Nancy's Visit: August 2011

My sister came to visit last month, and we had a blast. Of course, being sisters, near the end of the visit, I thought...wow...she has been here a long time...and then once she left, I thought...She wasn't here NEARLY LONG ENOUGH! Ha, oh sisters! Well, I miss her terribly and wish she could come back NOW. Here's some pictures from our visit. We pretty much hung around the house and played with kids her entire visit. However, we did manage to get in a visit to Downtown Disney. :)

Disney...Again!

Roger's parents were in town the last weekend of July, and we decided to take a trip to Disney World. They hadn't been since 1988, so they were definitely ready to see Disney through Caitlin and Jake's eyes! It was a great trip...and Caitlin quickly roped Grandpap Haney into buying her a balloon within the first 10 minutes after walking through the gates. :) We had a great time during their visit...and even managed to get a trip to Clearwater beach in for some play time and a sunset. A super fun time, as always!

Meeting Mickey and Minnie

Waiting for Daisy

Family Shot

Ready to go home

Still smiling after a long, hot day

G&G Haney with Kiddos

Haney Family at Disney

Haneys and Sivulas at the beach

Caitlin having fun

TWINS...almost! :)

Me and my Momma!

Little Bug

The Haneys at the Beach

NKOTBSB...and an AMAZING weekend with a Forever Friend

Life is funny...you are in grade school, longing to grow up and not have to be a little kid anymore. Then, once you get older, and work in the real world, and start dealing with adult responsibilities, you long to be a kid again. Well, for one night, I felt like a kid again. All that was missing was my Joey-Joe t-shirt, and my Dad driving me, my sister and my cousin to our first New Kids on the Block concert. Fast forward 21 years, and it is me, driving my friend Catie and I to Orlando, and seeing New Kids on the Block in concert...and what a night it was. We had a wonderful afternoon, just walking around the Millenia Mall, eating a KID FREE DINNER at P.F. Changs (man, I forgot what that was like), and then heading to the show. I loved every minute of it. Sure, I missed Roger and the kids...but the day away was amazing.

Catie and I sang along to every word and danced in the aisles. NKOTB was wonderful...BSB was good...but the PENTULTIMATE was when Boyz II Men were the surprise guests near the end of the show. AMAZING...it was at that point, I felt my voice go...and Joe McIntyre's 'Please Don't Go Girl' before it, might have had something to do with it as well. :)

Thank you to my life-long friend Catie, who is truly a blessing in my life...and one of the greatest people that I have ever known...it was a night/weekend I will never forget. And our 31 year-old selves, were BEAT on Saturday and Sunday, just trying to recouperate. :) Love you, Catie!! <3

LOVE this girl!

NKOTB

Boyz II Men

The weekend would NOT be complete without our TShirts...

...and BIG BUTTON!

First Trip to the Beach (Father's Day Weekend)

Yes, our kids are native Floridians and we have never taken them to the beach. Thus, we thought that at 1 and 2, the time is now. We decided to spend the Saturday before Father's Day at the beach. We ventured to a beautiful beach, one of the top 10 Beaches in the US, in Dunedin, FL. This magnificent piece of real estate is called 'Honeymoon Island'. It was quiet, beautiful, and exactly what we wanted. The beach consisted of families, all lined up with their beach umbrellas, floatees, and coolers. What a great way to spend a Saturday in June. (Thanks CD for always gushing about this perfect spot!).

The first trip in the water, Jake was calm and cool as always, and Caitlin kept yelling, NO...SWIM SWIM...she didn't want to walk in the water, our girl wanted to swim! So, I managed to walk and hold her up like she was swimming. She loved it!

We were there for a few hours and really had a lovely time. Then we went back home for naps, and ventured back out to Ybor City for some yummy pizza at this little pizzeria that I had a 'Groupon' for. It was a great Father's Day weekend, with our little family. Roger loved doing is favorite things...going to the beach, eating Pizza on Saturday, Steak on Sunday, and hanging out with his wife and kids. Life is good.

Beautiful Honeymoon Island

Diva in the sand

Caitlin and Daddy in the water

Daddy and his Mini-Me

Mommy and Kiddos

Daddy trying to show Caitlin how to build a sand castle

Mommy and Jakers

Little Miss

Someone has a secret...

Happy Fathers Day!

Father's Day Cake for my Dad and Roger

Okay, so this picture...Caitlin decided to pull her potty out of the bathroom, strip off her diaper and pj bottoms and watch TV on it. Yep...we have started the potty training, but I think she has a mind of her own.

Disney Mania

We took the kids to Disney on Saturday...and let's just say, there is a reason they call it the 'Happiest Place on Earth'. Enjoy!

The AMAZING and TALENTED Carmen Doherty!

I am so blessed to know and work with this amazing woman, Carmen Doherty. Not only is she a genius at her job (we work at the same company), but she is a GENIUS behind the camera. This lady has such an amazing drive for family, work, and her personal hobbies...she can do it all. She has launched her amazing photography business and is just brilliant. (How many positive adjectives can I really use in this post?) Oh yeah, and she is BY FAR the most positive, uplifting, and generous person that I know. Okay, now that this post is dripping with sappiness...please view the video below. I thank God everyday for her mentorship, friendship and kindness. Love you, Carmen!

Captured in this video, is an amazing photo session with my family, where we commemorated Caitlin's 2nd birthday with a tea party and Jake's 1st birthday with a homemade chocolate baseball cake!

Daddy's Little Girl

I'll let you in on a little secret...I am a Daddy's Girl...and I am more than okay with it. I am almost 31 years old, and I am still Daddy's girl. When I found out I was pregnant with baby #1, I prayed for a girl. Why? Because I wanted my girl to have a close relationship with her Dad, as I did and STILL DO, with mine. Well, God granted my prayer, and blessed us with our first daughter. The relationship with Caitlin and her Daddy is more than I could have ever hoped for. When Roger walks into the room, everyone else disappears. No one can ever take the place of her Daddy. I know the feeling, kid.