A Celebration and A Visit to the Fair

This past weekend was quite busy for us!  Our nephew had his 5th birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese, my aunt, sister and brother-in-law came to town for the occasion and we all attended the Northeast Florida Fair.  It was great getting out and about this weekend!
The original plan was for us all (my sister and her family, my other sister and her husband, my aunt and our family) to go down to Universal Studios for my nephew's birthday, but after much conversation (and some pregnant lady limitations) we decided on Chuck E. Cheese instead.  And I have to day, I'm glad we did.  They honestly did a great job putting together a birthday party for my nephew!  He got balloons, a crown, a medallion, free tokens, a trip to the ticket blaster (which his daddy did for him), pizza, cake, pinata, a cup and Chuck E. Cheese himself came out to hang with the birthday boy for a while. :)  I have to say I was pretty impressed! :)  The other kids got a goody bag, a cup and a balloon, plus tokens for the games.  Reese seemed to enjoy herself for the most part - although we had a complete meltdown when Chuck E. Cheese came out.  She literally tried to climb me to get as far away from him as possible.  She's so funny about certain things . . .apparently grown men/women dressed up in a mouse costume freaks her out. :)  Anyway, other than that, we had a great time!  Jet enjoyed it, too, except that he wasn't allowed to get down and crawl around.  That boy does not like being tied down!! :)  All in all it was a great celebration (sadly, I have no pictures to go with this!)

On Sunday we made our annual trip to the Northeast Florida Fair! :)  Again, it was lots of fun and we had great weather for it!  Reese wasn't up for riding any rides and she walked around with her fingers in her ears saying it was "too loud". :)  Seriously, this girl gets another year and then Mommy is going to be "strongly" persuading her to ride some rides and loosen up. :)  Reese did enjoy the food, though, and knew what she wanted (cotton candy).  Oh! She did get her face painted and really liked seeing the animals (cows, horses, pigs and goats)!  Again, Jet did fairly well, but started getting frustrated with having to stay in his stroller the whole time (I keep telling him that if he would just start walking it would solve all of his problems!)! :)  He, too, enjoyed the food! :)  It was a nice time of being with my family. :)

Thankfully, we got one more day with Aunt Betty, Jess and Tom before they had to fly back home!  Monday was spent just visiting and enjoying the nice weather outside!  The kids made a mess of themselves with sidewalk chalk, bubbles and playing basketball. :) 

It was a great weekend!!! :)

Jet's Birthday x 3

I've been meaning to post about Jet's birthday for a little while now, but my exhaustion/forgetfulness due to this pregnancy has caused some laziness. :)  Better late then never, though, right? :)

Anyway . . . Jet lucked out for his first birthday and got to celebrate it not once, not twice, but three times! :)  Be prepared for lots of pictures!! :)

The first time we celebrated Jet's birthday it was with Frank's family.  We had a good time spending time with each other and eating some really yummy food! :)  It was great getting to watch Jet dig into his first birthday cake - he was unsure at first and then once he figured it out (with the help of his cousin Jake) . . . he went to town. :)

Click here for slideshow

His second celebration was a bit quieter and smaller.  On his actual birthday, I made him a breakfast of a waffle with syrup and his first sippy cup full of whole milk.  He took to the milk very well and of course, he loved the food! :)  We spent the day just playing and having a good time.  I made him a turtle cup cake for the evening. :)  When Frank got home from work we had a nice dinner of pizza and breadsticks, then sang Happy Birthday to Jet (with Reese and Daddy blowing out the candle) and he had a cupcake. :)  It was a good day! :)

Click for 2nd Slideshow

Jet's 3rd and final celebration was on Sept. 30th.  My sister and her family came over after church to help celebrate.  We grilled out, the kids played outside on the swing set and in the water table, we opened up gifts and ate some yummy cake! :)  It was really a fun day! :)

Click here for 3rd Slideshow

So that was Jet's birthday!  I can't believe he's one already!!!  He's not walking yet, but he is taking steps and getting closer each day!  What a blessing he's been to us and continues to be - kids keep you busy, but they are worth every second!! :)  Happy 1st Birthday, Jet!! :)  We love you!!

P.S. I'm sorry for the links to the slideshows.  For some reason, Photobucket has not been allowing me to post the slideshow to the actual blog this time. :(  Thanks for still reading! :)

Hair Cut

I took Reese to her Aunt Nancy's salon today to get a big hair cut (She's had a trim before, but this was more than just a trim.)! :)  She sat so nice for her Aunt Nancy!  I asked for about 3 inches to be taken off and then I decided to get bangs cut for her.  Her hair is always falling in her face and I was hoping to get something to help with that! :)  Anyway, I wasn't quite prepared for how grown up (and different) she looked afterwards!! Reese wasn't my little girl anymore.  I am not ready for her to grow up (It's hard letting go, isn't it?)! :)  Here is the before and after pictures of my little girl (who is also potty trained now)!! :)

Life is sweet, isn't it? :)

