Vacation Day 2

Me and Maddy woke up pretty early...for us. We woke up around 6:30 a.m. but decided to lay in bed for some extra snuggle time. We finally got up around 7 a.m. and headed out to the patio. Maddy was all about wanting to go to the sand box so we ate breakfast real fast and headed out. Again I had tons of pictures of Maddy on the beach but my memory card decided to do something with the pictures. It was so cute too because my mom mad a hill of sand and a place for Maddy to sit and then she wrote "Maddy" in the sand...it was a cute picture. Sunday was nothing but the beach, pool, and going out to eat. I will let the pictures and video do the rest of the talking :)

For dinner we went to Pineapple Willy's, which is a really neat place to eat because you sit outside on a pier. It's a great place to watch the sun set too. Me and Maddy both ate popcorn shrimp and fries. We all got shirts from there as well as a souvenir.

When we got back to the condo we had some key lime pie and got ready for bed.

Vacation Day 1

*Warning...there WILL be tons of pictures with some video as well*

Me and Maddy just got back from our first vacation of the year. We headed down to Panama City Beach, FL with my mom and step dad to stay in the condo they rent. Let me just tell ya that the condo is just plum amazing! Me and my mom stayed up late Friday night packing. I have no idea what time my mom went to bed, but I decided I better get some sleep around 12:30 a.m. as we were supposed to be up at 4. My step dad rented me a car for the trip because my car isn't very reliable for long trips anymore. I got a 2012 Camry and I am quite impressed with it. I only have one pic of it and it was dark but you get the idea anyways.

This car has some get up and go to it and some neat little gadgets inside. I took a pic of the radio system, which btw, has some major bass to it lol

Google maps gave three routes to take to get there

We bypass Atlanta and go towards Columbus and pass through Eufala and Dothan and well, you get the idea. My favorite part of the drive, besides seeing the Florida welcome sign, is in Eufala. There is this historical looking type town that is just so pretty to drive through. I call it Mayberry because it reminds of Mayberry lol. Here are a couple of pics I got while driving through. The speed limit was like maybe 25 and we were going 15 due to traffic so I was very safe :)

By the time we hit the Florida Welcome Center, Maddy had fallen asleep. I want to try to add her into the photo eventually, but for now I will just show the two different pictures.

Once we hit the welcome center it was only about an hour and ten minutes until we were at the beach. Maddy did super well on the trip. She does much better on long car trips compared to around town. I apparently didn't fully charge the dvd player, so maybe three hours or so into the trip it went dead and she doesn't understand she has to keep the dvd player still when it is plugged up. She got upset when she had nothing to do, but we pulled over and got her some toys to play with and from there she was just fine.

The name of the condo's we stay in is Treasure Island. It is just beautiful too! I'm going to post a video tour I did and will warn you I went a little fast and it's definitely sloppy, but again you will get the gist of it lol

Maddy calls the sand, "the sandbox" and the ocean the water. If she wanted to swim in the pool she would say she wanted to go to other water. She had no fear of the sand this year and just dug right in. She did have fears of the ocean, but I expected that. The last day we were in the ocean she let my mom and step dad carry her out and she actually laughed. I was so proud of her for overcoming her fears :)

We decided to bring dinner back to the condo to eat since we got there kinda late in the afternoon. We ate Scampy's and it was yummy!! Me and Maddy both got popcorn shrimp and fries. We were able to watch the sunset and it was just gorgeous! I had a picture of it on my camera and posted it to my facebook, but somewhere along the way it got erased along with a bunch of other pictures I had on this memory card.

This was the first day of our trip to Panama City Beach, I will add the other days either tonight or tomorrow :)

Is It Saturday Yet Randoms

I have waited for this week to come for what seems like forever! In just a few short days (4 to be exact) me and Maddy will be headed down to the beach for a few days. It has been extremely hard to focus at work, but I haven't let myself slip THAT much lol. Last month was a horrible week for me at work so after a weekend of prayer and tears I have gotten back on track the best I can. Monday went pretty smooth at work. Monday actually went smooth all the way around. Maddy turned into someone I didn't even know at school and happily gave me a kiss and said, "Goodbye mommy" as she went and played. I was in total shock! My mom was able to pick her up for me so I wasn't stuck working until 10:00 p.m. It felt so good knowing once I put her to bed I could actually do whatever I wanted. In case people get the wrong impression on that last statement I am only talking about the fact that I didn't have to work. I always have to work after putting her to bed and it burns me out so much. I wake up and work and when I'm done working I pretty much go to sleep because I have to get up early the next morning. Today has not gone smooth at all. It started out ok, but I realized after dropping Maddy off at school that I left my house key in the house and of coarse it was locked because nobody was home. I had to call my mom to come let me in and after talking with her I realized I had pulled her out of a meeting. I felt horrible! Work didn't go so well either...it's like the claims decided to wait until I'm ready to go on vacation to get real tricky. I'm not sure how I'm going to clean them up before I leave, but I guess the only thing to do is pray.
I have been trying to pack throughout the week because we are supposed to leave around 4 a.m. Saturday and if I don't get done with work until 10 and then have to pack me AND Maddy I will never get to bed and I am driving. I have a feeling I will be depending on Red Bull to get me through the drive. I have Maddy's clothes packed but I can't get her fully packed until Friday. Sometime I have to go to the store to get last minute items and really not sure how that is going to happen because we are on OT.

