To start off, I was able to spend a fun day with Jimmy yesterday and we had lots of fun. Taylor went to work with Eric and that left me and my baby, we walked to the park (I say walked, but Jimmy rode his bike) and we made chocolate chip cookies for Santa. This part of the day Jim loved because he got to put all the ingredients in and even got to use the mixer. At the park we played tag and he taught me the correct way to play basketball, he said he had to practice and let me know I was doing it all wrong. We stayed busy all day and I even had time to get my daily chores finished.

Today, Taylor and Jimmy went over to play with Emily and Jon, so Eric and I had some time to do a little shopping. He took me to Crispers for lunch (which is one of my favorite places to eat) and then we walked around the mall. We picked the kids up from Susan's and now we are getting ready to pop in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation to get us in teh Christmas spirit. Taylor has never watched this movie and we figured it would be one she will enjoy. Movie and hot wings, what a great way to spend the evening.

We are also looking for a new home and will hopefully find one by February. We have found a few that we are going to look at next week and they are all in brand new subdivisions. We will keep everyone posted with what we have found, but we are still unsure if we will be staying in Lakeland or move to Winter Haven, I guess it all has to do with the right house.

Counting Down...

The kids are getting so excited for Christmas that they can't even stand it. We have only a small area of living room that we can actually walk through because of all the presents. I get the same question everyday from both of them, "Can I open a present?" and then I reply with, "Yes, on Christmas." Packages started arriving yesterday with more presents making them even more excited and of course Jimmy does not have the concept of time and doesn't realize he only has a few more days. He informed me last night that reindeer and a sleigh is stupid and Santa needs a car like his Jeep. I always thought kids loved the flying reindeer concept, but I guess he does not. Each of them check their gifts daily to make sure they are all where they belong and none have disappeared.

I want to thank everyone for sending presents and cards and we will be thinking of each and every one of you on Christmas Day. We will be heading to Orange City Christmas morning where we will have dinner with Bob, Carol, Kim, Vicky and the rest of the Johnson family, thank you for inviting us. The kids love Uncle Bob and Aunt Carol's but what they don't realize is they will not be able to swim. They are predicting a wet Christmas here and I hear in KC they are suppose to be getting flurries, so a White Christmas may be in store. I will most likely post the day after Christmas since the day of is so hectic, but if I can find the time I will.

I started this Blog the day after Christmas last year and it was one of the best things I could have done, it keeps the family up to date on our life in Florida. Thank you Alisha and Greg for starting yours and giving me the fantastic idea. I love The Jack sites as well, I get to watch Izabel grow through all the pictures and see what is up in the everyday life of the family. Thanks for inviting us into your home on a daily basis, I just wish you lived there while I did, we could have had a lot of fun.

I wish everyone the best Christmas and a very happy New Year. I will take a lot of pictures and videos on Christmas and post as many as I can on the site. I love and miss you all!

Maucelli Christmas Photos

Nick ans Sydney
Angie, Ann, Maw Maw, Mindy, Mom
Nick nad Nani
Angie, Ann, Nani, Mindy and Mom
Nick and Maw Maw
Nick and Rachel

Sunday was Poppa and Nani's family Christmas. It has turned out easier to do Christmas the week before so it's not so hectic and it has seemed to work. I decided to make an appearance to the party via Florida, so I called and had them put the phone on speaker and we had our phone on speaker, the kids loved it. It is hard during the holidays but I almost felt like I was there and that was nice. I am hoping more pictures were taken because I didn't get any of Sean, Kyle or Matt, if there were more please send them my way for a post. I am glad to see Rachel back at home safe with her family and good luck with the baby.

Bob and Carol invited us to Christmas dinner so I guess we may make an appearance this year. It's a long drive to Orange City but it's probably better to drive on Christmas. I was planning on staying home for the kids but Taylor really wants to go, she loves going to Uncle Bob's and Aunt Carol's no matter what day it is. I told her I would get back with her but I think we will probably go so we can have some kind of family get together for the holidays. We are having a Christmas Eve party with our neighbor's so the kids can exchange presents and that will be fun for them. Happy Holidays to all and we love and miss you all.

Update on Everyone

We are all back to normal and Eric was feeling better the morning after his episode. We have tried to rest as much as possible over the weekend but I did have to finish the rest of my Christmas shopping and I am now totally done. Teresa went shopping with me Saturday and we had a lot of fun. Eric and I had a bad effect from our sickness and I have to say it was the worse thing I have ever experenced, loss of taste. I have never had that happen before and it was horrible. It was not where you could barely taste but actually no taste whatsoever, I would not wish that on anyone. We are now all better though and Eric finally made it back to work after his 3 days off. Thank you for all the emails and I hope everyone is back to normal after the bug going around in KC.

