Find Your Happiness

See Part 1 here . On our second day and the main reason for the trip, we went to the Apple Festival (Hendersonville, NC). It was forecasted to be a rainy day so not very many vendors and people were there that day. Thankfully, it only drizzled every now and then so we were still able to enjoy the day. The boys had a great time riding kiddie rides (except for the hot air balloon, which Aiden hated!). And you would expect that there would be apple photos since it is an apple festival after all, right? Well, every time I came near an apple stand, I was too busy drooling at the delicious goodies and looking for honey crisp (our favorite variety!) that taking a photo was the last thing on my mind!

" What Little Boys are Made of " Nathaniel is potty trained ! It took us a week to be completely diaper-less (except for bedtime). He regressed a month later but after three weeks, he is now back to being fully potty trained. "Lola's Visit" My Mom and Nathan came for a quick  visit during my birthday weekend and it was just exactly what we all  needed after the loss of E.D.  These two were inseparable . "Spiderman Pillowcase" The reason our transition from the crib to the toddler bed went so smoothly! Nathaniel had to sleep in his "big boy bed" for a week without getting up and the reward was this pillow. " Light " I have always wanted to take this kind of photo: Nathaniel lighted by just the tablet. It was during a summer thunderstorm so it was extra special dark. He was watching Blues Clues  on Netflix and wearing his swimming arm floaties. But my favorite part? His shirt. It says, "My Mom Rocks

Dark Chocolate Cake with mini chocolate chips Vanilla icing Pink and Purple ruffled fondant I cannot believe I managed to pull off this Princess Ballerina cake with 4+ hours till the party left to go. I have been so busy at work that I wasn't able to practice prior like I wanted. I was so stressed out about making this cake the day of that I dreamed the night before that I drove all the way to the party without the cake. And when I came back to pick it up, the cake was still not decorated. It was a nightmare, I'm telling you! This is my first time working with ruffling the fondant so it gave me a hard time. But it got easier (and faster!) after the first two rows. I am also so, so thankful that I decided to purchase the wonder mold pan instead of using my own bowls and carving the cake myself. That and not making the bodice top (it already has one built in with the doll) definitely saved me a lot of time (and headache!). I also had to take the dolls legs of

Balancing two jobs and making sure my number one priority remains at home have proven to be quite a challenge. So because of that, I haven't had very much chance to sit down in front of the computer to edit and then write a post about these pictures. I am definitely a few weeks behind posting this little adventure but better late than never, right? This past Labor Day weekend, we went to Hendersonville, NC with Hannah and her family. It was such a last minute, spur-of-the-moment vacation that we didn't really have anything else plan other than to attend the Apple Festival . Next year will definitely be better since it turns out, there are so many things to do in and around Hendersonville! On our first day, we mostly spent the evening at the hotel. The boys went for a swim at the "heated" swimming pool but it wasn't working. So after a few minutes, the boys were blue-ish, purple and shivering uncontrollably. So we moved the party to our room instead where we ch

We took advantage of the Six Flags Over Georgia 's military appreciation event and spent the entire day yesterday at the park having a great time. This was Nathaniel's first time to really enjoy an "mus-ment park" and it was fantastic to see the pure joy and excitement in his eyes. He rode his first big roller coaster ride with his Dada and he just absolutely loved it. Nathaniel ran from rides to rides and was just not afraid of anything. Hubby wasn't able to ride all of the big adult roller coasters so hopefully we can make another trip out there soon.

On our way back from Hendersonville, NC, Nathaniel said he had to use the potty. We were driving in the country roads and had a difficult time looking for a fast food restaurant to stop and use their restroom. Finally, Nathaniel said, "Mommy, Dada. I gotta potty. I go in the street!" So we pulled over at the first safest place we can park and Nathaniel peed. Caveman style.

For the next two days, I will be at the new employee orientation for my second nursing job. Did I tell you about that? It is on the Neuro ICU floor so this is my home! A little over a month ago, I had an interview and was offered the position a day before my birthday. I wasn't going to accept a second job but like I said, Neuro ICU is my prior RN experience and I just couldn't say no. The next few weeks (maybe even months!) will be busy trying to balance and adjust to two new PRN (as needed) nursing jobs, life at home and well, just life in general. Prayers will definitely be appreciated. I'll be missing this Spiderman-crazed little guy but I know he will have a great time with his Dada. My husband thankfully has Mondays and Tuesdays off (or at least for the next few more weeks). They rarely ever get to spend time alone by themselves so I know this is a great bonding time opportunity for them, too.

Nathaniel is such a silly little boy and full of character. He had been eating this candy sucker from his Dada-Baby date night in Chuck E. Cheese for quite a while when I suddenly heard him say, "For me?! Oh my!" And as you can see from the photos, it was complete with a gasp and shock expression. And in the video, he kept pretending to drive to Lola's house and he arrives there, he says, "Hi, Lola! This [candy] is for you!" But he refused to do it again when I tried to capture it in video. Make sure you listen carefully to what he says when I said, "Can you please turn around?" So polite! :)