I AM DONE!

I cannot believe it. As I sit down to type this, I have just completed my final assignment for my teacher certification online course. In some ways, it has been a very fast 15 weeks. In others, it seems like it took me forever to get through all the material. Today, there is just relief and excitement at the opportunity before me.

Lots of you have asked what is left. Well, I have 3 1/2 hours left of classroom observation which I am getting on Thursday, January 8th and the content exam which provides me with my temporary teaching certification. I have not yet scheduled the exam but plan to take it the last week of January (1/28 or 1/29). Once I get the results (which hopefully will say that I passed), I then begin looking for a job to begin teaching in the fall. I am hoping that the results of the exam and my application to Cy-Fair Independent School District will be done before Reese ever arrives.

Thanks to everyone who has supported me through all of this. It has been so helpful to know you are all behind me. Keep saying prayers for the content exam. I am not sure why but I am so nervous about that test.

Happy New Year to all of you! May God be as good to all of you in 2009 as he has been to us always!

Happy Thanksgiving

This is just a quick note to say Happy Thanksgiving! Our turkey is under way and Christian will be over to celebrate with Jason, Bailey, and I later this afternoon. As I sit here watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, I can't help but be reminded of all I have to be thankful for. I have a wonderful husband, family, friends, and two (almost) beautiful daughters. As I think of all I am thankful for, I hope that you do the same. Then I hope that you, like me, will eat two pieces of pie (pecan and pumpkin) with lots of Cool Whip!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Disney World

Thursday, October 30th
Well, the time had come. It was time for the Mommy & me trip to Disney World. Bailey and I were going to meet up with Khrissy and Hunter for a 4 night trip to the most magical place on earth. Khrissy had to attend a conference in the morning so we decided to take two different flights. Daddy brought us to the airport. Bailey and I left Houston at 10:30 am and got to Orlando at 1 pm (gaining an hour on the way). We caught the Magical Express and headed to Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, our home away from home. Once we had settled in, we decided to go to Epcot so Bailey could ride Nemo and Friends. We spent about 4 hours there and then decided to go back to the hotel and see if our luggage had been delivered. It had and Bailey got a quick bath. We also had a nice Halloween special delivery from Daddy waiting in our room. It was a nice surprise with goodies for all. After our bath, we anxiously awaited for Khrissy and Hunter to get to the hotel - which they finally did about 9 pm. We visited for a while and then we all decided it was time to go to sleep since we had a breakfast reservation in the morning.


Friday, October 31st
Happy Halloween!!! Bailey had decided that she would be Minnie Mouse for Halloween daytime and Belle for the party this evening. She was so cute.




This morning we had to get up bright and early so that we could have breakfast with Mary Poppins and Alice (from Alice in Wonderland) at 1900 Park Fare in the Grand Floridian. That required multiple modes of transportation. Of course, we were about 20 minutes late. Luckily, they took us anyway and we had a great breakfast. Bailey did fairly well with the characters as most of them were "real". She was fine taking a picture with Pooh but declined Tigger's request. After breakfast, we headed to the Magic Kingdom until about 2 pm.

When we got back to the hotel, we thought it would be a good idea to take a break and swim. The pool was soooo cold! None of us lasted very long.

We all went back to the room to get ready for the Halloween party. Bailey was Belle, Hunter was Superman, and Khrissy and I were matching clowns. (Our original intent was to be Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum but we couldn't make it as perfect as I wanted so we modified it. However, some people actually did think we were Tweedle Dee and Dum so it was actually kind of funny.) Once we were all ready, we headed back to the Magic Kingdom for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. Bailey was pooped and had fallen asleep on the bus before the party ever started. However, she quickly woke up and we had a great time at the party. The kids got lots of candy and we rode all the great rides. The parade was wonderful! Both kids stayed awake for that but quickly fell asleep after. They were both asleep before we hit the exit. It was a great way to spend Halloween!



Saturday, November 1st
Today we decided to sleep in a bit and then head to the Animal Kingdom. The highlight of the day was Bailey had officially decided she was no longer scared of the "good" characters. She took pictures with everyone. I don't know if it just took 6 more months or if seeing Hunter do it made her want to be "brave". She made us stop for almost everyone she saw. It was so much fun. I really regretted Jason did not get to see that.




We left Animal Kingdom when it closed at 5 pm and headed to Downtown Disney to do some shopping. Khrissy was left in charge of the kids first while I went shopping. We thought we'd let them play in the fountains. Needless to say, they got soaked and needed new clothes and shoes. Thank goodness Disney sells stuff like that! With all honesty, that probably was their most favorite part of the day. They had so much fun.



