34 Years and Still Going Strong...

Happy Anniversary to Bear Cub's Grandma & Grandpa! We hope your day was filled with lots of happiness and love! Here's to MANY MORE happy anniversaries...we love you both!

More Bear Cub-isms and just plain 'ol cuteness!

Lookin' good while brushing his teeth!
Hey, where'd you go?

Bear Cub says some really funny and cute things these days...which I need to write down immediately, or else they got lost in the thousands of other moments of the day. But here are just some that really stuck out in my mind from the past couple of weeks. It's so great to be able to communicate with him! :)

• Bear Cub brings out an acorn from our front bedroom, saying, "Mama...atorn!" So in response, I say, "Cool! Where did that come from?"" His reply, short and sweet, and oh so true..."Oak tree!" Like, DUH MOM!!! Of course, I meant, where did you find that in the HOUSE??? :)
• Coming out of the gym this morning to get BC and Daddy from the pool, BC smiles so big and says, "Mama....get in pool!" I told him that I didn't have my suit, so he followed up with, "Mama...get suit on....get in pool!" If only I'd had my suit...
• Daddy is giving him a bath the other night and he blurts out, "Dada...get in bathtub!" So you can see that he is a very demanding little fellow! ;)
• During lunch it was raining and his little lower lip quivered (which is SO pitiful!) and he looked at me with tears in his eyes and said, "Mama....good-bye raindrops!" Sorry babe...nothing I could do about that one...
• In preparation for Daddy's birthday, we heard BC chanting, "Go Dada, go Dada...it's birt-day!" Oh yea...it's your birthday, it's your birthday! :)
• He got on the phone yesterday with his great-grandma and happily said, "Happy Birt-day, Great Grandma Trowe!" It was indeed her birthday and she heard him nice and clear...he loves birthdays!
• Daddy is opening his birthday present from us (ok...BC is opening the present for him!) and Daddy asks, "So, what did you get me??" And Bear Cub happily announces, "SHIRT!" Yup, way to ruin it before the box is even unwrapped... We got a good laugh out of that one!

As more cuteness pours out of his little mouth, I'll try my best to write it down so I can share. The voice of a two-year-old is just precious...so honest and innocent...yet hysterical at the same time! :) Enjoy your long, holiday weekend!

Happy Birthday to my HUNKY husband!

(Daddy Bear...ca. 1981)

Here's wishing the happiest of birthdays to my very best friend and champion of my heart...my husband!

I love you more than words could ever say...

This boy LOVES Thomas the Train!

Here he is last night...in his Thomas jammies, with both trains in hand, and ready for his nightly stories! He was choo-chooing right along! :) Have a great day!

Fire trucks and a fun weekend!

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a nice weekend. Ours was busy, but a lot of fun! We headed over to our hometown to spend the night with Grandma & Grandpa. We enjoyed a delicious BBQ at their house on Saturday and just had a great time visiting with them AND both aunts and uncles. Bear Cub discovered Grandpa's collection of model cars in his office....that was both a huge hit and nightmare. Why a nightmare, you may ask? Well, once they were found, BC could not stay away, so after everyone was tired of taking cars down from the shelves, and the door was officially closed off to him....well, let's just say a few tears were shed. :) He LOVES cars! I bet I know where Bear Cub will head the next time we're at their house.....

Sunday morning was probably one of Bear Cub's most exciting outings ever...a trip to the fire station to visit Uncle Eric! Yes, how lucky are we to have a real firefighter in our family? It was like a dream come true for Bear Cub -- touching the fire engines, sitting up in the driver's seat, watching the lights flash....just the whole experience was awesome! He was in heaven and we greatly appreciate Uncle E showing us all around. It was interesting for everyone!

We were also able to squeeze in a short visit with Mimi, too! We were all happy to have the chance to visit ALL our family. We're lucky to have them within such a short driving distance...

Enjoy the pictures! I'm happy to say that the sun is shining once again the beautiful Sunshine State -- but unfortunately, our 90+ degree weather has also returned. Oy. When does Fall come around here?? Oh yea...not until January. Bummer. :0)

Have a wonderful week ahead!

Helping Daddy blow out his birthday candles...yup, he's finally going to be 21 this Thursday! ;)

Team Yellow...and no, this was not planned...

