Giving thanks...

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving holiday! It is a special day to really take time and reflect on all the good fortunes we do have in life. It's easy to push those thoughts aside when we get thrown into the daily stresses and chaos of life. But tomorrow, as always, I am forever thankful for what matters most in this world to me.... my family and loved ones.

Best wishes to you all. I'll be sure to post some new pictures soon of my own lil' turkey. :)

Bear Cub niceties...

Just a quick post to share a some Bear Cub politeness.

Tonight, as BC was "helping" turn on the Christmas lights, I made some kind of comment like, "Daddy made our house look so pretty with these lights!" and BC quickly looked up from his stroller and said happily, "Good boy, Daddy!!" :)
How's that for making you feel appreciated?!?!

Earlier today, he also complimented me with the same comment...yes, but this time it was "Good boy, MOMMY!" I had to explain that he needed to say "Good GIRL" to me, just like he does with Zoe. Ahhhh....it'll all come in time.

Gobble! Gobble! (or in the words of BC when asked what a turkey says...."Bock! Bock!")

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!

Ok, ok...it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but wow, you can't help but feel the Christmas spirit when ALL the stores are decorated and playing holiday music! I am so excited about Christmas this year for Bear Cub. We've read Santa books all year long, so he knows all about him and continually tells us that "Santa bring car, " or "Santa bring airplane." He also loves all of the "Trissmas trees" that we see out and about. I can hardly wait to go pick ours out and get decorated! He has told me he wants a "tall and skinny" tree and he is ready to help Mommy decorate with ornaments. Yippee!!

Well, enjoy the pictures from the last week. We had a really busy, fun one! Our weather has been chilly and beautiful, so we spent a lot of time outside playing and going to the park. We made a trip over to see our good friends "Aunt" Julie and Little Miss and the kids had a great time playing. It is so cute to watch them together now -- and boy, when they hug each other, they hug HARD! They even fell over after one of their big embraces. Bear Cub and I also went to a fun birthday party yesterday where he played with (well, around) some kids his age. It is amazing for me to step back and just watch him interact with others, because not-so-long-ago, he would have cried and clung to my legs when approached by other kids. It is so wonderful to see him smile, play, and and try to communicate with other children. It does this Mama's heart a world of good. :) Like I've said before, he's just growing up, right before our very eyes! We love him so much and are just so very proud of our boy. :)

Have a great week ahead!

He woke up early from a nap and wanted to lay on the couch...didn't take long for him to be snoozing away again. What a sweetheart!

Big hugs between BC and Little Miss!

I love this one...little hands and nose with Zoe...that's one her of new birthday balls. Well, it WAS, I should say. She quickly destroyed it. Sweet, but short-lived...

Rolling and playing outside...I believe he said something like, "Roll like Zah" - you know, he really looks up to his big sis (dog). He even likes to bark with her!

A game he created...it's the "Oh no! My jeep is stuck! Who is going to save it??" Game

Bear Cub to the rescue!

Ever wonder how many people can fit into a laundry basket? Well, now you know!
** Do not attempt this at home. This stunt for professionals, only!**

Bear Cub-isms...

It is too funny to hear Bear Cub use some of our expressions. He mimics them almost perfectly, even down to the intonation of voice. Here are just a few that we're hearing these days:

"Oh my good!" -- meaning "Oh my goodness!" (yeah, that one is from me)

"What in world?" -- meaning "What in the world?" He likes to use this one after he's made a mess of some kind, pulled off an article of clothing, or is just acting generally surprised about something.

"Dood dirl!" -- meaning "Good girl!" He says this to Zoe after she goes potty or sits for a treat.

And a little conversation he and I had late last week, as we were walking out of the grocery store:

BC: "Neave Mama at Publix." (Leave Mama at Publix.)
Me: "What?!?! You're going to leave me at Publix? What are you going to do?"
BC: Drive Mama's truck. Mama get tookie (cookie) and new tar (car).

So I was basically being bribed with a cookie and a new car if he could take the truck for a spin. Yeah, I see how it's going to be.... ;)

Love this weather!!

