Laura is hosting the Day in the Life project again. When I first heard about it I thought, “Oh, we’re in Florida, life isn’t normal. I’ll just have to do it next time around.” Then I decided that it might be fun to document a whole day of our time down here. So here you go; our life on vacation. Let me say, though, that it is tons harder to do this with a crawling, climbing, getting-into-trouble boy! Whew! I could’ve taken more pictures if I had more hands.

I did this on February 8th. It’s over a week ago. Deal with it. I’m on vacation!

4:50 Buddy fusses. I get up. He stops. I go back to sleep.
5:07 Buddy wants to eat. I feed him and put him back to bed. He plays in his crib and I fall asleep. He’s ready to get up at 5:30.
I change his diaper and we go to the living room to play.

While he plays I check my fb, email, etc on my phone. I’m really starting to get the hang of using my phone as my computer. I don’t love it, but it’s working for this trip.
I checked out the sunrise.


This child is non-stop! He is now cruising around the furniture and making me nervous!

7:00 Baby Girl wakes up saying, “I heard someone and hoped it was Dada.” Awww! She watches George while eating her favorite breakfast (they’re usually a special treat from Papa).

I went back out to check the weather conditions.

Yup, looks good out there. Don’t you think? Smooth as glass!
7:15 Attempted a valentine’s craft with Buddy, then fed him breakfast…oatmeal and Cheerios.

7:25 Tylenol for teething boy
8:00 Buddy down for a nap
8:15 Buddy asleep (I wasn’t risking a picture of this one.)
8:25 Off for a walk and some alone time. Gorgeous out there!

Not the greatest picture, but I was trying to get the water in the picture.
9:00 Making Valentine’s with Baby Girl

9:20 Buddy up to eat
9:45 Buddy and I head to Target

10:30 Home. Decide to head to the pool. And the process begins. It takes forever to get two kids and a mama ready for the pool…swimsuits, noodles, sunscreen, bathroom stops, etc. Whew! We got to the pool around 11:10!

Swim until noon.
Baths for the kids.

I love this picture! Cracks me up. Dressing this child or changing his diaper is like a wrestling match. And he’s strong! He’s just always on the go!
Shower while Buddy screams to be fed…so relaxing!

Yes, his crib is in the bathroom. It works for us!
12:30 Feed hungry boy
12:40 Lunch on the porch. It’s gorgeous today!

1:20 Buddy down for a nap. Baby Girl resting, which turns into a nap. I clean up a little bit.
1:30 On the porch, feet up, eating some valentine hearts. Time to read in the sunshine!

2:00 Ugh! Buddy is up. He needs a diaper change and won’t go back to sleep!
2:45 Go down to the beach with Buddy to play.
3:30 Head to Naval Aviation Museum with my dad and Buddy.

Walk around the museum, taking in all the planes. This place is amazing, and we only saw a tiny bit of it!

 We check out a lighthouse on the way home. I love lighthouses!

4:50 Home for supper
5:15 Watch an amazing sunset!

Pictures seriously don’t do it justice!
5:30 Dinner: chicken, veggies, jello, bread. Yummy!
6:00 Buddy to bed. He is a tired guy after such a short nap this afternoon!
6-7 Some down time while Nani reads to Baby Girl.
7:00 Baby Girl to bed.

7:00 Some pinterest, fb, blogging. Mom sits here knitting. Listening to the waves. Ahhh.

7:30 Channel surfing, talking to my man on the phone

9:00 Get ready for bed. Do my ab workout

9:20 Feed Buddy

9:30 Text my man good night

9:40 Sweet sleep!

It’s Monday.

It’s sunny. It’s a little chilly. My walk on the beach produced cold fingers and toes. But I was walking on the beach, so you’ll hear no complaints from me. I found 8 sand dollars, some sea glass (for my dad), and pretty shells for Baby Girl.

I sang out loud while on my walk. There was no one around and it just came out. I probably looked crazy, but I enjoyed my time on the beach this morning!

My Pats lost last night. However, I got to have a Super Bowl party with my parents and my brother and his family. We had fun despite the loss! The other positive? I got this picture.

I’ve never had a picture like this from Super Bowl Sunday before.

I saw this gorgeous view right before kickoff last night. Deep sigh.

I was woken around 4 am to Buddy fussing .Then I heard a crash. He tried to climb up the side of the pack-n-play and slipped. He hit his head on the wall as he went down. Poor kid. He’s got quite the mark on his head now. The worst part? It’s the imprint of the netting on the pack-n-play.

