~ PLAYTIME AT THE PARK ~

well, we found another park (church playgroud) that's fabulous ~ it's waaaaay off the road, huge & they girls had a blast ~ we were on our way home from nana's & stopped & played for about 1½ hours ~ here's some pictures of our playtime ~ tomorrow, i'm off to have my nails done (waaaay overdue) & then we're heading to wabash to have dinner with friends ~ sometime tomorrow (thursday), i've got to pack as we're leaving for indiana beach this friday morning ~ eeeek, where's the time gone? ~ i can't believe how little we've left of summer ~ i was teaching the girls schoolwork (no, i'm NOT homeschooling - think i'd like to, but it scares me to death!) & did really well until i returned from haiti ~ at that time we were getting ready to leave for florida a week later & i needed to get things ready (you know: pack for 6 people, 3 strollers, car seats, etc., etc., etc.) & i was swamped ~ after we arrived home from florida, i'd so much to do AFTER the trip, that it's sad to say, but i haven't done anything with them since (in the way of 'school') ~ i started working with kiara again last night & man, could i tell how much she'd lost ~ UGH! ~ tomorrow, we're back at it & hopefully she'll pick it up quick as she starts kindergarten in just over 1 month (5 weeks) ~ hope you're all having a good week & getting ready for a great weekend ~ hugs!

brit, karleigh, ruby & kiara

karleigh, ruby & kiara

kiara

ruby

karleigh

karleigh, brit, kiara & rubyrubyruby

~ BRIT'S 16!! ~

well, i'd no time to post last night as we left for chicago at about 8:30am & didn't return home until 1:30am!! ~ we'd some things to do up there & afterwards, we went to navy pier & had a blast! ~ brit turned 16 yesterday & since we'd already planned the day in chicago, we just 'added to it' & made a day with all the girls & in doing so, celebrated her bday ~ she seemed to have a great time & here's some pictures we took while there ~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIT, WE LOVE YOU!!

~ KALEIGH'S PRAYER TONIGHT ~

well, for ever, we've had the girls pray the normal 'little kids prayer' (now i lay me down to sleep, etc.), but here lately, we've been having them to pray for people they know that are going through rough times, that are ill, that are in need of a miracle, etc. & then after they pray, if/when we hear that the prayer's been answered, we make sure & let them know (they love that!) ~ well, tonight i was praying with karleigh & she was on her knees, eyes tightly closed/squinting & her hands grasped so tightly & this' what i heard her say (keep in mind she's 3 so the wording's just as she said it) ~ "fader, in jesuses name, i thank you for loving me (peeking to see if i'm looking - which i am, but she doesn't know that!) & i thank you for healing daddy's bad headache today (he didn't have one today, but did yesterday!) ~ i want to thank you for the good day we had today at church where i got to sing this widdle light of mine (as she breaks out in song LOUDLY) & then i want to thank you soooooo much for letting my uncle ralph play golf tomorrYow because he loves that game! ~ in jesuses name, AMEN!" ~ i love it!! ~ not only do i love to hear/see my kids pray, but i'm sure her uncle ralph's going to be blessed soon with another golf game too! ~ hugs!

~ KIARA & HER BRA ~

well, this morning we were all getting ready for church & i was dressing the girls ~ they'd each gotten new shirts & couldn't wait to wear them, so excitement was in the air ~ when i put kiara's on her, she raised it up to see the built in 'bra' like material that was under there ~ she said, "mommy, WHAT IS THIS?" ~ i laughed & said, "wow, you've got a bra in that shirt" ~ she had a sheepish grin come over her face & smiled from ear to ear ~ she ran in & showed her daddy, showed all her sisters (which the twins thought that was SO cool!), then she showed brit (which'll be 16 this tuesday) & brit said, "MOM!, she can NOT do that in church or i'll be sooooooooo embarrassed!!" ~ we went to church & i'm happy to report that brit's still with us & didn't die unnecessarily from embarrassment as kiara didn't show anyone (as far as we know, that is) ~ the service was wonderful as tommy tenney was there & then after church we went to olive garden for lunch ~ now it's naptime for everyone (including daddy) & i'm 'catching up' on computer time ~ i'll write more later

