God at work in Kaylea's Life

Some people may think that children are too young to understand the concept of God or spiritual things. I tend to disagree. I know that I myself (though I was a genius child of course lol) knew at 5 years old that Jesus was God's son and died on a cross a long time ago to save me from my sin and that I wanted him to come live in my heart. I understood the concept of when we die, we either go to heaven or hell, and at 5 years old I gave my heart to God. (Now whether I have followed him the best I could throughout my life is another story... I'm only human.)

As I've gotten older I've drifted away from God... and its easy to do... life is busy. But its funny I remember growing up people saying kids who go to church even when their parents don't are great witnesses to their parents. As far as I may feel from God sometimes, it amazes me how keen of understanding Kaylea has for God, and what a tender heart she has.

Sunday was mine and Eric's 7th Wedding Anniversary. We had plans to spend the whole day together... and we did.... and it was a blast! We went Jet Skiing and to movie and a dinner. It was nice to relax just us!

Earlier that morning we had dropped Kaylea off at church with my mom and dad (we skipped out and headed to the beach). I called my mom later to check in....and this is what she said:

See they had a concert at church...a family who came to sing for the whole service. Kaylea loves music... and mom said she was kind of dancing during some of it. But then they sang the song, "I Can Only Imagine" which is a song about what it would be like to meet God in Heaven. Its a very worshipful and moving song. One of my favorites. Well mom said Kaylea stood up during the song and rather than dance, she seemed almost in another world and she scooped her hands up and raised them towards the sky and turned her head with her eyes closed up towards heaven... very slowly and very worshipfully. Mom didn't stop her... she let her continue... and Kaylea continued this through the song. (This is a Baptist church so there weren't other people doing this LOL). Mom said she had a tear in her eye because it was the most sincere moment and you could see Kaylea was being touched by God. Later my mom asked Kaylea what she was doing and Kaylea said, "I was prasin' God an' liftin' him up!" Kaylea is only 3 years old.

She went to church that evening and was very well behaved mom said. After church my dad had a meeting so my mom and another lady from the church and Kaylea hung out in the Sanctuary. Well, Kaylea got up on stage and started preaching... just like my dad. Mom said she was walking all around the stage and putting her hands out like dad does and even turning around to talk to the empty choir. She was saying, "Not everybody in da Kingdom knows about God so dats why I gotta tell them!".... then she pause and say, "you understand?" hehe....she's been watching her Gada for a while huh?

So when we picked her up and were heading home I asked Kaylea what the sermon was about. She said, "Its about when we die." (I was kinda scared to go on...not sure how to talk about death with her... death scares me and I'm 30!) I said, "And what happens when we die?" Kaylea responded, "We go to God." (long pause) "You know just like my bunny rabbit Dumbo you remember he died?" I wanted to cry right there. Even if I haven't been the best witness or example to her... God had still reached out to her. There are moments in your life where your kids simply amaze you. This was one of those moments.

Prayer: Thank you God for giving me Kaylea. She is such a blessing and such a witness to me. If I could just be so tender hearted like her. Thank you for working in her life.

1st Day of School and Kaylea the Hair Model

Kaylea has started her first day of school for her second year at preschool. Next year she will be graduating from preschool cap and gown and then be on her way to Kindergarten. (boo hoo.) So I tried to snap a picture of her on her first day, but this year she was anti paparazzi and she turned away everytime I tried to get a pic. She's dodging the press already!

Luckily later in the week I was able to snap these two pictures of the lovely hair model. Doesn't her hair look like an ad for Johnson's Baby Shampoo or something? I wish I had hair like hers! Anyways, I actually got a picture of her face this time! She is such a drama queen lately.... lots of jokes and funny/weird new saying she has learned.

Some famous quotes from Kaylea:


1.) Her favorite joke right now: "Why did the chicken cross the playground? To get to the other SLIDE!"


2.) "Daddy come on let's play...it'll be fun!" ... "Not right now Kaylea", said Daddy. "Fun Killer!" Kaylea says in a slightly New Yorker accent. (She meant dream killer and she learned it from Ariel's New Beginning Movie)

3.) Kay: "Daddy, what kind of truck is that?"
Dad: "It's a bucket truck. It lifts people up high in the sky."
Kay: "Oh it lifts them up so they can be closer to God!"

