" If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It"

So I stumbled upon something recently that has triggered a sudden obsession, and its an obsession shared by many people of all ages... I want to go to...

Its #2 on my bucket list, and it all started when I saw this completely adorable and pretty irresistible purse on the Disney store website.

 

(I'm keeping my fingers crossed in the hopes that I get this beauty for my birthday in a couple of months.)

But that was it... the trigger. Ever since I saw it I am all things Disney. Lucky for me, I have a three-year-old daughter so I can get away with my little movie marathons. But I'm stuck. 

 I even found and decorated this box to start my fund with.

 I just started it this month, but I'm thinking that if I keep saving for the 2 years we have left in Italy, we can take a family vacation to "the happiest place on earth" once we are living back in the states.

Wish me luck                  

The Great Birthday Battle

So Mr.W and I are having a slight argument on the matter of Logan's first birthday.
Mr.W says that its a waste of time and money, because he won't remember it anyways. I say that its not a waste because of the wonderful memories that will come from it, besides I'm just planning something small.
(keep in mind that Lilly had a first birthday party)

as some of you know I posted about this on my personal facebook page and a lot of people agreed with me. But the way I see it the party is happening either way :)

So I wanted to give everyone a sneak peek at what i have planned so far...

Mr.W has chosen a football theme and here is what I've come up with so far...

Invitation:
Idea:

Final Product:

Tableware:

Food:

Cake:

(Just an idea)

To see more ideas make sure to visit my pinterest page and look at my birthday board.

Chocolate & Horses & Wine . . . Oh My!

It has been a pretty busy month so far, and its only halfway over!

We have attended 2 birthday celebrations,

carved 1 pumpkin,

ordered 2 Halloween costumes,

tried 2 new wines,

and had a lot of family time.

The first of the 2 birthdays was to celebrate the Military Police Corps. 

And the second was our next door neighbors birthday. It was held at a local ranch and they let everyone ride horses. It was Lilly's first time riding one and Logan's first time seeing one. She was all smiles about it and Logan wanted to see them but was nervous about their size.

That same day, our friends took us to a local winery and we sampled some wines and I got myself 3 bottles (Marzamino, Moscato dolci, and Fragolina Rosa) after that the took us to their favorite restaurant, which just might be one of our new favorites as well!

Then the other night our friends came over again and we carved our pumpkins, made cinnamon sugar roasted pumpkin seeds, drank wine and watched a couple Halloween movies. Now that sounds like a perfect fall night to me.

Today, We attended Cioccolandovi, The chocolate festival in downtown Vicenza. It was amazing to see all the things they had done with chocolate. We got to sample some and even bought some. We got Lilly a truffle with sprinkles, I got a chocolate cover orange slice, and got a big chocolate bar that he was nice enough to share (it was AMAZING) and we got Lilly a chocolate Rapunzel (see bottom right photo)

Everything above is made of chocolate

Its been a great month so far and I can't wait to see what the rest of the month brings!

Torre di Pisa

So this past week Mr.W had a few days off, so we decided to take a day trip to Pisa and Camp Darby.

It was a few hours away but the drive through the mountains was beautiful. We stopped at Camp Darby and grabbed some snacks and then headed into Pisa. While in town we stopped to see The Leaning Tower a.k.a.  Torre pendente di Pisa.

 It was a fun day and it was nice to get away for a bit.

30 Day Photo Challange.

So I love Instagram and I wanted to try something new so I looked up different photo challenges that I could do with Instagram. I found 2 that struck me as fascinating. So I'm hoping y'all will join in or at least enjoy my pictures. 

instagram.com/kwaye23

#30Days

#milspousephotoaday

Don't forget to tag me @kwaye23 so I can see how you all interpret the photo prompts. 

Our Month in Michigan

After saying "see you later" with Mr. W, the kids and I drove up to Michigan, with the help of my wonderful mother-in-law, who was a HUGE help along the way. We decided it was the best thing to do until we got Logan's passport, which came in not too long after we got here. Once the travel arrangements were made we made the best of our situation and decided to make it fun.

Around the first week we were here the area got hit by a snow storm leaving us with about 2-3 feet of snow. Once it had settled we took Lilly out and let her play. She had so much fun helping us "scoop" and she got to wear herself out just climbing around and making snow angels. 

Lilly even got to play her first real game of bowling! She had so much fun rolling the ball down the lane, she even got her own little bowling shoes.

