"March Month"

If you were to ask Carson, he'd tell you his birthday is in "March Month." He's pretty much thought it was every day since his teacher first mentioned March during calendar time. In keeping with that we figured what the heck, let's just get his present a little early. We went bicycle shopping Sunday after church. Of course he chose the Spiderman bike, but apparently has a large noggin and couldn't fit in the Spiderman helmet. He settled for a Batman helmet, and it even came with a snazzy bell. It's okay to mix and match your superheros, right? We've been doing some riding the past few nights and he's getting the hang of it pretty fast.

I love those dimples!

Life's a beach...

Saturday was our first day at the beach this year. I don't think there has ever been such PERFECT weather. 80 degrees with that fabulous ocean breeze and lots of sunshine! There are definitely many reasons we'd like to be living in Arkansas rather than Florida right now - friends, family, etc... but the weather is not one of them. January, February, and March weather here has been awesome. Okay, okay, I'll stop raving about weather and get this cutie below...

Carson had a blast! He made a few friends while we were there and could have cared less about what we were doing. I think I'm starting to see a little friends-with-everyone-he-meets personality developing. If you know my baby brother or PaPaw, you know he comes by it honestly. Thankfully, I can't think of two better people to be like.

Sydney and Haley had fun just being goofballs, as usual.

Saturday night we went to our friends the Calvo's house. Carson and Elena played together while the girls did Just Dance 2. Of course, a fun evening is never complete without one of Carson's "terrified" fits. In case you're unaware, he is scared to death of squirrels, raccoons, and any other similar animal. No traumatic experience to explain it, just scared. A toy ball with a fake squirrels tail (I know you've all seen them in Cracker Barrel) surfaced in the toy box. We heard the all too familiar scream and knew it was Carson afraid of something. Cam was sitting outside with the guys when one said, "Uh oh. Sounds like someones hurt." Cam quickly informed them that was not the hurt cry, it's the terrified cry. While I'm making my son out to be quite the sissy, let me just add that the child would jump off the roof. No fear there, just small furry animals. Despite him begging me not to touch it, I got it out of the room and hidden. We have since answered a gazillion "why?" questions surrounding the squirrel toy.

How cute is this...

And here's those goofy girls again...

Great 4 day weekend!

Relieved...

I am so relieved to finally have the blog updated. My mom had been hounding me to get some new pictures up. I really don't know how working moms keep up with their blogs. Hopefully I'll do better, at least for a little while. ;) Here are a few random pics I thought I'd throw in.

I hope you've enjoyed the updates, Mom. I love you!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

ESPN the Weekend

We met some friends for a weekend in Orlando the beginning of March. It was ESPN the Weekend at Disney. A couple of them were running the 5K early Saturday morning so we decided to sign the kids up for the kid run. Carson was beyond excited and woke up that morning asking if it was time to race. It was so fun to watch him running so seriously. He was very excited about getting a medal from a cheerleader...made his daddy proud.

Carson and Gabriella ready for their race.

Showing off his medal and "refueling" after the race.

Syd seeing how she measures up to Dwight Howard. Got a little ways to go.

Her dream job! Look out Erin Andrews...

Cam and I got to watch a taping of Stump the Schwab with Jason Witten, Roddy White, and Ron Jaworski. It was pretty funny and Cam - the Cowboy fan - loved getting to see Jason Witten. Fun weekend!

February

The weather in February was gorgeous!! Most days were 70-75 degrees and sunny. Perfect! We had a lot going on this month. Sydney's dance team performed at the Florida State Fair. Yes, you read that right, fair in February - weird.

Sydney and Haley after their performance.

If your still thinking about how weird it is to have a fair in February, check this out...

That's a giraffe - at the FAIR!
I have never seen a giraffe anywhere but the zoo. Again, weird.

We also went to Plant City with friends for a humongous strawberry shortcake. You can't go to Parksdale Farms without a picture in the strawberry chair.

We picked up a few fresh fruits and veggies for the week, too. All this for only $20. Take my word for it, these huge strawberries were great when dipped in chocolate for Valentine's Day.