After shopping, we headed to Planet Hollywood for dinner. We were quickly seated. However, I was the party pooper and made us leave. It was so very loud in there we could barely talk. I felt like I was in a night club. I was getting very nervous and uncomfortable. Luckily, Khrissy is so understanding and we decided pizza delivered to the room would be the best bet. We caught the bus and headed back for the most perfect dinner yet - all of us watching Tinker Bell in our PJs on the pull out couch. It doesn't get better than that.


Sunday, November 2nd
We once again decided to sleep in. We woke up and went to Disney's Hollywood Studios for our 11:30 am lunch reservation at the 50s Prime Time Diner - one of my favorites. Right when we walked in, the High School Musical 3 pep rally was starting so we watched that for a minute and browsed in some of the shops. It was then time for lunch - which was yummy.


After lunch, we decided to go to the new ride, Toy Story Mania. Unfortunately, the fast passes were sold out and the wait was 90 minutes. Needless to say, we didn't get to see that one this trip. We moved on to the Ariel show - where Bailey and I had a "I have to go potty right now" incident like 10 minutes before show time. You've never seen a pregnant woman run so fast or a bathroom seem so far away. Luckily, we made it back right as they were letting folks into the theater. That was our one and only adventure in Disney's Hollywood Studios as we decided the kids would have more fun on their last evening at Magic Kingdom taking advantage of the Extra Magic Hours (meaning the park being open until 11 pm).


Once again, we arrived at Magic Kingdom. Bailey was all brave again and rode the Pirates of the Caribbean 3 times. The last time she even held her arms up on the drop like the other big kids. After doing most of the rides in Adventureland, we went to have dinner at The Pinocchio Village Haus. It serves pizza and it's pretty good pizza in my opinion - hence, why we ate there twice this weekend. After our dinner, the kids wanted to do different things on their last night so we decided to split up. Bailey wanted to meet Ariel and ride Dumbo - which was quickly spoiled by the fireworks going off as we rode. After Dumbo, I wanted to ride The Haunted Mansion but was worried how Bailey would do. She was determined to be brave and said she wanted to go. She did not once cry or bury her head in my shoulder. She did hold tightly to her lap bar. After the ride, she said she liked it. I'm not so sure but she was a trooper. I told her we could ride three more rides. She picked Snow White's Scary Adventure, Peter Pan's Flight, and the Carousel (in that order). It was time to call it a night. Bailey was asleep before we hit Main Street so I took the opportunity to do a little shopping in the Emporium.


When we finally got back to the hotel, Bailey was still asleep so she missed her balloons and signed pictured delivered to the room by Ariel. Since Khrissy and Hunter were still not back, I changed her and began packing. I suddenly realized I had bought too much stuff - as always - and began to plot how I was going to get it back to Houston especially since I still had two bags of stuff to pick up Monday morning at the store. Oh, well. I would ponder that tomorrow morning.


Monday, November 3rd
Today I got up and went to get my two bags at the store and rushed back to finish packing. Luckily, I only had one large Disney bag to carry on. I have no idea how it all fit but it did.


We caught the Magical Express at 9:30 am and headed back to the airport. We checked in for our flight and stopped for brunch at Chick-Fil-A. It was then time to head to the airplane - which had just started boarding when we got there. We left Orlando at 12 pm and got to Houston about 1:30 pm (getting our hour back of course). Bailey was great on both plane rides and I was fortunate to be in a row with friendly people.

Khrissy was nice enough to give us a ride home. Bailey and Hunter were both asleep when we got here and I was able to get her in without waking her. She took a NAP! Poor thing was so tired - the sign of a great trip. We had such a good time and I'm so glad we went. As always, back to the real world.......

Bailey's Three!

I can't believe it. My baby is three years old. To start the celebration, she had her birthday party at school on Friday (10/3). At her request, she had a cookie cake complete with lots of flowers. It really turned out cute.

On her actual birthday, we went to have pizza at EJ's and ice cream at Baskin-Robbins as we do every year. Uncle Christian, KG (Khrissy), and Hunter were able to join us this year.

After we had pizza and ice cream, we came back to the house were she got all sorts of great gifts. We let her open a few and saved the rest for her birthday party. From us, she got a High School Musical Bear named Troy, some Bailey barrettes, and a High School Musical Activity Pad. Aron gave her the High School Musical shirt and jacket for Troy. Aunt Emily gave her a book and a Sharpay sing along doll. (Can you tell it unexpectedly shaped up to be a High School Musical theme?) Grandma and Grandpa gave her a birthday cake puzzle (the rest are to be opened at the party). Grandma Frances and Grandpa Phil gave her a very cute butterfly dress (again, she has another gift to be opened at the party).

Later Bailey and I went to church and McDonald's with Mrs. Mary (Fischer). Once again, Bailey was spoiled with cupcakes from Mrs. Mary and the most precious butterfly Rain Coat and Umbrella. I can honestly say it is one of my favorite gifts she's ever gotten - and she would agree. She had to put it on and she asked if it would rain tomorrow. So she is anxiously awaiting the next storm.