This past weekend My mother-in-law took us up to a little town called Eagle River where tons of deer just herd in this little roadside park and you can feed them and just observe. So we got some corn and gave them a treat. Lilly was so excited to be up close and personal with the deer. 

A few days later we found an area of Lake Superior that was frozen over and had the prettiest waves so stopped and wondered out on the ice to see it up close. It was amazing.


This coming we will be celebrating my 22nd birthday and will also be going to feed the deer one last time, and then next week we will be off to Italy to join Mr. W!

I an looking forward to what this new adventure has in store.

The Move

Our stuff is packed and on its way to Italy!
It is finally sinking in that we are actually moving.

Mr. W is in Italy now, but me and the kids had to stay behind for a bit just until we got Logan's passport and travel arrangements have been made. Lucky the passport arrived in the mail today, but we are still working on the travel part.

Anyways before Mr W left we drove to Dallas and had some family fun. We took Lilly to the Fort Worth zoo and the legoland discovery center. She had so much fun and we were able to stay and visit with some family while we were there (a big thanks again guys) Lilly absolutely loves my cousins and I was so happy they got to meet Logan before we leave. I don't have all the pictures because Mr. W has the main camera but here are just a few from Texas.



Lucky for us Mr. W's mom was able to come down and help me drive back up to Michigan since we weren't able to take the car. We had a pretty good time and the kids did a little better than expected, Lilly enjoyed watching movies and playing, but poor Logan was not liking the carseat at all. But we made it safe and sound, and the kids are delighted to be out of the car.

Today Lilly got to go play in the snow and visit with her great grandpa for a little bit. But I think all the moving around is getting to her because she doesn't want to sleep in the bedroom that they have for her here. Instead she insist on sleeping with Logan in the crib. Originally it was supposed to be in my bed with me, but we discovered last night that she just wants to be with him. we found that she snuck out of bed and climbed into the crib. I was quite surprised to say the least.

I don't have much else for now, but I'll post more as our journey continues.

PCS Update #2

Mr.W has started his pcs leave and now its just a matter of time. The only thing left to clear is housing and that doesn't happen for over a week. They are coming to pack up our house in a couple days, and its going to be about 4 days earlier than we thought, so we will be with close to nothing for almost a week until we leave post.

Still waiting for Logan's passport and visa. We are really hoping that the passport will be there before we have to leave so that way we can just sign it and send it back for the visa.

We went and bought a baby carrier this weekend. We are hoping it will make traveling through the airport with 2 kids and NO husband a little easier on me but we will just have to wait and see. We will most likely be leaving for home before Mr.W flies out just so we don't  have to mess with the car seats and we can just leave them in the car when it ships.

we are stilll in the process of sorting out what to bring and what to toss/sell. I've sold alot of Lilly's older toys and thrown away alot of the little "happy meal" type toys. now we are getting into clothes to take or toss and oh man, i didn't realize just how much stuff we had. lilly's clothes is all sorted and i'm just starting on me and Mr.W.

but thats all I have time for right now, back to cleaning!

PCS Update

So originally we were told we were going to Vicenza, then Mr.W got orders to Livorno, and now we are going to Vicenza again. Hopefully the army doesn't change it again.

Mr. W is flying out at the beginning of February and sadly me and the kids won't be able to go right away because we have to wait on Logan's passport and visa to come back, and that will be a minimum of 6 weeks wait from now. It sucks that we are going to be separated again but at least it won't be for too long.

Our house is being packed up at the end of the month and will be in Italy sometime in march hopefully.

I'm really excited to go to Italy but the process of getting there is becoming more and more stressful and I can't wait until we are finally there and all settled in!

Looking back on 2012

2012 was a great year for our family.
We added two new members to the family,
I got my first "real job",
Mr. W reenlisted,
Lilly became a big sister,
We went to our first Green Bay Packers game,
I took my first (legal) drink,
We found out we will be moving to Italy,
We made some new friends,
And had to say goodbye to others.

It was fun and I wouldn't change a single moment of it, but we are ready for new start and can't wait to see what 2013 has in store for us...

Here is a quick photo recap of this past year.

2012 Survey

1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?
Went to a Green Bay packers game, which me and Mr.W have wanted to do for a long time.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I honestly don't remember my resolutions from this year, but definitely making more this year.   

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Can I count myself for this?

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Thankfully no.

