happy february!

^^still figuring out how to take good pictures while moving. bear with me ;)^^

Happy February!

Yesterday Meme and Papa visited us.

As excited as the kids were, Hannah especially would not be stopped from heading to the park.

Walks are becoming a regular part of our day.

It probably helps that my kids love to play with their neighborhood friends!

I met another nanny a couple of days ago, and it's worked out fabulously since.

:)

I got Hannah up from her nap earlier that day and was led to the ottoman, where we sat for a couple of minutes.

She was less than happy when Joey came over with his toy dinosaur, explaining how it ate things.

"Joey, why do you talk so much??" she asked incredulously.

It's funny how fast she changes and recognizes things she used to do in other kids.

It's also a little sad.

Stay five years old and always blow me kisses, okay?

xoxo,

Danielle

wednesday.

^^"i'm super tall, right?"^^

As you can see, Caleb is especially excited about the giant ruler on the wall.

(and not just because it's great for banging on)

Today was pretty successful.

Hannah said "I love you" at least four times, which was beyond sweet.

I even got her to sit still and actually smile for a picture.

:D

(usually she just shows all her teeth. seriously, all of them.)

Somehow Joey didn't get many pictures today.

Probably because as soon as he was finished snack, we headed for the park again.

Parks are awesome.

At this point, I could write an entire post about them.

The one we go to is just a field with a gazebo, and it works wonders.

All they do is run, and they love it!

Why did I not think of it before??

In other news, Caleb is convinced that he knows how to use the phone.

He finds it quite entertaining.

xoxo,

Danielle

we're back ;)

So I figured I should get back to blogging.

As cute as these kids are, not everyone on Facebook wants to see a million pictures of them.

I've got to share them somewhere!

^^there are more, but they wouldn't fit into the collage^^

See what I mean?

;)

(and can you tell that I'm still figuring out how to take pictures while walking and pushing a stroller?)

~ New and exciting things that happened today: ~

We took a walk! It was my first one with kids.

We spent a little bit of time in someone else's driveway while Joey hid behind a plant... (he didn't nap very well.) -_-

Other than that, I'm pretty sure he thinks he's Flash with the way he never sits still ;)

Maybe he'll join the track team in high school.

Hannah got the training wheels off of her bike. She's still learning to ride it, but she's so excited!

Caleb loved pushing the stroller around.

And can we please talk about how sucked into Micky he gets??

^^it's adorable :)^^

xoxo,

Danielle

fruit loops

We eat lots of Fruit Loops at the Myraun house.

I also eat waffles...

...and everything else.

;)

xoxo,

Danielle

thoughts, Tristan, and toddlers

Hey :)

It's been a crazy week! 

This is my thought process:

Yesterday was fun!

I got 5 hours of community service hours through decorating (not a bad way to earn hours), and then picked up Tristan to hang out all day. 

There's no limit to the things you can do in a Super Target with lots of time to kill.

My sister and I stayed at Tristan's house for his great uncle's birthday party...

we didn't know his name until we sang Happy Birthday.

Also, apparently it's awesomely normal to sing Happy Birthday both in English and in Spanish when you belong to a family of Puerto Ricans.

It was cool.

:)

Earlier this week, I went to the Myraun's house to watch the kids for a bit.

They're so flippin' cute.

I'm pretty sure that the only time Hannah puts her feet on the table is when I'm there.

I don't technically encourage it, but it is pretty funny.

We ate pizza.

Phase 1...

... and Phase 2.

This is how Joey likes to blow on/lick his pizza.

Like I said:

 so flippin' cute.

I get to go back to their house today! :)

The weekend should be fantastic.

(Friday just so happens to be my birthday.)

However, since today is Wednesday (and not Friday), I'd better do my laundry.

Actually, Wednesday has nothing to do with it.

Mostly it's the issue of not having any clothes clean. 

xoxo,

Danielle

Baking with the Myrauns :)

Yesterday I went to Aunt Becky's house!

