Are you in the circle of trust?

hey I think it's about time four our blog to go private. It's kind of scary to think anyone could google us and find it. if you want to stick around let me know...I am going to change it in the next week or two.

Warmth

Phew there is so much to be grateful for this year! Like how I am thankful for like my crazy husband and beautiful equally crazy girls or that we have a car the works and steady jobs. I am humbled by the blessings of where we live and how much others care and look out for our little family. I am so thankful that Chad's stuck with school and that he's about to finish his last test ( for a while anyway) I'm grateful for education and that we have minds to fill it with. I am humbled when I stop to think about the millions that will go without this year and last year and next year. I am thankful for the little things...cold diet coke....a good nights sleep....a cough that doesn't get worse....going a whole day without a negative thought.
Back when my life was shall we say a little more tumoltous I developed a strategy to keep myself from always being down. I picked the small things, everyday things that could potentially go wrong and be grateful that they hadn't.
I think we all could blog for hours about what to be thankful for and I'd love to read everyones! I think it's wonderful that each of us have so many things that are different and unique to be grateful for.
Out of my list this year however, my thoughts of gratitude keep going back to My Grandpa Scott. In my twenty six years I've never met a more selfless person. He passed away earlier this year and I find it's still hard to grasp sometimes. Grandpa was so many things and all of them good in my eyes. I am so thankful to be his grandgirl and I am even more grateful that Reese developed a small but lasting relationship with him before as she says "he went to heaven with Jesus and the CareBears"
A few thanksgivings ago, When Grandpa Scott was enjoying better health, he and Grandma Julie joined us for thanksgiving at my moms. After a great meal and alot of dessert we all sat around the fire and decided to share what we personally were thankful for. There was the usual comments ( see mine above) about family and health and all valuable and worth mentioning of course! When it came time for Grandpa Scott to share we all felt a little confused when he said he was thankful for warmth. Of course we begged him to elaborate and he continued to tell us a story about after being captured by Nazi's during World War Two. He recounted this story to us but I chose to take some excerpts from his blog to get the details right. For eleven days the POW's marched and road in frozen boxcars before reaching a Nazi camp. In his own words:
"We were loaded into boxcars to tightly that in some of them we could hardly sit down. Sanitary conditions where nil. If you have nothing to eat you have nothing to void. There were no windows. On Christmas day 1944, We arrived at what was said to be our destination.
We were allowed to get out and stand in the woods were we remained all day."
My grandpa then told us of the snow and that they'd only been given a cup of soup in their helmets in days. He said of the bitter cold and how the Nazi's stomped out their attempt to build a fire. Grandpa said how he had never experienced real cold until then.
I choose this year to be thankful for the person my Grandpa was, his example, his personal fight for our freedom and warmth.

Nassau, Bahamas

Our first stop on the cruise was to Nassau the capital of the Bahamas ( I think?) it's actually quite small and for lack of a better word...ghetto. Still it was neat to be on an island and somewhere totally different the the rocky and cold mountains! The day we came it was low eighties and there was a warm breeze. Perfect weather for shopping.

This is just a tiny part of the huge Straw Market where natives spend all day in the humid giant tent selling anything from fake gucci bags to hand made straw purses and shell earrings. It was really sort of sad being in there because so many of the islanders seemed desperate and emotionless. Apparently tourism is what keeps this island from going under. Even so, almost sixty percent of the native people here live at or below poverty.
You can even buy some of these still wet from the ocean.....imagine trying to fit that in your luggage.
The city is filled with colorful buildings. Mostly pink ( the governments color ) yikes.
We opted for a tour to what they claim is a zoo but really more like a jungle where lizards and Flamingos roam freely.
We were let into a cage full of these Lory birds and they ate apples out of our hands. It was really cool to experience. Reese was too chicken but Chad had four or five perched on him at once.
Reese doing her best Flamingo impression during the Flamingo "show". it wasn't too exciting but made for a cool picture.
These Parrots where not caged and you could walk right up to them. This guy did tricks and said "hello"
Just the parrots, family and diet coke.
The others opted for scooters and went on to scoot all over the island. It looked like a blast.
You can't stop here without getting the photo. Until next time...

When you wish upon.....

It's become apparent that I am going to have to break up this post into a few in order to squeeze all that Disney magic and wonder from our trip in.
We stayed at the Airport Marriot Saturday night in Orlando and had the BEST mom and pop pizza, even if it did take two hours to get there ( maybe they had to use a bike?)