Zoe opening her birthday gift from Mimi...with the help of her lil bro!

This is Zoe and Bear Cub's cousin, Maverick (being pushed by Aunt Amanda!). Bear Cub had no interest in riding in his stroller on one of our walks, so Maverick happily rode along. He loved it and did not try to get out at all! Auntie Amanda might just have to invest in a doggie stroller for him!! :) Too cute.

Hi everyone! I hope you had a nice weekend! We spent Saturday and the night with Grandma and Grandpa and had a great visit. We celebrated Aunt Stephanie's birthday and had an early Thanksgiving dinner together since we'll all be scattered for the actual holiday. Bear Cub did SO well - even without a nap on Saturday! He loved looking at and playing with Grandpa's car collection and was very social and talkative with everyone. It was a lot of fun! We also got to visit with Mimi for a while on Sunday before returning home.

Also on Sunday, Zoe turned SIX!! Yes, we keep track of our first born's birthday. ;) She had a great time, as she spent the night with Mimi, got some fun, squeaky presents and then had a birthday breakfast of scrambled eggs on Monday morning. One of these days I'll have to scan in a picture of BABY Zoe...she was (and still is) absolutely the cutest puppy you'd ever lay eyes on. At least in my opinion...she is my baby girl, after all! :) Happy Birthday, Zo-Zo!!

So here it is Tuesday already and we are loving our cool weather here in Florida!! It feels so good to wear jeans and a sweatshirt comfortably for a change. Bear Cub and I met up with some friends this morning at the park and enjoyed being outside. Tomorrow it's over to Little Miss's house for some play time and then our usual library story time on Friday.

It's hard to believe that next week is Thanksgiving already! October was a very slow month for me, but wow, November is flying! I have a good start on my Christmas shopping and some great ideas for those that I still need to buy for, so I'm feeling pretty good with all of that. I really want to enjoy the holiday and bask in the wonder of it all, seeing it through the eyes of a two-year-old. Sounds good, right?!?! Let's hope I can stick to that sweet thought....

It may be messy...

...but wow, is it good! Oatmeal, anyone??

Just one kiss...

Here are some photos of a little game that Bear Cub likes to play. Any time we are lying down, he says something like, "Mama or Daddy go night-night...wake up with tiss (kiss)." So we obediently close our eyes and wait for him to come up and give us the magical kiss that will wake us up. It is so cute! I love to peep one eye open to see his sweet little face coming my way, all serious and puckered-up, ready to wake his Mama up. :)

I feel like it's been hard for me to keep the blog updated lately, since BC seems to be saying GOOD-BYE! to an afternoon nap. Yikes! He will fall asleep in his car seat, but if it's been longer than 10 min. or so asleep, it's impossible for me to make the quick transfer from car to bed. So, I've spent several afternoons parked in a shady spot, reading a book, and letting the man snooze in his car seat. My leisurely blogging hour in the afternoon has been non-existent! As with everything else, things will change and eventually we'll be back to a good, solid nap here at home. At least that's what I hope for...

We've had a really busy week. We've been to the park a couple of times and to 2 different elementary schools, making the visiting rounds with my teacher friends. Bear Cub seems to enjoy our trips to school - making friends with all the teachers and trying to keep up with the 'big kids.' In fact, today, my friend's class was in a line on their way to lunch when I told BC that we would just go wait back in the classroom for my friend. He looked up at me and said, "Bear Cub (ok, he used his real name, not the nickname!) do dat!" and he quickly stepped into line with the second graders. He smiled at me, so proud and happy, and of course, my heart melted, knowing that just in a couple of years, he will indeed be "doing dat" on a daily basis. Oh my.

Tomorrow it's story time at the library, which last week he did GREAT with! One of my friends there even commented on how "engaged" he seemed to be. He sat in a chair all by himself and didn't wiggle or run the entire time. My little squirm bug surely is growing up, right before our eyes! :)

Have a wonderful day and weekend ahead! :)

Conversations...