Oh, how I love it there. :)

No matter how crazy the kids get, I remain convinced that their family is near perfection.

This time around, my aunt and I baked cookies while the children napped.

It was fun!

I learned that zesting a lemon is not as easy as scraping the skin off of a lemon with a cheese grater.

Also, you don't need to pile powdered sugar onto every individual cookie, no matter how much you want to.

It will irritate the person you're baking with.

Said person may or may not have the sudden urge to hurl cookie dough at your face.

The only thing stopping them is the fact that they would have to clean up the mess.

(Sorry for the blurriness. Although iPhones have the best phone cameras around, they're not Nikons.)

These look like shrimp cookies.

In reality, they're pink lemonade cookies, and they are quite good.

However, they were not as good as we thought they would be.

That could be allotted to the fact that someone took an amazing picture of the finished product and somehow made the food look more yummy than it is.

I still think they look a little like shrimp.

Opinions aside, the recipe was a good one and deserves to be linked.

I believe I'm back on track with blogging, but we'll see.

My Summer has been filled, ironically, with school-related items.

Of course, there are the relaxed days that scream "summer", but not everyone can live stress-free lives.

Who would micro-manage?

;)

I hope your weekend was fantastic.

xoxo,

Danielle

Packing

Hi :)

I hope your weekend was lovely!

Mine was filled with plans for the trip to Maryland.

I have been packing non-stop since the middle of Sunday.

You'd think it would be easy to pack for a 10-day trip up North, but there is so much to do!

Fortunately I'm almost done.

It's a good thing, too, because we leave tomorrow morning.

Since a trip straight to Maryland would take about ten hours, we'll stay in North Carolina for a little bit before continuing our journey.

A few things that have kept me sane...

Frank Sinatra

Coldplay

Dean Martin

this blog <3

tea, of course

realizing that I love the majority of my closet

knowing that my Jane Austen novels will keep me from going bonkers if I ever find myself with nothing to do

the thought of taking pictures of MD and sharing them with all of you wonderful people

Also, my aunt and I have been planning a tea for my 17th birthday party.

It's going to be delightful!

Until I can take and upload pictures of our travels (I hope to do so daily), I leave you with this thought.

"Adventure awaits."

We shall see.

xoxo,

Danielle

Friday faves

Happy Friday :)

Here are my favorites from this week.

Descriptions will be short and sweet!

(all pics found on Pinterest)

1.) It's a baby llama! As I've said before, I have no idea why I like llamas. I was first introduced to the idea of keeping them as pets when I watched Napoleon Dynamite.

2.) The print is quite small, but it says 'So many books to read'. It's quite true. There never seems to be enough time in the world. It does help though that sequels are rarely as good as the first book. With that in mind, I don't always feel the need to continue a series. 

3.) How cute is this?? If a kid went trick-or-treating in this outfit and happened upon my doorstep, I would give him my whole bag of candy. 

4.) These dresses are so gorgeous. :) Lately I've been attracted to sparkly and/or glittery things more than usual.

5.) Again, sparkles are very obsession-worthy these days.

6.) Guys, it's a polka dot house. Need I say more?

7.) Pancakes are my all time favorite food. I like the chocolate chip ones that my mom makes, but plain ones are even more delicious. It's kind of backwards, but it's true.

8.) I hardly ever say 'hello'. Normally I use 'hey' and 'hi' and 'aloha'. Sometimes I say 'bonjour', but that's very rare. 

9.) This looks just like my grandma's cat! She's the total opposite of my cat, who is all white and never presses her paws against the window like a cutie.

10.) PB&J. :) It was kind of a small part of The Office, but do you remember when Kevin said that Jim and Pam would be good together, like PB&J? Pam Beesley and Jim? Yeah, I now think of that every time I see the sandwich. 

And that, my friends, is how you end Friday Faves. (with The Office references)

In other news...

I volunteered at Vacation Bible School this week! 

I thought for sure it would be boring, but it was actually really fun. 

