Life as I know It

It has been about 4 months since I updated but with being in school, it takes so much of my time! 

Turner on his first day of school.

Well since last time I posted Turner had not started school yet but Turner and I started school on the same day- August 22.  He was so excited to start!  When I dropped him off, he said "Bye Mommy!" and that was it!  However, the second day and third day, etc. were not so good!  Still to this day, he cries every time I drop him off.  It breaks my heart when I drop him off in the morning but when I come back in the afternoon or Daddy picks him up, he is always laughing, running around and playing with his friend "Wobert" (Robert).   So maybe he knows he can get to me with the sad face and unashemedly, I fall for it every time!!

My sick Kassidy.

Turner at the ER

Along with school starting comes all the germs too!  It seems like we can't catch a break from sickness-literally from July until today!  It actually started in July when Turner had pneumonia.  Then Kassidy had bronchitis.  After that, Turner got pneumonia again, along with an ear infection and pink eye...ugh!  Then Kayla got sick with bronchitis and of course Dennis and I had to follow.  With all the yuckiness going around, I should buy stock in the pharmaceutical companies!!

He caught a Lady Fish

During September we were pretty busy with Kayla's swim meets, Kassidy's gymnastics and of course a little time to relax and have fun.  We went on the boat fishing with Dennis's friend Rick.  Turner and Kassidy had a great time catching fish!

Kayla swimming away!

Cutest Minnie ever :)

Optimus Prime

Then came October and of course Halloween!  This year Kassidy was an 80's punk version of Minnie Mouse, Kayla I guess was Princess Jasmine and Turner was Optimus Prime from the Transformers.  They looked so cute!  However Kayla did say that she thinks she is getting a little old to dress up and take pictures with the little kids :)  We had a great time going to Allison's to eat her famous Chili and then going Trick or Treating with the kids.  We left a little early because the girls wanted to go Trick or Treating with their friends too.  Dennis and I were ready to sleep but Turner was ready to personally sample every bit of candy he got!

At the game.

Kayla with Papa Rondall

One of the special moments in October was when Kayla was selected to represent her class at Homecoming this year.  Part of Homecoming is being walked out on the football field during half-time.  Normally the dads walk out their daughters but she talked with her daddy and they both agreed that Papa Rondall would be the perfect person to walk her.  I know that it meant so much to Kayla and to all of us that Granny and Papa came all the way up here to make this day special for her.   Seeing her on the field with Papa just made me think back of when Kayla was born and Papa would sit and rock her in his chair...who would have thought!  The day of the football game I was on my way back from Daytona so Donna was a lifesaver and took Kayla to all her appointments, hair, nails, dress fittings, etc.  I have to thank Ashley also!  Kayla wore the dress that Ashley wore for her Homecoming!  All around it was so special because it was a group effort and EVERYone came out to the game, in the rain to see Kayla walk out in the field with her Papa Rondall.  I am glad this is a memory she will cherish forever!  The day after the football game she had her Homecoming dance.  I had a great time taking Kayla, Kelsey (our adopted daughter!) and Lara to the hair salon to get their hair done, then back to Kelsey's so they could finish getting ready and then off to take pictures before the limo came to pick up the group.  I am glad she is getting to have some of the fun experiences I had when I was in high school!

Best Friends: Kayla & Kelsey

I love this girl!

We are so proud of the young lady she is.  She is smart, a good big sister, a wonderful daughter and most of all has one of the most giving hearts.  Dennis and I thank God any time someone comes up to us and tells us what a great girl she is.  We are not perfect parents but we are proud of who she is.  I am glad that we have never have felt ashamed or embarrassed of who she hangs around with, what she says or what she wears.  I love her bunches and can't wait to see how successful she will be in life!

Kassidy with her friend Ana

My princess Kassidy is doing so well in school and gymnastics.  She got straight A's...AGAIN!  And she got moved up a level in gymnastics.  She is definitely my little ray of sunshine all the time.  What I love about her the most is how happy and positive she is, no matter what.  She is always so good with her little brother.  Dennis and I call her Punky Brewster because she has her own sense of style.  I love that she is confident enough to do what she wants no matter what other people think!  She is having fun this year in 5th grade.  She has tons of friends...they are always at my house in the front yard playing.  I guess it's the meeting place of the neighborhood, but I love that they want to hang out here.  Just last week she had to write a speech for school.  They had to perform it in front of their classmates and the best part, she won 1st place out of 40!  Now she is going to compete against her school and if she wins then she competes for the district, then county then state.  She is so proud.  Her teacher will be working with her to help her prepare for each phase of the competition.  If anyone can win an award for speaking and being cute and funny, it's definitely my Kassidy!!  I love my baby girl!

