October Festivities!

Here are some photos from our October adventures.

I just love the trees in Micanopy and McIntosh. It has to be one of my favorite parts of the town. We didn't end up purchasing anything at the festival in McIntosh except food and a Peppa Pig hairbow for Olivia. Lemonade, hot dogs, and fried pickles. It definitely wasn't a healthy day, but we had fun and the weather was beautiful.

The weekend after the McIntosh festival was the Micanopy one. The town there is even cuter and is filled with adorable little historic houses. Let's see..we stuffed our face with funnel cake, lemonade, gyro's, and arepas. I did purchase an old windowpane though for $20. I'll have to repaint it, but, I want to hang it in our living room.

Olivia had fun and enjoyed the family. She probably felt like she was at a dog zoo because so people take their dogs to the festival. She even saw goats and a pig :)

We usually take a big blanket to lay out under the trees so we can all eat together :)

I just love these two below. They were both rocking their arthritis shirts at the McIntosh festival. I made Olivia's shirt, but I ordered the Cure Arthritis one from for just $15. They also have some bracelets, some racing shirts, and a big pack that comes with a shirt, buttons, posters, bracelets, stickers, and a bumper sticker. That is the way to go to raise awareness :)

We love us some QUILTS! :)

We took Olivia to her first "Trunk or Treat" on the Friday before Halloween. She was adorable! She cracked us up because she was pretty confused at first about what to do. Once she realized she was having candy put into her bucket though she would walk up to the vendors on her own. She even said "Trick or treat" a few times before we got there, but she didn't say much once we were there. She was too busy checking out other kids, it was loud, and she was just excited they were giving her candy! Most of the candy wasn't toddler friendly, so she probably had one piece. We just wanted to see how she would do really. Isn't she the cutest little monkey?

Pickin Patch 2015

We recently took a trip to the pumpkin patch. The WHOLE family was able to make it!

The weather was p-e-r-f-e-c-t! It could have been about 10 degrees cooler, but other than that it was sunny skies. We took a ton of pictures. People probably thought we were crazy, but I can't wait to show Olivia pictures from our trips when she is older. There was a kid maze made out of hay. Her and Levi made it out before Gibson. We all enjoyed the tunnel made from gords because it was cooler in there. The kids LOVED the slide made from a big mountain of hay. Poor Olivia cried when we pulled her away.

Aren't the best photos candid ones? Olivia appears to be dancing, Gibson was on his way to sit next to her, and Levi was peeking at Granny & G-pa.

Three little munchkins! Haha. Check out Levi's scrunchy face in the bottom left photo. 

Sisters! <3

The sunflowers are always my favorite part, but there weren't too many left when we went. They are only usually bloom the first few weeks the pumpkin patch is open. 

I swear these two cuties have their own language. Olivia was standing next to him just babbling away about a little girl that walked up to her. 

Corn maze fun with my little mini me. How adorable are those boots and pumpkin hair bows? 

Silly girl! Yelling at the people walking by. 

Another family photo with everyone looking AND Gibson showing us his muscles.

My loves! We have a photo like this from last year. I think we will take one every year that we go ;)

This photo will have to be taken each year too so we can see how the babies have grown. The top photo is from last year. <3

Weekly recap

The past few days have flown by for me since we have been pretty busy. I like staying busy, so it doesn't phase me at all. We've actually done so much within the last week that I can't remember what we did on what day. I'll blame the mom brain.

Last week Livi dealt with a flare. I think we took her to the doctor on Tuesday and she was able to get IV steroids. She was feeling better by the time we got home and her rash was gone. Luckily, we didn't have to raise any of her home meds. We are currently waiting for the results of her c-diff test though. It would be awesome if she didn't have to be put back on antibiotics and results are negative. But, we have noticed a few of her previous symptoms that she had before with it.

Olivia and I made a trip to Target last week. I could seriously live there. I'm not sure what it is about that place that is so calming, but it's just a lovely place. I really TRY not to purchase anything either but we all know that's not possible.


We had an ice cream date Friday night. There is a Twistee Treat in town and we LOVE it! Olivia was napping when we got there, but we decided to wake her so we could share our ice cream. I got a banana split and Dannie got his usual, a mint chocolate chip milkshake.