We had dinner at the California Pizza Kitchen and hit up Build A Bear.

Sydney is an old pro at Build A Bear. Her Lolli spoiled her with more than her fair share of them when she was little. This was Carson's first time and he loved it!

He named his bear Yogi, very original huh?

We had a fun night with some other friends one weekend in February.

The big girls were great entrainment for the little ones. Sydney and Haley trying to teach them to play duck duck goose was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. They settled on choo-choo training around the house.

I just threw this next picture in because I love it!

My sweet little Sydney looks so beautiful and grown up. tear.

January 2011

We got home from Arkansas early afternoon of New Year's Eve. We decided to ring in the new year relaxing at home. We played some Wii and watched the ball drop in Times Square, then headed to bed shortly after. We were all pretty worn out from the trip home and needed a weekend of rest before getting back to school and work.

The following weekend we went to Disney again for our friend Gabriella's 4th birthday party. After the party we all ate at the Rainforest Cafe and watched Carson have a complete meltdown. He is very weird about loud noises (ex: auto flush and hand dryers in public restrooms freak him out) and did not like the fake thunderstorms. He was also terrified of the Gorillas sitting right behind us that moved and made noises every 15 minutes. No amount of reassuring him that they were not real would do. Needless to say we've had better dining out experiences. We spent the rest of the day at the Magic Kingdom with Bryan, Denise, and Gabriella. Here are a few pictures from our day...

Syd and Gabriella are big buddies. She loves being the cool, "big" girl.

Of course, we can't pass a Buzz Lightyear statue without a picture.

The rest of January was pretty uneventful. School and work kept us super busy, so our weekends were used for lots of relaxing.

December 2010

Sydney turned 10!! As I say every year, I can't believe she's that old! She has already caught me shoe size and will pass me any day now in height. She is such a sweet girl, and I'm so thankful God blessed me with her a decade ago.

We had a fun dinner at Cheesecake Factory with her friend Hayley, then spent the rest of the weekend at Disney. We also got to see the Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights while we were there. It was FABULOUS!

Syd and Haley cheesin' for some cheesecake

The birthday girl!

Carson was obsessed with toy soldiers. He got a bag of them for Christmas, but most have since bit the dust by way of someone's shoe. I think I actually stepped on the last one this afternoon. Good thing we've moved on to new fascinations.

Waiting for our favorite ride, "Toy Story 3"

Meeting Lotso

Carson's preschool class had a fun Christmas party. They sang songs and exchanged gifts, and (as evident from the picture below) ate way too much sugar.

We spent the first Friday night and Saturday of our Christmas break driving HOME!! It was so nice to spend 2 weeks in Arkansas. It was the first time we'd been back since the move. The kids were fabulous in the car, but the trip was very l-o-n-g! I spent more time visiting than taking pictures but here are a couple of favs.

I was so glad these boys got to spend a lot of time together.

They had so much fun - including PaPaw!

Just loved this picture of two of my favorite guys!

*Sydney wasn't still enough for many pictures, as she was bouncing around from house to house spending time with everyone in De Queen, Nashville, and Little Rock.*

We enjoyed getting to go back to our old church - Parkway Place - and having lunch some great friends. We also got to meet Miss Aubrey and hang out with Jarrod, Anna Carol, and Mason. As for family, we spent most of our time bouncing around SW Arkansas to spend time with everyone and loved every minute of it. We love you guys! My friends Jessa and Lacey came by, too. I love having friends like them...we may not talk for months but when we finally do, it's like we never missed a day. We stayed one more night in LR before heading home and got to have dinner with Mark, Kristin, and Zoey. She had grown so much and it was great to catch up. We were also glad to have a little extra time at Ryan, Ashley, and Davo's house. Next time we see them I'll be an aunt again!

We miss you all and can't wait for the next visit home!

Thanksgiving 2010

This was our first Thanksgiving in Florida, and I was so glad to have my mom here to cook (just to see her too, of course)!! I did help out and cook the turkey and Lolli's fabulous monkey bread. Both turned out well, if I do say so myself.

Neither were as tasty as mom's sweet potatoes though.

