Garden Stroll

Last week we took our Irish house guests to a local Japanese Garden. The Irishman and I had not been there ourselves, so it was nice to finally see what we'd heard so much about. (Not that there wasn't a little bit of goofing off as the pictures show!)

It was really beautiful and would be some place I would visit again...when it isn't insanely hot the middle of summer!

We had 3 cameras between us and then 4 camera phones. (These are just the pictures from my camera!) The Irishman was trying to post a picture on Facebook from his phone. He still can't quite get it yet!

All in all it was a great day!

Four Years

The Irishman and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary on Thursday. We'd already decided that instead of exchanging gifts we would make reservations for Disney next week. At about 8pm the night before though, my husband decided he had the perfect day planned for me. I have to say he did VERY well!

We had planned to go to the gym in the morning, but when we alarm went off we both decided it would be nicer to sleep in. I made homemade muffins for him. (I had to do something to compete with the perfect day he had planned!)

For lunch, we tried out the new Tex Mex place I'd been really wanting to go to. While it did not quite measure up to Papasitos, it was by far the closest I've found in Florida. (Notice in the picture there was a pepper...thankfully there was NOT a repeat of the Pepper Incident!)

They have homemade tortillas. (YUM!) the fajitas are not contaminated with any sauce or random veggies (that one is for you Em!) and best of all...they serve sopapillas. I LOVE sopapillas.

From there we went to a paint-your-own-pottery studio. I won a voucher from the school auction and had been looking for someone to paint with. This particular place also does not charge a studio fee. I was impressed. The Irishman picked out a star shaped bowl with Santa Claus on it. (Think of it as Christmas in July...or just Morgan being Morgan!) and I painted a light switch cover for the nursery.

Later that evening we met Morgan's sisters at The Cheesecake Factory for...well Cheesecake for dinner. All in all it was a fantastic day! I am looking forward to many more with the Irishman!

Night Afternoon at the Museum

The Irishman has been obsessed about seeing Transformers. He has been making this noise that is supposed to be the sound of the machines transforming...nonstop. Every time we ask what we should be do for the day, he makes the sound.

Yesterday was the first day of stay-cation without a doctor appointment. We headed down to the local museum where they happened to be showing Transformers on the IMAX. It was only an extra 4 dollars to add admission to the museum to the IMAX ticket, so we had some time to look around before the show started.

We looked through the Florida habitat exhibits and played with the aquarium settings on our cameras. The Irishman tried to act interested. He really only had one thing on his mind!

The flight exhibit was a hit. We all enjoyed "flying the planes." (We may or may not have chased away small children in our eagerness...) At last it was time for the show. I can say with confidence that he enjoyed it more than the girls and I did, but I might be willing to admit that his Transformer noise is closer than I thought it would be!

Yesterday we also picked some onions and a turnip from the garden. They were a bit smaller than we'd hoped for, but that's okay. We added the onions to the potato soup in the crock pot and had a feast waiting for us when we got home! It was a successful day!

Goodies for Our Girl

We have gotten a few goodies lately that I just had to share!

This is a Cork hurling jersey the Irishman's sister June brought out with her for us. I am thinking some red hairbows/headbands will be in order! (Hurling is an Irish sport and Cork would be the part of Ireland where they live.)

We got a lovely package of goodies from my mom. Our nursey theme is sheep. Aren't they too cute?

The Irishman is happy to see his hard work on the closet is going to good use!

Chef Morgan

Yesterday my husband made sauce using his take on my mom's recipe. We took some to Lyndsay and Dave's house and still had four containers left over!

Not too shabby for an Irishman!

Stay-cation

Well, it is officially day one of Stay-cation 2009. The Irishman has two weeks off. He can only roll over 5 days after August, so he needed to take the days now before they disappeared! We'd thought about taking a small trip with his sisters somewhere in the state but have decided to stay home and enjoy South Florida instead.