4.) "Daddy knows alot about food and trucks."

5.) Ms. Michelle (teacher): "Bye Daddy"
Kaylea: "His name is actually "Da-Deee!"

6.) "Gada calls me a peanut but I'm not really a Peanut. I'm a Kaylea."


But with all of these funny things she says its the everyday hugs and "I love you"(s) that really tug at your heart. She says them so sincere....Well thats all or now folks. Goodnight.

Vacation All I Ever Wanted!

Hey Everyone! We have been on vacation and just returned (UGH). DisneyWorld rocked and we had a blast! Kaylea's #1 mission and favorite part of the trip was getting to stand in line to meet characters.... of which she met all bu Donald and Daisy Duck.

I myself enjoyed the safari ride. I couldn't believe we were so close to the animals and in a completely open car where the ostrich could come peck us if he wanted to! It was so cool! Eric's favorite part was the Finding Nemo show which I have to agree was really amazing.... the music and singing was great but the entire interpretation with the puppetry was fantastic!

It was so much fun we have dreaded coming back.... but I guess we had to. Here are some of our pictures from our trip! To see all of them click here: http://picasaweb.google.com/kayleasmom/DISNEY2008

Home is Where Your Heart Is

Tuesday, Eric was off work and Kaylea's school was cancelled as they anticipated the Tropical Storm Fay coming.....which didn't hit us thankfully. Anyways I love days like this because it gives us a chance to go to lunch together as a family. So Burger King is where we opted to go (as I cheated on my diet with an Original Chicken Sandwich add cheese).

Now Kaylea is a very bright little girl (not that I'm biased) and she is also very sweet and caring. Its amazing how tender her heart is and how loving she can be sometimes. We were having fun playing with the kids meal toy that was a matching game and Kaylea wanted me to keep playing it with her, but we had to head back because I had to work. (She never likes the part where I have to go back to work). I said, "Kaylea, I promise I will play the matching game with you when I get home."

Who knew children were so perceptive? Kaylea said, "But mom you are home! Cause daddy and Kaylea are here and since we are here this is your home!" I couldn't argue with that!

PS - Check out the Vidal Sassoon Hair Model below! lol so cute! Look at that red hair!

All About Kids Back to School Bash

Here are some pictures from the All About Kids Back to School Bash that we went to on Kaylea and Mommy Day two weeks ago (I know I'm behind on my blogging!) We had a great time. Kaylea got to meet the USF cheerleaders, take a picture with the Cypress Gardens Princess, and a picture with a pageant girl. She also got a free helmet and got to ride a bike for a first time! We had a blast and Kaylea even sat to get her face painted!

A few more Kaylea pictures

This is one of my favorite pictures she has taken recently. Her smile is so contagious!

Here is a picture of Kaylea trying to imitate Mommy doing pushups at her bootcamp!

Kaylea Makes Key Lime Pie

Well, my mom has introduced Kaylea to Key Lime Pie. I never cared for Key Lime pie or Lemon ice box pie, but it seems to be a favorite among my family. Well McDonalds started having Key Lime Pie down here and Kaylea tried it and became a big fan! So, one day my mom decided to have Kaylea help her make my grandfather's version of it - his recipe for "Lemon Ice Box Pie". So it uses Lemons instead of Limes. So Kaylea was very excited to help! Here are pictures from Kaylea's first time cooking a Lemon Ice Box Pie! She was very proud of herself! (But she likes the Key Lime Pie from McDonalds better!) lol

New Pics since the Weight Loss!

Here are some pictures since my 55 lbs weight loss so far. I've gone from size 22 to size 14. They are featuring me with these pictures and my before pics in the next issue of "Medi-Living Magazine" the Medi-Weightloss Centre's monthly magazine. Still have about 30 lbs I want to lose, but I've come a long way!

Mom and Dad need a Ka-Pow Sign!