My first attempt at bread baking.

We got the Christmas tree up too. I

love having the house decorated this time of year.

The kids wanted a tree in their living room since I put the big one in the family room. (Houses here are very different. Most have a formal living room and a family room. I'd prefer one bigger room, but you take what you get. We really weren't into the whole "formal" thing, so the kids have their own living room to play in.) They chose a white tree with blue, green, and red ornaments. I think it turned out very cute!

On another note -

What Cameron and Carson do when they're bored...

water bottle bowling @ the Arnold house - crazy boys!

Notice Carson's attire. He was not made to live in FL. It was 80 degrees outside and this is how he was dressed. He always wants jeans, a long sleeved shirt, and a jacket on.

Whatever floats his boat.

We are so thankful for many blessings in our lives.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!!

Mimi's Visit

We counted down the days for almost 2 months until Mimi came to visit!! Carson would ask every few days, "Are we going to the airport to get my grandma today?" I finally told him last Friday night that he only had to sleep one more time and his grandma would be here. He got up on Saturday morning, ran into our room, and said, "I took one more sleep, I didn't have a bad dream, and my grandma's coming today!" It was precious. When we saw her at the airport, he and Sydney were so excited!! We decided to spend the afternoon at Disney and had a great time. Mimi and the kids rode the tea cups, we saw all the Christmas decorations at the Magic Kingdom, and the kids got to meet Pluto...fun day!!

I can't believe how tall this girl has gotten!!

When they walked up to meet Pluto, Carson said, "Hey little guy!" I don't guess he noticed that Pluto was twice his size. You never know what that little booger will say. ;)

During Mom's visit, we also went to Ikea, Mazzaro's Italian Market (fabulous!!), and the outlet mall for a little Christmas shopping. Can't to see her and everyone else in Arkansas soon!!

Thanksgiving Pie @ Preschool

Carson's preschool invited the parents to have pie the week before Thanksgiving. The kids sang songs and gave out turkeys they had made. Carson's turkey says he is thankful for his Mommy, Daddy, Sister, and Grandma. I have no idea why he insists on calling my mom (Mimi to everyone else) Grandma, but it's just so funny. He says it in a really deep voice and makes us laugh every time. I'm very thankful for this little guy, too!!

Smarty Pants

Sydney got an award for making Principal's Honor Roll for the first grading period - All A's.

Way to go Syd!!

A Trip to the Oldest City...

Deer Park's 4th graders took a field trip to St. Augustine, FL yesterday. St. Augustine was founded forty-two years before the English colony at Jamestown, Virginia, and fifty-five years before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts - making it the oldest permanent European settlement on the North American continent.

We left the school at 7:00 Friday morning on four charter buses. It was a 3 and a 1/2 hour trip which was actually much quieter than I expected. The fact that there were probably as many parents as kids and that movies were playing helped I'm sure.

First, we visited the oldest wooden school house in the USA.

I loved the kids faces as the tour guide told them about dunce caps and paddling.

We also visited Castillo de San Marcos Fort. The fort was started in 1672 and took 23 years to build. The Spanish built it to protect themselves from future attacks after an English pirate attacked in 1668.

Sydney's 4th grade class

I just liked this picture from the top of the
fort looking over to the lighthouse, so I threw it in.

Sydney and her friend Emma posing inside the fort.

We got to drink from the Fountain of Youth. ;)

At least that's what Ponce de León thought he had found.

I was only able to manage a sip with my nose held.

The sulphur smell and taste was very strong.

While we were listening the Timucua Indians

tell us about trading, this pirate was doing what you see above.

Below is his work of art...

Sydney and her teacher, Mrs. Linden,

showing off with the wood the pirate had burned.

This "Spaniard" fired the cannon for us.

This is the Love Tree. Its very strange looking

because it's a palm tree growing inside an oak tree.

The legends say that couples that kiss beneath this tree

will seal their love for eternity. Awww...

Sydney and I had a great time learning some Florida history today.

We finally got back to Deer Park around 10:30. After no sleep on the bus,

this was Sydney 5 minutes after we walked in the house. I think she enjoyed her day!!