The Perpetual Tourists...Changes in Latitude

The Circus Came to Town!

2012-01-23T11:45:00.004-07:00

We took Reid and Piper to the Pensacola Civic Center for a presentation of Barnum Bash, one of the Ringling Circus acts. Apparently we don't rate the big show in towns our size, but fortunately I don't know what I am missing because I haven't ever seen a 3 ring circus. Ben had the privilege of growing up near the old Ringling training facility, so we will label him a circus snob ;-). Regardless of size, they put on an excellent show and at times had us on the edge of our seats. Reid, despite having strep throat (we didn't know at the time) really enjoyed the show. His favorite was the adorable kid that came out between acts for comedic relief. He was just dressed in a suit and preformed physical comedy without words, but somehow he had Reid's full attention. He now wants to be a "clow". I found it interesting that he knew he was a clown, even though he wasn't dressed like one. The kid knows humor. Piper was into parts - mostly when there were super loud noises and lots of lights to grab her attention, then she took a nap after it was decided she had seen enough.

One of the highlights is that pre-show they open up the floor of the circus and allow you to view the animals, meet the performers, try your hand at a few tricks and try on costumes if you so feel inclined. It was a little overwhelming as their was a LOT going on, but we tried to take in as much as we could. Photos from their Facebook page can be seen here.

Waiting for the show to begin

Doesn't she look giddy with anticipation - hahahaha!

The ring before the lights went down

The band conductor

Piper - unimpressed, Papa boozing and Reid (look at his cheeks) right before he spiked an outrageous fever.

The Nine Month Monster

2012-01-05T18:32:00.002-07:00

Piper had her 9 month well baby visit this week. Our little April fool is still on the petite side weighing in at 15 lbs 15 oz and measuring 26 3/4 inches. That would be the 10th and 15th percentile. Who knew we would ever have such a small kid!! The doc was inquiring about her motor and verbal skills as doctors do and was surprised she wasn't pulling up or cruising on furniture. Instead he says it appears as though she is working on her verbal skills first. Have I mention how much she babbles? She is definitely my daughter!!!! It is funny that we think she is so advanced physically, but when you think about how immobile Reid was, she is lightyears beyond where he was at this point. She is a crazy crawling machine!! I just need to find a way to attach a Swiffer to her and we are set. A vacuuming 3 year old and a sweeping infant - sold!

I will end this Piper gushing post with some pictures of the little monster as she tries to attack my phone and chews in socks, that's what she does best :-)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Go Fly a Kite

2012-01-03T14:49:00.006-07:00

Getting a tutorial

When was the last time I went a month without blogging??!! I can't even remember! Apparently the holidays sucked me right in and getting the custom kitchens out left me spinning. Next thing I know it is Christmas, then it is 2012, WHAT?

We spent the last day of the holiday break taking Reid to fly his first ever kite. The conditions couldn't have been more perfect. There was a stiff breeze (my least favorite) , a serious nip in the air (my favorite) and a sky full of sun (everyone's favorite). He had a ball and Piper was amused to watch him run around while the breeze hit her face. Why my children are so amused by wind I will never understand, I really do despise it.

Ready to launch

It's really up there

So excited!

He loved the drama of the near crash and recovery

Blurry, but you can see the grin on Piper's face - she LOVES being outside!

Pardon the wind blowing in the microphone - it really was windy!

Santa, His Little Helper and Lots of Lights!

2011-12-02T18:42:00.007-07:00

We went to see Santa at Bass Pro Shops and Reid asked for the same thing as last weekend. I thought for sure it would change, but nope, he still wants books. Santa asked what kind of books and he said any kind. This kid LOVES books! Ahhhh, our little word nerd in the making. My heart melts :-). He was a great Santa for any of you local gals with kids. He was the real deal - sweet, gentle and asked all the right questions. Did I mention the picture is free and there are crafts?

I love how Santa and Piper are admiring one another. She wanted to pull his beard and he just wanted her not to pee on him :-).

We have been decorating like crazy to include buying a real tree which we love, but now that Piper is mobile I have definitely second guessed that decision! She hasn't ventured over to the tree yet, but is fully capable do doing so. She is an army crawling maniac with the occasional tush in the air actual crawl, but she just shimmies across the floor and pics up debris along the way. She has also expanded her vocabulary with quite a few new sounds this week to include her da's, ga's and ba's. The occasional mama slips out, but so far it is all about the dada. Grrrrr.

Our entry - tomato cage trees and my "wreath" made out of a frame and felt balls from Korea

If you don't have an Elf on a Shelf, get one for your kids! Better leverage from Santa and fewer questions about the omniscience of one fat man. The elf watches him ALL day and flies back to the North Pole each night to report on Reid's behavior. We love Cheeky!

Our Advent Calendar that Cheeky brought. Each little package contains a piece of Halloween candy - it was just sitting around getting hard. it bugs me that we gave Cheeky credit, since my time went into it, but oh well. Whatever keeps the boy happy.

Cheeky brought a special gift the first morning for Reid

Mantle - it is better in person and we haven't settled on forever stockings yet

The tree, which thanks to Jan and Floyd has gifts under it already that Reid sorts and stacks by name on a daily basis

I have a slight obsession with Christmas lights and have them ALL over the house. I have been able to utilize some of my expanding jar collection to display some of the oodles of lights and I am quite please with the look. I knew I was collecting them for a reason ;-).

My jars - there are a few scattered throughout the house

I have also been crafting like a FOOL! Pinterest is still in the top sites I visit on a daily basis, and next to craigslist is probably more visited than my beloved bookface (I am a seriously social person - do you know this already?).

I bought these candle holders when LaDawn and I first started our garage sale habit and I finally put them to use. I spray painted the back sides of some glass plates so I can still place food on them without paper underneath

Another of the candle holders - this one is our christmas centerpiece

Is it cheating if I copy and past segments of blog posts as my holiday letter? Seems like a good enough use for the words I vomit on here on a regular basis right?

I Hear Sleigh Bells Ringaling

2011-11-28T12:29:00.003-07:00

Reid visited with Santa this weekend and what a great Santa he was! We are going to try again on Friday when it isn't way past Piper's bedtime and hope for some good pics. Can you guess what Reid asked for??!! Love this boy!

Reid and his pal Brooke watching Santa arrive in a little red Jeep

At least they are all looking in the same/ish direction - hahaha!

'Tis the Season

2011-11-21T17:34:00.003-07:00

We went down to Destin Commons to see Santa arrive and light their tree. They apparently don't want to be overshadowed by the slew of events happening next weekend, so they sprung for a few weeks early. Good thing Santa was available this early!! He is currently residing at Bass Pro Shop. Gee, think I will have to twist Ben's arm to take the kids for Santa pictures ;-)

Always enamored with her big brother - Santa does not even compare in her eyes

Giddy!!

And our ever favorite - FIREWORKS!

Homecoming, Blue Angels Style

2011-11-19T13:49:00.005-07:00

On Veterans' Day we took advantage of Ben's day off and headed over to Pensacola for the Blue Angels end of season air show. We specifically went for the night portion, because we know how much I LOVE fireworks! The Blues put on a fantastic show, but really, if you have a chance to catch a night air show, do it! I saw one in Tucson, but it was some time ago (during A-10 school), I remember being impressed and that's about it. I swear, things are so much more fun to watch through the eyes of littles. I feel like I will remember it more now that I have shared it with the kids; that and now I keep a blog. Funny how that works :-).

Cemetery on NAS Pensacola

This girl makes some hilarious faces

It was getting chilly

And then it got too dark for our camera to keep up. You will have to check one out for yourself to see how cool it is!

Whoopin' It Up in Valdosta

2011-11-10T14:30:00.002-07:00

The kids and I recently accompanied Ben on a flying trip to Valdosta, GA. We know so many people there right now and some good friends were throwing a birthday party for their daughter. The opportunity to catch up with people from bases past was too much to pass it up. We had a fantastic time! Thanks to all who hung out with us and entertained us. We owe you, so come see us at the beach!

We went to a pony party at which Reid wanted nothing to do with riding the ponies, though he did feed one at the end. All he wanted to do was ride the "train" and play in the "crack house". Huh? Crack house? I guess since the playhouse was made of planks that had cracks he deemed it the crack house. He was telling our friend later that day that I took him to a farm with a crack house and a mean boy. What a reaction that story got!

Reid in the "crack house"

Piper watching from the swing, as Reid played in the crack house

The "bumpy" train

He looks sad in this particular picture, but I promise he loved it

We had an evening to relax with Ben after he was done flying so we stopped at a city park on our way to dinner (Mexican food - real mexican food!).

Piper would rather remain stationary in the swing while Reid loves (and always has) getting pushed pretty high

Piper got her first taste of Mum Mums - yum!

Last First Tooth

2011-11-02T20:08:00.004-06:00

Piper has a tooth and is working on a second. This is our last first tooth! Kinda sad, kinda not, cause teething is a pain in my ass :-).

She is not as cooperative as Reid and won't let me look at it, forget snapping a photo. So, I guess you will have to trust me and my sleep deprived crankiness that we have a tooth.

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Trick or Treat!

2011-11-01T14:13:00.005-06:00

Reid was the master of "trick or treat" and "thank you" this year. He was so polite and his costume was a hit. We first hit "Orange Fest" at the Baptist Church where Reid goes to school and then did some door to door in a community a few blocks from our house. Let me tell ya, if you want good candy, that is the neighborhood to hit! Reid loved every minute and next year I think we will be the ones worn out from trying to keep up. Today, however, we are battling the Halloween Hangover - anyone want a cranky 3 year old battling sugar withdrawals?!

