How I told him

 

I asked my husband if we could go to Naples Pier (just one of my new favorite places) and walk along the beach. It was April 1st. I know, what a crazy day for taking a pregnancy test, but I was late, and this being my second pregnancy I was pretty sure what was going on. It was a bit surprising though, we weren't "planning" for another baby right now (we both want more children, we just wanted to wait until things were more stable for us here in FL).

I mean I was still on the pill, so what are the odds of getting pregnant? Well turns out there is a 5 percent chance, the pill is only 92-99% affective. I guess I'm one of the lucky 5%. I was on the pill for 6 years before I got pregnant with Cameron and then went back on the pill after Cameron.

 

I took an old cigar box and an aging Padron 1926 40th Year torpedo cigar and made a band that said "It's a baby"! Once we were at the pier looking out over the Gulf and watching the pelicans dive for fish and the occasional dolphin jump (it truly was picture perfect, and I couldn't think of a better way or place to tell my husband). I reached into my purse (yes, it is big enough to hold a cigar box comfortably) I withdrew the box and handed it to Skye, and held my breath...I knew he would be excited once the news sank in but it was quite a surprise for myself, so I braced for his reaction...to my surprise when I looked up he was smiling. He was super excited once he realized I was serious and not pulling an April Fools prank on him (being the jokester that I am I'm not surprised he thought that I was joking). We are going to have another baby! Yay!!!

 

I know that the Lord has far better plans than we could ever imagine or hope for. And we could not be happier!

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. To him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory.

I love this little life growing inside of me already and we can't wait to meet him or her.

Turkey, Traditions, & Rolls?

The holidays are about making memories, keeping traditions and spending time with your loved ones. This year I am spending the holidays with my family in FL. My sweet sister Sarah, her husband Jeff and her precious baby Juliana. We were so eager to get caught up on lost holidays together that we put up all of the Christmas decorations and Christmas trees a week before thanksgiving. We had a blast staying up until 3am drinking coffee and listening to Christmas music and laughing so hard about the stupidest things...I loved every minute of it... Thanksgiving crept up so fast...Not sure if it was because of the warm weather or the crazy busy couple of months we've had since we moved to Florida, or a little of both. The eve before Thanksgiving my sister and I stayed up making pies, chess bars, cookies, preparing side dishes to be made on Thanksgiving day, and my moms famous potato roll recipe. We talked, laughed and reminisced about our childhood while rolling balls of dough into rolls. My mothers potato rolls have always been a favorite in our house. Growing up my moms potato rolls have been on the dinner table for every holiday, dinner party, and Piercy family event. So for my sister and I it wasn't just making rolls it was keeping traditions and memories alive. We were so proud of ourselves when not only did the dough taste just like moms but the rolls turned out exactly how they were supposed to. WINNING! Thanksgiving morning, we got up cooked sausage, egg & cheese biscuits and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade, another tradition. After cooking and watching football all day we finally sat down to the long awaited Turkey dinner. We stuffed ourselves with turkey and sides, and later we had desert and coffee. I am thankful to have spent Thanksgiving with my sister! We had a good time and made some great memories.

Cameron's first day of school & other Ramblings

I can't believe how fast my little boy is growing up...in some ways it feels like I just gave birth to this beautiful little blonde haired green eyed baby. All those milestones like his first smile, his first word, that first tooth (which happen to be 2 at a time) breaking through. And of course that first step and first birthday, they all are still so fresh in my head, like it all just happened. And yes, I know he is not yet 4 and most kids start school at 4 years old. So maybe that's why I feel that he's growing up way too fast.

I have to say though that I am really proud of Cameron...he has handled everything so well. In the last 3 weeks we have packed up almost all his toys and things in his room except for a hand full of favorites. Moved 16 hours away, temporarily living with in-laws including his 7mo old cousin. Adjusting to sharing a house with another family, with different schedules and eating habits, even spending the first two weeks at the law office. And now throwing school into the mix, my son is quite a trooper. And i couldn't be more proud of him. But even with all those changes going on he was super excited for school!
We promised him a Lightening McQueen (Disney Cars) backpack and he talked non-stop about it. And he was thrilled to pick it out himself.

