Marco Island

The following is a submission by Ryan Muir.

This evening, Desi asked that I spend a moment to summarize our Christmas vacation in Florida. Currently, it 32 degrees and snowing here in Minnesota, and when we left Florida, it was 80 degrees and sunny. The feeling of melancholy has shrouded our lives like a dense fog rolling into San Francisco Bay at the break of dawn. But life continues and the arctic air is on the horizon. Literally on the horizon, Saturday's high is 0.



So what is there to say about our vacation to Florida, other than AMAZING! Desi has been to Florida on a number of occasions, where this was my first trip. We begun our journey to the panhandle state by spending a little extra time at the airport in Minneapolis. When I say extra time, I mean 6 hours extra. The plane we were taking ran into some sort of mechanical issue before it left the ground in San Diego. Because of the issues there, and the ensuing takeoff delay now being estimated in Minneapolis, we were going to miss our connection in Atlanta. I'd like to take this moment to thank Southwest Airlines for offering absolutely zero non-stop flights out of this great state. But I digress. Southwest was honestly terrific in this whole ordeal and we got lucky. Because of the issues, they put us in a hotel in Atlanta at no cost, gave us $600 to use towards future airline tickets, and some food vouchers.

We arrived in Atlanta, stayed at a Holiday Inn, then flew out the next morning. Nothing more needs to be said there.

Finally, our plane landed and our feet touched Floridian soil. Our family of 4, loaded into a white Chrysler minivan, with my sister Camryn, my mom and dad, and headed south to Marco Island. Marco Island is the largest island in a chain of 10,000 islands on the Southwestern coast of Florida. This island is full of homes, beautiful resorts, and impeccable white sand beaches. As expected, we were not disappointed in the Marriott resort we stayed at.

After spending some much needed time on the beach, it was time to take to the water. We rented a few jet skis and explored the many island south of us. Our favorite, was an island where the beach was not covered in sand, but covered in tiny sea shells, millions of millions of little shells. Further exploring on the jet skis led us to dolphins, mangroves, and endless fun.

Our next adventure, was into the Everglades on a airboat. If you've never seen an airboat or been on one, you need to. These crazy things glide across the top of water with this massive propeller sitting right behind you outside of the water. These things are loud, very loud, and we had Cruz with us. Ever heard the expression, "Sleeping like a baby?" Well this little guy was the epitome of that expression. Desi held him while on the boat and he did not move a muscle. Paisley, had to warm up to it. Once we started flying around the mangroves, and found a few Alligators to stare at, Paisley was hooked.

Unfortunately, our time on the island had to end.  But our trip was not over at that point. We made our way north to Tampa Bay, home to Grandma Gloria! Our next adventure, was to the amusement park of Busch Gardens. If any one knows Desi, they know she has a big heart. So big a heart, there were tears at the corner of her eyes at the end of Blackfish. If you didn't know, Sea World owns Busch Gardens. I on the other hand, simply just do not care. The moment I found out about this ownership, I sent Desi a text calling for her support of whale abuse through going to the park and spending money on over priced soda and candy. After some sarcastic remark and eye rolling, we all had a great time there. Shocking to all of us, but Paisley rode rides! All of the rides she could go on, restricted adults from going on. We never would have expected Paisley to want to ride these without one of us or without a friend to go with her. Man were we wrong! She was so excited to wait in line, jump into the seat, and have some fun. She hopped on a little log ride, ferris wheel, plane ride, and even did those spinning swings. She had a blast!

Just as our trip began, it did not end on the best note. The night before we were to fly our of Florida, Desi was hit by a nasty stomach bug. We ended up pushing our flight back an extra day to let Desi rest up, then sadly, made our way back to the cold of Minnesota. All in all, it was an amazing trip. We loved being able to spend some much needed time with family as we opened Christmas gifts, shared stories, and relaxed in the beautiful Florida weather.

We Wish You An Aussie Christmas!