Scary Night

We are all still sick but Eric has proven to be the worse. I do feel a little guilty because I was mad at him for not getting out of bed for the last two days when I had to stay up and tend to the kids. Tonight I realized he is very sick and if he is not better by morning I was informed to take him to the hospital. He had finally came out of the bedroom and sat in the chair for only a few minutes before heading to the bathroom. When he started heading back there, I headed outside for a quick smoke, the next thing I knew Taylor told me Daddy fell and I ran inside to find him laying half in the bathroom and half in the hall. He has been running a fever and I figured he broke it because when I went to him his shirt was soaked with sweat. I got the shirt off of him and had him crawl to bed and that is when I noticed his eyes looked sunken in and purple all around them. I took his temperature and even after that drenching sweat it was still very high. I put the kids to bed and then headed to Walgreens where I talked to the pharmacist and he told me the signs of dehydration and when I explained what had just happened he said it didn't sound like the flu that has been going around and that I should give him Tylenol and Gatorade and if he still can't break it I should take him to the ER. It has been 3 1/2 hours since I gave him everything and he is still running this fever. I am planning on staying up so I can watch him and make sure everything is okay. Right now I am a little worried and hope everything turns out okay when he actually wakes up. I will keep everyone posted tomorrow on how it turned out, all I can say is I am so sick of this damn sickness that is going around and can't wait for it to be gone so I can get some rest.

Taylor started feeling much better yesterday where I felt even worse. Eric offered to take the kids to work with him but I opted for them to stay home and they did very good. I rested all day and Tay helped me with Jimmy, she is a great help and tries to be such a little mommy.

Eric was able to pick up the car from the service department yesterday, it turns out it was a spark plug that was causing the problem and now the car is running great again.

I woke up this morning feeling so much better but Eric was feeling like "a truck hit him" as he put it. I actually called in for him so he could stay in bed and hopefully he can sleep it off today. I still have a slight sore throat and I'm still a little congested but I definitely feel so much better. I am planning on doing school with Taylor so our whole Christmas vacation is gone but we will lose some of it so we can get caught up.

Just to let everyone know packages have been shipped through UPS so they should be there within a few day, please let us know when they arrive so we don't worry they got lost.

Merry Christmas

I was finally able to add the kids picture with Santa. Jimmy asked for Bob and Thomas stuff and Tay asked for a Nintendo GameCube with Harvest Moon game. I guess we'll have to see if they get what they asked for.

Too Much Going Wrong

It has been a rough couple days around here starting with Saturday afternoon. Taylor became very sick running a 103 temp and spent most of the afternoon and evening sleeping. Yesterday started the throwing up and not being able to eat or drink and became another day of sleeping. I ran to the grocery store and was very happy driving my new car, no problems, just a nice smooth ride. I got home a put the groceries away and then Eric decided to head over to the dealership so he could get his sub box out of the car we traded. He called me about 10 minutes after he left saying that the check engine light was flashing on and off and the car was shaking really bad. He had me buy a carfax on the vehicle which came back clean, so I called him back and told him that if the dealership wouldn't fix it to just get our old car back and tell them to shove this one. They agreed to fix it and set us up with a new car until it is done.

By the time Eric got home I was feeling horrible, I have caught whatever it is that Taylor has and it sucked. I started feeling really tired, then my throat became very scratchy like it was almost raw and then the coughing started. Taylor is doing no better today and has only gotten out of bed to run to the bathroom. I am planning on taking her to the doctor if she can't keep anything down today. It is very pitiful watching your children so sick and their is nothing you can do to comfort them.

Cuddle Time

Daddy and Jimmy cuddled on the couch this morning watching Uncle Buck. Jimmy has really warmed up to Eric this past week and I can see Eric has loved the attention from his "favorite boy".

My Early Christmas Present

Eric got me my early Christmas present last night. The car is great and I had fun driving around this morning. This is an upgrade of my '96 Explorer and it makes that car look small. I ran to the store and couldn't believe how much room I had left over. It also has a third row, so it is a mini-van in an SUV. We did get the bigger engine, which is not good if gas goes up but the power is great. I have always been a Chevy girl but I do like the Ford trucks the best. Thank you Honey, I love it!

