"Connor's Amaizing Corn Maze"

This post is really old but, since it was never published to the blog and since I am trying to get motivated about updating the blog again, I thought I'd finally publish it, sans pictures! Last Saturday Henry and I took the kids, my parents and sister to "Connor's A-maize-ing Corn Maze" in Hilliard, just northwest of Jacksonville. (Check out the link!) It is a very nice family farm set up in the fall with a pumpkin patch, hay ride, farm animals, etc. I was so excited to be spending some time outside in the nice "fall" weather with my family. Little did I know that the 20% chance of rain meant that 100% of Hilliard would see it! It didn't rain hard or for very long, but it was cold for a while...until the sun came up! We walked around for a bit until the rain stopped and then decided the first thing we should do was get Seth and Hannah on the Cow Train ride. I was excited to be able to take Hannah on this ride, until I saw what I'd have to (attempt to) sit in. It was very quickly decided that Aunt Stacie would take Hannah and Henry would take Seth. (Henry was very sore after this ride as the sides of the "cow" were digging painfully into his ribs. He had the strength to pull the sides apart a bit in order to fit in with Seth on his lap. Even Stacie had no easy time of getting into or out of the ride. Did I mention it was meant for children under the age of 12 and weighing no more than 100 pounds?!?!?) As you will see from the pictures, Hannah had lots of fun, Seth did not! I am not entirely sure why, but Seth is nervous about a lot of things these days. (Halloween should be LOADS of fun considering his fright when it comes to masks! We'll find out in a few days!) Anyhow, the day progressed and we explored the farm, fed the chickens, pigs, ducks and goats, and petted the bunny. We went on a fun (5 minute) hayride and fed a bunch of (huge) cows and ate some homemade icecream. After we were done with that we headed over to the pumpkin patch to take a few more pictures and pick out a pumpkin. Considering it was the end of the day and the kids were exhausted I think we got a couple of ok pictures, although I'm not sure about the devilish look on Hannah's face in many of them. All in all we had a wnderful time and got a really nice (overpriced - WalMart has pumpkins 2 for $6.00!!!!!) pumpkin for the big day. Then, today we went to the Sheriff's Office Annual Family Day picnic. It was the first time we have gone since we had the kids and it was really fun. There were "big jump things" (as Seth called them), a wild train ride, good food and our favorite part, pony rides! No, Henry and I did not have a chance to ride the ponies, but Seth did and LOVED it! We got a couple of pictures, but they really don't do any justice to the smile he had on his face the whole time. After all the that fun who would have thought it would get any better, certainly not us! Well, not us until Seth gave a huge reason to smile. He was winding down, getting ready for Henry to take him up to bed when he pushed Henry forward and put his arm behind Henry's back. It was the sweetest thing i have ever seen! In the past few days he has taken to sitting really close to me when I am getting ready to put him to bed and he'll look up at me and say very sweetly, "Awww Mommy! I love you so much!" I amlost cry every time. It never gets old.

No excuses!

As the title says, no excuses! We have been busy and things for me have been a bit topsy-turvy. The kids are growing like weeds and changing faster than "Quick Change"! I have gone back to work and have been working for about 7 weeks now. I miss my kids terribly and do all I have to do to get through each day. I am trying/hoping to find something to do at home so I can get back home to my babies soon! We'll see what happens! Henry is great. He hurt his shoulder a week and a half ago and is on light duty but he is great! He is working at the Police Athletic League and loving it. We had a nice summer and I didn't take nearly enough pictures of the kids so I'll share the best of the best. PS - As of this email Hannah is cruising along everything, almost standing on her own and trying to walk. She has two teeth and is trying to get one or two more...finally! She has the best personality and really enjoys driving her brother crazy. Seth is absorbing everything these days, so much so that we REALLY have to watch what we say, even when we think he can't hear us. He has come up with a few doozies lately! Of course, like the fantastic parents we are we TRY to hide our laughter while disciplining him and then bust out laughing two seconds later. Not the best parenting ever but if you could just see his sweet face! I'll promise not to promise to try to update on a regular basis. I'll do what I can is all I will say! A few of hannah's classic faces! (June 2008) Several of the kids together! (The really do love to play together!) Hannah's hair styled with "all natural products"...otherwise known as whatever she was eating for dinner that night. August 2008 A few of Seth... Watching TV with his pal Connor. Helping Daddy "Ga-poom" "Seth Smile!" Well, that's all for now! (If you ever want to see a picture bigger, just click on the picture.)

