So many changes...Love our girls...

Wow, so its been a little bit since we have updated, but things have been a little crazy.  It is amazing how kids change your life.  They make you more loving, more caring, and more understanding.  But at the same time, they make you more defensive, stronger, and more diligent.  I for one know that since having Emma and Savannah in my life, I have changed immensely.  I would lay my life on the line for either of these girls. I would fight those who tried to hurt them, and I would go to the ends of the earth to make things happen for them.  I am so glad to have them in my life.

Recently we have had some big steps.  This past weekend, Savannah had a very big dentist appointment.  She got her very first filling. We had Mommy (Shelbi) Daddy (Mike) and Mommy Nikki all in the room when it happened.  I laid with her in the dentist's chair and held on to Nanna while Mommy and Daddy and I told her how good she was and what a big girl she was while Mike's Uncle filled her tooth. She did SUPER well!  We were all so proud of her.  When she came home with us, she was excited to brush her teeth and to floss.  Its amazing what kids think.  Also this is her first week in VPK - Big girl school. 

Another big step was Emma starting Middle School today.  I am so proud of her.  She did a lot of reading this summer (although most of it under duress!!).  Although there were a few hang ups this morning, like the bus being late and Daddy taking her to school, but I am hoping that  she learns her schedule, makes new friends, and has some fun at school.

Man these kids are growing entirely too fast!!!

So many things going on with the kids lately, that Mike and I have not done anything for the wedding. (Slackers!!)  I think within the next month we will be going to Dubsdread to check out their wedding planner and the site, etc.  Also in the next few weeks I will be going with my Mom and my step-mom to try on wedding dresses for the first time!  Stay tuned for pictures.

Well, thats it for now!  I cannot wait to hear all about Emma's first day of school!!!  

So Lucky...

Have you ever thought about your luck?  I mean seriously thought about it, your station in life, your relationship, your family, all of the good things in your life, like kids, good jobs, etc.  With the wedding, Mike and I have really been looking at our lives individually and together and we are both really damn lucky.  Although, I don't chock everything up to luck.  Mike, the wonderful man that he is will look me deep in the eyes and say "I am the luckiest man in the world to have a fiance like you" and I will look at him and say, "it was lucky for us to meet one another in life, but it was hard work, determination, understanding, compassion and passion that make us the couple that we are..."  There are some things in life I lucked out on, one of the biggest things being parents who love and support me and are exciting about Mike, the girls, and I embarking on our lives together.  I am lucky to have wonderful friends who are there for me whether it be coffee after work to just relax, or to listen to me drone on about wedding colors, venues, ideas, etc.  I am amazingly lucky to have a job that I love with co-workers that support me and are excited about the wedding, and a boss who is a friend and is so excited to be walking me down the aisle with my mom.  I am honored indeed.  

Mike and I are lucky to have two beautiful, healthy, loving girls who are excited about Daddy and Mommy Nikki getting married, and are thrilled we will all now have the same last names. 

With all this luck, we have never taken one another for granted, nor have we taken the gift of our friends, family, or careers for granted.  We are both hard workers and work to support all of our relationships and still maintain our own relationship with eachother.  

I wake up every morning and smile, as I know in my heart of hearts, that I am marrying the man of my dreams, my soul-mate, and above all , my best friend and I know that luck has nothing to do with that.  

Why does it feel like there is so little time??

Sigh, so it's still over a year out at the earliest date we would want to get married, and yet I feel like there is so much to do and so little time to do it in.  First off, we cannot really pick an actual date until we find a venue for the wedding itself.  We have a few places in mind, some include, Leu Gardens in Winter Park, The English Gardens in Winter Park, and Dubsdread in College Park.  Although we will have somewhere around 100 attendees at max, we still want to have a relatively intimate wedding.  I am finding out that there are some places that just don't give you any help with your event.  In that case we would be forced to hire a planner and staff, which is not something we want to do.  Also, some places have severe time constraints, like, you only have 1 hour to set up your entire event, and an hour between the ceremony and the reception and no time to set-up.  What are couples supposed to do in that situation?!

So there are our current dilemmas.  Also- we want to find an affordable venue, that will provide lots of staff and assistance and help with decorating, etc.  Preferably we would like to NOT to go into severe debt for our wedding.  I know, we are wishing for the moon aren't we?  We are trying to save by doing a lot of stuff ourselves, such as making favors, centerpieces, invitations, etc.  Hopefully what we put into the wedding in time, will pay off in the end.

We are lucky though to have eachother.  Mike is super involved in the wedding, which I LOVE!  I am so glad that he has not turned this into some "Do what you want and tell me where to show up" kind of thing.  It makes me super happy that he helps make decisions, has an opinion and is willing to spend hours at a time looking at wedding stuff, sharing ideas, and wandering through the wedding aisles at assorted crafting stores.  I am so lucky to really be marrying my best friend and soul-mate. 

So lucky to have one another.