Kindergarten.....

Well, this past Monday Payton started kindergarten.  I honestly had such mixed emotions about the whole thing.  Payton was excited and didn't understand the fuss we were making, but I still was trying to deal with the fact that my baby was old enough to start kindergarten.

Last year, Derek and I visited a couple of private schools and did some research online.  We decided on a Christian, classical education.   I know people have a lot of opinions regarding public vs. private schools, and both settings have pros and cons.  All I am going to say on the subject is that Derek and I made our decision based on our situation and our family.  I will say what I really loved about the school is the curriculum and the class size.  I will also admit that I love that she has to wear a uniform.  There is no fuss over what she is going to wear.  Also, the dress code is super strict.  She has to wear a certain kind of shoe and hair bows cannot be more than three inches in diameter.  They are not kidding around when it comes to the dress code.

This is the face Payton makes when you ask her to smile:

Posing with her backpack.

 Derek and Payton

Me dropping her off at school.

 Mrs. Kirk, her teacher....

 Such a big girl sitting at her desk.

I will admit that I got emotional twice.  The first time was when I finished getting her dressed in her uniform.  I don't know what came over me, but looking at her all dressed for school it hit me that she really was going to kindergarten.

The second time was when I walked out of her classroom.  Here's the deal about me getting emotional.  I was not emotional about her actually going to kindergarten.  She is ready and so excited about going.  I think I was emotional because this is the first day of her being on her path to higher education and her first educational milestone.  I don't know if that makes sense, but that is was got me.


After school she did her homework and told us she loved it.  When I asked her about her favorite part of the day, she said lunch.  That was, and still is, my favorite part of the day.

Last Trip of Summer

This summer has flown by.  I still can't believe we are in August.  I also can't believe we are moving at the end of August and all the packing I still have to do.  However, that is for another post.

This is all about West Palm Beach, Florida.  Poor Derek was picked to attend a week long conference at the Four Seasons Resort in West Palm Beach last week.  He has such a rough life.   Since his hotel and airfare were paid for, Payton and I decided to join him for a couple of days.  I was super excited to get one last get away for the summer.  BUT............ getting there was a total nightmare.

Apparently, American Airlines only has two direct flights to Palm Beach International.  I have no idea what I was thinking, but when I booked the flight for us to meet him out there, I selected the 8:05 arriving at 11:45.  I thought this was A.M.  Nope, it wasn't until a few days when I looked at the ticket that I realized this was P.M.  Well, that was not going to work.  I called and tried to switch the flight to the 12:45 p.m. flight to arrive at 4:30 p.m.  Because I was so diligent and booked my flight in advance, it was going to cost over a $1,000.00 per ticket to change.  They told me to wait until 24 hours before to call and I could do a same day flight change for only $75.00.

So, on Wednesday at 12:50 p.m., I called American because that was 24 hours (the Thursday 12:45 flight was the one I wanted to move to) almost to the dot.  I called and they couldn't do it because there were no change fare seats available anymore.    In five minutes they were gone.  I was almost in tears and just resigned myself to the fact that Payton and I were not going to get there until midnight.  Then I remembered that Fort Lauderdale was only 45 minutes away from Palm Springs. I begged the lady on the phone and she got us on a 10:10 a.m. to Fort Lauderdale for a same day fee.  Awesome................BUT........ when we arrived at the airport at 7:50 for the flight, I had to go to the ticketing counter.  It was a long line.  When I get to the ticketing counter, it was past nine now, I was freaking out.  We still had to go through security and the flight was leaving at 10:10 a.m.  The lady at the counter was dumbfounded because you can only do a same day change for the same city.  I was biting my tongue and trying not to scream that this wasn't my problem because I paid the money and the lady at reservations did it on the phone.  After waiting another 20 minutes, while she was on the phone with whoever, I finally asked if we were going to make the flight.  She said that she was trying to get me to Fort Lauderdale, but she had to go up through management.  She did mention she could get me on the 12:45 to Palm Springs for the change fee (I already paid).  I almost cried.  I told her that Palm Springs was fine.

So that left Payton and I with a lot of time on our hands.  We had breakfast and explored the airport.  By the time we arrived at the Four Seasons, I was exhausted.

The hotel was really nice, as you would expect, and also extremely overpriced, as you would expect.  To get a coke at the bar it was $7.00.  For a can of coke.

Payton loved it and we had a wonderful time at the beach and exploring.

I usually love the beach, but this beach was just okay.  Not to complain, but the sand was hot.  Because there is a natural dune, the chairs had to be up and then you walked down to the actual beach.  It was painful to walk to and from your chair to the beach. I am not kidding when I say that I literally burned the bottom of my toes.  The waves were also a little rough.  I like a little more calming waves.  Where you can stand in the ocean in one place and feel the sway of the ocean.  Not standing one minute and knocked to your knees the next because a wave came crashing into you.  Payton was also a little uncomfortable in the ocean.  On our past trips, she never wanted a life jacket because the waves were calmer and she could play on the shore line or wade in the ocean and feel fine.  Not this time.  She was a little freaked out by it.

However, she loved the food at the Four Seasons and room service.