So Kaylea recently has been coming into our room at night and wanting to sleep in our bed. Well at some point this has to stop. Nobody gets sleep. Not us. Not her. And so we are all tired, exhausted and grumpy the next day. So we told Kaylea she was going to have to start sleeping all night in her room again. (She never had a problem before... not till we got the big girl bed for her!)

So Kaylea agreed on one condition. She requested we make a "Ka-Pow Sign". We were like, "Huh? You speak chinese now?" We had no idea what she meant. SO I asked her to show me what a "Ka-Pow" sign was and she offered for us to make one together. She had me get a piece of paper and a crayon. Then she said, "OK. Draw a big circle and put a line through it. Then draw me in the middle!" There you go folks. The official Ka-Pow sign. It goes on our door each night... so now instead of her busting in our room and jumping in bed, she just continuously knocks until someone tells her she can come in. LOL!

It took us a few days to figure out she had been trying to say a "Keep Out Sign". That toddler language is quite puzzling sometimes!

Well she came to Eric the other day and said, "Daddy I need a Ka-Pow sign for my door with you and mommy on it. If I can't come in your room you can't come in my room!" Nuff said.

My Super Brain Power!

I was going through my inbox and I found these two little quotes I had forgotten to publish that Kaylea had said a few weeks ago. So here you go:

Kaylea was sitting with Mimi and was singing with a brush in her hand. Next thing you know Mimi notices the brush is broken in two. We didn't hear a sound of a hard plastic brush breaking or a snap, so Mimi asked her, "Kaylea how did you break my brush?" Kaylea responded, "I broke your brush with my super brain power!"

Kaylea left swim class and said, "Mommy I did so good you didn't even know what to do! You tried to take pictures but I was 'wimmin' and 'wimmin' that you didn't even know what to do!"

My Boot Camp Training

Here is the video I sliced together for the Boot Camp I go to. This is what I wake up at 5:30am for on three days a week! Semper fi!

May I have this Dance?

On Kaylea Mommy Day this weekend, we played dress up. Kaylea dressed up in her Cinderella dress, crown, purse and gloves. She wanted to wait until Daddy came home to take it off. So we waited in full costume for about an hour because she said, "I have to wait for the Prince! He is going to dance with me!"

So when Eric pulled up I put music on and Kaylea greeted him at the door in her Cinderella constume and said, "Hi Prince! May I have this dance?" And the Prince and Cinderella danced away!

Kaylea's Questions...

• "Mommy why are you so irritated?" (I busted out laughing because I've never heard a three year old say the word "irritated" before!)
  
  
  
• I wanted to take Kaylea for ice cream but realized I left my wallet in Eric's car. Luckily I found my debit card, but before I found it Kaylea said, "Mommy do you need money? Cause if you need money I have some in my piggy bank! So, do you need money?"
  
  
  
• "Mommy does God like lightening?" (she thinks he must because we've had so many thunderstorms lately)

The Photobooth at the Mall

One of Kaylea's favorite things to do besides playing on the indoor playground at the local mall is taking pictures in the photo booth there. Here is our latest set.

The Pink Eye Parade

If you get a moment, say a prayer for Kaylea this week. She had an ear infection last week and has been on antibiotics, but it has now developed into a pretty bad eye infection. Her eyes are all swollen full of tears and green yuck and crusties! I was worried her head might start spinning and she'd start spitting peas, so I called the doctor and had them call in some antibiotic eyedrops for her. Unfortunately she had to miss her swim class of which she was not very happy (but mommy and daddy took her for ice cream to make up for that!) She's just absolutely miserable and wakes up in the middle of the night saying her eyes are crusty. Last night she woke up and ran into the door cause she couldn't see or open her eyes. :-( Then after I cleaned her eyes and got her back into bed she came a knockin'. "Can I sleep with you guys?" So with miserable tears in her eyes, Eric went to the couch and Kaylea got in what she calls, "the big bed". Lucky for Eric cause he didn't have a little one kicking him in the face all night! :-)

This morning Eric and I both woke up to crusty and sore eyes. Fun. I still went jogging though. :-) Keep the pink-eye parade in your prayers!

It Breaks My Heart!

Kaylea's Phrase of the Day: "It Breaks My Heart When...."

