Future So Bright: Part II

Future so bright: part 2

Click here for the original "future so bright"

Orlando's version of Barney Fife
Yep, the police car has gotten a good amount of laughs from our new neighbors. Hey, along with the new puppy, the police car has helped break the ice!


I love that palm trees are everywhere!

And for those of you asking to see pictures of the house, here is a front shot.

And here are some pictures from Jake's karate class last week. He now has a karate outfit (what are they called?) like the little boy behind him in the bottom picture...I'll have to get a picture for you. It is so cute!

Since we live in the "Sunshine State," I thought it was only appropriate that the boys get some new sunglasses. And since Walker was mean muggin' in the Disney World pictures, I thought I'd share some of him smiling, which he does the other 99% of the time when he isn't being photographed at Disney. :)

Our First Trip to Disney!

Thanks to my wonderful husband for not telling me just how awful I looked today! Ugh! And this will always be our first family photo at Disney World. :( Oh well, let the memories begin!

Tea cups!

It's a small world!

Pluto!!

Jake thought this was pretty cool. :)

Daisy Duck

And the ferry boat ride that was Jake's 2nd favorite part of Disney World.

And finally a picture of Walker since he isn't attached to my hip here.

Tyson and I took the boys to Disney World for the first time today! We're all pretty tired, but we had so much fun. How in the world do people go to Disney World for several days in a row? I'm so thankful that we could come home and rest and go back another day! I'm pretty sure my body wouldn't allow me to do Disney 2 days in a row! Ha! I also discovered that I'm not going to be able to do Disney by myself with the boys as I was hoping. I honestly thought I could just take the boys on a day of the week that neither of them had school...yeah right! Well, at least not right now...maybe when Walker is a little older.

Walker was a really good sport even though we were pushing his nap time, it was hot, and the lines were pretty long. He was absolutely fine as long I was holding him. :) Walker's favorite ride was the tea cups; he kept spinning us faster and faster and was dieing laughing the whole time. I wish I would have gotten a picture of him, but he was glued to my side.

Jake was AWESOME at Disney World; he never complained one time about anything! He waited in the lines so patiently, walked the entire time, and just went with the flow. His favorite ride was Peter Pan, but he also said he really liked the ferry boat ride home, too. Ha!

I asked Jake when we got home if he was ready to go back to Disney World, and he said, "not today...maybe another day." :) I can't blame him...it was fun and I can't wait to go back, but it definitely won't be tomorrow or the next day.

All complaining aside, I am so thankful that we live this close to Disney World and can come and go as we please. I'm also very thankful that my hardworking husband finally got some much needed time off and that he used it to spend with us at Disney. I'm one lucky girl!

First Time in the Pool!

It was so hot this past Saturday that we were finally able to get into our pool. I say "we," but I still haven't found my bathing suits from the move yet (how convenient, huh?), so just the boys got it. Tyson said it was still a little chilly, though, but tolerable.

The boys had a blast! Jake immediately tried swimming and wasn't scared at all, like I thought he would be. I kind of figured we'd have to kind of start back over with swim lessons until he got used to it again, but not at all. And Walker was just as I thought he'd be- a wild child. We put the "football pads" on him, and he was good to go. He LOVES the water! I'm so happy for my boys that we have a pool that they can get into everyday.

Sam also enjoyed the pool...psych! While I was taking pictures, I accidentally bumped Sam and he fell into the pool. The water was just low enough and the wall was just high enough that he couldn't get out, so Tyson dove in and saved him. I'm pretty sure he's gonna steer clear of the pool from now on.

Ok...I'm gonna use my bullets again to hit the highlights of the week:

• Jake started Karate this past week. I've been thinking about signing him up, but we literally stumbled upon lessons. He really likes it so far. Karate seems to be pretty popular around here.


• We've made new friends! Tyson said I sounded very lonely in my last post, and believe me, I've had my ups and downs since being here and I've REALLY miss my neighbors and my besties, but I'm ok. It has just been extremely difficult to meet people here, and not working has only made it harder for me. I've stepped up my game, though, and I think it's working. :)


• Sam is doing well and adjusting to our family. Turns out, he was really sick when we got him. I took him to the vet last Monday and we found out he has a skin infection from all the fleas and ticks from the breeders' house, an eye infection, and coccidia and hook worms, which are parasites that can be dangerous for Sam and the boys. Needless to say, Sam quickly went from an inside/outside dog to mostly outside dog.


• We finally started hanging pictures in our house! Ha!


• Jake and Walker have gotten to skype Ryan and Kaitlyn twice since we've been here. Love them and miss them soooo much.


• Walker has started calling Jake "Jacob" this week. Ha! He heard Sensai Matt call Jake "Jacob," so it kind of stuck with Walker. Surprisingly, it doesn't bother Jake...it just sounds really strange since no one else calls Jake "Jacob."


• Tyson has Spring Break this week but is working hard. :( I'm hoping he gets Friday off so maybe we can try out Disney for the first time.


