Spring Photo Shoot

Thomas the Train

The Florida Railroad Museum in Parrish hosted THE Thomas the Train engine a few weekends ago (and boy are they glad they did after that revenue!) Even though Grace Louise doesn't know Thomas the Train from Adam's House Cat, I knew she would enjoy seeing the train and other children... so we went... and I was right... she had a blast! We practiced "choo chooing" the morning of, watched a youtube video of Thomas during breakfast, and took advantage of Grace Louise's cousin's extensive knowledge of Thomas the Train in making the most of this educational opportunity! Complete with hat, whistle, badge, and t-shirt, Quinten was definitely the Thomas enthusiast of the day!

Mini train ride before riding the REAL train! This ride only lasted as long as it took to get the picture. Grace Louise decided this wasn't for her...

Instead, she'll be a spectator, looking very cute with her Camelbak.

In the train museum with LaLa. Checking out the sleeper cars.

I heart cousin love!

Oh how we trick her into smiling for pictures... say please! show me your teeth!

2nd cousin love

The train ride was only the beginning of the fun! Mega blocks, games, crafts, picture booths, and LOTS of other children to watch.

So busy.

This face. Every time the train whistled in and out of the station.

A train makes for a rich photograph...

The Place Where Dreams Come True

Speaking of dreaming... I never dreamed I'd take Grace Louise to Disney World this young... but we did. And it was actually a great experience! Such a great experience, in fact, that we've already gone back for more! A lovely family friend with lifetime (yes, I said lifetime) Disney passes graciously took care of our admission and served as our guide on our first trip to Animal Kingdom.

We went to this particular park both times and it truly is a great park for toddlers. Its shaded with plenty of things for pre-roller coaster riders to see and do. Of course, its all about the animals, which Grace Louise loved- "Ooo Ooo Ahh Ahh" and "Arghhhh!" all day long. Apart from the animal exhibits, there is a petting zoo, safari, train ride, 3-D bug movie (so cute!), and tastiest of all, The Rainforest Cafe!

I didn't tote my camera on our trip this past Friday, but these are some shots from our first trip over spring break.

On the safari ride. Obviously, we are seeing something VERY interesting!

Rhinos, hippos, a giraffe, maybe?

GL hopped over to sit with Miss G for a closer look at the elephants. This ride is so neat! Like a true safari, the animals are in their "natural" habitat, not in cages.

Oh yes, and the Boneyard is a great play area for toddlers with slides, an enormous sandbox for finding fossils, and a little water to play in too!

(Alright now, Disney... that was a great plug for your park. Now where's my paycheck??)

28 things I love

So, I intended to finish uploading some pics of our last few adventures and, in the process, came across this unpublished post. One of my blogging friends (who I'm sure stole this from some other blogging friend, who stole it from her blogging friend...) did a post called "28 things I love" for the month of February. I liked the idea, stole the idea, and had good intentions of coming up with "28 things that I love" to share with whoever reads this. I only made it to 17 and got distracted. Well, tonight I finished my list. And what appropriate timing it was, following an encouraging chat with a friend about accepting who we are and embracing the things we love to do.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. -1 Cor 10:31

1. Learning

2. Teaching

3. Apple Cider Vinegar (home remedies in general)

4. CrossRidge Church

5. Being a mom and doing mom things

6. Worship music

7. Dark Chocolate

8. Sweaty horses

9. Yoga

10. Pregnant women

11. Breastfeeding

12. Saltwater fishing with my husband

13. My husband. Period.

14. Gator Games

15. A good planner

16. Good coffee

17. Blogging

18. Flan and Tiramisu

19. Family vacations

20. Deliberate relaxation

21. Making lists

22. Honest friends

23. The Bible

24. Beautiful scenery

25. Sunshine

26. Family- old and new- love genealogy

27. Being loved by my girl

28. Jesus, but He's definitely not last on the list

29. (Every four years there is an extra day in February, right?) My mom, who couldn't be left out of such a list. Yes, I love my momma.

A new dishwasher!

I'm one of those stay-at-home moms who rarely stays at home. :-\ It seems that some weeks we have something planned every single day... in fact in doesn't just seem that way; some weeks, that is the reality. Yoga and groceries on Monday, Bible study on Tuesdays, play date and online work on Wednesday, yada yada yada... I've purposed to take it easy with my girl this week. We had fun days with friends Monday and Tuesday, but have spent the rest of the week, hanging out all day in our pajamas, playing in the yard (when its not raining- heck who am I kidding?... even playing in the rain), cooking, cleaning, and just having quality time together.

Our last MOPS meeting was on cooking together with your kids. Inspired, I pulled up a chair for Grace Louise and let her "hep" mama in the kitchen. She's even washing dishes!!! Mostly she was interested in the bubbles, rubbing them on my arm, and then locking arms with me with her gaze upward, as if to say, "we are a team mom. and I stinkin' love you to pieces! i can't contain all this love for you, so I have to squeeze your arm like this."

I love when she says things like that :-)

Taking a break from the hard work for a little dance. Here we are spinning and dancing. Loving every second. Both of us.