I still have no idea when I will officially be moving out and it's really starting to annoy me but I really do think it's all for a reason. I'm trying to be patient but some days I get real frustrated. I just need my manager to put in a ticket at work and then I can move...silly manager's.

I really hope to get lots of pictures and video at the beach and I really hope to have a fun time. I'm trying not to have any expectations and so far I've done a pretty good job. The only thing I know for sure is when we first get to Florida we are heading to the water park because the condo won't be ready. I'm a little nervous about the water park but I've survived one water park with her last year so hopefully this year I can do the same. She keeps talking about the water and the sand box and her toys at the beach. She seems to be getting excited as well.

I can't wait till the movie What to Expect When You're Expecting comes out on DVD!

I found a new to me show I love called Storm Chasers. Weather has always been interesting to me...science was one of my favorite subjects in school. I've been trying to find the app they use to show tornadoes and stuff and finally did, but it cost $9.99. I found some free radar maps and here is how our weather has been the past couple of days

This was the only bad storm we had, but it has been raining. Whenever storms come our way I am constantly looking at the clouds to see what they are doing and trying to predict if it is going to be severe or not.

Maddy can sing Old McDonald Had a Farm...this isn't the best she sings it, but she is getting really annoyed with me always having a camera in her face lol.

Mother's Day 2012

May 2009 was my first "official" Mother's Day because I was five months pregnant. I have been so blessed to be Maddy's mom. I love her more than words can say! This Mother's Day was really special for me because it was the first year she could actually tell me Happy Mother's Day. I honestly wanted to cry, but it would have worried her so I held it together. We kinda celebrated mother's day all weekend. When I picked her up on Friday she had a poster she had made and it is so precious!

On Saturday we celebrated my sister's birthday at P.F. Changs. Maddy really enjoyed eating the egg rolls and wanted to try everybody else's food. She tried a lettuce wrap, but she didn't care for that so much. She ate sweet and sour chicken and rice for dinner.

I thought it was cute she was trying to use her chopsticks :) She liked sticking it in her sauce and eating the sauce. The moms at the table received a $10 gift card from the restaurant...it was a nice surprise. When we got home...I mean...Nana and Pops' house lol Maddy had a present to give me. She came walking in the living room and gave me a bag and said, "Happy Mother's Day!" Honestly that just made my entire Mother's Day in itself. She got me a very sweet card and a beautiful rose bush to plant at our new home. A little birdie must have told her I wanted one :)

We had a really good day today. We did some laundry this morning and then played with baby. We then headed over to our new house for a while and I did some cleaning while Maddy watched Barney. She misses her kitchen so much when she is at her Nana's house, but everytime we go to "our" house she barely plays with it and watches Barney instead lol. I got my kitchen as clean as I could and tried to find a home for the boxes in my living room...I really have a bunch of junk that doesn't really have a good place to call home yet haha. I decided it was about time for us to head to the store for some last minute stuff and then back to Nana's house. We gave Nana her Mother's day cards and then headed over to my grandmother's to deliver her Mother's day. Maddy had a fun time at my grandmother's and was very fascinated with their cat. When we got back to Nana's house we took a bath and she got out saying she was ready for "hugs and kisses" which means it was night night time. That surprised me because she never willingly goes to bed anymore. She hadn't even had dinner, but she did have a late lunch. When we were rocking she told me she was hungry so I got her some dinner and we rocked and talked and sang while she ate. We didn't really have any spectacular plans today, but days like today are what I will cherish forever. She really seemed to enjoy herself today...except for when she fell and re-injured her hurt knee. I'm thinking I need to get it checked out because it just swells up at the drop of a hat and ever since she hurt it on Easter she will not let me touch it. Anyways, I feel so honored to be a mom and not just to be a mom, but to be HER mom. She amazes me day in and day out. She has SUCH a sweet personality, but she is definitely a very emotional child who isn't afraid to tell you how it is. I do love having her snuggle up on my shoulder when I hold her, but my favorite time with her is when I get to play with her. I watch her play with her baby and see how much love she pours into her baby and gentle she is with her and how much she nurtures her and it really warms my heart.

