FAMILY FOREVERMOORE

She's Three

2008-07-03T23:07:00.006-04:00

Okay, this is JUST a preview - MANY more pics to be posted this weekend.

ENJOY!!

2008-06-13T13:44:00.003-04:00

Abbey has a lot of special people in her life who love her, and whom she loves. In December, she got to meet several of them, and these two guys very quickly became a copule of her nearest and dearest. Unfortunately, they have had to part ways again, as these boys have headed back to their home in the Far East. There is no doubt that as they miss each each other, their bonds will remain. I am confident that when they meet again after a few years have passed, it'll be as if they had seen each other only yesterday. Until then, we'll do everything we can to write, call, send pictures and videos, and video-conference.

Caleb and Seth, Abbey misses and love you both, and can't wait to see you again!

2008-05-20T15:12:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow is Abbey's last day in her 2-yr-old preschool class.

When she returns in the fall, she'll be three, and going five days a week.

She had such a great year with all of her friends and her amazing teacher, Mrs. Martinez.

We actually found out today that Mrs. Martinez is retiring - we're so thankful that God saw fit to keep her in her classroom long enough to bless our sweet Abbey. All of Abbey's forthcoming teachers sure have some big shoes to fill; Mrs. Martinez set the bar really high as her first! Mommy took the day off to attend the program, and Daddy slipped away from work.

Grampa, Popi, Tina, and GG also came to watch her sing and "graduate."

Here are some pics of our almost-3-yr-old (we got a video, too, and I'll post it when I have time):

2008-05-07T13:49:00.001-04:00

Yes, it's been forever since I've posted.

Yes, I've been insanely busy wearing the hats of Mommy, Wife, Full-Time Teacher, and Half-time College Student.

Yes, I have (out of necessity) neglected most of my friendships and family relationships - sorry. =(

Yes, I really appreciate your grace in accepting me for who I am, and loving me anyway.

Yes, here are new pics of Miss Abbey Lynn (and her Cauley boys) - enjoy! :)

I'm "It"

2008-05-07T13:30:00.000-04:00

I've been blog-tagged by SEVERAL of you, so I'm finally taking my "it" status seriously (since I FINALLY have the time). :)

What was I doing 10 years ago?
I would have JUST graduated from UCF! I was reveling in the fact that I could start reading novels for pleasure and get a real job to pay off my credit card debt (dumb college student)!

5 things on my to do list:
1. Clean the fridge
2. Laundry
3. Clean up clutter downstairs (ya see a pattern?)
4. Write my two final exams
5. Grocery Shop

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Strawberries
2. Trail Mix
3. Veggie Crisps
4. Soy Ice-cream
5. Raw Carrots - okay, I don't really enjoy them, but I enjoy their benefits, so I eat them anyway :)

5 things I would do if I were a Billionaire:
1. Pay off our house, my mom's house, and buy a house for the Cauleys
2. Spend months-at-a-time abroad (Ireland, Italy, China, Australia, Japan, Kenya, etc.)
3. Teach for free on a part-time basis (when Abbey's in preschool - all other time is Mommy time)
4. Give A LOT to people in need - especially to one of my friends
5. Have a personal trainer, dietitian, and chef - basically, hire the right people to help me re-gain my hot body and keep it that way! (... and, of course, I'd have to add #6 - shop for an amazing wardrobe)

5 bad habits:
1. Eating junk food
2. Not exercising enough
3. Spending too much time on the computer
4. Not putting away clean laundry in a timely manner
5. Biting my nails

5 places I have lived:
1. Melbourne
2. UCF - Orlando
3. East Orlando
4. Oviedo
5. Back to Melbourne

5 jobs I've had:
1. Marketing Research Assistant
2. UCF Library Fines and Bills Assistant
3. Media Buying Assistant
4. Educator
5. SAHM

I want to know more about (a nice way to say your"tagged")
1. Melissa
2. Amy
3. Winn
4. Carrie
5. Carrie

Angelic

2008-02-06T00:01:00.000-05:00

These are two pictures that I took at Wickham Park and then enhanced using Picasa.

I think they're beautiful, as they show Abbey's angelic side. :)

Long Time Coming

2008-02-06T00:00:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I decided it has been WAY too long since I last updated. Here are a few newer pictures of Abbey (and a cameo or two of her "twin" cousin, Seth,) wearing her favorite Chinese outfits. Enjoy! :)

2007-11-17T19:44:00.000-05:00

Every year we head to MGM for fake snow and frosty fun!

Since last night was our first REALLY cold night (for Florida, anyway),

we hopped in the car to join in the festivities!

Thanks, Carrie Friday, for putting us in the Christmas spirit a little early! :)

Jack-O-Lanterns

2007-11-03T23:53:00.000-04:00

We carved with friends again this year, and here are the results:

Our Precious Little Owlet

2007-10-29T21:12:00.000-04:00

When asked what she wanted to be this year for Halloween, Abbey confidently said, "I wanna be a owl and say whoo ,whoo." So, Mommy rose to the task and created a precious little costume (yes, I'm proud of my work) that Abbey was very happy with. We took her to Boo at the Zoo as a preview, and she had a blast - even though it rained and we saw very few animals.

She worn her costume again for the main event - trick-or-treating with Daddy in our neighborhood, and, again, she had a blast! Who knows what she'll dream up for me to create next year! :)

Pumkin' Patchin'

2007-10-20T20:32:00.000-04:00

For the third year in a row, we visited a pumpkin patch to pick pumpkins and have a little photo shoot. This year, we joined the MEtime crew at the Wesley United Methodist patch, and had a great time. Abbey got to sit and listen to stories, eat a homemade cookie, and get her very own mini-pumpkin; all before helping Mommy and Daddy pick out ours!