I can honestly say it's lucky to be Bailey and the celebration is not over yet. Her birthday party isn't until next Saturday (10/11) when Grandma and cousin Marleigh could come in. She's anxiously awaiting that. We are having it at McDonald's. What better way to entertain a bunch of 3 year olds than at an indoor "playground"?

Boy or Girl?

We had a very exciting news last week. On Thursday (9/25), Jason and I had the awesome experience of seeing the lastest member of the Sharp family during our ultrasound. We got to see the baby yawn and smile and wiggle all around. The baby was very active and so we got great pictures and great video clips.

The best news of all is that the radiologist said all looked normal and he saw no signs of an unhealthy baby. We were so relieved to hear that. That is the best news of all. We are so blessed to be so lucky!

Of course, then came the announcement everyone else was waiting for.....is it a boy or girl?

IT'S A GIRL!!!

We are very excited to be adding another princess to the Sharp household. Bailey is thrilled! She always wants to see the pictures of her baby sister and she is so proud to be a "big sister". She's still trying to grasp the baby living in my stomach. She thinks I can just take her out and put her back in whenever I want to. We are so glad that she is accepting her new sister so well.

Thanks to all for sharing our joy. Below are a few pictures of our angel.

The Path to Becoming A Teacher Has Begun

Hurricane Ike dominated our thoughts the last few weeks. However, one other exciting event that occurred is the start of my teacher certification program. I started on Wednesday, September 10th and it is going well. At first I was a little overwhelmed with all the activities, reading, and assignments. Now I have the hang of the online system and how it works and I'm moving right along.

Over the next 15 weeks, there are five courses to take. With the exception of the first course, all other courses contain approximately four to six different modules. These modules contains readings, assignments, and tests. Each module has to be completed weekly. In addition to the online work, we are also required to complete 30 hours of classroom observation.

On Sunday, September 14th, I completed my first course (the one without modules). It was an online induction course that included such things as introducing yourself, how to use the software, and simple research techniques to help make things easier in the online course and the classroom. I am proud to say that I made a perfect score (100%) in that course.

I have now moved on to the next course - English Language Arts. I have currently completed 4 out of the 5 activities in the first module. Due to Hurricane Ike, our due dates are going to be revised so I don't know exactly when Module One of this course will be due. However, I am hoping to stay on the original due dates so that I have flexibility when needed later on.

I am so excited to have started this journey. I will keep everyone up to date on my progress.

Hurricane Ike Aftermath

Thankfully Hurricane Ike is over. It hit landfall about 4 am Saturday morning and about the same time, our electricity went out. Luckily, our power was restored about 3 pm on Saturday so we were very fortunate for that. It was definitely a long 24 hours.

However, we are lucky ones. Hurricane Ike reaped havoc on our trees in the backyard - one uprooted, one bent, and a large limb was taken off another one. We also found one shingle in our yard and a bent rose bush. Other than that, nothing of significance. We did have water come through our chimney but only a little bit and only briefly so we think it just had to do with the amount of water blowing into the chimney. We will definitely keep an eye on it and have it checked out before winter just to be sure but we think it's nothing.

God was definitely with us during this ordeal and all is well here in the Sharp household. Bailey's school and our offices are closed until further notice so we are just enjoying a few days off to spend time together and do some household chores. I imagine life will be as we know it by the end of the week. Thanks for all your prayers. God heard them!

Hurricane Ike

Well, we are patiently awaiting Hurricane Ike to make landfall. As of now, they are expecting it to be a direct hit to Galveston which means we are in for an ugly 36 hours. We should start feeling the hurricane effects sometime early this afternoon. Ike is expected to make landfall around 7 am tomorrow. We are prepared for the worst but are hoping for some reprieve.

If you remember, it was almost 3 years ago this month that we were in the same position - me pregnant (although much farther along) anticipating a very horrific hit from Hurricane Rita. Luckily, Rita fizzled out right before she hit and we had about 5 or 6 hours of bad rain. Unfortunately, I am not feeling so confident regarding Ike.

Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We will keep you posted.

Potty Training Accident Tally

Bailey started a new class last Monday (8/25) and the teachers felt she was ready to use the potty like a big girl and wear panties. I'm not sure Bailey initially felt the same but she's coming around. The first week she cried every time she had to sit on the potty or wear panties. She even went so far as to say she didn't like Primrose anymore - which I knew was not true.

Soon enough, she was rushing out from the bathroom proudly yelling that she had used the potty. I have promised her a trip to the beach if she has no more accidents. (FYI - The beach really means to see Aunt Kathy and Kyle down in Corpus Christi with a brief outing to the beach.)