I got to see my friend Rachel and my aunt every day :)

Plus, I got tons of community service hours.

Also, I got to see Kaitlyn S. the other day!

We hung out in Downtown Winter Garden (my favorite town ever), and ate at the cutest French cafè. 

It was a good day.

Other than that though, I haven't really done much.

(except watch The Office)

....which I'm actually going to do right now.

Until Monday.

Have a fantastic weekend :)

xoxo,

Danielle

I bought a llama.

Yes, you read that right.

I bought a llama.

His name is Albert.

{I would have made the llama a female, but then I'd have to name her Tina, and Tina is (in Napolean Dynamite's words) a "fat lard".}

Also, I got a hat and my Anthropologie catalogue, so I'm set. 

:)

I've been searching for rain boots lately. 

If you live in Florida, you know that we frequently have Summer showers that can last all afternoon.

(Although afternoon might as well be morning for me, since I usually wake up around eleven AM these days...)

But anyway.

Rain boots.

I want a pair that are either polka dotted, striped, or green.

However, blue could work.

It's surprisingly difficult to find a pair that fit my requirements.

So I stopped at the Myraun's house today!

Those kids are so cute...

I could say that a million times, and it still wouldn't do their cuteness justice.

Well I suppose that's it for today. Actually, it pretty much sums up the equivalent of every other day of my summer lifestyle.

(wake up late, buy weird things, visit cool relatives, repeat.)

It's not so bad.

Oh, also:

I'm addicted to cinnamon Altoids.

It's really odd.

I hope your weekend was great! :)

xoxo,

Danielle

Little soccer games

I cannot believe I didn't post these before!

Last weekend I went to Aunt Becky's house.

On Saturday morning, Hannah and Olivia's soccer game commenced!

They're so adorable.

I asked if anybody wins, and my aunt said that they don't keep track.

(obviously, 'they' didn't include the parents) ;)

They're so stinkin' cute. :)

Happy weekend!

xoxo,

Danielle

FRIDAY FAVES

I adore Fridays.

To celebrate, I have compiled photos of my week's favorite things.

(otherwise known as Friday Faves)

:)

(1, 2, 3, 4)

1) Cinnamon roll cupcakes. How absolutely delicious would these be in the morning?? (I am not at all opposed to cupcakes in the morning.)

2) If I had a dog, this is exactly how I would dress him. He is just stylin'. ;)

3) I love flowers wrapped in paper and tied with ribbons or twine. It's a weird concept, but I do love it! Also, that sweater looks so comfy. It just makes this picture even more charming.

4) If I owned these shoes, I would either wear them constantly or put them on a pedestal for display. They're that spectacular.

As you can see, I've been crazy about stripes! (similar to the way Holly Golightly was "crazy about Tiffany's". I even thought the words in her voice.)

So... I went shopping recently!

Guys...

I got green shorts.

:D

(I'm not excited or anything)

Also, I got tons of polka dots!

(and some things for Hannah Myraun) :)

Okay, I have got to get back to the schedule! 

SATs tomorrow. >.<

I hope your week was lovely, and I'm so sorry that I couldn't post more. C'est la vie!

xoxo,

Danielle

More photos from a lovely weekend!

I told you there were some photos missin' from the batch. :)

You'll never know what you find at the farmers' market! (or how cute they'll look on Hannah!)

The kids had a blast at the mini water park!

The nippy weather did have an effect, though! But how cute does Caleb look wrapped up in a towel?

Thank you, Aunt Becky, for having such wonderful kids!

xoxo,

Danielle

Long anticipated post! (for me, that is)

Hello, there. :)

Long has it been since I last laid eyes on this page intended for the inspirational creation of wild tales of adventure!

Translation: I know it's been a while since I've blogged, but I wasn't able to get online for most things until I was caught up on French class. Ah, c'est la vie! ;)

*Please note: there are some photos missing from the group below, but of course I included the ones I have!

• First of all, I went to Aunt Becky's house on Thursday night and stayed there all through Saturday. We had breakfast for dinner and s'mores. (My aunt's the best.) I even got to wake up on the couch to little kids whispering about me.