First official "trick or treat" of the weekend at Destin Commons on Saturday night

Debut of the strawberry

Our big helper - always looking out for Piper

Trunk or treat at the church

He convinced Jill to go with him to see McGruff

Jack, aka Thomas, did a little trunk or treating with us

And a little thrashing in the bounce house

Reid got to have a lollipop before bed - yummy mess!

Reid's haul

Harmowreen

2011-10-30T10:29:00.004-06:00

Reid has the most adorable pronunciation of Halloween - Harmowreen. I make him say it over and over because I think it is so cute. On the debut of his costume at Niceville's Fall Festival in the Children's Park, Reid chose to sit all Lifetouch Photos style. Goober. More pics of both kids to follow soon. You might barf from an overdose of cuteness when you see Piper in her costume, just warning you!

Mr Muscles as a race car driver

Busy Busy!

2011-10-24T12:22:00.004-06:00

Look what I've been up to. Well, I should say we, as in a few of the spouses in Ben's squadron. We have started making these as a fund raiser and a couple of us are kind of hoping it becomes a thing! So far the ones that are done are little and started out as night stands, aren't they adorable!? There is one big one that will be completed and uploaded to the blog in the next few days. We are making our sales debut this weekend, I will let you know how it goes!

Field Trippin'

2011-10-19T19:31:00.007-06:00

We took Reid on his first school sponsored field trip! Granted it was a 2 minute walk across the street to the Methodist run pumpkin patch, but it was still a milestone. The kids got to play games, do a craft and even took home a wee pumpkin. All in all a great first field trip experience!

Super excited!

Waiting for instructions

Toilet paper pumpkin, which we got to take home - free TP!

The "musical pumpkin" game

participation prize

His partner in crime

Sink or float game - any predictions regarding how many objects hit the water at once and who waited their turn?!

finding a pumpkin smaller than his string

story time!

I may have gone on a pumpkin picture binge during the story - I will only force you to look at one

Jack is thinking "Are there any acorns on the ground over there?" :-D

collecting a pumpkin seed

class photo - ahhhh, 3 year olds :-)

Hot-lanta

2011-10-18T10:08:00.009-06:00

Oh Atlanta, I really thought I would hate you. I LOATHE going through the airport there and full expected the whole city to be as annoying and delayed. While the traffic was pretty heinous on our way through to the mountains, we didn't find getting around to be all that bad. I might have been blinded by the excitement of ethnic restaurants around every corner, an IKEA trip and pass through Trader Joe's to notice the bad stuff.

We got into Atlanta Monday afternoon and since it was predicted to rain both days we headed straight for the Georgia Aquarium (with a pit stop at The Varsity for lunch). It was the perfect size for Reid. We left just before a major meltdown could have started and don't feel like we missed anything. We were thrilled that both kids were seemingly impressed by the fish and the exhibits. Reid's favorite from the day was seeing Dory (from Nemo).

The Varsity signature hat

Piper was into the fish

In one of the looking windows

Large Manta Ray

Enamored - we have lots of shots of the back of his head

whale shark

a cupcake for being a good boy and listening - he was mid question asking if he could dig in

Piper is always watching to see what Reid is doing

He loves the jellyfish

In front of the "Dory" tank

We were blown away by the number of foreign restaurants in the area of our hotel. Basically we could pick country and find their cuisine. We went with Indian and were not disappointed. It was not like the typical Indian food we have eaten in the past, but good in its own way. The restaurant itself lacked character and ambiance (ie - a Bollywood film was blasting at full volume right next to our table) but the food was tasty. After dinner we threw the kids in the pool to thoroughly wear them out. Check out miss P - she loved it!

First time in the pool

We saw this strange looking temple on our way home from dinner all lit up pink and blue and learned from the hotel manager that it is the largest Hindu temple outside of India. The mandir was initially constructed in India, disassembled and brought to Atlanta. Read the whole story here - it was quite an undertaking. I walked through the public space with both kids and they were silent in awe. Ben was wearing shorts and we did not see someone in the immediate area to get him a sarong. Both inside and out, this is a place anyone visiting Atlanta should visit.

As we set off for our day I had to stop in Walmart across from our hotel and grab a few things. We saw this large flock of pigeons just hanging out and we figured it would be entertaining to bowl through them and watch them scatter. Well, they didn't scatter. They flew up and landed on our car, giving us a look of discontent which gave us the impression they may just shit all over our car. Which they probably did. Doh.

post drive through - for the most part un-phased. Dumb birds.

We finished our visit with a trip to IKEA during which Reid got to play while we shopped, we indulged on some meatballs and mashed taters before moving on to Trader Joe's. I MISS Trader Joe's. I ended up liking Atlanta more than I thought I would and am actually looking forward to another trip sometime soon so we can take the kids to the Children's Museum and Stone Mountain, which was our initial reason for spending a night there but the weather was too dreary to bother.

Oh glorious IKEA!

The Red Head Went Down to Georgia.....

2011-10-13T09:49:00.011-06:00

Well, actually, we went up to Georgia, but that just doesn't fit the lyrics. If you came across this grocery store, how would you pronounce it? I have been a southwestern girl way too long and pronounced it like the Spanish word for English. Makes sense right? My southern family got a kick out of that and it became the running joke of the weekend. there may have been another occasion during which I turned the word ole into ole (think accent on the e - like taunting a bull) when I saw "good ole boy" painted inside a heart on the pavement. I asked Ben was a good ole (again, accent on the e) boy was which was followed by lots of laughter. Doh.

On to the real content of this post. We took a family vacation up to North Georgia with Ben's sister and her family. We rented a cabin on some acreage and the older kids ran wild, it was great.....minus the possible concussion(s) suffered by Reid trying to keep up. The cabin was magnificent. In Alaska the term 'cabin' is loosely defined, so we always expect the worst when going into a rental situation. This place was gorgeous. Of course I only took a few pictures the first morning which I think is a testament to how much I tried to enjoy the cabin itself versus worrying about documenting every inch. Did I mention the hot tub and the outdoor shower?! Love.

Screened in portion of the porch with a fireplace. One of my favorite places to sit.

"Backyard" - the path leads to a creek

We went to a nearby corn maze. Reid had a ball leading the charge through the maze, riding the train and playing on the fantastic playground on the property. I haven't ever been through a living corn maze, the ones in AZ are always well dried out by the time corn maze season is upon us.

Piper was ready to go through the corn maze

"ginger" stalk of corn

We also hit up the Oktoberfest in Helen, a quaint little German town in north Georgia. It was definitely a festival worth checking out if you find yourself up that way.

Of course there is a Korean restaurant in the German town, but of course.

We got a chance to catch up with Ben's sister Michelle and two of her kids. I have not seen any of them since 2005 (though Ben has) and they had not met our kids yet. It was a nice afternoon of lunch and cousin play. Now that we are all in the same part of the country we look forward to seeing them more often.

Aunty Michelle and Piper

All but one of the cousins

The girls

After splitting off from the rest of the family we had a chance to check out Tallulah Gorge and falls. The weather was overcast which kept the temperatures down, something I will not ever complain about!

Overall I would highly recommend a visit to this area of Georgia if you find yourself living (willingly or not ;-) in the south, especially in the fall.

Redundant......

2011-10-04T20:42:00.001-06:00

Apparently, according to my last two blog posts we go to the beach. That's all we do. Doesn't sound like a bad thing to do repeatedly, but I promise fun adventures soon!

Until then I have rekindled my relationship with spray paint. And my glue gun. Good times! What do you think of my latest creations/rehabs?

I rehabbed our old folding chairs. I will post pics of all 4 once I fix the yellow one.

Did you know you can spray paint mailing labels? I decided it made sense after I struggled to find mini chalkboard stickers for my jars. Viola! Chalkboard stickers to label the herbs that will grace these dainty jars.

And I spun a bunch of felt flowers to make a fall wreath. I am considering more flowers since the wreath is so big (garage sale find) but need to recover from my glue gun injuries first :-)

Exciting times in our household :-). We are adventuring this weekend! Reid packed his bags today and begged to leave already. Silly goose!

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3 dollar beach

2011-10-03T14:08:00.006-06:00

Last weekend we went to the Eglin owned beach on Okaloosa Island. We were among very few other beach goers so Reid had the run of the place. There were loads of blue crabs to watch scurry around and sand to manipulate which kept the boy beast busy for a couple hours. It was a relaxing quite morning at the beach, so not much I can say. Let's do the pictures do the story telling.

It felt so wrong to have a Pumpkin Spice Latte on the beach, but it is soooo good!

obligatory sand on the toes pic

Can't get enough of the sand here

Our sweet shade - we have an extra for guests - come visit!

Piper's hang out

The boys headed down to the sandbar

Piper checking it out

Those dark spots are crabs - they were quick little buggers. Made it hard to get a good shot

serenity

building so he could knock it down

misplaced pigeon

Piper saying hi!

Obligatory bucket in the sand picture

Pumpkin Bender and Other Obsessions

2011-09-26T21:14:00.002-06:00

I have been going pumpkin crazy!!! Besides the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks, I have made my own pumpkin spice creamer, pumpkin banana bread and pumpkin cornbread, just to start. This is just the beginning people. I am serious. According to Pinterest I am no where near finished with the pumpkin recipes that have peaked my interest. Yep, still obsessed with Pinterest. So add pumpkin and Pinterest to my list of obsessions. Actually, add jars to that list while you are at it. I have been a garage saling fool (is that a word) and on my list of targets has been jars. And candle holders to make DIY cake plates. And now I guess I need to find cool plates. I have been making good use of the jars - exhibit A.

Cute huh?!

Aside from a garage sale/crafting/jar collecting obsession Piper has started eating food!!! She has eaten and loved bananas, applesauce, and carrots. She is not a fan of plain rice so we sneak it in to her yummy fruits and veggies. Such a sweet growing girl!!