Our Trip to PA (the second week)

Okay, so here we go with a recap of our 2nd week in PA! :)  There are lots of pictures again, so be prepared! :)

Sunday:  This day was spent visiting with my cousins from IN (Doug and Patty) and my friend, Nicole (who was gracious enough to come in this weekend to visit).  We were able to relax in the morning and then in the afternoon there were a couple good games of Bocce Ball. :)  It was a nice day just spent with family. :)

Monday:  Mom, Frank, the kids and I went shopping on this day.  We had a nice lunch at Red Robin (yum!) and then hit Target, Michaels, the mall and Toys R Us.  The big purchase of the day was getting a tricycle for Reese - her first! :)  As soon as we got back to my parents' house, she wanted to try it out! I was so proud of her!!  She did really well (and, of course, she wanted to ride it every day!)! :)

Tuesday:  We truly had a down day on this day.  We spent time outside playing and just messing around.  That afternoon we went over and visited with my grandmother (who is 95 and doing well) and my aunt.  Then we went up to a local ice cream place and got ice cream.  Not bad for a day. :)

Wednesday:  There's a cute little store in a town about 30 minutes from us (Rockwood, PA) that sells lots of different things.  It also has a cafe, a pizza place and best of all, sells local Maple Syrup.  No, not the fake kind sold in stores - the REAL kind.  This is usually where I get my syrup from and it was worth the trip out.  We ate lunch there, looked around, got some syrup and then went back home.  After dinner, we went to a park that's really close to my parents' house.  Reese spent time climbing and sliding. :)  Jet had a great time, too (he tried to stand up on the equipment)! :)  Right before we went home Reese had races with Mimi, Pappy and Daddy. :)

Thursday:  This was our last day with my parents (they left for IN on Friday).  We spent it just visiting and then my brother and his girlfriend came over the afternoon/evening.  We again played some bocce ball and Reese loved climbing all over Uncle Zac!  She also couldn't get enough of Miss Allison. :)  Jet, of course, was his usual happy self. :)  It was a great last day with my parents.

Friday:  Frank and I decided to stay one more day (I have to admit that I wasn't really looking forward to making the trip back home.) and I'm glad we did.  We went to breakfast at Seven Springs with my grandmother and aunt that morning.  We hung around a little bit afterwards and ended up playing some games down in the arcade room.  The nice lady who was working down there actually ended up giving us tickets . . . she fixed a couple of games and they ended up having tickets.  All in all, we ended up with 1400 tickets.  Reese picked out an ice cream pillow, 3 bouncy balls, a frog, 5 stickers, a balloon and a monkey for Jet.  It was a fun morning! :)
That afternoon we all took naps :) and then spent the afternoon playing.  Aunt Betty and Grandma came over that evening to eat dinner with us and visit some more.  It was a nice end to the day. :)

So that was our vacation to PA!  I am so thankful that we were able to spend so much time with my family.  I hate being so far away from them, but I am grateful for every visit I get with them!  And this was a great trip!! :)  Thank you for taking the time to read about it!  Knowing me, I probably won't blog again until the baby arrives! :)  Until then . . . :)

Our Trip to PA (the first week)

What a time it has been since arriving in PA on the 17th! It started with a fairly decent trip to PA (my mom was kind enough to fly down to Fl and drive back with me and the kids) and has been nonstop ever since! :)  I am going to do my best to recap the time here so far (WARNING: There are lots of pictures in this blog). :)

Saturday:  We enjoyed a nice morning at a local Farmer's Market and tasted a lot of yummy food. :)  Reese discovered that she loves hummus. :)  I also found a nice Steeler's scrunchie for Reese and a Steeler's bib for Jet. :)  It was a nice morning out and about. :)  The afternoon we just spent enjoying the beautiful evening weather. :)

Sunday:  Another relaxing morning - this time it was spent at the house with Reese digging in the dirt. :)  We spent the afternoon over at my grandmother's house visiting.  One of my cousin's and his family was also over there so we were able to visit with them as well.  It was a very nice day!

Monday:  My sister-in-law, her two little girls (her son wisely stayed behind), and her mom met my mom and I (and the kids) at Target that morning to do some back to school shopping.  Reese had a great time walking around with her cousins and "helping" get supplies. :)  Afterwards, we all enjoyed a nice lunch at Steak 'N' Shake. :)

Tuesday:  Preparation Day!  My sister-in-law, her 2 girls, her sister-in-law and her mom came to our house for a nice lunch and work! :)  My sister-in-law had brought the info for the race packets and kids' bags so that we could help get everything put together.  Reese and her cousins enjoyed playing outside (with Pappy supervising) while we adults (and Jet) worked inside. :)  It was a nice morning/afternoon of visiting and getting things ready for the race/fundraiser on Saturday. :)

Wednesday: This was a great down day for us!  Just lots of relaxing and playing outside at my parents' house.  I love the summers here!  The evenings are so nice and pleasant!!  It's great that Reese can be outside so much (Not something she can do very easily in FL).

