Disney Trip 2007

So a couple of weeks ago we took a family vacation to Disney. We decided to go about a month before that so you could say it was a last second trip. This was especially hard since most people spend 9 months planning their trip. And as we soon found out Disney is now a machine with so many parts to it and so many decisions to make that we were lucky to get their with our sanity in tact. It was worth it to do all the planning ahead though because when we got there we just got to enjoy every day without making any decisions. Most of you already got the album of pics thru email but I thought I'd give a little cliff notes version of each day.

Day 1, Tuesday:

We drove to Maitland, FL the first day and stayed with Jay's aunt Mickey. We had a nice dinner waiting on us and cousins too. Mickey's daughter Anna was there with her husband, David, and children, Austin and Ashlyn. We had a great visit with them, as well as, Mickey's son Ben. The kids had such fun playing together and by the time they left Katie Jo was wired for sound.

Day 2, Wednesday:

We got up early and headed out. We checked into the Animal Kingdom Lodge resort and made our way to the bus headed to the Magic Kingdom. When we arrived at Magic Kingdom there was a show in front of the castle and this was Katie Jo's first exposure to the "magic" of Disney. She sat atop Jay's shoulders and watched with awe. We had a great time riding the carousel, tea cups, small world, and snow white's scary adventure. Our lesson learned the first day is that Snow White's Scary Adventure lives up to the name and is not the ride to take a two year old on! We didn't get back until 4 that afternoon and finally got in our room, quickly laid her down for a nap, and went out on the balcony to enjoy the site of zebras, giraffes, and other Savannah animals roaming around. We had dinner that nite at Boma, the African buffet, and learned our second lesson for the day: Disney food is GREAT!

Day 3, Thursday:
We had a character breakfast at another resort with Pooh, Tigger, Alice in Wonderland, Mad Hatter, and Mary Poppins. They came around to the table as we ate and made pictures with us as well as signed autographs. Katie Jo was wary at first but then by the time pooh and tigger came around a second time she was reaching out to touch them. And once again we all ate like fattening hogs. After that we went back to our resort, napped and hopped the bus to Magic Kingdom again. We spent the afternoon in the other parts of the park and rode the magic carpets and pirates of the Caribbean. We saw lots of shows in the street and basically just enjoyed roaming around and enjoying the sites. We had dinner at a place that was futuristic with a alien lounge singer in the front that resembled Alf from the old TV sitcom. I know this all must sound like craziness but the point is Katie Jo loved it and we were able to sit and eat together while enjoying some alien lounge tunes. We made our way over to main street and shopped a little. At 9:00 they turned all the lights off and the electric parade began. Katie Jo was truly mesmerized by the floats, music, and characters. She waved to everything that passed by and it was one of the best things ever! We didn't get back to the resort until 10 ish and we all went to bed at the same time.

Day 4, Friday:

On this day we got up and left in time to make it to Magic Kingdom by the time it opened. We took our time and enjoyed just riding what we wanted to with no agenda. We finally got to ride Dumbo, which always had the longest line, and it was worth it. We rode the carousel for probably the fourth time, which always had the shortest line and Katie Jo loved it! We made another passage thru small world since it was the coolest ride and you got to sit for a fairly long period of time! Then we headed over to Toon town to enjoy walking thru Minnie and Mickey's house. They live separately of course. And then Katie Jo played on Mickey's playground for a while. We ate lunch and headed back to the resort. We got back just as Jay's Dad and wife Sarah arrived for a visit. They had driven over from Tampa for the day. We hung out for a while and then went to put Katie Jo down for a nap since it was almost 2:30. Later, we hung by the pool and played on the resort playground. Around 6 we had to get ready to head to dinner and said goodbye to Grandaddy and Mema. We hopped the bus back to Magic Kingdom for our dinner at the Crystal Palace off of Main Street. There we got to see all the Pooh characters while we chowed down on another spectacular buffet. Every 30 minutes they do a parade thru the restaurant and Katie Jo especially loved that. After dinner we walked out to watch the fireworks over the castle. Once again Katie Jo was in awe and speechless. It was just such a great end to the day.
Day 5, Saturday:

Today we had no agenda which was much needed. We had a leisurely breakfast and took the bus to Downtown Disney. We shopped and bought some nifty souvenirs and Katie Jo played on the Lego playground. We stopped for a ornament in the Disney Christmas store and made our way back to the resort. After naps we got ready for our dinner which was the first early one at 5:30. All the other dinner reservations we got were at 7:30 or later so it was nice to finally eat at a reasonable time. We trekked over to the Coronodo resort and ate at the Mayan Grill. It was good but by now we were all so worn out we just wanted to get back to the room and relax. By the time we got back we spent a little time on the balcony watching the animals and then put Katie Jo to bed. Jay and I had all intentions of packing to leave but ended up watching a movie instead.