Carrot face

We have spent our recent weekends at the beach and on the boat. The weather here has been simply AMAZING!

Our sweet tent

chillin' like a villain

building something, so he can smash it

Piper taking it in

And Jill is here! Reid is thrilled to have her, as are we :-). This was her just seconds after finishing her drive down from AK.

Holy schizophrenic post! Crazy lives in our house, come over and you can become friends :-)

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Love It? Why Don't Ya Marry It?

2011-09-17T21:40:00.001-06:00

Oh Pinterest. I am having an affair with a website. I sneak off and spend an extra few minutes in the bathroom to look at the images that inspire me to be a more creative individual, I nurse Piper more often/longer so I have an excuse to sit longer and browse on my iPhone App, I sit in silence and 'pump' for many minutes after I have actually finished, and get in the drive up line at school a few minutes earlier just so I can peruse while children are contained. It is just so pleasant to see things that interest you all on one page, arranged so beautifully.

If you haven't discovered Pinterest and have a running blog list/idea list that is too lengthy to make sense of, Pinterest is for you! The great part, really is that I am feeling inspired to find treasures at garage sales and make stuff. No stuff in particular, but make my home s place with meaningful objects that are pleasing to look at.

This evening I spun yarn around a small letter 'P'. I wanted to experiment on something small and inexpensive. I will be doing this to a wreath very soon. By the way, did you know foam tubing from Home Depot can be fashioned into a wreath instead of having to buy the expensive styrofoam ones at the craft store?! Since I plan on covering them anyway, who cares what they look like underneath. Thanks Pinterest, I now know that and pinned it to my craft board. I am in the hunt for the perfect buttons for the upper corner.

I went to a bunch of yard sales with one of my very good friends this morning. We were out the door at 7am and once we hit a few sales we were addicted! We are going to try again next weekend and go out with an actual plan, and maybe a map with a logical route planned out so we aren't driving in circles facing an empty tank of gas. Today I picked up these gems:

I can't decide if I want to make them into cake stands (worried about the small base making them tippy) or finding some big glass containers and making them into apothecary style jars. Thoughts?

I found a few other cute things and I will share as the projects are completed.

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Finding My Better Self

2011-09-12T12:34:00.005-06:00

It is no secret that this summer has not been my finest. We have been broken, sleep deprived and neglected all under one roof. I put a lot of our life on the internet, but I try to keep it entertaining and even when things aren't perfect I try to put a humorous spin on it. At some point last week I started thinking about this post and waffled back and forth whether I should write it or not. There is a lot of pressure as parents to put decent human beings out there into the world and try to appear perfect and always happy while doing it. I guess this time, I want to know from other moms (or dads) that they have had these moments. The ones where they realize their own behavior is manifesting the actions from their kids that drive them the most crazy.

Reid has been having a hard time adjusting to school this year and getting into trouble for losing his poop when the teachers are trying to correct his behavior. This has landed him in the time out chair a couple of times and only one day has he stayed on green (why they are doing the stop lights with 3 year olds is beyond me). For anyone that knows Reid well, this should be surprising. He is usually so sweet and loving. But lately at home too he has been quite the sass box, screaming, crying and carrying on when he is being disciplined or even just when we say no to something. I have been taking it quite personally when he gets in trouble at school and this weekend I read an advice column that made me realize the blame I am placing on myself has definitely been warranted. I could have written the letter myself about a sweet 3 year old gone awry with a new baby in the house. The letter put a mirror up to my face and the columnist basically did the same to the woman seeking help. He told her to look back at her words: sleep deprived, less patience, etc. I, too, have been cranky, sleep deprived (thank you Piper for reverting - terd) and using a louder voice than necessary when I am frustrated with something that probably wouldn't have phased me pre-Piper. I have been setting him up for disaster just by being on edge. I have suddenly changed the rules and expectations without letting him in on it. Instead holding him to an unfair standard. The rest of the weekend I tried to be much more patient, not care if he was doing things exactly the way I wanted him to or at the pace I wanted him to (he is 3 for crying out loud) and using a gentler approach to poop in the potty. You know what, we were both much happier! And he is getting over his control over not pooping in the pot. I just had to let go of control and let him take over, now I think we are on our way to less screaming and crying - by both parties! I think me taking so much ownership over potty time, and his teachers as this is usually where his day starts to turn sour, has sent him spiraling and feeling like he didn't have any say. New baby, new rules at school and now he can't even take charge of his bowels, geez, sounds like disaster to me too! I have promised to Reid to try and be a better me. To not shout and not be so controlling. I feel like I am getting back to my free range self. Sigh. Relief.

Today had potential to be back to frustrating business as usual when Piper woke up cranky (after 2 cranky wake ups last night - stinking congestion) and I woke up cranky and Reid was moving at a snails pace. I was ready to hit DefCon meltdown. Then, I loaded up a different purse (my Fake Spade from 7 years ago that is the perfect size to carry all our crap finally broke), found $40, hit they gym and Starbucks. The day looks much brighter :-). Here is to finding my better self in the form of sweat, found money and Pumpkin Spice Lattes!

Listen Here Lee

2011-09-07T20:55:00.003-06:00

We had BIG plans for the holiday weekend, boating, beach, eating, the works. Ben had 4 days off and we had a friend planning a trip down from Georgia with her girls. But NOOOOO, Tropical Storm Lee had other ideas. Mr. pops up out of no where. Rude. Noelle cancelled her trip (wise choice lady) and we were trapped indoors ALL weekend. Seriously, we would escape to the store or a movie during moments of drizzle between torrential downpours, but for the most part we stayed home. Therefor I have no fun pictures to share. I could post more of the kids, because I took plenty of them in our stir crazy state, but that means I have to download them and I don't want to right now.

Then it stopped raining Monday night (but not before a tree fell down in our front yard) and by Tuesday, you know, when everyone went back to work, it was gorgeous outside. It has been brisk in the morning and not sweltering hot by afternoon. I know it will not last and I am fooling myself to think that it will stick around, but I am taking out the fall decor damn it. Try and stop me.

We are currently accepting reservations for the Mullet Festival. As much as I would like to say it celebrates the hairstyle, it doesn't. It is a seafood festival and it is kind of a big deal, check it out. There are lots of fun things happening now that we are entering "fall" and I am here (Ben is in and out) so start planning your trips!! We love visitors.

For example -

The Destin Seafood Festival

Rosemary Beach Uncorked

Baytown Wharf Beer Festival

Seeing Red Wine Fest

OK, I know it seems like a lot of drinking festivals, but I promise there is more to do - I promise! There are frequent art walks, ample state parks ready to be explored, fresh seafood begging to be eaten and sand waiting for a rear end to plop down in it. Come see for yourselves.

On The Move

2011-08-30T13:13:00.001-06:00

Our little peanut is on the move, well in her own little way. She has recently started log rolling across the room. Reid was such a bump as a baby that we are seemingly unprepared even though she is just days away from being 5 months old. Can you believe she is almost 5 months old??!! Now instead of listening to her whine because she has gotten herself stuck on her tummy, we get to listen to her whine about rolling onto something hard or being stuck from rolling anymore. Silly little monkey!

I haven't posted videos from my phone before, so I hope it works. Of course when I am not looking she is across the room instantly, but when I want her to do it she takes forever. Kids.

YouTube Video

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Thanks Ike!!

2011-08-28T20:03:00.006-06:00

We have been very fortunate this year to have a lender boat from a friend that has decided to stay in Korea for an extra year - Thanks Ike! We figure it is a good way to see if this is something we would actually do as a family and if it would be worth an investment in our own boat. Ben and his buddy have put some serious elbow grease into it to get it ready to bring the family out on the water. For our maiden voyage we spent a couple hours out at "Crab Island", a sandbar that at peak times is wall to wall boats. Since we are not interested in boozing it up in the hot sun, we chose to hit it earlier in the day. Aside from some little jellyfish that were more of a nuisance than anything else, we had a blast. We look forward to spending some serious time on this boat - so start booking your room at our place ASAP, there is plenty of room at our house and on the boat!

Crab Island, before the large weekend crowd showed up

Reid pulling in his "tow rope". The current was pretty strong, so to keep him close to the boat without having to expend a lot of extra energy, we tied him up.

Piper chillin' in the shade

Yeah, I'm driving the boat - aren't I cool?

*He wasn't actually driving the boat ;-)

Looking from Crab Island back towards Niceville

Harborwalk Village

Ahhh, it was a great day!

They Grow Up So Fast

2011-08-18T17:48:00.002-06:00

Don't go getting all crazy, we were parked and she had just finished eating. She loves when the vents blow on her face.

'I turned around and she was asking to drive!'. I know I will say that some day. I will talk about how fast they grow up and where have my babies gone. Please call me at two in the morning and again at sixish making demands on my time (milk, cheerios, pancakes, cartoons, etc) so I can be grateful they are grown up when I start to long for these 'baby days'.

Piper had her 4 month well check today. Her stats are as follows:
Weight - 12 lbs 9 oz - 16th percentile
Height - 24.4 inches - 35th percentile (up quite a bit on the chart from her two month)
Head Circ - 16.6 inches - 70th percentile (sigh, big headed children).

Those big heads had better hold big brains that will one day make the big bucks to pay for a kick ass retirement home, cause I don't want to be in a shit hole. Better start being nice to them now I guess :-D.

In other news Reid is still shitting his pants. Suck.

I Forgot to Tell You!!