Playing Catch Up

Well, I wrote this quite a while ago, but thought I'd post it just because. We have just experienced our first real scary illness with Seth. While he only had a virus (confirmed twice at the doctor's office), it was really scary. Seth began running a fever and with 24 hours of the first visit to the doctor it had risen to 105 degrees. Yes, that says 105, it's not a typo. Of course, Henry and I were very nervous and upset and called upon the best nurse in the world, Pat, for advice. She talked me through what we had to do over the span of about two hours. By the last phone call with her Seth's fever had come down to 102.8. It took a dose of Motrin, a Popsicle, two apple juice boxes and 3 baths to get it down that much. Henry ended up taking him to the doctor on Sunday morning and he was still fine, with the exception of the fever, of course. Sunday afternoon the fever broke. He took a 5 1/2 hour nap and when he woke up, you could tell he was feeling a bit better. We really knew he was feeling better when we were sitting at the dinner table eating. Seth asked for a slice of cheese and since he hadn't really eaten much in almost 3 days we obliged. Well, our little boy began ripping the cheese into tiny pieces and said, "I count them." He then proceeded to count to eight...IN SPANISH! HE didn't miss a number and did it more than once. I laughed so hard I cried! He was so proud of himself and we are so proud of him. I know that TV isn't great for kids, but he sure gets more out of it than I would have imagined. On Tuesday, July 29, Hannah's first tooth FINALLY arrived! It is one of her bottom teeth and as of now has come about half way out of her gums. She looks so cute with just one tooth! We have found the baby seat for Seth's rocking horse. Hannah loves to sit on it and "bounce". Her version of bouncing consists of rocking her head back and forth in a very quick motion. I am trying to get a video of it because it is just too cute for words! Hannah is also trying to stand up on her own. She will be crawling around on the floor (which she also does the "right" way now!) and out of nowhere try to stand. Of course, it looks like a failed handstand, but she loves to try. She walks around holding onto anything she can now. I have a feeling she's be walking on her own before she turns one! As for me and Henry, we're doing well. Of course, I should mention that if it isn't one thing for me, it's another. This time it is my Thyroid! Seriously, that's how I feel these days. I don't know yet if I have hypo- or hyper- thyroidism, we just know that my "levels were out of range." Of course, this is not a big deal. It is easily taken care of either way, it is just frustrating. Hypothyroidism runs in my family, so no one was really surprised to hear I might have it now, except for me of course! Oh well, I'll deal with this just like I have everything else...it is what it is and cannot be changed. I'll take whatever is prescribed and move on with life as normal!

"I am, Mommy!"

