The move

We got a house.

  A house that far exceeded any and all expectations.   Isn't that just like God?   This morning at church the sermon was on Romans 8:28.   "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose."   What a verse!   What a promise!   I love God - therefore He is working on my behalf to use all the things in my life for my good.   Not my ruin.   My good.   And if our living situation isn't proof of that then I don't know what is.  

    There we were on the farm.   Living day by day in quite small quarters.   Hoping and praying for a place.   We started looking at apartments because we knew we had to rent.   We still own our house in Largo that my sister is renting from us, so buying here is out.   Our budget was low, and the things we found were not in the greatest areas or just not containing the things we needed for the kids.   I had started going to a Bible study in January at the church we are attending.   I was sharing in my group about our situation and asking for prayer.   A lady in the group has a daughter in my husband's class, and she began telling me that they were trying to sell their house.   They built it ten years ago and had four kids since then, so they wanted to upsize a bit.   They had actually already bought something new and were moved in, so they were looking to sell quick.   I told her we weren't in a position to buy, but would they be willing to rent.   She said she would talk to her husband because they already had it on the market to sell.   Once she got back to me she said he was totally willing to rent.   We came over to check the place out asap, and it was more than perfect.   Four bedrooms, an area for a playroom, two walk-in closets in the master (Tim is so glad he doesn't have to share with me), a great back porch . . . the list goes on and on.  

 

 

 

    We moved in as quick as we could.   The real twist is that we will be moving again in a year.   That is another story for another day, but I have already told my husband that I wish I could pick this house up and take it with us.   It is that perfect for us.   It isn't a mansion or anything, but it is such a great fit for our little family of 5.   We are so comfortable.  

    And after a year of cramming and never having enough space, it is nice to spread out.   God is taking care of us.   I need to remember this truth next year around this time when we will be on the search again.  

A Day with George

Last week I had the opportunity to chaperone George's class trip to the Children's Museum of Naples.   He really wanted me to go when they sent home the permission slip before Christmas, but I told him it was a long-shot.   They weren't allowing younger siblings to come, and I don't really have anyone to watch the two littlest Bettelli's in Fort Myers yet.   A few days before the trip I asked my mom if she would be willing to come down for 24 hours to watch the kids, so I could go.   She did, and George was so happy that he would have me all to himself for an entire day. When we got there they did a little lesson on the solar system. Then we had lunch around 11. After lunch they gave the kids time outside to play on all the playground toys . . . complete with a maze made out of bushes.  

  Once they got out some of their energy, we came back inside to check out the exhibits. George loved the restaurant space.

He had so much fun with all the hands on activities he got to take part in.

Here he is playing the news anchor roll on tv.

Our day was so much fun, and he wanted to know when we could come back as soon as we left.

The museum was really fun, but I enjoyed my day with George alone even more.

I tell my husband all the time that sometimes I feel like I neglect George.

Ethan and Lexi are so labor intensive at 3 months and 2 years old.

George is 5, and he just has such a compliant personality.

I don't ever want him to feel like he gets lost in the shuffle of our crazy life.

He is so important to me, and I want him to always feel that way.

I truly believe that the best gift we can give our kids is siblings, but I also know that as you add kids to your brood things get crazier and busier. It is always a balancing act, and I hope George knows what a priority he is for me. I love that little boy so, so, so much, and it was such a privilege to hang with him.

Baseball with pops

Tim is making a guest appearance today on the blog. There are some things you will always remember growing up. Some dads take their sons fishing, while other dads take their sons hunting. My dad was a “sports” dad.  

There are many dads like my dad…those who love a certain sport and encourage their sons to play and love that sport as well. All of my brothers were athletes in our family growing up. My two oldest brothers were known for their basketball skills. They each played multiple sports in high school, but they thrived in basketball.  I was almost 10 years behind them, so when it was my turn, naturally, I wanted to try the sports my brothers did.   However, even though I played on the Varsity basketball team, I didn’t start, and truth be told, I wasn’t really all that great.  

