Santa!!

We had breakfast with Santa last weekend and got some great pics by the tree.  The Santa pics didn't come out so well there, but we got a great one at Berings this weekend.

She loves Santa and if we are somewhere where he is, we have to go at least wave to him.  He's really been great at all the locations and waves back or starts up a conversation with Lydia.

So far, she has told him that she wants candy, candy canes, a bell, dinosaurs and airplanes.  We will see what she gets from him this year.  The dinosaurs came into mind after the boy in front of her said that's what he wanted.

Our "Baby Moon" to Panama

So we decided to go on a baby moon to Panama City, Panama.  I've read some about the canal and really wanted to experience it.  Plus it's a short flight to another country with tons of history.  We went for 4 nights last week.  It was a lot of fun!  We took a boat tour of the canal, saw the old historic part of town and then just hung out at the pool the rest of the trip.  The city wasn't like anything I was envisioning.  It is much like New York, meaning it has many skyscrapers and it overlooks the water (and the driving is ridiculous).
The canal tour was pretty amazing.  We got to go through 2 locks of the 3 and actually experience the boat trip.  We went through the Great Divide too.  Blair and I were reading The Path Between the Seas and it was neat to experience all the history we were reading about.  We had some good discussions at the end of the days about what we saw and how it was portrayed in the book.  The canal is basically like a water elevator.
The rest of the trip we just hung out at the hotel pool which overlooked the Pacific Ocean.  The weather was very close to Houston heat and humidity weather during the day and felt pretty good at night.  Needless to say I didn't need a jacket.

Pulling into the lock (water is high)

Getting to the front of the lock by the doors (water is high)

Seeing the doors to the lock again (water is high)

Behind us are two sailboats and a small cruise ship in the same lock (the red tanker is in the lock beside us) - notice the water is still high

The water starts to descend down and the doors become more visible.

The water is still descending down...large doors are revealed.

The set of doors open to the river.

This ship was huge!

On our morning walk through downtown - the skyscrapers are so plentiful.

View of downtown from the old town center where the history lies.

View from our infinity pool...looking out onto the Pacific Ocean with a view of the outskirts of town (more condos and skyscrapers being built).

Thanksgiving 2013

We had a great Thanksgiving.  My Mom and Dad hosted and we all went over there for lunch.  Unfortunately I didn't get many pictures, but it was a great lunch.  It was very relaxing and festive.

I'm holding Kiernan while Lydia is holding Harley before lunch...notice the Dog Show on TV behind us.

Lydia insists on wearing any and all princess gowns all the time now.  She wants to wear one over her clothes, under her clothes and through her clothes.  We had just put up our lights when she wanted a pic with Bevo.

Polar Express

We drove up to Palestine, TX to take the Polar Express train with some of our neighbors and their kids that are Lydia's age.  It was a fun trip.  We stayed the night there too.  Lydia loved the train ride and the crew were totally entertaining.  They really captured the kids attention.  We got hot chocolate and a cookie...Lydia didn't eat/drink either so more for me!  Santa even came on the train when we got to the "North Pole" and rode back with us.  Lydia got a bell and was ecstatic!  She got to wear her new Christmas pajamas and it was super cold outside.  We actually left town early the next morning because an ice storm was coming through.

Costa Rica

We got to go to Costa Rica right before Thanksgiving for Blair's brothers wedding.  It was a lot of fun! We took Lydia and she had a blast and keeps talking about going back to Costa Rica.  We went there on our honeymoon and this November was our 5 year anniversary.  It was great to go back...who knew we'd be going back in 5 years with our 3 year old and one more on the way?

All the Arterbury family got to go and the girls had a blast.  We got to see many different animals from iguanas, large toads, a crocodile, sea turtles and different types of birds.  Lydia loved playing in the hotel pool and on the beach.

The wedding was so nicely done.  Despite the rain that pushed the time back, all the little details and entertainment was great!  The three girls had a blast dancing to the music and celebrating.

The day after the wedding we all went on a catamaran boat ride for half the day.  Everyone had a blast and got to swim in the ocean, snorkel and see the amazing landscapes of Costa Rica.  

