Our two week vacation

I had been saving up my time off for the past year because I knew I wanted to spend Christmas with my family down in Titusville. I also knew one of my friends from high school was getting married in the beginning of January, so I figured I would just stay the whole time. Sounds like a fun time, right? Well, it was, but I was really ready to come home!
Right after we got into town, we went to ICE! at the Gayloard Palms Hotel in Orlando.
It was really cool (hee hee)! Kiley was so funny, though, because she just sat in her stroller and would not move, like she was afraid she was going to break if she did or something. We kept checking on her to make sure she wasn't really frozen because she sure looked like it!

We went to Church on Christmas Eve, Kiley's first experience at a Cathlic Mass. She was a hoot! She would "sing" when the choir was singing and she didn't want to sit still at all. Luckily, it was only an hour and she is used to 3 hours, so we made it!

Kiley didn't quite understand opening presents, so she rode on her little toy that Santa brought her before I sat her in her high chair to eat while the rest of us opened presents. Having her around at Christmas (for the 2nd year!) sure does make it more special!

She does not like being under the tree, though!

The Sunday after Christmas I had to drop John off to be picked up in Jacksonville because he had to go back to work on Monday, so for a whole week I was on my own! My parents helped a lot during the day, but during the night they said see ya! Kiley is a bad sleeper normally, and when she is cutting a tooth she is even worse, but cutting two teeth at the same time? Forget about it! Of course she chose the week that John is gone to cut her two front teeth. Sleep did not exist for that week!

But we still managed to have fun. We took her to the Brevard Zoo and she got to feed the giraffes (who were so cute!)

And we just got to hang out with my parents a lot because my dad also took that week off (which is very rare!) I am so happy I got to spend these two weeks with my little girl. She seemed to grow up so much in those two weeks! Now she is walking all over the place (but she still prefers to crawl) and she is saying puppy, uh-oh, Hey!, and bye bye (while waving) She is just too cute!

She does hate her new car seat though and I just can't figure out why! So I was very nervous about the 5 hour drive back to Tallahassee. I rigged up some toys for her to play with...

And that worked for maybe 10 minutes and she ended up screaming pretty much the next 2 and a half hours. I stopped into Gainesville quickly to let Kiley run around for a bit and to FINALLY meet little Julian:

But I was anxious to get on the road and get home so we left pretty fast. As soon as I buckled her into her seat, the screaming began again, so we ran over to Wendy's to get her some fries (which she never has had before) because I knew I couldn't handle her screaming for the next 2 hours. She ate one fry and whined for another, so I gave her one and she started sucking on it and passed out! That is what the picture from the last entry is from. I enjoyed about an hour of peace until she woke up about 20 miles outside of Tallahassee and realized we were still on the road and she screamed until we pulled up to our apartment.

So that was our whirlwind trip! I was so sad to go back to work yesterday because I really feel like I got to know Kiley by being with her everyday for the past two weeks, so it was heartbreaking to leave her again and go back to everyday life. But, that is what we have to do for now, so I might as well make the best of it!