Thursday:  There is not really a zoo close to where my parents live, but there is a place called Living Treasures.  This place is pretty close to a zoo and is really cute!!!  They had a lot of neat animals and the kids were able to actually feed some of the animals.  A last minute change in plans was that my brother (who had just arrived from MA the night before) came down this morning with all 3 of his kids.  They were able to join us at Living Treasures and stayed for the whole day.  Boy did Reese love playing with her cousins ALL day long! :)  

Friday:  My mom and I (and the kids) did a lot of running around this morning.  We had quite a few things to pick up for the race/fundraiser on Saturday.  Both kids did great, though, and when we got home Jet took a good nap! :)  Reese was able to spend some time with Mimi and "helped" her bake some cookies! :) My cousin from IN (Doug) and his wife (Patty) arrived this evening as well and we enjoyed a nice visit with them.  I was also thankful that my friend Nicole was able to come in for the weekend and she arrived this evening as well.  

The best thing ever was that Frank flew into town this evening and our family was once again all back together!! :)

Saturday:  Race/Fundraiser Day!!  We had such a good time at the fundraiser!  This was the 2nd year my brother and sister-in-law have put together this fundraiser (For more information on why this fundraiser is necessary, please visit their website www.finleyfighters.com.) and it was a HUGE success!  They had a 5K walk/run, a 10K Walk and a 1 mile Fun Run.  There was also face painting, games, animal balloons, basket raffles and a lunch.  Reese had a great time having her face painted (by her Aunt Jessie), playing on the playground, getting her nails painted and playing games.  Jet also had a great time . . . he got to swing for the first time and even had an animal balloon! :)  All in all, it was a wonderful day for a worthy cause (And we raised almost $30,000!!!)!! :)

So that was the first half of our time in PA!  I will blog again once we get back to FL about the 2nd half of our trip (which is starting out to be just as much fun as the first!).  I hope you enjoyed the pictures!! :)

How Time Flies

I cannot believe how much time has passed since my last blog!!  My, oh my, how busy life can get!! :)  This will be a brief post just to catch you up on what's been going on in our lives for the last 8 months. :)

Jet is now 10 months old, has 1 1/2 teeth (the 2nd one is taking awhile to come in), is pulling up on everything, cruising around the couches and with his walker and eating up a storm. :)  He is still a pretty happy baby and can melt your heart with his smile. :)  It has been so much fun watching him grow! :)

Reese is 2 1/2 years old and boy, is her personality showing!! :)  She loves to talk (about anything), build "castles" (out of legos), dance and sing. :) She has such a fun, outgoing personality and really likes to do just about anything.   Reese seems to enjoy playing with her brother, too - she is constantly saying, "Come on, Jet.  Come play with me." :)  I keep waiting for the day, though, when her brother isn't so compliant with the way she plays (I.e, taking toys from him). :)  For now, though - I'll take the peace. :)

Frank and I are doing fine.  Most of you know by now that we are expecting our 3rd child in January. Those closest to us also know that this was a complete shock and surprise!  Frank and I had agreed that after Jet, we would be finished with our family.  My pregnancy with Jet was a little harder than expected (for example, being hospitalized to stop preterm labor and being on bed rest for 5 weeks) and my body doesn't seem to handle pregnancy that well, so we decided to stop after Jet (We were so thankful for having Jet and Reese.  There was a time when we honestly weren't sure we would have any children of our own.).  Apparently, though, the Lord had a different plan. :)  At first we were a little shell shocked and didn't quite know how to handle it, but after a couple of days we were able to see this pregnancy as a blessing just like the others.  I know this pregnancy may not be the most enjoyable for me (praying that preterm labor does not happen again), but God is so good.  We are so undeserving of the children He's given us and then He gives us one more.  When I stop to think about things and the way our life as gone (not as we planned or expected), I can't do anything, but thank the Lord for His hand in our lives and our marriage.  I get truly overwhelmed by His goodness and grace (when I truly don't deserve it).  And so, Lord willing, our family will truly be complete come January when our baby girl is born. :)

That's the update for now!  My mom is flying down this coming Wednesday to travel back to PA with me and the kids (Yes, we are driving.  Yes, I realize this may be a little crazy.).  We will be visiting up there for about 2 weeks.  I am really looking forward to the visit and getting to spend some one on one time with my family! :)  I am also excited for Reese and Jet to get to spend this time with my family as well! :)  Plus, we get to attend my niece's annual 5k walk/run, 10k run this year (If you don't know my niece's story or the work my brother and sister-in-law are doing on her behalf, you've got to check out their website - )!!  It's being held in Connellsville, PA on August 25th - so if you're in the area and want to have some fun that day, come join us!!  They'll be face painting, balloon animals, a BBQ lunch and basket raffles!!  Just go to for more info! :)

Hopefully, I'll be updating again once we get back! :)  Lots and lots of pictures to look forward to . . . :)