Remember I moved!!!!!

www.scoopofreality.com

Head on over...it's for a good cause!

For those of you who haven't already....come visit me at my new address: www.scoopofreality.com

I hope that you will add this new address to your blog reader. Same blog, same name, new address!

Also, for those of you who haven't stopped by yet, I wanted to let you know about a special charity project I am hosting over at my new blog. For every comment on the NEW blog (not here), I will donate $1 to both Operation Smile and Smile Train. As many of you know, my youngest was born with a cleft palate, so these are organizations that have special meaning to me and my family.

This project will be running from now (I began it on May 15) until June 24th, which is the date of Will's cleft palate repair at Medical City Children's Hospital.

For a more complete explanation and more on the charities, visit this post. Again, you must comment on the blog posts in order for it to count toward the $1 donation by myself. You can comment only once per blog post, but on as many posts (those posted May 15-June 24, 2011) as you can.

Here is a listing of all the posts eligible to comment on for the Smile Project.

• Little Painters - a post about my niece's birthday party
• School's Out (Cate Edition) - a look back at Cate's first day of school and how much she has done and grown up to the last day of school
• Almost Summer - a post about a recent trip to the park with the kids
• Smile - an update on the Smile Project and a video inspiration of the kids affected by the awesome works of Operation Smile
• Bright Minds - a recent trip to the Sci-Tech Discovery Center with Cate and some friends
• Tiger Blood - a post about Max's transition from Tiger to Wolf in Cub Scouts
• Chocolate Chip Poundcake and Raspberry Sauce - recipe post
• Things that make me Smile - random happy list in support of my Smile Project
• Bubbles - fun in the bubble bath
• In the Storm - post about the recent storms here in TX
• Zonked - a picture post about my two youngest
• Total Relaxation - How I spent Memorial Day weekend
• We Remember - photo tribute for Memorial Day

Again, I hope that you will take a little time to come over and visit me at my new home and also join me in my Smile Project. If you commented on each of these posts, that would be $13 just from your comments! Your comment love will bring smiles to kids all over the world!

For those of you that already have commented, thank you so much. So far, I have had 228 comments! That is $228 to each organization. My goal is $700, which is totally possible! There is still 25 days to help me in this effort to give the best gift of all....a SMILE!

Moving Day!

You may remember a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that there would be some changes coming to this little bitty blog.

Well, the day has arrived.....I'm moving!

I now have my own .com! You can now find my gorgeous new blog at www.scoopofreality.com

In the upcoming week, I am going to host a "blogwarming party" with a fun giveaway of my favorite things....so, don't be a stranger and stop on by!

Hippity, HOPpity, Easter's on its Way!

Will is hoppin' and ready for his first Easter!

WordFUL Wednesday - Team Silly

Yesterday, I took the team pictures for Cate's soccer team. Since they are the Sparkle Girls, I thought it might make a fun picture for them all to wear a sparkly crown. The coaches didn't come prepared for the sparkle, so I took care of that in editing...LOL! After being so good and smiling big for all the pics, I had them make some funny faces. These girls are full of spunk, sparkle AND silliness!

For more Wordful Wednesdays, visit Seven Clown Circus and Parenting by Dummies.

I Do

Nine years ago today, I married my rock, my comfort, my beloved!

Let me take you on a pictorial journey of that special day....

our invitation

my bouquet and the details of my dress

I just loved this picture of me with my bouquet!

I actually got married barefoot and my toenails were painted blue (something blue). I wore tennis shoes for the reception.

Me and my gals

my man

Matt and the guys

the cutest little ring bearer and flower girl

"go" time!

here comes the bride

during the wedding mass

best man and matron of honor

we did it!

our wonderful and supportive parents

On the way to the reception in the Rolls Royce (can you see the raindrops....it poured that day!)

our first dance

It was the most amazing day and I will never forget one minute of it. It is hard to believe that it has already been 9 years. Here is to many more!

***all photographs taken by Donnalynn Photography***

For more Wordful Wednesdays, visit Seven Clown Circus and Parenting by Dummies.

Monkey on the move

Over the weekend, Will began to crawl. He did it first at the Dallas Arboretum in the soft grass. But, only my in-laws witnessed it. I missed it completely while taking pics of the other two kids. However, he did it even more that night at a family friend's house while we were there for dinner.

So, our little monkey is on the move...

Guess I need to start babyproofing?!!

WordFUL Wednesday - First Glance

This was Will's first glance at the characters and it just melted my heart! I know this was his first of many character experiences, but there is something to be said about that first one!

For more Wordful Wednesdays, visit Seven Clown Circus and Parenting by Dummies.

Carnival Crazy

Immediately following the Platinum Soiree, at Disney's Wedding Pavilion, was the Good Times Get Together on the beaches of Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.

This event was open to our families, so the kids and Matt got to enjoy the festivities. The theme was a good old fashioned turn-of-the century carnival.

We were treated to live entertainment, an amazing spread of delicious food (including these amazing little salads served in little acrylic cones and mouth-watering kabobs), sand art, beach fun for the kids, and then to top it off...carnival games.

We sat a table right by the wonderful ragtime band and I met Pauline of Classy Chaos (@OHmommy on Twitter) and her family. She was a delightful person and while we were off with our respective kids and mingling with the fellow mommy bloggers, our husbands had a nice little chat.