The kids love Florida! Baby Girl constantly asks to go to the beach. She loves digging, finding shells, scaring the seagulls, and just running around. One of her first questions of the day (after “I want to eat something.”) is “Can we go to the beach now?” Buddy seems equally enthralled. He had his first trip to the pool yesterday. At first he seemed a little hesitant, but he quickly warmed up to the water. He was laughing, splashing, and flailing his legs and arms. Baby Girl also loved the pool. She’s been going to swimming lessons at home, and I can see how much more she is willing to do in the water.

Today it’s a little windy down on the beach, but Baby Girl has already been out there for close to an hour. Buddy humored us for a while, but he needed to come back and take a nap.

The first day we were here we got to watch this awesome storm come in! What an amazing sight!

Buddy’s first experience with the ocean. I just remembered he went to Long Island Sound as a baby, but I’m pretty certain he spent the entire time sleeping on the blanket.

Checking out this sand stuff, with his big sister’s help, of course.

Looking for seashells

I just found out that my man will be joining us for a week! We weren’t sure he’d be able to come. Yippee!

We’re already having a wonderful time in Florida! Of course, I can’t hear any of it, but it’s still been great! So I learned a valuable lesson: don’t fly with a congested head! Seriously, please listen to my advice! Take-off kind of hurt, but when we started to descend I started crying. Poor Baby Girl kept trying to talk to me and I would just look at her in pain and say, “I’m sorry.”

Overall, the trip was okay. Buddy never stopped moving the first flight. We fed him “puffs”, gave him toys, let him eat paper. He was so well-behaved, but boy, he never stopped! The man sitting next to us asked if I needed any help when we got off the plane. I told him I thought I had it (unless he was going to walk to and help me board my next flight?), but I mentioned that flying with two kids was one of the crazier things I’ve done in my lifetime. He said, “He’s been very good, but he is so busy!” Yes. Yes, he is. I called my man on our layover and told him that I was done traveling. I’d spend three weeks at the airport. I couldn’t get back on the plane. My ear cleared fairly quickly (must have been the Five Guys I bought for dinner!). I knew we had to get back on the plane, so I took a deep breath and headed to gate A5. That trip from C18 to A5 wore me out! We traveled on six elevators and a train! Baby Girl told me, “To get to Nani and Papa’s we have to go on two planes, one train, and walk and run.” And I wonder why I was exhausted!
Baby Girl enjoyed flying. She watched out the window, ate special snacks, waved to the little girl seated behind her, and helped mama reach things on the floor. On the second flight she curled up in her seat and slept. Buddy slept for most of that flight, too. When it came time to land my ears began to hurt again. And again I sat and cried! I kept praying that my eardrums wouldn’t burst. Seriously. It hurt that badly. And now, two days later, I still have a clogged ear. I’m finally on medication. Being sick for over a week stinks! I just want to feel well.

Waiting to board our plane

Eating Five Guys fries, watching everyone work on the airplanes.

Yesterday was rainy, but it was a good day for us to get some rest. I took TWO naps! We got to go out and play on the beach for a little while. Baby Girl made a sand castle. I got to go shopping by myself (to Target)! We’re already relaxing. I can’t wait to enjoy the next few weeks! Pictures to come; after all, it was Buddy’s first time at the ocean!

I’m trying to get us packed and ready to go to Florida. It’s a great day for a “miscellany Monday”.

- I think we’re starting to feel better. Some times I feel great and other times I want to crawl into bed and sleep for a few hours. Hopefully we’ll be better by the time we board the plane tomorrow afternoon!

- My man has been amazing this week! He’s taken time off to help me so that I can nap and get better. Last night he ran to the grocery store for me. I did the coupon cutting and found the deals, but my man shopped and found everything on the list. He saved over 50% on our bill! I’m proud of him! He was pretty proud of himself, too.

- Buddy continues to accomplish new tricks every day. Yesterday he pulled himself up in his crib. My man moved the mattress down. Then Buddy found out he could reach the mobile. That had to come down, too. Baby Girl has fewer places to place her toys that are out of his reach. Such a fun stage!

- I enjoy watching Undercover Boss on CBS. I think it’s so interesting to see the CEO of a company do the “small” jobs at the bottom of the ladder.

- Packing to go to Florida for several weeks in the middle of a New England winter is harder than it sounds. I’m not sure what to bring…shorts? bathing suits? flip flops? jeans? sweatshirts? Who knows. I’m being optimistic and bringing mostly summer clothes. I’ll keep you posted on what I need to wear. Either way, I’m certain I’ll see the sunshine more than I see it way up here in the corner of America! And boy, I can’t wait!

