Hello 2014

We all made it to midnight!  Kaylin was ready to put herself to bed around 11:40pm but we were like "hec no, you only have 20 minutes until the new year!"  A few cuddles and back tickles for her and she made it to see the ball drop and I got to have my first kiss of the new year with my favorite girl!  Following a late night I was certain that we would get to sleep in... not a chance.  We were up shortly after 7am.  That said, nap time began around 10:30!  All in all, yesterday was a great first day of 2014.  A lazy morning at home with the family, early nap for K while we cleaned up Christmas, solo shopping for me that afternoon, and a pizza dinner at grandma and grandad's that evening.  I even found time to read over half of the book I got Steve for Christmas.

I am loving Winter Break and have found peace in lazy days and strangely enough I seem to have overcome the need to keep busy around the clock.  Don't get me wrong the last few days at home with rain and no sun has left us a little stir crazy and so today we are going to Ikea for a bit (the house looks so empty with Christmas gone I need to fill it with something!)  and tomorrow the weather is supposed to be a fridgid 52' so we are going to cuddle at the movies as we watch Frozen for the third time... Saturday we are hoping the holiday crowds will have gone home and we will spend the last days of our vacation at the happiest place on earth. Kaylin is hoping to be tall enough to ride the big rides (and I'm thinking maybe a double pair of socks and a pair of boots might help!)

New Years Resolutions... While I like the  idea of them, I don't really make resolutions, this year however I wanted to do something.  I'm calling it More in 2014.

more love
more laughter
more fun
more hugs
more talking
more sleep
more dreaming
more lazy mornings
more books
more flowers
more natural
more travel



I tried to capture the had fun with sparklers on New Years Eve, using a bar stool as a makeshift tripod, canon with a 50mm lens set at ISO100, f/11, and shutter at 20seconds

                                     I know it's cheesy but I just can't get enough of selfies!  Last one of 2013!

saying good-by to 2013

I hope to start the blog refreshed and with many more posts in 2014.  I find myself reading blogs about others lives and wishing I could document the many memories in our life that so quickly slip by..  While it is easy to dwell on the negative and believe me there has been a lot of that going on the past couple of years and even more the past few months, my life has been filled with so many blessings that many others do not have.    I have been wanting to start a gratitude journal and so with the blog I hope to journal the greatest moments of each day and let those negative moments be the ones that slip by.

And so to say good-bye to 2013 I'm going to remember the great things that happened.  My top 10 list of 2013!

10.  Kaylin began preschool in a Montessori classroom
9.    I passed all of my teaching exams and the EPI program
8.    I was hired at teacher interview day as a 3rd grade teacher
7.    I spent a week in May in Costa Rica living pura vida!
6.    Spring break we went on a Disney cruise with mom
5.    A week at Sanibel Island in July with just the girls
4.    I began school and acquired 34 amazing new kids!
3.    I treated myself to the iphone 5 for my birthday
2.    Kaylin turned 4 and is (much too) quickly becoming my big girl 
1.    We were able to spend Christmas together as a family and Santa became real this year!

If you know me you know I love me some Jason Mraz, and definitely the song of the past year, the one that I listen too whenever I need a reminder is"Living in the Moment."

If this life is one act
Why do we lay all these traps
We put them right in our path
When we just wanna be free

I will not waste my days
Making up all kinds of ways
To worry 'bout all the things
That will not happen to me

So I just let go
Of what I know I don't know
And I know I only do this by

Living in the moment
Living my life
Easy and breezy
With peace in my mind
With peace in my heart
With peace in my soul
Wherever I'm going,
I'm already home
Living in the moment

I'm letting myself off the hook
For things I've done
I let my past go past
And now I'm having more fun
I'm letting go of the thoughts
That do not make me strong
And I believe this way
Can feel the same for everyone

And if I fall asleep
I know you'll be the one
Who'll always remind me

To live in the moment
Living my life
Easy and breezy
With peace in my mind
With peace in my heart
With peace in my soul
Wherever I'm going,
I'm already home

I can't walk through life facing backwards
I have tried,
Tried more than once to just make sure
And I was denied
The future I'd been searching for
I spun around and hurt no more

Trick or Treat!

It was a long night and the kiddos were crazy but it was a nice distraction from life..

Painting Pumpkins

We finally got around to painting pumpkins, and with Halloween in just 3 days, not a moment too soon!  At least this year we picked pumpkins early... last year it was a mad dash to not 1 but 3 pumpkin patches and a trip to Walmart only to discover the only pumpkins left the weekend before Halloween were rotten.

Even with Halloween on a school/work night trick or treating will take place on Wednesday.  I am excited to have my bestest friend flying in that day with her family and cannot wait to take our little Alice, Pirate, and Ladybug trick or treating together!!

1st Place!!

We won, we won!!  I mean... she won, she won!!  Honestly it was her, Kaylin is a natural on stage and while I may have created the costume she pulled it off perfectly!  She walked right on stage, waved to the crowds, and plopped down on her bottom to show off her Alice pose as she is stuck in the house.  Kaylin was awarded first place with a cash prize (time to open a savings account!) and a gift card to Chuck E Cheese (guess these germaphobe parents will be making a trip there soon... well after flu season anyway!)

Pageant track here we come!  Haha!

A natural on stage, much to her dad's dismay!

Anxiously awaiting the results

 And first place goes to.... Alice in Wonderland, Kaylin!

Alice in Wonderland

When I first asked Kaylin what she wanted to be for Halloween she promptly said a skeleton.  I had something a bit sweeter in mind and seeing as though Kaylin is 3 I won.  Sneak Peak at costume below!

Tomorrow we will visit trick or treat street at the local high school for some candy, bounce houses, and a costume contest,  I can't help but hope that she wins!!

Pumpkin Patch

While we fully intended on a relaxing Sunday at home the weather was just tempting us to spend some time outdoors.  A breezy 82' in October is actually nice fall weather in Florida and what better way to spend a cool fall day then at the local pumpkin patch..