What a day :)

Yesterday, I spent the day with Mimi while Kai was at Marine Quest Camp at UNCW and my mom was at an appointment.  We enjoyed walking downtown for about 30 minutes and decided it was way to hot to be walking.  As we were walking past a set of chairs, Mimi pointed to it and started talking and I came to the conclusion she wanted to sit down at take a much needed break.  So, she sat and I took not so good pictures of her.  The camera on my iPhone has its days and yesterday/today, were not good days for it.  

Mimi before we left to head downtown.

Mimi taking a break :)

Today.......I dropped Kai off at his 2nd day of Marine Quest Camp, while Mimi stayed at home with Mimi.  I attempted to go in lab to get a few hours worth of research done, and it didn't go so well.  Now my computer isn't recognizing the research camera and by the time I left, TAC hadn't contacted me back on how to fix it.  The last few weeks have not been going the way I wanted them to for my research and I'm so mad about it, that I can't be sad.....I'm trying my hardest to get as much done as possible this summer to "hopefully" have a shot at graduating in December and its like the more I try, the more I fall further behind.  Hopefully, once Mimi goes back to Grammie's next week, everything will get better.  Regardless if I will be in the lab five days a week from 7am-5pm and probably pulling a weekend shift with Kai in toll.  I will do what I have to do, to take advantage of the extra time I have.

Noon arrived and it was time for me to pick up Kai.  Today they traveled off to WB and did some exploring.  Their group brought back to their classroom a few small fishes, mussel, clam, and hermit crab.  It looks like they must of had themselves a blast today :)  Tomorrow they will be going to Fort Fisher to visit the aquarium.  The agenda says they will see a dive show.  I can't wait to hear from Kai about this!

Here is a picture of what the kids brought back to their classroom and Kai petting the fish :) and the teacher showing us a close up of the hermit crab!

Last night before bed, we decided to make ice cream.  As a child, I use to go to my choir teacher's house once a year and we'd make ice cream.  But she had an ice cream maker.  We, don't have an ice cream maker, but the recipe given to the Wilmington Mommies site did not call for an ice cream maker.  All I needed was three simple ingredients :)  The ice cream stayed in the freezer over night and we had it for dessert tonight.  I must say, it was surprisingly delicious and the kiddos loved it.  Yay!!

Well, that's about it for the night.  Thanks for joining us :) and have a good night!

Christmas in July for Mimi

The one thing (or individual) who makes Mimi happy is Mickey.........and of course, all the princesses.  She lights up with JOY when she sees Rapunzel.  It just melts your heart.  As I was cooking, mom called me into the room and what did she have on my computer screen?  Advertisement for pre-ordering tickets for Disney on Ice:  Rockin' Ever After.  We went last year to see Disney on Ice:  Dare to Dream and it was a big hit.  Mimi laughed, danced, sang (in her own little way), clapped, and just truly enjoyed herself.  So what did "mommy" do?  Go ahead and proceed with getting the tickets.  The big question was whether or not I would take Kai?!  Yes he would love it and enjoy it, of course.  But at the same time, he does a lot more than Mimi and I felt this is a "Mimi" event and maybe he shouldn't go.  It was a big decision and after talking to my mom, I decided Kai wouldn't go this time.  This was going to be one of her Christmas gifts.  In my eyes, it's a whole lot better than adding more and more toys to their closet.

So of course, my lovely best friend so I had posted I "like" the event on FB.  Go figure :) Everything seems to end up on there nowadays.  She showed interest in going to take her daughter, who is 5 months younger than Mimi.  So, we went back and forth on when I would order the tickets, how we would meet up to transfer money to the other, etc......since tickets don't go on sale to the public until July 20 and I had access to pre-order them.  After going back and forth for about an hour, we figured it out and the tickets have been ORDERED.  We will be going to the even on Friday, December 14 at 7pm, in Fayetteville, NC at the Crown Center.  We will be in section 50, row A, seats 22-25.  How awesome is that????  Looking at the map, we are at the very end of the rink, in the dead front.  Last year, we were on the side, on row B; which was still good.  But these seats, I don't think we will be disappointed.  I know Mimi will love it, but Lili is going to be AMAZED.  I can't wait to see her eyes twinkle when she sees the princesses.