Because we haven't won the lottery and we wanted to explore, we would go out to dinner each night.  The first place was a pizza place that was really good.  Payton insisted on taking pictures by the robot outside.

 Payton also loves bags, backpacks, and anything she can pack something into.  So of course when we were at a candy store that also sold stuff, this is what she had to have.

I think this is her third backpack she has gotten for kindergarten.

It really was a nice trip, despite the rough beach experience.  Payton rode on a jet ski for the first time and it was nice to just be together as a family.  I know this sounds crazy, but Derek and I love hanging out with Payton.  We always have to remind ourselves that she is only this little for awhile and will only want to hang out with us on trips for a short period of time.

Disney Fantasy 2014

We were off again on the girls vacation with my mom.  Although, I guess I should stop calling it that because Cooper has always gone and Derek went last year and this year.  Therefore, I guess I will just refer to it as the Martin Family Summer Vacation.  This was Derek's first cruise and he was a little nervous regarding whether he would like it.  I have found that people have very strong opinions regarding cruises.  They either love them or they hate them.  Also, about 90% of the people that hate them have never actually been on a cruise.  Derek loved it.

Since this is really my mom's vacation for her grandchildren (and the parents just get to tag along), she is in charge.  Mom booked an early flight at 6:05 a.m.  My mom is also a stickler about being at the airport two hours early before boarding.  We were scheduled to board the plane at 5:20.  So, on Saturday morning a Super Shuttle arrived at our house at 3:00 a.m.  We just sucked it up and went along with my mother's wishes of being at the airport that early.  Also, did you know that the ticketing counter doesn't even open until 4:30 a.m.?  Now you know.  I think we arrived at the airport at 3:45 a.m.  I guess traffic that time of the morning wasn't as big as a deal as my mom thought it might have been.

The one perk of flying out that early was there were enough seats to upgrade to first class.  Derek has to travel quite a bit for work so he was able to upgrade all six of us to first class without using any of his miles or points.

(Me with a cup of coffee waiting to take off and Mom staying hydrated)

(Payton relaxing in her roomy seat)

Derek was next to Payton and had the idea that Payton would sleep the entire flight so he could catch-up on some sleep as well.  Oh, was he wrong!!!!!  Payton talked to him the entire time and made him play games on the iPad with him.

 Although I joke with my mom about the early flight, it really did work out well once we got to Orlando.

(The Cargill Clan arriving in Florida)

(Can you tell I am delirious from exhaustion at this point?)

 (Boarding the ship)

Disney always does this neat thing when you enter the ship.  They announce your family name and everyone (the Disney Crew) claps. Above is the Cargill Family being welcomed aboard.

Once on the ship, Derek went straight to the Pub on board to watch the World Cup while I unpacked all our stuff.  Payton laid down on the couch with a Disney movie on while I unpacked.  I looked over about five minutes later and this is what I saw.

The early wake-up call finally got to her.  On a total side note, Disney has this on demand feature on its TVs.  You can watch, on demand, any and every Disney movie from classic animation, pixar, and live Disney movies.  I would love for Disney to market this feature for TV at home.  I wouldn't mind paying extra to have all those great movies.

The cruise was a total of seven days.  We were at sea the first two days.  The kids were swimming and going down the Aquaduck the entire time in the mornings.

We also put the kids in the Oceaneer's club in the afternoons to take a break from the sun and the crowds at the pool.  During this time, the adults went to the adult only area for some nice relaxation.  The kids loved the Oceaneer's club.  It was huge and had computers, games, different themed rooms, and characters to entertain the kids.  Here are a few images I copied from the internet.

(I know there were some other rooms to the club, but you get the idea)

Payton also had an appointment at Bibbity Bobbity Boutique.  She got to select any princess and get made-up.  I may have pushed for the Elsa because they had the costume.  She loves Frozen and hasn't asked or even mentioned getting an Elsa costume, but from what I have read and heard from other parents the Elsa outfit is tough to come by.

 (They use massive amounts of hair gel, glitter, and hairspray)

(Elsa and Grandpat)

Of course Payton wasn't the only one to have a spa day.  Each adult also had a spa treatment.  Derek said it was the best massage he has ever had.  I agree.

Our first port was Saint Martin / Saint Marteen.  I was not impressed.  The beaches were beautiful, but the locals would not leave you alone to enjoy it.  Every three minutes someone was walking the beach trying to sale you something.  As soon as we got off the water taxi, about ten people bum rush you trying to sale chairs, hair braiding, and jewelry.  Also, the area looked a little ran down, in my opinion.  However, that didn't stop us from enjoying the beach.

 (Payton loves building sand castles)

(I really wish I had a better picture of us, but this was the best I could find)

Our next stop was Saint Thomas, and I am in love.  It was by far the prettiest beach and island.

(The view from the boat at Saint Thomas)

When we arrived we booked a port adventure to go to Megan's Bay.  On the way there we rode in converted open air truck that took us up to a hilltop for a photo opportunity.  It was breath taking for a couple reasons.  One it was beautiful and two the drive up there and down were scary as hell.