Bear Cub sings happily, "Heaven...I'm in heaven!"

Future firefighter...reporting for duty!

He's got his pointer finger "hose" out and ready to put out any fires!

The family...

Too cute...and still putting out fires with that finger of his!

At the carwash...

This week is by the far the most that we've had to play inside for a long time. Once the rain finally started from Tropical Storm Fay, it just didn't want to quit! We had a steady rain for about three days straight. Thank goodness we live in an area that has a higher elevation.


Yesterday's home adventure included the creating of a car wash. This is something else that Bear Cub is fascinated with, so he had fun washing all of his vehicles. Poor guy was getting a bit stir crazy, I do believe...at one point yesterday, I heard him say to himself..."Who dat pool?? ME!" Meaning..."Who wants to go the pool? ME!" The boy misses his daily trip to the pool...


This morning he stood at the door and said, "Good-bye raindrops!" At that point, we were getting some pretty heavy showers, so it wasn't looking too hopeful. We did get dressed and went to the indoor play place today and he had fun. And now that we are home, I'm happy to report that we have said "Good-bye!" to those raindrops. At least for now...

Have a fabulous weekend!

"Raindrops...all day long."

This is what Bear Cub said to me this afternoon in the car while on the way home from the library. And indeed he was right...we had rain just about all day long. :)

Here are some pictures of the fun we had despite the rain. You never know what adventures you'll have...right inside your own home! Have a good evening!

We built a fort...right in our living room! It took me a bit to get a "good" one constructed - an obvious reminder to myself that I did not grow up creating play forts! I was more of the "My Little Pony" type, but hey...for my first attempt at a fort, I think it turned out pretty fun! Bear Cub loved it! He called the side sheets "garage doors" (have I mentioned in previous posts that he LOVES garage doors and how they open and close??) so he had a blast with this!

This fort even came with plush furniture! That's my kind of "roughin' it!"

Our fort from the outside...notice the little hand reaching out for the car...

Well, look who joined in the fun! She came in once the snack bowl was put into the fort!

We brought the trike inside...he's finally getting to the point where he can get a few pedal rotations in now! Yippee!!

We were able to go on a walk after dinner. I was pushing him along when all of a sudden he pointed to the sidewalk and called out, "TURTLE!" We were like, "WHAT?!?!?" And sure enough, there was the tiniest turtle that I've ever seen. Wow...he's got some good eyes on him! He held this little turtle until we got him placed safely back in the grass. He was so happy with himself after we told him that he "saved the baby turtle." He talked about that a lot tonight!

Putting the turtle back in the grass...

Look at that little guy!

A rainy day...

Well, finally the rain has come to our area! I waited all day yesterday, thinking we'd be getting some stormy weather, but all we got were a few sprinkles and some wind. It actually felt GREAT outside, so Bear Cub, Zoe and I spent a lot of our time playing outside. The golf course was closed, so we roamed the greens, went for some bug hunts and visted neighbors. So today is our inside day. It's been a steady, nice kind of rain for the past few hours. Just the right kind of weather to stay at home and relax. Hopefully the storm system will not be too destructive as it continues to head up the east coast of Florida.

Anyway, just a quick update to let you know that all is well in the land of Bear Cub. I'll try to post again soon....

Acrobatics, Sea World, a Haircut and THE STORM

Hello everyone! We've had a busy few days around here. Of course, the biggest news for Florida right now is Tropical Storm Fay, that is on her way on up the state as I type. So far, we've just had some cloudy, breezy weather, but we are in for some major rain later today and into the night. No real worries -- we've stocked up on Vienna Sausages, so we're good to go! :)


Yesterday we were able to go to Sea World with some of our favorite friends - Aunt Julie and Little Miss! We had a great few hours of checking out the sea life and finally getting to the Shamu show. Bear Cub loved it, as always. Maybe he'll be a marine biologist one day? And he can look back and thank his Mama for taking him to Sea World SO many times. :) I like it just as much as he does!


Last night, when I returned home from the gym, Bear Cub ran to the door to greet me. He had been bathed and was all fresh and sweet in his jammies. So cute...I love that time of the night! Well, while I had been gone, Daddy had given him a haircut! Woo-hoo! We trimmed around his ears once...way back in March...so it was definitely time for another trim. Daddy did a great job and Bear Cub looks so handsome. I guess it took some bribing with M&Ms and a bit of a stronghold to get it done, but only tears were shed -- no blood! Thank goodness for that. :)


Enjoy the pictures from the last few days! Have a good rest of the week and for those of you in Florida...stay dry and safe!