She had a blast, and even posed for a few shots. Enjoy! :)

Cruisin' the Caribbean - Better late than never!

2007-10-08T20:23:00.000-04:00

Okay, so now that I'm back at work I have even less time to blog, so this one's short on words and big on pics. Enjoy!

Formal Night - Daddy's little Date

Fisher Price Playtime with Daisy in the Viking Crown Lounge

Pony Time - She loved it!

Our Last Dinner

Abbey loved Aenin (actually, Erin, but the other is Abbey's pronunciation)

This was our 2nd year seeing Gregory - we were thrilled that he was our assistant waiter! We'll miss him next year!

Here's Little miss with her crackers from Bernard.

We shared this experience with many other people, however we seem to have too much fun being in the moment that we forget to take pics. Oh, well - if you missed it, join us next year!

Gator Girl (in honor of the birth of Logan Riley)

2007-09-20T14:08:00.000-04:00

If she hadn't been before now, Abbey is a total Gator Girl!

(however, she still cheers for her Knights, too)
She loved matching T and Uncle (who gave her the dress),

and points out gators everywhere!
Here she is with one of her favorite friends, a lion she named Paw. He comes to visit whenever T and Uncle do (he lives at their house).

*...and for those who have no idea who Logan Riley is, he's an Auburn boy who was born the day Abbey got this dress! (hee, hee) :)

Too Big!

2007-09-20T13:52:00.001-04:00

So Miss Abbey has a new favorite toy - her Heels, as she calls them.

Gone are the days of not sitting still for photos - she poses, now, and asks for photo shoots!
Are we in for it, or what?!!

Catching Up - Sanibel 2007

2007-09-09T21:45:00.000-04:00

Okay, so here are a few of the long-awaited pics from our trip to Sanibel Island in August (if you qualify, you'll get the rest via e-mail :P). We had a nice, relaxing escape, complete with stress-free family time (yes, that can happen)!

Abbey decided she wanted to be like T - check her out!

Swimming was a favorite for all of us.

However, shopping ...

... and riding in the car through Ding Darling (just like Uncle Chris) were sheer agony for Abbey.

She very much preferred playing with the puppets T made for her, among other things.

Yes, Jeff loved his Pinocchio's - a little too much by the look of it!

Abbey's First Day of Preschool

2007-08-27T13:16:00.000-04:00

Abbey Started Preschool at our church this morning.

She'll be going twice a week for three hours each day.

She was very excited to go, and felt very big-girlish.

She went right in and started to play.

She ignored me as I took pictures, and barely paused to give me a kiss goodbye.

Daddy came with me to pick her up, and she was all smiles.

We took her to Chick-fil-a for lunch to celebrate and she was full of stories.

I'm really happy that she is so excited!

Totally Two!

2007-07-17T15:08:00.000-04:00

Abbey has been reminding us quite a bit lately that she is NOT a baby, she is a big girl. So, yesterday, Abbey and I went shopping for a big-girl necklace (to match her silver bracelet that Nan got her) and some new hair barrettes. As you can see, she loves her new look - she's even let me do the "big-girl" hair for the last two days. :)

God's Glory

2007-07-15T21:01:00.000-04:00

From time to time God gives us a visual glimpse of His radiant splendour. Tonight, we experienced this sunset between storms. It appears as though there's a fire behind our home, however it was just God showing us that He is always in control, even when storms are surrounding us. We can always hear Him, but it's nice to see Him show Himself in this form. Enjoy our beautiful sunset as seen from our backyard.

Independence Day

2007-07-13T20:11:00.000-04:00

We spent the 4th of July with several friends at our house. Jeff and the guys grilled while the kids played in the kiddie pool and we ladies chatted away. We are truly at home here - despite the fact that when we left Melbourne in 1994, neither of us thought we'd ever come back. God knows exactly what he is doing!

For her annual independance portrait, I got Abbey all dressed up and her hair done - only to have her change all of that (after one, less-than-perfect pic) by, first, pulling out her ponytails. Oh, well. Outfit #2 brought out her true personality much better.

Nana and Her Girl

2007-07-12T21:39:00.000-04:00

Nana came to visit for Abbey's birthday, and we all had a blast. We were shopping at Ron Jon's one night and discovered that they had a shirt that perfectly matches a dress that we bought for Abbey last year (and set aside until this year) in Sanibel. With a bit of insistance from Mommy, Nana bought the shirt and the photo shoot commenced. Are they too cute, or what?! (.. and for those who haven't seen her in a while, yes, that is MY mom!)

Abbey's Birthday

2007-07-12T20:03:00.000-04:00

Okay, so here are a few cute pics from Abbey's 2nd birthday party with her friends on July 1st. My precious baby is no longer baby - as of July 2nd, she is officially a toddler in all her animated, talkative, testingly-playful glory. :) She had birthday events that spanned 5 days, so she was all birthday-ed out in the end.

This Leader has Become a Follower

2007-07-08T14:50:00.000-04:00

So I am joining the ranks of my friends (thanks, Livengoods, the originators) who have started blogspots. Here I'll post recent pics and happenings as we sail through our daily lives.

Here's a recent pic of our family at Cocoa Beach, one of our favorite hangouts and photo spots.