We got to Port Canaveral after a very bumpy and dangerous what Reese calls "Shittel" ride.

This is the lobby of the ship ( second story view) it's actually quite pretty. We were pleasantly surprised to see the ship and port had put her Christmas best on already!

We snapped a shot just minutes after boarding. We were waiting to take an elevator to deck six our our stateroom. We were lucky enough to be neighbors with Ben and Lindsey. I leanred that the ship can carry over 2500 passengers and usually staffs over 900. What's weird is that most of the time your walking around by yourself. There was so much space it never felt like there were that many people on board.

You can't see it but Reese is covering her mouth (in awe?) at first sight of the Micky pool.

Reese really got her booty shaking at the "Sail away Party" which involved ALOT of dancing. the folks here on the ship LOVE to incorporate dance into just about everything. It was really fun and cute at first but by day four....us adults where ready to sit down.

Captain Micky.....

Ben got tricked into coming on stage as...Drum roll please.....Village people!! I should attach a video because you know we couldn't miss filiming the YMCA. In case your wondering he did it...maybe on in order but he did it. Bravo Ben....Bravo
Waiting for the ship to set sail.....and it finally did about four hours after we boarded. It's LOUD horn was the tune "when you wish upon a star"

We waved to the passengers on the other ships and although they couldn't hear us, we shouted how we knew they were jealous!

Reeses first encounter with roalty. She was mezmerized. She told Sleeping Beauty that she was her favorite!! and in a light and airy voice Sleeping Beauty replied " Oh how wonderful Reese!" Little did she know she would continue on to be read stories by Snow White and run around Captain Hooks ship with Peter Pan....Dance with Minnie and take photos with Goofy.

Preview of coming posts!!

Above is the view from my beach chair...

Some of the natural wildlife On Disney's private island which
was once a hideout for pirates.

We took a long and relaxing bike ride around alot of the remote island. It even rained a few drops in the eighty degree sun.

What's a vacation without Goofy?

Smell my feet

Stella the Lady bug was as always a perfect model for Lindsey and I as we tried desperatly to snap a cousins shot in their costumes. Did I catch a money shot? not so much.

Sawyer was a darling little frog and took every chance he could get to snack on Halloweens bounty.

We had to improvise because Reese kept changing her mind. First Witch ( a candy corn one no less) and then a care bear and then she came in an hour before trick or treating and begged to be a corpse Bride. Below is why I did not become a makeup artist. I felt like it was great Halloween. good food, family and of course CANDY!

Why is parenthood so easy?

Hah that was some sarcasm for you! Parenthood is officially terrifying. I have found that I never stop panicking when something goes wrong. Somewhere I read a quote that "parenthood is allowing your heart to walk on the outside of your body". I couldn't agree more. I have so much invested in these little kiddos it's scary. I love their guts so stinkin much that like I said before it's terrifying to experience some of the inevitable things that come with the parent "package".
For example Stella gagged the other day AGAIN during a peaceful lunch and my stomach instantly dropped. I kept my cool as to not cause Reese too much panic ( she is a sensitive soul) but inside my mind was racing...what if I can't get it out...what if she stops breathing..where is the phone....will the ambulance make it in time....will she be that small statistic of babies that choke to death.... why isn't Chad here.....then suddenly out pops the chunk of apple and with a giggle Stella yawns as if nothing happened. My heart raced for an hour after that.
Two nights ago Chad left to go on a deer hunt. Stella and Reese both decided to have a bout of serious coughing and as I sat there rocking Stella in the wee hours of the morning trying to calm the fear that maybe it's something serious like swine flu or bronchitas I realized how very grateful I am that at least for me, this parenthood thing is a partnership and when Chads around nothing is as scary.
I don't always know whats the best answer, what kind of vitamins to buy why Stella won't stop crying or how to make Reese feel better after a bad dream.
I will admit that I have settled down about germs and I don't get mad anymore when Reese has yet another cold but I'm sure there will always be moments where I don't know what to do. That's what my parents where always for. Now I am someones parent and I am just as lost as Reese sometimes and even more scared. I guess God feels for us and allows these types of situations to only happen occasionally. Then I forget how scary this thing called motherhood can be and focus on how great it always is