• I'm still sweating like crazy. I actually went to the doctor this week, and this is how the conversation went: Doc: So do you have any other problems you want to discuss? Me: Yeah...I'm sweating profusely, as you might notice, and I don't know why. Doc: (Laughing) Hmm...I don't know what to say about that. Me: (sensing the awkwardness) Ok, well thanks for your help! Ha! The last few days haven't been as bad, but something has to give! Any suggestions?


• So, about my "other problem" the doc was talking about...before I left Birmingham, I found out that I have a large cyst in my right sinus that is causing sinus infections and pink eye (and a few other problems) about every 3 weeks. Miserable!!!! I'm meeting with an ENT next week to discuss surgery. I'll keep you posted.

Other than all that, we're good. We are finally getting into a routine here, and that makes me happy. I still miss Birmingham soooooooo much, though, and think about our friends there constantly, but this is life in the coaching business- and unfortunately, this isn't going to be our only move. This doesn't mean I'm lonely, Tyson; between our 2 children and the dog...there isn't time for loneliness. Ha!

Finally!!

Jake's first day of school in Orlando.

Finally...a real update!! First, Jake started school last Tuesday; he is going to a Christian-based Mother's Day Out program very similar to the one he was going to in Birmingham. His class has about 10 little boys and 2 girls in it. He said it's "fun," but he had "hard time making friends at first." :( That broke my heart when he said that, but by day 2, he had made a new friend that he couldn't stop talking about. His teachers say he has done really well, though. I'm so glad to be over that huge (in my opinion) hurdle.

What else? We got a dog!! Tyson and I (ok, mainly just me) have been talking about getting a dog for a while, but the timing hasn't been right. Well, what better time than now! We have a fenced in yard and a house of mostly tile/hardwood floors, and to be honest, I think we could all use a companion right now. (Orlando hasn't been the easiest place to make friends.) :( Anyways, we wanted a bigger dog that could be an inside/outside dog that would be good with our kids and didn't shed a lot, so a friend recommended we get a goldendoodle. I'm not a big fan of poodles, but I liked the idea of it being hypoallergenic because of the poodle in it. So, goldendoodle it was! Sam, our dog, is actually 3/4 poodle and 1/4 golden retriever, but I think he looks more golden than poodle, though. He is a really sweet dog and LOVES Jake to pieces! They are so cute together!

Walker isn't a big fan of Sam. He likes the idea of "woof woof," but Sam is big into the puppy phase of jumping and biting, and it scares Walker. I can't blame Walker, though, Sam is almost as big as he is! That dog is going to be HUGE!!

Hmm...what else? My brain is still kind of boggled from the move, so I might hit the highlights in bullets again. Oh, and here are some pictures of Walker to show that he does still exist.

• The kids LOVE the pool. Since it is screened in, the temperature of the pool is about 10 degrees (so I'm told) cooler. So needless to say, it is soooo hot outside, but the pool is freezing cold. Jake asks every day if the pool is warm enough to get in. :)


• Speaking of it being hot, DID I MENTION IT'S HOT DOWN HERE? Oh my lord, I thought I'd be prepared for the heat since I grew up in South Georgia, but y'all...it is some kind of hot down here! People say my blood will thin and I'll get used to it; well, that needs to hurry up and happy because I am burning up...and it's only February! I'm the one walking around in sundresses and flip-flops while the rest of Orlando is in jeans and long sleeve shirts.


• I love the screen around the pool. I would highly recommend it for people with young kids. Jake can usually figure out how to break locks and get into stuff, but that fence is totally bullet (and Jake) proof.


• Orlando is definitely a "melting pot" like everyone has warned me it would be. I'm so glad my kids will be exposed to different cultures and ethnicities,but honestly, I really miss my Southerners and Southern hospitality. And I could kick myself for taking French in high school and college instead of Spanish. Just another reason I look like a dumb redneck!


• UCF's campus and athletic complex are AMAZING! I'm so excited for Tyson.


• Tyson has been working like a dog. Once again, he leaves before we get up and gets home after the kids have gone to bed. :( I'm hoping this doesn't last too long...we miss him!


• I don't know if I mentioned it or not, but our house in Birmingham is under a lease/purchase. We actually had several offers, but this one seemed to be the best. The tenant is supposed to lease it for a year and then close on it, so we'll see. I'm just thankful it isn't sitting empty!


• Jake got his bunk beds that we had promised him, and he pretty much thinks he is big time now. He really wants Walker to sleep on the bunks with him, but I told him we needed to wait until Walker is at least 2. Having the new beds seem to have helped our sleeping issues we had prior to the move.


• Mine and the boys' hair doesn't agree with this Florida weather...everyday is like the worst hair day ever for all 3 of us. I ended up getting Jake's hair buzzed, and I'm contemplating doing the same with Walker. At least Walker can pull off the blond, curly 'fro for now.


• We haven't ventured out to Disney or any other local attractions yet, but Tyson has Spring Break next week, so I'm hoping we get to go some places then.