After we ate, the kids got complimentary pails and played in the sand. Will even got his first feel on sand on his tiny toes. He really seemed to love it.

Then we headed over to the carnival area, where Max tried his hand at the ring toss and Cate did some spin art. They also indulged in cotton candy and once we were done with those, we lined up for the balloon artist. We just made the cut, we were the next to last ones allowed in line. We waited and waited. The crowd thinned out and we continued to wait. Pluto stopped by the line and the kids thought it was great that even Pluto got a balloon, a balloon bone, that is! It was all worth it, though, as Billy, the ballon-guy, was very entertaining (I think the adults laughed more at his humor than the kids, did) and extremely talented. Cate chose a horse that wrapped around her body and Max chose a green light saber. At one point, Cate told him he was "silly" and he replied, "No, I'm Billy, it says it right there on my nametag!" Can I just tell you that Cate repeated that line over and over during the course of our trip!

When the kids finally got their balloon art, we were the last people to leave the venue. In fact, the staff was already breaking down the tables and such. We headed over to our room at the Grand Floridian and on the way caught a glimpse of the nightly Electrical Water Pageant on the Seven Seas Lagoon, which the kids loved.

We tucked the kids in for a good night's sleep before a busy day ahead...me - conference sessions all day and Matt and the kids - a day at Epcot.

Disclaimer: I paid to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. In exchange for my registration fee, I received deeply discounted rates on hotel, park tickets, events, meals, and swag. I am not required nor was I asked to write about the events by Disney or any other brands, celebrities, or speakers affiliated with the event. All opinions are my own.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Platinum....Weddings....Franck from Father of the Bride....Walt Disney World!

So, imagine my excitement when I got to experience them all at the opening event of the 2011 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. It was the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings Platinum Soiree at the Wedding Pavilion at Walt Disney World. This is the 20th anniversary (platinum) of Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons.

Photo courtesy of Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons

As we came up to the Wedding Pavilion, we were greeted and given our choice of Mickey Ear tophats or bridal veils and cute little buttons to commemorate the event.

We were then directed to the entrance to Franck's Bridal Studio for a candy and champagne cocktail hour. We were given little boxes to fill with all sorts of candy confections.

They also gave us time to tour Franck's to see examples of different themes and cakes they offer for these magnificent events they plan on a daily basis there at the Walt Disney Resort, as well as on the Disney Cruise Line and now, Aulani (a new Disney Vacation Club Resort opening in Hawaii, but more on that in a minute). Can I just say, the cakes, the party favors, the centerpieces were Ah-Mazing!

Now, to back track a bit...my favorite movie is Father of the Bride, and has been for almost 20 years now. I can recite the whole thing (which annoys almost everyone that watches it with me). It is such a special part of my personality, that Matt even included a reference to the movie in our own wedding vows! So, imagine my sheer glee when I saw this guy mingling through the crowd...

yep, Franck, himself. Well, it wasn't Martin Short, but let me tell you, he was almost as real as you can get. He had the accent, the hand gestures, the overall demeanor of Martin Short's character.

Ok, back to the soiree. After a bit, Franck made the announcement that we needed to make our way to the Wedding Pavilion chapel. This was yet another amazing moment for me. If I could have had our wedding here, I would have. But, Matt just wouldn't have that, so we honeymooned at WDW, using their Fairy Tale Honeymoon services, which was the next best thing in my book. Anyway, the chapel was gorgeous. With the beautiful details, the view of Cinderella's Castle through the window behind the alter, everything was breathtaking!

We were seated and treated to some amazing new information brought to us by Korri McFann Spolar, Worldwide Marketing and Business Development Director for Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons.

She gave us an inside look at the new services that will be offered at the new Disney-owned Hawaiian resort, Aulani, beginning in the fall 2011.

Photos courtesy of Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons

Can I just say right now....I want our 10 year anniversary vow renewal to be done there! Now, I just have to convince the hubby.

Next, we were introduced to Michael Shettel, Vice President of Alfred Angelo Designs, who shared with us the vision behind the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings Collection by Alfred Angelo. We also got a first look at the new Cinderella Platinum Anniversary Gown. It was exquisite.

Photo courtesy of Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings and Honeymoons

Our next speaker was Carley Roney, founder and editor-in-chief for TheKnot.com spoke about the evolution of social media in the wedding planning world and what a major trend it is now.

Then, David Tutera, celebrity wedding planner and host of "My Fair Wedding" on WE TV. He spoke about the up and coming wedding trends for 2011, one being that bright, bold red is THE in color for weddings right now....go figure, I was a trend setter. My wedding almost 9 years ago had bright bold red as the color!

The biggest surprise of all was at the end, when we actually got to watch a vow renewal...LIVE....right before our eyes. It was an amazing moment that I will never forget.

Once the renewal was over, and we were escorted out, we were told to wait at the entrance. Then, we saw it.....Cinderella's glass coach approaching with white horses and a footman. I got goosebumps. The wedding couple came out and were greeted by fireworks overhead. Then, they rode off happily ever after!

It was an amazing event that I was honored to be a part of.

Disclaimer: I paid to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. In exchange for my registration fee, I received deeply discounted rates on hotel, park tickets, events, meals, and swag. I am not required nor was I asked to write about the events by Disney or any other brands, celebrities, or speakers affiliated with the event. All opinions are my own.