so that they could go swimming. I think I may have to make this a routine thing.. eat something healthy BEFORE you swim.



B

For Adam

Hunter donts loves me.

Tina was upset this morning because she said that Hunter doesnt love her hugs and kisses, so that means he does not love her anymore. At the end of the video she went to him and asked him again and he said with a big sigh (yes Tina I LOVE YOU).. that made her all better.

Poor Kitty

Tina loves our cat Sierra. She plays with her day in and day out. Yesterday, Sierra was Tinas doll and well, I'll just let you see the pictures.

Update time

I know I have been slacking lately on the blog so I will do my best to do some updates more frequently.

Quick recap of the past few weeks.

Adam is here full time now! We are all super happy about that. He is going to be pretty busy with his new job, but its a great experience for him.

Hunter has offically removed the training wheels on his bike and just cruises all over the place now. Tina is not quite ready, she rides without the trainers but then gets a bit spooked and just STOPS mid ride.

Hunter was riding about a week before his first "fall", so much for a helmet helping.

Instead of riding bikes, Tina likes to draw. Here is one of her recent masterpieces and I have no idea how she gets these ideas.

The kids both graduated. Tina is now an offical 1st grader! The teacher is sure she is ready for 1st grade and said she would be bored stiff if we held her back in Kindergarden. She is not too thrilled about the move, but she'll get over it. Tina missed the last two days because of a low grade fever, but I hear she did not miss anything other than a two hour mass.

Hunter is in Kindergarden. We can't wait for him to be in the class with Mrs. Obrien. She is a wonderful teacher that will not put up with any crap. Hunter was still dealing with that bully in his preK class. I am truly amazed he did not beat the crap out of Damien before the end of the year. HE still insists that he will make Damien his best friend. Such a sweet boy.

Grandma and Grandpa came out for another visit and we went to Disney Hollywood studios. We had a great time. Hunter no longer likes to ride "rides" . He was even crying at certain points about going on some. I hope that passes, because Tina on the other hand is a thrill seeker. She went on the Tower of Terror with Adam and I. Talk about feeling like bad parents. Its a elevator ride that drops you down a few stories at a time. She was glad she rode it, but doesnt want to do it again. To quote her "Hunter was right, that WAS scary!"

The neighborhood is continuing to be a great place to live. We had our first block party a few weekends ago; we coned off the street and all brought some food to share, brought the grills out and drinks and let the kids run wild while the adults all had a chance to meet and mingle. It was great fun and we had a nice turnout. The next one is scheduled for 4th of July weekend.

The pool is coming along very well. I think we'll have water in by the end of the week. They are putting up the screen now and I'm pleased with our tile choice and deck color. The kids are swimming with no floaties now (we use the neighbors pool to practice). Again, we have been blessed with some AWESOME neighbors.

I'm still not working :( but hope to find something once the kids are back in school in August.

Other big news. BIRTHDAYS! Combined birthday party for the kids July 18th. I had to invite the entire class for both kids so if everyone RSVPS we could be looking at close to 40 kids! I am actually hoping it does not come to that, but I do hope some of the kids can come to help the kids celebrate their first REAL party. Tina is having a unicorn theme and Hunter has chosen Bolt the dog. I'm planning it as a pool party at the house. If we end up with 40 kids I'll push it up to the clubhouse and do it there. Hunter tells us he wants "anything for boys' . And Tina.. well bless her little sweet heart, she wants A "touch and brush", a "upside down tomato grower" so "I can make salsa mommy!" , and anything else you see on a infomercial.!

Last but certainly not least, we are going to have a house full in August. Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Sabrina and her Boyfriend Nate, Aunt Morgan and Uncle Greg will all be out for a entire week. I am sure it will be a crazy hot mess, but we'll all have a blast.

Now if I can just get MY parents to come down here for a visit (HINT HINT)

I promise to update more frequently, so you can stop now with the pestering emails!