The Best Gift

Easter 2011 was a terrific occasion for the Donovan family. Not only did we get to visit with family and make memories, but we were also able to reflect on the great sacrifice that was given so that we could live the blessed life we live today. I find it so amazing to really ponder how great the gift of salvation is and how selfish I am in comparison to He who constantly forgives and is alive in me today. One thing is for sure, I would not make it an hour in this world without knowing that God is alive and guiding my every step. I pray that if there is any one thing that Kermie and I are successful at in this life is that we are able to show our children God's love and compassion.

We were able to spend the entire weekend visiting with family. On Saturday, we went to spend the day with Kermie's family. And, although it was a bit soggy, the kids really enjoyed hunting for eggs inside.


Sunday morning, we woke up and the kids opened their Easter baskets. Please notice how we had all just rolled right out of bed.


After church, we headed down to mom and dad's for Easter pizza and another egg hunt. The kids had a terrific time and have enough candy to last several months!


I hope everyone had a terrific Easter!

“The highest act of love is the giving of the best gift, and, if necessary, at the greatest cost, to the least deserving. That’s what God did. At the loss of His Son’s life to the totally undeserving, God gave the best gift – the display of the glory of Christ who is the image of God.” [John Piper]

Easter Bunny

Today, mom took Ella and Grayson to see the Easter Bunny at the Fayette Mall. Mom has always been so good about making sure the kids get all of their holiday pictures taken and I am so thankful! It's hard enough doing everyday errands let alone making a trip to the mall just for a picture. I am always so excited to see how the picture turns out and hear everyone's reactions. This year was no exception! Both kids loved the big bunny and managed to smile for a picture.



Ella and Grayson are both growing so fast so I also wanted to take a few minutes to blog about what's new with them.

• Ella just started a new gymnastics/dance class. She is part of the 4 year old class where the kids do a 45-minute half gymnastics and half ballet class. I am not allowed to go in which I think will be a huge plus!
• Grayson is a crawling machine. He started crawling right around the 7 month mark, but didn't take off like a mad man until a few weeks ago!
  
• Ella has a personality to fit a queen! There are days that I love her too death and others that I am wondering what I've gotten myself in to! I'm assuming she is much like I was as a preschooler with all the button pushing and testing of limits, but she most definitely has her daddy's stubborn/hardheaded/argumentative traits!
• Grayson is also pulling up on everything he can get his hands on. He scares me too death, but is impossible to stop! His poor head has been bumped so many times.
• Ella is a terrific big sister. She loves to help, make Grayson laugh, and kisses him a bazillion times a day.
• Grayson is cutting more teeth. He's getting two more at the top at the moment! I wish they didn't have to go through that.
• Ella is learning to read a little at a time. She has all of her uppercase letters down and is working on mastering lowercase. She is getting better about putting sounds with the letters and is great with telling a story through pictures! We will continue to work with phonics and writing her last name.
  
• Grayson is eating tons of table food! He has officially been given dairy and seems to tolerate it just fine! :) He's loving the big boy food.
  

Spring Break 2011: Disney and Cocoa Beach

Friday after school, we all headed home to finish packing for our much anticipated Disney vacation! We finally had everything together and headed out around 6:30 or so. The plan was to drive through the night while the kids slept and it worked fairly well until about 2 am or so. Grayson was becoming uncomfortable and kept waking Ella up. We decided to stop to sleep, but there were no hotels to be found in the state of Georgia! So, we ended up taking a pit stop at a rest station with Kermie holding Ella and me holding Grayson in the front seats. Not ideal, but it worked. We arrived in Orlando around 9:30 Saturday morning and drove around until our hotel was ready. Kermie and Ella visited Orange World (which looked very promising), but was not worth the stop. Finally, around 2 pm our room was ready and we headed over to check out the resort.

The rest of the day Saturday was filled with unpacking, sleeping on Kermie's part, playground visits, a little swimming, and a trip to UNO for pizza. We were very pleased with our hotel considering it only cost us $400 for the week. There was a nice living room for the kids to play, full kitchen, laundry, a screened in porch, huge bed, Jacuzzi tub, and shower. They have multiple bedroom units, but we chose a one bedroom. For anyone who works for the government and wants a great place to stay for cheap check out http://www.getravelop.com/ . This is the website we used to find our resort http://www.wyndham.com/hotels/MCOCP/main.wnt





We spent most of Sunday and Monday poolside and went to Downtown Disney for the evening. Ella enjoyed the music being played and danced with the other children for a good hour! She also visited The World of Disney store. Grayson and Ella both loved the pool. Ella usually found a friend to play with and Grayson would get in for a while, play on the deck, and nap.