Daddy gives the best airplane rides!

Upside down time...I think we may have a little gymnast here...

All smiles...happy as can be to back at Sea World!

Aunt Julie and Little Miss -- what a pretty pair! Both kiddos were unsure of the whole Merry-Go-Round thing. BC wouldn't even sit up on one of the sea creatures. We had to sit on one of the stationary benches. Whoa-- loads of fun there! ;)

Sharing a snack and anxiously waiting the start of the Shamu show!

A few shots of his new haircut...lookin' good! :)

The Prince & the Pea

Lately, Bear Cub has had a fascination with trying to put kernels of corn or peas into his ears while we eat. Why? I'm not so sure...my only answer is this: BECAUSE HE CAN. There's a hole, so why not put something into it? We are doing our best of telling him no, saying that he'll get a boo boo, and trying desperately NOT to laugh while we discipline our son on such a matter. Oh my. He is so goofy sometimes that it's all we can do to control our laughter.

Well, tonight at dinner he discovered that his nostrils were indeed holes that food could also be placed into. It was the peas tonight. We caught sight of him going for it, and were quickly able to get him to stop. But little did we know that he's ALREADY sneaked a pea up one nostril while we innocently buttered our corn muffins or something. That rascal! We took a peek up his nose...and there it was. Beyond fingers reach and heading north to uncharted territories.

Ok...at this point in my story, I must stop and make a confession. When I was three years old, I too, stuck a pea up my nose and ended up in the emergency room, having to be held down while a pair of long, thin tweezers grabbed that sucker and saved me from a lifetime of nasal congestion. I don't remember this at all, but I've heard the story often enough that I know the gory details. **

So Daddy jumped up from the table, headed to the bathroom for some tweezers, and I tried to get Bear Cub to "blow" his nose. He doesn't know how to do this...what was I thinking?? In my mind, I was already thinking, "Ok...which urgent care center should we go to on a Sunday evening?"

Well, wouldn't you know, in this scramble, Bear Cub put his pointer finger on the unclogged side of his nose and BLASTED that pea right out! It was like a bolt of lightning, heading right towards Zoe, who was patiently waiting for something to drop from his high chair. I'm sure this is NOT what she was wanting or expecting. :)

It was all that we could do not to burst into hysterical laughter because the whole thing was SO funny. The look on BC's face as he shot that pea out of his nose was priceless. He thought it was all a big joke! So again, we were faced with putting on our serious "You can't do that!" faces while trying our best not to laugh.

Needless to say, the rest of his peas were eaten off a fork -- which were put on by ME and he lost all finger access to anything too small and tempting for the rest of the meal.

So there you have it...the tale of The Prince & the Pea. Glad the prince came out on top ...

at least this time, he did!

** My great-aunt also told a story of putting a blueberry up her nose as a young girl. She claimed to have never seen it again. Hmmmmm....maybe this sort of thing runs in my family?? :)

Busted...

Yeah, so my lovely niece caught sight of the GIANT Reece's wrapper on the counter from my pie post. Did anyone else notice that?? Go ahead...scroll down and check it out, it's there!
Yup, couldn't resist it at the store and YES, I joyfully ate that while baking my pie. If you haven't tried the giant cup yet...it's a must! Whoever thought of the chocolate and peanut butter combo was an absolute genius.

Love ya, Hannah! :)

"Night night!"

Night-night cars! Notice how they are upside down, in full "sleeping" position!
That smile of his...oh my, it can melt the world away...

Bear Cub has really gotten into pretending lately and it is just so cute to watch (and listen to!). He is getting more into his Fisher Price "Little People" sets and likes to make the people "walk" and "talk to each other." Also, he likes to put things to bed and when he does this, he flips things over onto their backs. He does this with his cars even! :) I love to watch him play and hear his little whisperings of whatever he may be pretending. Here are a few pictures of him going "night-night" with his cars yesterday.