The weather has been a tiny bit cooler in the evenin making bearable to do stuff outside. So, we were able to sit in the back of Dannie's truck and enjoy our ice cream. Olivia enjoyed it and that's all that matters!

Saturday we had a lazy day at home. I cleaned the house up a bit and we played with Livi. We were even able to get a bit of outside play time in. Woo hoo! I painted Olivia's nails and she loved that. If only she would hold still for me to get a picture of them though. She is so fun at this age!

Sunday was grandparents day. We met my parents at Lake Sumter Landing for dinner and to walk around. Dinner was delicious. Our eyes ended up being bigger than our stomachs though. Olivia played in some bubbles and ran around on the docks. The weather was once again awesome and there was a beautiful sunset!

Monday, Olivia had an eye appointment. We rushed out of the house because we needed to run a quick errand before and didn't eat, so we were starving. She hates seeing the eye doctor. She always cries and I have no clue how he sees anything, but he says he does. No inflammation in her eyes. Lunch afterwards which made us sleepy. So, it was nap time once we did got home. Tuesday, we went to visit my mom. Olivia always has fun over there and is exhausted once she gets home.

Last night we decided to load up and take Livi to Barnes and Noble. She yelled "Books and wow" the whole time. She enjoyed the train table and always loves the stuffed animals. There were a few books she was interested in, but she mainly enjoys being able to run around. This morning we were out of the house by 10 and went to the park for a bit. I was able to walk the whole park. I want to try and do that a few days out of the week. Again, nice weather and gorgeous flowers. Olivia spent her time in the stroller watching butterflies and birds. We stopped by Old Navy afterwards and then came home.

Grandparents Day 2015

Wearing her Curious George

Barnes and Noble fun

Yoga fun :)

A morning at the park

Outside fun :)

Fall Fun!

September means it's one month closer to F-A-L-L! Here in Florida it doesn't feel a lot like fall. The leaves don't change here like they do up north and it's still 90 degrees out when we're trying to enjoy our fall fun. Instead of wearing boots and hoodies when we go to the pumpkin patch, we are still rocking shorts and flip-flops.

September - January is pretty busy for our family. There are so many birthdays and holidays to celebrate as well as different things we all enjoy doing together. Usually around the end of September the Pickin Patch opens up in Dunnellon. It's usually only $3 to get in and if you save your wrist band you can go back for free. This has been one of my favorites since I was pregnant. Not only can you get awesome photos out there, it's just a fun adventure for everyone. Sometimes we purchase pumpkins, but they have a corn maze (which we got lost in before), and they have a beautiful sunflower field. The sunflowers might be my favorite part! 

There are two different Arts & Craft festivals we go to every year. I can't remember when we even started going. It was too long ago! One of them is usually the weekend of Halloween in a little town called McIntosh. Not only are there cute little stores and buildings throughout the town, but the trees there are beautiful! I love going and looking at all the local artwork, but we mainly go for the FOOD! Funnel cake, gyro's, lemonade, and corn dogs! Those are just a few of our favorites! The second festival we go to is in another town called Micanopy. This festival lasts two days unlike the McIntosh. Again, adorable town. But, sadly we go for the food.....and family time.

What else do I enjoy during this time? Decorating our house for fall, pumpkin pie, mums, and of course pumpkin spice lattes. I am human like everyone else so I have to enjoy one or two during this season. Eventually, the weather will get cooler. I love driving with my windows down and being able to open our back sliders during this time. 

This year we are looking forward to doing a lot with Olivia. She couldn't walk last year, so she'll be able to do more at the Pumpkin Patch this year. Minnetonka moccasins, pumpkin carving, introducing her to pumpkin pie, Coon Hollo, and maybe some fall family pictures. Also, LOTS of trips to the park! :)

What are your favorite fall things to do? :)

McIntosh festival :)

Our little pumpkin last year. 

About Me

Hi! I'm Samantha. Most people call me Sam. I was born in Louisville, Kentucky. From there I moved to Tennessee until I was 16, and then Florida became home. I love being a mama, spending time with family, going to the beach, thrifting, crafting, all things Disney, Target, coffee, spring time, and reading.