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Leap Of Faith

It's kinda strange to me how I could go from super excited about moving out to super scared. I dreamed of this day for so long and thought of all the memories me and Maddy would create. Before I give the wrong impression I am still so very happy to have a place to create "home" for us, but as of this weekend I have had some major doubts as to whether or not I made the right decision. These doubts all came because once again my job is not going so well. I've had a lot of time to think this weekend and I came to the realization that what I'm feeling is my faith being tested. I should have known immediately because just the other day I saw a church sign that talked about our faith being tested. The picture my sister got me for my birthday was just perfect because I am clinging to that verse, "For I know the plans I have for you..." I've felt like the Lord was going to be making some changes in my life for a while now. One of those changes really happened...me and Maddy have our own place. It just makes me so happy to see her light up when she is in her new house. She still likes her Nana and Pops' house, but she also likes her house and honestly that just makes everything worth while. I still feel like there are more changes around the corner and I have an idea what, but no idea how it's all going to happen. They are both happy things, but it's the uncertainty of what will happen to get us there that freaks me out a bit. I know I'm not supposed to worry, especially when it's in the future. That is something I struggle greatly with....I worry about any and everything. I'm not so much a "what if" person but in some areas I can be. I know people get tired of hearing my stressors and I try to keep it to a minimum but this is kinda who I am for now. I do pray and I do feel at least some comforted knowing God has my back, but it's still a little scary not knowing what's going to happen and where will it leave you. I have a movie and a few songs that are constantly in my head. The song That's What Faith Can Do-Kutless, the movie Courageous, and the song/movie The Voice Of Truth &Facing the Giants. The first song is because I know I am being tested and that song is a great reminder of what faith can do. I know with God all things are possible and I'm so thankful to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ...I have know idea what I would do without Him. The movie Courageous, but not because of the message, although I do try to be THAT parent, but because I feel I have to stand up and be brave and just trust God to handle everything. The last one because once again I feel like I have giants looking down on me saying I can't do this or that. Once again I will stand up and do my absolute best and leave the rest up to God. I will trust and follow Him. This move has been an eye opener as far as making sure the Lord is behind your decision. This move feels so completely different and I wouldn't want to do anything different. I love knowing that the Lord is behind me in this move and if He gave us this place, He's going to give me the resources I need. I hope everybody had a wonderful weekend. Me and Maddy were able to play outside this weekend and had a great time playing with her car and baby.

Maddy's Likes and Interests

I have started packing my room this week and I've already shed a few tears. Don't get me wrong, I'm so very happy to be starting mine and Maddy's "home" but it's kinda bittersweet. This has always been Maddy's home and where we brought her home in. This is where all her firsts occurred. On top of all the sentimental reasons I will obviously miss being around and talking to my mom at the drop of a hat. I've already warned her I'd probably be calling a whole bunch for the first few months lol. As I was packing I ran across Maddy's ultrasound dvd when we found out Maddy was a girl. Silly me decided to watch it and yes, I had a mommy moment and cried. It's hard to believe my baby is no longer a baby. I also found some pictures when she was a baby that just really made me miss "my baby"

I didn't really get the chance to document her first year of life like I had planned. Before I forget things she likes now I thought I would go ahead and write a post about it. One of things she absolutely gets so excited about are "school buses" and that's exactly what she calls them, except she keeps bus singular. She loves to look for them on the way to school and every now and then on the way home she will ask to find one. She also enjoys seeing the "big trucks" along the way too. She will say, "Look mommy, big tuck." She also likes to look at the lake on the way to school and see if she can find the boats, ducks, and birds. I watch her through my mirror a lot of times and whenever she sees the lake or outside period she just looks at peace. I can tell she thinks a lot as we ride in the car. Sometimes I will be in my own little world and when I snap out of it I look at her and she's just watching me. I guess she comes by thinking honestly because I do a lot of that in the car. For the longest time she has wanted to watch "Bob" movies (VeggieTales) but it has switched to Barney movies. She is a very independent person with very strong opinions. She also has a really sweet side that just melts my heart. She still loves her baby and is so very gentle with her and will tend to her the way a real mommy would her baby. She loves to play "home living" which is where the babies and kitchen set is at school and at home haha. She does not like going bye bye and I have to find creative ways to get her in her car seat. She does pretty good throughout the work week, but on the weekends she just wants to stay home and play. She doesn't really like taking baths anymore. Once she gets in she usually plays a little and then says she is ready to get out. She loves my phone, or any phone with video for that matter. She is asking more and more what things are. If she didn't hear what you said she will ask, "What you say mommy" or "what you doing." She is more independent in going to bed. She likes to read or look at a video while we rock, then she will usually snuggle with me for a little while, then she will tell me she's ready for bed and walks to her bed. We are still working on potty training, but she seems a lot more interested in our new house. She is starting to show her memory. My sister had to use some of our wipes on Easter and whenever I get her wipes she will say, "Baby Aiden have use my wipes?"
These are all the things I can think of for right now. I know I'm probably forgetting some stuff, but the bus thing is the whole reason I am writing this so I think that's it for now :)
Here is Maddy's latest picture

It really is amazing how fast they grow!

