The Happiest Place on Earth!

Hey guys! We just got home from a wonderful trip to Disney World, and I have several posts to tell you all about it! I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised at how well things went. This year, Cline and I are both turning 30, and we just celebrated our 5 year anniversary, so we racked our brains to think of somewhere really special to go. I'm too chicken to leave the kids and fly anywhere, and we couldn't think of a good way to be away from them for more than a couple of days, so we decided to go to Disney World so that we could take the kids and be in a kid-friendly place. We went with the attitude that we probably wouldn't get to do *everything* and we would just be happy with what we did get to do. We decided to take Cline's 2 younger brothers with us because they are awesome company to have, and we knew they would be a big help with the girls. That made a HUGE difference, and the trip was so much better because of it. We got to do nearly everything we hoped and more, and it turned out to be the trip of a lifetime after all! The kids did amazingly well without naps, and the crowds weren't too bad. It was truly magical, and I wasn't quite ready to leave yesterday. We spent a lot of time watching shows and parades and meeting characters, and Christa was really into it by our final day there. She enjoyed the first few days too, but had to take it all in, I think. By the parade on our final night, she was excitedly pointing at the characters and calling them by name while clapping and cheering! Abby Kate seemed to have a blast, and it was so nice to have plenty of people to take turns carrying kids and missing an attraction because of a sleeping baby. I had a hard time narrowing down my 306 pictures for you, but I tried. Enjoy!

Our first ride was the teacups..... which were a hit!

Visiting Minnie Mouse's House.

Two fine babysitters! They're both available, ladies :)

Christa chose "Toy Story" themed Mickey ears. I accidentally got an adult size, but she didn't seem to mind, and I'm not sure they made that design in a kid's size anyway. Here she is watching the show in front of Cinderella's Castle, and LOVING it! So, major sap alert here.... as we were watching the show, I couldn't help but remember my last trip to Disney, not so long ago (but before I had met Cline). I came with a good girlfriend, who got me through the "I've graduated college, but I'm no where near married, so what do I do now, AAAAGGGGHHHH" years. We sat in the exact same spot, and the Disney Princesses assured me that "dreams really do come true." At the time, it really spoke to me, and in that moment, I really believed I would be a wife and a mother one day. And 6 or so years later, there I was, watching a similar show with my husband and precious girls. I obviously don't credit Disney for any of it - it's all God - but it was still a nice moment, and I couldn't help but feel blessed beyond my wildest dreams.

Like I said, Abby Kate loved the show, too! Chris and Cleve sat with her off to the side, and they said she kept stretching to see and grinned the whole time.

This was my absolute favorite activity - they Magic Kingdom dance party! We caught the middle of it as we arrived to the park, and then an encore later in the day. They had great music, and a lot of the characters who danced with everyone. It was fantastic!

While we were there, we got to meet up with some good Augusta friends who now live in Orlando. It was great to see them, and we had a blast eating dinner and watching the nighttime parade and fireworks show.

Our happy group!

Watching the fireworks at the end of one of the best days ever!

A Day At the Park

This morning, I woke up to find Abby Kate like this:And then, later, when I walked into the playroom, I saw this:
She's been pulling up, but not quite this efficiently, until today! As squirmy as she is, I have a fear feeling she'll be walking before too long! I had 2 errands to run today - Hobby Lobby and the grocery store. Neither one got done. We had friends over to play this morning, and afterwards, when I told Christa it was time to go to the store, she replied, "we could go to the park or something." So we did. It was the right choice - I've had a great day with my girls today, and the errands can get done another time.

Christa loved pushing Abby Kate in the swing. Abby Kate laughed and laughed.

Both girls cracked up when I stood in front of them and let them pretend to kick me down. Abby Kate was just as amused as Christa was!

I just love it when Christa asks for me to play with her, and I can actually drop what I'm doing to oblige. My girls aren't going to be this little forever, and even though we spend a lot of time together, I do get caught up in the day to day "to-do list" more than I'd like. I am thankful for beautiful weather and the ability to do without snacks and juice for an extra day.

Going to rescue my crying Abby Kate now :)

In a Rare Moment of Midnight Energy....

I give you pictures!!! Enjoy :)

Christa just thinks this is the funniest thing ever! She knows she's way too big, but it is amazing entertainment for her.

Our family at the Victory for Victoria Run.

Meeting baby Jesse Lee.

Christa enjoying the sand in Sandestin, Florida. She and Daddy played for hours and hours!

Abby Kate wasn't quite as fond of the sunshine, but she made it a little while.

Having dinner at the shopping center.

Abby Kate is sitting up all on her own now. She has been for a while, but I've just now gotten to take a good picture of it.

She's crawling all over the house, too!
If you look closely you can see 2 teeth on that bottom gum.