It started out this morning when we were playing hide n' seek after I got back from Boot Camp. We hid a few times, but I had to get ready for work so I told Kaylea we couldn't play anymore this morning. Kaylea put on the sweetest little voice and said, "But Mommy it breaks my heart when you don't play with me!" (Seriously! Who can say no to that!) The child has mastered parental manipulation!

So I played one more round.... then it was off to the shower and she was started on a puzzle. I overheard her ask Eric really politely, "Daddy will you help me put my puzzle together please?" Eric who was busy online (I'm sure checking his sports websites for the day) said, "sure honey, in a minute". Kaylea waited a minute and then said, "But Daddy, it breaks my heart when you don't help me put my puzzle together!"

I said, "Kaylea where did you get the phrase 'It breaks my heart'?" She quickly shot back, "From youuuuuuu!" So I think later today I'm gonna try, "Kaylea it breaks my heart when you don't eat your green beans!"

Promoted on her 1st Day!

Kaylea went to her first Level 1-2 Swim Class yesterday (its a level in between level 1 and level 2) Well after swimming in that class for about 5 minutes they took her over to the more advanced Level 2 class as she was swimming so good! So she has already been promoted and it was her first day. So now her new teacher is Ms. Cody. Last night she got to race for the first time! They had a girl race and a boy race! There are 4 students including her in the class. The other students are around 5 years old I think, and Kaylea is just 3! Anyways, I will keep you updated on her progress!

PS - Kaylea said, "but how come I didn't get a graduation and a ribbon? lol

My Little Olympian!

Kaylea graduated her Level 1 Seal Pups class and received her gold medal! Here she is posing with her gold medal and her classmates and the second one is with her swim instructor Ms. Alexa. She was very proud. They played Olympic music and had them stand on the podium and gave them each gold medals and certificates. It was all very official! Tonight she moves on to Level 1-2 with a new class but same instructor! Go Kaylea!

Make a Wish Kaylea Style

Eric and Kaylea were in the car and listening to sports radio.... (hmmm I wonder who chose that station?)during one of our hurricane season downpours this week. Anyway, a commercial came on for the Make a Wish foundation. It had multiple little kids coming on air to say what they were making a wish for.... and went on about how the program helps make these kids wishes come true etc etc. Kaylea believed it applied to her and said, "I'm making a wish that I can go the park with my Daddy!" (I know so sweet!) But, Daddy reminded her that it was storming and they would have to go another day. And Kaylea reminded him that the commercial said it makes kid's wishes come true! :-)

Kaylea's Seal Swim School Picture

Here is Kaylea's School Picture they took at her "Seal Swim School". It turned out really well so we bought it and they even gave us the original digital file so we can get it blown up for her wall! She really loves her swim class. You never know.... you all might see her at the Olympics one day! :-)

The Big 3-0!

Well my friends I did it. I turned the big 3-0 yesterday. This morning I woke up and went to my fitness bootcamp I've started to work off the Chocolate Cobbler I had from Cracker Barrel last night lol. (I'm so tired!)

To celebrate my birthday, Eric took Kaylea and I to Daytona Beach for Saturday night and Sunday. We stayed at a little place called the Hawaiian Inn and it was nice and relaxing. It was very family oriented... not the Ritz, but good enough for us. What was great is the view from our balcony - right onto the ocean!

Saturday night we went to a Luau that they do there. It is a show with Hula dancers and Hawaiian music. I got to go up on stage and learn the "Huki Lao" (not sure the correct spelling) in front of everybody, and then later they brought Eric and Kaylea on stage to do some dancing too! Getting Eric on stage to dance with a Hula Girl pretty much made my night (he's not one to go on stage). So it was a great time! Kaylea practiced her swimming and we had a chance to relax as a family. Daytona is a lot nicer than I expected it to be. I always pictured it as a dirty beach and a party town, but in fact where we were was very clean, clear water and family oriented and not crowded. We want to make it a point to do a one night getaway every couple of months. Its great bonding time for all of us and relaxing time too... gets you out of the reality of the world as you know it and takes your mind off stressful stuff! You should do the same! :-)

Here are some more pics from our trip to Daytona Beach.

