Riverwalk

This past week we discovered an area downtown right on the river.  It's pretty new to Tampa and it's called Riverwalk.  Well, we knew about it, but we just haven't visited until now.  We LOVE it. 

My mom and I took Madelyn and Asher the other day.  There is a sand play area, a jungle gym, and a splash park that will be opening up soon!  It's a great place to take Madelyn if I don't want to drive to the beach.  It's also pretty cool to be in the middle of the downtown scene and have some green space for the kids and dogs to run around.  Also, at the end of the day, there is a cafe that overlooks the river to sit and have the BEST white sangrias ever.  Anyway, we went back today and I snapped a couple of pics while we were there.  Enjoy!

This is from when my mom and I visited.  Probably one of the greatest pictures of the kids in a while.  We'll be missing Asher for a couple months while he's back with his mom. 

I kinda favor this one :)

Daddy love

My life, my love

This is the pic of someone who is extremely blessed... Hope your day was as good as ours.

Susan G Komen

  When I told my dad about doing the March of Dimes and that I thought I may do the Susan G. Komen three day, he thought I meant the run. Nope, I definately meant walk (three days of running NO WAY). There is a 5k run affiliated with the Susan G. Komen as well though. It is on Oct. 2nd.
    I am facing a terribly difficult decision.  I've been toying with the idea of running for a while now.  However, I have NO drive and NO discipline.  I want to run, I truly want that sense of accomplishment and feeling of being free when you run. 
   I would really enjoy sharing this with my dad.  I think it would be nice to have something that we do together and something that I could hold on to for years to come.  I also think this would be a good thing to share with Madelyn someday.  I mean, all in all, if I could get it together, there are really only positives in this equation.   My question, to myself I guess, is am I able to stay focused and get up to three miles by October?  My dad seems to think that I'd have it in a month, I think he's crazy. I'm SO out of shape and the years of cheerleading and softball are way long gone.   So now I'm curious and need your help.  Should I do it and if so, what are some tips to get started?   

Strawberry Festival

We visited the Strawberry Festival this weekend with some friends and family.  I got some really cute pictures of Madelyn that I wanted to share with you.  Enjoy!

She recently learned that gators say "chomp,chomp,chomp"

One of the very few good pictures I have of the two of us.

Madelyn and her partner in crime :)

 I just couldn't resist... A couple more pictures of that cute little ponytail!

You gotta go get married?!?

Dierks Bently = great concert!  We saw him last night at Universal and he really does put on a good show.  Anyway, on the way home, my nephew, Asher, had asked if we could go back to Universal today.  I told him no, that Jeremy, Madelyn, and I had to go to church.  I guess someone has gotten married recently because he said "you gotta go get married tomorrow?"  It was cute.  I explained to him that although yes, some people get married in churches, that we also go to church to learn about Jesus. 
Asher said that when when he got bigger, like 25 10 (his words, not mine), then he could get married.  I told him yes, when he was much older.  Jeremy then asked him who he was going to marry and his answer was too cute! 
Usually you hear about a little boy saying that when he gets older he's going to marry his mommy.  Not this little boy.  He said "Maybe when I'm older and Madelyn's older I will marry Madelyn."  Really?!?  That just shows how much he loves her. 
Now, lets not get all nasty thinking here.  We all know little kids don't understand that it's not okay to marry their cousins, but that when they talk about marrying someone it is usually just because that is someone they care about.  My heart just melted. 
Madelyn truly LOVES Asher and thinks he hung the moon.  She looks up to him for everything.  When he isn't here, she asks to see him via video camera.  She cries when it's over.  He is the closest thing to a big brother she has and he is the greatest to her.  Hearing Asher say that made me feel so good knowing that he really does love her and doesn't just play with her because he has to. So sweet!

BFF's forever :)

Down the boardwalk..

My brother and I took Madelyn and her cousin Asher to a park the other day that is located right on the bay.  It's so cute and even has a pier out onto the bay.  I took some really cute pics and wanted to post them.  Enjoy! 

   I took this one by holding my camera over the railing.  She and Asher were looking at the water.

Daddy and son looking out into the water.  So cute.

Really.  How much cuter does this get.  Madelyn LOVES her cousin so much.

This is from the photography loving side of me.

