Oh, the happy things of Reno

Demopolis had Walmart and a butcher. You had to drive an hour for decent produce or specialty items, and with 3 crazy kids you know how often I did that.

Well, the clouds have parted and the produce gods did their best to light up my day.

Oh, yes, today was our inaugural trip to whole foods. I spent 45 minutes in the produce department while Kyle sat in the car with the kids. It was heaven. He called a few times but I just couldn't pull myself away.

Everything was organic, bright and fresh. They bundled my strawberries up in a paper bag for me and I saw at least 3 types of vegetables I had never seen in person before. And the cheese section! Needless to say, my fridge is ready for some yummy meals if you happen to be in the neighborhood.

And as a side note, here is Dr. Oz's anti-cancer shopping list. Looks tasty to me, minus the tea and wine :).

Colors can make you so happy

I am interrupting my marathon disney post to show you some beautiful fabric. Hopefully with some help from super Anne these swatches will turn into lovely things for Ella's room. Lovely and whimsical, just like Ella Bella. What do you think?

Disneyworld, the adventure

If you want to see a great post about all the fun we had, visit my sister's blog.

We had a lot of fun too, but since I'm short on time here is my list of practical tips:
-get there early before the ferry that takes you to the park gets crowded.
-use your fast passes!
-hit the shows. they are amazing and i suspect you'd see more princesses that way.
-take some sandwiches and drinks so you can snack in line
-brace yourself for serious crowds and then it won't catch you by surprise
-kids can do almost everything in magic kindom.
-our favorites were pirates, buzz lightyear, small world, the carousel, and seeing the characters.
-i would definatey try to go during the cooler months. heat plus crowds plus no shade equals misery!
-our condo was sweet, affordable and only 10 minutes from the park entrance. it was nice to be able to leave the madness and hang out with the family at nights.

face painting is fabulous!

Face painting was one of our favorite things at animal kingdom. Ella was a desert princess and Kate chose a unicorn. When Ella showed Kate her face, Kate yelled, "Oh, ella, you're so beautiful!" Stayed on all day and washed off easy as pie.

Kate made sure to tell the artist not to forget her lips!
sienna is a crack up. i love the picture of her waiting patiently with her tongue out.

Birthdays!!!

Ella, Kate, Anne and I all had B-day's in Disneyworld. In Ella's words, "Oh, this is absolutely perfect!" In Kate's, "This is the best day ever!"

Opening their goggles. For those of you who don't know, Kate wears her swimsuits every chance she gets. I am going to have to start a slush fund called "will freelance for pool" one of these days.

If only we had stockades at our house for real.

I thought this was a cute pix of Anne and Kate Anne on their B-days.

This is how we roll in Utah . . .

Update:
-The drive took 42 hours from Bama to Reno

-We found ourselves a rental next to a walking path and duck pond. It even has a small waterfall in the back. I think the kids will like it.

-Roger and Janie drove up to help Kyle unpack. Thanks, guys!

-My dad started to answer his phone, "Adoption agency." The kids now call him Dad and me Grandma. Needless to say, they were very excited to see us but you could tell they had not been neglected. They love Utah and you would know why if you lived with grandma anne and grandpa dug.

-I flew from Reno back to Utah and am now with the kids until Disneyworld, where we will meet Kyle. Then the kids and I will join him in Nevada. YEAH.

-I spent the entire first day in Reno pressed to the glass of our car window. "Look at all the shopping! Look at all the restaurants!" In demopolis, we came by our food the honest way. Needless to say, there is lots to do when you come and visit.

-There are wild horses that roam our new neighborhood. Our house is kindof at the base of some foothills. Kyle said there are some great trails and with us all gone he should have lots of time to try them all out.

-Kyle started work and everyone was great. We miss our crew in bama but it hasn't really sunk in yet. Still feels like an extended vacation.