So....I've decided to keep an accident tally. Every day I will update this entry with the number of accidents she had that day. I'm doing it more for me than anything. This way I can tell when she has been consistent in not having accidents. Then....it's time for the beach! Keep your fingers crossed and I'll keep you posted. In all honesty, it really hasn't been as bad as I had anticipated. It's not fun but she's catching on pretty quick. Check back for the latest.

Mon 8/25 - 4
Tue 8/26 - 3
Wed 8/27 - 1
Thu 8/28 - 1
Fri 8/29 - 1
Sat 8/30 - 1
Sun 8/31 - 1
Mon 9/01 - 2
Tue 9/02 - 4
Wed 9/03 - 1
Thu 9/04 - 0
Fri 9/05 - 0
Sat 9/06 - 1
Sun 9/07 - 0
Mon 9/08 - 1
Tues 9/09 - 1
Wed 9/10 - 0
Thurs 9/11 - 1
Fri 9/12 - 0
Sat 9/13 - 2
Sun 9/14 - 0
Mon 9/15 - 1
Tues 9/16 - 0
Wed 9/17 - 0
Thurs 9/18 - 0

Update on 9/18/08: I am discontinuing the potty training tally. Bailey is down to no more than 1 accident a day (if that). The last three days she has had no accidents. So....I think we have seen enough progress in the two weeks since this has started that I'm comfortable saying - WE ARE POTTY TRAINED!!!

Matthew & Serene's Wedding

On Thursday, August 7th, Jason, Bailey, and I left the dogs in good hands with my in-laws (Phil & Frances) and headed to Vermont on a 6:30 am flight. We were on our way to Matthew's wedding to his beautiful fiance, Serene Rose. This was going to be a real family affair as my Uncle Jack and Aunt Linda were also flying in to attend the wedding.

Thursday night we went to the Rehearsal Dinner at Tanglewoods Restaurant in Waterbury Center, Vermont. It was our first chance to meet Serene. We enjoyed a great dinner and getting to know our future sister-in-law.

Friday morning the girls (Grandma, Marleigh, Aunt Linda, me, and Bailey) all went to get our hair done for the wedding. After looking fabulous, we went back to Grandma's to await the joyous event.

Finally the time came to head to the church. Matthew and Serene were married at Green Mountain Community Alliance Church in Duxbury, Vermont. It was a very quaint ceremony. Mark was Matthew's best man and Serene's brother Luke was one of his groomsmen. Christopher was the ring bearer and Bailey and Marleigh were the flower girls. I was blessed to read a passage over the happy couple. My chosen passage was 1 Corinthians 13:4-13. By 5 pm EST on Friday 8/8/08, Serene had become Mrs. Matthew LeBlanc and our family was blessed with a wonderful addition to the family.

The reception was held at one of the bridesmaid's homes. It was a really fun event. The couple seemed so happy and everyone was in great spirits. The weather was beautiful and the rain held off. We could not have asked for a more perfect setting. Although I loved celebrating the joy of the newly married couple, my favorite part of the evening was the dancing part. Bailey found her groove on and danced for about 90 minutes. At one point, she even found a young (and I mean very young) man to be her dance partner. It was a moment I will never forget.

After the reception, Matthew & Serene were off for a mini-honeymoon while we had a little R&R at Grandma's. Saturday evening we also had an early birthday celebration for Grandma & Uncle Jack. Sunday evening they joined us at Mom and Mark's for a steak dinner. Baby Sharp was not cooperating very well so I was a little under the weather. It was nice visiting with them once again before we left.

We spent the rest of our time hanging out at Grandma's and visiting the family. The only downside to the wedding trip was that we ended up getting delayed due to weather and had to stay two more nights with Grandma. Although Bailey was not too disappointed (nor was Grandma), we had hoped to get home so that Phil & Frances could spoil Bailey one more day before they had to leave. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had different plans and we just had to enjoy the time we had.

Congratulations, Matthew & Serene. May God bless you as you embark on this new journey together.

Exciting News

Well, as if the Sharp family hasn't had enough change and excitement the last month. Now....we have more news.

WE ARE PREGNANT!!!

I am currently expecting our second child and am due February 13th. We are very excited about our little Valentine's gift.

We will keep everyone updated on our newest journey into parenthood.

Latest and Greatest

I know it's been over a month since I last blogged. And then to top it off, I still have not gotten our Hilton Head pictures out but I'm working on it. We've had a couple exciting news items in the Sharp household recently and I wanted to share that.

First and foremost, my brother is getting remarried. He has met someone who he has fallen madly in love with and wants to spend the rest of his life with. Her name is Serene. Apparently, she has formed a bond with both Christopher and Marleigh as well so that is very good news. The wedding is going to be Friday, August 8, 2008 in Vermont (of course). We are very excited about this and look forward to the big event. Although we have not met her yet, we are quite certain that we will love her, too.