- Buddy slept through the night last night! He went to bed at 6. I fed him at 9:15. He slept until 5! Whoohoo! Please tell me this is a new trend! Please!

- Happy Monday to all of you!

Ugh. We’re still bogged down by germs in this little corner of the world. Baby Girl has always been super healthy. I am so not used to being down for 2+ weeks. I know it’s in part to having two now. The doctor tells me that Buddy will be sick less as he gets older. I guess that’s good, but right now I’d like him to be healthy!
We leave for FL next week and to say I’m nervous about the trip would be an understatement. My kids are great fliers, but throw in a head cold (for all three of us) and you might just hear me shouting, “uncle!”
I’ve been using the netti pot to try to clear this thing up (which might be one of the most awful things in the world, but if it helps, it helps). I got two boxes of tissues last Friday and we are down to half a box. So much for saving the environment, huh?
Anyway, things are still quiet on the ol’ blog front because most days I’m struggling to breathe and help my children sleep without coughing spells. It’s been great fun, I tell ya.
Hopefully I’ll be back to my normal blogging self soon, but then I’ll be in Florida. And I can’t promise I won’t just soak up the sun for three weeks instead of posting. I’ll try, but it will be tough.

Happy weekend, everyone!

Does hearing “wahoo” make anyone else think of the movie IQ? Or is that just me?

Anyway! Lots of celebrating at our house tonight. The Patriots are going to the Super Bowl! Yay! This means a few things for me.

- I have to pack two pint-sized Patriots jersies for our trip to Florida.

- I will watch the Patriots in the Super Bowl with my big brother, which I’m thinking is a first for us. (He’s 12 years older, so we didn’t really grow up together.)

- I won’t get to watch it with my man. So, anyone local wanna invite him over for a party? Poor guy.

- The day after the Super Bowl, win or lose, I can go swim in the ocean, then the pool, then sit in the hot tub. So I’m thinking it’s a win-win for me!

- My man should’ve let me name Buddy Brady. Would’ve been a good year for that name, huh? I think he’s afraid I have a crush on Brady, but really, I just like the name a lot!

Yay, Pats! Thanks for making my day!

I’m sitting here in a quiet house. The only sounds are the ticking grandfather clock, Baby Girl’s humidifier, and the tapping of the laptop keys. I’m struggling to keep my eyes open; I’ve been fighting the cold that has already attacked my kids. I just finished another book on my Kindle. I love that thing! I don’t have to keep track of where I am in the book. I don’t have to run to the library when I have a few minutes to read. My Kindle makes me very happy!
I know I should go to bed, but my man is at a church meeting. I’m sitting here waiting for him to come home. It’s been a hard week. The kids have been sick. I’ve been hit hard with cabin fever and exhaustion. So, I decided it’s time to focus on the positives. Here we go!

- Buddy slept through the night for the first time in his 7 months! I woke up at 4 am with a very sore throat. I got up and read with some hot cider. When I went back to bed at 5 I thought, “Please, Buddy, sleep another hour.” Well, he slept until 5:40, but wow! I was excited! We’ll see how tonight goes, but progress has been made!

- In a little over a week I head to Florida to see my brother, his family, and my parents. I can’t wait! I called my mom the other day, feeling overwhelmed and tired. She told me that I wouldn’t have to cook for three weeks! I cried.
I am a winter-loving girl. I have always wanted to live up north. But this winter has been different. It’s harder to go outside with Buddy. Last winter Baby Girl and I would go out for short play times, even in the really cold weather, but it’s so much work to get Baby Girl and Buddy ready to go outside. I’ve done it several times, but it’s exhausting! So, I’m looking forward to Florida! I’m looking forward to being outside and only putting on one layer of clothing. I also can’t wait to be with family! I miss my family!

- We joined our new home group at our church this week. It seems like a great group of people. I can’t wait to get to know them better! And I love the girl that babysits for us. She’s a sweetheart!

- I did some Jillian 30-Day Shred this week. Wowza! My arms were sore. But I love being sore. It’s a happy feeling!

- We took Baby Girl mini golfing today for her birthday. Her friend and her friend’s parents met us there. We had great family time and enjoyed watching the girls play golf and eat pizza.

- I finally got a haircut. I’ve been growing my hair for over a year now. It was longer than I’ve had it since before Baby Girl was born. It’s not short, but it feels good. It’s something different.

So there ya have it, some happy thoughts. Now I just might go fall asleep on the couch until my man comes home.
How did you spend your Saturday?

