home videos and time flys.

If you ever want to appreciate your life, or just cry like a fool, start watching home videos...or in our case "you tube" videos!!  We uploaded over the past few years some good clips here and there of the kids onto you tube so we could share with family and friends.  Our latest "video" was for Gigi's up coming 89th birthday (we should all hope to get to celebrate this birthday).  Mimi requested a video clip and I like I am sure everyone else thought ok, get the kids to say "happy birthday Gigi" on the i phone and email the video...NOT JON...OH, NOT JON!!!  This is one of the instances that I can use as an example of just why I love my husband!  He takes what is a simple task to me and turns it into like a professional nearly 5 minute animated video with music for the background!  Amazing...I think he missed his calling or something.

So...we were watching the "video" we sent to Mimi for Gigi which he uploaded to You tube and then of course we had to watch the other videos we had uploaded.  They went back to BEFORE we had Jack when we lived at our first house and then videos of Jack when he was SB's age and younger and it nearly killed me to see how he has grown and how time has passed and while we live our hectic lives I really don't notice but looking at those videos, I nearly died.  It was almost enough to make me re-think this whole 2 children thing...almost. Reason comes over me of course but those home videos are amazing.  Like all children who are NOT the first born, I then feel overhwhelming guilt because we don't have nearly the videos of SB but we did have a good number from last year.  It was amazing to see at this very time last year we had not moved yet and she was not even walking!!!  Crazy how time flys.  Despite the chaos of our lives and the daily BS we endure with our jobs, I am so thankful for what we have, what we have worked to accompish, and where we are headed!!!  In just one year it is AMAZING to think how far we have come. 

San Fran and wine country... here we come!!!

For the past few months I have been going back and forth on booking our FIRST adult only vacation in nearly 6 years (last trip was when we went to Costa Rica before we had Jackson)!!!  It is very hard for me to contemplate leaving Jackson and SB but at the same time, we have a wonderful nanny whom they love and knows our routine and household and I know they will be fine with her for a week.  So, after much contemplation, we finally bit the bullet and booked a trip we have wanted to take for a LONG time.  We are flying literally coast to coast from Orlando to San Francisco in the middle of September for a week of R and R.  We will spend the first two nights in the fisherman's wharf area at a hotel in San Francisco and see teh sights.  Next, we will take our rental car (of course I got the convertible) to Napa and Sonoma.  We have a great mission style hotel booked for three nights in wine country.  THe last night we will return for one more night in a different part of San Francisco before we catch the red eye back to Florida the next morning!  We will be gone 7 days, but it is a 6 hour flight direct out there from where we live each way so we figured, one day each way for travle, and of course, even leaving at 6 am PST on the way home, that does not get us back to Florida until 4:30 pm EST so quite the trip so we had to make it worth it to have enough days there.  We are really looking forward to an adult vacation and to seeing some places we have wanted to see for a long time.  Don't feel too bad for Jack and SB though...they get their trip this May which is the Disney cruise followed by a multi-family week in the Florida Keys and we are going to of course squeeze in a trip to Ohio this summer in June or August....got to travel in the slow season for our work and come October down here, things get going again! Can't wait to see San Francisco and wine Country!!!  We are going to do one day of winery tours to Sonoma and one day to Napa and use our third day in wine country to golf 9 holes in the morning at the hotel and enjoy the resort and spa the afternoon of that day.  The best part is that I used by business Amex to book the trip and because we use it for all sort of business expenses and just pay it off each month, I had over 100k points and it was nearly 1,000.00 cash value that we saved on our trip!!!

TGIF!!!!!

We had a busy week in our household, two busy working parents and at different times, two sick little ones makes for a rough week, I am SO thankful it is FRIDAY!!!!!  It all started with Jackson vomitting on Sunday and staying home Monday with a high fever and feeling yucky in general.  The week proceeded on and none of us got sick until Thursday when I came home and found poor Sissy running a 103 fever and that was with the underarm thermometer which we all know is NOT accurate.  The fever came down substantially with tylenol (what did people do when this was not around, I don't know) and she woke this morning still looking lousy and with a lower grade temp and complaining her "tummy hurt".  Amazingly no vomitting ensued all day (I kept texting Ann for updates) and by the time I got home, it was like she had never been sick so I hope the bug has come and gone!!!  We have a quiet weekend on tap after a busy work week and with both of the kids having had this odd virus.  Jack has soccer tomorrow but we cancelled all the rest of our plans so as not to spread our germs.  We plan to enjoy our backyard and beach and get lots of sun and fresh air, the summer smells are in the air and the sun is definitely turnign into a summer Florida sun...I can't wait, I love spring and summer!!!  The crowds in our stores and restaurants are also thinning and traffic is easing up as well...business is not...but that's ok.  Summer days are coming!!!!