2011-08-17T19:47:00.010-06:00

I totally forgot to write about the fact that I got to go parasailing! It immediately went on my Florida bucket list once we got here and while we were in the Keys I got to check that box. I took my niece, Fallin. She was pretty nervous while we waited our turn - why they made the 8 year old wait until the very last group to go I don't understand, but whatev's. Her nervousness ebbed and flowed as she went from being super excited to terrified. Eventually, it was our turn and once she was over the initial lift off the boat she and I both had a blast looking down at the island and the coral. There is no one I would have rather done that with!

Safety first

I LOVE the look on her face!

Yeehaw!

Weeeeee!

Sending us up and away

The young man was so adorable and so proud of his photog "skills"

There we are! Can't you tell it is us?!

And with that blogger is being kind of a "beep" so I am going to stop. One picture at a time, really blogger!? Fix your issues dern it anyway.

We Love Birthdays!!!

2011-08-07T11:48:00.005-06:00

On our way home from the Keys we decided to go ahead with a friend party for Reid. It was last minute but in the end turned out to be a lot of fun. Reid requested a cake with Mater and McQueen (shocker) and we were able to pick some stuff up at the party store. Though it would have been a lot easier to do a Thomas party since it seems Cars was a very popular theme this summer and much of the section had been cleaned out already. We improvised, used some coloring pages from his books and there you have it, a Cars themed party.

cake and a our home made Mater decoration

With no flash on it was apparent how still Reid sat while they sang (and Jack strummed) Happy Birthday!

It was just a little hot and humid out - my camera fogged over the minute I walked outside. "Air you can wear" is what they say - YUCK!

Grandma Teri sent Reid this amazing car for his birthday. We think she is crazy, but what are grandmas for!!!?? We assembled it the night it arrived and he woke up Tuesday morning to this in the living room. In a daze he walked right by and came into our room to crawl in bed - we had to take him out and show it to him - silly!! We let him ride it that evening then stuck it in the garage until Ben comes back from his trip. I don't have the attention to pay to ensure safety with Piper in tow.

This happened twice - the second time I am pretty sure it was on purpose after our initial reaction

Doesn't he look chill?

Weeeeeee!

Then it was off to try out his "air hog" from Aunty Tracy and Uncle Martin.

A little beyond his skill level, but we will get there. Notice, my camera couldn't even focus because again it was fogged over!

Snorkeling Without Getting Wet

2011-08-04T13:08:00.004-06:00

Since Reid does not have the ability to snorkel, just float along the surface, we took him on a glass bottom boat so he could see what he was missing a few days earlier as he bobbed along in the ocean and we snorkeled. We used the same company we used for snorkeling and went to the same reef, just different section. We saw dolphins on the way out swimming along side the boat, but other than that the cruise out and back was uneventful. We puttered around on the reef for about 30 minutes or so and I managed to catch a quick glimpse of a sea turtle. Overall Reid was impressed, well as impressed as an almost three year old could be and Piper slept through it all but we are glad we took an extra trip out to the Florida Reef.

Eat Some Cake, Dammit!

2011-08-04T12:53:00.005-06:00

We did a very fast celebration of Reid's birthday and basically shoved cupcakes at the kids as we ran out the door for sunset. Reid of course didn't care since he got new toys and cupcakes, even if it were a rushed ordeal so we could get out. :-)

Look who is in the background trying to steal Reid's thunder by rolling around and being cute

Reid was spoiled, as usual, so much so we requested no presents at his friend party back home!

This card was hysterical and sang a party in your underwear song which seems so appropriate since we are in the throws of potty training

Birthdays are all about paper being strewn about

Grammy and Grandpa got the kids these sweet pirate hats that were very appropriate for sunset later that night

Happy Birthday!!

Celebrating Sunset

2011-08-04T12:13:00.006-06:00

Mallory Square - Key West, FL.

This was Piper's view ;-)

Reid was very inquisitive until the guy moved - then, game over!

Florida Bucket List

2011-08-03T20:35:00.002-06:00

I have a list of things I would like to do before we leave FL in a couple years. The past few weeks have been great for adding check marks. Tonight it was to see hatchling sea turtles be released to the ocean. Pardon the quality of photos, there was to be no flash photography and it was dusk so I left my camera in the car. Hindsight, I still had enough light I could have gotten a couple good shots, but such is life. I feel so lucky to have been included in this outing. It was an amazing experience I hope to repeat soon!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Died and Gone to Heaven

2011-07-27T15:24:00.008-06:00

I can sum up my heaven pretty easily. Great food, yummy spirits (the drinking kind, not to alternate existence kind), lush surroundings and lots of animals, preferably ones with wings and none that are looking to eat me. Oh, and heaven must have the internet and books, or at least my kindle. And no one to interrupt me when I feel like reading. Mooooving on. I had a day filled with my most heavenly things while in Key West. We started our day at Blue Heaven. The only hellish part about this place was the parking, but everything else about it was PERFECT! There was plenty for the kids to do while we awaited a table and a bar for the grown ups! I had the lobster eggs benedict, BLT style and I couldn't tell you what anyone else got because I slipped into a trance while I ate every morsel of that delectable breakfast.

Heaven indeed

One of the many distractions for the kids

The grounds are very eclectic

Love a pink door

Roosters everywhere!

I might have blacked out for a few minutes after this picture out of pure joy at the sight and taste of this yummy meal!

We ventured off to The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory for some flutterby fun. I will be honest, it was HOT outside and even though it was "cooler" inside it was still very steamy. Did I mention that hot and steamy are not part of my heaven? Are you ready for a series of too many butterfly pictures? Hit it!

Awe struck, at least for a moment. I think Fallin, who is a bug lover, was the only of the children to remain completely engaged during our visit.

Atlas Moth - look how big it is!!

We finished off the day with The Key West Aquarium. We lucked out and made it just in time for the feedings of all the animals. The kids were definitely in heaven, well all but Piper who was on the verge of a heat stroke - one of many days I worried for her well being on this trip. It was friggin' hot! You do realize Key West is the furthest south point in the US, right? So naturally it would be hot, and humid, and overall nasty. Wait, pretty sure I mentioned that already :-)

Explaining the contents of the touch tank.

totally into it

From the viewing platform of the picture below

random gift shop displays, I loved the colors and textures

Bobbing in the Ocean

2011-07-24T21:01:00.000-06:00

We went out to the Florida Reef with Fury Water Adventures on their Rum and Reggae tour, a sunset snorkel and booze cruise. The booze did not start until we were done snorkeling, which for all of us is definitely a good thing. Have you ever tasted the rum punch on those ships? It is literally fruit punch and rum - a silent killer. We were skeptical about the whole experience with the 2 kids and the cripple, but went for it anyway. It turned out to be a great experience! Not only can I say I have snorkeled on the largest and third largest reefs in the world, but I can say Reid was out there with me this time. We strapped on his life jacket and he bobbed along giggling at the people's rears sticking out of the water and looking for fish at his toes. Grammy even took him for a while so I could zip out further towards the reef without distraction. The crew was nice enough to assist Ben off and on the boat and we all got to swim together. I haven't been snorkeling with Ben since we were in Australia so many years ago! Grandpa was on board with Piper dancing to the tunes and showing her off while we took our time toodling around in the sea. I can safely say we all enjoyed ourselves.

The boat ride out to the reef took about an hour.

Reid was skeptical of the top level of the boat. It doesn't show, but he was squirming, begging to go back down in this picture.

I love how intently Fallin is looking at the water. This is one of my favorite shots I snapped of the week's adventures

Cumulous in the distance

Getting ready for sunset

Piper enjoyed the boat ride back into port

This is the type of boat we were on

Love all the cutters out on the water in the Keys

Mallory Square - I have tons of pictures from sunset there, but that is a whole other day!

I would highly recommend Fury to anyone looking for a snorkel trip (any water adventure really) in Key West and if you are military you can buy tickets for their adventures at GREAT prices!

Destination - Key West

2011-07-24T06:31:00.006-06:00

I am obsessed with Cuba at the moment. I want to go there and explore the time capsule that has been shut off from most of the outside world for 50 years. I am sure sometime sooner than later it will be more accessible, but for now I guess I will dream. Instead of Cuba, we travelled to Key West - it is only 90 miles from there to Cuba, so for now it will do. Ben and Reid drove down with a stop at the grandparents' place for a night while Piper and I flew down. Ahhhh, what a dream! We had an entire rainy Saturday to ourselves and took our time at the airport on Sunday, sipping coffee and letting people oooh and aaaah over how cute Piper is. She was an angel on the airplane - well, except when the entire plane burst into cheer or disgust during Sunday's World Cup Final match between Japan and America. One has to love live television on an airplane - how far we have come! The simultaneous explosions of noise would startle her awake and it would take some effort to calm her down, only to have it happen again. I can't say I wasn't guilty of it a couple of times myself.

Moving on. Key West. I never, in a million years, would have thought on our first trip to the Keys 10 years ago that we would be back one day with 2 kids in tow. While it was hot and primarily miserable to be a tourist in Key West, in July, with 2 kids in tow, we made the best of it. My first order of business upon arriving to the Keys, aside from a drink, was to get some Cuban food. We accomplished this at the first place I ever ate a Cuban sandwich and drank Bucci (really strong and really sweet cuban coffee served in a shot cup), Sandy's. It was definitely as good as I remember it!

I thought there was a macaw in this tree - nope. It was a rooster!

This weekend's task is to learn how to properly make Bucci. Once I am appropriately hopped up on caffeine I will edit pics and blog about the rest of our trip which included, but was not limited to snorkeling on a booze cruise, a glass bottom boat, lots of yummy food and a steamy butterfly exhibit.

Nerd Alert!

2011-07-12T19:53:00.002-06:00

I am sure I have mention before how glad I am that Reid is brainy, not brawny. Don't get me wrong, I am hoping he is intimidating just based on size, mostly for Piper's sake. She is going to be my flighty one, for sure! Not that I want to teach her to rely on anyone but herself, but I am pretty sure her high school brain will make less than desirable decisions as we all did at some point.

