The Good with The Trying

So, my posts have been very positive, and life here in Key West has been amazing don’t get me wrong. But we forgot to factor in one thing…the ever changing toddler.

Kevin and I are both first time parents. We have smaller children in our family, but didn’t really spend enough time with them to understand toddlerhood. If I can speak for both of us, I just want to say…WHEW!

Brooks is a wonderful child, but he totally has his moments. And those moments have shown over the past couple of weeks (hence the time between posts). A compilation of a new house, new daycare, teething and just being 19 months old have made our sweet boy a bit testy. Tantrums are seriously no joke. Waking up in the middle of the night is no fun.

I know we are not alone in our experience, and we are very lucky to have family and friends to talk to. Things are looking up – Brooks has been on an upswing this past week. We had a really great weekend-checked out a book sale, played at the library and got to spend time with our Harkness cousins (Kevin’s sister Joanne and family). Kevin and I also got to have some adult time with our friend Carin from Baltimore. We are always grateful for that time, for sure!

My sister, Alex, was in town 2 weeks ago, and it was so great to have her here. She is truly my best friend, so it is hard without her close to me. Thank goodness for FaceTime!

Me and Sis

We also had our friend Jamie from Baltimore in town last weekend and had so much fun out on the town! More of that adult time to keep us sane… 🙂

Me and Jamie

The Harkness’ and Picketts’ are in town until Saturday, and we look forward to spending more time with them this week! Brooks LOVES his cousins, and I just love seeing them play together.

So, things are on the up (for this week), and we are still loving life in paradise!

Work Days and Beach Nights

I must say, we are doing very well here in our new home! While we are working during the day, we like to spend our evenings in our gorgeous backyard or at the beach. We have had Mimi and Pop Pop (Kevin’s parents) come visit, and our friend Jon has joined us here in Key West! We are also expecting more visitors in the coming weeks, and we can’t wait for their arrivals.

Brooks is doing very well in his new daycare and is enjoying the outside time.

Riley has enjoyed the beach and wading through the ocean.

Kevin and I are thrilled with how well everything is going! We are truly blessed and grateful for all the support we have received from our friends and family during our transition.

 

We Made It!

We have made it safely to our new home in Key West! We arrived on Sunday, 1/29/17. My Mom traveled with Brooks and me and stayed until Wednesday. Truth be told, we had a rough plane ride into Fort Lauderdale and Key West because of the weather. Brooks did not seem to mind at all though! Other than Sunday, the weather has been absolutely beautiful.

Kevin has been feverishly working to get the house all situated for us. I have been exploring the neighborhood and getting myself acclimated. It is going very well! Brooks and I took a walk today and made it to the beach to put our toes in the water. He really enjoyed playing with the sand and splashing in the cool blue water.

Brooks will start his new daycare on Tuesday. We visited the center on Monday, and he got to play in the room where he will start. He had so much fun playing with the toys and all the kids seem very good.

We are all doing well and look forward to our new life here in paradise!

Check back soon as we move into our first, full weekend in Key West!

 

Last Night in the Baltimore House

January 25th marked a few milestones for our family: I had my last day at work, Brooks had his last day at daycare, and we spent the last night in our Baltimore house. It is surreal. Our journey to Key West is officially underway. Kevin and Riley are on their way to the new house, and Brooks and I will meet them over the weekend.

We were lucky enough to get to have dinner with friends at my favorite restaurant in Baltimore, Mama’s on the Half Shell. We had a fantastic celebration!

We are truly grateful for the outpouring of love, support and best wishes from so many. We will miss everyone and Baltimore very much. This new adventure is just beginning. Stayed tuned as we continue on to the Conch Republic!