Easter Weekend 2009

While April has been quite a whirlwind as you can see I have not posted about Easter. Good grief... who has the time right? Well, my dear sister in law, Lisa D. somehow managed to fit it in to her hectic schedule and for that I am grateful. I have just received permission from her to "bootleg" her post which in all honesty would have been the exact same or close in proximity to mine for sure! So... enjoy!

http://trotterfamilyblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/easter-in-greenwood.html

From Gold Belt to Green Belt!

Gold Belt.....

going...

going....

GONE!

GREEN!

A few weeks ago my son, Floyd, earned his 1st degree green belt in his Tae Kwon Do class. He takes here in Greenwood from Triple Grand Master Don Sias at Greenwood Tae Kwon DO. He's been taking for 2 years now and it's not his true passion but he does enjoy it for the most part nonetheless. If he doesn't love it, he amuses me in letting me think he's tolerant of it. I'll leave it at that....We started out white belt, then gold (looks orange to me), then green. I think blue is next then maybe purple, then red, then brown, then black!!! The class itself is so good for children his age (especially boys) as it focuses on self discipline, self control, strength, confidence, and memory skills. All of which are areas in my opinion that are hard to tackle for most 8 year olds. I think since Floyd has become a green belt he likes it more and more. Anyway... we are proud of you son and look forward to many more accomplishments. HIIII YA!

SPRING BREAK 2009~ Man, What A Trip!!!! Part II~ Deer Valley, Utah

Life is good in Deer Valley. That is all I have to say. No seriously...I've always been a "Colorado" skier gal myself but after skiing Utah I'm not so sure we'll venture anywhere else to take in the slopes. Why you ask? What can I say? It's just THAT good there. Cadillac skiing no doubt. I think the easiness of it was just too hard to beat. I mean you fly into Salt Lake City, grab your rental car, head up the road, pass Park City and in less than 30 minutes you are settling in! I wish I had some better pics of our condo so you can see for yourself but as of now we are requesting the exact unit for next year so I will try to do better. It was perfect for our large family of 12. I think we had 5 bedrooms, even more baths and all on 4 different levels which really worked out great. The kids had an awesome bunk/game room complete with 4 bunks and pool table! Oh and the place also had an outdoor hot tub which was a big hit. Like I said...I wish I had taken more snaps while inside.

Floyd and Anne Craig on balcony of condo.


Melton Clan on balcony.


Trotter Clan on balcony.


Me and McLean on slope.


Me, McLean and Lisa D. on slope.


Me and McLean with Dad in our annual pose. (Circa: 2009, (below) late 70's and early 90's)



Deer Valley Ski School with kiddo teacher Eric working with AC and Patten off in distance.


Floyd IV after his first day at ski school.


Floyd and Patten comin' on down!


Group shot on mountain!


With Papa on top of mountain!


Floyd IV with his ski instructor, Barry


"Family Shot"


"Up up and away....on lift"


OOP OOP.. going down..


It's all good!


Hey Lisa D and May May!


Alllll in a days work right? Where's the valet for the skis?


Germaine and Michael at Stein Erickson Lodge before dinner our last night in Deer Valley.


The Ladies....


Swank! (Lisa and McLean)


Swank!...again (me and Floyd)


Very Swank... (Dad and Jane)


Thanks Mr. Eric for teaching us how to SKI!


Spring Break 2009 was without a doubt an awesome time! Lots of great memories indeed. Thanks Papa and Jane for a great trip!

SPRING BREAK 2009~ Man, What A Trip!!!! Part I~ New Orleans

Well, I'm sure for all you readers out there you can't help but wonder, "Where in the WORLD is Lisa?" No, it's not like me not to blog at least weekly but I must say that not only did March come to an abrupt end but April has arrived ever so busy. I mean nutso busy! I can barely come up for air and the procrastinator in me kept saying it was ok to put off the blog. Well, that is no longer acceptable so I am back and will try to do better. Anyway...back to topic....focus..... Spring Break 2009 was an absolute blast! I really am overwhelmed with where to begin but basically I will give a rendition of the trip best I can and go from there. We took out on our adventure heading to New Orleans on Saturday March 14. We arrived just after lunch and met up with the McLean Trotter Clan who hail from Fairhope, AL as most of you know! We stayed at the Astor Crown Plaza on Canal and had a fantastic time. I really had NO CLUE how much fun New Orleans can be with the kids. Yes, I have a feeling this will be the first of many treks to the Big Easy with Floyd and Anne Craig in tow! I guess it had something to do with them being at such great ages at this point in time. Curious, fun, preeeeetty patient, interested...you get the idea. Saturday, we tackled the Children's Museum which was really great. The kids loved it and for a rainy day it was a great spot to be. Bubba Gump's eatery was glad to see us coming as we had a large feast for dinner at the family friendly establishment. We topped the night off with a stroll through one of my ALLLL time favorite stores from back in our Miami dwelling days, URBAN OUTFITTERS!!! Yes, several purchases were made. Sunday we hit St. Mark's Square, Cafe' Du Monde, the Aquarium, IMAX theater and the Insectarium (which was incredible I might add and I did NOT take enough pictures there). The kids did great and were little troopers soaking it all in.
First up.. CHILDREN'S MUSEUM
Floyd testing his throwing speed with the football using the special radar!

Floyd and Patten..future QB and pitcher maybe???

Anne Craig intrigued at the bubble display!

Mary McLean delievers McLean's order at the Kid's Diner where they could take our orders and serve us up!!

Floyd working hard too! "What do you mean it's not right sir???"


Next stop...BUBBA GUMP'S!
"Run Forrest Run"


"Life IS like a box of chocolates, Forrest! BUT we do know what we are gonna get... great family and good times!!


Sunday we got up and hit the ground running hard.. all the way to Cafe Du Monde for Beignets!!


Kids at Jackson Square!

Trotter Clan

Melton Clan (great hair day by the way!!)


Next up, the Aquarium!!

Boys patiently waiting for the Aquarium to open. (Thank Heavans for Playstation DS's during travel. I highly recommend them for preoccupation!)


We are greeted by the smiling sting rays. They were so much fun and we had no idea they like to eat broccoli!! Did you?? Wish it would rub off on my kids.


MORE! MORE! MORE!


Penguin Exhibit!


Last but certainly not least in New Orleans was the Audobon Society's Insectarium. Let me tell you this place was top notch and I have no idea why we didn't take more pictures here. As you can see the humorous "roach exhibit" caught the attention of my children. BUT, there were some incredible displays and I think my favorite was the butterly sancuary. It was breathtakingly gorgeous and I thought about my Gamba the entire time I was there. She loved insects and butterflies especially. I hope to visit again soon.
Anne Craig in the roach house!

Floyd in the roach house!



Next UP! DEER VALLEY, UTAH.. stay tuned....