~ AFTERNOON AT POTTER BRIDGE PARK ~

well, today the girls & i found a 'love' that we'll for sure come back to often ~ i knew i'd remembered seeing it over the years, but couldn't quite remember where it was/how to get there, etc. so we went out searching for it today & found it (we didn't even have to look very long, either!) ~ it's been rather humid today & hot so we weren't even sure that a day a the park would be a smart thing or now, but no one ever said i was smart, so we headed out ~ we arrived at potter bridge park about noon & had a picnic lunch (sandwiches, chips, olives, cheese & drinks) ~ after eating we headed out for some scenery pictures (loved it!) as the girls were counting down the minutes/pictures until they could run & play (sorry girls, first things first!) ~ there's covered bridge there that made for some good pictures, as did old trees, fences, etc. ~ before long it was playtime (girls said, "YEAH, HALLELUJAH & PRAISE THE LORD" to that!) ~ they'd a blast for the next couple hours & brit & myself were able to sit on an old wooden bench, in the shade, wind breezily blowing across our faces, watching our 3 little bear cubs run wildly, like savage beasts, screaming at the top of their lungs, giggling so loud that friends in other states could more than likely hear them, but they were having a blast! ~ brit's words many times during playtime went like this, "go ahead girls, run as much as you can", "c'mon girls, play a bit harder", "wear your little selves out, will ya?", etc. (keep in mind that spike & i are going to dinner with friends tonight so brit will be babysitting - 'wearing the girls out'=early bedtime, get it?) ~ she really wasn't all into them having fun, it was her getting to put them down early tonight that she was really thinking about!! ~ when it was time to leave, they each got a few cookies for the ride home, went down for naptime & we've not heard anything form anyone since ~ all in all, potter bridge park's a fav of ours!! ~ here's some pics of the afternoon...

karleigh & rubykiarabritbrit, kiara, ruby & karleighkarleighrubykiarakiara, brit, ruby & karleighbritkiararubykarleigh

~ PRAYERS?? ~

just wanted to ask that you all be in prayer for my parents & spike sister/her hubby ~ as most of you know, they're all going through haitian adoptions, adopting 2 sisters ~ my parents are adopting madisyn (14) & ralph/sharel are adopting her younger sister loudnie (6) ~ both girls paperworks in IBESR at the present & awe're sooooo ready for them to get out ~ they'll still have several steps after that, but at least to move 'out' of IBESR would be progress made ~ my parents went in march 28 (3+ months ago) & ralph/sharel went in about a month or so later ~ ralph/sharel did hear that they only need 2 more papers corrected & they can come out, but don't know at this point how long those papers will take ~ dad/mom visited madisyn in may when i took them down with me & ralph/sharel saw loudnie last october, but that was before they decided to adopt, as it wasn't even considered at that point so they weren't daddy/mommy yet & had no reason to believe they ever would be ~ at that time loudnie was just another little girl they loved on while they were there ~ they, like all adoptive parents, are so eager to have this done/overwith, but with a lot of adoptions (especially haitian adoptions), things are never easy ~ please pray with all of us that both these girls paperwork (& tons of other haitian children as well), will begin moving as the offices holding the papers are very slow, almost non-moving & children are sitting/waiting needlessly to be allowed to come 'home' to their parents that want them so badly ~ these 2 girls in particular are raising themselves as their mother's passed & the father's not in the picture at all (abandoned) ~ pray for both of these sets of parents as they're just beside themselves with anticipation ~ they both know that it's all in god's timing & are resting in that, but... when it's your child that's away from you, in another country etc., you want them home NOW! ~ thanks for the prayers & you'll know when things start moving as there'll be a rumble from indiana that'll more than likely shake the entire earth all over the world ~ some will think it's an earthquake, others will be in disbelief, but in the end, you'll find that it's all of us doing the happy dance as the paperwork's finally movin' ~ hang on when the shakin' starts as there's a lot of us eager to hear & we're all ready to dance!! ~ prayin' for you dad/mom/sharel/ralph, etc., etc., etc.!!