(Cargills at the top of the hill)

 (Payton and Derek playing the ocean)

(Payton and I building sand castles)

Our last stop was Castaway Cay.  That is an island in the Bahamas that Disney owns.  It was probably our best beach experience because Disney had so much to do on the island.

Derek also took Cooper fishing at Castaway Cay in the morning.  

Derek and I also booked a dinner for just the two of us at Palo one night.  It was nice to have time together and the food and service were excellent.  We would also go each night to the Skyline Bar.  I will just copy from the internet the description because it is hard to put into words. Skyline offers:

• Sweeping vistas of different international city skylines from a vantage atop a high rise—featuring a different city every 15 minutes and displayed across 7 LCD big screens, your “windows to the world”
• A spectacular transformation from day to night as the day progresses.

 We also played Bingo on the ship and Derek actually won.  It wasn't the Mega Bingo for over 10k, but we did win over $600.00.  That was enough to cover the cost of Bingo and our bar tab.  Payton and I also saw Maleficent on the ship in the 3-D.

I loved it and Payton loved the first ten minutes before she fell asleep.  Payton also loved spending time with Cooper and Aunt Mimi.

Thank you Grandpat for such a wonderful trip.

Summer Thus Far...............

I will spare you all the reasons why I haven't been blogging, and just get started.  Our summer has been crazy.  We officially closed on our current house on June 11th.  We were lucky enough to get a long leaseback from the new owners until August 30th.  However, our new house may not be finished.  We are keeping our fingers crossed that it will, but there might be a two week lapse between houses.  It is not that big of a deal because we can always stay with my parents for those week, but we will have to pay to move twice.  So we have our fingers crossed that it will be done and we will only have to pay for one move.

Payton started the summer off with her big dance recital.  Payton loves going to dance and her friends.  They have been in the same class since they were two, and have already signed up to dance again in the fall.  My only complaint is the recital.  It was on a Wednesday night at 6:30 in town down Fort Worth.  I also illegally took video footage during the recital.  I am such a rebel.

 This is her jazz outfit.

This is her tap outfit.

The girls really knocked it out of the park on both performances.

Payton is going to the Spanish School House this summer for summer camps.  I also wanted to add a little variety so I signed her up for soccer camp for one week.  She loved it.

We didn't know at the time, but one of her good friends from dance was also in the camp.  This is them after water day.  My mom was a little concerned because the camp was only from 8:30 to 10:30 in the mornings.  She didn't know what they were going to do with the rest of the day.  Payton gets restless just sitting at home.  However, the camp wore her out.  She loved it so much, we signed her up for another one at the end of August.

Every afternoon you will find Payton swimming.  It is a great incentive for good behavior.  If she starts to be a little toot in the afternoons then my mom will remind her that her behavior needs to change or no swimming.

I am also incredibly jealous of my child's skin tone.  We always put sunscreen on her, but she tans so easily. 

Our family vacation with my Mom, and Derek is going because after Hawaii he discovered just how fun and needed a vacation is, is coming up in a few weeks.  We also have another trip, just the Cargills, to West Palm Beach, Florida at the end of July.  Derek just happens to have a work conference there so Payton and I are tagging along.  Once we are back from the Mom vacation, I have to start packing.  I am not looking forward to that at all.  Today I finally called to schedule the move and conceal the utilities.  It is somewhat difficult given that I am not sure if the house will be ready so I don't know where we are moving to on August 30th.

   It is still hard for me to believe that June is almost over.  This summer really has flown by, and I know that time will continue to move at warp speed given all the things we have planned and need to do.

Crazy Week

This week is Crazy Week at Payton's school.  Today is crazy hair day.  Last year, Payton was all talk when it came to crazy hair day.  She had all these grand ideas, but when I actually fixed her hair the way she instructed, she immediately told me to take it out.  However, this year she was willing to try it again.  We didn't do anything too crazy.  I  just bought some hair chalk to color her hair.

She seemed pleased with the result.

Well then...........

It looks like Ashley stole my blog title for today.  Like my good friend Ashley, I realize that my blogging has been slacking.  I also do not have a "good" reason as to why.  Yes, life has been busy, but when hasn't life been busy?

We are in full gear preparing for our annual vacation with my family.  This year it is a Disney Cruise to all the Saint islands.  I can't wait.  In getting ready for the big vacation, both the kiddos, Payton and Cooper, are back in swim lessons.  Here is Payton tagging along to Cooper's lesson.

For some reason, I just love that picture of them.  It fits their personalities to a tee.


 Next, Payton was up for her lesson.

So much sass in her modeling her new bathing suit.

She also said that she liked it; however, she made us pinky promise that she could pick out the next one.  Yes, Payton has entered the stage of not only dictating what she will wear, but now she has to pick her clothes out from the store.  We are in so much trouble.

In other news, we are officially putting our house on the market in about two weeks, and building a new one.  I am excited and overwhelmed at the same time.  We also have three birthday parties this weekend and a soccer game.  Can you say crazy????????????

Also, just so you don't think my kid is always full of sass, which she usually is, here is a picture that Payton and I took while passing the time before a play date last weekend.

Happy Friday..............