Tuesday was our Magic Kingdom day. We knew ahead of time that it was going to rain and Kermie insisted that it would be the best day to go as far as crowds are concerned. We had gone to Wal-Mart the day before and bought ponchos and a tarp for the stroller. We were prepared to say the least :) As soon as we stepped off the ferry boat, the storms rolled in and lasted a few hours. We rode every ride we wanted without a wait! It was perfect! Ella's favorite was Peter Pan :)





Wednesday was spent at the pool again. We had our pool day routine down pretty well by this point. Wake up, be at the pool by 9, swim until lunch, eat lunch, put the kids down for nap, I got to go back by the pool for about 30 more minutes, shower, and go to dinner :) We also took the kids to the playground when we got home that night to play.



On Thursday, we headed over to Animal Kingdom since we had completed Magic Kingdom on Tuesday. We had a little scare Thursday morning when we thought we had lost our ONLY car key. We searched the room upside down (or so we thought), called for a shuttle to pick us up, looked into having a new key made ($160), and figured out how to tow the car to the car place ($$$). Finally, after doing some laundry and a lot of praying, I moved the door to find the key under the door! We did a little celebration and headed to Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom was a little crowded, but we had a blast. The Lion King show and Nemo Musical were awesome! Ella loved them both. We waited in line for about 70 minutes for the safari, but it was well worth the wait!








Friday was our last full day of vacation since we would be driving back Saturday and Sunday. We decided to head to the beach in order to "kill two birds with one stone." The last time we went to the beach, Ella did not enjoy it for the most part. She didn't like the sand, mainly because it was full of shells and was terrified of the waves. This time she LOVED it... every part of it! Grayson didn't show much emotion either way. He's always just along for the ride :)



After showering, we went out to dinner one last time at Downtown Disney. I could spend hours there, but Kermie isn't a huge fan of the crowd! We took the kids to the Once Upon A Toy store and then headed back to pack up.




Overall, our trip was a total success. It is difficult being in the car for 14 hours with small children, but coloring books, toys, food, and movies help to make it a little more bearable. I managed to squeeze in the backseat between the two kids and spent the majority of the time there while Kermie drove. We were smart on the way home and reserved ourselves a room about 9 hours in. Hopefully, the next time we head somewhere that far it will be more convenient to fly! I hope everyone else had a fabulous spring break and yay for 30 some days of school left!! :)

Warm weather brings many smiles!

We have been enjoying and taking advantage of the warmer weather the past few weeks. With the skies a beautiful blue and the sun shining bright, we can't help but be outside. The kids have been to our park here in Sadieville, to the "fishy" park in Georgetown, and on many walks.


The two handsome men in my life! :)


Ella checking out her daddy's latest car purchase.


She's "into" all the cars he flips.


Enjoying some swing time.


Having fun!


Taking the long way home. This is my most favorite road in Scott County!


Saying goodbye to the pony.

Kermie and I are very excited to tell Ella we are leaving for Disney World this Friday. She has no real concept of time yet and as a matter of fact, everything she's ever done happened "last night." She asks daily if we leave that day, but of course it's always a no. I can't wait to see the look on her face when it's a yes! We are planning to drive through the night so the kids can sleep and somewhat enjoy the very long car ride. I will be sure to blog about our trip when we return.

Checking In

Things here are busy as usual. However, new news....

Grayson has two teeth and is attempting to crawl! He will be all over the place before long.

I snapped a few shots of the kiddos today before we went to Lexington, so I thought I'd post one for you to enjoy.


All members of the family are healthy!! Praise God. :)

Kermie's car business is "a-booming." He and Andrew are buying and selling like crazy!

The weather was fabulous today!

And, last but not least, we will be in Florida in less than three weeks! Ella is so excited and I cannot wait to see her expression when she finds out the day has arrived. Kermie and I are planning some sort of surprise for her on the day we leave. CAN'T WAIT!

Happy seven months to my favorite little guy!!

The past seven months have been seven of the greatest months of my life. I had always heard about the "special" bond between a mother and her son, but of course you never know until you experience it. This little guy sure has me wrapped and I am head over heels in love!! Here is a little glimpse into the life of Grayson at seven months old!

