Take Your Monkey To School Day

It is "Curious George Week" in my son's first grade class.  Today he was allowed to take a stuffed monkey to school.  :)  He decided that this Curious George monkey was perfect since "there was no way" he was taking his lovey, Monkey, because he said he couldn't even trust himself not to lose him!  ha ha!  I made him stand by the tree for a photo before getting in the car this morning because I just couldn't stand how darn handsome and grown up he looked.  SIGH.............

Simple amazement

Today, my silly little boy was having a blast throwing rocks up in the air and watching them go over the picnic table or through the netting in the batting cage at baseball practice...  Yep.  He was easily amused, which was good, because I was busily trying to take pictures of the Cubs practicing on the field while watching over him at the same time.  This is a shot of him looking amazed before he yelled "Mommy, look what I did!"

Eye of the Alligator

We went to the Blue Hole again today to check out the alligators. Both the male and female were there together again!  This time they were lying in the water right next to each other!  There was a big crowd there.  One "genius" lady dropped her sunglasses into the water....you should have seen the female alligator's reaction! I have NEVER seen an alligator move that fast in my life to attack!  It was CRAZY!  When she spit the sunglasses out and realized they weren't food, she looked like she got MAD!  She made this hissing, growling, bellowing noise that actually made me JUMP in surprise/fright, and then she made all these bubbles near her head like the water was boiling.  SO INSANE. Luckily someone fished out the glasses with his tripod.  Not the most intelligent people there today....but they were good for entertainment!
I am fascinated by these creatures.  I took a picture of the male alligator's eye up close.  So beautiful, right?  

First bicycle ride

Somebody got a new bike today! My hubby bought our little man a 12" bike with training wheels today.  He is a pro at riding his tricycle, so we thought he was ready to try out the big boy bike.  It is going to take a little while for him to get the hang of it, but with Daddy's help, he sure did great tonight!  Look at his happy little face! :) Watching our babies grow up so fast is very hard on me. I just want to hang on, squeeze them, and tell them to slow down.  It is bittersweet.... it both breaks my heart and fills me with such pride at the same time. It amazes me that I can CLEARLY remember the day our oldest son rode his bicycle for the first time when I was pregnant...it feels like yesterday.

First baseball game

Today my son had his first baseball game of the season.  His team, the Cubs, won against the Marlins 13-1!!  The team did great, and my son ran in 2 points for the team!  We had a little injury/drama during the game when he got whacked in the cheek by a foul ball while he was in the warm-up circle, but he was very brave/tough and went back out to bat directly afterwards.  What a kid!  He's got such a great attitude, gives everything he does 110%, and makes me beam with pride. He has a little ball-shaped bruise on his cheek as a memento of his first game of the season.  Here he is doing his thing at bat!

My little slugger

My little slugger and I played a little tee ball today in the backyard.  He really can NOT wait to play baseball like his big brother!  He got into his stance and got all ready before he hit the ball each time.  So funny.  It was dangerous being right in front of him while taking this picture because he whacked the ball right after I shot it.  I was lucky to get away.  You can see that mischievous look.  Ha ha!  Isn't he just precious? :)

Master of his house

My little guy and I played house this morning on the porch.  He took my order through the window, prepared me a meal, and made me "hot tea".  He was multi-tasking. He had the sandbox, water table, and playhouse going all at the same time!  :)  Here's a picture I shot of him "taking my order" in the house's window.  It's really hard to believe he was born exactly 3.5 yrs ago today.... where has the time gone?  


We ended the day with some terrific news: my sister's baby boy was born today at 4:09pm!  Such joy.  I am so happy that she and her husband were able to experience the miracle again!  I'm also so excited that her boys will have each other as they grow up.  I know I truly can't imagine my life without my children - they have blessed me in countless ways.  

Family portrait

Oma and Opa left early this morning, but before they did, I managed to "torture" everyone and organize a family portrait (me included - gotta love self timers and tripods!!). Everyone will be happy next year when we have a nice photo to remember our time together!  It was a really nice visit... time flew! We can't wait to see them again this summer when we travel to Monhegan Island in Maine!

Blue Hole

Today we went to the Blue Hole, a local water hole here in the Keys, so that my baby boy could show his Oma the alligators.  It was an awesome trip!  We go there very often, but we've never seen both the female and male alligators swimming around together like we did today!  It was a great show! They had such energy!  We also have never seen such a crowd of people! It was so fun!