A regular conversation in our house now goes a bit like this: "Seth, do you want to have breakfast?" "Um, I AM, Mommy!" "No, you aren't yet. What do you want to eat for breakfast?" "Um, I am!" "Seth, do you want yogurt?" "Um, I am, Mommy!" If you haven't figured it out, he is trying to say "I do!", he just doesn't! He also hasn't figured out how to use the word "me" yet. If the dog licks him it is "Lia lick you!" He cracks me up! Seth's vocabulary grows by leaps and bounds every day. I can always tell when he has been listening to us because he'll use words we don't typically use in a sentence to him. Some things he comes up with are so funny. One evening recently we were watching a TV show and there were babies on it. He saw a baby crying and looked at me and we had the following conversation: "Baby crying, Mommy." "Yes, the baby is crying, but he's ok." "Mommy get one." "Mommy get one what, Seth?" "Mommy get 'nother baby?!?" "You want Mommy to have another baby?" "Yeah, Mommy get 'nother baby!" "But, we already have baby Hannah." "Mommy get 'nother baby." "Ok, Seth! Whatever you say!" (with eye crossed and tongue sticking out as if choking!) Hannah is now our little mover! She is still not crawling on her hands and knees, but she is extremely quick on her belly still. She also is now pulling up on everything!!!! Seriously, if she can get a grip on it, she stands up using it for support. Not only is she standing, but she has begun taking a step or two to get where she wants to go. She loves all of Seth's toys and tries to get up on the ones you can ride on. I helped her sit on one yesterday and she stayed there for a while before falling over (I was right there)! Hannah still doesn't have any teeth and the drooling has subsided...thank goodness! She eats her weight in baby food everyday, and wants so badly to be a big girl that she now eats "puffs" and drinks, ok dribbles, out of a sippy cup. Otherwise, life is crazy as usual. I am in the process of tyring to go back to work. This has proven to be very difficult, as the job market in St. Augustine is very limited and with gas prices where they are, the drive to Jacksonville is out of the question, unless of course the salary is $100K! Henry is busy with work at the Sheriff's office and our HOA. Both jobs seem to keep him quite busy, but he does a great job at juggling both and still manages to spend time with us at the same time. Hopefully things will slow back down a bit after school begins in the fall. I'm still in the process of trying to go through all of the pictures I have taken in the last month and a half, so bear with me as I get the all uploaded!

Our Drama Queen!

Well, Hannah Grace continues to grow and change. She is an incredibly fast learner and keeps us on our toes! And, in keeping with tradition, she is moving right along in the development department! She has been crawling for quite some time now, well, army crawling. She is getting EXTREMELY fast now. One second she's in front of me and the next she's across the room! We have taken out some of Seth's old "baby" toys and bought a couple new ones for her and she is sooo not interested in them! She is more interested in Seth's cars and tools and stuff. It drives me nuts! While none of his toys are too small for her to be playing with, it still makes me nervous for her to play with them. So, on a little Seth side note, he now has "big boy toys" in his room to play with and "universal" toys downstairs. Back to Hannah, on Saturday night I noticed that Hannah was starting to get up on her hands and knees and rock back and forth. I told Henry that it is time we drop the mattress in the crib, and being the good father he is, he agreed and said he would do it in the morning because it was so close to bedtime. Well, wouldn't you know that Sunday morning when I went into her room to get her, she was sitting up on her knees looking out over the side of the crib! It was really so cute and where was the camera???? Downstairs!!!!! So, Sunday evening Henry got his tools out and dropped the mattress 2 levels. As we were putting Hannah to bed he said to me, "You know she's going to stand up now that we have lowered the crib, right?" Darned if we didn't turn around and find her STANDING...staring out over the side of the crib at us with the biggest grin on her sweet little face! What a monkey! Now, she is crawling around and trying to pull up on everything! She loves to stand up, holding onto your hands, and bounce. She gets the biggest smile on her face and you can see just how proud she is of herself! And if you thought that was the last bit of news on Hannah G. you are wrong! Yesterday I left Hannah and Seth with my neighbor Amy for a couple hours. When I got there to pick the kids up she (Hannah) had just woken up. She was extremely happy to see me and sat with me while I hung out with Amy for a bit. To keep the story short and details shorter, I will just tell you that after a few minutes Hannah began to fuss because she was hungry. I sat her on the floor and walked away to fix the bottle. Well, I guess eh panicked and started to cry. She let out one of those loud screams and then it was immediately followed by the "Silent cry" - mouth wide open, no sound coming out and no air going in. This went on for what seemed like forever so Amy picked her up. We both tried to blow in Hannah's face to make her breath and she wouldn't. Then, her head just fell onto Amy's chest. At first we both thought she had fallen asleep really fast, but then I realized that Hannah had actually passed out! Yes, you read that right, she passed out! Of course Amy and I both got very scared because we noticed that for a very short moment Hannah had actually begun to turn blue and we almost called 911, but then Hannah woke up and was back to 100% within a couple of minutes. She was still hungry so I fed her and then I called her doctor. As always, Nurse Pat came to the rescue and said that what had happened was that Hannah had had a Breath Holding Spell. Yes, there really is such a thing, no I had never heard of it, and yes, there is every possibility it will happen again! The good thing is that there really is no risk of these spells harming her and Nurse Pat gave me some instructions as far as how to try to prevent them and how to deal with them if/when they happen. While I am glad I was there when it happened, I am even happier that Henry was not there. We all know Henry to be a very calm person, cool and collected even, but NOT when it comes to his babies! I think that's what makes him such a great father! So, in the last 24 hours we haves talked the heck out of what happened and I have explained to him what to do if this happens again. He is not comfortable with the thought of it happening again, neither am I for that matter, but it is something we may have to deal with. The Breath Holding Spells are reflexive and this is when they develop, at this age. From the things I have read they will peak by age two and should be gone by age five! Lucky us, right?!?! So, now we need to make sure not to give in to her when she has these spells, especially if it is in response to a "fit." Nurse Pat told me that some of the children who have this reflex reaction will actually learn how to use it and well, we don't want that! All in all, Hannah is great! My Mom is looking for the book by Dr. Dobson about raising a Strong Willed Child. She gave it away a while ago and now we both wish she hadn't, as it seems we will have a very strong willed little girl on our hands!