Moving Phase 1

Like I thought I didn't get to grab a lot of pictures of us clearing out storage. When I saw just how much stuff I had to go through I instantly became overwhelmed. It's not the easiest thing in the world trying to go through stuff with a toddler on your hands either. My step dad took Maddy for me for a little while so we could go through boxes and clear out so he could get to the big items, then later on my mom took her on a walk. When I found out I was moving I panicked thinking I didn't have anything because at my mom's house I don't...I just have Maddy's toys and bathroom stuff. I guess when you don't use your stuff for three, almost four years, it's pretty easy to remember what you do have. I have a lot more cookware than I thought...I found I had multiple sets of pyrex dishes that includes three 3 qt. glass pans, several different size bowls to mix and other baking needs, a pie dish and two casserole dishes. I only found one skillet so far, but I know I have at least one other one. My sister got me some fun things too. She had curtains that she wasn't using that she is letting me use for the living room and Maddy's room. She bought me a picture for a belated birthday present that has my favorite bible verse on it...Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord...

She also bought me a flameless candle that has my last name initial and the saying, "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord." She got me a pop up tote that says the same thing and is pretty nifty.

The last thing she got me was a kitchen utensil caddy with your basic utensils. Oh! She also got me a cookie sheet that came with some cookie cutters that were really cute and me and Maddy are going to have a ball making cookies together. I just need to get me a rolling pin ;) My mom is the queen of couponing and my sister seems to be the queen of clearance items because everything she did buy she got on clearance for a really good price.
I had a plan for what I wanted to do at the storage place, which was go through all the boxes and throw out what I didn't want. We started out that way, but after the first load we just put the boxes back and didn't think about whether it was going or staying. To prevent double work I just said forget that method when we started in on the second load. One thing that has really stuck in my head is an article I read from the Duggar family. One advice they gave is to not go into things with expectations. For example don't expect to always have a clean house (this was from Michelle because they have so many kids) or the kids to be a certain way. I've found that a lot of my disappointments in life come from having an expectation of what I thought should or would happen. Moving stuff out of storage I had an expectation of being super organized and throwing away a bunch of stuff...none of that happened and I found myself getting disappointed and almost like I had failed. Anyways, We didn't get all the storage cleared out, but it will only take one more truck load before it's all done. The first trip to my house a yard service man asked if we wanted his help because the only man there was my step dad...it was my step dad, three ladies, two bigger kids, and two small kids. The yard service man helped get my couch and dresser in and then my step dad paid him to mow my back yard. Let me tell ya, that yard service man is an extremely hard worker. He only charges $20 and you get your money's worth. He mowed not just the back yard, but also the front yard (which isn't really much). He has a riding mower and a push mower so he did the riding mower for as much as he could, then got his push mower to finish up, then he got his weed eater and weed eated(sp?) all around the house plus the mailbox. Then he saw my mom and step dad trying to turn on my water at the meter thing and he offered to help because he had something that would help turn the knob because apparently it was really hard to turn. I know it doesn't sound like much but he really worked his behind off for $20 and was super nice. In my back yard there is a lot of garbage that looks like people just dumped back there and then animals got in it. My step dad told the man about it, so he went next door because I have a cop living next to me (can we say thank goodness?!?!) to tell him what he found out about the garbage. So to try to sum up the day, we made two trips to storage and only have one more. My house is becoming full of junk and I am really worried about how much stuff I already have over there because I have a LOT of stuff here at my mom's house. If the the stuff I had from storage were all useful things for the house I'd be fine, but it's all the little odds and ends I've collected over the years plus some of my work from when I worked at a school. I really have no idea where all this stuff is going to go. I really want to be really organized and not clutter up the house, but for a while I'm afraid we will be a little cluttered until I can figure out where I can put things haha. I have my washer and dryer in the laundry room, but they need to be hooked up. The only other big things I have left are mine and Maddy's bed and my night stand. I did grab a couple of pictures while we were transporting.

Maddy went all day with no nap! She did exceptionally well though. She was so excited to play with Abby and Sara (my nieces) and to show off her new house. She is a lot more interested in potty training at her new house. When we went last week she wanted to use the potty and she did try. I can't even get her to try at my mom's house...very rarely will she even try. Saturday my oldest niece came to me and said Maddy had gone to the potty. I was like REALLY?!?! I think my niece was proud that she helped Maddy because she just had the biggest grin on her face. I went into the bathroom and sure enough maddy was on the potty and I made a big deal over her going. I am hoping once we get moved in she will just really take off in the potty training area.
We didn't leave my house until 7:18 p.m. and we were all ready to crash.