Day 6, Sunday (and Mother's Day):

We got up and at 'em to get the heck out and we were in our van headed north by 9 am. We got home early afternoon and as I write this two weeks later there are still things that have not been put away from our trip!

Overall, it sounds like we exhausted ourselves, but to live what I just wrote about was nothing but pure fun. Katie Jo had such a great time and I never expected her to enjoy it to the extent that she did. We really did relax and took our time doing everything. I was 31 weeks pregnant for Pete's sake! The weather was beautiful and we were blessed to visit the park at one of the lower attendance times. Jay can't wait to get back and I can honestly say I don't think it'll be long before we're planning our next trip there.

Katie Jo's two year visit

Katie Jo had her two year old well check up last Wednesday, May 16th. She now weighs 25 lbs and 10 oz. She measured 32 and 3/4 inches in height. I was happy to report to them that she is thriving and growing like a normal two year old. This can be interpreted to mean she runs a lot, doesn't like to listen to often, and has a pretty good idea of how she likes things to go. The doc asked nine thousand questions about everything to do with health, eating, drinking, sight, hearing, and a bunch of other stuff that I simply answered no to. We talked about potty training and I expressed my desire to wait as long as possible seeing as how we will have another bottom to take care of soon and I don't think I'll have the will to worry about one needing to be "taken" and one to be "changin." I think I'll just wait until the golden day when I find Katie Jo on the pot doing as she supposed to and flushing behind herself. Washing her hands afterwards would be nice too but we don't want to set our expectations too high! Just kidding. She also had to get one shot and a finger prick and just like her mother the finger prick was more terrifying to her than the shot. If I had to see her mess with that finger one more time I thought I was going to pass out. We have learned that she does not like wearing band aids. I don't know if it's the association that they follow a shot or if it really bothers her to actually have one against her skin. Besides all that she is just doing great and we are enjoying every moment of her.

Here's a little pic or two from this past week when we went to the sprinklers at a local park with some friends.

Pregnancy Update 32 weeks

Well last Thursday, May 17th, I had another doc appointment. I gained a couple of more pounds and was up to 122. My blood pressure was 100 over 60 and as far as I know that sounds fine by me. I am not showing any signs of swelling yet which is nice considering by this point with Katie Jo I believed I'd had to quit wearing my rings. Hopefully that will hold out a few more weeks. I'm feeling good but a little slower. The baby's heart rate was a steady 158. We had our 30 week ultrasound a couple of weeks ago and everything checked out as normal. It was still a girl as far as they could tell and now I feel confident in putting in the new bedding for the crib.
My neighbor and I still are continuing our daily walks and I figure if I can still carry on a conversation by the end then I'm doing OK. I have stepped up the water intake since we're nearing the end of this pregnancy and it is getting hotter outside. Starting next week our neighborhood pool officially opens during the week and I am really looking forward to enjoying that each day. Besides that there isn't much else to report. I'll have to say I've felt blessed, as of late, to of had such a great pregnancy thus far. I can't believe it's only 5-7 weeks away. We still have a few loose ends to tie up but I'm sure it'll all get done.

Here I am at 33 weeks!

Preggars Update 30 weeks

Today I had another OB appointment and everything checked out perfect, as usual. I weighed in at 120 which was a 6 lb gain and I was very pleased with that. The baby's heart rate was 153 which was healthy. Besides that there were no other big happenings. I was in and out in less than 15 minutes which was nice. The picture above is me at 28 weeks. I'm probably not a lot bigger now but will be soon enough. I'm still feeling great and continuing to walk everyday with my neighbor Emily and her son. I think that has helped a lot this pregnancy. The baby has still been moving around a great deal and is starting to run out of room. We have our 30 week ultrasound tomorrow so it'll be nice to see the baby one last time before her arrival in July.

A Cut named Bob

It was finally time to get Miss Jo in for a proper haircut at a real salon with a paid professional. So we did and she is now on the cutting edge.

Crocs Rock

In true fashion of being a girl Katie Jo has found the pleasure of owning a new pair of shoes! The Crocs are a new trend that till now has evaded us due to the fact that her foot is so small and their starting size too big. But low and behold Momma found some that actually fit! Katie Jo loved them so much she wanted them back on her feet first thing the next morning. As the below pictures show, footed jammers are only stylish with actual shoes attached.

Pregnancy Update 27 weeks

Here I am at 24 weeks.

On the pregnancy front everything is going very well and I am now 27 weeks putting me only one week away from the last trimester. I had a couple of weeks where I was super tired but thankfully that has passed. I chalk it up to the culmination of all the work we've been doing around the house and probably wearing myself out. Lately I've been walking a lot in the afternoon and that has given me a new boost of energy.



