"A Little Blue Eyed Blonde with Shoes on Wrong Cuz She Likes to Dress Herself"

I've loved this song from the moment I heard it. I must have been about 15 years old and dreaming of the family I would one day have.  I think I've actually used a line from this song in a previous title, but not the same one, of course!  At any rate, I think my favorite moment from the past week was yesterday morning. Carly had slept in way past her normal wake up time (which I was so grateful for as my body has been all sorts of out of wack this week) which meant that she arose feeling quite good (as did I).  I set her up on her changing table to get rid of the stink that she so frequently wakes up with and when I was through said, "Carly I need to go wash my hands, what outfit would you like to pick out for today?"  I totally didn't think she understood what I said, but nevertheless I always, always tell her what I'm doing.  When I was through washing my hands I came out of the bathroom and there was my naked little peanut, holding a pair of shorts with a big smile on her face.  Wow! Did she really just pick out what she wanted to wear?!  I excitedly affirmed her decision and encouraged her to pick out a shirt, as well.  Now, as a disclaimer, I have to say that originally she chose a long sleeved, purple polka-dot shirt to accompany her pink and orange flowered shorts, but I had to re-direct her attention to her short sleeved attire, and was more than happy to put this tank on her.  I probably wouldn't have paired these two items, but they actually looked pretty good together.  After I got her dressed, which she was more than willing to oblige to, I asked her to pick out a bow.  I kid you not, this is the one she picked out...and it matched perfectly with the top of the ice cream cone on her shirt. :)  I told her I wanted to photograph her outfit and she posed for me better than she ever has, grinning with her accomplishment from ear to ear and clapping profusely!  Y'all, I think she really understood what was going on!  That's just so cool to me!

1st pic sporting those pearly whites!

Speaking of walking her through everything I am doing/thinking most of the time, we noticed that she added the word, "go," to her vocabulary this week.  We were both confused as to how she would acquire this word, and then as I was listening to myself, I realized I say "go" all the time!  I'm constantly saying, "would you like to go outside?" or "let's go to the living room/kitchen/bedroom" or "Carly I need to go potty, so that's where I'll be if you need me" or "let's go get a drink"....the list goes on an on.  So, I guess we know why she says that word all the time.  It's pretty cute...she says it with a very long O.  "Gooooooo!" 

Carly is a runner and a climber, there's no doubt she wants to be doing what she probably shouldn't.  I love it.  She's been climbing into her play convertible for a while now, but this is the first time I was able to catch her in action.  She gets up there so fast most times that I can't grab the camera.  At first she was very proud of herself, but now she's like, "whatever, nbd." ;) 

Last week we also added a swing to our backyard, along with a kiddie pool.  My parents bought her a play gym for her birthday...but we haven't ordered it yet...so that will be the next thing we add to the back porch.  She has gone swimming a few times, but she swings multiple times/day!  Here's a video of her enjoying herself on our "weekend." 

The past three weeks we have had a lovely time gallivanting around Disney while/and/or playing with friends in the afternoons.  Carly's FAVORITE place is Typhoon Lagoon, and I'm happy to report we've shown our faces there once a week all month long!  They have an incredible little kid area that she spends hours in!  She also loves the wave pool and excitedly tries to swim away when the ocean-like wave is coming at her. We've continued to work on swimming and she is skilled enough to float in the water on her back with only the support of our hand on her neck.  She won't do it for long, but she has learned what it means to "relax" in the water so that she doesn't go under (which we rarely let her do).  We're still working on not diving in head first resulting in her choking on the water. ;)

And, since it's summer here already, we had to get out the nail polish!  She was so amused by it that she sat still for the duration of her mini pedicure.  I haven't quite figured out if she is going to be a girly-girl yet (I doubt it...I wasn't until middle school), but her look sure fools you into thinking she is!