The night before I laid out his outfit (he helped me pick it out) and he insisted on his lucky Patriots socks (yep that's my boy)! The next day came early, too early. Skye & I both had to go to work so that meant getting Cam to school at 7am and leaving the house at 6:30am. And yet again my little guy surprised me by waking up with a giant smile on his face and no complaints whatsoever. He kept saying "come on mom, I have to go to school". We made the best efforts to take a few pictures before we left for school, but it was really too dark.

When I dropped him off he went right for his classroom and joined in the activities with his other classmates. I did manage to get 2 kisses from him before I left. And took one last peek at him before prying myself away, he was playing contently and looked happy, not even noticing that I had left. Still it was very emotional for me to leave my baby in the care of others, and by the time I got back to the car I had tears welling up in my eyes, and yes stupid I know, but I did cry. That was a first for me and I didn't handle it nearly as well as my 3 year old.


The music / library room at school

The day at the office seemed to drag by and even though I called twice to check on him I couldn't wait to get off and go pick him up, and ask him all about his first day. When I got to school to pick him up he was playing on the playground. As soon as he saw Skye & I he ran up and hugged me and said "hold me mommy". I knew I had been missed, and that made my day.

I did find out that he had one little moment of tears and asking for me (and that just broke my heart) but nothing too concerning that a little extra attention from the (grandmotherly) lady at the front desk and a cookie couldn't fix. And during the ride home he kept saying that he wanted to go back to school! I absolutely love this school, it's such a great fit for Cameron and us. The people there are wonderful, I love them all. They have an art class, music class & computer class on top of all the other everyday structured activities. They also have an "open door" policy so I can call or pop in and check on him anytime. I'm happy that this school will challenge him academically, artistically and help prepare him for kindergarten. Here in the state of FL most schools will tell you that you have to have at least one year of pre-k before going to school. And that's why almost every school has discounted / free tuition for 4 year old.

I've gotten a lot of mixed feedback from people, some of whom agree with us and say its a good thing for him to be in school and others of whom say that I should just stay home with my son and keep him out of school. But I am 100% sure that I am doing the right thing, for both of us. I appreciate the advice, but being his mother I know his needs, and see his struggles. Cam is an only child right now, and he needs that social interaction with other kids his age. And this experience is preparing him for not only K-5 but for life.

And that's also why I'm doing it now, cause kids at his young age adjust well. They're like chameleons, they blend in and just go with what everyone else is doing.

This change will also be good for me, I am working in a law firm and training to be a P.L. I have always wanted to do something like be a Paralegal, but just never really thought it would be an option for me. I absolutely LOVE being a mommy...but being a mommy does not define who I am. Since the beginning of my pregnancy it was a known fact that I would not be able to be a "Stay-at-home mommy". I have always worked, I have just been fortunate these last 3 years to have a job that I can do from home. Since our move to Naples that "at-home" position is no longer an option. Along with Cameron needing social interaction, and me being offered this incredible job opportunity we have made the decision to enroll Cam in this awesome school. I am very excited to see what the future holds for all of us!

~~A New Begining ~~

So a lot has happened since my last blog entry, we are now residents of Naples Fla!!! It took a lot to get here, but we made it! And we are so thankful and so blessed to have this awesome opportunity...we packed, painted and cleaned our old house for about 2 months before we moved. Put out quite a bit of money for the truck, and other moving expenses. Quit our jobs and started new ones. But finally being here in this tropical paradise surrounded by water, soft white sand, some of the prettiest shells I've ever seen, and a million different beautiful palm trees, I see now that all the hard work is finally paying off. I absolutely love this place...I never want to leave. I've found my own paradise. Just like the song says:


"This champagne shore washing over me
It's a sweet sweet life living by the salty sea
One day you could be as lost as me
Change you're geography
Maybe you might be
Knee deep in the water somewhere
Got the blue sky breeze blowing wind through my hair
Only worry in the world is the tide gonna reach my chair
Sunrise there's a fire in the sky
Never been so happy
Never felt so high
And I think I might have found me my own kind of paradise..."