Good night!

What A Great Couple of Weeks!

Hey guys!

I am so pleased to say that the last two weekends have been "relaxing." I can't remember the last time I had a relaxing afternoon, much less a weekend!  I've been treated to two full "relaxing" weekends in a row - and I feel great! Let me catch you up on what we've been doing, and hopefully pictures will follow in the next few days, since I'm all caught up on sleep and should be able to handle "supermom" status this week! Or so you would think, anyway - I'll be shocked if it actually happens!

Cline has been working some crazy hours lately - some of which have been unexpected. Needless to say, we were both ready for a break, and luckily, he had a week and a half off this last week, so we took advantage. Last weekend, we traveled to Valdosta for the annual Victory for Victoria run, in honor of my special little friend who died of a brain tumor in 2005 at the age of 8. They've had this run for her every year since then, and I've only missed one when Cline was in residency, unable to get off of work, and I was pregnant with Christa. Anyway, we got to spend about a day catching up with Victoria's mother, who is now one of my best friends, and spending time with her baby boy, Jesse Lee, who will be one in June. It was bittersweet, as it always is, but nice to see them again.

Since we were already over halfway to the beach, and had nothing major planned for the week, we decided to make a mini-vacation out of it and went on to Sandestin, Florida for a couple of days. It was fabulous! Christa and Abby Kate slept well, even though we were in a hotel, we had great weather and played on the beach and in the pool, and I even got to nap with Abby Kate while Daddy and Christa enjoyed the water. Vacations have not been "relaxing" since I've had kids, but this one came pretty close!

After a couple of days of beach fun and good seafood (not helping my diet, which had finally started to work a little), we headed home, and unpacked, caught up on laundry, and took care of some general business we'd been putting off. I got the bills paid, and the house as in order as it's been since we've moved here, and then Cline and I left the girls with the grandmothers while we celebrated our 5th anniversary in Macon! I feel like I've had a couple of days "off" which I haven't had in 2 and a half years! I love my girls, but I have to admit that it was nice to sleep in, watch TV, and eat at nice restaurants for the weekend. We really lived life on the edge and saw a movie on Friday night AND on Saturday night! We stayed in Macon because that is where we stopped on our wedding night on our way to our honeymoon cruise. It was wonderful, and there was no pressure to sight-see - just what I needed!

Nonetheless, I'm happy to be home with my girls and ready to tackle this week's "to do" list! Since I got caught up before we left, I'm starting the week well-rested and refreshed. It's a beautiful thing!

Pictures!

Hey guys! Since I spent most of the day uploading hundreds of pictures to my printing site, I thought I'd share a few of them with you. Enjoy!

Abby Kate's sitting up, but she doesn't do it much because she'd rather crawl. She's getting eerily close to pulling herself up, too - help!

Outdoor fun!

I love this dress! It's borrowed, actually. It was hand smocked by a good friend of mine who made it for her daughter (who is now in college)! The whole dress was supposed to be the blue material, but the daughter cut the front of it apart when she was little. My friend, who is a genius, fixed it by adding the white material, and it's one of the cutest dresses I've ever seen!

The classic "food all over the face picture." Abby Kate loves baby food of any kind (I say that, right before I try the green beans and carrots). She loves everything else so far, though, and will sit and eat as long as I'm willing to feed her!

One of our FIVE Easter Egg Hunts this year!

Fun with Daddy at the park!

Easter morning. My friend (who made the above dress) kindly made these two dresses for my girls! They are favorites also, and we've already worn them to a wedding, worn them for Easter, and had pictures made in them!

Easter afternoon! Cline worked over the weekend, so he didn't get to go to church with us, but he managed to squeeze in some lunch and lake fun.

My Adorable Daughter

So, Christa said the cutest things yesterday that I thought were worth re-telling here on the blog. Prepare yourselves for an actual, entertaining story... I'll give you a moment...

Ok, so last night we went to dinner at the hospital with Cline. I had high aspirations of stopping by the grocery store to pick up a few things, and then, if all went well, even going to Home Depot to return some plastic doorknob covers that I had accidentally purchased too many of. I was going to do these things *by myself* with my *two children*, and I have to say I was already feeling pretty smug about it. Anyway, as we were driving home, we passed by a great church in the middle of town who puts on a live Nativity Scene at Christmas every year. Well, yesterday evening, they were re-enacting Jesus washing the disciples feet, and then the Last Supper, in honor of Easter. I just love this church and the ways they've found to minister to the community! I pointed the activity out to Christa, and she replied, "I want to go see." I agreed, and proceeded to go around the block for another look. Christa continued to express interest in it, so I decided that an opportunity to tell her about the true meaning behind all of the Easter-egg-hunting we've been doing lately was more important than having apple juice for my infant. I'd just have to figure something else out in that department.

