Father Daughter Dance!

For Valentine's Day each year STMM has a father daughter dance. This would be Taylor's first year to go and she was soooo excited! She needed a new dress, new shoes, and she wanted daddy to wear his best suit! It was very cute to see them getting ready to go!

Taylor and Best Friend Sophia

Christmas 2011

Our first Christmas in our new home was awesome! I was so excited to decorate it and put up the Christmas tree and hang the stockings on a REAL fireplace!! Yay! I honestly wasn't so sure this would be a good Christmas considering what we had been through and considering that I was laid off from my job with Club KidFit in December! I left my full-time Fitness Director Position for a part-time (with potential to be full-time) job as a Program Manager with a non-profit, knowing I wouldn't make a lot of money, but excited to spend more time with my family and hoping for it to be full time eventually. Well, I was wrong....only a few months and they ran out of funding! I know they didn't plan on this to happen, but it put me in a really bad spot for Christmas and I was scared!
Somehow, we managed to have a wonderful Christmas and the girls got more than they could want.

I loved our tree and fireplace!

Daddy did a great job on the outside (next year he may compete with the Griswald's across the street! lol)

Parker telling Santa she wants candy!

cuties!

you could say it was a horse Christmas!

Our New Home

This Christmas was our first in our new home! So I decided I would start there. Our move is a long story and I won't go there, but it was a short process of finding a house and moving. Basically within a month. We stayed in the same general area and were able to find a newer and much bigger home that we love! Two stories, 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bathrooms and a big fenced in back yard with a deck! Too bad it was Novemeber when we moved so we couldn't enjoy the outside yet.
We took everything from the other house...and I mean everything! The new house didn't have that much work to do, it was very clean. Only needed some paint and new kitchen knobs!

even the swingset came (in tact!)

a much larger kitchen with storage!

Daddy putting up Christmas lights!

a see through fireplace!

the whole house was white, so gave it some neurtral color

 We are completely settled in and are loving our new home! The kids even slept in their beds on the first night...in their own rooms! I never thought that would happen. I totally thought they would want to share a room and would miss the old house and be scared here, but wow was I wrong! They love the new house and never looked back. Taylor had to console me when we went to the old house for the last time. I cried like a baby! She said, "mom, its going to be okay. Our new house is so much bigger and you are really going to like it!" It was so cute and she was right. I do love it.

Catching up...I hope!

I feel so guilty! I can't believe I haven't posted anything since January! Its now the end of May and I've been so busy with my 2 jobs and my other blog that I haven't downloaded pics or blogged in that long! I have to catch up. I will!! I'm going to start with Christmas and then I'll go from there....

Happy 5th Birthday Taylor!

We have had Taylor's birthday party here before and everyone loved it! It fits her perfectly because she wanted a Horse party theme and they have pony rides there. We also took the whole party on a hay ride! We ended up with the big pavilion instead of the small birthday tent, because that was already booked and the lady remembered us and there was nothing else booked! It was nice because it did rain for a short time and the wind was blowing and our pavillion had sides on it!
Taylor and I worked together on her cake and cupcakes! We put a small horse in each cupcake for the kids to have as a party favor. Of course she wanted to wear her boots and she even got a new pink pair and a matching pink cowgirl hat! She was a happy girl. Happy Birthday big girl Taylor Marie!