Last weekend Reese performed in her first "Kids Jam". It's a recital put together by her guitar teacher that allows the kids to showcase what they've learned. We were so impressed by the amount of talent they all had.
Reese didn't seem nervous at all going into it. Even when we walked in and saw that the stage was huge and that the room was full of people.
(my favorite shot of the night....just waching her take it all in)
She looked so beautiful and we were so excited when it was her turn to perform.
She's only been in lessons for a few months so she still has a long road ahead of her. But seeing the older, more experienced kids get out there and jam really lit a fire under her. She's stepped up when it comes to practicing and is determined to perform solo next time.....and to sing.
I feel like I blinked and this past weekend was over. My brother, Josh, came in for a visit. The weather did not cooperate so it wasn't a smooth trip over. We were initially relieved when his flight was one of the few that wasn't cancelled. It paid to have scheduled a late flight because the winter storm had passed and most of the chaos was clearing up. Kevin's commute is normally 45 minutes but because of the weather it took him more than 2.5 hours. It was insanity.
Because of the traffic and road conditions we decided that it would be best to order Josh a cab to our house. When he was finally able to get off of the plane (an hour after it had arrived and sat on the runway waiting for a gate), he went to find his cab. We soon discovered that every driver who worked for the company we used quit that day. Nice. He thought he'd try his luck at flagging one down but the line for cabs was the entire length of the terminal. It went on farther than you could even see. After an hour of panicking, we finally had some luck. I called a local cab company who had a driver at the airport to pick up two customers and who agreed to let Josh in on the ride to Naperville. He landed at 8:45 and finally pulled up to our house minutes before midnight.
We stayed up for another three hours talking so none of us had much sleep before a busy Saturday. Reese had her last basketball game of the season. She played her little heart out much to her Uncle's amusement.
After the game it was a mad rush to get home and cook our food for that night's dinner club. I was so excited for Josh to come with us and to hang out with our friends. The theme was "Cuban" this month and the food did not disappoint. We made the appetizer and went with Cuban empanadas and mini-Cuban sandwiches. Good times.
The next day Josh and I went into the city and before I knew it we were pulling up to the airport because it was time for him to go back. It was too short a visit but I'm so grateful that we had the time.
After many weeks of anticipation, the cold temperatures and wet snow arrived. Because we had so much time to prepare for it, it really hasn't been bad. We got several inches last week which made for a fun afternoon of playing in it.
The only problem was the temperature. It was freeeeeezing outside although the kids didn't seem bothered by it one bit. It was all fun and games until mean old mommy insisted that they come inside to warm up.
I've been feeling really motivated to work on home improvement projects as of lately. Unfortunately I can only do as much as our budget permits and that budget is quite small. I took a look at what paint we had leftover from previous projects and found enough to paint our downstairs bathroom. I didn't take any before pictures. I was way too anxious to get rid of the wall color to stop for one. It was a bright orange and I wasn't a fan (no offense to anyone out there with orange walls in their home....to each his own). Along with the paint, the mirror had to go. So off it came and I was able to find a cheap replacement at a discount home store. The new paint, new mirror, a couple of enlarged/framed pictures, and little to no blood, sweat, or tears and......viola! Here is my bathroom-on-a-budget remodel:
Feels so good! Now I have to decide what to do next.
Being that we were in Jacksonville meant that we were just 2.5 hours from Orlando where Uncle Jeff lives. We couldn't go all that way without making the trip to see him. And being that Uncle Jeff lives in Orlando means that Disney World is in his backyard. We couldn't make the trip to see Uncle Jeff without trying to visit Disney. We decided that we'd wake up in the wee hours the morning on our last day in town and drive over. The kids had no idea what was in store. They only knew we were going to visit Jeff and Reese didn't associate Orlando with Disney.
They were both so exhausted that they fell asleep about a half hour into the drive and lucky for us they didn't wake up until we were pulling through the gates of the park. Reese saw a small roadside sign as we pulled in and asked "what is Magic Kingdom?". I answered "Magic Kingdom is the name of Uncle Jeff's apartment complex" but knew if I didn't tell her soon she'd figure it out. I captured her sweet reaction on video.
At this point we woke Talan up and I got his reaction on video, too. Not what we expected!
Talan soon perked up and realized where we were. We knew it would be hectic and crowded but even knowing that it was still a shock to see just how many people had the same idea as we did. The lines for the tram, and then tickets, and then ferry (monorail was broken), made for over an hour wait just to get through the gates. Once we finally got in the excitement took over.
One of the first stops we made (and fortunately before the lines were all an hour plus wait) was the Dumbo ride.
The parade was another highlight of our day. I love seeing it all through the eyes of our kids. They are just in awe as the characters pass by.
We arrived at the park when the gates opened, at 9am, and left after 6pm. In total, we were able to ride 5 rides. That's all time would allow for because of the long lines. As you can see in the photos, we all look tired and haggard (because we are!) and in addition to the exhaustion the kids were both sick and I felt a cold coming on. That said, I'm still so glad we went. I can't wait to do it again when we have more time and preferably not on one of the busiest days of the year.
When we left Disney we drove straight to Jeff's house where we ordered take-out and had dinner with him. I am so upset to have forgotten to snap a photo. I could barely function at that point in the day and it completely slipped my mind. It was so great to see him, his sweet dog Lucius, and his home. We packed up and headed out late that night and made it back to Jacksonville somewhere around midnight only to have to wake up early the next morning to make the long drive back home. It was a lot of time spent in the car but I'm so glad we did it. It was the perfect way to start the new year.
Our New Years Eve plan was to have a big dinner at Eddie's house with contributions from everyone. Our menu was incredible. Crab & corn bisque by Ed, a spinach salad by Lisa, roasted cauliflower by Kevin, a pasta dish by yours truly, and a plethora of meat dishes (pictured is a bacon-wrapped beef stuffed with bacon and cheese and a bacon-wrapped sausage stuffed with peppers and onion) from the Cornwells.
Uncle Steve had to work but he came and hung out with us for a couple of hours before he had to head out.
There were serious Pente wars going on all night.
I was so happy to be surrounded by some of my favorite people on the planet. Erica and I were 10 years old when we met. Just a year older than her daughter, Mikhala, is now. And Heather and I met just 4 years later.
