Gratituesday

This week, I have Disney on the brain! In about 31 hours, the Woodall Family is outtahere! I am so excited about this trip. 4 days with my precious family. I am looking forward to watching my kids take in the wonder and magic that is Disney World. They are just about to bust with excitement! We are going to Disney's Animal Kingdom on Thursday. The kids have never been. Hadley is very interested in animals and veterenary care. She is going to LOVE Animal Kingdom. Avery's birthday is on Friday and we will be at Disney's Magic Kingdom. They both are so excited to go back. We are eating lunch at Crystal Palace for Ave's birthday. Saturday, we are going to Sea World. Avery is the most excited about that!
I am just so grateful for a fun-filled trip with my family. Thankyou, God for my family!!!

Menu Plan Monday

This week my menu plan is a tad bit abbreviated. We are leaving Wednesday for our Orlando trip!!! Yay! I had to adjust some things from last week's menu plan. I got sick Thursday night, so Brian ordered a pizza for he and the girls. Friday night, the kids and I went to the fair with a friend. So, we will have the chicken tetrazzini this week. I made the Lentil and Brown Rice casserole last week, but we didn't really care for it. My main goal this week is to use up some chicken I cooked before we leave.

Monday, March 16-
Creamy Chicken and Veggie Lasagna
Corn
Applesauce

Tuesday, March 17- St. Patty's Day!
Chicken Tetrazzini
green beans
pears
*Special St. Patty's Day dessert! Homemade Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream:) (Green, of course)

Wednesday, March 18
*make homemade soft pretzles and cookies for trip snacks
Sandwiches on the Road
Carrot Sticks
Raisens
trip snacks!

Thursday, March 19-Disney's Animal Kingdom!!!
Breakfast-chocolate chip pancakes (shaped like Mickey, of course!) at the condo-we like to eat a BIG breakfast before we go-and than we only eat one meal in the park later in the day

Friday, March 20-AVERY'S 3RD BIRTHDAY!!! Disney's Magic Kingdom
Breakfast-Birthday Muffins
Lunch/Dinner-Character Dining at the Crystal Palace with Winnie the Pooh and friends!!!

Saturday, March 21-Sea World
Breakfast-Leftover Muffins
Dinner-kids-with Brian's parents, Emily and Brian-DATE!!!:)

Sunday, March 22
eat on the road

See everyone when we get back!!!

AWANA Hawaiian Night

Last night in AWANAs at church was Hawaiian night. The kids love our AWANA program. Hadley is in Cubbies (our 3-4 year old preschool program), and Avery is in Puggles (our 2 year old program). They really learn so much each week!



The Puggles learn basic concepts about God and His wonderful creation. Avery absolutely adores her teacher, Ms. Dodie. She comes home each week and tells me all about what God made. She sings me silly songs she learned. She loves going to Puggles so much.





Hadley, my little Cubbie, has learned so much scripture through the AWANA program. They learn verses each week. Hadley has earned all of her badges for her Cubbies vest so far. She loves Wednesdays. Going to Cubbies to see her friends and all of her wonderful leaders is one of the highlights of her week! And, you would be amazed at all the scripture she has memorized.



I know Ben will be a little Puggle before I know it. Hadley is looking forward to moving upstairs into Sparks next year. Avery will move up to Cubbies. I am so thankful that our church has a AWANA program. We love it!

Gratituesday

Well, we have sprung forward into daylight savings time. I know most of us don't have an hour of sleep to spare. Most of us don't get enough sleep as it is! I knew Sunday would be rough. But, I am still trying to catch up!

But, I LOVE daylight savings time. Last night, Brian got home from work around 5:30. We ate dinner out on the front porch. While I cleaned up the dinner dishes, the girls splashed around in their kiddie pool and Brian did some yard work. It is so wonderful to have some daylight left to enjoy after Brian gets home from a looong day at work.

So, this week I am grateful for daylight savings time. And, I am thankful for spring. I am thankful for warm weather and sunny skies. And, for a precious family to enjoy it all with!

Menu Plan Monday

Menu planning is something that I have done unofficially for a long time. I think it helps keep things saner around supper time when you have an idea of what you are gonna "fix"! This is my first week to participate in Menu Plan Mondays over at www.orgjunkie.com You should go over and check it out. I always like to see what other bloggers have on their menu for the week. Many of them provide links to recipes. Who couldn't use some new (and tested) menu ideas?

Monday, March 9-
Cheesy Black bean and Rice casserole, steamed carrots, apple sauce

Tuesday, March 10-
Creamy chicken and noodles, green beans, pears

Wednesday, March 11-church night
leftovers or sandwiches

Thursday, March 12-
Potato soup and homemade bread

Friday, March 13-
Chicken tetrazzini, peas

Saturday, March 14-
Homemade Pizza Night!

A day at the beach

As I type this, it is 35 degrees outside. Makes it kind of hard to believe that we were at the beach this past Saturday enjoying temps in the upper 70s and low 80s! We had such a wonderful time. We packed up and drove over to St Augustine for an afternoon of sun and sand. This was Ben's first trip to the beach. He LOVED it! The water was too cold to play in, but all 3 kids played in the sand (and ate sand) all afternoon! Brian bought the girls brand new kites-Hadley a Tinkerbell kite and Avery, of course, a Lightning McQueen one! My mom and sister met us for the latter part of the day. It was so relaxing to sit and visit and watch my kids play. The sound of the waves and the smell of the salty air-it was like medicine for my soul! I am so grateful for God's amazing creation. As I looked out toward the horizon, I tried to imagine how big God is. I couldn't even fathom it. He is truly bigger and greater than my mind can grasp!



After we left the beach, we headed to Osteens for supper. Now, if you have never experienced Osteens, you wont be able to fully understand how perfect our beach day ended...How do they do it?!? It is THE BEST fried shrimp you will EVER put in your mouth! It was delicious, as always.

As Brian and I drove home that night, the kids were SOUND asleep in the back of our van(another thing I am grateful for). We swung through the McDonalds drive-thru and got coffee drinks. I SO enjoyed the drive home with my sweet, funny, unique husband. We sipped our coffee and talked-more than we have talked in a looong time. It was great. We are usually so busy. With 3 little ones vying for attention all the time, it can be difficult to get a word in! It was a precious time.

I am so thankful that we had such a refreshing day!