T.G.I.F...

and what a lovely Friday it is here in Sunny Florida. The weather has been so wonderful today that we had to be outside. We ran errands with the windows down. The girls loved feeling the wind blowing through their hair. Then we took a walk around the neighborhood. Guess what we saw during our walk...one happy little turtle who was also enjoying the weather.



Kadence screamed so loud when she saw Mr. Turtle that he disappeared into his house!



Afterwards, both girls were just too tired for words.

Bryleigh fell asleep in her jumper...just slumped over mid-jump...



And Kadence drifted off during the middle of Dora...her favorite!



Another benefit of lots of fresh air...helps with the naps! No I can cook and clean in peace! Maybe even take a little nap myself.

I'm A Winner...

Well, a few weeks back, Five Minutes For Mom hosted "The Ultimate Blog Party" and I decided to join. Guess it paid off because I was informed that I was a winner. And here is my prize...





Isn't this a cute gift?!?! I checked out Sweetpea Cakes, Etc.'s website , and they have some really cute stuff! Will have to remember them the next time I have to plan a Bridal or Baby Shower!

I think that Miss Bryleigh fits the name of the prize perfectly. Doesn't she look like she's "Spoiled Rotten"



Thanks again 5 Minutes For Mom for hosting the party...and thank you Ms. Dawn at Sweet Pea Cakes, Etc. for sending me this cute prize!

Have You Ever Seen A Mom Do A Backflip Off The Bed...

without waking up the sleeping angels? Well, if you were in my bedroom about 5 minutes ago, you would have seen this amazing feat! My heart is still racing from the experience.

So, I am sitting in my big snugglie bed, minding my own business, reading my fave blogs while listening to HGTV and the sleeping sounds of my two snoozing sickly angels. Out of the corner of my eye, I see something run across my bed, making a bee-line towards my feet. Eeek! It is a horrible, nasty spider! Quick back flip and then I am off the bed and ready to do battle with the eight-legged freak! (Think bad martial arts stunts) The first thing I can grab is my phone and I am racing around the bed, trying to kill the deadly beast before it harms one of my babies! Well, several minutes later, the awful creature is nothing more than a greasy spot on my freshly made bed (see last post in regards to why my bed is freshly made), I am about ready to faint from the realization that I just took on one of my worst fears, and my sleeping beauties have not even stirred! Quite an accomplishment, if I don't say so myself.

As I try to get settled into bed again with a nice glass of cold milk and a piece of cake to get my energy levels back up...a towel covering the dreaded spot until the snoozing sweeties wake back up...the 4 month old wakes up and wants to nurse!

No rest for the weary...

I Hope It's Not Another Repeat!

After spending last week taking care of one sick kid after another, I was so excited to have Saturday and Sunday under the belt with no sickness! Being cooped up in the house the past few days, I was dying for some fresh air. So, we went to a local farmer's market, an outdoor antique market, Church and brunch. It was also really nice. All of the kids had big appetites for a change and I was looking forward to a good nights sleep.

Last night, I fed Bryleigh and was playing with her in my nice snuggly bed when she suddenly covered everything within spewing distance...me, bed, nightstand, cradle, floor, walls, etc. After the huge clean-up, she was hard to get back to sleep and fit-full through the night. Bleary eye-ed this morning, I woke up to her smiling face and the news that Kadence is running another high fever and has "die-a-ree-a". Lovely!

I hope this isn't the start of another long and yuck filled week!

(Right now, the three of us are camped out in my bedroom. Bryleigh is napping, Kadence is watching cartoons, and I am blogging. Who knows how many times I might post today...)

WHiVSiV...I hope not...

If you happen to be in Vegas this weekend, do me a favor. Look for this man...



He is gone on a Boys Only weekend with some of his notorious buddies from high school. The entire group goes by the tag name...The Mouse Farts.

It can be guaranteed that there will be lots of drinking, debauchery, and general distasteful behavior...