~ ANOTHER MOVIE! ~

we took the kids to see evan almighty this evening & it was very good ~ they kids loved it & it was rather loud from all the ark bumping, crashing, water gushing, etc. & then it finally came to rest at the end of the 'voyage' & things got really quiet in the theatre & kiara (5) started clapping really loud & said (loudly), "hey mommy, can we do that sometime??" ~ the girls are so good in the movies & we love taking them (don't know if they love seeing the movies or just getting as much popcorn as they want for the entire movie - alright, for kiara, it's the popcorn, hands down!!) ~ pictured below's a picture from the movie ~ we're heading to the library tomorrow to get some books as we've not 'schooled' now for over 5 weeks & we're really excited ~ the girls love going, getting books, etc., but man kiara really has a hard time keeping quiet (shhh) ~ well, i'm off to bed before long as we went to the late movie (9:35pm) & haven't been home very long & i'm bushed ~ hugs!

~ FIREWORKS LAST NIGHT ~

well, although i didn't get any 'good' pics of the fireworks we went to view last night, i did get some good pics of the kids ~ dustin met us & so 'the whole family' was there together ~ here's some that were taken

dustin 21

brit 16

kiara 5

ruby 4

karleigh 3

~ 3 YEARS GONE BY, ALREADY?? ~

POSTED JUNE 25, 2004 "just wanted you to all know ~ we're leaving for haiti this sunday (june 27th)! ~ we're not out of IBESR yet, but are going down to be interviewed by IBESR in hopes that it'll speed things up :) ~ pray we get to bring karleigh home! ~ we're planning on getting back home on saturday, july 3rd"

POSTED JULY 4, 2004 "just wanted to give a VERY quick update ~we arrived in haiti on sunday (june 27th) & karleigh was at the airport as beautiful as we thought she would be ~ we went to IBESR on monday morning (28th) as we'd planned & met with those there that in the office in hopes to be released ~ we were finally released out of IBESR on wednesday (30th) & put immediately into legalization/foreign affairs that same day ~ we came out of legalization/foreign affairs on thursday (1st) & got karleigh's VISA on friday afternoon (2nd), just in time to catch our flight out on saturday morning (3rd) ~ we arrived in indianapolis last night (saturday, july 3rd) to a HUGE gathering of friends/family (almost 50 people!!) ~ it's been a whirlwind week for us, but something we wouldn't trade for anything in the world ~ we appreciate all the prayers & are continuing to pray for all the rest of the little ones to come home quickly/safely ~ BTW, we stayed at the LaPlaza hotel & it was wonderful, beautiful place & very reasonably priced ~ barbara had a very good week too as she was able to get about 5 VISA's made & several out of IBESR just this week! ~ things seem to be looking good & we're waiting to hear great news from others this week ~ we're taking karleigh to the dr. this week for her 1st appointment so i'll post what i find out after that ~ she's beautiful & is a very good baby ~ nite"

---------------------------------

wow, it's been 3 years ago today, that karleigh arrived 'home' for good ~ above's a couple posts that i posted on a haitian yahoo group i'm on just days before leaving for haiti & immediately upon our return ~ here's a picture of our little girl at 5m old the night she arrived 'home' & below's a picture of our little karleigh now, at 3y ~ we love you karleigh & are sooooooooo happy you're in our lives & home for good!!

