Disney Cruise 2009

This year we decided to change things up a bit from our normal vacation to Destin. Back in January we learned that Shane had won a trip for the family for doing so well with State Farm. We talked about doing something that we had never done and we knew we wanted to go to the beach. We talked about Savannah, Ga and some other neat places, but finally decided on a Disney cruise. We received an incredible deal and thought that a cruise may not be so bad with 2 young kids and being able to tie in the Disney experience without having to travel to the theme park and long lines. So, we booked it and started the countdown. (On a side note, at the time of booking, we had no CLUE that I was pregnant. It turns out to travel on a cruise ship, you can't be more than 24 or 25 weeks and after finding out, we ended up making it right under the cutoff. Whew!)
We decided to make the drive down to Cape Canaveral instead of flying because we were going to stay in Destin a few extra days on our way back. We packed up the car and headed on an adventure that was sure to be a memorable experience!!!
The boys were great in the car considering how much time it took. Caleb was so excited and couldn't wait to see the cruise ship. This was also a first experience for Shane and myself. Our itinerary included the Bahamas and Disney's own private island Castaway Cay. It was a blast!!! From the moment we departed to the time we got back to port, we had a great time. The boys loved meeting the Disney characters and weren't scared of them at all. The activities were great and the food was fantastic. We did some theatre shows a few nights and the boys really seemed to enjoy them. We went to the island of Atlantis in the Bahamas and the boys LOVED the animals and sea life. The beaches and water were beautiful and crystal clear. We could have stayed there a few more days. We also enjoyed a day at Castaway Cay and had a blast. Caleb finally braved the water alone with his water wings and kept telling everyone he was a diver and he could swim all by himself. Go figure! On our last night on the boat and on our way back to Fl, we ran into some heavy storms and HUGE waves. It was incredible to see how big the waves were and to know that you were right smack in the middle of them. That was definitely an interesting evening, and it took a few days to get my equilibrium back to normal from all of the rocking. All in all, we had a fabulous time and feel so blessed to have been able to have this experience to share with the boys while we are still just a family of four. :)
Here are some pics from the trip.

Mother's Day 2009

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful women that I know and love! It is the most challenging and trying job you will ever have, but it is THE most rewarding job you will ever have the privilege of knowing and experiencing.
We spent the day celebrating with family and of course enjoyed lots of yummy food!

This Mother's Day was a little different for us as we shared a BIG surprise with our family. On Friday, we found out we are adding a little girl to the family!!!


I know I haven't posted anything about the baby, but like I said earlier, life has been so crazy and we were just waiting for the right time. We were able to wait until I was about 16 weeks until we finally told. This is a HUGE surprise for us, but we are thrilled non the less. Here is kind of how it all went down.
Back in January/February, I was feeling funny. I was tired, sluggish, not sleeping well, and having night sweats. It had been going on for a while when I mentioned my symptoms to someone and they suggested I get my hormones tested because they most likely had not regulated since having Caden. Aside from the fact that I have had two kids and know what my body feels like when I am pregnant, I had taken two pregnancy tests as well, which were both negative. So, I called my dr. and scheduled an appt to have bloodwork done, etc. So, back in the middle of March I went for my checkup and to get all of the testing done. I was extremely nervous and just hoping that it was my hormones. One of our friend's husband was recently diagnosed with cancer and he is only 30, so of course, the worse case scenario was running through my head. Shane was in a meeting all day with State Farm and I knew I wasn't going to be able to talk to him until later in the afternoon. So, we did all the testing and then my dr. did my exam. When he finished, he got a funny look on his face. I obviously have known my dr.for quite some time and this was not a face that I had ever seen. His nurse, who I am also close with, also looked scared because she had never seen it either. He looked up at me and said "Well, that was a weird exam." What? What in the world does that mean? So, of course I'm sure my BP was through the roof when I asked him what that meant and he proceeded to tell me that he thought I was 10 1/2 almost 11 weeks pregnant. Seriously? I think I told him that he wasn't funny and he could go ahead and tell me if it was cancer...I could handle it. But, he wasn't kidding. So, I went and had an ultrasound done just to make sure everything was fine and what a surprise to see that little heart beating perfectly. I wasn't able to tell Shane until later that night and I think that was the most nervous I have ever been. After the shock wore off, he of course was very excited and hoping it's a girl. So, when we went for the 20 week ultrasound and found out it was a girl, he was beside himself. My due date is September 28th. We are slowly, but surely getting used to the idea of having pink around the house. I just know that this little girl is going to have her daddy wrapped around her little finger!

So, that is our big news of the year! What an amazing God we have who continues to bless us and surprise us with His plans for us!!!