Uncle Russell enjoying his beloved baby time during our stay... he adores babies and children.

Blueberry Pickin' with Nana

The first of many times blueberries were harvested during our week's stay in Georgia. Drew loved the concept of field-to-table with his food!

Man, I just don't know where to begin. We vacationed from Jun 30th to Jul 7th. It was THE best. We joined my parents at their cabin in Georgia. The boys loved, loved, loved the outdoors (no surprise there). A quick synopsis: Drew was able to see fireworks for the first time, by the river, in Albany, Georgia. We visited cows, up close and personal, in the pasture. We ate hundreds, and picked thousands, of fresh blueberries. We made blueberry pie for the first time, without a recipe, and it was delicious. We visited the Museum of Aviation in Warner-Robins, Georgia, and saw a massive collection of warplanes, helicopters and other flight vehicles. Some were used for cargo, rescue, combat... wow, wow, wow. We could not believe all the planes we were seeing in person. A definite strong recommendation if you are ever in that area. We had a great trip up, and a good trip back as well. On the way up, we visited Yoder's Amish Restaurant. A first for me, a repeat offense for David. Well, yes, it was unbelievably yummy, but I ate small morsels so as not to be sick the whole trip. I still don't do well with eating (without side effects) since my surgery in December. Also, in allergen news ... Drew ate pancakes with buttermilk in them and his reaction was slightly more subdued. We are trying to test the waters a little bit in regard to his food allergies, and with some success. On the way back, Nana (my mom) joined us for the trip while Papa (my dad) remained for another week. In that scenario, the boys were definitely happy to have someone join them in the back of the van for constant company.

I don't have any photos to upload yet. My hard drive failed upon our return, and while my computer has a new one, I can't get it to recognize my smart card yet with all my photos. And, as you can imagine, figuring that out is not high on my list of priorities.

I've just scratched the surface... I'll keep the posts coming.

Drew's First Trip to Disney

Three weeks after our trip, I am posting about our trip to Disney. We took Andrew on David's birthday for Drew's first visit, and it was as magical an experience as we had hoped. I had found a book while wandering through the library one day that enabled me to plan our day to be as fun as it could be for a toddler, while being realistic about what can be done in one day. I highly recommend Kim Wright Wiley's Walt Disney World with Kids if you are planning on a trip to Disney.



Papa and Nana joined us on the trip, and were able to share in the experience of Drew's first visit, and all the excitement that goes with it. We shared a condo hotel, and were able to have lots of quality time together while we were there.



I didn't go on many rides, but here are Drew and I waiting in line together for the Peter Pan ride. We were getting our stink on with all the other folks in line, sweating up a storm. However, I must say, because we got to most of the rides for Drew in the morning, we didn't have to wait longer than 20 minutes for anything AND it wasn't in the late afternoon heat.



This was the moment that topped them all! We all waited in line for Drew to meet Mickey Mouse, to whom he affectionately refers as "Hot Dog" because of the Hot Dog song/dance Mickey sings on his show, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. The moment we walked into the room where Mickey and Minnie were, the unmistakable look of astonishment, amazement, unbelief, and pure joy came across Andrew's face. He could not believe he was looking at Hot Dog, for real! Hot Dog gave him a hug, visited with him, and even did the Hot Dog dance for him. Then we all got hugs and left with a very, very special memory.

Disney on a Budget

Hi everyone- this is my Disney post relating to cost-cutting and affording a family trip on a fraction of the 'norm' for most families. My more sentimental and family-oriented post will follow in a day or so.

I know that pride is not a good thing. I really do know this. Ah, I sense a but... coming. That's right - you do. I know pride is not a good thing...BUT I am so proud of the way we were able to pull off this trip without dropping a small fortune and then regretting the money side of it. More importantly, and in all seriousness, I am grateful and thankful for the circumstances God orchestrated to allow us to take Drew on this very special trip while we could still focus on him as our only child.

GREAT DEAL #1
So, we all know how expensive it is to get into Disney. We planned this trip to coincide with Dave's birthday, because, this calendar year, Disney allows free admission on your birthday. And, since Drew is still under 3, he was able to get in free. We only had to pay admission for me ($79).

GREAT DEAL #2
We researched all the hotel rates, Disney and non-Disney. We were amazed at how pricey simple hotel rooms are. We didn't need anything fancy, but because of Drew's allergies, we did need a kitchen so we wouldn't have to eat every meal out. My parents were also going to join us, so we needed two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Not easily done on a budget at a hotel. We searched and searched until we found a great deal at a condo resort for two nights. Split with my parents, our share for both nights was $107. And, we were only about 6 miles from Disney.

GREAT DEAL #3
We packed many groceries from home that I already had on hand with our trip in mind. However, there was a Super Wal-Mart about 2.5 miles from our resort, and I purchased the remaining items we needed for dinner, sandwiches, breakfasts and snacks for about $45 after coupons (yes, I took my coupon organizer with me and I used it!). Side note: this Wal-Mart is THE place to buy your Disney souvenirs- I did not buy any, but don't waste your money on shirts and other licensed stuff at the park. They have about 1/3 of the store dedicated to Disney merchandise. Also, this Wal-Mart had several grocery items cheaper than our Wal-Mart at home. This made my coupons go way farther at check-out time!