 When we had Paisley's parent teacher conference, she mentioned that she was giving Paisley a part in the Christmas program. I was a little worried because a few weeks earlier she didn't say her part for her Primary program. When I saw her part and realized she was the first speaker, I got really worried that she would not only not say it, but that it would make her cry and then she wouldn't participate in the rest of the program. We practiced and practiced and practiced! Most of the time, she would say: "Um, how about we do it in the morning," hoping that I would forget to ask her to practice. When my mom got here she brought a suitcase full of presents and of course, Paisley wanted to open them! So I told Paisley that she could open ONE present if she were to practice her program and do a really good job. Well, one present turned into two and then two turned into three and eventually, all of her presents had been opened. Finally, the big day came and I was so nervous! 

The kids were all waiting in a line as the music started to play and one by one, the kids walked down the aisle to stand in their spots. Paisley was the last one to walk down and when she was about three quarters of the way down, she started to run toward me. Instantly, I was thinking oh crap here we go, but she just gave me a big hug and off she went to her assigned spot. I sat on on pins and needles as her teacher walked up to her with the microphone. She slowly but surely said her part! I could not believe it and smiled from ear to ear because that was such a big accomplishment for her. I owe so much credit to her teachers and her peers for that moment. As they started to sing their songs, she kept looking at Mrs. Walls, only to then turn around staring at her friend Corianna. I wish she would have looked more at us but I will take what I can get!

National Cupcake Day

Yummy yummy in my tummy! 

Since today was national cupcake day, Nadia's cupcakes was having a "special," $2 cupcakes (normally $3.25). The first time Paisley and I went there was April 1st, not knowing that it was such a "well known" store I just got a regular cupcake, instead of one of their special cupcakes (cat litter, dog food, chili etc). I made sure to get some of the festive ones this time around. When we got there, the line was out the door! This place is so well known since they won a season on Cupcake Wars. The gingerbread man cupcake was fantastic and our favorite! 

He's Making A List And Checking It Twice!

Since Cruz's early arrival last year, we were unable to go see Santa. So this year, I made sure to go see him. After Paisley's Christmas program, we headed over to Macy's to go walk through Santa's workshop and take a visit with the big man. I was really curious to see how Paisley would do this year since past years have not gone so well. She really surprised me as she sat on his lap and told him exactly what she wanted. Cruz actually surprised me too! I was pretty sure he was going to be screaming bloody murder but the photographer was able to snap a picture in time.

Decorating the Tree

Paisley loves decorating the tree. It is always a fun time to go back and look at old ornaments that we have purchased throughout the years. This year, Paisley picked out dinosaur ornaments for both her and Cruz. I was originally wanting a donut, but when it came time to buy it, they were all sold out. So I got second best ornament...ice cream. I was going to buy Ryan a golf ball ornament but when I was at Target, I saw a "Game of Thrones" ornament and knew that would be perfect for his ornament. 

Last year, our tree was naked at Paisley's eye level due to her taking ever ornament off at that level, and putting them on the very bottom. She loved laying on the floor underneath the tree and watching them dangle. This year, due to Cruz being mobile, all of the bottom decorations were moved above Cruz's arm reach. 

Trick or Treat

At the scary house

It's amazing how much Paisley has grown in one year. Last Halloween, Paisley only trick-or-treated at three houses. This year, I wanted to go while the sun was still up so i could get some pictures. When we started, it was only us and one other family for about the first 20 minutes. I think this was very helpful for Paisley because she was able to take her time and not feel rushed. We went to this awesome neighborhood near our house where a good amount of houses were decorated to the max. There was one home, with tombstones and skeletons, that really freaked Paisley out. We also stopped at our bishops home so Paisley could see her "big girls." We kept going house to house and Paisley was loving every minute of it. Some houses gave out juice boxes and goodie bags! Eventually, the neighborhood started to flood with kids. At this point, Paisley had gone to about 15-20 houses and was ready to call it a night. 