Seth's Big Day

A few conversations with the birthday boy: Mommy: "Seth, how old are you?" Seth: "I'll be two!" Mommy: "Seth, today is your birthday party, how old are?" Seth: (a little more emphatic) "I'll be TWO!" Mommy: "No, hold old are you?" ("Say two!") Seth: "Um, two! I'll be two!" Mommy: "Seth, what's your favorite color?" Seth: "Geen." Mommy: "Seth, what color is the car?" Seth: "Geen!" Mommy: "No, it's red." Seth: "Oh, red!" (repeat with all colors...except for yellow on occasion!) Mommy: "What does a (insert animal) say?" Seth: "(Animal) say (insert appropriate noise)!" Mommy: "What does Daddy say?" Seth: "Daddy say 'Hey buddy!'" Mommy: "What does Mommy say?" Seth: "Mommy say 'I luh loo!'" (with the drippiest, sweetest sound to it!) Mommy: "What does Hannah say?" Seth: "Hannah say 'WAH WAH WAH!'" Mommy: "What does Seth say?" Seth: "Seth say 'I luh loo!'" (again with the drippiest, sweetest sound!") (This promises to be a long post so I apologize in advance! I want to make sure I have certain things recorded!) Seth is now two years old and I cannot believe it! I knew the time would fly, but never this fast. I was talking with my Mom and Dad yesterday about how different it is for them watching me with my kids and telling me how much they missed watching me grow up and that made me wonder, how much have I already missed in just these two short years? So much has changed that I don't even know where to begin. I guess the first place is bedtime. Our bedtime routine (if we ever really had one) was always pretty set in stone. The only real routine thing about it was that Henry HAD to put Seth to bed. As Seth began to talk it turned into "Daddy rock." And Daddy rocked each and every night (as long as he wasn't working). Some nights Seth would ask for me and then pitch a fit for Daddy. I must admit that my feelings were always a bit hurt...that is until recent weeks. After moving Seth into his big boy bed (or "Seth's bed") we began to try to put him down without much rocking, if any at all. We also began saying bedtime prayers with him on a regular basis. Now, bedtime is split 50/50, and sometimes 60/40 in favor of me! A few nights I had to put Seth to bed without Henry and I tried singing to him again. (He had denied me our siging time for many months until now!) It worked. We sang a few songs and then I told him goodnight and he went off to sleep. Now when he wants me to put him to bed it is "Mommy lay." (In other words, Mommy lay with me.) So, we go upstairs and say prayers. Then Seth sweetly turns to me and says "Mommy, sing Sunshine." (You are my Sunshine) I sing "sunshine" and then I used to just sing a few other songs. Well, in the past couple of days I was curious to see what he would say if I stopped with "sunshine", if he knew to ask for the other songs. Sure enough, he looked at me and said "Jesus loves me." So I sang that and "I am Jesus little Lamb." I cherish bedtime now. Naptime, too, for that matter. He is very good for me and allows me to put him down without singing if I need, but he also knows I'll sing each song once and then it is time for sleep. We recently let our cat back inside (long story) after quite a long absence. I guess Seth forgot we had a cat because when he saw him he shouted "Kitty Cat!!!!" I told him, "Yes, remember, that's Parker." Seth then replied, "Parker!" A while later we were downstairs and his enthusiasm about Parker had not let up. He was so funny because all he wanted to do was lay on him. Then, Hannah became interested in Parker and Seth got very possessive. "No Hannah! My Parker!", he said. It was too cute! Of course, as with all children there is something new each day. Some days the new "things" are not so nice, but mostly they are so much fun! Hannah has started to make the same silly face Seth did when he was this age. Seth thinks it is so funny! Now, he walks around making the face as well! Of course, as with most kids, I have not been able to catch the faces on camera yet, but I am determined to and as soon as I do I'll share with you all! For now, do you remember this? Seth was just shy of 8 months old when this was taken. I found it! Here's Hannah's funny face! We have cherished every day with our little boy and cannot wait for each new day and each new thing he does or says. If I could have a tape recorder running 24 hours a day, for all of time, I would do it. There are too many precious moments during the day that I am sure I over look a few of them. I can truly tell you that Henry and I marvel at this incredible gift we have been given, the gift of raising the two most beautiful and wonderful children in the world!