Happy Monday! The weekends always fly by, but this weekend went even faster. My man attended a men’s retreat at our church so I was with the kids Friday evening and most of Saturday. We had a nice day, but at 1:00 I realized that I hadn’t had a second to myself yet that day. Nap/quiet time came shortly after that realization!

I have no specific point this post, so bear with me as I ramble.

Baby Girl is definitely getting her own sense of style. A few weeks ago she wore her belt around her head. It was actually pretty stylish. My man liked it so much he let her wear it shopping with him. Her newest style? Mismatched socks. They aren’t identical, but they always match in color scheme. I’m very proud.

For Christmas Baby Girl got a shape activity set. We made the cookies the other day and she had so much fun making things and decorating. I had to help with the icing because it’s hard to get out. But the ideas are all hers. We also made a tree and a house.

I had mom’s group today. I always leave feeling energized! My small group includes such a great bunch of women, who I enjoy laughing with and swapping ideas. Today was no different.

Baby Girl’s birthday is this week. She has a very specific birthday party idea, to which she added a new idea last night. So now I’m praying that our grocery store can decorate the cake to her specifications. If not, I might have to decorate, and it definitely won’t look like she’s dreamed! She did this two days before Christmas, too. “Mama, I really want a watch for Christmas.” “Mama, this is the watch I’ve always wanted.” Thank goodness Big Lots had a $3 Winnie the Pooh watch!

I was asleep before 8:30 last night. I didn’t want to see the Steelers beat the Broncos, so I went to bed. Then the Broncos won in overtime. Ah well, I obviously needed the sleep. Hopefully the Broncos’ luck is done because this weekend they meet my Patriots!

I put together a pretty killer outfit today, and yes, I’m proud of myself. It didn’t involve a t-shirt, which is great (and sort of unusual). It did include my awesome belt that Baby Girl picked out for me for Christmas. I have plans tonight, as an adult without kids, so I’ll probably wear it again tonight! Maybe I’ll even take a picture.

I’m trying to think of other things to write because I don’t want to call the grocery store, do the dishes, fold the laundry, or even get out of my chair!

Hope you’re having a fabulous Monday!

Last night I was thinking about 2011. I know I’m a week late in this, but we’ve been busy. I figured of any year to document a year to remember, this would be it. We had a few minor changes in our lives. This will be quick, I think, but I had to write these down.

January:
Baby Girl and I headed to good ol’ Clemson to visit with friends. We got stuck there because they had a legit snowstorm. Figures we go south and get stuck in snow!

February:
House went back on the market with a new realtor. Showings and all of that joy started again.

March:
We got an offer on our house and the fun really began! Offers, haggles, inspections, repairs, etc. This also began the feverish hunt for a new place to live. We all went to CT to celebrate the life of a dear family friend.

April:
We closed on our first home. Kind of bittersweet. It was my man’s birthday. Then Baby Girl and I headed to CT to relax. We drove home the Saturday before Easter (which was the end of April), and it was snowing! Crazy winter weather-wise! Oh, and Baby Girl woke me up at 4am to watch the royal wedding.

May:
What? A quiet month. We were living on paper plates in a 2-month rental. It wasn’t the most fun, but looking back, it was such a short time.

June:
We moved again! I was 38 weeks pregnant and hoping the moving would make Buddy come earlier. Instead I sat around until 41 weeks and 6 days. Goober. Buddy joined us June 23rd and changed our lives forever.

July:
My parents left after 2+ weeks of help. My best friend from college came to visit from Guam. My inlaws came to meet Buddy. And my man and I celebrated six years of marriage. With that milestone came the purchase of a new car.

August:
We got in our new car and drove to Ohio, then to Connecticut, spending over 2 weeks away with a newborn. It was a crazy time, but we enjoyed seeing family and friends.This was also the month Buddy started seeing the chiropractor.

September:
This month we went to CT several times to help my parents pack up everything and sell my childhood home. Hard stuff. Lots of memories.

October:
Enjoyed fall…apple picking, walks, pumpkins, Halloween. Our trip to CT was postponed due to their crazy snowstorm.

November:
The month started with me on a plane with two kids. We enjoyed a long weekend with my inlaws in Ohio. And I decided I might actually try to fly with the kids again.
Thanksgiving-my parents came up for almost a week. We had our first snow and Baby Girl’s first snowmen.

December: Lots of get-togethers, which is always fun! We loved doing all of the Christmas stuff, including hosting my inlaws for Christmas Day.
Busy year. Sometimes we didn’t understand what was going on, and looking back, we still don’t understand some of it. Going back over the year was a good reminder for me, though. When we were living in a temporary house with paper plates, I thought it would never end, but it did. We made it.

Now on to 2012!