I had a doctor appointment a couple of weeks ago and had gained another 7 lbs putting me up to 114. I feel good about gaining the weight so far and will probably reach a goal of 30 lbs or more by the end. I managed to catch up last time after being so sick and hope to do the same this time. Baby's heartbeat was 154. Everything else was in tip top shape and it was a quick visit again.



Yesterday, I got some terrific news in finding out I passed my glucose test and that my iron levels were good. Last pregnancy I had to go back for the dreaded three hour test and had to take the iron pills so I feel lucky to have gotten out of all that this time. I guess all that's left is getting bigger, swelling up, and giving birth. No problem!



Katie Jo still loves to find "Mommy's baby" and give it a pat. I started referring to her as Georgia and now Katie Jo will point to my belly when we ask her "where's Georgia?" She can say the name too with an emphasis on the "ja" sound.

Like a Duck to Water

Well, it's been sooo long since I've posted I figured I'd start with the most recent and work my way back.

Last week we reached a big milestone in moving Katie Jo to her new room with her "big girl bed." We've been slowly transitioning her so she wouldn't feel thrown in there overnight. First, Jay and my Dad painted it. Then we picked bedding and ordered it. Next, we started spending a little bit of time in there every day to get her used to it. Finally, last week I started moving some of her toys over and by Wednesday we were ready. So far it has been going swimmingly. The first nap was the worst. Not because she got upset but because she kept getting out of the bed and I'd have to check on her every ten minutes. By Wednesday nite she understood it a little better and it only took about 45 minutes to get her settled in. After that she has stayed in her bed without us having to go in more than once. She loves her new room! She loves her bed with all the animals and her new hamper where she herself puts the dirty clothes away. She loves getting her diapers out and ready and she loves her toys that are on a new bookshelf. We didn't put a lot of toys in there which seems to help so she isn't overwhelmed with choices. A couple of days ago we started saying "Goodnight" to each of her animals and kissing them. We finish with her and she just thinks that's the best thing ever. I'm so happy for her to feel "big."

As for the old room we'll probably start putting it together for Georgia after my next ultrasound. I would like to make sure it's a Georgia and not a George before we go to too much trouble.

This picture is from the very first nap.

This picture was of her after the nap when she wanted to show off her new room!

March 11th

Here I am with Daddy doing one of my favorite activities: swinging. Lately, I really like it when they wind the rope up and let me spin around!

Funny Girl

This was just a cute video of us messing around a couple of weeks ago.

Wondrous Music

Only from the mouth's of Southerners would you hear such a lovely tune. What a neat site to see three generations singing together. Grandmoney, you are a joy to watch play. With no sheet music I might add!

Can someone please just say "Cheese"

There is nothing funnier than multiple people trying to take a picture of the same scene. Add in four children under the age of 5 and 2 great-grandparents trying to wrangle them and you've got yourself an "America's Funniest Home Video" contender.

Rain Dance

I'm not sure if she was trying to bring on the rain with these moves but it got us laughing nonetheless. And yes, I too think I resemble Michael Jackson with the white socks and black shoes. Editing will only let you do so much though.

Feb. 26th and beyond

The last three weeks have been bananas so we don't have a lot of pictures but a lot of stories. After getting back from our familypalooza (more about that in another post) we got back to our regular schedule. Katie Jo had been attending the Mother Goose group at the library on Wednesday. And on Friday's we have had Tumblebugs at the YMCA. She loves both and we're continuing the Tumblebugs class for now. Saturday, the 24th, I had my first Bossy Bows (read about in next post) event and that afternoon we went to buy a new kitchen table and chairs. The next week we spent getting ready for our MASSIVE yard sale that we had on Saturday the 3rd. It was amazing what treasures I found in cleaning out every room, closet, corner, cabinet, and cranny. I found my favorite maternity top from last pregnancy hidden away in a corner and so many items I'd never even opened. Our yard sale started at 7 am and at 6:15 we had someone blocking our driveway to get first dibs. By 6:40 we had a crowd of 10 or so and Jay told them to just come on. By 7:15 the first rush of people had left and we felt like a tornado had come through. It was the most exhausting event ever and I won't do it again for 10 years! It was so worth it though. Our house is so much cleaner and clutter free. We sold 85% of what we put out and took the rest to Goodwill. Yipee!! This past Monday I took Katie Jo in to the doctor with a fever and came out with a positive test for the flu and a double ear infection. This past week we've been stuck in the house for the most part and I'm looking forward to a better week next week. Hopefully more pics too!

Here's a picture of Katie Jo sitting in the kitchen. It's empty because Jay was sanding, staining, and painting our new table in the garage. She's shirtless because I was getting ready to take her temperature. She's such a little girl these days. We bought her a doll to practice being big sister to when we found out it was a girl. We named the doll Clara and put her in a doll bed I'd gotten as a gift when pregnant with KJ. She loves giving her a bottle. When she thinks no one is looking she'll pat the doll's tummy like we do for her when it's sleep time! She's been talking more in her own language. She sings now and I can't make out the words to figure out what song it is but she repeats the same lyrics over and over. Her favorite thing to do lately is hold our hands on a walk or going down the stairs. She still loves to jump and a trampoline for her birthday seems more and more logical!