"This Girl Is On Fire" {14 Months}

Oh my, my I am so happy to be sitting down to write about my sweet baby girl, who has already reached her 14 month mark.  I can't really say anymore, "oh, she just turned one..." because it was over two months ago!  She is rapidly changing into a very fun little toddler and I must say, I just can't believe how much love my heart can hold.  I think I fall more in love with Carly on a daily basis and am questioning if I will ever love another human being as much as I love her.  Don't get me wrong, I love my husband, but he's not hear as CUTE or as cuddly (no offense, Brian...but I doubt you expected to compete with her).  I also frequently find myself thinking, I can't believe my parents love me this much...and then follow that thought with...I can't believe Brian's parents love him this much.  I'm surprised our parents even allowed for us to move out of the house, let alone across the country!  I will most certainly never let Carly leave me! ;)

Speaking of being attached, her and I have re-invented the meaning of the word, "attached-at-the-hip."  I don't think either of us enjoys being in separate rooms at any point during the day and we are frequently attached to one another in some way.  Even if we are both doing something different, we will tend to snatch a quick hug and then return to our activity.  I'm just as attached to her as she is to me.  I resorted to crying again this week when I left her for work, but quickly recovered.  I closed this past week so I was extra tired, which always means more tears for this mama.  It's okay, you can laugh, I'm a bit ridiculous.

Carly is a sweet little doll who is as beautiful as always.  She's so playful, smiley and all around a happy kid.  Here's my favorite picture from her 14-month shoot.

And here's a run-down of her skill set:

• Frequently practices walking backwards, side to side, in circles and running
• Can say: Mama, Mommy, Dada, Daddy, Carly ("daduh"), banana (nana), yes, ya, no (although would rather shake her head), all-done, this, achy, and up (kind of)
• Uses multiple gestures, particularly when asking a question, declaring that she is all done or is hungry (she uses the sign, "more please," as dual meaning for "I'm hungry")
• Loves to throw her hands up in the air when asked, "how big are you," "how much do I love you," or "Amen!" and will grin really big when asked right before announcing her answer
• Understands nearly all things spoken to her, but particularly reacts to the phrases, go outside, change your diaper, take a bath, are you hungry, would you like to take a nap/go to bed, love monkey, there's a puppy, where's your bow, and here's your paci.
• Each day we have music time and she is beginning to match pitch (I've gotta get that on film since you probably don't believe me)
• Leaves the room to poop
• Loves to explore her surroundings, particularly when we enter a new house, and is astonishingly aware of her surroundings
• Is obsessed with water
• Enjoys being outside more than any other activity...we go outside at least three times/day for about an hour!  She has a little pool and a swing to play on in the back yard as of this week. :)
• She always shares her food
• She has taken a liking to reading herself books
• Asks frequent questions...like all the time
• LOVES puppies...each morning we go for a jog and her reward for sitting in her stroller is to go puppy hunting...to which we generally find at least one. :)
• Loves the phrase..."Oooooooo"
• Points to her ear when asked where her nose is 100% of the time, but can correctly identify her mouth
• Giggles with complete delight when she sees a tower of blocks to knock over
• Eats a smoothie every afternoon
• Prefers chocolate (particularly M&Ms) over any other source of food
• Loves to watch TV (I'm not a fan at all of that stupid thing) and has learned how to turn it on with remote or at the box all by herself!  We actually don't let her watch TV ever, but do let her watch a DVD called, Praise Baby, that plays worship music while scrolling images and clips of babies walking, children playing peek-a-boo, etc.  I've deemed that time our devotional time, and I'll generally read my Bible while she stands at the TV, or we will just snuggle on the couch and talk about the images.
• Shows favoritism to all of her stuffed animals, but particularly her monkey and a little pink teddy bear
• Escorts us into her room at night when she is ready for bed and takes both naps and bedtime very well, going down without tears 98% of the time.
• And the best for last...has TWO teeth, yes TWO, that decided to show their sharp edges the past few days and one more that will arrive any day now.  That will bring her total to 3, sporting the two middle bottom ones and a fang tooth to the right of her front ones.  Her first one that came in was this random upper tooth that we would have never noticed had she not decided to take a bite out of my shoulder the day before she turned 14 months old.  I'm very glad to know she does, in fact, have teeth. ;)

Carly continues to take two naps/day, and goes down around 10:30am and 4pm, with bedtime at 8:45pm.  She sleeps a consistent 10 hours/night (which actually isn't very much for a toddler, but that's okay) and her naps usually equal about 2 1/2 hours/day, totaling out her sleep to 13 hours in a 24-hour period, tops (which also isn't very much compared to the recommended 15). I love her schedule, especially being that it allows for a good amount of time for an afternoon trip each day.  We also never made her adjust to daylight savings time, which is why her bedtime is so late.  I really like her later bedtime as twice a week I usually work a 10am-7:30pm shift, so a later bedtime gives me a chance to play with her for a bit when I get home.

