The Cleaning Man

Brady has become QUITE the little helper lately - and I promise that these photos are not staged! Whenever someone is doing a chore, he has to be right in the middle of the action. Now if I could just get some of it to rub off on Dylan!!!

Emptying trash (he usually dumps 1/2 of it on the floor but SOOO love the effort!)


Taking the can back...


Helping Auntie Ann take the trash out (he also insists on helping to roll the cans down to the curb)...


Loading the dryer...


Sweeping (we had to buy him his OWN broom)...


And yes, the little stinker is still throwing EVERYTHING away!

Updates!

Gosh, are we 1/2-way through April ALREADY? I have SOOOO much to update you on - and tons of pictures to share. I promise to try to be better about this blogging thing in the days to come and not go so long between posts!


First, let's start with Easter. We had a great day, and the kids really enjoyed coloring eggs, finding all the goodies in their Easter baskets, and the egg hunt in the back yard.


Coloring eggs...



Dylan with his basket...



Markers from the Easter Bunny...



Egg Hunting...

Brady "cooling off" in his new pool (we had to make the water like bathwater before he'd even get in) :-)


Next on the update list is vacation. We ended up not going to Destin after all. I just didn't feel like a 5-hr. car ride - or dealing with packed hotels and beaches. So we opted for Ocala instead. We rented a house on the water and spent our time at Silver Springs, Wild Waters, Carney Island State Park, shopping, and eating out. The house we rented was in the middle of NOWHERE and was a good 20 minutes from everything - but we enjoyed it nonetheless. It was equipped with a hot tub, tiki hut, pool, waterfall/koi pond, and putting green...so there was plenty to do when we didn't feel like driving somewhere. The kids had a great time, and the adults got some much-needed R&R!

On the putting green...

Fishing off the dock...

Trying on silly hats at Silver Springs...

On a ride at Silver Springs...

The splash park at Wild Waters...

All suited up to hit the wave pool...

The waterfall at the house...

Hangin' at Carney Island State Park...

Playing in the park...

Hiking with big bro...

See you later!!!

Since this post is pretty long, I'll save the rest of the updates & photos til next time!

Spring...

Hope you all like the new blog look...Easter's on the way! As much as I loved my snowman background, it was time for a "seasonal update." Temps are warming up, everything is in bloom, and the POLLEN is about to kill me! Nothing says "SPRING" like that ugly yellow powder, and the sound of everyone coughing, sneezing, and sniffling! Ahhhh, the joys...



I'm trying to plan a mini-vacay for the week of Dylan's Spring Break - yes, I've totally lost my mind (can you say, "worst possible time to plan a vacay???")! Not only will the beaches and theme parks be jammed with spring break-ers, but I'm sure everything will cost a small fortune. So far, Destin is the top choice...gorgeous white-sand beaches and plenty of recreational activities. I'm hoping that it won't be AS crowded as the normal s-break hotspots, but that's probably just wishful thinking on my part. We will probably come back from "vacation" needing a VACATION!!!

Dancin' Man

Sorry for the lapse in blogging - I just can't seem to keep up with everything lately. Before I know it, another week/month has gone by! I am amazed DAILY at the changes in Brady. As each week passes, he literally seems to be a different person...so much more grown-up than the week before! Absolutely fascinating, but sad at the same time. My baby is growing up much faster than I'm ready for! :-(

One of his new obsessions is cell phones...and don't think you can fool him with the plastic toy ones (or even a real one that isn't being used anymore)! He wants the real thing, in full working order. The lil bugger has even figured out how to navigate his way through my phone menu to find the ringtones! And here's what happens when he gets there:



His other new obsession is the TRASH! He is fascinated with throwing things into the kitchen trash can, no matter how important they may be to the rest of us - remote controls, socks, outlet covers, dishes and silverware, his toys, his bottles and pacifier, and just about anything else he can get his grubby little hands on!

Make Over

We have a new look! I was getting REALLY sick of the bubblegum pink color and wanted to add a bit of personality to the blog. Since the background is seasonal, it will probably change again soon...but I couldn't resist the cute little snowman. Plus, as temps rise into the high 70's here, I need all the "wintry" reminders I can get!

January Updates

Well, we're almost a whole month into 2010 and I've yet to start on any of my New Year's Resolutions (so typical of me). I've attempted to several times - only to discover that I'm my own worst enemy (hey, at least I admit it)!

I did manage to get Brady in for his 1-year checkup. He's now 29 inches tall and weighs 21.9 lbs. (50th percentile for both height and weight). He's starting to talk (mama, dada), and has given up crawling for good! He is a busy, busy boy...but such a delight (if I say so myself)! :-)

Katie & Brady, best buds...


Katie reading to Brady...


Katie "feeding" Brady (is she a "little mommy" or what?)...


It seemed like a cozy place to lay...


Dylan's idea of helping me empty the trash...

Speaking of Dylan, he's been busy as well. He's doing very good in school...report cards just came out and he made A/B Honor Roll again! He started guitar lessons a week ago and seems to be enjoying it so far. And, he's a huge help with Brady (when he's not doing things like putting him in the trash can)!

Old Man Winter

Old Man Winter has FINALLY shown his face in sunny FL, and I - for one - am thrilled to see him!!! The temps have been in the 20's at night (teens with the wind chill), and I absolutely LOVE it! It's nice to need a COAT when you walk out the door...I mean, it is January after all! I was very pleasantly surprised to find these when I got to work the other day...

ICICLES!!!!









I'm sure my friends and family up north are thinking, "Yeah, so what's the big deal?"...but frozen precipitation, in any form, is a RARE sight here in FL. In the 22 years I've lived here, we've had snow TWICE (and once was only flurries). So the past week, we've been bundled up like eskimos:



But personally, I'll take it over the heat ANY day!!!