Visit to East Martello Tower

Today we went to East Martello Tower in Key West.  NO - I did NOT take any pictures of Robert the Doll, in case you were wondering.  I'm not taking any chances.  :)  The kids had a blast checking out the museum, running around the old fort, going in and out of the very narrow brick walls, scaling the creepy stairs, playing in the life-size dollhouse, and checking out the planes flying in and out of the airport. Here are a couple pictures from the trip.

Cake in the afternoon

Today I convinced my in-laws to be my "cake-cutting models" for a wedding photography assignment that was due today.  I baked a brownie cake, iced it, decorated it with strawberries and kiwis, and set it out on a table with a white tablecloth, champagne glasses, and flowers.  I had my in-laws act as if they had just gotten married.  They cut the cake, fed it to each other, and I captured the whole sequence for an album spread.  Here is the final product.  They were adorable and such great sports!  Thanks Oma and Opa! :)

Grandparents

It has been so nice having Oma and Opa visit us! Even though the kids don't see them very often, they take right to them immediately.  It is wonderful!  My younger son was thrilled to have a new playmate - he suckered Oma into playing with his farm all morning. We had a busy day - long hike on a nearby beach trail in the morning, baseball scrimmage in the afternoon (nap for my younger son and me - we were not feeling very well...),  and then we ended the day with a round of mini-golf and dinner out.  Here is a picture I took of Oma and Opa with their grandkids. :)  

Oma and son

My husband's mom and dad (Oma and Opa) came to visit this evening!  The kids were so excited to see them drive up to the house!   They were waiting out on the porch and screamed when they saw their car.  :) After we unpacked the car and got their room ready, we ordered Chinese food and had a nice dinner together.  With all the cleaning and frenzy today, I never took a single picture!  Unheard of!  :)  SO, I snapped this picture right before everyone went to sleep.  Don't Oma and Erich look so much alike!?  

Swing time

Today was pretty crazy...we were getting ready for my in-laws to visit so we spent a lot of time cleaning, organizing, cleaning, organizing, more cleaning....you get the idea.  But, in between all the "fun", I made sure to give my baby boy some "swing time".  He just loves to hang out and swing on our porch as high as I can push him before his nap.  He'll go into a "trance-like" state and just stare off into the trees enjoying himself.   I actually gave him his sandwich on the swing today...talk about busy!  That is why he looks like a chipmunk here.  I slowed him down for a minute to shoot this close-up. :)  I just love that face.

Pancakes

Erich made us  all blueberry pancakes this morning, and somebody was VERY excited to eat them!  This is our little helper sitting on the counter, very patiently waiting for his breakfast.  It is fun to cook when you have this sort of adorable company. :)

Cuddlebugs

Both boys were still sick today...  At one point, I let them both watch a little TV and found them like this on the couch.  How precious are these Cuddlebugs?  I thought this was a good Valentine's Day moment.  LOVE... You have to admit - this makes you smile. :)

Brothers in a tub

My silly, silly boys.... aren't they so cute?! They have so much fun playing together!  This is them in the bathtub tonight.  They are both sick, but it doesn't effect their mood.  They giggled and laughed through coughing fits while playing "throw the foam letters at each other's head" tonight.  :)  I love their happy smiles.  One day, they will be each other's best friends....and that makes me soooooo happy.  There is nothing like a sibling....

Valentine's Day Orchid

My amazingly sweet hubby and sons bought me an early Valentine's Day gift today.  A NEW ORCHID!  It's so pretty and unique with white flowers and pink/purple stripes.  I LOVE IT!  It even has a red vase (my favorite color). :)  I'm a lucky lady.  I rushed to take a picture of it on my porch before the sun went down tonight.  

Tissue mischief maker

My poor little boys are both sick... they pretty much laid on the couch or slept in bed all day long today.  My baby boy had more energy and spunk than my older son, who was pretty listless all day.   Here's an example of what I am talking about...  I have both a before and an after picture that will paint the scene for you perfectly. 


BEFORE:   

At one point today, I looked at the two of them on the couch watching "Cars" and thought "How cute" and shot a picture.  Then, I walked into the laundry room to grab a new basket of clothes out of the dryer and walked back into the living room - I was gone no more than 3 minutes - and this is what I found......  