The best $3.99 I ever spent!

Whew, where did I go??!! Ok, nerdy. Reid's favorite book of the moment, and has been for a while is 'Trains'. Yep, that's the title. It is something a grade school kid would use to write a report. He can recite words from all the pages and giggles every time we read the page about the caboose. He has started anticipating it and giggling before I even turn the page. I kind of get it, but he finds the word way more giggle worthy than I can understand. Silly boy.

The nerdiest part about the book is the Glossary. God I love this funny little boy :-)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Here I Sit, Cheeks a Flexin'

2011-07-07T12:20:00.004-06:00

Victory, it will be mine! Or at very least I will drink some :-)

You know the rhyme so chant along - "Here I sit, cheeks a flexin', giving birth to a baby Texan". Ahhh, potty training. It has brought out both the potty humor and the rage. I swear, if I don't have to mop up another puddle of piss until Piper starts training it will be too soon. Reid has recently proclaimed he is scared of the potty. What?! What is there to be scared of? He has used the potty plenty of times with success, but all of a sudden he has learned that fear of something is somehow a valid excuse to avoid it. We have books, rewards and straight up bribes, but nothing is enticing him. After the 1000th time I asked if he wanted to sit on the potty, I did get him to sit on the toilet today to read the "Potty Train" book. The irony of him pissing all over the book was not lost on me. So, he is warming up to the idea and even had success today, he just forgot to point his wee wee in the right direction. He had a freak out about the pee all over the bathroom and on his awesome book. Revert.

The arsenal - bleach, carpet cleaner, Jelly Bellies and beer

I finally caved and bought a little potty and we are in straight up underwear now. Giving up the Pull-Ups cold turkey, well maybe not at night. This damned things are expensive - even for generics!! In the end, Reid picked out his own potty and surprisingly passed on the Lightning McQueen and chose the one that looks like a real toilet. Maybe there is hope!

How did I manage to choose a "golden" beer - now that is irony!!

Want to read another potty poem?

Here I sit,

All broken hearted,

Came to shit,
But only farted,
So now I guess,
Oh what the hell,
I'll just sit back,
And enjoy the smell.

or

Here i sit,
and it's all too clear,
that i was too late,
In getting here,
Now i sit,
In deep despair,
I ended up shitting,
In my underwear.

In other news the 'g' on my computer is sticky. So in the writing of this post, all words containing the letter 'g' were looked at or typed twice. Lovely.

That's Amazing!

2011-07-05T09:20:00.005-06:00

Reid's new favorite phrase at the moment is "That's Amazing Mama!" said with such gusto it deserves capital letters. We pumped up the fireworks to be something just shy of a miracle to sway the grumpiness that was sure to ensue with a missed bedtime and potentially loud sounds. Reid was excited to see the action, then the later the start time got (30 minutes after their advertised time), the more disinterested he became. When they finally did start he was enthralled. Exclaiming, "That's amazing!" and "There are so many?" over and over. It was fun to see it through his eyes now that he is a little person and not a baby. Piper slept through the first few minutes then once she awoke was unfazed by the fireworks and for a good portion of the show stared at the street light behind us.

My awesome, patriotic, strawberry cake with fluff frosting

"patiently" waiting while making friends with the man in front of us

my little photog ready to capture the action

kicking around waiting for the big booms

trying to capture one of the premature bottle rockets lit off by a spectator

What? They started already? Who knew.

One day I will have a camera worth of catching fireworks displays. It is one of my favorite things throughout the year next to Christmas light displays and gourmet Thanksgiving feasts.

Our Little Guppy

2011-07-04T21:52:00.006-06:00

Reid has been in swim lessons for a few weeks and we had seen little progress other than his crying had subsided to a few minutes instead of the whole class. It is primarily to teach him survival, as in to swim to the edge or roll on his back if he falls in. We missed a class while down in Wrinklewood and decided we would conduct our own lessons of jumping in and rolling over, practicing our kicks and getting dunked under the water. We created a monster! He wants to jump in to every pool. Ben loved that he could be in the water playing with Reid with little danger of harming his leg. Our week of home made swim lessons was a success as our first class since returning home began and ended without any tears from Reid. Yippee!!

Jumping in, over and OVER

Happy as clams

The first F-35 landed in FL - our Air Force friends will find the humor in this one

Piper loved laying outdoors

Riding the alligator

Giddiness!!

It's a Jungle In Here!

2011-07-01T07:16:00.008-06:00

I always feel like I am living in a jungle with children swinging from the light fixtures and a cripple zooming around here on an office chair, so why not visit one. While down in the Sarasota area we decided we would adventure out on a kid friendly activity and chose Sarasota Jungle Gardens and Zoo. This plan would have been fantastic had it been, oh October or April. June, not so much.

Miss Attitude

Giant tortoises - one was hoarding all the food.

I immediately became obsessed with taking bird pictures. Their colors are so vibrant and they are such hams for the camera, it was a match made in heaven. I haven't had a chance to go through and edit any of them, but can only imagine how much better they will look with some tweaking.

Odd couple

These birds look so elegant

He was showing off and puffing up his feathers

Peek a boo!

Just hanging around

After the reptile show Reid opted to hold the alligator. To be honest, he waffled back and forth between wanting to hold the snake and the alligator. At the make or break point, he finally decided alligator. I thought he would scared once it was placed in his hands, but I was pleasantly surprised. He really liked it!

It appears he was scared, but really he wasn't.

Funny enough, this was one of Reid's favorite parts - shocker :-)

The Flamingos were mating and apparently a little aggressive, so we had to keep our distance. Instead of feeding them, Reid fed the ducks, the turtles and the fish. We are often taken back by Reid's thoughtfulness and careful attention to tasks. Not to say he doesn't throw all (almost) 3 year old caution to the wind and go crazy sometimes, but for the most part he takes great care of even little tasks. Most 3 year olds, and even older kids as we were witness to, would have taken the handful of food and thrown it all in the water. Reid, on his own accord, threw the food in piece by piece. It pained him to throw in the rest at once so we could make it to the bird show on time.

Flamingos behind the rope, like they were at an exclusive party

Not a great picture, but I love how the duck in the background is shouting at me

Reid feeding the fish and the turtles

The bird show was adorable. The big blue bird went AWOL which threw the white bird (fluffy one pictured in my bird montage) into a tizzy. If I had only had the video running so you could all witness his tantrum as the blue bird left his stand. It was similar to a Rainman type scenario where he was rocking back and forth squawking about an out of place bird. I made it to the roller skating trick, then Piper and I escaped the heat into the gift shop. We didn't even get to walk through the zoo animals section, it was just too hot.

We ended the morning by having lunch at Chipotle. For those of you that know me well, you know that this made. my. day. I LOVE Chipotle and we don't have one near us. Did I mention how much I love Chipotle?! Overall, I would recommend any of my friends to take their kids to the gardens if they find themselves in the Sarasota area. I can't wait to go back when it is cooler outside!

Another Trip Around the Sun

2011-06-26T20:23:00.004-06:00

Happy Birthday Mama!!

Though it wasn't technically my birthday today we celebrated, sort of, since it falls on a week day this year - lame. I sent the boys out to see Cars 2 while Piper and I hung out at the house. While she slept I mopped floors. Doesn't that sound like fun? Doesn't everyone mop their floors on "birthday celebration day"? Duh.

Angel food cake smothered in whipped cream, strawberries and chocolate sauce - mmmmm.

As far as celebrating we ate dinner, then cake and I opened my present. Weeeee, who doesn't love presents!! I am the new proud owner of a Kindle. If you have a Kindle and would like to swap books (aka, lend me some since I haven't bought any yet) let's do it! Also, if you have suggestions for good reads, pass them on. Has anyone read any Chelsea Lately books? I love her crass attitude and it seems like her books would suit me well.

My sweet new Kindle

Piper wore a cupcake onesie to celebrate

So there you have it, I am 34 tomorrow. Oh well, here is to a good year! 35, here I come :-)

Stoney

2011-06-22T18:24:00.002-06:00

There are a few mascots I just don't understand. We can now add Stoney to the list. The Charlotte Stone Crabs are an affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. We had the pleasure of taking in a game during our most recent trip to see the in-laws and were pleasantly surprised when a storm skirted by dribbling a few drops of rain and bringing down the temperature about 20 degrees.

Our sweet handicapable seats - thanks Ben :-)

Piper - her face says it all, it was HOT when we got there.

Reid horsing around in the kids area.

All the storm brought was a sweet rainbow!

The crew

Reluctantly posing

Love the Hipstamatic prints :-)

So excited to see Stoney!

Just kidding!!

Woohoo - crazies!!!

The sky (color slightly adapted by Hipstamatic) mid game.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone, from the game - so expect some format fixes once we are home to the computer.

Pimp Squirt

2011-06-07T16:08:00.004-06:00

Haha, Tracy, that is for you :-). We have a pip squeak on our hands. The title is the translation of this phrase via a German when naming a tiny cat. Pure ESL funniness.

Little miss "pip squeak" had a check up today. Her stats are as follows:

Height - 22 inches (19th percentile)

Weight - 10 lbs (17th percentile)

Head - 15.55 inches (53rd percentile)

shocker her head doesn't follow suit - damned in-laws!

Pure joy

if you are on Facebook you have seen this - if not here ya go. Too hysterical not to share. It is a Beiber app on the iphone, but I think she resembles someone we actually know! Who do you think it is?

Today - awww, so cute.

One of these days we will get her announcements out - eventually. Once my husband is no longer broken and can do some chores so I can waste some time on the computer fixing the one I made. Soon, I swear.

