"Dancin' Queen"

Friday evening we welcomed Grandpa & Nana to Florida with open and excited arms and already this morning we bid farewell.  I think this is their shortest trip they've ever had, but we packed in lots of fun over the long weekend.  Friday I was running a Chamilia Charm event at Tren-D, so I had a 2-hour earlier start time than I usually do on Fridays, which meant I was off in time to pick my parents at the airport at 5:30pm.  Carly was a bit thrown off when so many bodies walked into the house after an 11-hour day with nanny Jen, but she warmed up to them faster than ever.

Saturday it was back to work for both Brian & I, so my parents and Carly spent the day exploring the outdoors.  My Mom made her lovely lasagna (plus 3 bonus ones for the freezer) and we had a nice evening setting this Climber up for Carly.

I was so excited to get it set up, knowing she would love it.  Love is probably an understatement.  She quickly figured out how to climb up the ladder and sit on her booty to go down the slide.  Guess how many times she went down consecutively? Guess.

31.  She went round and round 31 times in a row before we distracted her with something else.  She stayed up way past her bedtime as a result but I think the laughter we got from watching her was worth the stimulation right before bed. ;)

Sunday & Monday were both full days for us!  Sunday we went to church, of course, then came back so Carly could nap in her crib.  Once she was up we were off to EPCOT.  It's the last week of the Flower & Garden Festival, so we thought we'd enjoy playing on the super great playgrounds one last time.

Carly took a snoozer in the car while Dad & I walked around the Boardwalk in the afternoon (thanks, Nana, for sitting in the car with her) and then we all played at the beach while waiting for Brian to get off work.  We then went back into EPCOT for our dinner reservations at the Biergarten, and thoroughly enjoyed our experience.  Carly was totally worth the price of admission on this one!  Check out our little dancer!!

She was certainly the center of attention, and little hands kept grabbing hers to steal a dance.  She was getting a lot of attention from the little boys, in particular.  Can you blame them?

It was also interesting to me that she was the only child on the dance floor who was actually giving attention to the performers.  It melts our hearts that she loves music so much.

She also loved her meal and became quite silly after having a full belly, too much sugar and a crazy amount of stimulation!  A lady even came up to Brian and said, "Is she German?"  Brian replied, "Oh ya!" Haha!

Can you see anything out of place in this photo? ;)

And here's the best from her dancin'! Enjoy!

Monday we had a relaxing morning at home and then hit the road after lunch and headed to Altamonte Springs.  I have been patiently waiting for my eyes to stop changing so I can have Lasik surgery and they have finally stabilized, so I thought I'd go see if I was a candidate while I had some help in town.  Lasik Plus is a fabulous clinic and was recommended to me by my eye insurance company, so we decided it was worth the 45 minute commute North of Orlando.  This is actually my graduation from college present, so my parents were also thrilled to finally be able to gift that to me!  Turns out I'm a GREAT candidate for Lasik and I have my surgery scheduled for June 19th.  There is little risk these days and the Doctor performing the surgery has done over 60,000 procedures!  I don't even think I've gone to the bathroom that many times!!! The clinic was so clean, the staff was very friendly and the whole 2 hour consultation was incredibly efficient! I am more than excited to get to see again!!

The only downfall is that I am on steroids for 7 days following the procedure, so my little miss has to be weaned from nursing before the surgery.  I am so nervous to take something that has been her nourishment and comfort for her entire life away, and I'm not at all ready to lose that attachment with her.  I have exactly one more month of this precious time with her and to prepare my heart, as we will be weaning her the next time we have visitors (which will be Brian's parents in June).  We've attempted weaning before but she throws herself on the ground in utter distress and pleads with me to nurse, so I'm going to have to disappear in the mornings and evenings until she forgets that was ever part of her routine (which is why I need someone else to get up with her in the mornings).  I really think she is too smart to forget in only a weeks time, but my Mom nursed Tiff til she was 18 months and it only took her 3 days to forget.  Anyway, I've had tears over thinking about doing this, so I'm hoping it goes well.  I've even considered postponing the surgery until she weans herself, but at this rate it would be never, and I realize it's not socially acceptable to go beyond about 18 months.  Many of my friends have nursed their baby girls way past a year, and they all successfully weaned, so I suppose we can to.  Okay, enough on that.

After my appointment we met our Realtor at this soon-to-be-hope-to-be-house that I've been talking about for....6 MONTHS NOW.  About a month ago we got a call that said it wasn't looking good so we had dealt with the fact that we were not going to get the house and had begun making plans for little upgrades to do at our current place.  Then, on Tuesday we got a call that with 2k more the home was ours and to move forward with an appraisal and inspection!  So...we have to close by MAY 17TH (which we all know is not going to happen) or else the bank's approval will expire and they can choose to get it re-appraised and counter offer 20k more, which we would then have to walk away.  SO....prayers on that subject would be greatly appreciated.  ANYWAY...we played at the playground and walked the house again, then headed to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge for a WONDERFUL and DELICIOUS dinner at Boma.  This buffet was the best I've ever had in my entire life and it immediately jumped to our top three restaurants on property.  We WILL be dining there again!!

As you can see, we had a delightful time with my folks in town and were spoiled with great meals out & a new play place for Carly.  It wasn't too hard to say goodbye knowing we will see them again in less than 7 weeks!!  

"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. :)