My little bird is not often still asleep when I head into his room after naps. However, this day he was snoozing away and when I realized it I quickly grabbed my camera to grab a few photos of his sweet little dreams. These photos are older (I think they are from last July- wow!) but I couldn’t resist sharing.
My lap is full and my heart overfloweth… Happy Mother’s Day to all of the amazing Momma’s out there. I am blessed to be surrounded by so many.
I woke up today and thought we needed to get out of the house. I hadn’t seen either of the boys yet but I knew we needed to be out. Luckily it is the first Monday of the month which means that it’s free admission day to Leu Gardens because the Orlando public library is doing story time. So I sent my dear friend Staci a text asking if she would like to join our crazy for the morning and she agreed to. If we are going for full disclosure here I admit that I had no intention of actually going to listen to story time, we have done that before and it’s not all that great- It’s a huge room so the boys have a hard time seeing/hearing and overall I just haven’t ever been a fan, I just wanted a mostly fenced in area in which the boys could run.
So we loaded up, stopped by Dunkin Donuts to stock up on sugar and caffeine and headed to the gardens. I should have known that it was going to be a stellar morning when Charlie was using the corner of his shirt as a make-shift blankie and sucking his thumb on the way there (the thumb is the ultimate “I want sleep” indicator); however, I ignored the neon flashing sign and we trudged on. Charlie cried and fussed for a good portion of the morning out of sheer indecision and tiredness- the kid had no idea what he wanted or didn’t want, to ride in the stroller, to walk, to be held etc. And Jay left his “glistening ears” (what he calls his listening ears) at home or in the car or something so we were in rare form.
Regardless of all of that, we did have a really great time. We picnicked with donuts, got some of our energy out and Jay got filthy dirty when he “tripped” and rolled around the hill (ie purposefully fell while running down the hill). However, I certainly am looking forward to the being able to use the new (currently waiting for it to arrive) stroller. It has two seats and two buckles so I can strap both of my crazies in at one time and just push the singing (I mean screaming) children places without pushing one and trying to wrangle the other on top of my ever growing belly. Oh and did I mention that I am super grateful for sweet friends who will chase your kids down when they start running straight for the lake without warning? If I didn’t well I meant to; those kind of friends are the best ;)
Here’s our troop of doughnut-eating boys (the lone girl between the two of us was at school)- four pictured (ages 6, 3.5, 2.5 and 1.5), another not pictured (5 months old) was in the stroller and the last one in my tummy still baking. I know it’s a lot but they are wild and fun never the less.
Happy Monday to you, hope your day was a walk in the park ;)
We were in rare form this past Easter- Charlie was teething really badly and Jay, Charlie and I were also battling a terrible cold (thankfully Jamie never got it). So despite all of the photos that I took we didn’t walk away with a fabulous picture perfect family photo, oh well- this is us Easter 2013 grumpy and all.
Is there anyone that can tell me where to find my little boys? Because I must have blinked and they were replaced with these two…
Seriously, where does the time go?!
We have our moments these days with a constantly teething toddler (Charlie) and an independent/stubborn 3 year old and needless to say not all days are filled with rainbows and unicorns. However, last week on an especially difficult day we pulled out the slip n slide and Jamie tossed the boys down it over and over again until they were turning purple and we had to come in. It was hilarious to watch, the boys LOVED it and it was such a nice end to our day. It was definitely $5 well spent, yes you read that correctly it was only $5- thank you target ;)
Charlie loved when Jay would crash into him
Charlie’s diaper got really big so we eventually just took it off.
We have been in the big pool once already; swim lessons (in the big outdoor pool) start at the end of the week; we have taken out the slip n slide, water table and now the kiddie pool. As far as I’m concerned springtime in Florida is in full swing! Living here does have it’s perks although come July/August I am pretty sure I will be joining the boys in the kiddie pool because it is going to be HOT! Most days we need to burn off a ton of energy just so the boys don’t end up killing each other before Daddy gets home… I call this next activity: pre-nap time survival, that and cheap entertainment.
Oh and if you want to see how much the kiddos have grown in the last year check out these and these kiddie pool pics from last year.
A few weeks ago Jamie and the gang tackled phase two of the fort- the second level. They built a second floor, a rail that goes all the way around the second level, added a fireman’s pole, a bucket with a pulley and a space for the rope ladder to go. The week following Jamie and George strung up the rope ladder and all was complete on our awesome fort. Jay happily “helped” with all of the construction and building and loves to play up there. Right now his favorite part of phase 2 is probably the bucket and pulley but he is really getting a hang of the rope ladder and loves to be on the second level. While Charlie doesn’t (can’t) climb the rope ladder just yet he still loves to be on the second floor and both boys are really getting a hang of the fireman’s pole (with assistance of course). Thanks so much to everyone that helped out; the boys LOVE it and I am sure will only grow to love it more.
getting measured to ensure safe positioning of rail height
love these next two with Uncle Sean
wearing the “ear ma phones”
Charlie wanted in on the action too. Don’t worry, that is a toy drill that he is playing with ;)
Daddy wanted a turn at the Fireman’s pole, although we made the opening to reach the pole more Jay sized than Jamie sized ;)
Phase 3
Jay enjoyed playing with the extra rope
While somedays I long for calm, quiet and order I can’t help but enjoy my crazy these days. There are hugs, smiles and laughter each and each day; we are blessed. God is good!! No complete Friday phone dump today just two of my recent favorites…
Happy Weekend to you all!
It’s no secret that I have usually been categorized as the responsible, prepared person for most of my life. I mean I usually can be found at home most nights and not out partying (this was the case even before children) and in college I was known to have anything you might need… needle and thread to fix your ripped seam- I had it, bandaid- yup, tylenol- sure, stain stick- indeed, among many other things AND sadly I had most of these things with me at all times in my purse. I liked to think that it was good prep for having kiddos ;) That being said, I guess it’s only fitting that I have picked up a hobby to match my Granny ways- quilting! I have always enjoyed most types of crafting although sewing was never really my thing. I did a bit of it from time to time while working on projects for the kids or house projects but never loved it. However, this Christmas my wonderful husband got me my own sewing machine and since then I have been hooked! I love how simple it is to use my new machine (I was borrowing my Mom’s old machine prior to this and never quite got the hang of it) and I have been sewing during my free time. My first big project was a quilt for Jay. I fell in love with this cute car fabric, Peak Hour by Riley Blake, and thought that it would make a perfect blanket for my car loving kiddo. It’s not a perfect quilt (don’t look too closely at any of the seams, most of them are pretty wonky) but I did it on my own- including the machine quilting so I am pretty tickled with myself. And more importantly Jay loves it which means I am one happy Mama ;) I can’t wait to start working on my next project… now if only I could find a few more hours in the day to sew…
My sweet husband modeled the full quilt before leaving for work this morning, although his little helper preferred watching to participating.
the front
the back
Jay also wanted to help show it off. The snuggling photos are my favorite, makes my heart smile.
the perreault family 