Soccer!

Molly had her first soccer practice tonight! For weeks Paul has been SO excited and last night we went shopping for all of Molly's gear. I was shocked when she picked out pink and black soccer shoes - there weren't any green or purple ones, but I was still surprised that she was happy with such a "girlie color". Like I said, Daddy was very excited so Molly also got shin guards, extra socks, shorts, practice cones and a matching pink and black bag for her gear. I even had to talk Paul out of getting her a soccer hair scrunchy at the register! Oh and he's also decided that all her gear must match and it all has to be Adidas.

Tonight's practice was so much fun. The kids had to vote on their team name and when the coach asked them to vote for "Bears" or "Cougars" nearly all of the kids voted twice so Paul suggested the "Bear Cats" which seemed like a good compromise.
Molly did much better than we expected and only used her hands twice! She was also dribbling the ball quite well by the end of the hour. It will be interesting to see how the kids react to only playing with one ball - seems like they are all very happy to be practicing with their own individual balls right now! The first game is next Saturday and we're very excited!

Molly and Amy - they are in the same class at school and were excited to find out they are on the same soccer team!

Our Family

Just wanted to share a picture of our family that Molly brought home from school today!

Molly and Rylee

This weekend was jam-packed. The Halloween convention was in Houston this year, and although it was nice not to have to travel to Chicago for once, it was kind of a pain in the butt making our way downtown three days in a row. The one bright spot was having Nicole, her daughter, aunt and a friend in town for the convention. Monday we all spent the day on my side of town and the girls had an absolute blast together. They stayed with us Monday night - I always love going to bed with a house full of friends and family!

Molly and Rylee enjoying one of Tia Loula's famous bubble baths. This one was extra special because we filled the tub with glow sticks!Not a great picture, but you get the idea!Two snugly little friendsBefore they left, we had to update the girls' measurements. Molly is tall for her age, and Rylee is 9 months YOUNGER!! You can see how much Rylee has grown since her July visit. Can you believe they are exactly the same height?!?Tia Loula, me and Nicole

Julia's Rose

While Nicole and her aunt, Tia Loula, were here for Julia's funeral, Tia Loula came up with the idea of planting a memorial garden for Julia. We decided that in the spring I would start working on the flower bed in the back corner of our yard. Last week I was looking out the window and noticed a beautiful pink rose in full bloom in that very flower bed. The crazy part is that we've never had roses in that flower bed, nor is there any sign of a rose bush now. Just one stem growing straight out of the ground with the most gorgeous bloom on top. It made me smile and now I can't wait to start working on Julsie's garden as soon as the weather warms up a bit!

This was the perfect week for the rose to bloom, Julia would have been 9 months old on the 21st.

End of the Road Trip!

Yay! This will be my last blog entry about the never-ending road trip!

Friday morning we woke up in Orlando, got in the car and headed for Destin where we spent the night. We woke up Saturday morning and headed east on I-10 for New Orleans. In Mobile, Alabama we stopped for lunch at a hole-in-the-wall BBQ restaurant that Paul found online. It was AMAZING! I haven't eaten meat in 5 months and I devoured a pulled pork sandwich. Daddy was really impressed when Molly went to town on her half chicken. It was the first time she's eaten meat off the bone and thought it was sooo yummy. (I am glad she's not a nancy like her mommy. I get so stinking grossed out by bones!)Mr. Jerry, the owner, asked Molly to sign the wall - she wasn't sure how Daddy and I would react, but after we told her it was OK, she thought it was pretty cool!Paul was in heaven! This man LOVES his BBQ!Molly snapping bones off of her chicken carcass...Saturday we woke up in New Orleans and enjoyed coffee and beingets at Cafe du Monde. Molly thought they were just about the yummiest things she's ever eaten!
After our yummy breakfast we explored New Orleans for a bit then agreed it was FINALLY time to head home!

Molly all buckled in for our last leg of the trip!

Magic Kingdom

The second we got off the cruise ship we headed straight back to Orlando to spend the day at the Magic Kingdom. The crowds were much smaller and the weather was perfect!

Molly decided that she really likes Buzz and Ariel since they both wear purple and green!On Mommy's favorite ride: Small World!Molly got super excited when the castle turned purple!I think the fireworks and Tinkerbell flying out of the castle were our favorite parts of the day

Atlantis Resort Excursion and Day at Sea

Tuesday morning we woke up in Nassau, ate a quick breakfast on the ship and headed out for our excursion to the Atlantis Resort. Molly and Paul were signed up for the dolphin encounter and Molly was soooo excited!junky scans of the professional picturesAfter the dolphin encounter, we spent the day exploring the resort. We swam in several of the pools, took a leisurely float down the lazy river and played on the beach where I had a blast snorkeling and looking for shells. We were so relaxed that I didn't even bother taking any pictures for several hours!When the sun started to set we decided to visit The Dig - Atlantis' underground aquarium that is a replica of what they think the lost world of Atlantis looked like. We all agreed it was the best aquarium we've ever visited. The 'Touch of Class' bar was located near the entrance to our dining room and each night Molly would want to stop and look at the giant hands which I found terribly creepy...Dan & Sarah enjoying being "touched by class"I had to take pictures of this place because there are just no words to describe it...Dinner Tuesday nightOur table-mates: Vickie, Jamie, Pat...Sue and Tom, all Dana's familyTuesday was Eric's birthday and he was forced to wear a silly napkin hat while we sang to him.The staff also sang "Happy Honeymoon to You" while giving the newlyweds a little privacy...Another of Molly's much loved towel animalsWednesday was a lazy day at sea... well lazy for me since I got a bit sea sick and spent most of the day relaxing in bed!

Molly enjoying the balconyTaking a little snoozeAunt Dana gave Molly a french braid since Mommy can't do it! Goofin' with the boysDana and the boys at dinnerMolly ready for bed our last night on the ship