With this in mind, I will be paying top dollar for any good stories and / or photos that I can use for blackmail at a later day...namely when I want to go shopping and he wants me to conserve finances!

Please proceed with caution...because if he knows that he is being watched or photographed, he will resume his normal prim and proper status!

Easter Celebrations - Better Late Than Never...

Sorry these are so late getting posted. It has been pretty crazy around my house the past few days. Kyla woke up Easter Morning with a nasty cough and a 101+ temperature. She stayed home from school on Monday. Then Bryleigh came down with a cough and yucky nose on Tuesday. Kaleigh developed a 102 temperature on Wednesday and stayed home from school today...And this is when that proverbial straw broke this mommy camel's back. Brad left this morning for a long boys weekend in Vegas, Kadence is now sick with a 103 temperature, Kaleigh still has a 101 temp, Bryleigh's nose is still a little yucky, and Kyla now has an ear infection! And the thing that really got me is tonight was the kindergarten open house. I had everything in place until I learned that this school year the children are required to have a 2nd dose of the Chicken Pox vaccine and Kyla cannot get it because she is on antibiotics for 10 days. So after waiting in line for an hour, I was told that I have to come back after she gets the shot! When will my life go back to some sense of normalcy? I really need it...especially since I did not been able to go to Yoga for the second week in a row! My Zen state of mind is gone and I have turned into a screaming harpy!

Any way...enough of my poor me, poor me.

