Catching Moments: {21/52}:

{the very first moment caught from vacation to the very last}

*Bubbles are fun no matter where you are! After getting all the hugs & kisses upon arriving it was straight outside to do ALL the activities they could... Bubbles was first, followed by pool, then beach! We love being back in the Harbor visiting my family!  

*The kids were absolute superstar travelers {from waking up at 3am when we headed out West} to heading back home. They were quiet on the plane, slept, and were just good. Steven jokes about how Crew and I have "travel narcolepsy" because I am sound asleep before the plane leaves the gate and all I do is sleep in the car when traveling. Crew clearly does the same. ;) 

Charli's Dance Recital: 2.0

Another year of dance has come to an end and the sweetest ballerina did a fabulous job again.
Year two of dance meant moving to a new dance studio that is closer to our house. We have friends that go there so Charli had no problem with the transition. We love watching her do what she loves to do {perform} and she had a wonderful second year of tap & ballet! 

Recital day was much different this year as I felt like a total professional dance mom and knew what I was doing ;). The only down side was I was still so incredibly sick and weak from catching that dang stomach bug. I honestly did not know if I would be able to even make it. I somehow managed to power through the pain and the tears to get our sweet dancing queen to her recital and she was the happiest little girl in the world. Even though she told me it was ok and that she wanted mommy better and that she could do her recital another day {I didn't have the heart to tell her that her "other" day wouldn't be until next year}. 

Charli and I got to the theater for dress rehearsal and while she was backstage, family and friends arrived to watch her performance! I was so happy to have loved ones there to watch our sweet girl since daddy was away and couldn't be here. Charli's performance was amazing this year, she danced to "Party at Mickey's Clubhouse" and "Rise and Shine from Sophia" {the recital was Sophia The First and her DJ Friends}. I couldn't be more proud of how well she did and I know daddy would be just as proud! I can't wait for the DVD to arrive so we can all sit and watch it together and daddy can watch his princess on stage! 

Here's to year 3 and adding in her first year of Jazz & Acro!! 

Tampa: A Total Train Wreck:

After our wonderful weekend with Great Daddy we thought it would be fun to take the kids on a quick family adventure to Tampa. We were all so excited as this was finally our first time we could truly venture out since my surgery {I will fill you all in at a later date} and I was finally feeling up for it! So we I packed our bags and we were off to Aunt Nancy & Uncle Joe's {family friends who live in Tampa}. Charli kept asking where her 4 brother friends were and that she really needed to see them... good thing we will be back soon Kate ;). 

So our plan for this trip was to arrive early Tuesday afternoon and head straight to Busch Gardens and spend a few hours/the afternoon there before heading to Nancy & Joe's where we would spend the rest of the day sipping on cocktails poolside, enjoying company and a crab boil... You know, the simple life. Wednesday we were going to check out some sights around Tampa and then hit up Legoland before heading back home. Sounds like a fun and quick little getaway right... 

Well this is what actually went down...

We arrived to Busch Gardens early Tuesday afternoon as planned, with our tour guide in tow

Ready to see all the sights, all the animals, go on the choo choo, the rides, you know do ALL. THE. THINGS. Then 5 minutes into the park Steven started to not feel well {and it is not very often that man gets sick}. We found some water and some sprite to help settle his stomach and not a minute later he was in the restroom. For the next hour he went from restroom to restroom, the Florida heat was not helping. I walked the kids around to a few sights close by to where he was so we weren't far away so they could at least enjoy themselves because I knew this day would be short lived. 

 

 I felt so bad for my husband and knew it was just time to go. We let Nancy & Joe know so we didn't infect them with whatever Steven had caught but of course they had us come straight over anyway since they had all the essentials and could help me with the kids {love you both so much}. 

The next couple of hours were spent with Steven quarantined in their upstairs guest suite while we visited downstairs, the kids swam, and I was up and down the stairs tending to my husband. Then all of a sudden Crew started in and did. not. stop... I was cleaning, disinfecting, apologizing, and needing to sip on my cocktail & just take a moment. After watching my boys suffering and not a single sip of gatorade being held down I knew we needed to go to the Emergency Room, so off to the hospital we went with towels, bags, and lysol wipes.

It was the worst experience ever in an ER. My boys sat in the waiting room both in pain, puking into bags and still having to wait, AN HOUR... Then finally they took Crew and I back {still puking} gave him some Zofran and watched him for the next couple of hours to make sure it worked and he could hold down gatorade and then he was discharged {just a case of a really horrible stomach bug}. When we walked out I saw Steven STILL sitting in the waiting room, in pain, not seen, nothing. We knew all he needed was an IV and Zofran to help him and they couldn't even do that. I walked up to the desk and asked how much longer and they said it would probably be another 2 hours, TWO before he was seen... I'm sorry what? Needless to say we didn't stay. We got our Zofran prescription and headed out. Thankfully it worked for my boys, I put them upstairs quarantined together when we got back to the house and was ready to call it a night. I was exhausted. 

Then, as fate would have it, momma got it. Pretty sure we will never be invited back to Aunt Nancy & Uncle Joe's house haha! ;) I was up through out the night so incredibly sick that once the morning came Steven knew we just needed to get home. He and Joe packed everything up in the car including me and we headed home. WORST. CAR. RIDE. EVER. And of course what only lasted 24 hours for Steven & Crew lasted 6 days for me. This is just something else I have to deal with due to my weak immune system. It has seriously been one of the worst weeks ever but I am finally {finally} feeling SO much better and so much stronger!! I am praying the sickies have left the building! 

And we still got our crab boil on for my dad's birthday this past weekend {even though I couldn't enjoy it, I was so happy everyone else could!}

{charli picked out papa's cake all by herself and she was very excited to give it to him!}

 

So Tampa might have been a total Train Wreck, but we will be back soon and we are going to totally rock that next vacay!

Catching Moments: {20/52}:

*There is no denying Charli's love for her Nana. "Mommy, I just need my Nana time, OK" she exclaims and literally means it. Nobody else is allowed to be around. lol. {I even snuck behind them so she didn't see me snap this picture haha}. I hope our children always have that relationship with their grandparents though, it truly makes my heart so happy! The thing I love most about Charli & Nana is they are one in the same. They love so many of the same things and Charli loves being right by her side learning, helping, and just being close by!  

*I got a big bish...

We took the kids fishing for the first time and Great Daddy got to be a part of it. He taught Crew everything he needed to know. And Crew got just as excited when we pulled seaweed up and not an actual fish! I have a feeling we will be doing this a lot!  

Great Daddy's Weekend Visit:

Steven's grandfather made the trip down to stay with us over Memorial Day Weekend and it was a weekend that will hold so many precious memories for my family. We cherish any time we get to spend with family and it is a trait we hope to pass on to our children, because at the end of the day, family always comes first! 

The relationship and love that Charli & Crew have for their Great Daddy would make anybody's heart happy. The hugs, the kisses, the excitement, and just watching them snuggle in under his arm while we are sitting there chatting. Boy I hope they know how loved they are by him! The kids had so much fun with him and I hope they will always cherish these pictures {along with the other bazillion} I have!

"The best thing about memories, is making them"

Great Daddy helped supervise Steven's craftsmanship of our new fence he built

And he was a part of the kids very first time fishing! 

{this picture cracks me up... "hey charli, you having fun?" ;)... she really was and loved every minute but i ended up catching this shot and it is hilarious!}

It was such a relaxing weekend with Great Daddy and we are so happy he could make the trip to see us! We can't wait until we see him again!