Berry Good!

2011-06-01T14:00:00.006-06:00

We picked a million berries in Baker today. Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and peaches. Yes, peaches aren't berries, but we picked them. I should be honest, I picked about half of my peaches and LaDawn "helped" Reid pick the rest while I fed Piper. Reid had a ball, despite the scorching heat and as usual, Piper was unimpressed :-).

Getting ready to fill the box

Working hard

Beautiful little berries

still on the vine

pretty sure he ate more than he put in the box :-)

Sweet, perfect peach

Blueberries!

Our crew

Picking, then eating the berries instead of helping me fill the bucket

Where's Trey?!

Topsail State Park and We All Survived!

2011-05-28T21:36:00.009-06:00

We accompanied our favorite family to the beach last week. I thought maybe there would be a casualty along the way, but we all survived relatively unscathed. The worst thing that happened was some salt water in the boy's eyes and I missed a spot of sunscreen on my back behind my armpit. Not bad I say!! I owe a huge thank you to LaDawn and her kids (what else is new). They entertained Reid and put up with his almost 3 year old antics. Can you believe he is almost 3?!

Topsail State Park itself is very nice and the staff is incredibly friendly. The day use parking was about a mile from the beach and we had just missed the tram by 15 minutes. The kids were troopers and walked to the beach, despite the heat and humidity. They got straight to playing while we situated Piper. We played for 3 hours straight!

This fall I hope to explore the dunes and lakes that make this area of the coastline so unique. The lakes fill up during high rains and spill out into the ocean, bringing some of the saltwater back in the process. There are only 4 places in the world this occurs and I feel lucky we live right around the corner! It is safe to say you can expect another blog about this place sometime after October.

Dunes

Heehee, mountains

Obligatory feet on the beach picture :-)

Harper working hard on something

Trey intently building a grand structure

Reid wandering around trying to decide who to harass

How Piper spent most of the day

She got to come out for a few minutes to see some sun

Reid is getting brave in the water. It is fun to watch him get comfortable in the waves.

O-S-C-A-R

2011-05-19T21:48:00.001-06:00

Who doesn't love seeing the Weinermobile cruising around town? I may get just as excited to see the Google Earth car driving around, but today Reid hit the mother load. He was thrilled at the sight of this giant hot dog and over the moon that he got to go inside and sit in one of the chairs. It was hysterical!! Then the wiener girls gave Reid a whistle. Thanks a lot.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Serenity Now!

2011-05-15T07:55:00.007-06:00

Being limited during the end of my pregnancy made me a little stir crazy and all I could think of was getting out of the house. I was so excited to get our feet under us as a family and start getting out of the local area to find some southern adventures. Giddy. That came to a halt when Ben broke his leg (you will have to ask him what happened - I will only say he got a get well card from a ski resort in Utah). Now he has a blood clot. So we are looking at 12 weeks of him wheeling around in a chair and taking blood thinners - whoopie. I am trying to be nice and helpful, but that is really difficult when sleep deprived! As it is, I am not the most patient person and that is becoming more apparent when Ben needs help with simple tasks. I am working on the patience part.

The minute I put the camera away she stopped crying and when I took it out she started up again - terd.

I guess I will try to find the positive in it all, though at this point that feels pretty impossible :-). I am thankful my mom was here to help out with the kids and mostly with Ben. My liver thanks the nursing baby that keeps me from drinking through it, because I am sure I would be slipping hard liquor in my coffee to start the day if it weren't for the thought of the baby getting drunk, not good. I am thankful we have health insurance, because this whole thing could be a lot more painful without it. Thank you Piper for sleeping a solid 6 hours last night after being a pain in my patootie the night before. I might have gone off the deep end today if we had a repeat of the night before. Thank you Reid for sleeping just long enough that I could slip back into bed and guilting papa into getting up to turn on your cartoons, so I could catch just 30 more minutes of sleep. Thank you coffee for making me feel human.

I keep repeating the mantra of Frank Costanza - "Serenity Now!" We can do anything, so here goes. I will get out of this house on an adventure, despite the 2 minis and a cripple :-). I WILL!! Until then, you can find me in my yard stalking the blue jays and cardinals, trying to catch the perfect picture.

Complete Opposites

2011-05-09T20:21:00.004-06:00

These two kids could not be more different. Reid was active as a newborn, but content, then turned into a relatively lazy baby. Piper is active and anything but content, and I am guessing will be anything but lazy. I started tummy time to wear her out. She will pitch the fit of all fits and I figure, why not get some use out of the screaming?! Let her scream it out and develop some skills in the process, sounds good right? That may backfire on me. Last week she wiggled her way off her mat. Two days ago, with a little help with her arm position, she rolled over. Our response was maybe a little cursing and then a panic of what we will do when she can actually move! The minute she figures out those arms, we really are in trouble. She has incredible head control - like freakish. She eats NON stop which makes me curious what her weight/height will be at her two month appointment. While still a wee thing, she has grown by leaps and bounds out of her preemie clothes and is already filling out newborn clothes to the point we will be moving on soon.

Reid has his last day of school tomorrow for the year with "summer school" starting one day a week at the end of the month. He is also starting swimming lessons at the top of June which will be fun for him and I hope not overwhelming for me. You know there will be lots of pictures and updates as he progresses.

Grandma Teri is in town and the timing couldn't have been better since Ben broke his leg. Did I mention that yet? Yeah, broken. We will know a plan of action tomorrow, but for now it seems to be a "keep the weight off it" process for 8-12 weeks. Yep, allllllll summer. Blah.

Painting With Fish

2011-05-03T12:50:00.001-06:00

This isn't the best picture, as it was taken with my phone, but here is Reid's shirt. It is a children's small (5/6) to give you a general idea of the size fish that were used. I think he will do fish art and that will be Christmas gifts to grandmas this year :-).

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone, because I am cool like that!

Fred Gannon State Park

2011-05-02T20:31:00.005-06:00

Thinking about going down to the water

My first solo outing with both kids was to Fred Gannon State Park. It meanders along Rocky Bayou with nature trails, a campground, boat ramp and as Reid calls it, a chocolate playground. Anything brown in color is chocolate according to that boy - he is my child after all :-).

We took a stroll along one of the nature trails and I taught Reid how to lay on his belly and "push" himself on the swing. This serves 2 purposes, he feels more independent and I don't have to constantly push him, good for both of us. Piper was unimpressed and slept through the whole affair.

Last weekend they had a family festival down at the park, of which I took no pictures. Reid made a shirt by painting dead fish and pressing them onto a t-shirt which turned out adorable. He also planted a mini terrarium, made a bird feeder and played his little heart out on the chocolate playground. Piper of course, slept through it all.

Uh, ok. A little scary!

Rocky Bayou - apparently there are alligators.

Reid - nature trailing

Pushing himself on the swing

My babies down by the water

What a gorgeous day on the bay

"School" Pictures

2011-04-26T12:27:00.005-06:00

We got Reid's first school pictures today. They are ridiculously cute! Now to get them uploaded to the computer (yes, we bought the rights) and make some prints for the grandmas. Here are a few of my favorites :-).

The Easy Beach

2011-04-23T15:49:00.008-06:00

The weather was begging for a beach visit today but we weren't feeling inspired enough to load up cars and 4 kids (Ben's sister and her family are here) to head down to Destin for a beach visit that may or may not have been successful due to an infant and a toddler that still takes regular naps. So we cheated and went to Lincoln park for a swim and some butt in the sand time. I call it the cheater beach because I am pretty sure the sand is trucked in to the park on the bay. There were plenty of rednecks to keep the day even more entertaining and a topless lady to really spice things up. None the less, it was the perfect way to wrap up the morning after the egg hunt.

Its a rough life

Sitting in the shade of a palm tree with my toes in the sand and my girl in my lap - good times.

She wanted in join in the toes in the sand party

Proud papa

Thanks Aunt Jenni for entertaining the boy in the water!

Taking a stroll

Fallin and Ian building a pond for the hermit crabs

Gorgeous day

Our hermit crab farm

Happy Easter

2011-04-23T13:41:00.003-06:00

Niceville has a very well organized egg hunt at their municipal park. There were 4 baseball fields which each contained eggs for age groups. The two and under field took significantly longer than the other age groups. We got a sweet haul of candy (most of which I will steal), a couple of pinwheels and a rubber duck. All in all, an event we will attend again next year!

Waiting to go - getting a pep talk from Ben

Go!!!

Check out my haul

My babes

Sandblasted at the Beach

2011-04-16T19:21:00.004-06:00

We took Ben's parents out to Seaside today and got blasted with sand. The positive take from it is that I don't have any dead skin left on my legs ;-). It was really our only day to head out but unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperative. On top of the windy weather, we didn't have sunscreen, so we are a little crispy - whoops! All in all, it was still a nice day. We got to see our friend Mel, a tasty meal was had, and the kids were great, so I can't complain.

Drinking in public.....while holding the baby. That's quality parenting!

photographic evidence of Piper's first beach outing - she slept through it all.

Post beach Reid - even he was ready to leave the blowing sand!

The Sick and the Growing

2011-04-14T12:54:00.007-06:00

Reid is sick. He has walking pneumonia - ick. He feels fine most of the time, but eventually hits the wall hard and usually asks to go to bed. The other day he asked to leave the playground to go home and take a nap - WHAT!? I knew at that point it was more than just a simple virus. So, we are on a liquid "z pack" for the next 5 days. Ben will be out of town a couple days next week and I am really looking forward to having a healthy boy that can go to school!

