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.

Off to Mickey's House

Well, it's that time again - Disney time. We are leaving on Sunday to head to Walt Disney World. We are going to stay a week in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. My friend Anita is also coming with her husband Jeff, their daughter Amber, and a friend (of both of us) Carla. They aren't staying on Disney grounds but we've made sure to exchange information so that we can meet up. I'm sure we'll spend lots of time with them.

Bailey is sooo excited! She is also sooo confused. She thinks that tomorrow we have a birthday party at Chick-Fil-A with Mickey Mouse. I am not really sure if she can make it another 48 hours. She has already decided all the princesses she wants to have sign her book (meaning autograph book) as well as made it very clear that she wants to ride the carousel (as if we didn't know that).

Jason and I are also very excited about going. We both are ready for a much needed break from the challenges of real life. We do not plan to go, go, go this trip but we do plan to have fun!

I'll have more to write when we return. For now, I must return to dealing with my Canada audit for the next 90 minutes. I don't know if I can stand it!

See ya real soon!

Weigh In

7 pounds! I said 7 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Over 1/3 of the way there. Yeah!

Happy Monday!!

Weigh In

Bad news....I have gained 3 pounds. I have no idea what happened. I'm so bummed. I knew I slacked a little last week but 3 pounds worth??? That puts my net weight loss at 4 pounds. Oh, well......Some pounds is better than no pounds.

Scaling the Wall...Or Crib

Our excitement for the weekend is Bailey can now climb out of her crib. We put her down for a nap Sunday afternoon and about 30 minutes later, we hear her door close. We assumed it to be the heater coming on and thought nothing of it. Ten minutes later, we hear the door open and she is standing at the top of the stairs as if nothing ever happened. I couldn't help but crack up.

Later, I asked her to show me how she got out of her crib. I put her in wanting a demonstration. I kid you not when I tell you that she literally reenacted it. She said "I put my leg up on top and then fell into the crib." (Insert visual image of her falling back into the crib.) "Then I tried to put my leg on top again and climbed down." (Insert visual image of her putting her leg over and scaling down the side.) I watched in amazement and horror as I began to realize what this meant.


Luckily, we had no midnight visitors last night so for now, we are just waiting to see what will happen. Best case, she stays put at night and we lose the crib as an option for napping in the daytime - which in reality has never really been an option so nothing has changed. Worst case, we take the front off her bed and walk her back up every time she decides to get out. I guess the worst case isn't that bad. We probably were lucky she stayed in her bed this long.

Those darn Gymboree classes are teaching her too much. Happy Monday!

PS For those looking for a weigh in update, I forgot to weigh this morning. I'll do it tomorrow and give you the latest.

7 Pounds and Counting

One of my New Year's resolutions is to lose weight. I know that is everyone's resolution but I have procrastinated on it so long that I decided enough is enough. I decided I was going to lose 20 - 25 pounds and be committed this time. I enjoyed the holidays and began my relationship with Weight Watchers on Monday, January 7th.

Now I have done Weight Watchers before and looking good really stinks. Do you know how hungry I am??? I totally forgot how difficult it is to eat small portions, pass up the candy dishes on co-workers desks, and not eat 3 basket of chips at every Mexican restaurant I go to.

But......it must be paying off. Last Monday, after only two weeks, when I weighed in I had lost 7 pounds. I couldn't believe it. Losing 7 pounds in two weeks will motivate anyone. Although it'll also allow yourself to slack some which meant when I did my mid-week weigh in, I had gained back half a pound. Ugh! Needless to say, food at our house this weekend will be very boring and there will definitely not be any good eating out. But if I lose another pound, I'll still be on my way.

I decided I needed more motivation so I thought this blog could help keep me honest. I'm counting on all of you to cheer me on from time to time.

Tune in Monday for the weigh in update.....

Baby Loves Disco

This weekend we took Bailey to a very "creative" event. It's called Baby Loves Disco. Now....some folks may have issues with us taking her clubbing at the age of 2 but we did it. And after about 45 minutes, she loved it!

In a nutshell, this couple from Philadelphia have started an activity called Baby Loves Disco. They rent a bar for the afternoon and open it up to children ages 1 - 7. It's exactly what it sounds like - a disco dance party complete with disco music, bubbles, lights, and, at this bar, cages. They also have a chill out area that has books, toys, puzzles, and other entertaining items for those children who haven't quite warmed up to the idea of getting down on the dance floor.

It was such a blast seeing all the kids dancing. Of course, go figure, our daughter (along with her pal Ashley) thought the best place to dance was the cage. Should we worry???

Check out these moves (and the website)....

http://www.babylovesdisco.com/

Happy New Year

I haven't been blogging lately. I know...it's bad. But with me trying to finish the corporate return and our trip to Vermont, well, I've been busy! Couple that with being a wife and mom, well, I'm busy! So...for all of you who yell about updating the blog...

I'M BUSY!!!!

Ha!

But this blog just brings a simple message....

Happy New Year to all of you! I hope 2008 is a very wonderful and prosperous year. Here are my specific wishes for some of my favorite people (half of them probably won't read this as they've probably given up on me updating my blog).

Mom & Mark: Your house sells soon and you find a new home - always realizing it's you two that make the house a home.

Matthew: You find the job of your dreams.

Christopher: You learn you are never too old for a hug.

Marleigh: You continue to love Princesses and wish to be one.

Linda Lou: That you know how elated I am that we can celebrate your 5-year survivorship and that you continue to fight for a cure .

Phil & Frances: The winter isn't too cold in Kentucky this year.

Kathy Ritchie: Baby Kyle gets over his reflux and Phillip comes home sooner than expected.

Christian: Nothing else happens to your new Acura.

The Griffins: That you finally get a year of peace - both personally and professionally.

Emily: You get to travel to Houston often and realize how terribly you are missed.

Stacy: You find someone special to fill your life.

Anita: That you continue to grow in your new-found love for Disney so that we can always share it.

Kelly Murphy: That our friendship continues to grow and our girls continue to love each other.

Kathy Alford: LSU wins another National Championship (ok - that would be 2009 so maybe I should say wins the SEC championship leading up to the title game).

Renee: You find a love as wonderful as Travis.

But to my two most favorite people, I wish this:

Jason: That you know how much I love you and that you are my Johnny Depp.

Bailey: I wish you everything good and more (and that sleep is a good thing).

As for what I wish for me...I have two wishes. One is to work with God to let go of some of the bondage I have been carrying around for a while. The other - well, that's for me to know and you to find out.