A Fun Weekend!

We had a really fun weekend this past weekend. The kids and I started it off on Friday by going to the Splash Park at the St. Augustine Beach Pier. All of our kids had a blast! I think MaKenzie spent the most time in the water while the big boys played mostly in the sand. Then, as boys will do, they both started to incorporate the sand and water play into on activity. It just tickles me to watch these little guys as they find ways to get the sand into the water. (Stealing other peoples tools and buckets, and the occasional dump truck is not beneath them! Of course, when you leave your stuff just laying around, it seems to become community property anyway!) But, as they say, boys will be boys! It was so much fun and made a great start to the weekend. We'll be doing this pretty frequently, so I'm sure you'll be seeing more pics of wet and sandy kids as the summer wears on! (Did I mention how great it is during these hot Florida days...and we haven't even hit the worst of it yet!) Saturday we had a very nice visit with my Mom and her high school friends, Lori and Margie. Mom brought the girls down to visit and meet her grandbabies. (I'll add a few pictures when I get the from Mom's camera.) They seemed to enjoy themselves at our house and had GREAT entertainment! Seth was in rare form and put on quite the show. All he kept doing was throwing himself onto the floor and screaming "OH NO! I fall Down!" It was so funny! We're not sure where the energy came from, but we didn't really care because it was so much fun! Then, after church and naps on Sunday we went over to the house of a family who used to go to church with us. To make a long story short, they have been taking their 4 year old son to Margo's story time at the library for over 2 1/2 years and only just recently made the connection between her and Henry! Well, we had a blast! Margo, my Mom and Dad were all there. We took the kids down to their Paddock to meet the horses. Seth was quite interested until the horse started making noises and getting a little close to him. Then, he wanted down! Hannah, on the other hand, was completely in love. She was not afraid at all! She had a grand time trying to rip the horses nose off. Thankfully, Romeo was sweet and just let her. Romeo also fell in love with my Mom. She was wearing her patchouli oil and I guess Romeo was way into it! He followed her and kept nuzzling her face and chest with his head. At one point he had his whole nostril on her cheek! It was hilarious and I must say I was very impressed with my Mom...I didn't think she was very fond of horses! I guess I was wrong! After Seth was "all done" with the horses, he got on Sean's "John Deer Tractor". I didn't think he would know how to make it go, but he quickly figured it out and spent the better part of 15 minutes just going in a circle. The smile on his face was priceless! He absolutely loved it! The only way we were able to pry him off of there was by telling him we were going swimming. Of course it worked! He loves swimming! Well, he had so much fun and swam...ok, played so hard that he was wiped out! (He slept until 11:00 the next morning!) Anyway, we had such a nice time catching up and swimming and having a yummy bar-b-q dinner! And, last but certainly not least, we had a nice visit with Aunt Melanie, Uncle Adam and Isaiah and Elijah. Melanie and Adam are our kids Godparents. They were in town visiting family (and us!) before Adam's Vicarage is up and before they go back to Indiana at the end of the Summer. It was our first time meeting our new god-son, Elijah. He is so precious! What a sweet baby her is...and big like his big brother was! Melanie and Adam came over for dinner and we spent the evening catching up, laughing at our kids antics and just having a really nice time together. I can only pray that when Adam is called to a church next year it is at least somewhat close to Florida, if not in Florida! (Sorry for stealing the pics, Mel! I realized a bit too late that I didn't get any pictures of the littlest man!)