~ RAT * A * TOO * EE (the movie) ~

we went & took the girls to see the movie Ratatouille this evening & they'd a blast ~ it was very cute & funny as well ~ we love going to the movies & the girls are so good, it's great! ~ tomorrow we're freshening up hair do's as they're all getting a bit fuzzy from camping, i'm assuming ~ we've got a pretty low key week which's so 'not us' & so i'm not sure if i'm ready as it's so out of our comfort zone or maybe i should just try & enjoy it?? hmmm, there's a thought ~ we're taking the girls to the midnight parade tomorrow night in anderson & then to see fireworks on wednesday night in cicero so now that i'm thinking about it, guess we're gonna be a bit busy (alright, back in my comfort zone) ~ tomorrow, karleigh will celebrate her 3rd gotcha day as she came home from haiti july 3, 2004, man how time flies! ~ i'm also wanting to take the girls (all 4 of them) separately in & get their pictures taken this week if possible, but we'll see ~ ruby's got therapy on thursday & then it's the weekend ~ not a lot to share tonight, but still wanted to post as i've always got something to say (those that really know me are shocked, aren't ya?) ~ hugs!

~ WE'RE HOME, BUT HEADING TO BED... SOON ~

we got home this afternoon after several FUN days camping! ~ all in all there were about 25 of us (all friends/family) that spent the weekend together & had a blast ~ here's a few pics of our girls 'in their element' as it were ~ i'll write more tomorrow about all we did, but for now it's lights out for me ~ hugs!

karleigh 3y

ruby 4y

kiara 5y

brit 16y (in just 9 more days!)

~ THIS WILL BE QUICK! ~

well, this will be a quick post as i've only got a couple minutes ~ we're camping & have been here since tuesday ~ we're having a great time all of 24+/- of us (spike, me, brit, kiara, ruby, karleigh, dad, mom, russell, vickie, missy, tiffany, ralph, sharel, shane, mandy, lucas, garrett, braedey, patty, elijah, gideon, mom shepler & angie) ~ the girls are having a blast as i got them REAL makeup & they're getting all dolled up (i do have pics, but didn't bring my camera down here with me, so i'll post them later) ~ they've got makeup on, purses on their arms, play jewelry galore, riding their bikes & running through mud puddles (yeah, that all really doesn't go together at all - unless you're a toddler!) ~ anyway, just wanted to pop on here & let you all know what's going on & where we are ~ will post again soon when we get home tomorrow ~ hugs!

~ HEADING TO THE BIG OUTDOORS ~

thought i'd go ahead & write now as i don't know if/when i'll get back on here over the next couple days as we're leaving today for a camping trip ~ our family loves going camping whenever we can, but with me going to haiti recently & us just getting home from vacation a week ago, we've not been camping yet & it's almost july!!! ~ it'll be our family (spike, myself & our 4 girls), my parents, spike sister sharel & her hubby ralph & his other sister vickie & her hubby russell ~ we're all very excited to get out & smell the outdoors (alright, with my father making a HUGERAMOUS pot of beans, smelling the 'outdoors' will be a welcomed thing) ~ our bear cubs cannot wait to leave & are asking about every 10 minutes, if it's time to go camping yet! ~ i'm hoping my brother & his family might make it out to visit while we're there as we'll not be heading home until sunday ~ dustin better stop by & see us as we've not seen him in several days (dustin, this' your mother ~ i want to see you soon & talk to you sooner!!) ~ well, i need to get off here & pack up my clothes as i'm finishing frying up the bacon to take with us ~ hugs!

~ AN AFTERNOON BY MYSELF ~

well, spike & i'd some running to do this afternoon so brit stayed home with the bear cubs as it was their naptime & brit just got an MP3 player for her birthday (coming on july 10) today so she was 'busy' & voluntered her services to stay home with them ~ i stopped at walmart to pick up last minute things for our upcoming camping trip (leaving tomorrow - tuesday) as we'll be gone for 5 days & wow's all i can say ~ i didn't have to stop every 30 minutes to take someone (3 someone's) to potty & take 15 minutes out of my trip for each of those potty breaks (it does take about that long as they all 3 will need to go, then everyone needs to wash hands, then dry, etc. etc. etc.) ~ i was also able to go through the entire store without having to head to the toys, of course guess where i ended up? ~ you guess it, TOYS! ~ i didn't have to say, "no, we're not getting that today", "no, we don't need that", "please put that down", "stop whining" or "keep your hands to yourself" at all & you know what? ~ i missed my kids ~ hugs!

