Most Magical Place on Earth

About a week ago we rejoined reality. Previously, we had been at the happiest place on earth enjoying all it's magic and charms. If you guessed we were at Disney World, you would be correct! It was a wonderful family vacation filled with memories I will always cherish!

Augusta loves exploring Disney with her two cousins! She loved the rides, but most of all she loved the characters! She would hug and kiss them on their noses, which was just too cute for words! She wasn't too into the "real people" characters (ex. Sleeping Beauty). The only one she really connected with was Tinkerbell. Could be bc we're big tink fans, or could be bc the tink we met was fabulous! 

Riding Triceratops Spin!

Augusta's first park was Animal Kingdom and her first ride was the Triceratops Spin. (Technically her first ride was Kilimanjaro Safaru, but if don't think that felt much like a ride to her since we were on a bus) After the triceratops spin, Augusta burst into tears saying "Again, Again". She didn't understand why it stopped and why we had to get off! Luckily, we were able to get right back on! After ride number two, she did the same thing! She just loved it so much! Thank goodness as the trip went on, she learned that we ride and then we have to get off and do something else! 

First encounter with the mouse!

Her favorite characters that she met were Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Jake (from Jake and the Neverland Pirates). She hugged and kissed all of them. Her face absolutely lit up when she saw mickey. When her cousin was meeting him, she was actually getting jealous oh her hugging him, saying, "No, baby hug!"

One of my favorite pics of the trip!

Another moment I'll always remember occurred while meeting Tinkerbell. Tink asked Augusta her name and of course she proudly responded with "I baby!" Tink laughed and said "No way, you're a baby!" You can't put a price on those moments! 

Catching a ride with Daddy to the Dance Party!

Another magical time was the Disney Junior Dance Party! It was amazing to see Augusta so happy and full of life! She would run up to the characters and they'd take her hand and dance with her! Big cousin Lani was there so she'd take Augusta around too and let her dance with different characters! Just seeing her beaming face and her little hands raising up in the air made my night! It was so worth the chance of getting soaked by rain we risked to be there! 

Twin Tinks exploring Magic Kingdom!

I think all in all Augusta's favorite park was Magic Kingdom and her favorite ride was the teacups! She absolutely loved them! Chase rode with us so we didn't spin more than the ride required! She kept asking to ride the "pot", for Teapot. She also enjoyed dumbo. One night during extra magic hours we went back and forth between those two, just pacifying her! (We didn't enjoy it at all! ;))

Augusta's favorites of other parks: Epcot--Nemo and watching all the water fountains; Animal Kingdom--Triceratops Spin and safari ride; Hollywood Studios--Disney Junior Live on Stage and Disney Junior Dance Party; Magic Kingdom--Teacups, Dumbo, Ariel ride, and the carousel! She loved meeting characters wherever she could, and also found a new fascination with escalators! 

Disney Junior Live on Stage

To anyone who's weary of taking them this young--I say go for it! I believe it was an ideal age to go, and my almost 22 month old still talks about it daily--without my bringing it up! Perks of going at this age--free admission to Disney, free on airplane (under 2), amazement by all things new and colorful, love of characters, easy to keep a watch on in stroller, plenty of rides you'll both enjoy, and able to nap and rest with! (Daily naps were essential to us! Without them we wouldn't be able to hit the next park and go until nearly bedtime!)

I cannot wait to go back, and next time experience the magic all over with Augusta and through new eyes with baby #2! Every time Augusta asks to go to Mickey's House (what we called it in preparation for our trip) I wanna load up and take her!! Maybe summer 2015?? Just gonna have to get Chase on board! ;) 

Shopping for ears--day1! Not the pair we ended up with!

Watching our favorite fountain

Meeting Pluto!

Family with Mickey Mouse

Augusta and Stitch!

Sorry for pic overload--but there were so many more I could have added!! :)

Wordless Wednesday

Our family is growing by 2 feet!