A visit from Life Flight

Yes, you did read that right...you just read too far into it! We went up to Henry's school today to see our neighbor, Joe, a Life Flight Trauma Nurse, do a show and tell for the 8th graders. It was really neat! The helicopter pilot treated us all to a couple of fly by's and then a fancy landing. The kids seemed really impressed..ok, until they were all dusted, but that's ok! It was a very impressive landing and very interesting presentation from Joe. The kids actually behaved themselves (the 8th graders were good, too, and asked lots of interesting questions!) and to my surprise Hannah was not at all scared. Seth, on the other hand was a bit afraid. He really liked seeing it in the air, but when the helicopter was landing and blowing up all of the dust and grass he became frightened. He turned to me and started asking "Make helicopter go way, make go way Mommy, pease!" It was really so cute, the first 10 times. He then proceeded to repeat himself for the next 30 minutes. He would tell me all about how it flies and then he'd look at me in all seriousness and say, "Make go way, Mommy!" Finally, it was time for us to go. Seth was quietly insistent that if the helicopter was not going to go away, then we needed to go in the car. So, I finally gave in and took the kids to the car. We waited there...in the beautifully air conditioned shade...while the guys took off again and then we came home. All in all it was a great beginning to our day! Thank you Joe, Matt and Bernie for coming to the school and giving such a great presentation! Here's a couple of pics. Because Seth was a bit afraid we only got a couple. The other pictures are just from the last couple of days...just thought they were cute and wanted to share them as well!