Secondly, after 6 1/2 years, I have resigned from BMC Software. My last day is Tuesday, July 8, 2008. I have decided that at 35 years of age, it is time to decide what to do with the rest of my life. I'm quite certain tax is not it. I have been discussing with BMC working part-time on a contract basis through mid-December to transition my knowledge and help with the return. I have agreed if we can hammer out the contract specifics. I plan to work no more than 3 days a week (a maximum of 20 - 25 hours per week).

Finally, I am going to work on my teacher certification in the fall. It is all online except for 15 hours of classroom observation. I will finish the coursework by December and am hoping to take the exams and be ready to teach next fall (2009). I am basically getting certified as a generalist (meaning I could teach any subject) from Kindergarten through 8th grade. My hope is that I will be able to teach Math at the 4th - 8th grade level. I will definitely keep everyone posted on that as I am just starting the application process. I appear to have all the credentials required according to their website so it's just a matter of submitting the application and waiting for acceptance. I have to get my transcripts from LSU and UH but once received, I will hit send on the application. They stated it takes approximately 10 business days to get either an acceptance or a rejection so I am hopeful I will have an answer by the end of July. If I am accepted, I can either start in early August or in early September. At this point I am shooting for early September as the August session starts right before the wedding. I'd hate to fall behind my first week.

So...that's the latest and greatest from the Sharp household. We hope all of you are doing well!

One Week and Counting

I realize that I have been MIA for about 6 weeks. However, for those who are closest to me, you realize that this is year end at BMC. For those who aren't sure what I mean, it's misery. I can think of no better word to describe it but misery. (Well, I probably could but I don't like writing things you might regret.) It's the time of year I hate my job and do our budget over and over again to decide not if but when I'm giving notice.

We are frantically working to close the books and get our 10K out the door. April was a blur. May has been better but still not quite "fun" here at work. Too many closed door meetings and grumpy moods.

Luckily, the count down has begun. The 10K should be filed some time this week - it might be Friday at 5 pm - but it'll be done. Until then............misery calls.

Kentucky

Last weekend we took an extended weekend trip to Richmond, Kentucky to visit Jason's parents, Phil & Frances. It was the first trip to Kentucky for both Bailey and I so we were very excited about seeig Kentuky and where Grandma Frances & Grandpa Phil lived. We had a wonderful time!

Saturday, March 29th

We left Houston about 11 am and got to Lexington about 2:30 pm (they are one hour ahead of us Texans). The plane ride was uneventful and Phil & Frances were waiting for us at the airport. We decided to grab lunch at Big Boy. It was my suggestion as we used to eat at Bob's Big Boy in California when visiting my family as a child. I hadn't been there in a while but the food was good. After eating, we were off to Richmond (which is about 45 minutes away). On the way home, we passed by the University of Kentucky campus (I know - boo Wildcats!) and got a ride-along tour of Richmond. When we got home we all relaxed and Bailey immediately found a play mate in her Grandma Frances. Frances cooked us a nice meal for dinner and then we were off to bed.

Sunday, March 30th

Today Grandma Frances and Grandpa Phil were kind enough to let Jason and myself sleep in - until almost 11. Yeah! When we woke up we decided to head to Cracker Barrel for breakfast (a very late breakfast mind you). Afterwards, we went to the park at Lake Reba. The playground was huge and Bailey had a blast. Later that evening, Jason and I went on a date. We started at Arby's as my in-laws are too far out to have high speed internet. Jason, the diligent employee that he is, needed to do about 20 minutes worth of work so we had lunch while he worked at Arby's. (Can you believe Arby's has free wi-fi???) After deciding we weren't in the mood for a movie, we drove out to Paint Lick, Kentucky which is where Jason's grandparent's lived. Paint Lick is a don't-blink-or-you'll-miss-it kind of town but it was nice to hear the stories of his childhood. Afterwards, we went to have dinner at Outback. (Yes, lots of eating!) Bailey had a great time with Grandma Frances & Grandpa Phil while we were out. She definitely got spoiled!

Monday, March 31st

Today we had a family reunion of sorts at The Sandwich Shop. Frances is one of nine children. Unfortunately, all but 3 have passed away. However, there were about 15 or 16 of immediate and extended family that were able to get together. Jason really enjoyed catching up with his family and Bailey and I enjoyed meeting everyone. After lunch, Jason's cousin Victoria (who is in 8th grade) wanted to spend the afternoon with us. We went to the mall and then went to see Horton Hears a Who! in which Bailey fell asleep for almost the entire movie. That was the best admission we've ever paid! Afterwards, we dropped Victoria off and headed home for some pizza (Bailey's request) and a relaxing evening.