3 Year Old Responsibility

This morning I headed to the gym at 6:30am. Usually when I go to the gym, Kaylea knows she has to wake her daddy up and that is a big task. Waking Eric up can be a very hard thing even for an adult to do... you have to practically pull him out of bed lol.

Well this morning Kaylea woke up and realized Mommy was not there, so she walked over to Eric's side of the bed and started to tickle him and said, "Tickle, tickle tickle!" in her cute little girl giggly voice. It wasn't working I guess, so she piped up and in a very serious tone said, "Daddy you have to wake up! It's my responsibility to wake you up!"

That got Eric up and laughing. I wish I had been there because I've never heard a three year old say the word "Responsibility" before! :-)

She has a better grip on her responsibilities than most adults! I just love these adorable moments... these little phrases just melt your heart away!

Eric's 30th Birthday Dinner at Molly Goodheads

http://picasaweb.google.com/kayleasmom/EricSBirthday

Summer Meets Bill Rancic

So here was the highlight of my trip. It was Monday night and Eric had already flown back. I was planning on going back to my hotel and ordering a Giordanos pizza for dinner and watching their limited television stations. So, I walk out of the McCormick Place Convention Center and I see Bill Rancic. I'm freaking out thinking, "Wow thats Bill Rancic!" I know you are asking yourselves "Who is Bill Rancic?" Well I will explain that later.

So there is a long line for cabs so I have time to waste. I go nearby and try to get a couple of pics from my cell phone. Then another girl comes up and says is that really Bill Rancic? Both of us wanted to talk to him but neither of us had the courage yet. Then I decided why not. What's the worst that can happen? So I go up and introduce myself and hand him my card.

Now who is Bill Rancic? Bill (now that we are on a first name basis lol) is the very first winner of the TV show "The Apprentice" hosted by Donald Trump. He won a job working for Donald Trump in Chicago. He still works for Trump by helping him with the TV show Apprentice, but has also written two books. Prior to the show he had started his own online Cigar business called Cigars Around the World and it is now a multi million dollar business. All that said, and "HE IS HOT!" :-) And married to Giuliana DePandi (Rancic) from the E Television Network and former Miss USA.

So I hung out with him and chatted for about 10 minutes. Told him my name, company and explained what I did for a living. We talked about wine for a little bit and then he asked me where I was staying. I couldn't say "Ramada Inn in the ghetto" so I played it off and said, "somewhere off Lakeshore Drive in Hyde Park". He said, "oh. ok. Well next time you should stay at the Trump!" Yeah I think so too believe me!

So he asked me if I was going to the dinner party that night. Didn't want to seem stupid so I just said, "I'm not sure yet." (In my head I was thinking... what dinner party and where?) The VP of Marketing with the VIP checklist obviously noticed my confusion and came over and non-chalantly whispered in my ear... "You wanna go I can get you on the list?" Um let me think... YEAH! So I waited with the group of 40 VIP guests to go on the double decker bus to the Nine Steakhouse in Chicago.

I've never ridden a double decker bus till now. I walked up the steep stairs on the bus with Bill Rancic right behind me. The whole time I'm thinking... "Don't trip or do anything embarassing and Bill Rancic's face is at my butt's eye level! Ack!" So we rode the bus to the Nines and were escorted upstairs to the VIP room that overlooked the entire restaurant (which was very hip and trendy by the way). Bill Rancic spoke and we had a fully catered dinner and open/free bar! I ate dinner with the E-commerce girl and VP of Lowe's Home Improvement (these were the types of people at this dinner party!) Little ol me hanging out! I even got a swag gift! A box of Harry London Chocolates and a USB jump drive

SO to sum up this long story... I was in the right place at the right time. I got to eat a free dinner at an exclusive steakhouse with Bill Rancic and other Business VIP, ride a double decker bus and get free stuff! Amazing night I will never forget.

Today I called Bill's agent and got his address so I can ship him a bottle of wine. Oh yeah! :-)

Back from Chicago!

