Pirate, Pumpkin, and Fun

Andrew helped Daddy carve a pumpkin.  He wasn't so sure about the yucky stuff.

A little fun playing with night time shots.

The cutest, most viscous pirate ever!

Growing big

"I'm a big boy!" and "I'm a big brother!"  are two of Andrew's favorite phrases.  He likes to prove it as much as he can by doing everything "all by myself".  Though hard to keep up with, he brings me joy as I watch him grow and develop.  As we prepare for a new baby boy, I am excited about my big boy and the journey into boyhood our family has begun.

A few highlights:

He's very smart and has a better memory than his mother.  :)

He's very outgoing and meets new friends everywhere he goes.  He will talk to people at the grocery store, at the park, or just see a random person walking down the street and say, "That's my new friend".  (At some point I'll have to teach him that all strangers are not friends).  Sad, but true.

He's laid back and apparently has a high tolerance to pain.  When he sprained his ankle and couldn't walk without a brace, he didn't cry and kept trying to get up and walk only to fall back down.  Heart-wrenching for Momma to watch, but he's a real trooper.

He loves cookies and knows exactly where all the snacks at our favorite destinations are kept.  He will not hesitate to make himself at home and inspect pantries for a bite to eat.  

He can pick out his own clothes.  He loves his dinosaur shirts and his fish shirts and boat shoes.

He kisses baby brother everyday and talks to him.  At first he thought baby brother was in my belly button, but now realizes the baby has taken over mommy's whole belly.

pumpkin patch

Happy Big Boy!

Handsome boy who refused to look at me!

Ready for Work

Along for the ride.

A few recent pics

Watching

New Orleans aquarium

Fun at the Park

Pure Delight on the Dock with Pop Pop

Partner in crime

Pretty soon Andrew will have a partner in crime.  We are having a baby boy!  Though shocked we aren't having a girl, I can't wait for his arrival!  Here are a few pics:

Brave Boy

It's been over 2 months since I've posted here.  I guess there's a limit to how much one person can actually keep up with online!

Andrew is such a little boy now.  He loves being with other kids and wants to do whatever the big kids are doing.  He is very brave, sometimes a little to brave for my comfort.  He has no fear of water and no fear of heights.  This makes me proud and yet very cautious.  He loves swimming and loves being in the deep water with the big boys.  He also loves to jump into the deep water off of the side.  With his life jacket on, he'll jump right in, go under water, and then bob right up with a squeal of delight.  When the other boys were doing tricks, he tried to do tricks and jump too.  Crazy kid!

He also loves to talk.  At the end of the day, I love to hear him tell us everything that he has done during the day.  He'll go through his entire day and say what he has done and who he was with.  SO cute.  I love to hear him say people's name for the first time.  I'm always impressed by how much he can remember.  I think he has a better memory than me. :) Then again, that is not a hard accomplishment.

Though it takes so much energy, I'm so thankful that God blessed me with such a great little boy!

Fun in the Sun

Sunday we went to the beach with a few families from church.  Despite the fact that I now have a sunburn, it was a blast.  Here are a few pics!

THE BOYS

What a Life!

Boys will be boys!

And here are the individual shots used to make the collage above:

Brevard Zoo

Today Adam took the day off and we went to the Brevard Zoo.  It was a lot of fun!

I had a lot of fun playing with my camera.  All of these shots are actually NOT on automatic.  I'm learning!
This is a Roseate Spoonbill pruning.

Andrew was so HAPPY to be with his daddy (and me) at the zoo.

Andrew and Daddy looking for the otters.

Pretty, albeit crazy, birds.  If you hold a cup of nectar they flock to you and perch on every square inch of your arm.

Hello, Pretty bird!  I loved that you could get so close to them!  I have some shots of him very close up!

Andrew is dressed up as a sea turtle.  The best part of the Brevard Zoo is the kids area with tons of activities.  Here he is on his way to search for turtle eggs.