Carly's diet mostly consists of eggs, fruits, veggies, a grain (usually rice), yogurt, animal crackers & water, but she'll try anything we give her.  Sometimes she LOVES what we are having for dinner, other times shakes her head no, in which case our go-to is a bowl of peas, sometimes adding black beans and rice.  She is still nursing twice/day and I sneak a lot of milk into her fruit/spinach smoothies each day, which is how she receives most of her vitamins.  Now that she has teeth, I will be introducing gummy vitamins, as well.  I don't think she will ever stop nursing as this point in time, but those woes are for another post (I'm not actually concerned, as I also still really enjoy that time).

That pretty well describes our Carly, along with a few stories I shared last week.  If you haven't guessed, I think she's pretty great. :)

"Some People Wait A Lifetime For That One Special Kiss"

I'm sure many parents can remember the first time their child gave them a kiss or a hug, said I love you, etc., and this mama can as well.  Carly has been giving kisses for a while now, but just in the last couple of weeks she has branched out into full on hugs and has learned how to blow a kiss as well.  She offers kisses and hugs without prompting and Brian and I always give her lots of positive reinforcement for doing so!  Now if we are being completely honest, I received that "one special kiss" when I was 14 years old, sitting on the loveseat in my parent's basement with the arm of my crush around my shoulder.  Carly's kisses don't put the butterflies in my stomach that Brian's kisses did, but they sure do melt my heart! ;)

It's been another fun and playful week we've had in the Weiss household, but would you expect any other report?!  I've been so happy this year and it's just pouring over month after month.  I have absolutely nothing to complain about and fully enjoy the day to day aspects of my life.  Despite hearing very bad news about the house we have been trying to pursue for nearly 6 MONTHS now, we are still happy as can be (in short, there are two loans on the house, the first loan approved the short sale price and the second is now refusing to approve it...causing a lot more waiting and negotiating to be done, with a likely outcome of a big fat no...you can certainly be praying that God prepares our hearts for whatever the final decision is and gives us peace of mind while continuing to be in this waiting period).  Carly is so much fun I just can't get enough of her!  Well, I take that back...I get too much of her at 6am when she decides to be awake for the day. ;) BUT, other than the early morning hours, I just can't get enough of those sweet hugs, kisses and toothless (yes, toothless) grins!  I'm finding that I absolutely adore this toddler stage.  Parenting and playing with a toddler is much more rewarding and fun for me than caring for an infants every need.  And that's okay!  It's okay for me to decide that I enjoy one stage better than another.  It's not to say that I don't fully look forward to the next time I will be able to care for an infant, but that the fun really happens in toddler hood.  I love that she understands everything that I say and I love even more that she can respond in a way that allows for us to have a mini conversation.  She's picking up on SO much of what we say and do, it's very exciting.  She is proving to be very smart, very aware of her surroundings.  I'll give you some examples:

