hotel rooms and overpriced Santa pictures...

So this week, me and Annie Rice have been spending our days in the hotel room[it's a suite, which makes it a little bigger:)] while Kaz works...By Monday afternoon[the first day:)], I told him we needed to get out that night for dinner! A hotel room can get really small after a few hours with a toddler, only a few small toys, and no Disney channel:) 

 This is my make do high chair:)

So on Monday night, we decided to go to the mall...I'm not a big fan of studio/mall photos...That's just the photographer coming out in me BUT I really wanted a picture of Annie Rice with Santa Clause this year...I don't care about it every year but I did want one this first year. I have decided it will be the first and only year we have a picture with Santa! I'll tell you a little of the story...

So we get to the mall and start talking to the representative about the prices/packages. ALL I wanted was a digital copy of the picture. I didn't care one thing about prints...A cd WITH 1 PICTURE WAS $28! I almost fell in the floor...I won't even get on my soapbox about my views on photographers/prints/prices, etc BUT I instantly got in a down mood...and of course they wouldn't let you use your own camera even if you bought prints from them...I told Kaz nothing in me wanted to pay that much money for 1 picture BUT THE OTHER PART OF ME JUST WANTED THAT ONE PICTURE. Either way, I felt like I couldn't win....If we didn't get the picture, then I would be disappointed...If we did, I would be mad we paid that much money. I knew it would be that expensive at mostly any place we went give or a take a few dollars....So we ate dinner while I thought it over and I eventually decided to bite the bullet and get the picture. NEVER again will I pay that much $ for 1 picture. I really just wanted it as a keepsake of her first Christmas and seeing Santa with us for the first time....So here it is....

a denver photo shoot...

As we were leaving the Aquarium on Sunday, Kaz decided to go a different route than we had been before to get back to our car....Now, normally I would gripe and complain and ask why we just couldn't go back the way we came, BUT this time I didn't because I saw a photographer doing a photo shoot on some railroad tracks...I love railroad track photos BUT this one was different than any around Charleston because it was covered in leaves! So, I had to take advantage of the situation:) Annie Rice loves leaves and she especially loves hearing the crunch crunch when someone is walking on them! Kaz threw a couple in the air and she just giggled away! Below are a few of my favorites:)

 I REALLY HEART this daddy/daughter one:) 

denver and sweet friends....

On Sunday, we went to Denver for the day! Denver is such a neat town and we really enjoyed our last visit. This time we went to the Denver Aquarium! Annie Rice really enjoyed it and loved looking at all the fish:) The Denver Aquarium has a live mermaid show that was really cool and Annie just stared at the mermaids swimming and talking!

 After the aquarium, we walked around Denver, did a little shopping and walked through a few holiday markets...

BUT the best part of the day was dinner! Over the last month or so I've been emailing back and forth with Angela. Angela, her husband Darrick, and two girls Sydney and Kami live near Denver and are in the waiting process of there adoption. When I knew we were coming back out to CO, I emailed her to see if they would want to meet up! On our drive to Denver Sunday morning, Kaz asked me to read him some of there blog...Well, I did the best I could BUT I CRIED pretty much the whole way to Denver. Even though we have Annie Rice, the feelings and memories of what we have been through will never be forgotten and as I read her blog I could literally remember all of those same feelings and emotions. 

When we met this sweet family for dinner, it was like we had known them for a long time! The girls loved Annie Rice and she loved playing with them! I just couldn't stop thinking of how big she was getting:( Annie Rice was amazed at Sydney's braces and Kami loved playing with Annie's curls:) It was a very special dinner...so encouraging to us and we hope to see them again VERY soon:)

thanksgiving and Colorado...

We had a great thanksgiving! I got a really bad cold thanksgiving morning and slept more on thanksgiving than anything, BUT it was still a great day and I found one way to not eat so much....get sick:( ALTHOUGH, I'd much rather eat:) Annie Rice had so much fun playing with all her cousins. I don't think she stopped smiling all day!

 Meme[grandma] was visiting other family when we took these pictures:(

 Every year on black Friday, me, my mom, aunt, and cousin go shopping in Myrtle Beach for 2 days. This year we had the bright idea to go Thanksgiving night at 8pm and stay up until Friday night when we got our hotel. It might not have been so bad if I wasn't sick but the lines were horrible and I was so tired. I still found a few good deals BUT I don't know that I want to go without sleep just to shop again:) See how rough I looked....

 This is what we did every time we got in the car:)

 AND if Thanksgiving wasn't busy enough, add a flight in it to Colorado Springs:) YEP, THAT'S RIGHT! Me and Annie Rice came to Colorado Springs with Kaz for the week:) Annie did really good on her first flight ever! She slept the majority of the way and only cried for a few minutes because she was overly tired! She had a blast in the airport playing with Kaz's phone and scooting all over the place! 

I'm so excited for a week away from work so that all my attention can be on Annie Rice...The view is absolutely beautiful and I have decided that one day we will have a vacation home in Colorado because it has become my new favorite state in the US:)