Bossy Bows is open for business

My friend Kayci and I decided to start a bow business a couple of months ago and it turned into Bossy Bows. We have been out to a couple of soccer games to sell our product and have samples in a couple of stores. We also are signed up for a booth at an elementary school's Spring Fling so we'll see where it takes us after that. I don't think we'll be trying out for "Apprentice" or making the Forbes list anytime soon, but it's been a fun, easy way to make an extra buck. So if you need a bow, bow holder, headband with bow, or flip flops with bows just let us know! Yes, these are all handmade by us which blows my mind considering I'm not the frilliest person in the world.

Familypalooza Feb. 16-18

During this weekend we traveled to Lyman to see a whole lotta family. Jay's dad and Sarah came by Wednesday and stayed the nite along with his parents and we all were able to visit together before they headed on to the upstate. On Thursday we had our ultrasound and found out the baby was healthy and was a girl! That was great timing for sharing it with everyone important to us. On Friday we headed upstate. It was a fun weekend filled with visiting. On Friday I was able to take KJ over to my grandparents and have lunch together and let her show out for them. Friday nite Katie Jo got to see her Gran and Pop and Uncle Brian. Saturday morning we went by to visit with Papa and then we spent the day at Jay's Grandmother's house. We were able to visit with all the out of town family that had come in for the day. Saturday evening we went to Grandmoney's for Jay's sister, Jessica's, birthday party. On Sunday we visited with Grandmother and Grandaddy again along with Jessica's family and after that it becomes a blur. Oh, my cousin, Sara, came over from Greenville and cousin Fred and his wife Paula came from North Carolina for the nite. We all had dinner at my parent's house and were able to catch up. Monday we left for home and were pooped from all the excitement. It was nice for Katie Jo to see so many people she rarely get to visit with. Hopefully it won't be too long before we can all get together again.

Grandaddy and Grandmother with Katie Jo, Caleb, Brandon and Ruby.Jim and Joni Jim and Jay

Jim, Katie Jo, Jay and Grandaddy

Amber, Jay, Lee, Jennifer, Scott and Robin
Jay and John Paul

Katie Jo and Aidan
Joni and Katie Jo



Sarah and John Paul

Karen, Grandmother, Mickey, Jim, Jay and Grandmoney
Katie Jo, John Paul and Aidan

Amy and Katie Jo
Jessica and Katie Jo
Katie Jo on the tractor at Grandmother's

Ultrasound Results

On Feb 15th I had my first ultrasound. We were able to see the baby for the first time on live tv and watch it kick around and move. The technician did all her measurements and checked for all that she had on her list. Then we got to have some fun. She showed us all the parts and said we had a mover since the baby had flipped completely in the time she had been working. We told her if she was able to tell that we'd like to know the gender. She had a little trouble at first but then the baby moved and she could clearly see it was a girl. We were very excited to find out she was healthy and that this meant we could reuse everything! I'm most glad now not to have to change the room since we've got so much else going on between now and the birth. When she got ready to take some photos to print out the baby had flipped again and had her back to the camera. The technician tried unsuccessfully to get a profile shot. We did get a good photo of the head and spine and a couple others that were so unclear I'd never show they to the general public! :) It was an exciting visit!

January 28-Feb. 4

What a sweetie! She loves the little animal that she sleeps with. Jay has nicknamed them Ted, Turt, and Cammy. Then there's Daisy, her faithful sleep mate, of course!
The weekend of February 2-4 Mia and Aunt Joni came for a visit. Mia bought a birthday cake for Daddy and we all enjoyed eating it, but KJ enjoyed it the most. Joni helped us with our extreme home makeover moving while Mia kept KJ entertained. God Bless Mia who taped off half our bedroom so we could start painting. Pictures will follow of all our new projects once they are finished.

Preggers update 21 weeks

Well today I had another doctor appointment and all is still going swimmingly. I had gained 7 lbs putting me up to 107. This was very good. My blood pressure was 110 over 62 and the baby's heartbeat was 157. The doctor said everything seemed to be going perfectly. I had had some blood work done and all that came back normal so that is another item checked off the list.

Lately, she has been kicking more vigorously and sometimes I can see the little bumps outside my belly. She moves the most when I wake up in the morning, at church, and after I eat. So that tells me she'll be a morning person, love going to church, and have a hearty appetite. Or so we'll see.

Katie Jo still doesn't have a lot of awareness of what's happening but she loves to pull up my shirt to check out by belly. Last week she laid her head down on my stomach for a few moments so maybe in her own way she knows.

Here is a picture of me at 20 weeks.