I love her bunches!

Kassidy doing Limbo

Turner in the bounce house.

November came and went so quickly too.  I got to take the kids to the open house of one of the hospitals I did clinicals at.  They had a great time.  Radio Disney was there (Kassidy won a t-shirt), a ton of bounce houses and they got to go in the BayFlight helicopter.  Turner thought it was cool. 

Turner in the helicopter.

Then it was time for Thanksgiving; I am so glad we got to go to Miami for Thanksgiving this year.  With me graduating and hopefully starting a new job soon, I doubt I will be able to come next year so it was really important for me to come this year and spend time with all the family. 

Most importantly I do not want to forget how lucky and blessed I am to have such an amazing grandmother that will leave everything to come live with me so she can watch Turner while Dennis works and I go to school.  For some reason, God had different plans...she was diagnosed with lung cancer a few months ago which is why she had to go back to Miami.  It has been super hard for her because she loves us and loves being with us.  She loves how the kids always make her laugh and keep her occupied.  For us it's been hard too.  The the girls miss their Paca Paca and Turner misses his Yaya.  He reminds us all the time of stuff Yaya used to do and eat (Papita soup), her favorite bowl, etc.  It's really cute!  It's funny also to hear the kids talking to her on the phone.  Kayla actually speaks Spanish really well!  My goal right now is to stay positive for her and make sure everyone else stays positive too.  Hopefully that will help her through her treatments.  She is getting radiation every day and chemo every 2 weeks.  The chemo is what makes her feel the worse but she is tolerating the radiation well.  I told her she looks like a hot mama with her new hair do.  Since her hair starting falling out, she went to get it all cut off.  I think she looks super chic!!  Whatever happens, I think the main thing is that she knows and feels loved all the time,she deserves it.  That is how she makes us feel every time we are with her...

Best Grandma in the whole wide world!

Happy Birthday Turner and Miami + Mickey Mouse = 2 weeks of FUN :)

We have been so busy with LIFE that it was time we all got away and had some fun!  We started out going to Miami for our yearly trip. Click for pictures.  I went with the kids and Kelsey (Kayla's best friend) and had a great time.  We started out at Mima's house and got to visit with her and Paca Paca.  Turner was so happy to see them!  He played and giggled with them til late!  He loves Mima's "super toilet" and big beautiful bathtub, ha ha!  I had to tell him she had a "super toilet" so he would go potty somewhere else besides his house.  Then when we went to Mimi 2's (my aunt) house, he was excited to see she had a super toilet too!  Funny what kids focus on :)  We had a good time with Mima, she took them shopping, going to Fuddruckers for dinner, walking around Pembroke Gardens, watching movies and just hanging out spending girly time.  We also went to Mimi 2's house and got to see my cousins and my uncle which is always fun.  Turner and Kassidy went in their pool while my cousin Eddie and his girlfriend Jessica took Kayla and Kelsey to South Beach.  When they got back we had some pizza and hung out until late.   Paca Paca, as usual, makes us all laugh and our nightly cafe con leche...yummy! Can't wait to see them again!

After we spent a few days with Mima and Paca Paca, we went to Granny & Papa's house.When we were here last time, we weren't able to spend time with them because Papa was in the hospital but thank God he is doing better and looks great!  Turner had fun playing with Granny's box of toys.  We played Phase 10 with Granny and Papa and of course...ATE a bunch!  We all probably gained a few pounds :)  We also went to Hollywood Beach with Nikki and Tim.  They are always so much fun and we are always laughing about something!  Michael, Taylor and Wyatt are hilarious and they keep us cracking up all the time.  Turner and Kassidy had so much fun playing with the kids.  Dinner with them was great and I miss them so much and wish we still lived close to them.  Kassidy and Turner loved the beach.  Turner stayed in the water most of the time with the boat floatie Papa bought him.  The rest of the week I took the girls sightseeing:  University of Miami Bookstore

(got some school supplies), Coconut Grove, South Beach and pretty much most of Miami.  The kids got to swim and hang out at Vick and Don's house too :) The burgers and hotdogs they made were super yummy!!  Miss everyone already :)

One of my favorite parts of my trip was being able to visit with my friend Claudia!  I haven't seen her since Kayla was 1 month old.  We both went to the same school, cheered together and have known each other for a long time.  Kayla enjoyed talking to her too about how things were when we were growing up and learning about life as a teenager.  She is beautiful inside and out and can't wait to see her again too!  I got to meet her 3 beautiful children and her husband; she has a beautiful family!  