Pictures, Pictures and more Pictures

End of April Slideshow

Gabe's Graduation

May Slideshow

Our "Scooter" and long awaited update

Well, you can tell that Hannah's appointments with the pediatrician are spreading out a little more because my updates are spreading out. Sorry about that! First, a Hannah update. She is now 6 months old! It is amazing how fast the time has gone by. She is such a good, sweet baby. She smiles all the time and watches her brother like a hawk...hence the new (however temporary) nickname of "Scooter". Yes, our Hannah is now on the move! She completely skipped the sitting on her own milestone and went straight to crawling, well, army crawling. The first time I noticed actual movement (aside from rolling around) was around the 13th of May or so. Since then, she has gotten so quick! All she wants to do is keep up with Seth. She follows him around like a little puppy. She gets into all of his toys and just generally wants to be a big girl already. She still loves her jump-a-roo and her bouncy seat and swing, but her new favorite past-time is to be on the floor where she can explore. Everything goes in her mouth, so I thank God every day that we do not have any tiny toys to worry about yet. She loves Seth's cars and really loves his tools. I have a feeling that she will be the prettiest tomboy you have ever seen as she grows up! Hannah has now been successfully weaned and is on formula full time now. It was a sad day when I realized we had nursed for our last time, but a happy one as well. I think our nursing relationship got started off extremely rough when she had to have a bottle so early. As a big supporter of having a good mother/baby breatfeeding relationship, I felt that ours just wasn't and was extremely happy to have given her 6 months! She is loving her bottles and is also eating solids now. I started her around 4 months and 3 weeks old and she has been eating like a champ ever since! She's now up to two feedings of solids a day and loving it. Along with weaning came a blessing...sleeping through the night! WHOOPEE!!!!! We could not be a happier pair of parents! Finally, Hannah had a well-baby check-up yesterday. She is now 26 1/2 inches long and 16 pounds 11 ounces. She is holding strong in the 75% for both height and weight. The doctor was pleased with her growth and not at all concerned that she has skipped the "Sitting Up" milestone. He said she is very strong and just like her brother, very busy! Seth is the coolest kid ever...of course, we are a bit biased! He is so much fun and keeps me on my toes all day long now. If he isn't climbing ("I kiming!") onto something, he's falling off of something ("I fall!"). If he isn't ignoring his sister, he is practically smothering her. If her isn't watching Handy Manny (his new favorite - "Han Mee") he's watching Cars ("Reece Car Pease!"). He is speaking in sentences now and is taking the term "tape recorder" way too seriously! He repeats EVERYTHING and if he doesn't repeat it right away, he is saying the words or using them in sentences later. He loves to run ("I runnin!") and he loves to watch his "Daddy go bye-bye keef car!" (keef car = police car) He has begun to have a hard time learning how to share and truthfully, I have a hard time explaining it. He is also a mischief maker. He likes to antagonize his friends every now and then, especially if he isn't getting his way. And, as all kids do, he only wants to play with his toys if his friends are playing with them. He also "needs" everything now. ("I need dat ty-tol!" or "I need dat attul box!" or "More attul box pease!" or "I need dat toys!" translation: dat = that, attul box = apple juice box) I really wish I could have a tape recorder recording 24/7 because he is so entertaining! He comes up with something new every hour! For instance, last night I was busy with Hannah and he got into my breatpump. He grabbed a bottle with the attachments on it and began to explain to me how to use it (I haven't used it in months)! It was hilarious! After he was done with his explanation, he began to use it as if it was a bull horn, mooing into it! I thought I was going to die and all I could was watch while Hannah fussed and drank her bottle in my lap! On a more personal level, Henry and I are great! He is working like a mad man. We are both anxiously awaiting his summer schedule because it will mean longer days, but more days off...if that makes sense. He just made the bomb team and is looking forward to their training and going to all the schools he can. (The only time they will touch "live bombs" is if it is strapped to a person, otherwise they use a robot. He won't do any of that until he has gone through all of the appropriate schools, either!) He is also busy busting his behind trying to get in shape and lose some weight. He's done a great job so far and looks fantastic! He began following Weight Watchers with me when I joined and has lost around 25 pounds or so, to date. I am doing very well. I have lost 16 pounds and am proud to say I exercise 5-6 days a week now. This is totally new for me and I have impressed myself with my abilit to stick with it. As for my goal of running a marathon, I think it was a bit lofty! I am still holding that as a goal, but it will be a long term one. Right now I am just working towards keeping up with Jennifer and Nicole. They have been a huge support to me as I work my way to meeting my goals. They definitely keep me going, especially when I feel like quitting! (Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Girls!) We had a very busy month this month so I will post a few slideshows in a separate post. Between Gabe's graduation from FSU Law School (We are so proud of you!), Mother's Day (We love you both so much!), Jen's graudation from Florida Coastal School of Law (Congratulations Jen!) and various other holidays and gatherings we have been very busy! I'll make the promise that I seem to have a hard time keeping, but one of these days I'll keep it...I will try my hardest to update more often! Our love to you all!

