The 24th....and the celebrations are not over!

At pre-school, I am Queen for the day....first at everything!


"Jenna is my tutor and I like her a lot"


I knew nothing about the so-called "stage" until Kaitlyn couldn't get to sleep on the 23rd. She said the following "Ms Kara going to give me crown, they gonna sing Happy Birthday, I blow out a candle and walk on stage, just me mom!" I am so pleased with the pre-school. They are wonderful with the children and Kaitlyn has made huge progress with her communication. This day was a great finale to Kaitlyn's 4th birthday.
By the way...Kaitlyn's choice for birthday snack: Strawberries and jello jigglers. The teachers were very surprised there were no mile-high frosted cupcakes. But that's Kaitlyn for ya...if ya can't have peanut butter cups in browies due to the nut-free zone, bring on the strawberries!

Finally, The Day Is Here!

I'm 4! and I'm SO excited, I think I grew overnight! The first thing I did was have mommy measure me; I'm almost 2 inches taller since the end of October!


So this is what Aunt Lairen listens to! I think I like it!!!


Aunt Becky, Tori, Steven and Lauren


Glad someone's over to play with all the toys!


Tickle time!


When Kaitlyn decided to have a bunny themed party, she figured she had to have a bunny for a gift and added it to her list. I objected to getting her one, but found a miniture one (no larger than two inches...very cute). Aunt Lairen had no idea that a bunny was one of the things on the list. She went to Build A Bear Workshop and got the most adorable bunny with a Sleeping Beauty Dress (so cute!). Way to go Lairen, it is a BIG Hit!


Everyone (including those far away) filled Kaitlyn's day with surprises! Thank you SO MUCH she had a blast!


Kaitlyn is the photographer here! Hello Grandpa!

Batter Up!

Want comedy? Go to the first t-ball game of the year! Ally's did a great job last Saturday. She started off as the pitcher and did a great job running up on the ball and getting it to first base. She got a little confused, however, when the 2nd base runner ran to the pitching mound. She and her friend Hannah even got one player from the Yankees out! It was great! She was quite the slugger, getting to hit at the beginning of each inning...she even made it home with each hit (although I think they all do). Way to go Ally!





In the second inning (there's a total of 3), Ally got pretty upset. She mentioned how the game was just too crazy. This is after being given the assignment to cover second base. When the first batter hit, Ally ended up being the one to ran to 3rd base (it was so cute....she was so confused). The coach was really helpful and gave her words of encouragement....Ally was ready to give up at the end, but when she was given snacks at the end for her good work...she's ready to try again!

Kaitlyn's Birthday...opening celebrations?

Happy 4th Birthday KAITLYN!!! Birthdays are huge at our house. There usually ends up being several ways to celebrate the BIG day. Friends have to be involved someway, we love our immediate celebrations (just the four of us) and we can't forget the relatives in the area. So these are pictures to kick-off our weekend (from the "Friend" party).


Bunny theme.


Make a wish!


I love my blueberry gum!!!


I finally get to have my own "friend" party. I am happy to have my friends. I love them all!



Big Sister & Me.

Talitha & me


Rebecca & me


Allie & me


Ruby & me

The Purpose of Our Trip

We have been married for 10 years (coming up on 11 pretty quick). For our honeymoon, Jeremy took me to Florida. We rented a vehicle; went through the Everglades, up to Orlando, down to Fort Lauderdale and through the Keys. It was a blast! Our favorite destination of all time was when we hit the bottom of Florida in Key West. One of our favorite pictures was at the Hard Rock Cafe - Key West sipping a smoothie. Back then, we set a goal to make it down in five years. Hence, our cruise in 2004 (I was pregnant with Kaitlyn), it took us to the Bahamas with our stop in Key West. Which then brought us to another goal...5 years...same spot.... and here we are. Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed so we were unable to sit at our usual table (I'll have to search for our 5 year pic that matches up above). Thanks for all the wonderful memories Sweetheart. It has been an amazing 10 years (ups and downs!)

My 2 Favorites!

So happy to be together! I LOVE YOU BABY!

Key West, FL

Us!

It's not very often we get these pics.

Sleep, Sleep and more Sleep

Sleeping in was FANTASTIC!

Carriage Ride in Cozumel

We went to a local restaurant in Cozumel to get an appetizer, but the night life was so crazy with Spring Breakers that we left before the waiter could bring back our water. A man named Pedro was waiting outside and wanted money for a ride. We talked him down to $10. It was a nice little ride...I have to say that the man wasn't too happy when Jeremy asked if he had change for a $50. Jeremy had to go to the restaurant again to make change. It was one of those moments :)

I was proud to get my ride :)

Excursion: Parasailing in Key West

Jeremy and I both agree that parasailing was well worth it (with the exception of Jeremy almost vomiting due to motion sickness...it was windy). We had a blast and were really lucky to have a small crowd on our boat (only one other couple and our crazy surfer dudes). Other boats had upto 12 passengers. This has always been one of the top things on my "to-do before I die" list. Glad to say I can make a check. Thanks Hunny!

The Ship....Huge; need I say more? Okay:

This is from the street in Cozumel. The horse (you can barely see) pulled us in a carriage that night. We took pictures from it, but never of it.


Of our cruise ship from the parasailing boat (in Key West, FL. There were several docked.


First night. Great food! The all time favorite dessert: The Chocolate Metlting Cake. I had it 3 of the 4 nights. Yummy!


Crowded, always!


There's a huge slide on the 12th level. You can see it in the far distance.