A Bump in the Road

We went to get our new Expedition today and came upon some bad news, someone during the night vandalized 4 cars in the lot and ours was one of them. They told us when we arrived that the windows had bust broken out and we figured they could fix that, but as they walked us into the garage where the car was kept, not only did they break every window on the car but they used a baseball bat and they doors were dented to hell and back. The salesman told us that it would be covered by insurance and they would repair everything but we smiled and told them we would rather have a car without any problems. He told us that their Lincoln Mercury lot had the same car with all the same features and he would bring it to the lot for us to check out or else we could find another car anywhere and they would get it from that dealership. I was so bummed, I had been waiting all day for that car. I guess everything happens for a reason, so tomorrow we will be heading back to see what can be done.

A New Vehicle in Our Horizon

I finally found the car that I want and we both loved it after giving it a test spin. We actually showed up at the dealership late and filled out the paperwork but told them we would be back today because the kids were hungry. What kind of vehicle is it, a Ford Expedition, and it was so big but a very good ride. Jimmy loved it because it has the 3rd row seat. So, we will find out today how much they are willing to deal on this car and figure out if it will be our next vehicle. It would be great for travelling to KC with all the room, so check back to see if it becomes ours.

Weekend in Review

At the start of the weekend Eric was feeling pretty crappy with a sore throat but by Saturday afternoon he was feeling a lot better. We took the kids to Lakeland Mall and ate lunch in the food court before taking the kids to see Santa. Taylor and Jimmy were both excited but Jimmy was beside himself, he ran up to Santa and gave him a huge hug and said "Santa, I have missed you!" We looked in a couple of the store before stopping in JC Penney to do some clothes shopping for Taylor. She found many outfits and walked out of the mall very happy. We were so pooped after shopping that we all came home and had a nap.

I decided to do the rest of my Christmas shopping shopping Sunday and I took Taylor along with me. We decided to try out the new mall in Lakeland which is an outside mall and looks just like your Zona Rosa. I was able to finish most of my Christmas shopping, all I need to buy for are Nick and Stephi, other than that I am done and now Eric finally has presents under the tree. I took Taylor to Stone Cold Creamery for ice cream and we sat outside one of the stores and ate our ice cream and talked, it was a good bonding time for us.

I decided to make an Italian dinner last night which turned out fabulous, Steak Pizaola, Siclian Potatoes and sauteed garlic mushrooms. Taylor has been wanting peppermint bark, so in between dinner I made some bark and she was very happy. Now my Tay Tay is not feeling well and she will be spending the day resting so we can get her all better before the Christmas parade on Thursday. Lakeland has a great parade every December that starts off with a fireworks display and then a big parade, we are all very excited for it.

I wanted to post the picture of the kids sitting on Santa but my scanner is not wanting to do it's job so I will work on it today and see if I can't get it working. Have a wonderful Monday!

A Little Bit of Everything

We are now back to school and have been working hard all this week. The week seems so boring when we are off that long and I am not looking forward to the three weeks off before Christmas. Well, I am finally almost done with Christmas shopping and I am so proud of myself for actually staying under what we decided on our Christmas budget. I have never used a budget and felt that it would be hard but I was able to get almost everything on the kids' lists with money left over. I say almost because Taylor had some pretty big ticket items on hers: cell phone, iPOD, laptop computer, if it is expensive, she had it on there. Jimmy is pretty basic and really just wants Cars and Bob the Builder.

If you need ideas for the kids Taylor wants Tinkerbell things to decorate her room and Jimmy needs Disney Pixar Cars accessories for his room. I have asked the kids to have Eric take them to Wal-Mart and each to buy a undecorated house for a Christmas Village and paint it so I can add it to mine. I would rather have something that I can look back on from them and that is the best present I could think of. Taylor has given them away in the past to grandparents but I am ready for my own special house.

Jimmy received a gift from our neighbor Greg today (Greg is Teresa's brother, Cody's dad,) he brought Jimmy his own TV for his bedroom and I hooked cable up to it and he was so happy. Thank you, Greg, we appreciate the gift very much.

I have missed Mom a lot since she left, it just didn't seem she was here that long. She helped Taylor decorate her room and she moved Jimmy's room around, giving him much more room to play and he loves it. She was a great help and I loved having her, we all did.

The kids have started their Advent calendars today and we are starting on the countdown to Christmas. Each got a piece of chocolate first thing this morning, which is a treat in itself, since chocolate is a no-no in the morning. Each of the kids each got a chore list as well and they will start getting allowance each week. Taylor will get a total of $10 a week but $5 will go towards saving and Jimmy will get $5 a week but $2.50 will go towards savings. Eric and I felt this will be good for both of them and of course Taylor's list has a lot more than Jimmy's. Jimmy will have to start clearing his own dishes from the table while Taylor has picked up some bathroom chores. I let everyone know last night that kitchen duty is for everyone, Jimmy taking care of his plates and glasses, Taylor taking care of the dining room and Eric and I are on kitchen clean up. I don't mind doing the house but I think I deserve a little help from everyone else who lives here too.