Weekend comes and goes

Just like that another weekend has come and gone.  My weekend was extra FUN and started out Friday morning when I picked up three friends who live nearby and we headed to Orlando and checked into the Swan hotel for a day of girl time and pampering.  We enjoyed lunch and some fruity libations at the pool cabana restaurant and then we each enjoyed a massage of our choice at their Mandala Spa!  It was really really nice.  After the massages it was time to shower up for dinner at Epcot and drinks around the world.  We enjoyed some laughs and dinner in Mexico at 8:15 and then because we are all working moms, we were back in our hotel room and ASLEEP before midnight!  We slept in until 9:00 on Saturday morning when the crazy maid woke us trying to clean our room (hello, check out is not until noon)!!!  By the time we got moving we got some coffee and breakfast and headed to Orlando's designer outlets.  I have driven by these outlets like 100 times with my family but there is no way I could go there with my entorage of Jon and the kids so our girls overnight was just the time! 

I arrived home Saturday about 5 and this worked out perfectly as it gave us all at least one weekend night and day at home with our families and to rest up for the week (such responsible mommys)!!

Sunday we have just been relaxing around the house and enjoying the pool.  Poor Jack woke up and said he he had a tummy ache but then seemed to be fine until about 4:30 when the vomitting started.  SERIOUSLY...I may have a heart attack if the stomach flu goes through our house again, we all just had it in February!!!  He has been sick a few times but does not seem like the last time, so far no fever, he is not deathly pale and not coming out of both ends so I am prepared for the worst but still hoping for the best.   We have sequestered him to his room and bathroom only so we will see.  I have 5 client appointments tomorrow......I hope I do not get this in the middle of the night.

In other news we have a quiet April on hand which is a welcome relief after the chaos that was March.  We had  alot of fun in March but it is nice to know we have uneventful weeks ahead.  We are planning for our Disney Cruise which is now less than a month away and I am also starting to plan for the kids double birthday party which will be June 1st.  In this sort of case, the early bird does get the worm because any personalized decorations or favors need to be ordered right about now and anything like a big water slide that we rent for the day has to be ordered right about now too!!  I made some headway today with themes and decorations, next up are invitations and the menu to plan!!

Here are some pictures from my friends weekend!

Slower days as spring and season winds down and we turn towards Summer!!!

After the craziness that was the entire month of March with all sorts of weekend trips and visitors and excitement, we have welcomed in the month of April that has brought warmer temperatures and stronger sun that is starting to feel more like summer!!!  We've been in the pool a lot more lately, we still have to put a little bit of heat on it to make it warm emough to go in, but not much, it comes right up to temperature quickly thanks to our longer days and more afternoon sun on the pool combined with warmer nights.  We enjoyed a very quiet weekend this past weekend and other than soccer and a concert at the park at the beach with a few other families we did not do anything or go anywhere.  The lazy days of summer are right around the corner and I am ready for things to slow down a bit and for the season crowds and traffic around our little beach town to slow the heck down!!  March brought one of the busiest months I have seen in my practice other than this past December when I had that mondo commercial closing.  I am thankful for the business and the funds we were able to put into the firms reserve accounts going into the summer months but I'm pretty tired from the sheer volume of work we pumped out last month and during this past first quarter of the year.  Things are still pretty busy at work and I think it won't really taper off there until May and then I will be happy to have some easier days that are not as full and I may actually get to golf with Jon one afternoon a week like we did last summer.  Our Moorings membership picks back up in the middle of May and our cruise sets sail on Mother's day so we are on the summer fun countdown for sure!!

This summer Jack will stay in pre-school so he is 100% ready for Kindergarten.  He is ready now but I do not want him to fall back in the summer being out of school mode for so many months.  He will do some fun camps including tennis and golf camp and maybe our local environmental learning center's camp (a really cool place right on the intercoastal waterway, a 100% non for profit eco-adventure for kids...think COSI only outdoors and all geared towards eco-info. and outdoors knowledge.  They catch crabs and shrimp and kayak and do all sorts of cool stuff!!  We are trying to figure out a 4 day weekend or something to get up to Ohio either this summer or in the fall, and we have a week long vacation planned for the week of the 4th of July to the Florida Keys with two other families and Auntie Megan is joining in the fun as a mother's helper.  We rented a huge 5000 sq ft house with the other two families right on the intercoastal waterway, should be a fun time!  We can't wait for summer to arrive.

Here are some pictures from this past weekend of the kids playing at the park one night and also playing in the pool Sunday afternoon.  Mimi's friend Julie also mailed us a few picures from their visit, because SB put my memory card into her mouth I lost all of my photos from that night so I took a picture of the photos Julie sent...not the best but you can at least get the idea!  We enjoyed all of our spring visitors so much!!

p.s. the ONLY low point of this past weekend is we heard on the Sunday news that My FAVORITE fashion icon, LILY PULITZER died:(  Notice in the pictures from the park that we went to on Sunday night, I am wearing a Lily shirt to show her some love:)  Rest in Peace Miss Lily, thanks for the amazing pink and green clothing you have inspired for generations!!!

2013 Easter Vacation with the Sherman's

Easter Vacation with the Sherman's at Hollywood Beach, FL

 

 

Here are some pictures of our annual visit with the Sherman's at there place in Hollywood Beach, FL. We feel so blessed to be included every year with their family. We had a great time and when I have a little more time I will go more indepth on our trip. Mrs. Sherman, if you are reading this, thank you so so much for the wonderful trip. We can't wait until next year!