So far it has been a productive day! I had my monthly doctor's appointment this morning. Our little girl is doing well and the doctor was please so see I have "finally gained some weight." I am 23 weeks and up about 15 pounds.

Another thing I learned this morning? You can see Baby's R Us from the doctors' office. The Irishman and I stopped there after the appointment so I could get his opinion on a few things I'd been researching. I am almost ready to register...that is in my "Stay-cation plan."

From there we went and met with a rep from HR to go over my maternity benefits. I think it is a little better than what we'd feared thought. We have a lot of figures to play with. Thankfully we also have time some time! So far the plan is to work as late as I can before the baby comes. From there is is a matter of figuring out how much time I can afford to take.

We also went and met with a parent of a former student of mine. She has her own business and makes BEAUTIFUL embroidered gifts. We are a bit behind in our gift giving, so it was great to place an order to get caught up.

Now we are back home. June and Christina, two of the Irishman's sisters, are in town. They enjoyed some time at the pool this morning and are off at the mall now. The Irishman and making homemade spaghetti sauce using my mom's recipe. It smells great so far!

A quick request to any Disney experts out there:
The Irishman and I have two day park hopper passes. We are thinking about taking a trip next week for our anniversary. My thought was to stay on property so that we can make it a nice leisurely trip. Any thoughts on places to stay? (The budget is looking like the moderate resorts with Florida resident rates are our target.) Restaurants? (I love lunch at the French place in Epcot! What else haven't we discovered yet?) Tips for Disney when pregnant? Are we crazy for thinking this is a good idea? Any thoughts are welcome!

As for now, it is nap time! Happy Summer!

Baby Bargains

I had a few days off, so I did some shopping. Here is a look at some of my newest "Baby Bargains."

* I was at the limits on my pre-pregnancy swimsuit, and I found Target had their maternity suits on sale. Being as I have been going to water aerobics 2-3 times a week, a suit was a must! The belly on this one still has room for growth, but it must not be too bad...one of the ladies in class today asked me where I got it. I didn't have the heart to tell her it was a maternity suit!

* We plan to paint my old dresser and were looking for a changing table to paint to match. This is my first Craig's List purchase. Grandma Betty and I went to pick it up on Friday. My clearance baskets from Target were down to under $2 so I picked up a few more. I think it is going to be perfect for what we want!

* Uncle Ken came over this weekend and helped to hang the clothes bars in the closet. (Doesn't it look great? Thank you!) Then yesterday I saw someone had posted on Freecycle a bag of plastic baby hangers. I went by to pick them up yesterday afternoon and then hung up all the clothes we've been given from family and friends. Free is my favorite bargain of all!

* I read in my Baby Bargains Book a review of the Lands End Diaper Bags. When I went online, the bags were 50% off. I also found an online coupon for free shipping. Not too shabby. My "total savings" column was more than my "total spent."

* Not pictured, but we went to the mall this weekend with the Irishman's eldest sister. I found a pair of DKNY PJs that were 50% off. VERY comfy! Add to that a $10 coupon, and they were a great deal! I also may or may not (wink wink) have hit Kohls when the maternity clothes were 50% off. Not too bad.

* Yesterday Grandma Betty and I went to pick out fabric for the nursery. We found some really nice fabric! Did I mention our three 40% off coupons?

This is why I work during the summer. Time off is a dangerous thing!

HaHaHa!

After a week's worth of begging on his part we decided to go see a movie this afternoon. There was a lot of debate about what to see, but all three of us finally agreed on The Hangover.

The Irishman has a VERY distinctive laugh. When something really tickles his funny bone, anyone in a mile radius knows it. It doesn't happen that often, but when it does...

I didn't think the movie was all that great. I chuckled a few times, but that was about it. My husband admitted that parts were over the top, but at other times he laughed until he had tears in his eyes.

At one point the teenage boys behind us started to mock his laugh.

The sad part? He was too busy laughing to notice...