GREAT DEAL #4
We ate one dinner and two breakfasts in our condo, thanks to the groceries we brought and purchased. We packed a cooler full of waters, sandwiches, and snacks for all five of us the day we visited the Magic Kingdom. We only purchased $9 worth of food from the actual park, and it was not because we ran out of food. Drew just wanted some french fries at one point, and in the late morning, while Papa and I waited for Drew, Daddy and Nana to finish a ride, we split a strawberry-banana smoothie. We also had plenty of sandwiches and snacks packed for the ride home the next day.

GREAT DEAL #5
We had planned to spend a little money on some things for Drew. But, as grandparents true to form, Nana and Papa splurged to buy Drew two special souvenirs: a long-armed Mickey (that has velcro to close his hands as he hugs your neck) and a super-oversized Mickey balloon on the way out of the park.

GREAT DEAL #6
Very unexpected, but our last day was spent with a couple hours at Downtown Disney. As we were watching Drew enjoy his little train ride, a sweet woman and her son walked up to me and gave us two of the large squirt bottle/fan things they sell at the Disney parks. I don't know exactly how much they cost, but I imagine they are at least $12 a piece. This family was flying home and didn't have any more room to pack stuff in their luggage.

With a little creativity, Disney can be done on a budget. I hope if you go, you are able to find some great deals like we did!

There Goes the Neighborhood!

What is that pulling into the drive? Is it... could it be?


No, surely its not... I thought the Beverly Hillbillies were lost somewhere in California...


Oh, now I see... its Drew's new playground!


I wish you could have seen us rolling along at 35 - 40 mph all the way home from Northwest Cape Coral on Sunday. We saw people giving us the funniest looks. It was so entertaining to watch as everyone's heads turned while we went by.

A very sweet family was going to throw this playground out, and at the last minute, decided to list it for free. We called right away and made arrangements to go pick it up the next day. We are so thankful for their giving hearts, and for the husband helping Dave load everything. I obviously would have been no help in that regard.

Before we knew it's exact size, and before we planned how we were going to get it all home, a sweet family at church was discussing the weekend with us after Saturday night service. Once we told them what we would be doing on Sunday, they realized we would need a trailer (before we did- Dave hadn't even seen the pictures of the thing yet). They graciously offered their trailer to us to use. We are so thankful for their willingness to help.

Having a playground in our backyard has been something we have wrestled with for some time. We kept going back and forth between whether it was really a need or a want just because we are parents who wanted to give something to their child. We have prayed for over 5 months about what we would do; we were not willing to step out of our budget to buy something just because we wanted Drew to have it. We kept praying and waiting; we had seen a few free ones listed before, but called too late. When I had called about this one, it had only been listed for 10 minutes. All our thanks goes to God for His provision, even in something as 'small' as a playground for Drew and, one day, his little brother.

What my grandfather's home was to me...

As most of you heard, Drew and I left town for five days last week to accompany my mom on her monthly trip to the cabin she and my dad have in South Georgia. David had two large projects for work to complete, so the timing was perfect for us to give him the house to himself. I have several posts about this trip, but I will give you one at a time so it's not so overwhelming.

While we were there, as I watched Andrew spend time with his Nana, I was quickly brought back to the many times I spent with my grandpa and grandma when I was a kid. Until I was about 10 or 11, they lived in Lehigh Acres. Then they moved away to Southern Illinois where my grandma had family. My understanding is my grandfather planned this so that when something happened to him, grandma would be surrounded by her family and not be alone. Well, we traveled to their house almost every summer, and sometimes on other occasions. I have such wonderful memories of cooking with grandma, walking to Main Street to go the bank, sitting on the front porch with grandpa waving at all the passersby, working with grandpa in the garage and in the garden.

As I remembered these special times, I was deeply saddened by how much I still miss them both (Grandpa went to heaven in 1999, and Grandma in 2005). I realized, once again, how much I wish they could be here to meet and love on Andrew, and how much I wished they could see Mom and Dad's cabin to enjoy family time with us all there. However, as I was sitting in the rocking chair on the back porch of the cabin, tears in my eyes, the Lord told me something very special: "Jennifer, why are you crying? This place is, and will be, for Andrew what your Grandpa and Grandma's home was for you."

I couldn't believe I hadn't realized that before. I was overcome with joy at how true that is, and how I will (Lord willing) have the great privilege to see my son make very similar memories with his Papa and Nana in a very special place.

Where have you been?

I haven't posted in a while. My excuse for part of that time was that Andrew and I were gone to Georgia with my mom, Drew's Nana, for five days. We had a great time, and I will post soon about our trip, incl. photos.

We were in teeny, tiny farmer-town, South Georgia, where most people, incl. my parents' cabin, still don't have internet access (however, for Mom and Dad, that is by choice). SO, besides all the great fun and fellowship we had together and with others who live there, I thoroughly enjoyed not feeling the pull to work on the computer (I do actually work on the computer) or be on the phone (cell service stinks, and no one would know how else to find me).

Where is one of you favorite places to visit that keeps you "unplugged?"