Big Sis Augusta

Don't know how to say it with the post title giving it all away, but there you have it! The Goolsby's are  expecting a new addition! March 26, 2014 is the day our new bundle is due! We are thrilled to be adding to our family. We cannot wait to meet this little blessing! Augusta has no clue at the moment but maybe as she grows (and mommy grows too) she'll begin to have some sort of grasp on the whole thing! We know she'll be an awesome big sister though!

Were currently 12 weeks, so almost done with the first trimester! Not that this pregnancy has been bad. I was blessed with an easy first pregnancy and so far this one is following suit. Lets just hope it stays that way! Only difference i can definitely note is i feel much more tired...and I'm sure thats from chasing a toddler around! 

We've had one appointment so far and everything looked great! We saw the baby and the heart rate was 174. :) Such an exciting time! It's so neat to compare Augusta's first ultrasound (6 weeks) to this baby's first ultrasound (9 weeks). So much has changed, developmentally, in that short time period! The miracle of pregnancy and birth is just truly amazing, and I'm so excited God is letting me take this journey again! 

Just a few pics from our "Big Sis" photo shoot! :)

"Mommy, I'm over it!"

Getting so big!

Smelling the flowers

Worst blogger ever!

So I know I always say this, but it has seriously been so long since I updated this thing. Don't know if the few followers I even had are checking it anymore! Tons of exciting things have been going on in the Goolsby universe, and I guess that makes me too busy to blog about it!

Well the school year has started! We're actually over a month in at this point. I'm getting to know my new kiddos and enjoying seeing some familiar faces from last year. I'm also excited to be back seeing all my work friends--work is so much better when you work with great people! Also getting back into a routine has been nice, though it hasn't gotten easier leaving my baby almost every day. 

Chase is back doing his football announcing and loving every minute of it! So that means lots of girls only Friday nights. He's also started running a shuttle golf cart at Ole Miss home games, so we are actually missing him quite a bit--At least there isn't another home game till October!! :)

We're still living with our gracious inlaws! I thank them so much for being so accommodating and putting up with us for this long--one month and counting! Staying with them has been great for us and I only hope we're not inconveniencing them too much! We love y'all Mims and Pa-Paul! 

On another note, they are still making progress on our house! I will post some photos in sequence, but as of now they are getting the walls ready to paint. We are totally closed in besides the front door, and they just added our interior brick wall! Yay! I'm so excited! Augusta is too! Every time we get in the car she says "Drive baby's house!" And when were there she doesn't want to leave! She loves going through the rooms--especially Mommy's and Daddy's room. She goes into the master bath and says "baby's tub, Mommy's shower". She'll also sit on the toilet baby and say "I got potty". It's actually pretty hilarious--like I could stop laughing the first time she did it! 

That's all I have to report today! But we'll be back with more exciting news very soon!! :) 

Slab is poured!!

Walls are up

skeletal frame and roof outline

Working on getting it closed in

Walls and tack paper on the roof

Coming together--we have shingles, bricks, and mostly all the siding! Oh and the cutest baby in the front yard! ;) 

Inside shot--looking in from front door

Kentucky Visit

Last week was a busy, busy, busy one for us! We started out traveling with Chase to Jackson for a coaches golf tournament. We went with all our coaching friends and their families so it was a blast! Plus it was nice to not have to spend two extra nights away form Daddy--its hard on his girls when he has to be gone overnight! :(

Hide and Seek anyone?

In Jackson we had some great meals, did some shopping, and hit up their zoo. It was a small zoo, but still so much fun! Augusta loved looking at all the animals, and she had to pick herself out a tiger to take home!

Mommy and Baby at the zoo

Well, we got back from Jackson Tuesday night, and early Wednesday morning we loaded up to make to trip to Lexington. And it was definitely a trip! It took us a little over 7 hours (I think--felt like way more) but we finally made it to see Alyssa and Brad--and we can't forget Kenzie too! Our first night they cooked us dinner which was super yummy and a great way to unwind after the drive!