 

I made this space to share Olivia's journey, but it's just been more of family sharing. One day, I'd like to pass it down to her so she can read about her younger days and then maybe continue sharing once she's old enough.

Dannie and I will be married 10 years this May. It's been so much fun doing life together. Life has changed since having a kiddo and for us probably more than others. But, we wouldn't change anything except maybe try to get in more time together. <3

Olivia was diagnosed with Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis at 10 months and our life changed after that. She's been on different immune suppressing meds since then. Some meds have worked better than other's and she's gone from almost being in medicated remission to being in the hospital. She's now 7 years old. She was diagnosed with Crohns when she was 5. It hasn't held her back one bit. We've had to add more infusions, but when you look at her you can't tell she gets infusions every 8 weeks. She has a huge personality and loves being the center of attention. She also loves animals, barbies, reading, and drawing. She also loves all things girly like her mama. She loves getting her nails painted and loves twirling in fancy dresses. 

Our daily routine

I've been struggling with this blog stuff lately. I have plenty of time (most of the time), but when I convince myself that I'm going to sit down and start typing, I find something else to do. I've been wanting to talk about what our daily routine has been here and what better time to do that than right now.

Olivia is currently sleeping, but she's due to wake up any minute. Anyway, Dannie and I haven't slept past 7:45 since Livi was hospitalized. I'm not complaining because I feel more productive when I get up early. We just wake up more tired. If I have plans during the day I usually try to pack everything and get it together the night before because it's tough getting it all together last minute. Is anyone a good last minute packer? I always forget something. 

We (usually Dannie if it's during the week) take Olivia's injection out of the fridge around 7:45-8:00 am so that it has time to get to room temperature. If it was still cold, it would hurt even worse than it already does for her. She usually watches Doc McStuffin's or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while we wait. She gets her shot at 8:30. From there we make breakfast and get her other medications ready. Depending on how messy she gets during breakfast will depend on if she gets a morning bath or not. 

She is still taking TWO naps a day! Woo hoo! She's usually a little grump by 10:00-10:30, so we lay back down and she will nap for a bit. This usually gives me time to straighten up the house and shower if I need to. When she wakes up it's lunch time. If we have errands to run we will do that after lunch or before and just pick something up while we're out. 

Her second nap usually happens between 2:00-4:00 pm. If she doesn't get this nap the rest of the evening doesn't run too smoothly. I will usually either nap with her or continue to work on house stuff. I've been planning a weekly menu and have actually followed it this week. If we don't follow the menu we always spend tons of money eating out. Once dinner is over, we spend the rest of the evening playing with Livi and catching up on our shows. Dannie has been going to study at 9:00, so that's when I try to put Olivia to bed. Some nights it takes about 10 minutes and other nights it takes close to an hour. 

We don't do a lot during the week besides visit my mom or run errands. Eventually, I'd like to ask her Rheumatologist if she can take any kind of mommy + me classes. Our local gymnastics place offers a toddler tumbling class. I think she would enjoy that and it would give us something to do one day out of the week. Also, once school starts back here I want to take her to do some other stuff, but it should be less crowded then. We have tried to get Olivia to wear a mask that way we could do more stuff with her, but she is not a fan. We will have to keep working on that as she gets older. 

I'd like to hear what your routine is and what works for you. What do you do if your little one misses a nap? 

Summer Bucket List

Does anyone else have a tough time deciding on fun stuff to do last minute? Well, we are those people! Dannie and I always try to think of things to do on the weekends and nothing ever comes to mind because 1. It's last minute or 2. We don't have the money. We decided to put together a summer bucket list. We thought it would be fun with Olivia also and would give us a chance to put our phones away and spend more time with her. Although, I'm sure we will be documenting it so I can make a list at the end of the summer of what we actually did.

It took us a few hours to sit down and think of activities that sounded fun as well as things we already do, but would like to do more of. We get a lot of rain here in Central Florida, so we needed a lot of indoor activities for rainy days. Dannie is only here on the weekends, so we didn't need a huge bucket list. Since Olivia is still young we can repeat a few of the indoor activities while Dannie is working.