Along the same line, last night was THE FIRST time that BC said "Night-night, Mama" as I closed his door to his bedroom after rocking with him. Ok...he's said it before, but with prompting from Daddy, so this was a great first for me! Of course, I told him good-night again, blew my usual kisses, said I loved him, and closed his door with a BIG smile. My little boy told me good-night...all by himself! :) Something like this just makes my day and I cherish it as one of my many Proud Mama Bear moments that I've had with my son. :)

Next thing I'm waiting for: The spontaneous, "I love you!" Hopefully that is soon to come....

Kitchen math...

One messy counter

+

A plate full of poorly cut peaches

=

A homemade raspberry peach pie!

Yes, I was feeling domestic on Monday...just call me Betty Crocker! :)

I was quite pleased with it myself (just a little side joke for my best cuzzies out there!)

The Olympic Spirit

In honor of the Beijing Olympics:

Ok, so not REALLY, but the timing just happened to be perfect! On Friday, the day of the Olympic's Opening Ceremony, we received this cute outfit in the mail from Grandma & Grandpa S. They had just returned from a trip to San Francisco and bought him this little get-up in Chinatown. Thanks, G & G! :) He was ready to show his Olympic spirit!

Speaking of the Olympics -- we are hooked, as usual! We watched only part of the Opening Ceremony (wish we could have seen it all) and WOW was it amazing! When I see another country, such as China, which truly looks beautiful, it makes me want to see more of the world. Something as big as the Olympics makes me realize that we live in such a tiny piece of the world and that there is SO much more out there. I want Bear Cub to know about these "faraway" places, because as I learned from traveling to Russia, the world really isn't such a huge place after all. You just have to make the commitment to explore and be willing to travel. Amazing cultures, people, and scenery, ALL over this great world of ours...I want to dust off my passport and GO!

Two two-year-old tots (say that 5 times fast!)

Hello everyone! Hope you had a great weekend. We had a busy and fun-filled one with our trip to see my best friend and her family in Jacksonville. She and I have been friends since third grade, believe it or not! We practically had every class together in high school, which led people to believe that we were attached at the hip, or that we were even the same person. Then we even went on to live together for FOUR years during college --- and yes, we are still best friends. Now how's that for a true friendship?

She and her husband also have a two-year-old (and another bouncing boy on the way in October!) so Bear Cub and B had such fun. It was great to see them actually interacting some on this trip - wanting to do the same things and following each other around the house. B is 4 months older than Bear Cub, so he likes to try engage him in some real conversation...well, Bear Cub just hasn't figured out how to respond when another CHILD talks to him. But, just the fact that the boys played SO well together and like being with one another was awesome. Bear Cub will pick up his end of the conversation soon enough, I'm sure. :)

Here are some pictures from our quick trip. We had fun just playing inside the house and also at their great community pool. Bear Cub is officially a fish now and scares us with his fearlessness of the water. He will jump in from any point on his own now - so you REALLY have to be ready for him! We are trying to decide if another few weeks of some kind of swim lessons would be beneficial for him this summer. B also did really well - he even did some jumps and did some great kicks! Both boys will be cruisin' the pool on their own in no time! Enjoy! :)

B says, "Come on in, the water is nice and warm!"

Here they are...investigating the highly-fascinating drain. Only boys would think this was so cool!

Two proud Mamas - isn't she just adorable pregnant??

"Let's destroy the bookshelf! Ok! That sounds like FUN!!"

Cutie-pie B...check out that gorgeous smile and THOSE CURLS!

Chowing down at breakfast -- oh yes, Zoe came with us, so she also had a great time with their dog, Roscoe. I think they wore each other out with all their chasing! :)

Random pics from around our house

He had just woken up from his nap when he discovered that I'd been sucking on this lollipop. Actually, it was HIS lollipop that I snuck from a goody bag of his (hey, I wanted something sweet!) so it only serves me right that I lost it back to him. He took very small and careful licks, making me really wonder, "How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop??" A lot for this guy!
Ahhhh...what a serious look this is. I'd love to know what he thinks about when he has this expression. Check out those wispy curls!
He needs a red cape on in this this picture...Bear Cub will save the day!
Say "Cheese!"
His new fave book -- we discovered it in his closet the other day. Fergus is a Westie...just like our Zoe, which makes us appreciate it all the more!

Here he is...cracking up at the picture of Fergus chewing on his monkey toy. Bear Cub finds this picture particularly funny each time we read the book!