It was awesome. 

Somehow, I managed to fit all of the necessary items for three days into three carriers: my every day bag, a shoebox, and an RL duffle bag. 

It was quite the (much needed) change from the usual smallish suitcase. 

• S'mores!

I don't think there was one kid that ate his/her s'more the normal way. The most popular method was deconstruction, although Joey preferred to keep his intact and somehow eat only the marshmallow. 

• Saturday night was a birthday party at Disney! My friend used one of the Bay Lake Tower's hotel rooms for the party. We went swimming, ate pizza and cake, and played phone tag. I must say, it was one of the best birthday parties I have ever been to. 

Happy birthday, Delanie!

• On Sunday I played croquet with my family. Very proper, right?

Wrong.

There is no end to the silliness that goes on during croquet with my family. 

                                

• We also had pizza on Sunday and fed some leftovers to the ducks near our house. They're very 'friendly' ducks. They love to get really close. So they can bite your ankles. Fun times!

• Monday was fairly ordinary. There were no incidents, but also no exciting happenings. Mostly I did homework and pinned all day. Oh, and I happened upon this sight when I woke up that morning! The way that light comes through my window blinds can be so flippin' cool sometimes.

• Today was slightly above average. Probably because I love my school. Also because people texted me today more than usual. (you know that temporary illusion of popularity? yeah, I experienced that.)

Why yes, we do drink tea in monogrammed cups and have ice cream in Latin class. :)

• It may have helped a little bit that I got my J.Crew catalogue today.

Okay fine, I'm totally obsessed with J.Crew. (What do you mean, "It was obvious?")

Well, that concludes this post. 

I promise that I will try my hardest to blog more often than I have been. Life is for sharing, right?

xoxo,

Danielle

Make-up post/ Friday Faves

I know, I know!

You're mad because I haven't blogged. All week.

Believe me, I am also going through blogger withdrawal. Unfortunately, it happens to be very difficult to develop a compilation of acceptable photos from other peoples' memory cards. (You know who you are. -- cue menacing stare.)

But I'll get them eventually. :)

Regardless, I couldn't just skip an entire week of blogging!
                                                                                        

So starting with the weekend... (DN '12!)

Oh my goodness! I had the best time at Disciple Now. Honestly, I had no idea how fun a church event could be. I could go on and on, but let's just skip to the pictures.

(Although I must say: the people I met and caught up with at DN were probably some of the best people I have met in a very long time.)

(Left to right in back: Ciera, Rachel B., me, Stephanie, Hayley, Rachel S., Lori

Left to right in front: Dahlia, Kaitlyn, Abby)

Below: Jesse(our student pastor) and Donna Dumaine(assistant to the student pastor and general church staff and body). They, along with the rest of our very cool leaders, dressed up as gangsters for the first night, in accordance with the Revolution theme.

(Note: above pictures were taken by various people)

                                                                                       

Later on (Sunday): 

I went to the Myrauns after DN! Every time I visit them, whatever joy I left behind comes back and finds me.

*Pictures will be uploaded ASAP.* I myself am waiting on them impatiently. (Aunt Becky has them... *ahem*)

                                                                                       

Monday: 

Thankfully, my super-cool-you-wish-you-attended school gave us Monday off. :)

Mom, my sisters, and I got pedicures! Magic Nails Salon and Day Spa is the best place for pedicures I have ever been to. 

The rest of the day was spent mostly watching Seinfeld and catching up on much-needed rest.

                                                                                     

Tuesday:

Tuesday it was school as usual. Isn't it just the worst when you have to even think about school the day after a wonderful break?

Fortunately, some students had the bright idea of playing basketball during lunch. Some people should really play for our team. (They're quite good.)

The last picture is my favorite.

                                                                                       

Wednesday:

Wednesday I went to life group. We watched the seniors' videos from the DN scavenger hunt. They were so very funny! Someone ended up chewing the earth worm. (Biting down wasn't required.)