1. I love to smile and I hear my smile is contagious!
   
2. My sister is one of my favorite people because I think she is just so funny. She makes me laugh all of the time. I can't wait until I can move around like she does!
3. Food is something I cannot live without (obviously)! I eat three meals a day and still beg my mommy for 4 bottles too! The only food I haven't enjoyed so far is bananas, but I may come around eventually.
4. I love to sleep! Not so much during the day because I want to play and watch everything going on around me, but I definitely get in my full night of "handsome" sleep each night.
   
5. There are all sorts of crazy sounds coming out of my mouth these days. I started with ma, moved to da, and throw in a few ba and na's here and there. I really like to hear myself talk which is why I do it all day long.
6. A love of music runs in my family and I'm pretty sure I get this from my daddy. When Ella was my age she loved listening to Casting Crowns, but my favorite song comes from the Seeds of Worship CD my mommy keeps in her car. John 8:12 is the verse I love to hear.
7. I don't really have a favorite toy, unless you would consider a bottle of Cetaphil face lotion a toy. This bottle keeps me occupied for quite a while.
8. My back is getting really strong and I am impressing everyone at my house with my sitting capabilities. Today I sat for over 20 minutes without anyone having to rush to my rescue! I really want to move around and am starting to get up on my hands and knees, but this physique of mine isn't conducive to picking up for long periods of time!!
   
9. I guess you could say I am a pretty happy guy! Until recently (with my bout of RSV), I was very easy to please. I guess I've gotten a little used to being held and loved on the past week or so that I'm not sure I want to give this up. I don't really ever cry, but when I want some extra attention I just give a little fuss and they come running. It's a nice set up I've got going on!
10. I love my family and they love me!
    

February... Forever Forgotten?

It has been a while since I've last posted and after reading this post you'll understand exactly why! February has been, to say the least, a very busy month! With the combination of work, traveling, children, and just life in general, February has proved to be a month that for the most part I do not care to relive!! Here is a quick look at what the Donovan Clan has been doing in the past few weeks (weeks that we may not care to forget)!

1. Deer Hit #1: On the way to mom's with kids in tow, a deer runs right into the back of my car. Luckily, no damage other than the emotional overload was done!

2. Went to give the kids a bath and about scalded my hand because the water was so hot. Come to find out, our water heater had caught on fire! Our plumber came the next day to put a new one in and said we were lucky!

3. Weekend getaway! We spent a weekend with friends in Owensboro which was a blast! On our way home, my car stops completely in the middle of nowhere! We have no signal on our cellphones, the sun is beginning to set, I have to be at work the next morning, etc. On the other hand, God provided us with a wonderful couple (from Georgetown!) who stopped to be with us while we reached 911 and the sheriff came to pick us up. Yes, Ella had a blast riding in the back of the sheriff car! Kermie stayed the night in noman's land with the car (turns out the fuel pump went out), while a family member came to rescue. We got home around midnight. At 3 am Ella began throwing up.

4. Ella's stomach flu. Ella began throwing up around 3 am and puked almost non-stop for 48 hours. I had never seen her so sick in all my life. I was terrified that she would become dehydrated, but she was a trooper and managed to keep drinking! I ended up having to the take the next day off (keep in mind I have no paid days left due to my maternity leave) to take care of my pitiful baby girl!

5. RSV??!! At the end of the week, when Ella began feeling normal again, I decided it was okay to proceed with our regular routine. However, both kids started with a crazy cough that continued to get worse and worse. Grayson stopped sleeping at night which is what let me know something was really wrong! This boy has not woken up at night since he was about 6 weeks old! We made an appointment on Sunday morning and found out RSV was the culprit of the horrible runny noses, congested heads, low grade fevers, etc. There is nothing worse than seeing your children so sick!! My heart has been broken for over two weeks straight.

6. Deer Hit #2: On the way to mom's, I see a deer run up the hill. Being cautious, I slow way down and get run over by another deer following way behind. It didn't feel like I had hit it very hard and I was so thankful that the kids were not with me this time. On the way home that evening, I see the deer and realize it had hit a little harder than I had thought.

While February proved to be a tough month that I would rather not remember, I feel that my relationship with God has kicked up a notch! Without the comfort of knowing He would get me through and that my situation doesn't compare to many who have it way worse even on my worst days, I wouldn't have managed! I have very much enjoyed the extra snuggle time with my babies and enjoy my family coming to watch the kids at the house!

Here's to looking forward to Spring and Disney World in four weeks!!! WOO HOO :)