Cruz and Jake, pumpkin butts!

Do not feed the dinosaur!

pre trick or treating pictures. The lighting couldn't have been more perfect!

Paisley and Cruz with the "Big Girls"

Form The Corn

The Fall Festival was Paisley's first school performance and she did such a great job! All of the students wore their Halloween costumes and preformed 4-5 songs as a class. They started the program by saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Admittedly, I was pretty impressed with Paisley and her being able to say the whole thing! While they were singing, Paisley was, of course, one of the loudest singers in the class!

 

Afton Apple Orchards

I love this time of year and what better of a place to spend it, than at Afton orchards. We had so much fun walking around and picking out our pumpkins this fall. Walking up and down the apple rows trying to find the perfect apples to pick was a terrific experience for the kids. Paisley and Cruz loved feeding the goats most of all. After we got done with the animals, we went over to the play ground to let the kids work out some wiggles. Let me tell you, this playground is amazing and made out of recyclable materials! We finished the night off with a hay ride. I'm thankful that the kids (and Ryan) were in good moods for me to capture these memories.

Paisley's In Preschool!

 I can't believe I have a preschooler. Paisley has been waiting for this day for a long time! We went to Target to buy her a backpack. She was really wanting the Jurastic World backpack but they were all out., so she got the next best and picked out Mario Brothers. The only reason why she picked it was because of Yoshi (dino).

Lemonade Stand

This photo session was suppose to take place in May/June for Paisley's 4th birthday photo session. Well, three months later it finally happened and I LOVE how it turned out! Next year, I plan on doing a lemonade mini session. I made sure Paisley got a nap in before this session to make sure she was extra happy. Well, that didn't work she woke up so emotional I was trying to keep calm and not get frustrated with her because that was just going to make it worse. With some farting and burping noises I was able to make her crack a few smiles. I am so in love with how they turned out.

Me And My Babies

It's very rare that I get get a picture with the kids because I am normally the one behind the camera. This is probably my favorite picture with me and the kids. 

Photography

As long as I can remember I have always had a love for photography. As a little girl, my best friend (Amanda) and I would have photoshoots every weekend. We would get all dolled up, throw up some sheets, whip out our disposable cameras, and strike a pose. We thought we were hot stuff!

For mine and Ryan's first anniversary, we decided to buy a "nice" camera. We were both pretty excited for this purchase because we both enjoyed taking photos. At this time I also decided to sign up for a beginner photography class at the local community college I was attending. I really wanted to take this class because I wanted to improve my photography so I could take some nice pictures of our soon to be family. 

Shortly after the semester started, we found out that we were pregnant with Paisley! I wasn't confident in myself to take pictures so I searched for the perfect photographer, and I found her. Korindi is amazing; not only did she take my maternity, and Paisley's newborn photos, but I also came back every three months for Paisley's milestone sessions. 

With much practice I can now say that I am very happy with how far my photos have come. I am constantly learning new tips and tricks to better my photos. I am always (well not always) busy editing clients photos that I never have time to edit my own. Part of me starting this new blog is to help me edit my own photos. 

A Day At The Park

Today, I took the kids to Lake Elmo. Cruz loved the swing! He was all smiles the entire time he was swinging. I think I am going to buy one for him as an early birthday present. This will be great for the winter (hook it to the ceiling).  

Paisley did her thing and tried to make some new friends. I say this a lot, but I am so excited for her to go to school and develop friendships. We have a new neighbor and she is about 4 years older than Paisley. She has been a great friend, and I have noticed a difference in Paisley imaginative play. Her little friend has introduced her into My Little Pony. We might be breaking away from DINOS.... yeah right... Paisley will always love dinos. 

Before I let Paisley play on the playground I took a couple of pictures of her and Cruz. The group shot was a big fail but I couldn't help but edit at least one. 

Random Pics

Sleeping babies on a Sunday afternoon

 Off to see the Minion movie! 

We found a tiny frog on our patio.