1. I was getting ready for work this week and Carly always accompanies me by playing in the sinks.  I began singing one of the songs that comes from one of her many musical toys.  She immediately asked to be placed on the ground, walked out into the living room, found that particular toy (which plays multiple songs...it's like a kid's ipod) and shuffled until the song I was singing began to play.  She then brought the toy back into the bathroom and handed it to me.  WOW!  How did she know that toy played that song...and that she could press a button multiple times to find the right one?
2. Carly asks a lot of questions.  She makes the cutest face while shrugging her shoulders and raising her arms.  She asks anything from why a certain thing moves/opens the way it does, what item is in the microwave, where her toy went (like a ball that rolled away), etc.  She also uses the question tone inflection that the rest of us use when asking a question.  I love to give her an answer!
3. We have been singing the song, "If you're happy and you know if clap your hands" for a very long time now and about a month ago added more verses to it.  We added, "should Amen!" and "blow a kiss."  She didn't catch on to them for the longest time but the other day as I ended the first verse, before starting the next one, she threw her hands up in the air.  She knew the next verse was "shout Amen," as the gesture for that is throwing your hands up in the air.  What a smart little cookie. 
4. She has also begun to put her hands up in the air after our dinner prayer comes to an end.  She laughs out loud when we all hold hands and close our eyes, but as soon as Brian says, "Amen," she raises those hands up.  Pretty precious if you ask me!
5. Carly is really beginning to test our limits and push our boundaries.  It's something that excites me, as I was rather defiant as a young gal, myself.  I can completely relate to her budding personality, as it is nearly the exact same as mine was and is.  I tend to probably be too lenient with the things I let her get away with, but I know from living in her mind as a child that I have to pick my battles with her or I will end up pushing her away and she will get too frustrated.  With that being said, she was being extra defiant one day and going right over to our indoor tree and throwing the dirt across the room.  I very firmly said "no" and explained that throwing the dirt creates a mess for mommy to clean up and she must not touch.  She thought that was hilarious and did it again.  So, since we hadn't started discipline yet, I began experimenting.  I gently smacked her hand when she stuck it in the potted plant again to which she full. out. laughed.  I actually had to turn away because it cracked me up that she was laughing at my discipline and I didn't want her to see that it made me smile.  So, since those three things hadn't worked, the next time she threw dirt on the floor, I firmly picked her up and declared that she was going to her room for a time out!  I set her on her bedroom floor, shut the door and set the timer for 60 seconds. I stood outside her room until the timer went off and proceeded to open the door.  She had been SCREAMING her head off and immediately stood up and came walking over to me with her arms open wide for a big hug.  I picked her up, told I loved her and gave a big smooch, then explained that she has to obey when mama says, "no."  And she really does.  Someday saying "no" might save her life...like when tempted to run out into the street.  She must learn.  Anyway, as soon as we came out of her room, what did she do?  She walked right over to the plant and threw dirt across the floor and just looked at me with a big grin.  Sure enough, I marched over to her, firmly picked her up and it was off to another timeout.  That happened three times in a row that day and three times in a row the next day but guess what? She hasn't touched the plant since!  She walks past it multiple times/day and I hope cognitively decides to pass right on by.  I'm happy that timeout worked, for sure, and we shall see if it continues.  I haven't had to put my foot down like that on any other situation (again, probably bc I tend to let her explore/do whatever she wants, even if it makes a big mess), but I will bring out that word again and the punishment that goes with not obeying if I need to.
6. We've also began using bribes (although I prefer the word, reward) when we need her to cooperate.  She LOVES M&Ms...and will literally do anything for them.  Ha, makes me chuckle.  She is going through a phase again where I cannot leave her side if someone else is around.  Even if Brian stays in the living room with her and I go into the bathroom, she breaks down into all sorts of tears.  So, leaving her with Jen means bringing on a meltdown.  Our solution to allow me to get out the door is to give Jen M&Ms and I tell Carly that if she will let Miss Jen hold her than she can have M&Ms.  Works every time. ;)

Brian and I both took on mini projects for her this week (his more daunting than mine) and here are the results!  Brian put together this mini kitchen set that came in a million pieces for Carly and I created a semi-cute way to organize her bows (okay, that was more for me than her)! Thank you to everyone who has contributed to her fabulous collection!

As always, we've had plenty of time outside, spending one day with nanny Jen at the Flower & Garden Festival at EPCOT and the other with Carrie & Holden at Typhoon Lagoon.  Carly. Loved. The. Waterpark.  We were there for nearly 4 HOURS and she had a smile on her face Thee. Entire. Time.  Awesome.  We are going to get plenty of opportunity to work on her swimming skills this summer...I bet she will be swimming without floaties before she turns two! Of course I didn't have my camera at the water park, but I did have it at EPCOT. I got some great photos of Carly sitting by the flowers and playing on the playground they put in just for the event.  It was a really fun afternoon!

Carly & Nanny Jen

Ahh, I believe I have come to an end for this week's update.  I am busy compiling all the info I need to write her 14 month post, which happens to be on Thursday!  I think that will total out the weekly posts into three for this week, which is pretty darn good!  Take care, thanks for being interested in our lives!

"I Wana Talk About Me"

A big grin covers my face whenever I hear this country song by Toby Keith.  It came out in 2001 when Tiffany was 6 years old.  By that point, I had fully introduced my family to modern country music, and my Dad took a liking to this song.  He thought it was hysterical, being the profession he's in.  Anyway, Tiff made up a really silly dance to it and watching that cute little 6-year-old shake her little body to this silly song had us laughing to the point of tears.

