on the road again

June 26, 2009
This morning we said goodbye to grandma and grandpa, our friends and Florida. What a sad morning this was. I felt as though my heart was being ripped out of my chest as we drove away and headed for Georgia. I know that this move was necessary for the good of our children, but it still feels like a knife in my heart. I LOVED living in Florida. I will treasure all my memories and hopefully when Travis and I hit retirement age we will be back. Goodbye beaches, Disney and warm weather.

11th wedding anniversary weekend

Eleven years have come and gone. I don't quite know where all the time has gone. For our anniversary this year Travis and I decided to take the kids to with us to the gulf. We spent Friday exploring Indian Shores and enjoying the condo and amentities. Saturday we woke up bright and EARLY to beat some of the shell hunters in the race for the perfect sea shell. After breakfast we explored Honeymoon Island and then Tarpon Springs. Kaity was fascinated by Tarpon and insisted that we watch every documentary playing in EVERY gift shop about sponge diving. Sunday we woke up and headed south to Siesta Key. This was my favorite part of the weekend. Siesta Key is my all time FAVORITE beach- white powder sand, crystal clear warm water and old people in speedos and string bikinis. The perfect beach for a jolly good laugh. These past years have flown by and this weekend made me look back on all the fantastic family moments we have shared together. Being with our kids in paradise was the perfect anniversary gift to ourselves.

Easter 2009

Finally I am getting around to giving my blog some attention! So Easter has come and gone. I don't know quite how that has happened. We have had so much hope and then disappointment these past few months that I have let a lot of stuff slide. I would love to blog that we are all doing fantastic and everything is super wonderful but that just has not been the case. My cousin Kerrie mentioned that keeping a gratitude journal is helpful so I have been trying to do that. She was right. Some days my gratitude journal just states, "I made it through another day- I am blessed to be a wife and mommy." Pretty big blessings even if they are the only ones I could come up with that day. Other days I have been able to write, "my dads cancer disappeared" or "the tumor that was huge, was tiny when they finally managed to do surgery today." I have a long way to go in repairing my faith, because at the moment it seems pretty nonexistant. However I am grateful for all those who love us and have reached out to my whole family. I want you to know how much I love and appreciate all you do.

Kaitlynn's 9 birthday

March 9 was Kaitlynn's 9th birthday. This years party was all about High School Musical. I must say that I did find this an improvement over last years Hannah Montana bash, but I am missing the days when it was all about the Disney princesses. We started the party with a craft and moved on to Twister and Karaoke. She had a great time and is already planning next years event. Yikes!

Happy "Lovingtimes" Day!

Happy Valentines Day!
We are heading out for the weekend, so I decided that since the kids were celebrating at school today, we would just make today Valentines Day. After a breakfast of pink pancakes and gifts it was off to school to distribute valentines. Brayden being a big, grownup kindergartener learned that it was not "lovingtimes day" but actually valentines day. I'm sad to see that one go. It is now an adorable memory. Boy they grow up fast! I wish you all a day filled with love and happiness. So one last time, HAPPY LOVINGTIMES DAY!

Universal Studios

Okay Aub, I am tired of the nagging! LOL I am updating just for you! Last Saturday we decided to turn our Christmas cash into annual Universal Studios passes. We decided that if we were going to be poor this year we might as well at least have some already paid for entertainment to get us through this rough patch. What a good decision we made. The kids are finally old enough to enjoy most of the grownup rides and we had a blast running through the parks. These pictures are just a sneak peak at all the fun you can have if you decide to make Orlando your vacation destination this year. (hint hint everyone!!)

Brayden's field trip

This month I was lucky enough to get to go on Brayden's field trip. We went to the mall to see Santa, shop at the dollar store for a Christmas present and finished up with ice cream from Chick-fil-A. His teacher once again amazed me. She bought each student an elf hat and mini fanny pack to carry their letter to Santa and their money. For two weeks before the field trip the kids did extra "chores" in class to earn dimes. (They were learning how to count by 10's) The morning of the field trip each student went to the "bank" and traded their dimes in for dollar bills. It was brilliant! Once we made it to Santa and each child had his own turn, they sang him some songs, measured his tummy and left him with a snack. It was utter chaos, and it was WONDERFUL! It is definitely a memory that will stay with me for a lifetime!