Big Arterbury News...

So we are expecting our second child at the end of April 2014.  We found out we were pregnant about 2-3 months ago and I kept forgetting to post the news.  I guess things already do die down for the second child.  We also found out on Halloween that we are having a boy!!  The doctor said that it's 98% it's a boy after my first ultrasound during my first trimester testing.  We are ecstatic!!!
It's funny with the second pregnancy...sometimes I forget that I'm pregnant and sometimes I feel worse than I did with my first pregnancy.  I'm glad the first trimester is over and now I'm just getting bigger and bigger each week.  All the tests have come out great and the date I most likely will have my c-section is April 30th, if not before.
For the time being, we are chasing around Lydia and moving things around in our little house to make room for baby boy.

Happy 3rd Birthday Lydia!!!

Lydia turned 3 years old this year.  We had a small family party with our immediate family and then a small party with all her friends on the street block.  And her nanny was so sweet and threw her a little party with all her friends she plays with on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  By the end of the week I was all partied out.  She wore her princess dresses the entire week and had a lot of cake.  She really had a great birthday!

It's Been A While...

It's taken me a while to gather pictures and such for my next blog and somehow I"m super busy and keep slacking.

Here are our many wonderful updates:

New Member of the Family:
My sister had a beautiful baby girl back on August 7th, Kiernan Margie.  She is now 4 months old and smiling and cooing like  no other.  Lydia is smitten with her and is a very good big cousin.  Her job has been to give Kiernan her pacifier when she starts crying and she's become a pro at it.  Lydia loves watching Kiernan and loves trying to either calm her down or make her laugh.  It's been great having a newborn around and so close.  Mary and Brendan moved just 4 blocks away from us so we take walks to their house often.  Harley likes having Huckleberry so close too, or at least another backyard to play in.

Trip to the Ranch (Ricca's parent's ranch):
Ricca invited us to her parent's ranch for a Sunday lunch.  The girls had a lot of fun feeding the horses and playing around.

Halloween:
Lydia was the cutest Minnie Mouse this Halloween.  This might be the last time I have any influence on what or who she is for Halloween.  She had a great time at all the festivities from the school parade to the block party.  She was so sweet that after we ran out of candy she wanted to give away her own candy to the kids who came up to the house.

School!!!!!

Who was more excited that school finally started????....this Momma!!  It was a great, long awaited day.  After leaving my job at the beginning of the Summer, going through two big toddler transitions of moving to a big bed and potty training, not to mention the long, hot days we had, it was such a great relief for both Lydia and I.
She absolutely loves school!  She is in the Orange Fish class this year and goes three days a week now.  When I drive her to school she tells me that she's so excited to go to school and see all her friends and her teachers.  She walks right in to the classroom just like a big girl, no crying, fussing or running away.  I'm so happy for her.  She's got two great teachers and there are more activities this year as she moved into the big kid hallway.  She now has Spanish on Mondays and Math on Wednesdays.
Here are some pictures of her first day at school.
YEAH FOR SCHOOL!!!

Last Minute Trip to Atlanta before School Started

We were so excited to take this last minute trip to Atlanta to visit my friend, Jennifer and her little boy Philip.  It was so exciting to decide on a Sunday, buy the tickets on a Tuesday and leave on that Saturday.  Lydia did great on the flights going and coming from Atlanta.  It was an express plane and small, but she was so interested in everything and it worked out beautifully.
We stayed at Jennifer's in-laws on Lake Lanier for two nights and they were the most hospitable!  We had two bedrooms and our own bath in the house which was so convenient.  Lydia loved being at the lake house.  They had a boat, sandbox, doggies, an amazing view to watch the lake in the mornings and of course a great friend to play with about her age.
After our two nights there, we went to Stone Top Mountain about 30 minutes outside Atlanta for one night.  We took the air tram to the top of the mountain, swam in the resort pool and ate some great meals.
All in all this was an amazing family trip that worked out wonderfully.  Lydia was on her best behavior the entire 4 days/3 nights.  It was so great getting out of town with just the three of us after a long hot summer.