Top left: Moving day and everything was packed up, I managed to find some random coffee cups in a box. Gotta have my coffee... Top right: We had to use Skye's K-bar knife to cut pizza. Bottom pic's: moving truck and the first of many cups of coffee.



Moving Day!!!

 The 16 hour trip was long and tiring, with only 3 hours of sleep the night before we hit the road for the long haul to the Gulf Coast, and only stopped to sleep about 2 hours during the trip. We stopped just before we reached Orlando to sleep for 2 hours (one of the worst nights, try sleeping in the front seat of a car in a noisy rest area, NOT fun). When we finally got back on the road around 5am Skye & Cam were in the moving truck and I was following a few yards behind. All of a sudden I heard it and knew instantly that I had blown a tire. God was once again looking out for us. He kept me safe, and there just happened to be a really wide emergency lane and I was able to pull over under an overpass. Skye had to go down about 5 more miles before he could get off the interstate and turn back around to get to me. In the meantime I had the tire almost completely off before a state trooper pulled up to help. Skye pulled up about 5 seconds later (so glad my dad taught his girls how to change a tire) but very thankful Skye got there when he did, I was exhausted. Skye got the almost flat donut on in record time and we drove to the nearest exit. God put the nicest people in out path...pulled into the closest gas station and spoke to the nicest police man, who told us where to go, made it to the tire place and again the nicest people helped us out and got us back on the road in like 20 minutes.



Stopped at South of the Boarder!

We made it to our storage unit in plenty of time to fill out the paperwork. God is so good all the time. Thankful we were safe and that God put the nicest people in our path. He was watching over us the whole way. And very happy our car made it in one piece. Also thankful for all the family and friends who have helped us out these past few weeks, I love you all and you were all so awesome and helpful.

A fun way to take pictures of our trip. Skye's original Hulk Hogan from the 80's. Yeah baby!

 I've even enjoyed getting back into a work routine. Not only did we make a major move, we also changed careers. Skye is managing a pool company and if all goes as planned he will eventually be part owner. I am training to be a P.L. while working in my bother-n-law and sister's law firm. I love being in an office again. It's nice to get dressed up and be around other adults.


Cameron at the office drinking his cup of coffee.



Cameron is a student in a great little academy, Windmill Creek has everything we could want. Cam loves it because he gets to play and learn with other kids his age. And Skye and I love it because he is challenged academically, artistically, and musically. They have an art class, a music class and computer class. It's great because he is learning life skills and at the same time preparing him for K-5 and he is having fun doing it. WINNING! :-)


Lots of opportunities to go to the beach or get in the pool!



 Life is good here in South Florida. I'm so happy we decided to take this huge leap of faith, and make this move. If we hadn't we would have always looked back and wondered what would have been. Some things are worth fighting for, and I've always wanted to live in FL and now I am. If you want to do something, than do it, don't ever look back on something and say "I should have".

















Kentucky Adventures

When my best friend Teea asked if we wanted to go home to Kentucky with her, naturally we were very excited! The farthest west I had ever been was West Virgina, I had never been to Kentucky before. I love road trips, and I love spending time with my friend.
Well the trip started off a little rocky...we had been driving for about 5 1/2 hours, thriving on 5 hour energy drinks and Starbucks double shot espressos, when half way to the top of a huge hill (aka a freakin mountain) the car (aka Gracie 2) just wouldn't or couldn't drive anymore. So we got off the next exit, and after realizing we couldn't fix it on our own we called for a tow truck. We were stuck in Covington VA. Let me just tell you, there is nothing, i mean absolutely NOTHING to do in this little town called Covington VA. We were so close to West VA and yet so far away...we were literally 30 minutes from West VA. Thankfully we met some really nice people in Covington. The tow truck guys provided a ride to the mechanic they recommended (I think he might have been the only mechanic in Covington) but he was really nice and as we found out later he didn't take advantage of the situation, and gave Teea a more than fair price. He also drove us to a hotel where we stayed the night and part of the next day. But by the end of the first day which was a Thursday, we both needed a drink...so we walked across the street to this little Mexican Restaurant (that we would have completely overlooked if it wasn't for the fact we were stranded with no car in the middle of nowhere staying in a hotel that just happened to be across the street from a tiny Mexican restaurant) but they had the best margaritas ever, oh and the food wasn't bad either.