5. What places did you visit?
We didn't get to get out of the state much this year. We went to Houston a couple of times and to Michigan at the very end.

6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
More time with my kids... i worked alot this year.

7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
March 18th, We found out I was pregnant
September 28th, Mr.W renenlisted for 4 more years in the army.
November 30th, Logan Kallen was born.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting my first "real job"

9. What was your biggest failure?
I haven't a clue... so obviously there was no major failure(s)

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Nothing Major.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
The DVD player for our car... it was a huge lifesaver on all the longer car rides.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Lillian, She is only 2 and she did really well with me and Mr.W working all the time and then when the new baby came.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Some former coworkers, who shall not be named.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Bills...where else would i spend so much money?

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The birth of Logan.

16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
Die Young by Kesha

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder?
happier
b) thinner or fatter?
thinner!
c) richer or poorer?
poorer :(

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Gotten away from the stress of fort Polk.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Worried, but that will always happen. can't help it.

20. How did you spend Christmas in 2012?
White! we were able to make it home to michigan.

21. Did you fall in love in 2012?
Over and over again.

22. What was your favorite TV program?
Glee.

23. What did you do for your birthday in 2012?
Got drunk...i did turn 21 ya know!

24. What was the best book you read?
Hunger games... all of them.

25. What did you want and get?
A job!

26. What did you want and not get?
away from fort polk. We have been here for way too long.

27. What was your favorite film of this year?
21 jump street. its so funny!

28. Did you make some new friends this year?
yes, and i'm going to miss them all so much when we move!

29.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
seeing more new things and places

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Casual, I was pregnant for most of the year so i tried to dress as comfortably as possible.

31. What kept you sane?
My Kids. They might makes me nuts sometimes, but they need me.

32. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
No one in particular

33. What political issue stirred you the most?
equal rights for ALL

34. Who did you miss?
all my friends who had to move.

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.
appriciate everything that you have, because you never know when it could be gone.

Ho ho ho!!!

Merry Christmas!

So as some of you may know we went to Michigan for Christmas this year. Needless to say its been a blast so far! We went to our first green bay Packers game, took Lilly sledding and taught her to make snow angels, spent some quality time with our family, and woke up and exchanged gifts.

Lilly was so excited when she saw all of the gifts that Santa had brought for her. She wanted to play with every toy as she opened them. Once they were all open she couldn't decide what she wanted to play with.

Logan even got a couple of things. Obviously he isn't old enough to understand what was going on but he was not left out.

Once all the gifts were unwrapped and some toys opened for Lilly we went to grandpa's house for dinner. Now everyone is home and napping (except for me).

I'm so thankful that Mr. W and I had the opportunity to come home for the holidays and to give our kids a wonderful Christmas. And I just wanna say before I end this post, we all need to be thankful for what we receive this holiday season because not everyone is so lucky. I hope everyone had a great holiday!

Bittersweet

So as I told you all in my last post, my dad came to visit us. We had a great time and I am so happy that he got to spend some time with us and the kids close to the holidays. I know we will see him next month but its still sad to see him go. On the bright side this next month will be alot of fun and we will be pretty busy, which means more posts to keep everyone updated on the happenings of our family!

The First Week

Baby Logan is already a week old and I can't believe how time has flown. Lilly is doing very well with him and just wants to help with every little thing. My dad has also come down to visit and Lilly is loving every minute. He even bought her a "big sister present" which was a little people Disney princess castle complete with all the princesses and cinderella's carriage. And she has played with it everyday since she got it.

Lilly is having so much fun with her grandpa and dad since he is on his paternity leave. We have gone to the park and even the zoo. She "helped" me with Logan in the car while we drove to the zoo. She held his bottle to feed him an even held his hand when he started getting cranky. I think it's safe to say she is really enjoying being a big sister.

Logan is becoming more active everyday and his sleep schedule is starting to fall into place. He's awake right now which is why I'm posting so late and from my phone. Thankfully he is slowly falling back asleep so I'll leave you all with some picture from the past week.

Goodnight everyone!

Introducing...

Logan Kallen Waye

Born at 8:34 a.m. On Friday, November 30th, 2012. Measuring 8lbs. 1oz. and 21in. long.

48 Hours

So I went to the doctor today for a check up on me and baby. We found out that I only dilated 1cm in the past week, even with the minor contractions. But the good news is that I am scheduled for induction on Friday! and just to clarify, its not due to any medical problems. I'm overdue now and very uncomfortable, plus with our move coming up we have a lot to do that can't be done until little man gets here!