But the song also works for this post, as recently we've had quite a few exciting things happen at work so I thought I'd take the time to share a sneak peak into why I love my job so much.

First up are a few pictures from our Team Day we had before I went on vacation.  This was a very special team day to thank us for blowing our budget for FY Quarter 1 out of the water, for some team building and for continual learning.  Disney prides itself (among a million other things) on taking time and money to continue to train and inspire the Cast with hopes of obtaining great Guest Service.  Guest Service as been proven, over and over, to drive revenue, which in turn pleases our shareholders and creates jobs.  In fact, we will be creating hundreds of jobs at Downtown Disney over the next three years as we transition in Disney Springs.  So, one thing that many of us on the team had not done at WDW yet was the Wild Africa Trek.  This is walking safari through the same savanna that the trucks go through at Animal Kingdom. It comes with a fairly lofty price tag, so it was something Brian & I figured we would never do.  It was such a blast to be with the 7 other members of my leadership team, as they are fun people to be around!  It was also very informative!

My favorite animal is a Giraffe, and we got a good shot of me by one of the pregnant mamas.  She will be birthing her little baby this summer!

I also loved learning about the hippos.  They are fascinating creaters and incredibly large.

The crocodiles are not as interesting, but it was fun to walk on a creaky bridge right over their heads!  I was bouncing all the way across. 

Here is my team, probably the youngest team on property with all of us being in our 20s and 30s.  The last team I was on were mostly in their 40s and 50s!  The team dynamics are incredibly different.  I really, really enjoy them, one of the biggest reasons I love my job!

We also had an African-inspired meal in a hut on the savanna.  I'll have to point it out to you the next time you visit us (for those of you that do).

It was a fabulous day and adventure and probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

A few weeks ago we released a new make-up line called, Beautifully Disney.  It features 4 princesses and their corresponding villains in eye colors, lip color, nail polish and cosmetic accessories.  My peer, Alana, and I, along with partners from other lines of business (Location Planning, Product Development, Merchandise Events Team, Merchandise Presentation, Entertainment & Cosmetology), were in charge of launching this new make-up line in my shop, Tren-D.  To help you better understand my role: I am a Zone 1 manager responsible for the Operational, Cast and Guest needs for 5 locations within an area at Downtown Disney.  Each member of my team has a specialty store, however, that we are the point person for all decisions, events, etc.  My shop is called Tren-D, which is a fashion forward eclectic boutique with a variety of Disney and branded merchandise along with multiple designer bags and other accessories.  I have a lengthy list of responsibilities I shall not name at this time, but one of the largest is driving the service level in my shop (hence why we are called Retail Guest Service Managers).

At any rate, the event was a HUGE success, pleasing partners from all around the company and introducing a new product to our Guests that they have been very satisfied with! Alana, Jeff (our boss) & I arrived very early the morning of the event to help Merchandise Presentation prepare and get our Cast fired up about the launch.  Jeff brought in Orange Juice and poured it into champagne glasses and we all toasted a fabulous event.  Here is us with the entire zone morning Cast and with our Tren-D only Cast.  Tren-D also has a Fashionista named Isabella who is from the Entertainment line of business who also attends these events.  She is FABULOUS and helps drive whatever product we are featuring.  What great fun!!!

These Cast Members pictured above, along with my supportive and fun team and driven and encouraging boss are the primary reason I love what I do.  I always get told I look beautiful at work (which is so helpful for a girl who feels so overweight), I get asked how I'm doing, get asked how Carly is doing and get more hugs than one could ask for.  My Cast are delightful and care about the people they work with.  We come from literally all over the world but share a passion for delivering quality service for a company who defined the world of tourism & hospitality.  Them and the magic I get to create everyday makes for a career I could not have envisioned when I was thinking about what I wanted to do post-college.  What a blessing!

