Hey friends,

It has been a long time since I posted.  Things here in the Cross house have been crazy.  Elliott had to have some more tests on his shoulder.  He had surgery on it in April and it is still giving him problems.  They finally gave him cortisone shots and he is back in physical therapy. 

We went on our Disney Vacation.  It was great and so much fun.  I tell ya, Disney has thought of everything to make your vacation so enjoyable.  Here is a rundown.  We arrived on Sunday afternoon.  We stayed at The Wilderness Lodge.  Now, let me just say that this place is huge.  It is like being in a Colorado mountain resort.  It is beautiful.  The staff is so friendly and the accommodations are wonderful.  We got settled into our rooms and wandered around the hotel.  When we purchased our vacation we also did the Disney dinning plan.  I highly recommend it.  We ate dinner and went out to the beach (the hotel is nestled around a lagoon)  to see the lighted boat parade that they do every evening.  It was fun. 

On Monday we were up bright and early and went to Magic Kingdom.  The shuttle boat over was accessible and it was fun seeing the girls on a boat.  We spent 12 hours at Magic Kingdom on Monday.  We rode rides, many of them Natalie could stay in her wheelchair.  Like I said, Disney has thought of everything.  They treat kids with special needs like royalty.  We ate great food and stayed for the evening parade.  You should have seen Phoebe by the time we left.  She was sound asleep in the stroller.  Natalie was all smiles.

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Well, it has been a while since I posted anything.  Wasn’t the Biggest Loser finale amazing.  For those who don’t know..Helen won!!  Tara came in second and Mike third.  Jerry, who was voted off very early in the season and also in his late 60’s early 70′ won money taking the most weight off once he got home.  I tell you that show is so encouraging.  I love to see the transformations.  I also love to watch the contestants through the show and what changes they have to make.  I am not sure what trainer I would want?  Bob or Jillian?  That is a tough one. 

Well summer is here!!  I am ready to relax and enjoy the outdoors.  I do have some questions that maybe some of you can help with.  We have an adorable daughter Natalie, who has a brain injury.  She is in a wheelchair and cannot talk, eat by herself, sit, crawl, basically she is full care.  Summer brings it’s own bag of difficulties to us.  When it’s hotter than 86-88 degrees she has a hard time being outside.  So we are trying to think of fun things to do this summer.  We do take her outside to sit on our deck, go for walks, get in the pool, until it get’s too warm.  We go to the Zoo, the Museum and sometimes to the movies.  Do any of you have any other ideas.  We usually take some wash clothes and get them wet, place them in a zip-lock bag with some ice and when she’s  hot we get the cloths out and wiper her face and neck.  It does seem to help.  We are looking into getting a canopy cover for her wheelchair so she doesn’t get cooked.  It’s  just  hard because our other daughter who will be 5 soon wants some attention and loves being outside.  We feel pulled and guilty.  Any tips would be greatly appreciated. 

Has anyone gone anywhere that would be accessible and fun for a family.  Obviously things like water sports, camping and skiing are out.  Just throw us some ideas.  Thanks so much. 

Okay now onto a different note.  So, how are you gonna either lose weight this summer or maintain?  I know for me I have set a goal to work out 3 times a week.  Hopefully this will maintain and help me stay in the routine.  Now that summer is here we are doing more grilling and eating more salads.  All the fresh markets have wonderful selections of veggies and fruits.  My husband just built me a herb/lettuce box.  It is really cool.  I placed some lettuce and herbs I had in it.  We spent all day yesterday putting in our garden.  I love gardening.  It is relaxing. 

herb/lettuce box

Cross Farm

Have a wonderful Memorial Day.  Say Thank You to someone who served or is serving our country.  They have paid and continue to pay a huge price for our freedom!!  We are blessed by them and their families for their commitment to our country!  God Bless!