• I love our neighborhood, but we definitely don't (or probably never will) have anything like we had in Birmingham. There doesn't seem to be a ton of kids near us, or if there are, they don't come outside and play a lot. We've spent a good bit of time at our neighborhood park, but people and kids kind of stick to themselves. Again, I miss good ole' Southern hospitality.


• I am so thankful to be back together as a family and living under one roof again. Even though Tyson is working long, hard hours, the weekends and the little bit we see him during the week totally made this quick move worth it. I still miss Birmingham bad, though. I never knew it at the time, but life was pretty much perfect there. Now, I just have to figure out how to make Orlando perfect for us. :)

We made it!

We don't have internet at our house yet, so bare with me as i blog from my phone.

The boys, my mom, and I made it to Orlando last Thursday, and we've been going nonstop ever since trying to get moved in and settled. Tyson had Thursday, Friday, and the weekend off so he has been a big help.

I'll blog more once we get internet up and running; i just wanted to let everyone know we made it. Enjoy the pics of my poolmen and of Walker's first friend. :)

Daddy Came Home!

Tyson FINALLY got to come home this weekend! It had been almost 2 weeks since I had seen him; I can't even begin to explain how much I missed him. I absolutely DREAD leaving Birmingham this week, but I'm so ready to be a family again.

We really didn't do anything too exciting this weekend since it was so miserably cold here. We were supposed to have our last and final "Chalybe Fest" (aka fire pit party in the drive-way) this weekend, but it was too cold to even be around a fire. Ha! So we just mainly hung out and enjoyed some family time.

I can't believe the next time we'll be back together as a family of four is when we are moving into our new house in Orlando! Wish us luck!

Our Last Week in Birmingham

Building forts.
Sorry Kaitlyn, "no babies allowed."

These two! I'll tell you what, I'm really going to miss those Madden kids!

Walker can't wait to show his Daddy that he can drive the jeep all by himself without me running behind him like a crazy person!

I am not going to miss the hill behind our house...or the trouble that it causes my kids to get into!

One last date for these two!

Wow! Sorry for the lack of updating! I have lots of good excuses, though. First and foremost, my nights have been filled with house drama (both here and Orlando) and moving drama. And secondly, my nights have been filled with trying to convince a certain 4 year old to sleep in his bed, but only to lose that battle around midnight. Ugh! What a bad habit I've started. I'll be honest, though, I've been in survival mode for the last month, so don't judge.

Since I posted last, we actually ended up renting a completely different house than I mentioned before. It was actually was our 2nd house, but it got rented right before our 1st house fell through. Long story short, the 2nd house's lease fell through, so we ended up getting it. See why I said "drama?" Ha! I'm excited about the house- it has a pool and is in a pretty awesome neighborhood. The house itself is a tad dated, but that's ok. It's a good bit bigger than our house here, so we've got to figure out the whole furniture situation. I'm just glad to be done with the searching. I'm not in love with this house by any means, however, I refuse to go through this renting process again anytime in the near future!

As far as our house here, we've had a lot of people come through and look...like almost daily! We actually received an offer Wednesday, but I'm not sure if it's gonna work out. We'll see. I'm so ready this figured out so I can mark one more HUGE thing off my list!

We are trying to make the most of our last few days here. I'm not one for goodbyes, so I've kinda been avoiding those at all costs. We've mostly been hanging out with the Maddens and just trying to be as normal as possible. Jake is really confused about what's going on- he knows we're "moving" but he thinks because Ryan Madden is moving too (to South Carolina), that Ryan is moving with us. Jake's really gonna have a hard time without Ryan; they've been together almost everyday since birth and are almost like brothers. I'm really worried about this transition for Jake.

Tyson is coming home this weekend! This is only the 3rd time he's been home (and the 1st time he's been home for more than 8 hours) since Jan. 8th. I can't tell you how excited we all are! I'll tell you what, I don't know how other coaches' wives do this (living without their husbands) for long periods of time (like waiting for the kids get out of school). It's only been 1 month without Tyson, and the kids and I are missing him like crazy! Thank goodness he isn't in the military, right?

I'm not sure when I'll get a chance to blog again; I might try early next week, but no promises. The movers will be here Tuesday to start packing and then the truck will roll out late Wednesday headed to Orlando! I can't believe it's time. So sad but so exciting! We'd appreciate your prayers for 1) safe travels, 2) a drama-free move, 3) an easy transition for Jake, and 4) some kind of resolution with our house in Birmingham.

Thanks y'all! Have a great weekend!

Signing Day!!

Here is a video of Tyson talking about one of the recruits he got to sign with UCF in the few short weeks of being there. Super proud of him!! Go Knights!

Here are the boys watching the video of their Daddy. Only seeing him twice this month for a short period of time is definitely wearing on them. Jake said, "I miss my Daddy" as we watched this video. :(And here is a picture of them giving Tyson a kiss.