This year, Ariel, Belle, and Rapunzel will be there.  They will be introducing Merida as well.  Mimi loves Rapunzel, while Lili loves Belle.  We are going to have two super excited little 4-year olds and I can't wait to share this moment with them..........especially with my best friend Toshia <3

Mimi getting excited about seeing Rapunzel on the computer :)

Mimi last year at Disney on Ice!

Disney Dream Cruise

Well, its been a while since I've been on here.  It seems to be a lot for me to attend school, work on research, crochet hats, while parenting two children and keeping my home in one piece.  I am part of a few forums and I still can't find time to get on them like I use to.  But that's life for me right now.

However......................................

In 18 days, my son and I will be boarding the Disney Dream cruise boat in Port Canaveral, FL.  Let me tell you, I've been waiting on this trip since last May.  Yep, almost a year.  I wasn't going to tell Kai about it, but I busted the bubble (according to my brother Malcolm, I can't keep anything to myself).  I needed to know if he wanted to do something, like go to one of the Disney amusement parks, Universal Studios, Sea World, Islands of Adventure, etc.  So, I gave in.  All he cared about was getting on the cruise boat.  Since then, he keeps asking "mommy, when are we going on the cruise boat?"  That was two months ago.  Now, we are only 18 days away from sailing off towards the Bahamas on the beautiful Dream.  We will be heading down there April 27, 2012 and spend that evening and Saturday in Orlando.  I've decided that we will be going to Islands of Adventure because it looks like fun and Kai loves rollercoasters (just like his mommy) and he can't ever enjoy them since Mimi is always with us.  So this is a great opportunity to enjoy some fun :)  We of course will be going to Downtown Disney that Friday evening just to walk and enjoy the scenery and hopefully go birthday shopping for Miss Temperance (Rapunzel style).  Once we leave Islands of Adventure on Saturday, we will be heading to Port Canaveral to check into our hotel for the evening.  First thing Sunday (April 29), we will enjoy breakfast and shuttle our way to the Dream.  We have to be there by 11.  Hopefully we will starting boarding around 1p, if not earlier, but most likely around 1.  I'm so excited.  I even got Kai and I matching shirts for the trip.  Below is his, mine is on a white tank top.  We will be wearing these as we get onboard the Dream :)

Rewind....just a little.  I am part of a great Disney forum:  Disboards and on here I found a group of individuals who will be going on the same cruise as us.  We are part of a group in which we will exchange memorabilia amongst the adults and children known as a fish extender exchange.  Coming Up Baby (who also did our shirts) is making our fish extender.  Here is a link on etsy showing what they look like.  I will be sure to post what ours looks like once it's done :)  I didn't really know what to do for our gifts  I'm not all that creative and didn't think I would have time to crochet a bunch of hats.  So for the children, I made little notepads that they can use for an autograph book or drawing pad.  The front page has their name in Disney font.  Each pad as 8 sheets of cardstock paper, four which are colored and four white.  Depending on the age of the child, I put either two triangle crayons, two twistable pencils, or one twistable pencil and sharpie marker.  Also, candy, goldfish, apple sauce pouch (for children under 3), fruit snacks, and sheet of Disney tattoos.  Here's my son's set:

For the adults, I made them mini scrapbooks (4X4), with two crystal light powder pouches, crackers, and mints :) I so wanted to add more, but didn't know what else to add :(  The scrapbooks come with 5 sheets that can be removed and autographed or used as notecards.  There are two removable tabs that can be used for pictures or writing memories on them, and there's plenty of space within to add collectable items, whatever your heart desires.  Here's the link to how to make the accordion scrapbook in which a friend of mine graciously shared with me:  