This morning I was fairly certain that I had broken his nose. He came in to the bedroom at 7 am (only 1.5 hours after I had last fed Piper - so I was out of it) asking for a cartoon. As I was sitting up to appease his request my elbow met his face. I heard a pop and there was lots of blood. I was crying, he was crying and Piper slept soundly through it all. I forgot to ask about it at the doctor once I was distracted by the idea of getting him a chest x-ray. He hasn't been complaining that it hurts, his eyes aren't black and his nose isn't swollen. So it can't be that bad right?! Talk about feeling like mother of the year!!

This is what Reid looks like with walking pneumonia - who would know!

Before Reid was sick. He wants to badly to kiss on her, but I have been keeping him away.

Baby girl is doing her job, growing, eating and, well, you know what else happens :-). She is back up to her birth weight minus 0.8 of an ounce. Since she technically wasn't 2 full weeks at her appointment, they aren't worried. She is eating constantly during the day and giving me 3-4 hours of sleep at night. I will take an all day eater if I can sleep at night! She is still a little yellow from the jaundice, but not nearly as yellow as Reid was at this age. That's it around here.

I am taking the 2 little beings on a field trip by myself on Monday - wish me luck!!!

Sunning out some bilirubin :-)

Trimming the Locks

2011-04-08T18:19:00.004-06:00

Reid finally got a haircut. Aside from the trims Jan has given Reid's bangs here and there, Reid has had 3 professional haircuts in his 2+ years, which have been at the BX at Osan and Ben's barber shop in Englewood. I always feel like I will lose the curls when we cut it and the reality is the curls are much more springy when he has less hair. We hit a point when it had to happen. He couldn't see, we were getting more and more girl comments and Ben was home to take him. I just feel like this is something he should really get to do with his son. We visited the ladies at Hair Force and while we still didn't go "boy" short, but he looks much more presentable! I feel bad that we didn't do it before picture day (mostly because we didn't know it was picture day until we showed up), but we are hoping to get family photos done sometime before June (most likely warranting another trim), so we will have one set to remember the untamed mane and a set of cute hair.

Their "kid" seat - an old suitcase

Ready to start - many bribes for a lollipop may have ensured a good attitude the whole way

Mid cut - looking a little wild

After - I can see his cute face again!!

Cute Overload

2011-04-04T08:02:00.001-06:00

I know, as does my lap, why babies smile, but regardless of the 'out'come, it sure is cute!!

Reid Meets Piper

2011-04-03T06:24:00.004-06:00

Meet Piper Mae. I know, all that build up was killer! We came into this birth, like Reid's, with a short list of names we really liked and waited until she was here to decide. Unlike Reid, who came out looking like Reid, she kept us guessing. We had a few more classic, lady like names picked out, but she just has too much piss and vinegar in her for those. We waffled around about what people will say or think about the name and finally decided we don't really care. It fits her personality and her size. She is small and seemingly going to be full of life and energy (aka - she has a temper and will give us a run for our money) so it just fits her.

Reid is in love. I am sure the honey moon stage will end after a few days/weeks of baby taking up mama's time, but for now he is over the moon. He was all over us too, I think he misses us.....just a little. We are hoping to leave today but it all depends on the pediatrician. The nurses are optimistic, but her bilirubin levels are elevated, so no guarantees. If we can get those under control maybe we can talk them into letting us go. Fingers crossed!!

Headaches

2011-04-02T09:25:00.005-06:00

Headaches are supposed to prevent pregnancy, or at least be an excuse to get out of pregnancy causing activities. Headaches are what ended my days as a pregnant lady. I have mentioned that I had some high blood pressure and excessive swelling the last few weeks of my pregnancy and in the end induction was the solution to ending those symptoms. Unfortunately, neither has let up, so we will see what they decide to do with me from here. The induction was LONG since they had to take me from pretty much no where near being ready to having a baby. It took about 24 hours from the time I returned to the hospital with my second headache of the day (they sent me home the first time after a bag of fluids) and baby girl being born. It was a marathon until the end when she sprinted out. TMI alert - I only pushed for 13 minutes. I labored on pitocin for 10 hours with little progression on her part. And when they pumped up the dose she went from being at station -2 (all cozy snug up high - booty in my ribs, for those that haven't had a baby or heard the reference in a birth) to a positive 3 (poking her head out) in under 45 minutes. She came out with the cord wrapped around her neck (we surmise it was a recent event since she wasn't blue) but the second it was unwrapped she started screaming at us about evicting her. Full of sass this one is! She weighs in at 7 lbs 0.8 oz and measures 18 3/4 inches long. Can you say tiny compared to her brother!? As I post this, she still does not have a name. By the end of today, she will - I promise :-).

While I was slaving away birthing a baby, Reid was off having fun with our good friends. He went to a you pick strawberry farm twice and spent the night a couple nights with LaDawn and her family. Reid absolutely adores Harper and Trey. I don't know what we would do without them!!

I Saw Airplanes!!!

2011-03-27T20:08:00.005-06:00

Love that face!

I heard, with GUSTO, all about how Reid saw airplanes and how they went fast and upside down from the time they walked in the door until he went to bed. Then I heard about it all day today. That is what life is about people! Ben and Reid had a boys' day at the Tyndall Air Show out in Panama City while mama shopped (ALONE) and napped. It was wonderful! Ben worries that I will feel left out if he takes Reid places without me. I finally convinced him that I don't mind - I have gotten plenty of firsts and fun times with the boy by myself. I was mostly disappointed that they got to hang out with our friends and I didn't (have I ever mentioned I am a very social person?!). Next year the show will be here and I won't be pregnant/on modified bed rest, but maybe I will send them alone anyway.

On a side note, Reid is in LOVE with Jill. Seriously, as she was leaving today he said "I love Jill, I love her". Talk about melting your heart! We are sad she is leaving us already to head up to the Last Frontier. I guess we need to plan/save for a trip up next summer.

Reid with his own Thunderbird courtesy of Jan and Floyd

Watching the Thunderbirds

The belly of a C-17

Cutie!

It looks like cheers, but I imagine it was actually a sword fight

A few of the pictures were taken by Ben, others by Jill. Between them and Mel there are almost as many pictures as I would have taken :-).

Achoo, Spring is Here

2011-03-21T15:38:00.009-06:00

I love a good, long walk, I always have. I can solve the world's problems within my thoughts or with whomever my walking partner happens to be. Lately though, I like a short walk, very slowly. I do not have the get up and go this time around like I did when I was pregnant Reid. I guess that is part of having a toddler and moving (twice) while pregnant. So, until further notice, life is on hold here until baby comes. I have no desire to go out touristing or to see anything new. I want this baby to get here already! Yes, the naysayers will tell me to enjoy the sleep while I can get it. Poo to you I say. I am getting sleep, but it is interrupted by sleeping fingers/entire hands, potty breaks, contractions or gymnastics happening in my abdomen. Until this week I have been sleeping like a champ, but the sausage fingers and aching, arthritic knuckles have become too much. And I have high blood pressure which I haven't ever had in my life. That discovery led to a 24 hour collection. I will spare you the details, but it was NOT pleasant and definitely makes me more antsy for it to be over. She needs to come out. I am serving her an eviction notice.....just not sure how I will go about that ;-).

See, her room is even ready - minus dark curtains.

Wow, I just went on a tangent! The original purpose of this post was to show you the flowers Reid and I spied on our walk near the bay today. Back to that thought. Now that the nasty, powder like yellow pollen has finished dropping, we can enjoy some of the other sneeze inducing blooms that have recently come into view.

Technically these are berries, but colorful none the less :-)

So, tangent aside, there most likely won't be many more exciting posts about fun things to do on the Emerald Coast until little bean is here. Please send me some vibes for it to happen sooner than later. I can't even shake my fist at the situation.......since I can't make a fist.

1st Day of School

2011-03-15T12:35:00.002-06:00

Reid started school today. He has been talking about school for quite some time and loves to watch a school bus roll by, so we decided it was time. We went to two different preschools and they could not be more different. The Wesley Academy at the Methodist Church has an amazing program with brightly colored, aquarium themed walls, a giant slide from the second to the first floor and lots going on. The Wee tots program at the Baptist Church is much smaller, in an older building and fewer classes. We ended up choosing the small Baptist program. I was leary because of the religious affiliation, but they don't push it on us or him and the size was the real appeal. This morning I asked if he was excited about school and he said "I can't wait, mama!" Who knew he even understood what "I can't wait" means, but he definitely gets it.

Getting ready to leave the house, Elmo backpack and all.

Making his way up the handi ramp

The view from the parking lot - can't beat it! See that bit of beach across the water? That is the park we were at last weekend with the great swings on the beach.

Reid went into the room, didn't look back and started playing with toys. I beebopped off to the pool and was instantly reminded why I spent every day in the pool during my last trimester with Reid, my swelling has been much more under control today.

When I picked Reid up he cried when he saw me and didn't want to leave. He was having so much fun! I got from him that they played on the playground, ate snacks while reading a story, painted a picture with a brush and ate lunch. He had so much fun and didn't stop talking about wanting to go back the whole way home. Currently he is taking a much needed nap and we will make pudding after as a celebration. What a fun day!

What you can't see in the above picture is that he is crying about not wanting to leave.

Once he was in the car I got him to tell papa (the camera) that he had "so much fun".

The minis

2011-03-10T11:58:00.002-07:00

It has been a while since I have given updated stats on the minis. Reid had a physical yesterday so he can start school Tuesday - WHOOPIE for mama!! He will go 2 days a week from 9 am - 1 pm during which time I can hopefully schedule doctor's appointments and possibly get in a workout or two. Then once little lady is here, it will be mama/baby bonding time. Reid's latest stats are 38.5 inches tall and 32 lbs. Off the charts for his height and around 75% for his weight. His head, well we won't even go there. Absurd.

