Tomorrow is THE day!

Tomorrow is THE day, the day that we move into the new house. I couldn't be more excited, even though it's been an exhausting move. Our old house is looking empty, sad, and a bit on the depressing side. Closets are emptied, pictures are taken off the walls, and boxes are packed. New house here we come ... and to those of you out in the blogging world, I'll return when things get a little less crazy around here. Until then ... Have a Happy Halloween and enjoy your weekend ... I'll be back Monday or Tuesday!

Wordless Wednesday - Never too early ...

... to sport a backpack.

Abby's all ready for school ... with her bottle, sippy, and binky inside.

Finally ... the video!

Well that was quite the production, but in my previous post I promised a video of more pumpkin patch photos. So here it is ... enjoy!

Fall Festival - Florida Style

Yesterday was the perfect day for a Fall Festival, other than the Florida (not so Fall) heat and football kickoff times of 1pm. Despite those two things, we headed to Hunsader Farms for a fun filled morning with the Piersoll Clan. I was totally blown away by the amount of things to do at this festival. Of course there were pumpkins, pony rides, candy apples, hayrides, and corn mazes. But ... there was also a petting zoo, a classic car show, tractors on display, craft booths, and a butterfly tent.

Abby wanted no part of riding a pony this time around, which really comes as a shock because she loves animals. Maybe I had something to do with that because of her first ride. Who knows. Camdyn and Chloe sure loved it and we all had quite a laugh when Cam's pony needed to go "potty." The petting zoo and butterfly tent were hits and Abby probably had the most fun playing in the pumpkin tent and dancing on the stage with the live country band.

Even though the weather doesn't feel like Fall here in Florida, there is still something in the air that I love this time of year. I love all the decorations, pumpkins, candy apples, cider ... everything. It was such a fun time spending the day in the open air with great friends and thankfully our hubbies weren't too upset with the amount of football missed. :)

Abby didn't want anything to do with a pony,

but she was in awe of the animals in the petting zoo.

Abby dancin' to the music!

Family Shot - this was the only halfway decent one,

even though I'm not looking at the camera.

So many pumpkins to choose from ...

... but she finally found one her size.

This little girl was asleep before we even got on the road.

Ahhh, a peaceful car ride :)

A little photo fun ...

Remember how the bestie twisted my arm to take an online photography class? Even with packing boxes and moving into a new house, I am so happy I decided to pay the 20 bucks and try it out. It isn't overwhelming or too time consuming and it has really made me think about how I'm taking photos. Since the manual for my camera is like a textbook, it hasn't been opened since last Christmas. I love that I'm learning more about the functions of my camera and how it works. We've been working with lighting, framing, cropping, and doing a lot with portraits. All perfect for a mom that loves taking photos of her little girl.

For the first few portrait assignments, I used Abby. That was hard work ... trying to adjust settings and focus on lighting and framing while chasing around a toddler. I'm sure I'll get there, but for the last assignment I decided to use our neighbors beautiful four year old instead. She was so easy to photograph and such a little model.

So I thought I'd share a few of my favorite photos with you. I still need some practice and I'm looking forward to learning so much more. I think I'm getting a little better though ... or at least, here's hoping!

Wordless Wednesday - Growing up too fast!

Good morning - Happy Wednesday!

Abby looks like such a big girl here.

New shoes from Daddy. Adorable.

This little girl loves 'em. (the shoes and her Daddy)

Change isn't always easy ...

I'm not too sure who has been handling the new daycare situation better, me or Abby. When we got back home to Florida, Abby started going to her daycare two days a week, just like before ... but this time in a different classroom. I knew this was going to be happening, I just didn't want to believe it was happening so soon. Abby started off in the infant room, with teachers that really took to Abby, made me feel completely comfortable, and kept me reassured that I was doing the right thing with sending Abby to daycare. I was happy to be getting some "me" time ... time to catch up on laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, blogging, photography ... and Abby was getting some social time with other children her age. We started to use one of her teachers as a babysitter and needless to say, Abby became quite attached.

Fast forward to now ... amidst the transition into the toddler classroom. Not only are there different teachers (which are great by the way), but the schedule and routine of the classroom are totally different. Abby is still taking two naps (on most days) at home with me. However, in this classroom, there is one scheduled nap time, on a cot. Two changes in one. Lunch time is a bit earlier and they sit in real chairs at a table, no high chair anymore. All of these are small changes but are enough to make a toddler unsure of what's going on and make a mom a nervous wreck! It was really hard to leave her in the mornings, clinging to me with tears running down her face. I knew I had to... and I knew she would adjust and get used to it all.

Abby's teachers have done a great job working with her and making her feel comfortable in this new arrangement. Today was our best day yet. I dropped her off a bit earlier than usual and Abby started off in the infant room. She seemed like quite the helper, moving around the room, checking on all the babies ... even trying to feed one her bottle. Then as the day moved on, they slowly moved her back into the toddler room. She ate well, napped okay, and played happily. I think it's working ... things are getting back to normal, Abby feels happy there, and all the teachers are working together to make this transition the best for everyone! :)