So 24 hours later we were back on the road and Gracie 2 was doing great! We made it to Teea's sisters house by 10:30pm and then to London KY by about 12am. We were exhausted, we crashed hard.

But Saturday was a day of fun! Met some of Teea's family, they were sweet and we had a very enjoyable time hanging out talking and laughing. It was a day full of good food, Starbucks, White Castle, and at the Homecoming there was fried fish, fried corn nuggets, hot dogs, hamburgers, funnel cake, and the list goes on...

It was a great day/night. Ate way too much, laughed way too hard and at the end of the day we were too tired to stand up. Sunday we hit Krystal's, and then went to the Vendors Mall (which is basically a really huge flee market where you get really cool stuff for a fraction of the price, and it's mostly antiques) I'm glad we went on a Sunday too, cause if I had spent any more time in that place I would have left flat broke. I did however find some pretty cool old Ball canning jars, some old milk jugs, a vase, and a old cast iron dutch oven, in one of my favorite colors bright orange!

Then we had a get together with more of Teea's family (I thought I had a big family...I had never seen so many people in one family) we ate, drank, laughed and took lots of picture (thanks to my friend Mark
for the use of his camera). After saying our goodbyes we were back on the road headed home to VA. bright an early Monday morning. All in all (even though it started out rocky with car problems) it was a great trip...met some really awesome people, ate some delicious food, laughed a lot and made some great memories. Cameron also made lots of friends, human and feline:

And I have to add how proud I am of my son, he was so good and did so well on this road trip, with zero complaints. I think the upcoming trip to FL will go smoothly...

And now I can put a pin in KY on my map of places I've been.

Hurricane Irene

Surviving a hurricane with a 3 year old wild boy...
So how do you survive a hurricane with a crazy 3 year old??? Especially when you are not in the comfort of your own home. Well I am known for overdoing things a little, but I'd rather be over prepared than under prepared. Better safe than sorry. So I actually started packing up the car the night before with food, water, toys and things to keep Cameron occupied for 2 days. Here's what it looked like:

So after awhile we eventually needed to take a "Play in the rain" break...

Even Jack-Jack (as Cameron calls her) got in on the action...

But the Zultanky's were prepared for Irene:

And we only lost power when we were going to sleep. Here is a pic of Cam in his Cars sleeping bag:

So thankful that we made it through the hurricane with only a few downed tree limbs and no serious damage...God is so good all the time.

The very next day we went for a walk on the beach, the saddest thing was all the dead horseshoe crabs washed up on the beach.

Cameron had a lot of pint up energy from the storm, so here are a few pic's of him doing one of his favorite things, running on the beach.

When the next hurricane hits we will be in FL. So thank you Irene for the opportunity to ride out the wind & rain with our family. We made some good memories to take with us to Florida.

Lets get moving...painting and packing!

I think I am pretty good at painting a wall or in this case an entire apartment...but how do I manage to make such a mess??? I literally get paint EVERYWHERE, in my hair, on my eyelid, even on the bottom of my big toe. Okay, so I'm not great at it, but at least I'm getting the job done. Full time mommy, still working 2 jobs, keeping up with the house work, yard work, and now packing and painting and preparing to move an entire house states away in my free time. Wait, what free time?

Okay, so I'm trying NOT to freak out we still have 5 weeks & 2 day before the move, (which I am SUPER EXCITED about) and I've already started packing some non-essential things up...here are a few of my favorite things I've already packed, minus a pic of my antique cameras:

My sea glass & wooden turtles.

My sand & shells from FL & some driftwood.

My cigar box shelves in the bathroom with my tiki & beach themed stuff.



More cigar box shelves in the bathroom.

My jellyfish picture in the bathroom.

Kitchen cigar box shelves with some wine bottles & corks.

My favorite is the flattened wine bottle I have hanging in my kitchen.

And of course my collage of pictures of my family <3 them.

So yes, we are extremely excited for this new adventure. This move to Naples FL will be a change of pace for our family. A fresh breath of air...but I am still anxious, a lot to be done in a short amount of time. Continually praying all the time...and very thankful for this great opportunity.