~ A GOOD SUNDAY ~

well, we got up, dropped our camper off at best buy for them to put in a new radio & then went to church this morning ~ the last time we'd been to church was the sunday prior to me going to haiti with dad & mom & that was in may! ~ we got home after that haiti trip & have been out of town every weekend since!! ~ we're back now & it was great (billy & rachel, missed seeing you!!) ~ after church we headed for chinese (YUM), then it was off to trade cell phones in which took FOREVER ~ then we'd to head back to best buy as the person that was to working on our camper didn't show (hmmm) so we'd to go back & personally lock it up so they weren't responsible (with him not showing up proved that, don't ya think?) ~ after doing that we'd to head back to verizon (cell phone) as my bluetooth wasn't pairing up with my phone, which of course they had working in like 30 seconds (oh well, gas' just like $5 per gallon & we love to retrace our steps as often as we can!) ~ after this, we went for ice cream at handels (that place's awesome, just ask my butt!) ~ we then headed to my parents ~ we were going to grandma's house, but opted to go there tomorrow (monday) so the girls' cousins would be there to play with (lucas, garrett & braedey) ~ after spending some time swatting kids, setting them in time-out & taking everyone for potty breaks (oh, did i say that out loud?) ~ i meant to say, after spending a good evening with dad & mom, we headed home to put those sweet dear cherubs of ours down to sleep ~ we then went to raid the frig (my butt loved that too!) & then we flipped channels on the tv for what seemed like hours to find that we really don't need to own a tv, let alone a big screen tv as there's never anything to watch! ~ this post probably seems like i'm a bit snippy & i'm really not, but had no idea how my day really was until i started posting it!well, on a good note, i hope lil miss maddie caswell (above) had a wonderful 3y birthday ~ we missed seeing you & being at your party, but church held over & we knew we'd be late & with it being a distance away, we'd not be able to stay all that long (boo hoo) ~ i did try phoning mama, but there was major phone problems as i couldn't get through (went to vm right away) so i'll phone your house tomorrow ~ you'll always hold a very special place in my heart as i know how much the devil wanted to keep you in haiti, but god had other plans for you ~ he allowed me to scoop you up (literally), race all over haiti in the wee hours of the morning with you, he opened every door & then some & did it all without your papa & mama knowing what was going on & then to top it off, he allowed ME to bring you 'home' to them ~ i never will forget making the phone call to mama & when she heard my voice she began the conversation like this, "how are you? ~ how was ruby when you left her? ~ i know what you're going through by leaving a child & i'll stay on here as long as you want/need me to, i'm here for ya" ~ she's been such a good friend over the years & value her friendship above anyones ~ then you cried out & on the other end of the cell phone i hear, "WHAT'S THAT???" & the scream i heard when i uttered the words, "it's your baby girl & i've got her with me in miami" was almost deafening to the ears of those in the next state (let alone mine!) ~ we love you little girl & we've got a neat gift for you that i really think you'll like & we'll give it to you next weekend when we see you ~ happy birthday!!

~ ANOTHER ONE COMES HOME! ~

well, we've been at the airport this evening with several people to welcome r.j. macomber home to his new family ~ we were there when his younger brother charlie arrived & were able to be at r.j.'s homecoming as well ~ both of these boys are from haiti & that's how we met this family as we've adopted our 3 younger bear cubs from haiti as well ~ we've been blessed to attend so many homecomings over the years, our children automatically think children come on planes ~ congrats phil, angie, r.j. & charlie & thanks for allowing us to come be part of it ~ see you again at haitian camp in august! ~ hugs!