This is what I used:

Colored popsicle sticks (purchased from The Dollar Tree)

1 Sharpie or pen

1 jar or plastic cup

Colored card stock

1. We separated the popsicle sticks by color and made different categories. (Outdoor-yellow, Indoor activities-purple, Water activities-blue, Family time-green, Crafts-red, and Food related-orange)

2. We wrote out the activities that we wanted to do on each color and placed them in the jar.

3. Afterwards, I cut out little tabs with colored card stock and hung them around the top of the jar. This will direct us when we're picking a certain color/category.

Our bucket list ideas:

Outdoor-yellow: Park day, take a trip to Lowe's & pick out flower's to plant, picnic in the park, find an open field and fly a kite, watch fireworks on July 4th, go watch a movie outdoors in the park (a lot of local parks participate in this locally), and visit an outdoor zoo.

Indoor activities-purple: Paint a picture or send cards to Instagram friends, color together, build a fort (Dannie is especially excited for this one), family blog fun, sleepover in the living room, dance party (Olivia's favorite), and movie/popcorn night.

Water activities-blue: Sprinkler fun, watch the sunset at Ft. Island Gulf Beach, beach day, splash pad, trip to the Tampa Aquarium, and go swimming at grannies house.

Family time-green: Go to the park with Abuela, go visit great-granny, themed dinner with the family, sibling get together, and play date with the cousins.

Crafts-red: Design shirt images on my Silhouette for Olivia, paint a canvas, finger paint with Olivia, take a photo an hour all day, Pinterest crafts, and chalk art on the sidewalk.

Food related-orange: Visit local Farmer's Market, Date night at Mojo's (we always take Olivia, she loves it here), DIY pizza night, ice cream night at Twistee Treat, visit local food truck, dinner on the patio, and bake sugar cookies and decorate them.

All of these activities are pretty cheap minus some of the water related items. We really don't need require big, extravagant entertainment, so that is how you can keep this cheap and fun! Good luck and have fun!

Vacation Recap In Longboat Key

We recently visited Longboat Key for a few days. We have been wanting to get away for a long time, but with everything happening lately, it's been hard. Dannie and I last went to Longboat Key for our two year anniversary. We used to go to Siesta Key for our getaways, but all of the hotels were booked so we thought we would venture to LBK. The place we stay at is very quiet and there really isn't a lot of people on the beach. Which we LOVE! It's like paradise for us! This is where we stay when we go.

This was Olivia's first time going to the beach. We were hesitant about taking her at first with her medication and sun exposure, but her doctor okayed it. We purchased a sunshelter from Amazon so that we could keep her under the tent when we weren't in the water. It was super easy to set-up and put away. However, we only used it once. Olivia filled it with sand and it was much easier to use the beach chairs and umbrella.

Olivia had such a good time in the water and playing in the sand. We were really surprised she liked the water so much. The pool float we brought for her she ended up lounging in the whole time in the water. There aren't a lot of waves there, so it made it easy.

We always visit St. Armand's Circle when we go to the Sarasota area. This time it was for The Columbia Restaurant and the second time we went to The Daiquiri Deck. There are LOTS of shops and other restaurants to choose from as well. The night we went to The Columbia we got caught in a storm on the way back to the truck. I tried to keep Livi as dry as possible under the umbrella, but that didn't happen. She kept saying "Uh oh" the whole time.

On Sunday Marcella + Will joined us for the day. We spent the whole day at the beach, minus Olivia's nap time. She actually did pretty well with getting a morning nap in everyday. She missed her afternoon nap a few times. I was worried about her not napping at all there and being grumpy all the time. Any nap actually helped out with that. We are currently weaning her steroids and she has about 4 teeth coming in right now. She hasn't been in the best of moods lately, but she did good!

Sunday evening after dinner I didn't want to go back to the room yet so we ventured over to Anna Maria Island. We haven't ever gone there so I wasn't sure what to expect. It was a good 30 minute from our Hotel. The plan was to look for the City Pier. Well, we didn't know that it wasn't off the beach. So, by the time we found it the sun was setting and it had started to rain a little. We were able to get some good pictures on the pier. It was actually really pretty out there. Olivia had a full diaper and ended up peeing through it onto my shirt so that cut our trip short. We really enjoyed our time away and are missing it already! Until next time...

Beach day #1.

Big smiles!

On our way to dinner at The Columbia.