"Free & Easy Down the Road I Go"

We are well adjusted back to our life in Florida and have had a very relaxing week.  We arrived back home Easter weekend, which was fairly uneventful, with both of us working.  Easter Sunday, though, Carly and I got up and went to church just like any other Sunday.  Our church normally has about 300 people attend each week and we had close to 900 people Easter Sunday!  Both services were filled to the brim & there were chairs out in the foyer with no standing room available.  On the one hand, what a blessing that so many heard the good news that Jesus is ALIVE but on the other...wow...I don't think I realized how many folks are the type that only go to church for Christian holidays.  Yikes.  At any rate, here was our best shot at an Easter photo in our pretty dresses:

That afternoon we met a friend on the Boardwalk for some ice cream and beach time.  I am still finding sand in and on things around our house from not bathing Carly the minute we stepped in the door.  She had so much fun throwing the sand around that she looked like she had a terrible case of dandruff.  Haha.  We also stopped by Coronado Springs to see Daddy, since it was Easter Sunday and all.  It was a bit spontaneous, however, so we had eaten lunch before leaving the house.  I thought our Easter lunch was so humorous, being that we had just returned from a two week vacation and didn't have much food in the house, that I decided to capture it on film for laughs later in life.  "Hey, remember that one Easter when Carly & I had a cheese tortilla, a can of tuna and some crackers as our fancy feast?" 

That evening I had planned to make a ham and all the bells and whistles that accompany that, but after driving to 3 grocery stores figured out that everything was closed on Easter Sunday!  How great is that?!  I am immersed in this world here that never closes, and certainly doesn't acknowledge exclusive Christian holidays, so I made the assumption I could do my grocery shopping that day.  I was pleasantly surprised that all the stores were closed and was more than happy to figure something else out for dinner.  My Mom's frozen lasagna saved the day once again, and we were able to have a homemade dinner despite not having any cooking ingredients in the house. :)

Monday & Tuesday were some of the best chil days ever.  No plans but to snuggle and play with my little girl.  It has been beautiful out this week so we spent plenty of time playing outside.  Her and I both greatly benefitted from some down time, that's for sure!  One thing of note is that Carly still won't drink cow's milk, so I decided that I needed to find a way to get some calcium and dairy in the kid.  So, every day this week I've made a smoothie for her per Carley's recommendation: strawberries, raspberries, banana, spinach, grape juice, milk & yogurt.  They are delicious and she chugs them down!  We even went to the store to get her a straw sippy cup so she could carry it around with her.  After taking her first big drink, she began to cry...I wondered what was wrong and she started shaking her head.  The poor girl had a brain freeze!! Despite feeling slightly bad for her, I laughed out loud and grabbed my own and said, "ouch! Do you have a brain freeze?" It became a game and each time she took a drink she would grab her head or mine and say, "oouuuuieee."  This clip doesn't do it justice, but it was pretty humorous.

Wednesday we took a trip to the splash pad in Celebration.  There were a million kids running around so it was rather intense trying to keep them from running Carly over, but she had a wonderful time! Here are some pics from that!

giggling girl

determination.

The day was made complete by spotting this big fella in the lake right by the splash pad!

That's about it.  Nothing too terribly interesting, which means the week was composed of perfection.  I'm looking forward to another few days hanging out alone with my sweet girl. :)

"Twinkle, Twinkle, Traffic Light" {Iowa Part 2}

The summary of our WONDERFUL trip to Iowa continues...enhanced with photos of thee two cutest little girls around (opinions of the writer will here forth be stated as fact)!

Day 7:

Friday was another day of March Madness...where one could find my husband glued to the recliner in his parent's living room with a big smile on his face.  I think the most nerdy thing about him is his obsession with sports, particularly the Cyclones.  I don't think his kids stand a chance of attending school anywhere but there if they know what's best for their relationship with their father. ;)

At any rate, I was not about to spend all day with my eyes glued to the TV, so I used the time (and built-in babysitter) to spend more quality time with friends.  Anna F. & I got up and headed out to Cafe Milo for some muffins and coffee.  We then went back to her place so I could see her recent designs in her house (she's a home designer for Redeker's Furniture, so she naturally has top of the line stuff and great taste in room layouts).  Anna and her husband were married the same summer as us and traveled the road of the first year of marriage together with us and 3 other couples.  Having Christian women in the same stage of life as me during my first year of marriage was such a blessing (not because marriage was hard; it was quite easy back then, but because you always need friends in the same life stage you are currently in.  fact.)!  I will forever cherish those relationships, even if all 5 couples are now living in different cities.