We pulled into the parking lot, and I got the kids out so we could sit and watch for a few minutes. I did my best to explain to Christa what "Jesus" was doing and why this group of people were eating together. A nice lady offered me communion, which I accepted with the most reverence I could muster, while trying to make sure Christa didn't run out into the busy street about 5 feet away from us. In spite of that distraction, I was almost moved to tears at this impromptu opportunity to worship and share Jesus with my daughter.

A few minutes later, Christa's Preschool teacher came up to us. Ms. Susan is a member at this particular church, and she picked Christa up and asked if she could take her inside where Christa's Kindermusik teacher was. I said that was fine. A few minutes later, Ms. Susan came back out with Christa and informed me that Christa needed to ask Jesus if she could have a cookie. I busted out laughing, and agreed that she could, indeed, partake of the cookie.

We all went inside for a minute and I was introduced to several people. Just as we were about to leave, Christa said, "I need Jesus to wash my feet." So adorable! I offered to wash them for her when we got home, but she decided she just wanted a bath instead.

Before bed, I decided that our bible story for that evening would be the story of Jesus' crucifixion. When we got to the part where Jesus was actually hanging on the cross, picture included, Christa lovingly pointed out his "boo-boos." I told her that Jesus was so sad to be on the cross and that He had many boo-boos. So she kissed each one of them. She's been fixated on that picture and that story ever since.

The past 2 days have been amazing, and it is so humbling to be able to have these conversations with Christa. I am so honored to be able to share these stories and His love with her. I don't know how much she is "getting" at this point, but I sure hope I am laying a solid foundation for her. I am also realizing I need to brush up on my bible stories so that I can tell her about them accurately when these opportunities come up!

Well, we have a big day planned tomorrow, so I'd better go pack clothes and Easter baskets!

Happy Easter!

Quick Update

Hey guys! I plan to post pictures soon - Cline really needs to show me how to download them myself onto the new computer! As soon as he does, I'll have some new ones.

Just a quick update on the family. We're doing great and enjoying some beautiful weather around here. Easter weekend is supposed to be gorgeous, so we have several egg hunts and outdoor activities planned!

Cline is staying busy at work. He's not working any more than he was before, but it has felt like that lately for some reason. We used a good bit of off time this month to go to San Antonio (where I was the Matron of Honor for my college roommate's wedding), so maybe that's why things have seemed more hectic. We had a great trip! Did I tell you about it already? I'm thinking I did - my brain doesn't work so well these days :)

I am finally starting to feel adjusted to having two kids. That took a while! Actually, there are still days when I feel pretty overwhelmed, but I'm having more and more days where I feel like a normal person and not a crazy loon who doesn't know where to start! We're staying at home a little more these days - it's exhausting to take both girls out, and it's easier here. I probably over-schedule us, because I am someone who likes to be on the go as opposed to sitting around the house. There are so many activities I want to do and friends I want to see. But I'm learning to make time to just relax at the house and let the kids enjoy their toys here, too - I think it's a good thing for all of us!

I'm looking into Dance Camp for Christa this summer. Our local Civic Ballet has a wonderful, Christian program called Footsteps in Faith that I have heard rave reviews about. I'm going to try her in their summer camp for a week, and if she likes it, I think I'll enroll her in the program in the Fall. I never took dance, and have always wanted my little girl to - I can't wait to see recitals! Hopefully she'll like it, and if she doesn't, then we'll try something else.

Also, we are planning a very exciting trip to Disney World!!!! We plan to go in May, hopefully before school gets out and it gets crazy busy! This year, both Cline and I are turning 30 and celebrating our 5 year anniversary. Since I'm too chicken to leave the girls for very long, or fly on a plane without them, we decided to take them as well as Cline's youngest brother, Cleve, with us on a nice vacation. Disney was the obvious choice for us, since we need a kid-friendly place. I can't wait - I haven't been in years, and if Christa takes to the characters like she took to the Easter Bunny, we will have a blast!

In other news, Abby Kate is starting to sleep mostly through the night most nights. I've given up on having a predictable nap schedule, and am trying to enjoy the flexibility she gives me by only needing cat naps. I don't think she gets the minimum 12 hours of sleep that they're supposed to get at her age, but she's happy as can be ALL the time. She's eating baby food, and after a few weeks of talking her into it, she can't get enough. Oh yeah, and she's crawling now. I'm proud of her, but I'm hoping she's not going to be one of those 9-month walkers. Christa took her first steps with coaxing on her 15-month birthday, and that suited me just fine!

Well, I'm going to try and get some laundry and straightening done before Christa wakes up and we go enjoy some outside time. Have a great day!