Saving the best for last, Andrew loved wading and splashing in the water.  By the end of all this he was worn out and slept from 2-5:30!!!  We need to do this more often.

Andrew's First minor league baseball game

Saturday we went to the Mets Minor League game.  We had a lot of fun.  Adam strongly dislikes the Mets, so cheered rather loudly for the opposing team.  Andrew had a blast.  At the end we saw a great firework show.  Andrew loved it and kept saying, "BOOM BOOM!!!"

A new hiding place

While Adam was working in the kitchen, he called me in and said that Andrew had reached a new level.  I doubted it was anything new, but after Adam insisted for me to come, I did. 

Andrew had thrown all of the plastic dishes out of their cabinet, which he does quite often.  However this time it was with the intent to climb in the cabinet and close the door. 

What a funny little guy!

First Fish

For Andrew's birthday Adam got him a real fishing pole.  Adam has been talking about getting him a fishing pole since before he was born, so it was no surprise when he came home with a REAL fishing pole.  Andrew has asked to go fishing a lot.  Finally we were able to take him to a small pond on Saturday.  I know that this is just the beginning of these guys finding places to hang out and go fishing.  I am thankful for a husband who loves the outdoors and wants to spend time teaching his children life lessons through the time he can spend with them doing things like fishing.   Here is the first outing.

Here are my boys heading to the small pond in hopes that Andrew can catch his first fish!

Fish on!

Adam is one proud Pappa and Andrew seems to like fishing!

SUCCESS!

Big Man on the Playground

This week Andrew has been super sweet.  It's a good thing, because I have been super tired and have hit a wall when it comes to all of my husband's travel.  Usually we find our way to a park at some point in our day.  Here are a few pictures.  He's such a big guy now.

I'm OUTTA' HERE!

Fridge

Andrew gets into everything. When he wants a snack he takes it upon himself to check in the fridge. I've been meaning to get a lock, but here's how I found him today.

Andrew's Birtday Party!

Another photo slideshow by Smilebox

Two years old.

My little light

You shine so bright in the darkest night

the joy you give radiates from above

as He has given the greatest of gifts

and blessed me with your pure love.

An innocent smile

springs forth from cheek to cheek 

while curious eyes seek to discover

all that flies above and crawls down below

you will leave no hidden rock uncovered.

My growing boy

with whom I can barely keep pace

I love to  remember your first two years

of firsts steps, foods, falls, words, and smiles

and welcome your boyhood with fond tears

Two years old

my baby has become a young boy

I love you, my son, don't ever forget it

there's more to explore and fun to be had

The journey continues and I won't miss a minute

Daytona

Having a little fun at the beach in Daytona.





The beach seems nicer than ours because there is more room to run and play in the water. The waves break farther out and the water is very shallow instead of dropping off quickly like the beaches where we live. Andrew had a ball running in the freezing water.

On another note, 6 days until he turns 2!

Time flies...

My baby boy is growing up... 

Every time I stop to think about the fact that Andrew is turning 2 in two weeks, it blows me away.  Time has flown by!!! No doubt, If you have children you understand.  Most likely your next sentence would be something along the lines of them being teenagers soon and then out of the house before you know it.  How depressing.  Can someone please slow down the time.  I'm not ready for him to start driving or leave for college yet.

He has been practicing a few complete sentences.  A lot of the time he tries to repeat a sentence I say.  The last couple of days no matter what we are doing he has said, "Momma is sleeping too."  I could be driving, or playing, or cooking, and it comes out of no where.  It's so funny!

Our bedtime routine is the sweetest.  After getting pj's on and brushing teeth, we pray with Daddy and then him and I sing songs and chat a bit before bed.  Then I put him in the crib with a kiss and an "I love you, Buddy."  For the past month or so he always responds with, "I love you, Mommy," as I walk out the door.  Tonight he added, "See you in the morning."  How sweet it is!


One of our favorite activities is going to the beach.  Here are a few pics.