Tuesday, April 1st

Today was our last day and we decided to spend it just hanging out. Our plane wasn't scheduled to leave until 6:30 pm. Frances made us a great breakfast and then Phil went to get me some Krispy Kreme (yummy!). We went to the lake in their neighborhood and fed the catfish and just hung around the house. Bailey was in dire need of a nap and wouldn't take one (imagine that) so Jason and I made a quick trip to the local Wal-Mart. She was asleep before we got there. We decided to go ahead and head into Lexington and let her sleep as it was already 3:30 by this time. As soon as we had loaded up the car, she woke up. We thought it best to go ahead and go into town. When we arrived at the airport, we discovered out plane was delayed until 8 pm. Luckily, they had a "kiddie" section before security so Phil and Frances stayed with us at the airport killing time. Finally, the time came to board our plane and we were off. Aside from a few clean air pockets on our descent (in which Jason spilled orange juice all over himself), the plane ride was very smooth and Bailey was an angel.

Another great trip but home sweet home!

Meeting the Easter Bunny

Today we went with Aunt Kathy and Baby Kyle to meet the Easter Bunny. Bailey was so excited as she got to wear her new Easter dress (graciously provided by Aunt Emily). We kept talking up the Easter Bunny all the way there. She waited in line for almost an hour and was so excited - until she saw him. The she tried very hard to back out. Luckily, the Easter Bunny gave Bailey her space and invited her to sit next to him rather than on his lap. She reluctantly agreed to that and tried to smile for the picture even with tears in her eyes. (Yes, the eyes are red from crying and not the pink eye we were recently diagnosed with.) Of course, once she was done and got off his chair, she was shaking his hand and high fiving like they were best friends. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any of those pictures as I had to quickly rescue her from him once the picture was over.


Baby Kyle on the other hand was a ham. Look at that smile on his face. It is too cute - just like him!


Happy Easter to All!!!

A Princess Room for a Princess

As most of you remember, Bailey climbed out of her crib in February and we immediately rushed out to buy a big girl bed. Luckily, we were able to hold off on putting it together as she never climbed out again. But...the time came to finally give Bailey a big girl room - a princess room.

The weekend before I left on my girl's cruise, Jason and I spent all weekend cleaning out the stuff in what once was my scrap book room so that Bailey could have her new big girl room. We couldn't believe the amount of stuff that had accumulated in that room. We relocated all my scrap book stuff to a new cabinet in the dining room and finally got it all cleared out.

While I was gone on my annual girl's trip, not only did Grandma spoil our favorite girl, she also had time to paint the new room and decorate it. She did a wonderful job and it is beautiful.

When we returned from our respective trips (and while Grandma was still here to see her reaction), we unveiled the new room to Bailey. It was Tuesday morning and we told her that Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Belle had come while we were sleeping the night before and made her a room. She was so excited! She tried out everything in her room - the bed, the dresser, the rug, the chair, the toy box. She just kept running from one to the other. Then she decided that we must move all her clothes immediately into her new room. From there, she began bringing clothes from her old dresser to her new dresser. She decided this was her room and hasn't looked back.

As I type this, we have spent two nights in the big girl bed. The first night she went to bed no problem and although she woke up twice in the night, she did not get out of her bed until the morning. Last night she didn't go to bed so easily. She proceeded to have many excuses for why she had to get out of bed. Those excuses ranged from needing to blow her nose to what the strange noises she was hearing were. Once she finally fell asleep, she stayed there until morning despite waking up once in the night. All in all, it's going better than expected. Hopefully, it'll stay that way. Below are some of my favorite pictures.

Opening the Door

Jumping Up and Down

Lying Happily on Her New Bed

Moving Clothes to Her New Dresser

Girl's Cruise

Last weekend, I went on my annual girl's trip. Once again, we went on a 3-night cruise to the Bahamas on Royal Caribbean's Sovereign of the Seas. This year six of us went - Me, Kathy, Jana, Emily, Renee, & Stacy. It was a blast!!! Here is my recap.

Wednesday, March 12
Today Grandma came in to babysit the little darling. In addition to my girl's trip this weekend, Jason is also having a guy's trip. The guys are heading to Las Vegas on Saturday so you can see the need for a babysitter. Plus, doesn't it really give Bailey an excuse to boss Grandma for days while we aren't there to correct her?

Thursday, March 13
Today I leave. Four of us have decided to head to Orlando today and stay at the Hyatt in the Orlando airport. I think we were concerned we would miss the boat on Friday. Better safe than sorry (or so we said). Kathy and I were on the same flight and arrived shortly after Stacy. Renee arrived about 45 minutes later and we checked into the hotel and got settled. We decided to do some shopping (about $100 at the Disney Store for me) and grab a bite at Macaroni Grill. After all that fun - which included McDonald's sundaes, too - we head to bed as Emily is going to come knocking very early.