~ WE HAD A CONVERSATION!! ~

for most of you, you know that our 4y old ruby's deaf ~ she had a cochlear implant (CI) last may so it's been just over a year now ~ we've seen great improvements in her hearing & speech (& she's profoundly deaf in both ears without the ci) ~ she's been going in for her mappings (where they fine tune what she's hearing & adjust things every few months since she's been activated ~ things have been moving along quite nicely until this past february & then we began noticing that she wasn't responding as well as she had been (they were noticing it at school too) ~ she wasn't speaking as clearly & she began to ONLY want to sign as she was getting very frustrated with us not understanding what she was trying to say ~ we took her to riley hospital where her surgery was done & they couldn't find anything as she was hearing them & her equipment was working, so we came home, but still we weren't 'were we had been' & it was getting very upsetting to all of us ~ i just took her back yesterday morning & we'd an appointment that was from 8-almost noon WHEW!, but we think we might have found our problem ~ they think (we'll see before long) they'd her turned up to loud where she was hearing things for them & responding, but when we'd leave & other sounds were around her, she'd almost shut down due to everything being so garbled ~ she was speaking what she was hearing which to us made it sound muffled & not audible, but to her that's what she was hearing ~ i asked them yesterday if we could just go back & map her (yesterday) at the mapping we'd done prior to last february when we all started seeing this problem arise ~ they did & said that they truly think she was just turned to high ~ they remapped her & on the way home we'd a very good conversation, not just a word here & a word there ~ it went something like this:

ruby: mommy, what's that?

mommy: that's a truck, you knew that!

ruby: oh, i didn't know!!

ruby: mommy, whatcha doing?

mommy: driving home & when we get there it's naptime!

ruby: i don't want to, i wanna eat!!

i was thrilled to be able to finally have a full fledged conversation with my little girl & it not consist of signing anything (we love to sign, but this was a milestone to us!!) ~ i truly think (pray) that this was the problem & we continue to make progress from here on out as she was flying & then came to a screeching halt ~ we'll keep you posted on what we find & how things are going ~ hugs!

~ IS CINDERELLA & BARBARA WALKER THE SAME PERSON?? ~

well, for all those out there that 'know' barbara walker, you'll think this' a bit funny ~ we went to the disney world's magic kingdom this past friday in florida & during the parade the girls were just beside themselves with anticipation for the end float that carried cinderella & her prince ~ the girls kept looking around at me saying, "when's cinderella coming mommy?" to which i'd reply, "she'll be towards the end, just keep watching" ~ kiara said, "what will she be wearing?" & they all took turns guessing what she'd be dressed in ~ then the time came we could see her float rounding the corner coming towards us & just as she got right in front of them, they squealed with delight ~ it was at that time karleigh (3y) turned to me & yelled out, "OH MOMMY, SHE'S BEAUTIFUL!! ~ SHE LOOKS JUST LIKE MS. BARBARA!!" (she was wearing a blue dress!!) ~ i'm always telling barbara how much our girls love her & talk about her all the time & this just proves it, they see her as their own cinderella ~ barbara, they truly love you!!