Growing up, my dad spent a lot of time with me on the baseball diamond. I played little league and won the MVP award, and then played in Jr. High and ended up being the captain of my high school baseball team. I loved baseball as a kid because my dad would take me to college baseball games at the University of Miami. We would drive to Mark Light Stadium and spend countless nights watching games together, eating peanuts, popcorn, and buying ridiculous baseball gear that probably got thrown away a long time ago. 

 One year for my dad’s birthday, I made him a coupon for a free Hurricane baseball game with me. Of course he had to pay for it anyway. My dad has kept that coupon in his wallet for over 20 years. 

 This past Saturday, I started the tradition with my son, George. We live in Tampa, so we can’t drive down to Miami. But since my wife is going to school at USF, we decided to go to a USF baseball game. 

 My Dad’s birthday is at the end of this month, so since we couldn’t be with him on his actual birthday, I took my father and my son to a college baseball game. We shared some memories, and made some new ones, and the Bulls won 9-3. Go Bulls! 

Strawberry Festival Happenings

I took a little three day break, and I am not sorry for it. I forgot to take any pictures of my cooking last week, so I just decided to skip "recipe Monday" this week. Sue me. Anyways . . . we had a full weekend, and it ended with a little event called The Strawberry Festival. Basically, a town about an hour away from us called Plant City throws a festival every year centered around the strawberry. You can imagine the interesting people that attend this high-class event. I am not judging because you will always see my behind there every. single. year. I am not above a little downhome action for the best strawberry shortcake in the entire world (yes, I have had strawberry shortcake in many other countries, and Plant City wins the prize). 

Yes, this is my children inside a giant strawberry with crowns on their head.

I know, classy.

Another favorite feature of this event is the chicken/rabbit exhibit that you can smell, I mean walk, through.

Always a highlight.

There are no words.

Kettle Corn Buddies

And keeping with the theme of the weekend, my mom bought George this totally ridiculous hat.

And then what is a festival without some sketchy rides . . .

So there you have it.

Our yearly excursion to a place that encompasses everything you could ever want in a festival.

Happy Birthday, Steph

I am going to rewind back about 10 days. While we were in North Carolina I got a facebook message from one of my best friend's husband's about surprising said best friend for her birthday in Asheville. Asheville is about 30 minutes from where we stay in Maggie Valley, so I jumped on board. On Friday night, the 30th, Tim and I headed over to the Biltmore Village and spent some time alone together before we had to meet up with the other couple for dinner. 

We found a really cool hotel and decided to take some pictures in the lobby.

Being the weirdos that we are.

At least we are weirdos together.

Paul (Stephanie's husband) picked a restaurant called Salsa's for our dinner, so we met them there to surprise Steph.

I would say mission accomplished.

Aren't they cute?

The presentation of food at this place was ridiculous.

This was the salsa trio platter.

My Chicken Enchiladas

Tim's lava bowl with salmon and shrimp

Birthday Cupcake

Birthday Hats

This is a ridiculous story, so I won't bore you with every detail.

Only a few . . .

Tim found some newspaper from 1942 that he just had to buy.

He found this paper in a store that was closing its doors for the last time that night.

Isn't that convenient?

We walk in and the owner walks up to us in his black trench coat saying, "40% off everything in the store.  Area 52, no taxes.  The government will never know.  We are closing our doors tonight."

Sketchy much?

Obviously, it didn't bother the husbands that much as evidenced by the artifacts seen in the picture.

Steph is about to have her first baby.

Is she not glowing?

Before Tim and I went back to our condo, we stopped to see the Bed and Breakfast Paul and Steph were staying in for the weekend.

Last but not least is this lovely picture of Paul at the table.

Doesn't he look ready to eat?

We were so, so honored to spend Stephanie's birthday dinner with her.

She was my roomate in college for three years, and one of my very best friends in the world.

We were in each other's weddings.

I can't wait to watch her be a mom and be able to spoil her little munchkins like she spoils mine.

Steph,

You are such a wonderful friend.