Now, back to getting on the cruise boat :)  Once we get on, we are unable to go straight to our room, so I figured we'd just walk around the boat and get familiar with the atmosphere, so I don't know a panic attack.  I didn't sign up for any shore excursions, we are just going to play it by ear :)  Since this is our first Disney cruise, I decided not to splurge on a stateroom and we will be on Deck 2.  Yes I am a little nervous about being on the bottom, but no worries.  I'm sure we will be fine.  We are staying in a Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom, which is nice.  We get a medium window to look out of, but after looking into the Deluxe Family Oceanview Stateroom, I kind of wished I'd went with that one because it has a bigger window that you can sit in.  But I'm sure we will be happy with what we get.  Our room comes with a queen bed and a pull out couch, where Kai will sleep (even though he keeps saying he wants to sleep in the big bed).  But we will see what happens.  I found Perfect Gift Cape Canaveral on the Disboards forum and they will be creating Kai a gift set that includes a book bag, drinks, chips, candy, and misc. items.  It should be in the room by the time they let us in.  Once we see it and I take a picture of it, I will be sure to share :)  So, there's about all I can share right now.  Once we get back, I will be sure to share our  entire trip with you.  I know it's going to be fantastic :)

Family of 3

I've decided to change the name of this blog from "Signing with Mimi" to Family of 3, mainly because I couldn't get myself motivated to blog about each new sign that Mimi was learning and felt, Family of 3, suited us best.  We shall see!!!  No matter how much I would love to blow on a regular basis, it seems life gets the best of me and I don't ever get the chance to; this is something I am going to attempt to work on :)  So first, I just want to give everyone an update on what's going on in my little household.

Mommy
I am happy to say, I have completed all my credits for the graduate program at UNCW.  I am now just focusing on my research (which is going very slow at the moment, but that's another story).  My goal is to be done with everything by May 2013, so I can finally get a BIG girl job again.  I haven't decided exactly where I want to go or what I actually want to do once I graduate, but figured I'd get through the summer, see where my research is, and start making some hardcore decisions.  School and caring for two children has been challenging these past few months and haven't been crocheting as much as I was, but I am perfectly fine with that.  Sometimes you just need a break to get yourself together, before you move forward.  Tiny Tot Toppers is something I enjoy being part of, it gives me the chance to share my creativity.  My goal is to get it back up and running here in the next few months.  I have tons of goals/planning ahead of me.  My main one at the moment is getting the apartment completely organized, if it means buying tons of organizing shelves and putting baskets inside of them :)  My apartment just needs to be changed up a bit and it's all in the works.  Yay!  I am also currently preparing myself for Mimi's 4th birthday, which will be arriving in three more months on May 18.  It's crazy how times flies, but it's approaching and I will be prepared for that weekend.  I have made the decision to do most of the birthday preparation and will be glad to share with everyone else once I do so.  I'm  currently working on the birthday invitations, which in my opinion, don't look to bad.  I'm hoping to be able to complete a few DIY tasks this coming year with the help of Pinterest and my creative mind.  Well, that's about it for me, now onto Mr. Malakai.

Malakai
Oh Kai, he seems to be growing an inch by the day.  Before I know it, he's going to be my height and then taller than me.  He is growing up so fast, but obviously, this is something that must happen.  He's been in Pre-K for about a 6 months and is asking everyday when he will start Kindergarten.  I think he keeps bringing it up because it's something different/new for him.  He seems to learn something new everyday and I couldn't be more proud.  Of course, he still has some behavior issues, but he's working on them.  I feel like it's for attention, but who knows.  The one thing I can say about Kai is he loves spending time with his sister and helping her the best he can.  Temperance couldn't ask for a better BIG brother :)

Temperance
Miss Mimi is coming along just fine.  She's doing fantastic in school and is able to match two pictures together in class.  We are still working on her being potty trained, but it's just not happening.  It comes and goes, but her time will come.  For the longest, she continued to eat her meals with her fingers, pushing her fork or spoon to the side, but here lately, she's been holding onto her fork and actually using it.  Yay for progress!!  She's still not saying many words, but still continues to use some signs.  In my opinion, something is better than nothing.  All and all, she is making progress and that's what we want to see :)

So as you can see, my little family of three is doing just great!!  We tend to live each day to the best of our ability and enjoy the most of it.  In the next few weeks, me and the kiddos will begin to work on more crafts, while I "attempt" some DIY tasks.  I'm super stoked to try something NEW and see becomes of it, so be sure to check us out <3