I came back to the house for lunch and then it was off again for another great workout and chat time with miss Carley.  It was SUCH a blessing to have the opportunity to workout while I was on vacation.  Going 12 days without working out and eating so much delicious food would have completely done me in.  Thank you, thank you, Mrs. Hoben!!! ;)

Friday night was filled with excitement as we gathered around the TV to watch the Cyclones play in the first round of the NCAA tournament.  Much to our delight, they won big, so we were able to relax throughout the game.  One of my favorite things about spending time at the Weiss' is that Rhonda is a snack queen, and always has fabulous spreads of food out.  I choose to have zero self control while I'm at her place and eat into oblivion, enjoying every bite!  We all had our Cyclone gear on, including our sweet girlie.  Just wait until next season when she can fit into the cheerleader outfit she got!!

Day 8:

Saturday morning was another work out with Carley (yes, we were on a roll) and then a quick shower, coming downstairs to see Brian's Uncle Dick and Aunt Crystal.  They had come to visit their great-nieces and celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary with us.  25 years. I wonder what Brian and I will be doing 21 years from now? ;)  They also brought Carly her first ever Easter basket...filled with books and eggs containing her favorite candy, M&Ms.   Little did they know that those Easter eggs would be our primary source of entertainment for Carly during our flight into the St. Petersburg airport on our way home. 

Shortly after they arrived, Aaron, Kelly & Cora (Brian's brother and his family) graced us with their presence.  They live in Chicago and sweet 3-year-old Cora had just experienced a loonnngg drive filled with anticipation to see her G&G and also play with her baby Carly! I cannot begin to tell you how sweet it was to see her come inside and immediately grab Carly's hand and escort her into the play room.  We get to see Cora 2-3 times per year, and each time she just gets sweeter.  I am so happy that Carly has a girl cousin so close in age...I'm sure they will be good friends throughout their childhood and teen years. 

Cora has a sleeping buddy named Zebra, who was the inspiration for Carly's sleep buddy, Monkey.  Shortly after they had arrived, Carly fell down and began to cry.  Cora's first thought was to run and get Zebra to comfort her...a sign of true love.  Cora would also sing to Carly whenever she was upset (mostly those diaper changes) and did a fabulous job of it.  You can watch a video of Cora singing the coolest song ever, "Twinkle Twinkle Traffic Light," to Carly here.

Saturday evening was filled with a delicious dinner from an Ames must-eat, Hickory Park, and lots of play time.  Carly followed Cora around and wanted to do whatever she did, whether it was play with toys, eat snacks or sit on G&Gs lap while playing piano.  Such precious memories.

Day 9:

Palm Sunday.  The crew got up and headed to church along with those two cute girls in their Easter dresses.  

This is how they really felt about the photo shoot ;)

Since Brian works on Sundays, we pretended that Palm Sunday was Easter, and proceeded to take a family picture to commemorate the occasion.

After church we were joined by Brian's entire extended family on the Meyer side (minus 3) who all arrived in their Cyclone gear ready to cheer ISU on during the second round of the tournament.  Little did we know that our moods would be sour for the rest of the day due to a terrible (and unfair) loss.  It was a great, game, though, with a lot of cheering, standing, jumping and sweating!  Even though they lost, we were able to muscle through and take a family photo.  We also snagged one of the 4 great-grandchildren on Brian's side of the family.

"On the count of 3, everyone kiss Carly!"

After the family left, we all had a relaxing afternoon, filled with more basketball.  That evening Aaron, Kelly, Brian & I were able to sneak away and enjoy a quiet dinner at El Azteca, another restaurant Brian & I generally dine at while in Iowa.  It's fun to get parent advice from them and swap stories about our strong-willed little girls.  I'm glad they get to pave the way! ;)

Day 10:

Monday was a pretty chill day, spending all morning and most of the afternoon with Anna G.  It was a bummer to have to skip out on such great family time, but Monday was the ONLY day Anna was free during our 12-day stay (she was in Mexico most of it), and I couldn't go without spending time with my best friend.  We spent the day chatting away, not free of laughter and tears.  She is such a woman of God and certainly ministered to my heart and spoke truth to my mind.  She's one of my greatest prayer warriors and will forever be a great friend.  Here's a photo of us being silly and hot-tubbing at her parents house in the freezing cold weather, and one after we got back to the house.