I couldn't resist atleast one pose.  I wish the lighting had been better.

Ahh! Gotta love those eyes :)

What a cutie!

Beautiful downtown across the bay.

Paradise for the Weekend

Yay! We finally made it back down to visit my sister in law. We've been so busy lately, or things have come up, that it's been a while. My in laws flew in and we met them down there. We had a great weekend even though it was cold down there too (Crazy Florida weather this year).

Madelyn is a very blessed little girl in the fact that EVERYONE loves her. I don't mean your every day typical "I love you," I mean, can't go more than a few weeks without seeing her loves her. And, she returns the favor. She really does genuinely love and enjoy being with everyone in our family.

As soon as we told her we were going to visit Jessa, she was geared up to go! It's about a three hour trip down and so we told her that after she woke up, she'd get to see Jessa, Papaw, and Grammie. So, she was a good little napper but woke up just a tad too early. I had a tough time explaining to her why they weren't there yet. So, we finally pulled up to Jessica's, and as we unloaded, they pulled up too. So, while Jeremy was taking the luggage out (poor baby) Madelyn and I practically bounced up and down waving and shouting hey!

We meant we were visiting the beach. Can you believe you can still have fun at the beach when it's cold? Madelyn had a great time with everyone. She walked the beach with Jessa, watched surfers with Grammie, and enjoyed a nature walk with Papaw.

I swear she didn't nap all weekend. She went to bed LATE and woke up no later than 8 ready to go. I guess she didn't want to miss out on any time with some of her favorite people. And during this entire time, she may have gotten whiny once. Such a good little girl if I may say so myself :)

We didn't have a big eventful weekend. Just hung out with everyone and had fun being with each other. And now everyone is back at home and we're waiting until the next time we get to visit. Until then, here are a few more pics to enjoy of our weekend in paradise!

Mixed Emotions

What a change from last weekend. As a reminder, last weekend was SO great. This weekend...not so much :( This week, I should say. My parents are moving across the bay so as you can guess, busy busy busy. We've been painting ALL week, followed by cleaning  and finally the big move. Summary of the move: Supposed to have a truck by 9:00 am- it still wasn't at the pick up place by 11:00 so we went with another company. Go to pick up new truck...power is down. So, after a fast food lunch, we return to pick up the truck. Lots of packing left to do and, because we're all so tired from the rest of the week, it's anyone's guess who will hurt whom first. Yeah, not to mention, my brother was out of town, so my poor dad and Jeremy were the only two handling the big stuff. NOT FUN.
Now for the real downer for the week. We got a call on Thursday that Jeremy's great grandmother passed away. She hasn't been doing well for the past few months, so we have been prepared, but this is still not something anyone looks forward to. Being that we live pretty far away, and finances are not so great, we won't be attending the services and that's not a proud moment either.
Mamaw truly was a wonderful lady. She always treated me as family even before Jeremy and I were married. She always acknowledged every single person's presence and, looking back, I don't think I EVER saw her without a smile. She really enjoyed showing how much she loved us all. While visiting her in the hospital at Thanksgiving, we were telling her about a cousin's baby shower. She got so upset that she didn't know about it. When some family members explained that they didn't think she'd be able to make it...being that she was in the hospital... she was fighting mad. She said that at least she could have known to send a gift. I mean, what a thoughtful and selfless person. To worry about getting someone a gift over her own health. I'm sure everyone will have such pleasant memories of her to share on Monday.
Hopefully tomorrow will be the start of a better week. I'm sad to say, I don't have any pictures for today. I do know I have some pics of Madelyn with Mamaw and as soon as they are found, I will come back and post them to this.

Going Back

Right now I'm working on a playlist to add to my blog (I'm learning as I go) and I've come across a song that always makes me take a step back. Jason Aldean's Laugh Until We Cry. It's not one I'd consider a favorite, in fact, I never remember it until I hear it playing somewhere. Usually, before I know it, I am in tears. It'll be on my playlist as soon as I figure out how to apply it to my blog, so maybe you'll get something out of it as well.

Sometimes I just get so caught up in life and I don't really take the time to appreciate all the wonderful moments that I've gotten to be a part of. This song literally mentions so many of those times. So, I'm going to reflect on some of those now.