Friday, March 14
As promised, Emily arrives bright and early at 7:45 am. We all get up and get dressed as Jana is expected to be in about 10:30 am. Then it is time! Before Jana arrives, we go have breakfast. After breakfast, it's time to check out and meet Jana at baggage claim. We grab her bags and head for the shuttle. Once we arrive at the ship, we immediately rush to the spa to make our appointments for Saturday and Sunday. Afterwards, it's time for the safety drill - complete with life vests and then we are off. Our first stop after the bon voyage party is Johnny Rocket's for shakes, fries, and dancing. The big activity of the night - I won $500 playing Bingo. (Just for the record, that is a lot more than Jason won in a town filled with possibilities.) After Bingo, we are all tired and head to bed.





Saturday, March 15
Our first port of call is Nassau. We don't get there until about 12 pm so we do the spa early. Once in Nassau, Emily and Jana head to the Pirate's Museum and the beach while the remaining of us head to Senor Frog's and back to the pool deck. We all meet back up for dinner. We are slated to leave Nassau around 12:30 am. We all had intentions of watching the ship pull away. However, Emily and I were the only ones who actually made it. We literally watched it push off and then went to bed. It was almost 1 am.










Sunday, March 16
Today we stopped in Coco Cay. This was my favorite day of the entire trip because we basically did nothing but lay around the beach - first on floating mats in the water, then in beach chairs, then on a hammock. It was wonderful! We had spa appointments for later in the afternoon so we got to spend about 4 hours on Coco Cay - which was plenty once you saw how "tanned" we were. We again met up for dinner and the late night comedian. After all that fun, it was time to pack up and get ready to leave. Already, we were sad it was coming to an end.

Monday, March 17
We get on the shuttle to head to the airport and wait - for over an hour. Once at the airport, we eat brunch (as we missed breakfast thanks to the shuttle) and then head to our gate. As with all good things, it has come to an end. We had a wonderful time but were all a little anxious to get back to our own beds (well, with the exception of Emily and Jana, who went on to Disney World and made me very sad).

See you next year!

Disney World 2008

I know it's a tad late and thanks to all who patiently waited for it. Here is the recap. (Forgive any typos. I have very limited time.)

Sunday, February 24th

Bailey could hardly stand it. We got up, got dressed, and were off to the airport. Uncle Christian was so kind to take us to the airport so we could save money on parking. We got there with plenty of time and who should be in front of us in the security line but our travel buddies - Jeff, Anita, Amber, and Carla. The plane ride went off without a hitch and we were in Orlando before we knew it. We quickly went to catch Disney's Magical Express and hit our first (and only) bump. They used the term "express" very loosely. It took over an hour to get on the bus and then another 45 minutes to get to our hotel. No one could blame Bailey for being a little aggitated. Mommy and Daddy were as well. Finally at about 4 pm, we were in our hotel room at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. It was beautiful. It was so amazing to walk onto our balcony and see animals.

Of course, not to be put off any longer, Bailey insisted we go to the Magic Kingdom. We met up with our travel buddies and spent the evening at the Magic Kingdom. We did most of Fantasy Land and Bailey even rode her first roller coaster - the Barn Stormer. She was a little nervous at first but before the trip was over, she rode it a second time and even called it "Bailey's Roller Coaster".

After taking advantage of the extra magic hours at the Magic Kingdom, Bailey fell asleep with her new Minnie before we even got to the bus stop to catch the bus back to our hotel.

Jason and I grabbed take out at the hotel quick service restaurant, The Mara. They had great pizza and burgers. They also had great apples with carmel dipping sauce. That became our consistent food source.

Monday, February 25th

Today we went to Disney's Hollywood Studios. Yes, the name has changed from Disney-MGM Studios but it is still the same fun! Bailey's favorite event of the day - dancing with the High School Musical cast during their show. Jason and I couldn't believe it when she got up and walked to the front with the other children and left us sitting about 5 rows back. We are definitely going to have to look into dance lessons. She didn't really follow the cast members but she got her own groove on.

We met our travel buddies for lunch at Prime Time Diner. That is one of my favorite places to eat. We finished up the park by about 7 pm and decided to call it a day. We headed back to the hotel and had dinner once again at The Mara. This time Bailey was awake and decided we should get take out and have a picnic in our room. So we did. And again, we had the apples with carmel dipping sauce.

Tuesday, February 26th

Daddy and Jeff played golf in the morning so Bailey and I had a very lazy morning and then we finally got up and got dressed. We went to the park at the hotel which was a great park and which I am ashamed to say I have no pictures of. After we did that, we went to paint pottery. It was the children's activity for the day. Bailey made a brown, pink, and white monkey. She's very proud of her monkey. When Daddy got home, she decided it was time to go swimming. Unfortunately, Daddy did not pack his swim suit but he did come sit in a chair and take pictures while Bailey and Mommy swam.