AFTER:

Classic.  Look at that mischievous little face!  ;-)  He was pretty proud of himself and having a heck of a time!  I couldn't help myself and started hysterically laughing and got my older son's attention to show him what happened.  I mean... he was covered in tissues!  But, he didn't even notice or bat an eye.... My poor sick boy. :(  

Tricycling boy

We had a very busy day today!  We had a great playdate at a friend's house this morning, and then we all went to the park this afternoon.  The boys had a blast biking and tricycling around and playing with their friends!  There was even a spur-of-the-moment birthday party with ICE CREAM for everyone!  Here is a closeup of my baby tricycling his little legs off.  He is super fast!  I've gotta get him onto a bike with training wheels.  We played "See if you can run over Mommy".  Ever play it? ;-)  It is a game where I sit right in the middle of the walkway/path and tell him to speed-race to run me over - he thinks it's hilarious as I scream when he gets closer and closer...  Luckily - I'm still in one piece.  Fun times!

More orchids

I just can't seem to stop taking pictures of my orchids. :) They are all blooming - and they're just gorgeous! 

My little gymnast

Today was gymnastics class for my older son.  He loves it and has so much fun! He's come a long way FAST - he's much more flexible, strong, and daring.  I see myself in him in many ways... I did gymnastics competitively for years and years.  It was my life.  I absolutely loved it!  I never thought my son would love it so much, but he does.  Big surprise.  :) He has really improved! I was amazed at the things he was doing today!  I couldn't be prouder...

Baseball practice

Baseball practice went well today.  The Cubs are doing really great.  I think that, once again, they are going to be tough to beat!  I shot a couple pics of both kiddos - one who was the catcher and one who so wishes he was out there playing. 

Valentines Crafts

Today, my older son didn't have school.  It was another rainy morning, so I decided to organize the "arts/crafts bench" and wound up setting the boys up with lots of different crafts to keep them busy.  They had a great time working on their Valentines with glitter, colored sugar, and crayons.  Such little artists. :)

Finished Valentine Masterpieces

Rainy Day

Well, it rained all day today... we were stuck in the house.  Not much to report...  We took advantage of the rainy weather and did a lot of dancing and tumbling, of course. ;-)  I put on some music and the boys had a blast being silly.  I played around and got some flash-blur shots of the boys.  It was actually pretty nice to just relax with no place to rush off to and nothing scheduled.  I stayed in my pj's all day long.  :)  

Video Game Stare

Today after a very active day (2-hr baseball practice, 3-hr gymnastics camp, trampoline time, food shopping, and a family barbeque), my oldest son wanted to just chill and play some Wii. No problem.  He needed to just sit for a while.   He was exhausted!  :)   My younger son just sat next to him (with his Tiger, of course) and watched him play.  I made them some sliced apples, and they just chilled on the ottoman and relaxed before bath time.  Aren't they so cute and so blessedly quiet (ha ha!)?

Park

I took the boys to the park today to meet a bunch of friends and their parents for a fun playdate.  It never happened...  We were there first, and the kiddos played for all of 5 minutes before my oldest son banged his head hard as he was running out from under one of the metal bridges on the playground.  He must have misjudged the height.  I heard the bang.  Ugh... Blood everywhere on his head, crying.... equals heart attack for Mommy.  Turns out it was just a small gash and a bump, but boy it took awhile to find it with all his hair and all the bleeding.... geez - why do head cuts bleed so much?!  Needless to say, I took him and my younger son home so we ALL could recover.  A little medical care from Mommy, a lot of cuddling with me and his brother, a family movie, popcorn, and jammies did the trick.... good as new.  Then, Daddy came home with Chinese food.  Phew.  
Here is a picture of my younger son jumping off the slide RIGHT before the accident.  Isn't he adorable?  At least I have a good memory from the park today. :)

Hawk sighting

My family often sees juvenile hawks in the fall and winter flying around and preying on the feeder birds or snakes in our yard or when we're out on our  morning walks.  I saw this one early this morning sitting on the electric line by our street.  I am no hawk-identifying expert, but I am almost sure this is a juvenile Cooper's Hawk, Accipiter cooperii.  Anyone know for sure? Isn't it a beautiful bird?  It looked RIGHT at us as we walked by.  

Dewy Orchid

I know I just took a picture of an orchid yesterday, but when I saw this dew-covered orchid late this morning, I couldn't resist taking another photo. I couldn't leave out the close-up, beautiful details of the bloom!  I find it amazing how these plants have adapted such gorgeous, showy flowers to aid in pollination.  Check out the stripes and spots in the middle of the flower that act like a "runway" and a bulls-eye to guide pollinators in.  It is especially cool to think that bees see in ultraviolet light so these are very bright targets to them.  Isn't biology fascinating?