We recently had "Friendsgiving" with a few of our friends the day after Thanksgiving. It was such a lovely night, with all American foods and wine, so we fully enjoyed ourselves. The busy Christmas season is around the corner and I can't wait to get our barrel we sent and wrap all the presents. Our tree this year is gorgeous! At 7ft tall, it's got a great shape and it smells awesome!
About Gem: she continues to amaze us, crazy she will be 2 next month! Her vocabulary is growing and she's super adventurous, she enjoys being a dare devil. She used to call herself "mine" but now says her name and it's probably the cutest thing i've ever heard. She loves watermelon and can't get enough of it, I think she'd eat a whole one if I let her. She loves the skateboard and running around with her friends. One of MY favorite things is time out, sounds crazy but it's pretty hilarious, she will stand in the corner and face it the whole time, when she stops crying I go get her out but it's so nice to see how she knows and respects what time out is and what it's for, she understands so much these days. She went on the boogie board for the first time and LOVED it, even after a total wipeout haha, so we'll probably get her one for Christmas too. Coloring and painting is going to be one of my favorite things i'll always remember doing with her, she's so intense coloring, holding the marker or crayon so tight and perfect only to make a tiny little dot with such concentration is so funny watching. Being thrown in the air by dad will probably be one of her favorite memories, she can't stop, just wants to be in the air again and again, at least Darin gets a good workout :)
She knows all her friends names and gets so excited if I say they're coming over or "lets go see....", I like that she's social, I hope it means she'll have some really great friends in life who she can travel the world with and make memories. Adventure should be her middle name and who better to go on those with than your friends?
Officially our late summer and fall is over and just like that, we're back in Barbados from our 5 week vacation in Orlando. That was the fastest blink of an eye situation ever! We've been home for 2 weeks and I want to post before the holiday season is upon us (which it technically already is). We lived in our new place for a month before Gem and I left to head to Orlando for 5 weeks!! I usually have anxiety going back because i'm pulled so many different ways, also flying alone and having a 6hr layover with a 1yr old was also weighing on my anxiety level. Our flight was terrific, I attempted to use the ipad before we left so she would be distracted for a little while on the flight which worked wonderfully.....now to get past the next 6hrs, including nap time. We got through customs and immigration, then security again and I walked around for 10mins and Gem was out! LUNCH TIME! I got to sit and eat sushi in peace, also had a glass of wine. The next few hours went by without a cry, without a whine, just a happy kid who enjoyed her ipad in TGI Fridays as mommy enjoyed some nice craft beers. We were headed to the gate when Gem passed out again for an afternoon nap and when she woke up, we were boarding. The next flight went so smooth and Gem stayed happy and all that anxiety I had went out the window. I can't believe how well behaved she was, I was shocked, it was the easiest flight ever.
After arriving to Orlando, it's always nice to unpack and chill out the first day or two there so Gem can adjust, then it was off to Seaworld. We got year passes and I was so excited to bring Gem, she loves animals, loves fish, so I knew how much she'd love Seaworld! We got to see penguins, went to the Shamu show which she loved and clapped for them, laughed and smiled the whole time. She loved the big play area and all the aquariums with fish. Great start to our Orlando visit. Gem started the next week in swim lessons at South West Aquatics, 5 days a week every morning for 10mins. Being committed was a task in itself, but in the end, I think it actually help my days stay pretty calm and uneventful. I actually found myself home a lot of afternoons which was really nice. We ventured to the splashpad some days, back to Seaworld a few more times, grabbed lunch together or met up with friends. Finding fun playgrounds was something Gem enjoyed, she loves to swing and go down slides, it's nice to be outside playing so i'm all for some good playground action.
We got to see my family quite a bit. We stay with my parents (Oma & Opa), and Gem didn't take long to say both their names as well as Remie and Casper. Remie and Gem are best friends and were completely obsessed with each other the whole time we were there. Craig and Kait came every Monday to her swim lessons and then grabbed brunch with us after. It was so nice to have our families come show Gem how we were all so excited for her, cheering her on during swim. We went to Laura's place and met more dogs, Gem was in dog heaven this trip. Oma loved having Gem on the counter watching her bake and then rocking her in the evenings before bed. Opa shared ipad moments with Gem while she drank her milk and sat on the couch with him when he got home from work. He went out one night with Gem and I, we went to a skate party and then grabbed pizza on the way home.
Pumpkin patch pictures are my absolute favorite of any kid! I could go without seeing school pictures, holiday pictures, birthday pictures, first poop in the potty pictures (people actually do that), but what I can't go without is pumpkin patch pictures! I missed them last year, we got to Orlando to late, but THIS year, I made it! We planned a day with Oma, Opa, Grammie & Poppie to go see the pumpkin patch and farm animals, eat some kettle corn and go on hayrides. The Early family met us there as well and the day was so nice, family filled.
Halloween also happened while we were there. Last year Gem was to small for it so this was her first trick or treating Halloween. Teya always does these fabulous costumes so I got in on hers and we did a joint one with the 3 kids. Wendy, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell....the cutest kids on the block. Thanks Gem for all the candy! ;)
After Halloween, we flew up to Atlanta and met Darin up there. We got to spend some family time with the Doty side. We haven't seen the girls in a while and knew Joss probably couldn't travel for a bit, so we needed to make a trip. We got brunch on arrival and then headed to the Georgia Aquarium. It's so big, and the different areas are done so well. The big huge tank is amazing, it's HUGE, it's like a really big movie screen with stadium steps to sit on and enjoy the animals swimming by. The dolphin show was SO good, better than Seaworld's! Gem loved it, of course she'd clap and laugh and just smiled the whole way though....by the time that was over, Gem was over lol....her travel day had started to take a toll, it was getting late so we left and headed back to Drey and Shane's house. The next day was a leisure family day at home, we celebrated Jordis's birthday too. It's nice to see the girls get to play together and love on each other, wished we lived closer to each other so we'd have more moments like that. I grew up with my cousins all around, someday I hope Gem can enjoy the same. Grammie & Poppie left that night for their drive back to Orlando and we left the next evening. Before leaving, we brought the girls to a playground so they could run around in the fresh air, it was nice breathing fresh cool air for a change. Our trip was to short, ended too soon, but we had to get back and finish our week before leaving for Barbados.