Afterwards we had another picnic lunch in the room courtesy of The Mara. (Yes, we had the apples again! I told you - consistent.) Then we all took a much needed 2 1/2 hour nap. When we awoke, we were trying to decide if we should head to Epcot for the evening. It had been threatening rain all day. However, it seemed to be clearing up so we went. We rode Spaceship Earth first since it had a 5 minute wait. We came off Spaceship Earth to torrential down pour. We waited about 15 minutes and it eased up so we decided to make a break and run to The Seas so we could ride the Nemo ride (two times) and see Turtle Talk with Crush. Aside from those two adventures, Bailey thought running through the rain was the best part of the evening. After The Seas, we went to The Land next door and had a snack hoping the rain would pass. While waiting, Daddy and I rode Soarin'. The rain finally let up and we headed to Mexico so we could check out the new boat ride. Bailey is terrified of fireworks and when we came out of Mexico they were in full force so we quickly headed for the exit. We weren't terribly hungry so we grabbed a frozen pizza at the hotel grocery store and had another picnic dinner.

Wednesday, February 27th

Today we got up and got moving as it was Animal Kingdom day - one of my favorites. We decided to first try the breakfast buffet at Boma - Flavors of Africa (in the hotel). It was fabulous! Once we finished, we headed to Animal Kingdom where we were forced to buy hats, gloves, and a High School Musical blanket for Bailey since it was so cold. The rains from the night before had brought in a cold front with a lot of wind. We didn't let that stop us and just chose to do the shows first so we would be indoors. We had lunch at Reastaurantosaurus. After lunch, Daddy had to go back to the hotel room as he realized he forgot our camera when packing the bag this morning. Bailey was fine with that as it meant we got to play at the Dig Site. Now the Dig Site is not the easiest place to keep up with a child. It is multiple stories and lots of twists and turns. After one incident where we lost each other, Bailey and I thought it best to head to the part where you dig for lost bones until Daddy returned and we could tag team Bailey.

For dinner, we again met up with our travel buddies at Rainforest Cafe. The girls were a little nervous when the first rain storm occured but they quickly adjusted and we had a great dinner with friends.

Thursday, February 28th

This morning Mommy got a much needed 90 minute massage while Daddy and Bailey played in the room. Afterwards, we headed to Downtown Disney for lunch and shopping. We had lunch at Captain Jack's which was a huge disappointment. We thought we were going to a seafood restaurant but they had very little seafood. Then our waiter gave Bailey an orange juice that was expired. Needless to say, that'll be a one time visit for us. Bailey's strong suit is not shopping but Daddy magically got her to fall asleep in the stroller so I could look around for about an hour. When she awoke, we decided to head to the Grand Floridian to check it out and make a decision about going to another park. We got to the Grand Floridian and got a snack. There was a gentlemen playing the piano in the lobby so Bailey decided to get up and dance. Daddy and Bailey went to the store upstairs and Bailey decided she must have a Belle dress. After suckering Grandma with a sweet, "I love you and need that dress" call from Disney World, Grandma agreed to buying Bailey the dress. In the end, the $130 we spent on a dress, shoes, wand, and tiara were well worth it. She was so excited to be a princess. She didn't want to take it off. Since we couldn't pry it off her and it was too cold to wear it in the park, we decided another picnic dinner from The Mara (complete with apples) was needed back at the hotel. I'm sure everyone thought we were horrible parents letting her walk around like that in 50 degree weather. But it was really just a monorail ride and a short walk to the bus stop. Besides, the princess wouldn't have it any other way.

Friday, February 29th

Today is our last day. As always, the last day is always spent at the Magic Kingdom. Bailey, of course, would be wearing her Belle dress. Luckily, it was mid-70s today so we could let her. We decided to have the breakfast buffet again and then head over to the Magic Kingdom. It was a very eventful day full of rides and fun. However, the highlights of the day were Story Time with Belle in which Daddy was picked to play the Beast and lunch with the Princesses at Cinderella's castle. Amber and Bailey loved all the princesses and had so much fun at lunch.

It was a very magical day that ended once again with a picnic dinner from The Mara complete with apples.

Saturday, March 1st
Time to head home. I get very sad when leaving even though I know we'll be coming back really soon. To make sure my last day was filled with one of my favorites, I got the apples for breakfast. (I'm telling you - they were good!) The Magical Express was much more express-like this time and the plane ride home was just as perfect as the plane ride there. Uncle Christian was waiting for us at the airport and the dogs were glad to see us. Another trip, another memory, another happy ending.