Give Kids the World - Ice Cream for Breakfast

Is it Okay to Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast? It is when you are celebrating with your family, friends and neighbors while helping children with life-threatening illnesses and their families!

Give Kids The World Village (GKTW) http://www.gktw.org/ is a 70-acre, non-profit resort in Central Florida that creates magical memories for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. On Friday, October 1, 2010 myself and a group of special friends will visit the Give Kids the World Village and we'll make a donation. Our group plans to raise money through neighborhood "Ice-Cream Socials" this summer. Jared and Shawn will be visiting the Village with me to make the donation.

We held our Ice Cream Social on July 31 from 9:00am-10:30am. A total of 54 family members, friends and neighbors joined us to help Give a Scoop of Hope.

**The FABULOUS SMITTY'S ICE-CREAM donated a big tub of Vanilla Ice-Cream for this special event!!

Our family provided all the fix-in's for ice-cream sundaes.


We raised $214 in cash and checks, and helped raise awareness of this amazing charity.



Thank you again to all who attended our event. If you weren't able to make it, but would still like to help GIVE A SCOOP OF HOPE...please visit our online donation page:

http://www.firstgiving.com/wdwmoms

You can also read more about the Disney World Moms Panel and our donations to Give Kids the World by reading the Disney Parks Blog: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2010/08/moms-panel-it-takes-a-village/

Thanks and God Bless

Mickey Mom Morning

The Fed Ex truck pulled up before 9am today, and a wonderful "Good Morning" gift was waiting for me.

The Mickey Moms Club sent out, "Walt Disney World Resort Summertime Kits."

Included in my package was a cute lunch box cooler, luggage handles ("to show other travelers who the real Disney fans are"), a photo album, Toy Story 3 bandanna and Toy Story 3 bookmarks.

The luggage tags will be perfect to help our bags stand out in the crowd :)


A cute little photo album. :)

My new lunch tote. :)


THANK YOU Leanne, Laura and the rest of the Disney Moms Panel and Mickey Moms Club Staff :)

Doubled

As of tomorrow, we will have had Sawyer for 3 weeks. In that time, he has DOUBLED in size!

My best friend, Trina, has 2 Labs. She warned me how fast they grow and told me that I should take LOTS of pictures. I've already taught him to smile :



LOL, sorry...I couldn't resist. He does look like he's smiling at me a lot, and when he wags his tail...his whole hind end moves with it.

Sawyer continues to be a VERY good boy. Now that he's sleeping more (and I moved him to the playroom a few days ago)...life is good again.

He has HUGE feet and will probably be a very big dog. :)

He loves to chew on the bottom of the rope swing (which needs to stop).

The current thing I'm working on with him: He HAS to figure out how to go down the house stairs soon. I've been carrying him down and this boy is getting HEAVY! Guess that's one way to get a daily workout in...

Disney Dads

I had a magical night tonight! I got to meet up with Disney Dads Chris and Bernie for dinner. We met at Joe's American Bar and Grill near Franklin.

We had a fun night, sharing laughs and chatting about our favorite subjects: Our families, Disney World and the Moms Panel :)

Bernie treated us to dinner this time--(Thanks again, Bernie)-- and we closed the place down.

Chris and Bernie are two of the COOLEST, SWEETEST guys I know. They are fun and genuine. Their love for their families shines through in every conversation. I consider myself blessed to call them my friends.

I can't wait to see them again. If not in September, then we'll definitely be together for the Moms Panel Reunion in October. :)

Happy, Happy 8th Birthday Malia Kensie

EIGHT years ago today my life was forever changed when I was blessed with my beautiful daughter, Malia Kensie. She can brighten up a room with a flash of her smile, her giggle is contagious, she's full of spunk & determination and has a heart of gold. I imagine God had a lot of fun when he created her...a head full of gorgeous red curls, angel kisses all over face and eyes that sparkle and shine.

Happy Birthday, to my Miss Malia Love:)

My Boy and His Dog

I snapped this photo of Shawny and Sawyer a few days ago. It's now one of my current favorites.

My Boy and His Dog...it's Love :)

Disney Dad Marc

Fellow Disney Moms Panelist Marc came to visit for dinner tonight with his son, Josiah. It was great to see him again:


Josiah enjoyed the swing-set and the tree house with our kids.

While Marc and and my brother Scott chatted about the new I-Phone.

We enjoyed steaks on the BBQ and after dinner, Josiah and Shawn played with Sawyer for a while...

Then we headed to Smitty's for an ice-cream. No trip to Falmouth is complete without a visit to Smitty's ;)

Marc and I chatted well into the evening. He shared his experiences while on his PR Trip for the Main Street Electrical Parade, and we talked about the upcoming October Moms Panel Reunion. Marc has such a genuine passion for Disney World, so he's always fun to talk to.

We enjoyed having them visit and I look forward to seeing them again soon.

Welcome to the Family, Sawyer

Yesterday we surprised the kids with a new family member. :) It was SO hard to keep it a secret, but some of the best memories are made from surprises.

We loaded the kids into the Suburban and told them we were driving, "somewhere cool near Boston." We were actually headed for the town of North Oxford, MA.

Here they are merrily rolling along with no clue where we were going:

Had to snap another one to get Shawn in it too :)


When we were about 15 minutes away, we stopped to give them a big clue. It was a little jewelry box with an engraved Red Sox tag inside. The tag said: "Sawyer" and had our phone number on it. Not understanding what it meant, the girls were quite annoyed that we had driven nearly 2 hours for this:

Once I pulled out the collar for it to attach to, and explained that we were getting a puppy...the excitement was off the charts:


Steve and I had been talking about getting a dog for a couple years. We knew we wanted a male chocolate lab and were waiting for the right time. We decided summer would be the best time to train him and get him used to our family. I suggested the name Sawyer as a nod to Disney's Tom Sawyer Island. It seemed like the perfect name for a boy of mine: Full of adventure and a lover of the outdoors.

We arrived to find our baby waiting with his 9 siblings. He was sitting in the corner, observing us for a few moments. Once I picked him up, he kept kissing me over and over:


and gave me hugs too :)

He settled down nicely in Daddy's arms :)

We took him outside to play and Jared snuggled with him for a bit:


Shawny did too. :)

We had brought a toy for him, and Malia and Kasi played with him with it. :)

Then we said bye to his brothers and sisters. They were all gorgeous dogs. :) In all there were 4 chocolates, 4 yellows and 2 blacks.

Heading out to the car, Sawyer was completely comfortable in Daddy's arms.


My THREE boys :)

Happy in his new home :)

Sawyer is SUCH a good boy and is fitting in nicely with our family.

Shawny and Sawyer. :)

Happy, Happy 10th Birthday Shawn Michael

TEN Years ago on July 1, 2000 at 8:35am my son Shawn Michael was born. He had a head full of hair that was the color of a brand new copper penny. He has brought such immense joy to my life. Shawn is SO helpful and loyal, a wonderful brother, incredible son and fantastic friend. His adorable smile brightens any room.

I'm so very proud to be his Mom and am thoroughly enjoying watching him grow. Shawn is at the PERFECT age to thoroughly enjoy Disney with me. He still loves to have me read to him, is happy to spend time with his family and likes having Mom go on Field Trips with him. This is a great age, and I just wish I could push the pause button and keep him this age for several years.

Happy Birthday to my Disney-Patriots-Red Sox & Celtics loving, athletic, outdoorsy, lovable, loving, helpful, silly, adventurous, handsome, adorable Shawny ♥