She's obsessed with the balls at Target

Alyssa had our trip all laid out so we pretty much just went along with our tour guide! Lol! Thursday we woke up and headed to the Little English Warehouse! (I was super pumped to go!) We got tons of stuff at great prices, and I also told Alyssa she would have to be shopping for me up there when it gets close to the holidays--such great prices for all their smocked clothes! Then we headed downtown to meet Brad for lunch at a little spot they like called Doodles. After our meal, more shopping was on the agenda as we hit target and the mall! Then we were exhausted so it was home for nap time! Dinner was at a little Italian place called Joe Bologna's. We had deep dish pizzas and they were amazing! Def will eat there again when we got back!

Crying because we had to leave Target!

Friday we got up and headed to the Kentucky Horse Park. It took us a little while to find it, but when we did it was beautiful. It was also super hot. And crowded. Little did we know, they were having something called BreyerFest there at the same time--apparently it is a big deal in the horse world. Who knew? But we still enjoyed the park and seeing all the different horse of the world. Plus, seeing horses is kinda something you just have to do if you go to Kentucky. After taking it in, we headed home and rested up for dinner.  Dinner was at a place called Ramsey's. For those from around here, I compare it to an Ajax type of restaurant. We had catfish and veggies and it was another delicious meal.

Pretty girl exploring the horse park

Saturday was by far my favorite day. Woke up and headed to brunch at a little place called Coffee Pub. They had fresh squeezed orange juice that was uh-mazing! When we left there, we headed to the Explorium. It's a children's museum in downtown Lexington. It was so much fun for everyone, especially Augusta. She loved the water table, the cave, and the bubble room the most. They also had rooms where you could learn about the Kentucky River, Horses, Space, Dinosaurs, insects, the body, and do crafts. Needless to say, we spent quite a while there. I so wish we had something like that here! It would be a great place for birthday parties or just to get out of the house when it is far to hot to be outdoors. We grilled out for dinner that night and it was probably my favorite meal of the trip!

Walking on the moon at the Explorium

Then came Sunday when we had to say our goodbyes. It's sad to leave them so far away but hopefully they'll be making a trip this way before too long! And we had a wedding for one of Chase's cousins in Nashville. This was exciting because it allowed us to break up the trip back! We got to Nashville, checked into our hotel, and had a little downtime before it was time to get ready for the wedding.

Playing in Brad's boots before leaving Kentucky

The wedding was at Riverwood Mansion. The ceremony was outdoors and thankfully the weather held off. It was simple and beautiful. The reception was through the mansion and in a tented area outback. We had a great time and are so happy for Ashley and Nick!

Family at the wedding

Then next day we shopped around Nashville for awhile with Chase's family. We had a fun lunch at Rainforest Cafe (Augusta loved all the animals!) and then it was time to head home! We had a great week, but I'm so happy to be back to spend the rest of summer vacay just relaxing at the house! There's no place like home! :)

Lunch at Rainforest Cafe!

Baby friends doing lunch at the Mellow Mushroom in Jackson

Pic describes how we all felt at the end of our visit to the Horse Park

Entertaining herself downtown before dinner at Ramsey's--She loves inclines!

Well it's official...

The next big step for the Goolsbys in this journey we call life is........building a house!!

We are both beyond excited! And as exciting as it is, it's a little scary. But it's a nervous excited energy--like when you know the change is all for the better, but there are just so many unknown factors and things that you have no control over.

And the process is not as easy as you might imagine. There is alot that goes into this house building business. Location, banking related aspects, deciding on a builder, etc. People always say there are tons of decisions that goes with building, and I was thinking they were referring to cosmetic things (Paint colors, flooring, appliances, etc) Oh I was so naive!

Good news though, we have decided on a location! We're going to build our by my parents house! I'm excited to be closer to them. And I know Mom is excited to have Augusta right there, especially when it comes to the cold, early mornings!

We have a plan and a builder! We have the people to do our well and septic system. We just had to wait on the financial aspects. And...