I absolutely love you and can't wait to meet your daughter.

I am so thankful Paul thought to invite us to your birthday this year.

It was so special, and I will never forget the surprised look on your face.

You are a once in a lifetime friend to me, and I hope you know I want to be the same to you.

Love,

Lou

First Semester - Check!

So, tonight I had my last class in my first semester as a graduate student. In one sense I can't believe I actaully started and finished an entire semester, and in another sense it went by so quickly that I haven't even had time to process it. As I reflect on the two classes I completed, I have a few thoughts. First, I can't believe I did so well.  This isn't to pat myself on the back, but 2 A's is a pretty good accomplishment in my book. Second, the adult conversation has been a life-saver.  It totally fulfills my desire for intelligent conversation that makes me feel like I use my brain. Thirdly, I could never have done it without my husband.  I appreciate him everyday, but this semester has caused my appreciation to soar. Example . . . tonight when I got home he had one out of two kids bathed (quite the accomplishment). He had a delicious, hot dinner ready for us to eat together. He was happy to see me, instead of the crazy look I usually give him when he gets home and I have been with the kids all day. All in all, I think I like graduate school. It has been an adventure so far, and I am so grateful for the opportunity my dad has given me to persue something I never actually thought would happen. Here is my encouragement to you . . . take a risk. Start something you never thought you would accomplish. You may enjoy it more than you ever thought you would.

The Happiest Place on Earth - Recap

This weekend we traveled all the way (a 1.5 hour drive) to Disney World.

 We have season tickets, so it is a pretty frequent occurance in our house. Epcot has a yearly event called "The Food and Wine Festival" where all the countries set up booths with appetizer size portions of their signature dishes. You can walk around and taste all the different flavors for a fraction of the cost, and you don't get full on one thing since the portions aren't dinner size.  Win-win for me. We strapped the boys in the stroller, and around we went to taste as much deliciousness as we could fit in our bellies. 

We also got to see five characters in Epcot.  They have five characters in a row, and you only have to wait in one line to meet them all.  It is one of the best character greeting places in all the parks.

Ethan couldn't figure out what was going on.  He is old enough to understand that he sees these people on tv, but he can't grasp the fact that they are in front of him in real life.

It is quite hilarious.  No crying or screaming, just awe.  Pure awe.

On Saturday morning we headed to Magic Kingdom, and George rode Thunder Mountain for the first time ever.

I got to be the parent who experienced it with him, and it was awesome.  That was his word.

We got to meet a few more characters before heading back to hotel for nap time, which is my favorite part of vacation. 
Especially in Disney, because little boys are so worn out they will sleep for hours.

 

We headed back to Magic Kingdom after our naps.  It was 9 pm by the time we got back in.

We saw fire works.

Watched the elctro-parade with all the lit floats.

Tim and George rode Thunder Mountain again at midnight before we headed back to sleep.

Both boys slept in until 9 the next morning. 

That is a miracle, by the way.  7:30 am was our record before that. 

On Sunday we went into Animal Kingdom.

We rode a few rides.  Met with some characters.  You know, the usual stuff.

One thing that stuck out to me on this trip was the amount of unhappy parents in the parks.

I was telling my husband that it was so funny how much planning parents will do to give their kids a good time, but in the end they just end up stressed and exhausted.

I was talking to another mother at one point while Tim had George, and I was with a sleeping Ethan.

She jokingly told me that her husband wanted to sue Disney World for false advertising.

He thought the slogan, "The happiest place on earth" was far from the truth.

The sad part is that he is right for most people.

They spend their life savings to bring their kids to this wonderland, and what ends up happening is . . . exhaustion, stress, crying kids, hunger, and so on.

All that to say, I am so thankful that we live in Florida and can get season passes at such a good rate.

We don't feel the pressure to see everything in one trip.  We know we will be back, so we take it easy.

If our kids don't want to do something or see somthing on a certain trip, then we skip it and come back to it next time.

Thankfully, it is still one of our happiest places on earth.