                                                                                   

Thursday: 

Thursday was pretty average. Oh, except that after math class we practiced baseball with Paul and then I went out and got shoes. :) (by the way, Paul throws a mean knuckle ball.)

*Pictures of school will be up soon.*

                                                                                       

Also, on a side note: my alarm clock has been on my floor for a very long time. It somehow fell behind my dresser and landed exactly like this when I tried to hit the snooze button a while ago. I haven't moved it because that would mean unplugging it and going through the tedious process of resetting the time. Why bother?

                                                                                   

By the way, check out this recipe! I have a very strong desire to make it when the weather gets warmer.

(courtesy of Lemon Fire Brigade)

Grapefruit Pomegranate Champagne Sorbet

Makes 1 quart

 

2 1/2 cup grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed, strained, no pulp

1/2 cup pomegranate juice, freshly squeezed, strained

1/2 cup sugar + 2 tb

1/2 cup champagne, quality does not matter

2 tb lemon juice freshly squeezed

 

Squeeze grapefruits, strain for pulp, and reserve liquid.

Place a fine mesh sieve strainer over an appropriately sized bowl. Place the pomegranate seeds in the strainer and crush them of their juices, just until there’s not a drop remaining. Discard or save pulp and seeds. Reserve juice.

In a medium-sized sauce pot, combine 1 cup of grapefruit juice with the sugar and heat until completely dissolved. Remove from heat, and add the remaining juices and champagne. Refrigerate until thoroughly cool. 

Add mixture to ice cream maker, freeze and churn for 20-25 minutes, just until sorbet comes together.

Transfer mixture into desired serving container and freeze for at least 6 hours.

                                                                                  

By the way (again), this is practically the key to positivity!

(source)

Good philosophy, eh?

                                                                                      

Friday Faves!

It's been so long...

(1, 2, 3, 4)

1) This print is so cute. :) I love the song it's based off of! I would hang this in my room if I could.

2) I want this swimsuit! Lately I've been very drawn to green, and this suit would compliment my sandals perfectly.

3) Mac & cheese is not just for kids. I would eat it all day, every day if I had the patience to sit there and wait for the pasta to boil.

4) Did you know that Pandora has comedy stations? I only recently discovered this, and have been listening to Brian Regan, Jim Gaffigan, and... (drumroll) Jerry Seinfeld! (He's my favorite) ;) I've also been listening to the various albums of Maroon 5. 

                                                                                 

Well, that concludes this post.

Yes, it's a bit disorganized and haphazard, but I posted! :) This can now go down in history as the longest post on my blog.

Stay tuned for pictures!

xoxo,

Danielle

P.S., my friend Kaitlyn (pictured above in DN pics) has started a blog! As soon as I get the link, I'll post it. :)

Happy early birthday!

Caleb's party was today! :) 

Duck cake! Caleb ate half the head. It was so good! Confetti cake is, in my opinion, the best kind next to chocolate.

C was so preoccupied with Mom's cup of water that Aunt Becky had to open his presents for him! Babies are distracted by anything, really.

Happy birthday, one year old. (in 3 days, that is)

Love you, CayCay.

Happy weekend!

xoxo,

Danielle

We all scream for ice cream!

Yesterday I went for ice cream with Aunt Becky! Twistee Treat is the best ice cream place in the county. And the one by us is the one shaped like an ice cream cone, which makes it all the better.

Caleb is definitely related to me, since he squealed whenever there wasn't a thin layer of ice cream on his tongue(and his face).

JoJo had a chocolate goatee. Enough said.

And Hannah was (of course) sweet enough to share her ice cream with her baby brother. :)

I watched the newest Muppets movie for the first time.

 Jim AND Karen (from The Office) are in it! I would act excited that Amy Adams is in it too, but it always looks like she's about to cry. I do, however, like her hair.

Also, I think Dad and I found the world's longest lasting dish soap bubble.

xoxo,

Danielle