Enjoy the Easter photos...while I enjoy some chocolate.

~~~

This year we decided to color alot of eggs...72 eggs to be exact! We had to make sure that each child was able to color a dozen eggs. I know that sounds like alot of eggs, but we didn't color as many last year and there was H*LL to pay because of it. These children may be small and look so cute and innocent, but they are meaner than snakes when they don't get their fill of coloring eggs. So we are now swimming in lovely colored eggs. Anyone for an egg salad sandwich?







Notice how these first few photos only show the girls. Mikey was too embarrassed to color eggs with "the girls". I think he has a crush on Hailey and Hannah or maybe the crush is on their mom (She is my sweet friend and "adopted" sister...all the kids call her Aunt Amy) So Brad had to hunt him down and carry him to the patio. He wasn't real happy...can you tell?



He kept his hood on the entire time because he was afraid that "Aunt" Amy would kiss him! Whenever she is around, he keeps his distance...but secretly loves it when she corners him and steals a kiss.





Bryleigh could have cared less about the egg coloring. She wanted Lizzy. Elizabeth is such a good dog and loves her babies. She acts just like Nana from Peter Pan, constantly "babysitting" the kids.



Brad came up with the wonderful idea of letting the kids wear surgical gloves. He said that it would keep their hands clean. No brightly dyed fingers in our Easter photos! It was a good thought, but didn't work like it was suppose to.











And here is some of the finished product. The "ugly" dark green egg was suppose to be a camouflage egg. Obviously it didn't turn out very well...



Early Sunday morning, after the Easter Bunny decided to hide Kyla and Bryleigh's baskets…





Mommy and Daddy had the rare pleasure of actually waking the girls up for once!





Kyla had no problem finding her basket...



and even helped Bryleigh find hers.



Then she tore into her basket. She loved the egg filled with chocolate...



but she really loved the frilly bunny ears and feathery fan!



Here are my beautiful girls! Don't you just want to pinch their cheeks and cover them with kisses!





Mom Mom and PaPa with the kids...



My nieces and nephew...



And finally...the happy Scarlet O'Kara family...



Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

P.S. Will someone come and visit me? I am getting stir-crazy being surrounded by sick kidlets! And if you visit, don't forget the Margaritas. I will love you forever and ever...and call you my bestest friend. :)

Beautiful Day At The Park...

It was one of those days that really makes you thankful that you live in Sunny Florida. The sun was shining, the breeze felt heavenly, and the temperatures were in the low 80s. The kids wanted to do nothing more than spend every moment outside.

Enjoy the photos.

In The Clear For Five Years...

Great news! I am not the "3rd" in my pattern of "Great Things Happen In 3s" pregnancy announcements. Went to the appointment yesterday morning and received the negative test. So we were able to proceed with next form of bc that we are trying out. We were assured that this one would work and there would not be any "surprise" announcements until we decided to have it removed. Guess you could say that we are "in the clear for the next 5 years" unless we decide to try for another precious baby before then.

I was fortunate enough to have 4 years to devote my time and energy to Kyla before Bryleigh came along. Now I can do the same for Miss Bry. The Mr. is as happy as a clam because his "boys" are intact. Now I can use that extra large bag of frozen peas for dinner!

So the big question is...Who is my "Number 3"? Will this be you in a couple of months?

Is It That Time Of Year? Or Is There Something In The Water?

It was one year ago yesterday that my youngest daughter made her growing presence known. After celebrating St. Patrick's Day with some family and friends, I developed what we thought was a really bad case of food poisoning...probably from the combination of blue cheese dressing on the salad and lots of vinegar on the Corned Beef. A combination like that has got to make anyone have an upset tummy.

When I was still feeling awful a week later, I made an appointment with my doctors office. Imagine my surprise when she told me I was pregnant! I guess it really should not of surprised us considering that we became pregnant with our oldest child while I was on the bc pill...so why would it be any different when I was on the bc ring!?!?



While I was thinking about all of these memories yesterday morning, I received a wonderful e-mail from a dear friend and former co-worker. She was excited to tell me that she was pregnant with her second baby. Her first is only 10 months old and we enjoyed being pregnant together at work...another buddy to share aches, pains, and cravings with!

This morning I get another e-mail from another former co-worker. She was also excited to tell me that she was pregnant with her first. She wanted to thank Bryleigh for bringing her good luck! The last time we saw each other, she held Bryleigh close and my sweet baby girl gave her good baby thoughts and rubbed against her belly.



So the question is? Is it just that time of year for babies to start growing? Is there something in the water? Or is the Luck Of The Irish with Bryleigh?

P.S. On a side note, these two announcements have also got me a bit freaked out. You know how good things happen in 3s...while I am suppose to go to the doctors tomorrow to try a more reliable form of bc. Before this can take place, I need to have a pregnancy test. Wouldn't it be just my luck...

Another Great Success!

The whole gang loved yesterday's recipe. Had hoped that I would have enough left over to make Irish Beef Stew...but the meant was the first thing devoured, followed quickly by the green beans and cabbage. I love it that the kids request seconds and thirds on meat and veggies.

Do you want to know what else they love and request all of the time?

Salad...



and Sushi!



How crazy is that?!?! When they have the choice between french fries or side salad, they will ask for the fries but end up stealing my side salad. One time when I was grocery shopping, we walked by the Sushi Station and a chorus of little voices belts out..."Sushi! We love Sushi!" How can you turn down a request like that?

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling...

they must look something like these...





I usually make the traditional Irish Boiled Dinner (i.e. Corned Beef, Cabbage, & Potatoes). Since we are all watching our diets, that one is out of the question. Have you seen how much sodium in in one serving of Corned Beef! Yikes!! So, I am trying a new recipe.

Irish Spiced Beef

3 tbsp. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. ground allspice
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. cracked black pepper
4 lb. beef bottom round or beef chuck pot roasts
1 3/4 cups lower sodium beef broth
1 bottle (12 fl. oz.) stout or dark beer

MIX brown sugar, cloves, allspice, cinnamon and pepper in bowl. Add roast and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 12 hr. or overnight.

REMOVE roast and place in oven-safe sauce pot.

ADD broth and beer. Cover and bake at 350 degrees. for 3 hr. or until roast is fork-tender. Remove roast and let stand 10 min. Thinly slice roast. Serve with pan juices. Sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 8.

Will let you know how this turns out.