Yes, spring break-- senior year. Panama City acted as the spring break capitol and anyone who was anyone HAD to go. My two best friends, one of which is still very dear to me, and I had a blast that year. (Pic of best friend mentioned and Madelyn as baby) Let me first mention that we did not go by ourselves. My mother and one of my friend's moms went as well. NO, we were not embarassed. We just didn't care to put ourselves in any situation that we couldn't get out of. However, they did their thing, and we did ours. We made memories that will never be forgotten. How easy things were then and we didn't even know it. We danced around like we owned the world.

Another moment-- Christmas Eve freshman year in high school. This one is so bittersweet and it is usually at this point in the song that I begin to cry. The way Jason Aldean describes Christmas with his family and listening to his grandfather is EXACTLY how our family used to be. That was the last Christmas we had with him and I wish all the time I hadn't rushed it to run off with my friends and boyfriend. Every year he would sit in the same chair and, after opening presents, he'd want to watch us all open them again --we recorded our Christmases. I think we had more fun watching him watch himself than actually opening presents. I can't even begin to describe him. He was just one of those people you had to know. He really was my world. I spent so many days and nights with him while I was growing up. In my eyes, he could do no wrong. But this Christmas, I was a little irked with him and my grandmother because of a family issue that I won't even go into. I shouldn't have let that get in the way of making those memories. I left and went to my friend's house with a simple "bye" muttered to him. A few hours later I got one of the worst phone calls I can recall. I watched the adults all agree to not hold him back, to let him go--it's what he wanted. I watched him take his last breath in a tiny hospital room. I watched him squeeze my uncle's hand. The last person in the world I would have wanted to see in that hospital room, got to be with my grandfather and to feel his last moment of life. I watched my grandfather go with God on Christmas Eve. My last night with him, and it was all wrong.

Well, that was a tear jerker. Let me end my flashback into time with something more recent and much more easy to read. We'd just gotten back from vacation with my parents at Disney. There we were, sitting in the bathroom, staring at that one word sure to change our lives. PREGNANT!! We were happy, scared, nervous, and amazed at God's work. The next day we sent flowers to our mothers with a cute little note from, who we then called, "baby k". We've made so many memories in these almost two years and I wish I could keep a video camera on her all day every day. I don't have to go into detail about Madelyn. I'm sure as you can already see, I talk about her without even realizing it sometimes. She goes hand in hand with my everyday.

It's kinda crazy how one song can make you stop in your tracks and forget everything around you. Things, moments, and memories come rushing back into your mind as vividly as they were the day they occurred. That's such a gift. I guess maybe songs could be considered life's tape recorders/video cameras. You just hit play and relive a special moment or two in your life.

Fun,Sun,and Beads!!!

Ahh this weekend was WONDERFUL! A person truly couldn't have asked for a better time. Jeremy's sister came to visit and Madelyn was thrilled. She loves her Aunt "Sessa". The second she walked in the door she was glued to her. (Madelyn really is a very blessed child in the fact that she is loved so much. She returns the favor very well though.)

To make things better, we decided to go the the parade that was being held here this weekend. Now, not only did she have her Aunt Sessa, but her Uncle Brian joined us for this one which made it double the fun! We went last year as well, but it was so much more fun this time being that Madelyn is a little older. We wheeled her through the crowd in her wagon for as long as she could stand it. However, being little miss independant, she much preferred walking around and greeting the many friendly faces. She took a picture with a shark mascot that she thought was pretty cool, pet a baby gator and snake, got cotton candy, and her Sessa bought her a really cute blow up monkey. She had a blast! Honestly, I was expecting a melt down at any minute since she bypassed her daily nap, but it never happened. She was all smiles--although she wasn't up for smiling for the camera much :(

Down here we're used to wonderful weather every day. Unfortunately, it's been pretty crummy around here lately. Cold (for us) and icky. But woohoo!!! Beautiful sun and warmer weather :) There's nothing like a little vitamin D. So who could complain?!

Really, a great weekend. We ended the parade with a sweet baby girl covered with beads. Grabbed some Mexican food, and headed home. Since it was such a special occasion with Sessa's visit, we let Madelyn stay up much later than she is used to and she literally danced the night away. She had such a great night singing and dancing with all of us. I also got some great video footage of my brother singing to Madelyn which was REALLY cute. Here are just a few pics....