I'm just really looking forward to finally meeting him and getting back to myself again. Its hard to be my happy upbeat self when I'm so uncomfortable 97% of the time.

Plus my dad is coming to visit for a couple weeks so its gonna be a very busy and exciting weekend for us and I cant' wait!!!

Tummy Tuesday (40 Weeks)

It's officially my due date, 

but baby is still hiding!

• How far along? 40w 0d
• Total weight gain: About 18 lbs.
• Maternity clothes? Pretty much living on sweatpant and tshirts this past week. they are the most comfortable
• Stretch marks? No new ones.
• Sleep: Bahaha... I'll sleep when I'm dead!
• Best moment this week: Thanksgiving Dinner!
• Miss Anything? Sitting comfortably, laying down comfortably, eating without heartburn, being able to get up by myself... the list goes on and on.
• Movement: Starting to slow down but when he does move I feel like exploding.
• Food cravings: Hot Chocolate ♥  
• Food aversions: Anything Barbecue.
• Gender: Boy.
• Labor Signs: Lots of pressure and very minor contractions (not strong/frequent enough)
• Symptoms: Too many to type.
• Belly Button in or out? half way out, seriously.
• Wedding rings on or off? On.
• Looking forward to: Dad coming to visit and hopefully having a baby!

Please note my photobombing dog in the corner...what a nerd!

Tummy Tuesday (39 Weeks)

Its a day late, but better late than never, right?

• How far along? 39w 0d
• Total weight gain: About 17 lbs.
• Maternity clothes? Everything except one pair of jeans and i still have to wear my bella band with them.
• Stretch marks? No new ones.
• Sleep: All I want to do, but baby has other things in mind for me.
• Best moment this week: Getting everything ready for baby.
• Miss Anything? The list is far too long.
• Movement: A lot of strong ones... he's definitly running out of room.
• Food cravings: Can't quite put my finger on it.
• Food aversions: Barbecue
• Gender: Boy.
• Labor Signs: Baby is dropping and lots of Braxton-Hicks
• Symptoms: Too many to type.
• Belly Button in or out? half way out, seriously.
• Wedding rings on or off? On.
• Looking forward to: Thanksgiving and Having this baby!

Move Along

So one chapter has closed in my life as another one is about to begin. My last day of work was on Monday but yesterday I received my final paycheck and it is just now hitting me how much I'm going to miss working and some of my former co-workers.

A lot of people have also asked me why I decided to quit instead of just taking maternity leave, well here is the explanation... I am due Nov. 27th and if took leave it would be about 6 weeks long, therefore putting me back to work in January, which wouldn't be a problem if we weren't PCSing in February. So basically I don't see the point in going back to work for a week or 2, only to be moving and having to quit anyways.

After working with for that company for almost a year I've made some very good friends, and I am going to miss them very much. Lucky for me we have a few more months before we have to say our official goodbyes.

Looking forward to the new chapter in my life, I am SOOOOOOO ready to have this baby. I'm 38 weeks and 4 days, and as any other pregnant woman may know, I am EXTREMELY uncomfortable and just plain tired. As much as I would love to play with Lilly, all I want to do most of the time is sleep. So everyone keep your fingers crossed for me and lets all hope that this baby decides to make an appearance soon!

Boo!!!

I hope that everyone had a fun day. Lilly has been talking about Trick-or-Treating for the past week so she was very excited for today. We had our pumpkins all carved and Mr.W even got in the spirit and dressed up as superman! I wore my shirt while we were walking around and I got some pretty mixed reviews. Some people thought it was really cool and creepy, others looked at me like I had just shot their dogs or something. But Lilly stole the show as a little monster.

Our neighborhood was kind of a bust last year so we went to one of the others on post and withing the first 30 minutes half the houses were already out of candy. Lilly was having fun getting what she could though and after every house was telling us how she had more candy. She started telling us about an hour in that it was her "favorite".

Thankfully, I decided to check my facebook on the way home and found out that a bunch of people in our neighborhood were still loaded and looking for kids to give candy to, so the last 20 minutes of Trick-or-Treating we just stayed close to home and Lilly got over HALF her candy on just 3 streets! She made out pretty well and was really happy when we let her have some when we got home.


♥ I love my little monster ♥