~ WE'RE HOME & HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!! ~

well, i'll write tomorrow all about our florida vacation (which was wonderful), but wanted to pop on here for a minute & make 1 post for father's day ~ i wanted to share how blessed i am to not only have the best father in the world as my dad, but also to be married to another one of the best father's in the world ~ spike's my best friend & the best father that anyone could ever ask for ~ he's great with our children from adults (dustin) to teens (brit) to toddlers (kiara, ruby & karleigh) ~ he's there when we need him for guidance, support, encouragement & love, but still gives us space when it's needed as well ~ he'll never know how happy & blessed i feel to call him mine ~ when god brought him into my life in 1990, i had no idea what was in store ~ he showed me who spike was, inside & out & told me (verbally) i was to marry him ~ it wasn't a hard decision for me, but believe me, i wasn't 'looking' for a man & was a bit surprised when he showed up! ~ we began dating the night we met (at church) & went for pizza afterwards ~ we dated every weekend from then until the day we married just 7 months later ~ he's been all that god said he'd be & sooooooo much more ~ i look forward to him coming home in the evenings & strive to be to him, what he is to me on a daily basis (i fail SO miserably) ~ i know he got the raw end of the deal in this marriage & i hate that, but am truly trying to show him & not just tell him, what he means to me (i feel this way, but he says he doesn't... just for the record) ~ spike, thank you once again for who you are, what you've done for this family & for being you & loving me (& our children) ~ when we married it was just us 3, then we added 'just 1 more', then we added '1 more', then we added 'only 1 more' & then we added 'the LAST one' ~ we're a complete family & you made that happen & i thank you publically as i do privately on a regular basis ~ without you, none of this would've been possible ~ thank you for listening to god & for allowing me to bug you from time to time without you hating me for it ~ we all love you more than anything ~ lori, dustin, brit, kiara, ruby & karleigh (your 'bunch')

~ FLORIDA'S SURVIVING OUR 'GROUP' JUST FINE! ~

just wanted a quick post at the fun we're having ~ we flew here on friday & the girls loved the flight (karleigh was amazed at how little the houses looked) ~ since arriving here, we've ate at some very good restaurants, took the kids to a small 'fair' right down the street from our resort & had a blast! ~ there at the fair was an old car show, lots of rides & tons of stores for shopping ~ we were there for several hours, but didn't get into any shops as we were so busy, so we're going back another day ~ we went to 'arabian nights' this evening & had a good time (although we all like dixie stampede TONS TONS better) ~ we also went to see the shuttle go up (WAAAAY cool) ~ the girls thought that was very fun & spike was in heaven ~ he was the 'true tourist' too, all the cameras we own were hung around his neck & he was snapping shots like crazy while i watched/kept all the kids (good thing too, cause he was 'in charge' of karleigh & when i looked around, there she sat sitting in her stroller alone while her daddy had walked off to 'get the perfect shot') ~ being there & watching him was like a kid in a candy store ~ tomorrow we're heading to daytona for the day & then to the beach in the afternoon ~ we're taking sandwiches with us to eat on the beach & everyone's excited for tomorrow to arrive ~ we're planning a day at universal on tuesday & then disney/magic kingdom on friday ~ we're all having a great time ~ here's a picture (just for you dad) of us arriving at the airport with all our luggage ~ now my dad's been teasing us about ALL we're taking, but considering there's 6 of us for a 10 day trip, we thought we were doing good ~ we took 9 checked bags, 5 carryons & 2 strollers (one of which's a double stroller), was that too much?? (mom, make sure dad sees the picture, k??)

a funny 'karleigh' story since we left home was this ~ we've told the girls for months that in june we were going to florida ~ they've been asking for months if it's june yet & no's been the reply ~ well, when we woke them up on friday to get ready to leave we said, "hey girls, today's june!" (even thought it had been june for a week, they didn't know it) ~ well, we were on the plane & we landed here in florida & karleigh didn't want to get off ~ i said, "c'mon karleigh, move, we've got to get off, we're here!" ~ she said, "i don't want to, you said we could go to florida" ~ we went round & round how we were here & that it was june, but she kept referring to wanting to stay on the plane as she was going TO FLORIDA!! ~ after this went on for a bit & she was getting more & more upset, i said, "alright then, if we're not in florida, then where are we??" ~ she started crying & said, "you said in june we were going to florida & you told us today that it was florida & we're supposed to be in florida now, but they're saying we're in ORLANDO!!" ~ gosh, gotta love that girl!! ~ well, i'm heading to bed & will blog more tomorrow ~ nite all!!