We finally got the go ahead with all the financials--long process that I won't bore you (or myself) with! I'm just so thankful that my husband is taking the reigns on all of that! Blessed behind measure.

People say if you can survive building a house together, than you can survive anything. I don't know about all that...but I can honestly say alot of the things going into this so far have been out of our hands. We've had to rely on God's timing (I originally wrote this post in February--just didn't post it!) and keep reminding ourselves that of its truly his will, it will come to be. It's been a test of patience, strength, and faith. It's hard once you're independent to put the reigns in someone else's hands, but this has been a good lesson that sometimes we have to do just that. 

It's now the end of July and we have the piece of land in our names. We also have a well. We're on the builder's schedule and he should be starting within the next few weeks. We are currently packing our things and getting ready to move in with my gracious inlaws (Chase's Parents) by our August 1 move out deadline. Not looking forward to moving twice, but what are you going to do? If the process of getting this far has taught us anything, it is that it will be alright! We trust it'll be done when it's meant to be done! :) 

That's all I really have for now! Keep checking back for more updates!

Love and blessings!

Beach Vacay 2013

Baby's first time in the ocean

So, we just got back from our family vacation today. We ventured to Orange Beach with my side of the family and had an awesome time! I have a big family so needless to say there is never a dull moment! And to top it all off it was Augusta's first time to the beach--priceless memories were made over the last week. Ones I know we as parents will cherish forever.

Splashing in the waves with Mommy and Uncle Luke

Our first day we arrived around 4:30. We got settled in the condo and then decided to make our way down to the beach, since we still had plenty of daylight. Augusta's face when she first saw it, and then stepped into the waves was magical! She absolutely loved it! She's a waterbaby for sure and she didn't want to get out of the water--the only way we got her to leave the beach was promising the pool. And then getting her out of there was a struggle! 

Someone is ready to play!

We had two pretty beach days (not too much sun with a breeze) where we got up early and headed to the shore. Augusta enjoyed every minute of it--she loved venturing out in the water, though she wanted to be carried out into it most of the time. She had fun collecting seashells. She carried around her little bucket and picked them up and dropped them right in there. Her favorite were the little white shells. She also had fun playing in the sand, building castles and animals. We also had fun at the indoor pool and hot tub. With the way the hot tub bubbled Augusta was in heaven thinking it was a big bathtub! 

Thinking so hard in her Fourth of July attire

One night in here was also the Fourth of July. We cooked burgers and stayed in--celebrating family style. We also got to experience Augusta's first fireworks. She really enjoyed them. The noise didn't seem to bother her, though it was kinda late for her and she was tired. We watched them on the beach right in front of our condo. But we saw plenty of them and then headed up and watch more from our balcony. 

Dad and Goo entertaining themselves with snapshots while shopping

The next day the rain started, so it was definitely a shopping kind of day. We hit the outlet mall and spent the majority of the day there. Then we headed back, exhausted, but just in time to get ready for dinner. 

My World

The day after that looked like it would be more of the same--nonstop rain. But we still hadn't taken our family beach pics that I had so been wanting! So we got ready and waited for a break in the rain. That seemed like it would never come, so instead of missing our photo-op, we headed down in the drizzle. My little sis was our awesome photographer and even though there was mist to a light rain falling on us, the photos turned out so beautiful! 

But guess what? Later that afternoon the rain cleared and the sun came out! We had a blast collecting shells (one of our favorites) and playing in the surf! It was the perfect end to our last full day at the beach. We had probably our best meal of the trip for dinner that night and then headed to the condo to pack for the journey home.  

Love and Sand Castles

Such a fun getaway with the family! I'm glad we all got to experience it together and make those precious memories. Maybe Augusta will have some memory of it as she gets older, but if not, we always have the pictures and videos! 

Playing with TT

Me and my love at dinner

View from the balcony

Footprints in the sand

Mommy and Baby love

Attempt at a family pic

Daddy-Daughter Memories