We took some more photos of baby girl this week and she is measuring long and skinny with a GIANT head. Seriously, gestational timeline, I should have her any day now if it were based on just her head size in regards to "average" babies. By now, we all know average size heads do not run in this family. Well, mine is normal - some may even say small, but Ben and Reid - giant.

I am looking forward to her arrival. I won't complain since the heartburn I suffered a few weeks ago was very short lived, but the swelling in my hands and feet is getting to be a little much and I am ready to be done with pregnancy.

Lame no pictures post, I know.

Mama Wants Some Beads!

2011-03-06T19:35:00.007-07:00

Today was Pensacola Beach's Mardi Gras parade and we had no clue what we were in for. It was more crowded than we thought it would be (not to mention much colder), but we managed to score spots next the the barrier which made for easy access to the beads. I haven't ever been to a real Mardi Gras parade and this was a good first time. What a blast! We walked away with the following items:

A billion strings of beads

A stuffed duck

A teddy bear

2 plastic footballs

A ball that expands and contracts - so we listened to "small ball, bigger ball" from the back seat all the way home :-)

A Moon Pie

A plastic cup from the Ya Yas

A package of animal crackers

And a tired family

The beach ball water tower

And we did!

The anticipation was killing him!

I spied her across the parade route - no more than 7 and already a Bead Babe - awesome.

He clung to the duck the rest of the afternoon

This float was rockin' - literally! They were having a blast!

Her undershirt was hilarious

Our bead haul

The belly earned me some beads :-D

Mardi Gras in Seaside

2011-03-01T06:44:00.005-07:00

Mardi Gras "season" is a big deal here. There are multiple parades and events every weekend leading up to the big finale in New Orleans in a couple weeks. We have been keeping it tame this year with my inability to consume and enjoyed a nice quiet afternoon in Seaside watching the Michael Foster Project lead a small kids parade and then put on a great show in the park. The weather was wonderful and the boy beast "learned" how to play freeze tag courtesy of some older girls. I think his favorite part was tagging them free (usually on the bottom) and running around like a fool with no real purpose.

Hurry up guys!!

My $22 lobster roll - lobster on a hot dog bun. Didn't realize the price until the order had been placed!!

The band making their way through the town

Reid loved the parade!

He got lots of attention for his super cool t-shirt ;-)

The band

Weeeeee!

Little Reminders

2011-02-25T12:08:00.004-07:00

On days when Reid and I butt heads I am glad to have certain pictures to remind me that I love him no matter what. When he screams the word no, or does the exact opposite of what I want, he is still a little silly beast that is, most of the time, really sweet.

Static!!

Helping put the crib together

Inside the "armored" car

Enjoying some cake, strawberries and mostly whipped cream.

30A - I Love You!

2011-02-22T07:12:00.008-07:00

The other day when we went to the gardens we took a detour to Panama City for lunch which was a giant bust when we ended up in a giant tourist area in a chain restaurant - boo. We drove back down scenic 30A towards Seaside, the backdrop for The Truman Show with Jim Carey. This little planned community may be where you can find me if ever I am missing in action. We stopped in to walk around the shopping plaza and grab an ice cream treat when we noticed lots of gathering in the square. Sure enough a band started to play as we finished our dessert and Reid asked if we could go listen - who can say no to a boy who wants to jam out to some blue grass?! Not me! There were oodles of kids running around on the outskirts of the amphitheater so we turned Reid loose.

One of the back alleys to the quaint homes

Small square off the main drag, surrounded by art shops

ready to enjoy some tunes

ready, set, GO!

the band - and Reid's noggin on one of his many laps around the crowd

little restaurants in airstreams - cute!

sunsets on our coast never disappoint

We had such a great time we decided to go back Monday to soak up some sun on their amazing beach. Can I tell you how happy I am to have our weekends back? I am so grateful that Ben isn't spending every day before the end of the weekend at work. While I am happy we could all have at least one day on the weekend to enjoy our time in Korea, 2 days each weekend would have been better. However, it all seems like a distant memory now as we are spending each day of the weekend here doing something fun, and dare I say some late afternoons during the week too! Have I mentioned how much I love Ben's new job? Sure, he will be on frequent trips, but when he is home, he is HOME! Anyway, on to our splendid day at the beach.

looking back at the homes from our little piece of temporary beach real estate

tiny footprint in the sand

kicking around

getting sandy

Wanna come play?

Many a sea gull payed a visit throughout the day

Seaside post office :-)

And I have to include one of the my favorite hipstamatics from the day - there are several!

Eden Gardens State Park

2011-02-20T20:28:00.007-07:00

This weekend we took in Eden Gardens State Park. The weather was perfect! It has been a bit on the chilly/rainy side since we arrived in January so we have been pleased with the weather over the last week. I even got a slight sun pink last week while out at the playground with Reid. We decided to take in a few sites away from the beach while we can, before it gets too hot and too buggy to enjoy anything but the beach or the indoors.

Eden Gardens has a few nature trails and a plantation with ample plants both native to Florida and not. The grounds are beautiful and we will be sending visitors there to see it for themselves, as long as it is not May - September.

The nature trail area

I love the moss hanging from the trees

Reid was intrigued by the spongy moss

The plantation grounds

What toddler doesn't love a koi pond :-)

the oldest oak on the property

our little tree hugger

And of course I went a little crazy in the flower garden - I spared you from looking at the other hundred I took.

There were LOTS of bees - can you see him?

The plantation house - read about its history here.

Turkey Creek

2011-02-15T17:14:00.006-07:00

I thoroughly expected to see a wild turkey or something with a name like Turkey Creek, but all we saw was an armadillo, some fish and some birds. Turkey Creek Nature Trail is in the middle of town but once you are back a ways you feel like you are in the wilderness. Granted, Niceville is small so it doesn't take much to feel like you are in the middle of no where, but this park is off one of the busiest highways in town. The trail is 3/4 mile one way and has plenty of little docks down to the water for swimming, tubing, canoeing and kayaking. I can see spending lots of time here in early spring and late fall. Can you imagine how buggy it will be back there in the summer? Ew.

Love the hipstamatic app for my iPhone.

"Mama, let's go this way!" - and he's off

One of the docks with access to the water

What's down there?

CHEEEEEEESE!!

The water was really clear and looks as though it may be refreshing in the summer - let's see if I am brave enough!!

Spring blooms

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2011-02-13T21:14:00.005-07:00

We have been married for 10 years - I can hardly believe it! We went out to dinner last night at The Back Porch which was not quite what we expected, but the food was good and very filling. We look forward to taking Reid there one day for lunch once the weather is warmer so he can play on the playground and we can eat a beach side lunch! After dinner we popped over to Vin Tij, a wine bar for dessert and a sip before heading home to relieve the sitter. We will visit both establishments again, but I really hope to visit the wine bar shortly after baby is born :-).

Photo courtesy of the interwebs

What the back of the restaurant looks like during the day - again, not my photo

Today we got another sitter and took some time to shop for a new mattress and have a snack down by the water while watching the sunset. We stopped by Poppy's Crazy Lobster in Harborwalk Village which looks like a tourist trap, but I won't scoff at good food and drink establishments combined in one place!

We were treated to a mini air show

Sunset

This is what the shopping area looks like from the little piece of sand two photos up.

Start planning your trips peeps! By the time the weather warms up I will have scoped out some of the best local eats around - this is one thing you can count on!

I think we have settled on the title of the blog. Ben doesn't give feedback on the blog very often so I figured I would give him some props for caring what the title is going to be. If you know anything about Jimmy Buffet, it is a tribute to his music and the fact that we are living in Florida. Hope you like it.

Niceville Children's Park

2011-02-11T17:19:00.002-07:00

My sister once said I should call my blog "Shit I Do with My Kid". Sometimes I think she is right.

Today I took Reid to the Niceville library for story time and then to the neighboring playground. We had fun until Reid decided that the car was his, after some bullies tried to shake him out of it. Then no one else was allowed to play with it according to the Reid Rule Book. Our exit was prompt and the beast fell asleep seconds after being put down for a nap.

If you come visit and have kids, or come and want to entertain mine, this place is a must! Just make sure he has eaten recently and it isn't too close to nap time :-)

Pardon the quality of the photos, they were taken with my iPhone.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Emerald City Gymnastics

2011-02-07T20:11:00.003-07:00

Today Reid and I went to Emerald City Gymnastics in Fort Walton Beach for their open gym. It was a hoot! I always worry that Reid will get overwhelmed or be hungry or be tired, or whatever meltdown he likes to have when I am doing something "fun" for him. Today he had a BLAST! We had so much fun in fact, that I took zero pictures. He chased other kids, climbed all over the mats and the balance beams, sprung down the trampoline "runway" (yes, that is the technical term :-), threw balls and in general was a well mannered monster. He waited his turn, moved out of the way when other kids were being pushy, and didn't scream at me. A well mannered event indeed! I will take pictures next time, I promise!

On a side note, I changed the name of our blog but feel it may be a little, well, Blah. If you can help us think of anything more entertaining I am taking suggestions. Ben's suggestion so far is "Changes in Latitude". What have you got?

Burglary update

2011-01-29T19:57:00.003-07:00

I am forgetful. This much is true. I, maybe we, at some point realized that there wasn't room in the fire safe for the ring and the Bronze Star with all the wills and other paper goods. Instead, it was stored in a wood box which I then put into a plastic tub before I left for Korea. As we were unpacking the other day Ben found both of them, side by side, safe and sound! Can you believe it?! Hooray! The wine glasses, the knife and the safe are the only things at this point that are definitely gone. We can live with that.

Otherwise, we are slowly climbing out of the box mess that has been our existence for the last week. We will post some pictures once we can relax and not feel the pressure to unpack :-)