The Jacksonville Zoo - April 20, 2008

On Sunday, April 20 we decided we needed a family day and went to the zoo. We were treated to the zoo trip by Margo and Art who have a membership! So, on Sunday afternoon off we went, Henry, me, the kids and Margo. It was a beautiful day for a stroll around the zoo. Seth had so much fun. He got to see so many animals. Fortunately for him, Margo (a.k.a. Mama) was there to show him everything there was to see. She pointed everything out and told him a bit about each animal. It was really so sweet! My favorite moment was just a few minutes in to our walk. Seth noticed that all of the animals he was seeing (at first) were laying down. I guess this frustrated him because he then began shouting at all of them to "GET UP!!!" Of course he shouted even more if we laughed at him...which we did! He was so insistant that they all get up! A relativeley new attraction at the zoo is the "Stingray Bay" ("All barb have been trimmed, much like a dogs toenails, for your safety"...no joke, that was an actual disclaimer!). Basically, you pay a couple of dollars to go under this big tent with a very large, shallow pool and "pet", or attempt to pet, the stingrays, much like you would find at Seaworld. Of course this fascinated Seth. We, Margo and I, took our turns trying to pet the rays but to no avail! The rays stayed closer to the middle of the pool, so unleass you were Michael Jordan there was no way you could really pet them! It was fun trying! After Stingray bay we went and visited the Giraffes. At this site you can actually feed the Giraffes, if they are interested! At first we didn't think we would get the chance, but then a "teenage" giraffes walked over to us and let us feed him/her. Seth was not too sure about it at first and let me hold the branch of leaves. Just as the giraffe had almost finished eating, Seth grabbed the branch and the giraffe promptly stole it away from him! It was really cute and Seth was pretty thrilled with that. We then visited all of the other exhibits. Seth liked watching the monkeys (Bonobos) play. He also was fascinated with the snakes. The only thing that probably topped his list of fun sightings wasn't a sighting at all, it was the train! There is a train that circles the zoo. Seth had a blast riding on it with us!

A visit to "Mama Rose"

***A Note*** This post will be followed by a post from the zoo 2 weekends ago. The only reason the zoo isn't coming first is that I took TOO many pictures and haven't finished editing them yet!*** On Thursday we packed the kids and Uncle Gabe up in the car and drove down to see Grandma Rose...or as Seth calls her, "Mama Rose". The car was packed almost full. (I never realized how much stuff you need when traveling with two small children!) Fortunately, our first trip in our AWESOME new van went very smoothly. Well, it went smoothly as long as you don't consider the fact that Uncle Gabe nearly got his head kicked in by Seth! (Seriously! Gabe sat in front of Seth and tried to lean his chair back and take a nap and Seth kept kicking him in the head. Seth was kind enough for a "Sorry Uncle Gate!, though!) Once we got to Hallandale we checked in to our hotel and went over to Grandma Roses condo. She lives in a very nice complex on the beach! After saying hello and after Aunt Nancy arrived we decided to take Seth and Hannah down to the beach. This is a sad fact but, this was the first time Seth has actually walked on the beach. I know, I know! "You live in St. Augustine, ten minutes from the beach and his first time only came now?!?!?!" Yes, but it mas a wonderful first time. Not having our swim suits with us we thought we'd just walk along the shore. RIGHT! After letting the water splash over Seth's toes once or twice that was it! He laughed and was so enamored with it that he let go of my hand and just sat down! It was so funny! All we could do was laugh...oh, and the camera...yeah, it was up in the condo! So, sadly, I only have mental pictures of it, but they are the best...wish I could share them with you! Anyhow, we had a very nice and somewhat relaxing weekend visiting with Grandma Rose. (Relaxing with two kids under two is a bit of an oxymoron!) Seth loved visiting with Mama Rose, Uncle Gate and Mama Margo and Aunt Nancy. He and Hannah did their best at making Grandma and all of her friends fall in love with them. Unfortunately the weekend ended all too soon, but a good time was definitely had by all! A note about the pictures...Hannah was all ready for the beach/swimming pool and opted for a photo shoot with Mama Rose first. Seth was waiting for me and Henry to get our sunscreen on and decided to lounge in the lounge chair on the pool deck. On Sunday morning Seth decided to jump into the pack n play with Hannah. We told him to sit with her for a picture...he sat ON her! The last two are of Seth and Grandma Rose and one of Me, Henry, Seth and Grandma Rose...Hannah was sound asleep in her carseat!