The haps

I opened my eyes this morning feeling very refreshed. I must have slept well. The sun is shining and I have an attitude I am proud of today! Oh what a good night's sleep will do for us.

We are currently in the midst of big changes around here. Kyle just started his last semester as a college student. What a relief/blessing/long time coming! We are so excited for May to hurry up and get here so this boy can celebrate all his hard work. He has been working close to full time, volunteering at the fire department, raising a tiny child, and studying full time and I can truly say, he deserves a break, a big congratulatory hug and many many great things and opportunities to come his way. Speaking of my husband, he just put in his first application for a fire-fighting position! And the best news, it is for Central Pierce! While he still has a long way to go in terms of checking off his to do list in becoming fire fighter certified, his enthusiasm and motivation to put himself out there is inspiring. We know his odds are slim; they are hiring 11 positions and hundreds will apply, but those odds don't weigh him down. He is absolutely determined, and that is something to make a wife proud. So! We will see what happens :) Right now I am just dreaming of him getting a job where we are currently located. How amazing would that be? A miracle, I tell you!

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As many of you know, we just got back from a family vacation to DISNEYLAND! I know, I know, what were we thinking?! Yes, I am aware Winn will not remember meeting Goofy or Minnie, she won't remember the castle, or riding Pirates of the Carribean, Peter Pan, amongst many others.... but I will never forget watching her see it all for the first time. She was a joy to behold. Truth is, I am still so young at heart. I eat up Disneyland like a 5 year old. I just can't get enough! But as we left the park for the last time on our trip, I couldn't help but say aloud that this was my favorite time yet. It's becoming clearer and clearer how much of a mom I am. Experiencing Disneyland with my daughter was like doing it for the first time for me, too. Watching and enjoying it all through the eyes of a little baby was indescribable. Her happiness was my happiness. And although she doesn't understand much right now, it was still so fun to show her all of my favorite things and watch her light up and point at whatever catches her eye (pretty much anything and everything, really). She loved to walk around on her own and you could tell how proud of herself she was. She loved to wave at all the characters, even on the rides, until she got too close, then it'd be tears. She was a total trooper and far exceeded my expectations. Her patience was tested and she laughed in it's face! And thankfully, she submitted and fell asleep in her stroller on more than one occasion ;-) I have many take-aways from traveling with Winnie. One: pack way more diapers than you think necessary, chances are she will use every last one of them! Two: know ahead which bathroom on the plane has the diaper station. (I stupidly thought they both had them and didn't think to look before entering, hence me changing a baby on my lap...I should get an award for that.) Three: even if your baby never has blow outs, ALWAYS pack a change of clothes (really learned our lesson with that one!). Four: prepare yourself beforehand that no matter how hard you try, you can't get rid of germs. They are everywhere and as much as you sanitize or wipe down, that baby of yours is gonna find the spot that you missed. Get over it and move on, she will survive and you can save yourself the exhaustion. Five: I gotta give the babe more credit! In many cases she did better than my husband did, who got winy or tired or you name it, wayyy before she did! Haha, sorry Ky, but let's be honest. Winnie rose to the occasion every time and powered through it like a champ. Despite her getting sick an hour before we left for the airport, oh did I forget to mention that? Yep. Poor girl had a terrible cough and a very runny nose almost the whole trip. In summation, yes, I would do it again. In a heartbeat. She was a fabulous travel companion (ask Kyle for his seperate opinion on that topic), I can't wait to go on another journey with her! I'm thinking next is NYC :)

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As for me, I finally bit the bullet and picked up another day at work. For this long, I just couldn't do it! I'd rather be broke and with my girl than the opposite. However, reality isn't that way. And actually I am really looking forward to it. My amazing SIL offered to watch Winnie while I work and Ky is at school. How awesome is that?! It'll only be for a few hours because he will be done with class fairly early. She was so excited to get more time with her and I just feel so blessed for that. We have amazing family and I need to remind myself of that daily.

Also, I've been working at becoming a runner. My friend told me about this app that trains you to become a 5k runner, and surprisingly so, I took on the challenge. 5k isn't much, but it's a starting point. I have been doing it for a few weeks now and am really loving it! Who would have thought?? Thankfully the weather has been cooperative as I've had many sunny days to enjoy while jogging. Who knows, maybe this will lead to something much longer than a 5k..... I can dream!