Taylor's grade for November will be posted this weekend some time so please check those out. Taylor will be having several tests and quizzes next week and will spend a lot of the weekend studying. Eric has picked up reading with her in the evening. I assign her a chapter each night out of her Path to Adventure book and I give him the teacher's copy and she has hers and they will sit and read and then he asks her the oral discussion questions out of the book. It is actually pretty comical watching them read together, he makes it a lot of fun and she can't wait until their reading time together. We are going to the zoo on the 18th of this month for a field trip in science, she is still working on vertebrates and invertebrates and that has to be the best place to go to find them. I will have her write a report when we return to see what she learned from the trip.

More Pics

A Day at Disney

We had a wonderful day at Walt Disney World and Disney MGM. Here are the pictures from our day.

Here are a few new pictures of Jimmy that have been taken for the last few days. Check out his new Disney Pixar Cars rug that Nani bought for him and he loves it. She also bought several of the cars from the movie and that is all he has been playing with. He is such a gorgeous little guy, even when he is goofying around in pictures.

Happy 9th Birthday Taylor

Taylor celebrated her 9Th birthday yesterday and what a day she had starting at 6 a.m. ready to open her presents. After all the presents were opened, Eric and I went to the kitchen and made her egg casserole, which turned out great. We got Taylor a Baskins Robbins ice cream cake and clown ice cream cones (she has a Barbie candle against her wish but I couldn't find my candles and so she settled for that one.) Eric and I took the kids to Lake Bonny Park for an hour or so while mom stuck around the house and had some quiet time to herself. Taylor wanted meatball grinders for dinner and that is exactly what she got, all in all, she had a pretty good birthday. Today we are headed to Disney World where we will be park hopping today but Jimmy is running 104 temperature so Mom is staying with him, but we couldn't disappoint Taylor. I will take as many pictures as I can and have them posted tonight. Mom is leaving tomorrow morning and we hate to see her go, especially Jimmy who has wanted nothing to do with any of us but wants his Nani all the time. He wants to go back with her so bad and she is planning on coming back soon to pick the kids up and take them back with her for a week or so. check back to check out Taylor's Disney pictures.

Taylor's Birthday Gifts:

Daddy, Mommy and Jimmy: Tinkerbell chair, Outfit designer kit, Disney World

Nani, Grandpa Ky-Ky: Tinkerbell wall clock, Tinkerbell clothes hamper, jammies, outfit, Tinkerbell throw pillow, Tinkerbell lamp, 2 Tinkerbell posters

Poppa and Nani Celli: 3-piece Disney Princess baby doll set (playpen, stroller and High chair)

Maw-Maw: porcelain doll

Aunt Nini: CD walkman

Teresa and Isaiah: make your own bracelet set

Thanks to all who got her something, she loved all of it and had a great birthday.

Taylor's Big Surprise

Taylor's big birthday surprise arrived yesterday afternoon! We took Taylor to the airport and she was expecting to pick up a friend of Eric's when actually we were picking up my mom. Mom decided last week to fly here the day after Thanksgiving and surprise Taylor, and boy did it. Taylor and Jimmy were sitting at a table in the airport when my mom walked up behind them, I had the camcorder in my hand to catch her reaction, when I saw Mom I lifted it and she must have seen me and turned around and then looked back at me and the next thing I knew she had whipped her head back around and jumped off the seat and ran to my mom. Tay and Jim were both so excited. Jimmy actually thought Nani flew out here to pick him up and take him back to Kansas City.

Mom took the kids to Wal-Mart this morning and bought things to decorate their rooms. She took them to dinner at Red Lobster tonight and then to the movies to see Flushed Away. Jimmy is actally sick today and I plan on keeping him home all day tomorrow and hopefully he will be all better on Monday so we can go to Disney World. He was running a temp and has a bad cough, but he loves him Nani being here.

It was a hard secret to keep but the kids were surprised and I am very happy to have my mom here with me. She is driving all over the place and having fun with her grandkids. Thanks for coming and making the kids so happy and me too. I love having you with me and my family and I know this is one of the best birthday presents Taylor could get. We love you Mom/Nani!

Happy Thanksgiving

Well, the turkey is in the oven and the giblets and neck are simmering on the stove (so my cats can enjoy a good dinner too), and the rest will be prepared when Taylor wakes up. Jimmy tried to wake up with me but since it was so early I sent him back to bed, I want him to have a happy day, not a grumpy one. Hopefully everyone will have a great day and the food will be fabulous! Love you all and miss you, have a great Turkey Day!