Well we are back from Chicago! Actually Eric came back on Monday and I stayed at the conference Monday through Wednesday. I went to attend the Internet Retailer Conference for my company. Since Eric's birthday was that week we decided to fly Eric up with me on Saturday and spend the weekend in the city before the conference started. We had alot of fun!

Our first day in Chicago we spent walking.... walking and walking around the Navy Pier and some of the city. The Navy Pier is really neat with lots of little shops and restaurants. We managed to fulfill every Chicago tradition in one weekend. At the Navy Pier we stopped at "America's Dog" and got a "Chicago Dog" and an "Italian Beef Sandwich" both of which Chicago is known for. The Chicago Dog was really good. The only thing strange about it was that it had a whole dill pickle cut up on top of it, which made it pretty hard to eat. But it was definitely yummy! The Italian Beef Sandwich (I got mine with hot peppers) was really like a glorified French Dip to me... like a French Dip Sandwich that had already been dipped. It was ok... but not nearly as good as the Chicago Dog.

After pigging out... literally! We decided to walk it off. We had a couple of hours to spare until the show we were going to see "Cirque Shanghai" (a Chinese acrobat show). So we walked more around the Navy Pier and the nearby parks and city. We got our picture taken with Bob Newhart (actually just the statue of Bob Newhart), and we tried on some really cool Afro wigs! I tried to convince Eric we should buy these but I guess we needed to spend that money on something better. (What could be better than some 70s afros? Really?)

So after walking the city we went to see the Cirque Shanghai show. It was absolutely phenomenol! I've never seen anything like it. They balanced tiny little plates on wires while doing cartwheels and making human pyramids. At one point a girl actually balanced 10 chairs on her knees while another girl balanced on top of them! It was crazy, but so neat. Kind of like Cirque de Soleil but this was called Cirque Shanghai. It was a really cool show and makes me want to go see the Soleil now.

After the show and the Navy Pier we headed to see a movie. Yeah I know why see a movie when you are in a town of all kinds of fun. 1.) it was pouring rain 2.) we never get to go to the movies together cause we have a 3 year old! So we went to see the movie - "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". Absolutely hysterical. I don't think either of us has ever laughed so hard at a movie before. We both recommend going to see this movie for some good laughs... but be warned of its funny yet graphic nature! (I can't say any more)

After resting our feet and laughing till our sides hurt, we took a cab back to the hotel and ordered a Giordanos pizza. Now my friend Mari told me we wouldn't be able to finish a "small" pie. But neither Eric or I believed this. Its a 10 inch pizza. Come on we could each eat two! Until we got the pizza and realized it weighed ten pounds! No joke! It was like 2.5 inches thick and filled with sausage and pepperoni and cheese and the sauce on top. Sounds weird like an inside out pizza, but it was AWESOME! (PS - just saw a sign for a Giordanos opening up here!)

Because this is getting so long, I will make the next day short. We went to the Lincoln Park Zoo - a free zoo imagine that?! Then we went to see yet another movie (tired feet). We went to see the Zohan movie with Adam Sandler (I'm a huge Adam Sandler fan).... and actually it wasn't that funny. The Sarah Marshall movie was much funnier and made with unknowns! :-)

So in short folks, on our trip to Chicago, we took the bull by the horns and had a lot of fun!

Here is a link to the rest of our pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/kayleasmom/Chicago

Our Little Seal!

Kaylea kicking her feet with the teacher Ms. Alexa

Kaylea has started her summer lessons at the "Seal Swim School". She took swim classes there two years ago when she was just turning 1 years old and did well, but of course there is only so much a one year old can learn.

Well this year, she is doing awesome! She is in the Level 1 class and this time without parents being in the water with them. They put her under the water almost immediately... this class is obviously more advanced than her previous, but she is loving it. She hasn't cried or fussed, but instead smiles and claps and even screamed out, "I can do it!" Its so fun to watch her in swim class and the instructors there are the best I have seen as far as interacting with kids. They have alot of enthusiasm and are great with the young ones like Kaylea. I will post more pictures and/or video as she progresses this year!

Ms. Alexa guiding Kaylea to the wall while swimming underwater. It looks scary but she was all smiles!