Mid-afternoon I met the clan at Reiman Garden to take some photos of the girls in the Butterfly Habitat and let them run around in what felt like "outdoors."  It was really warm and felt just like home.  Carly enjoyed walking around and looking at the plants.  She was interested in the butterflies but it was hard to stay focused on such a fluttery little thing.  We got some pretty cute photos. :)

Cora got to hold the butterfly!

Those blue eyes strike again!

This one is pretty precious...love the pink flowers!

After dinner Monday evening, we all relaxed in the living room with one eye watching our sweet girls play and the other on the new season of The Voice.  Carly began entertaining herself with pretend play by taking a play spoon and cup and stirring it up and then drinking it.  It was really fun to see her play in that way and entertain herself for her longest span of time so far in her little life.

Day 11:

Tuesday morning everyone was up and out the door early, all headed to different locations.  It was back to work for G&G, off to Chicago for A,K&C and off to Des Moines for us.  Brian flew out of DSM back to Tampa so he could get a day of golf in while Carly and I spent a couple more days with my folks.  Most of the afternoon I just hung with my mama.  We laid low at the apartment while Carly napped, then headed out for a little bit of shopping.  Tuesday evening Tiff and her boyfriend, Luke, joined us for dinner and then we all watched another episode of The Voice.

Day 12:

Carly got up super early, so we wiggled Grandpa's toe to wake him up, too!  We had taken over Aunt Tiff's room, so to avoid waking her up in the living room, we decided to run to the brand new and largest Hy-Vee in the world for breakfast!  Carly had a feast and enjoyed walking around the store.  It was super fancy and had foods no other Hy-Vee carries.  Pretty neat (but a little over priced to compensate for the luxury). 

Next he dropped us off at the Gerber's house and we spent the next 4 hours playing with Lindsay, Eli (22 months) & Micah (5 months)!  They are super sweet boys and it was a blessing to get so much time with them!  Carly really enjoyed copying the movements of Eli and enjoyed being in control of Micah.  She was trying to be nice but ended up just bonking Micah on the head.  He took to it pretty well, thankfully.  Eli & Carly had fun clapping together and played a fabulous duet on the piano.

Dad picked us up and we headed to my Grandma's house for the afternoon and evening. Uncle Trey joined us and then we headed over to my great grandma's house to spend some time with her as well.  97 years old and "sharp as a tack!"  She is a delightful woman and enjoyed watching Grandpa chase Carly around the house.  Here is the sweetest video of Carly sitting on Nana's lap.

We are incredibly blessed to have 5 generations living at the same time.  Nana is a wealth of knowledge and has seen our world change for more years than most of us combined!  I always enjoy hearing her perspective and stories. 

It was back to Grandma's for dinner and then off to the apartment for our final night in Iowa.  That night we found out that my Grandma had come down with a terrible stomach flu (probably caught it from the preschoolers she teaches twice a week) and we all began to pray real hard that we, especially Nana, wouldn't catch it.  Praise the Lord none of us did!  Grandma was sick for days and even had to cancel Easter, but she's doing better now.  No fun at all!

Day 13:

The flight back to Florida was a bit rough/exhausting, but we made it through.  The descend into St. Pete was really hard on the ears, and Carly kept sticking both fingers in her ears and just screaming!  My ears hurt pretty bad, so I knew she was uncomfortable.  I begged her to drink her water and tried every snack I had in my bag (I ran out of M&Ms too early...) so she would swallow, but she just refused.  I ended up pulling up my shirt and nursing her...and even that was a bit of a fight!  She was fine once she decided to take it, though.  Poor kiddo!  Everyone around us felt super bad for her and all commented on how hard it is to travel alone.  People were asking if they could help and I wanted to say, "ya, you can help by not starring at us and making me feel embarrassed!"  I, of course, just politely declined. :)

We had a really wonderful trip!  Being that often times it can be very stressful and bad-habit forming, it was absolutely delightful and the perfect break from real life.  We have adjusted back to our normal lives very well (including Carly sleeping through the night again) and are enjoying the fabulous Florida weather.  Thank you to everyone who made an effort to see us and host us, brought us gifts, loved on our little girl, let us borrow baby gear/toys and made us meals.  We LOVED our time and are already looking forward to another fun two weeks the end of June and into July!  See you then!!! :)