4 Rivers Smokehouse & Sweet Shop

We had a blast visiting Titi's work while down in Florida. The Sweet Shop is awesome and of course, the 4 Rivers Smokehouse BBQ is to die for. My new obsession from this visit is the Cornbread Salad! We feasted on dinner before heading next door for some sweet treats. And since the weather was perfection, we sat out on the front patio to enjoy them, all together :)

The Sweet Shop

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Tiffany just sent some pictures over from our fun Valentine's session a few weeks ago--how cute are they and seriously, how talented is Tiffany?!

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

Titi gave Lola a special Christmas gift this year--a trip to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique at Disney! The day after Christmas, we headed out to Downtown Disney so our little princess could have an official makeover. And while she walked out looking more like a mini-J.Lo then a Disney Princess, it was an adorable and fun experience for her--and us!

We walked around, browsed in some shops, rode the Carousel and Train, of course, and then headed over to Rainforest Cafe, where Mom and Dad treated us all to lunch. It was such a fun day and it was great that we could all be together.

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

{father + son}

Johnny WALKS!

We promised these videos last week, but we had no idea Johnny would go from taking his first few steps to practically off and running in just a short amount of time. This is all made possible by lots of Physical Therapy over the last 10 months, Prayers & Faith! We are SO proud of our son. Before you know it, he's going to be running bases :)

Just press "play"--there are 4 videos!

Lola+Preston=LOVE

My dear friend Tiffany (mommy to the ADORABLE Preston) had the brilliant idea that we should do a Valentine's Day themed photo session with L & P. Tif is an aspiring photographer herself, so it was great practice for us both. We of course prefer to shoot in natural light, so we set up a mini studio in our kitchen, which if you move the table, take down the curtains and set up shop right in front of the bay window, is not a bad spot! Haha.

I haven't even started editing my share of photos, but wanted to share a random one I grabbed off my memory card. Tiffany styled the entire session to perfection--so many adorable accessories for our silly preschoolers to keep occupied with. We were so proud of them--they let us snap for a good 30 minutes straight!

More to come :)

How does Snow White run 13.1 miles?

We shall see, come February 26th! Renee and I are running the Disney Princess Half Marathon together *THIS* month.

{14 months}

A post without a picture? Gasp!

This post is so great, it doesn't need a picture.

Today, Johnny let go and took 3 consecutive steps. Mom was my witness and John was in the kitchen. Then, a few hours later, I was in the kitchen and Johnny took 3 consecutive steps to Daddy! And he wasn't even wearing his AFOs :) We've all noticed how much more flat-footed he is in just the one month he's been wearing them.

Now, remember Johnny track record. He likes to show us he is capable of doing something and then make us wait weeks before he does it on a consistent basis. We can't wait to post a video of him soon walking across the living room. There is no doubt that is coming...

He's so awesome.

Oh, wait! You need a 14 month update...Ok!

• He has started signing! So exciting, especially since he's still not saying much of anything. Just to know he's comprehending and communicating back to us is awesome. His favorite sign is "more"--as in "more food"--no shocker there!
• Playing peek-a-boo, blowing kisses, waving bye-bye, pointing.
• Shapes! He is so good at the blue & red Tupperware shape ball. He'll pick up a shape piece, we'll turn the ball to that shape and damn if he doesn't get that correct shape in with ease.
• Hitting--more like whacking! We're trying to teach him gentle, and we do hope he gets it soon. He's so excited and combined with his spastic movements, you're bound to get bopped on the head, when really, he's just trying to tell you he loves you :)
• Dancing--this kid is just like his Mommy in that department--he hears tunes and he starts groovin'.
• Smolder. Yep, kids got smolder. After bath, when he's all fresh and clean and his smooth, silky hair is combed just right, he's Baby George Clooney.

Christmas Day {2011}

Lola & Johnny

Christmas Day 2011

Here's a recap of our Christmas Day in Florida last month, in pictures :) The kids took several trips in the new wagon, Lola did some painting, Johnny had a special "Santa Baby" photo session and we had a delicious meal together in the evening, of course!

It was a Very Merry Christmas...

Christmas Day {2011}

Lola's 1st Skate

A very special full-circle moment happened this morning--for the first time in her little life, Lola had blades on her feet and ice under them on which to skate upon.

My childhood is filled with memories of ice skating, a sport I picked up after falling in love with watching the 1988 Winter Olympics. I just had to get out on the ice and try it myself. My father obliged, as he had loved the sport growing up, too (speed skating--no foo-foo figure skating for him--until today!) Thus begun years of lessons, costumes and early morning trips to the rink on Saturday mornings (thanks Mom). Before long, Dad had to drop a chunk of change on some professional boots & blades for his girl--I am still using the blades, 20 years later and know I will be able to pass them on to Lola one day, which is pretty awesome.

Lola's first skates are special ones, picked out by Mimi yesterday for her. She was so excited about them--and of course, safety first. And one cannot skate without an awesome Princess helmet!

Lola headed right onto the rink with Papa on her new double-runners. She held onto our hands for a few trips around. I held her hand and thrilled her with some spins we did together. When we took breaks to warm up in the main house, she was the one pulling us back out on to the rink. Eventually, she was letting go and taking her skating steps all by herself.

Another thanks to Mimi for capturing these moments. These are the times I have to leave my camera behind--but then there's Sue with her fancy D40 :)