Then it was time to come home, unpack, wash clothes, pack again and go to Disney for the week for Turner's birthday! Click for pictures. In usual Disney style, they greeted him with Birthday buttons and balloons.  He was so excited! Our first night we just swam in the pool and relaxed, then we hit the ground running the next morning.  We were up early every morning and stayed up 'til midnight just about every night trying to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours.  I have to say it was worth it!  Hardly any wait and less crowds.  The girls said they don't remember anything about having gone to Disney before so it was new for all 3 of them.  Turner was overwhelmed by everything but I do have to say that he LOVES Mickey Mouse. I think the highlight was having breakfast with Winnie the Pooh and Friends at the Crystal Palace inside the Magic Kingdom.  They had the special center table decorated with confetti and being that it is the birthday table, the characters come to Turner first.  To see Turner's face when the characters came up to him was priceless! 

When we went to Epcot, we got to take pictures with Mickey and all his friends.  Turner had a ball with all of them.  Like with anything else, all good things must come to an end :(  We had a wonderful time and Turner asks me every day if we are going to Disney World!  He thinks that because today is his real birthday, we are going back.  I wish we could!

One more important thing...today is my little guys 3rd birthday.  I can't believe how fast time has passed.  It has been fun having a little boy and watching him interact with his two sisters.  He loves us and we love him bunches!  Life is definitely not boring with a little boy in the house :)  Now the next phase starts...he starts pre-school on August 22 and he is very excited to start.  Every time we pass his school, he screams "That's my school!"  I will definitely update you on that!

I am extremely blessed and lucky to have the life that I do!

So Nice To See You Again!

I have noticed that the last time I was on here was in December.  So I am noticing a pattern that I blog only when school is out.  I am taking a class right now but it's online...so piece of cake.  It seems like so much has happened since I was on here last!  Dennis, Kassidy and Kayla all had birthdays.  Dennis turned the Big 4-0!  With the help of so many, I was able to throw him a surprise party (I think he knew but he will never tell).  I am so grateful for all the family and friends that came.  It really made his day special.  CLICK for pictures.



Kayla and Kassidy have been doing great.  They both finished the school year.  Kayla had a great report card.  She took and AP class and did really well...so onto 10th grade.  Seems unreal!  She spends a lot of time with her friends...mainly Kelsey, which is like another daughter!  Kayla turned 15 in May so we all went to the beach with a group of her girlfriends.  They had a great time!  Then about a month later I took her and Kelsey to a concert, they had so much fun.  CLICK for pictures.



My baby girl had a birthday in March.  She wanted to go to the bowling alley with her friends and cousins.  She had a great time!  Kassidy ended up with straight A's...again.  She is my little smarty pants.   Kassidy went to her first acting/singing theater camp.  She went the entire week and loved every minute of it.  I have never seen her so excited to something.  When she is home, she is constantly singing and dancing so when she had a chance to do it for a whole week of 8 hours a day, she jumped on it.  They had a little showcase on the last day and she actually got up and sang in front of everyone.  I didn't she would but she did and she did great!  CLICK for pictures.


They both have been enjoying the summer hanging out with their friends and at home.They got to go to the beach with their Nana & Papa Dale and aunts, uncles and cousins.  They had a blast and look like little indians they are so tan! 


Turner is growing so fast and is such a boy!  He has so much energy I wish I could put it in a little pill and take it.  Lord knows I need it with him :)  Anyhow, the last couple of months have been all about milestones for him but depressing at times for me.  We finally finished the potty training about 2 months ago.  I thought it would be harder for boys because that is what I have always heard but surprisingly enough it was really easy.  Then the last "baby" thing he had left was his pacifier.  I had become one of those mothers that I would judge when I saw their child with a pacifier knowing they were too old for one.  Yeah, well I guess because he was my last and is and will always be my baby, I let him keep it longer than he should have.  One day I asked him "Buddy, why do you like it so much?" and he said "It makes me feel better".  I laughed and then almost cried...he is too sweet.  But after that I said if he is old enough to tell me with words about his dependence on this piece of plastic and rubber then it is time to go!  So while the girls were gone to the beach with the family, I took the opportunity to take it away then.  That way when he cried and whined, they wouldn't be around to hear it.  Here we are 4 days later and he is doing great.  He will ask for it from time to time but I told him it is not for big boys like him.  He takes a nap and goes to bed at night fine without so I am so glad that I got rid of it.  At the same time, I know there is no more baby things left so it's kind of sad because I know we are not having anymore. 


The next thing for us is our yearly trip to Miami and then when we get back, we are going to Disney for 4 days.  Turner will be 3 in less than a month and he knows who all the characters are, Kassidy has only been once, we haven't had a family vacation in a long time so it is definitely time to go!