Bear Cub and I have MANY conversations throughout the day. Some are short and sweet, and others can go on and on. They are always cute and it's amazing to hear how much BC's language and vocabulary has grown. In fact, just today, he pointed to a one-wheeled tool and said (pretty clearly, too!), "unicycle!" WOW!

Here's a funny conversation we had at the park. I'll preface it with the fact that there were lots of big kids there due to schools being closed today. There was one boy that was climbing higher and higher up into a tree...

BC on the swings, points and says: Dat big kid twimb tree.
Me: Yup, he's going up and up, isn't he??
BC: Dat big kid like squirrel.
Me: Yeah, you're right! That's pretty funny.
BC: Dat big kid crunch acorns!
Me: You think so?
BC: Dat big kid twimb up and get acorn down.
Me: Well, you never know...let's just hope he doesn't crunch any of those acorns that he does bring down!!

So you can see that he was pretty interested in the big kids today at the park and as always, he's fascinated with squirrels AND acorns! :)

Magic, Mickey, and...THE Monorail!!

He clapped at the end of each ride...too cute!
2 peas in a pod...

Having some fun steering Donald Duck's boat...

Mama Bear looking slightly nauseous on the spinning tea cups...The 'ol equilibrium just ain't what it used to be!

Very serious and watching out for the MONORAIL!!

We had a really nice weekend! Saturday was pretty low-key and relaxing, which was nice. But Sunday, we had a very full and fun day as we went to Disney World! This is actually Bear Cub's second time going (these kids near Orlando are just so spoiled!) and he was a real trooper! We were able to get in for free, thanks to a friend whose wife works for Disney. Let me tell you, if it weren't for her generosity, we probably wouldn't have even been ONCE yet!! It is so expensive, so we really appreciated the kindness of these friends.

We parked at Epcot, and once we had our tickets, we boarded the monorail and headed to the Magic Kingdom. Bear Cub knows about monorails, since one of his books has some pictures of different trains. He LOVED the monorail rides!! Luckily (for BC, anyway!) we had to take 2 monorails going and coming -- I swear, he would have been happy to just ride those all day long!

He had a lot of fun and enjoyed the rides that we were able to get on in Fantasy Land. Most everything you ride in is some kind of boat or flying contraption, so he thought that was great! I think we did about 5 or 6 rides in the Magic Kingdom, walked around some to enjoy the sights, and then we headed back to Epcot for the last couple of hours of our outing.

In Epcot, we rode a cute ride that was all about "Finding Nemo." Now, Bear Cub has never seen this movie, but he really got into this!! It was cute. Maybe Santa will have to think about bringing something Nemo-ish now... Hmmmmmmmmm....

At around 3:00, he finally konked out in his stroller and we sat for a while to let him sleep and to people watch. Epcot was really crowded since it was the final day of the "Food and Wine Festival." Knowing that we'd gotten in for free, there was no pressure to see and do everything, which made our day so much more enjoyable. We were in the parks for about 7 hours, all of which Bear Cub was happy and willing to roll with the punches....and even the fairly short lines that we had to wait in.

What a fun day for us! Disney World still gives me the same feeling that it did when I was a little girl. I get so excited and I love to see the sights and hear the sounds as much as the kids do. Maybe it really is "the happiest place on Earth...." :)

Enjoy the pictures....Bear Cub is pretty intense when on a ride, so there aren't any of him really smiling, but I SWEAR he had a fun time! :) Just no photo proof of that... he is one serious guy when it comes to boats, trains, and things that go!

Happy weekend to you all!!

He thought it was cool to have his crayons come out of this cement mixer...he's always up to something imaginative!
Doing a little reading on his own...he was so cute as he whispered quietly to himself and then turned the pages. Does he know how to read?? Hmmmmm....

Making "car oatmeal" as I cooked dinner one night... He's a great little helper and cook!

Here are just a few pictures from the last week. Here it is, Friday already! We had dreary and gloomy weather during the beginning of the week, but we are back to our typical sunny, gorgeous Florida Fall. Yeah for that! Bear Cub is finally getting over his cold and getting rid of those "boogey-woogies" as he calls them. That's a good thing. :)

Have a great weekend ahead ... I'm sure I'll get some better pictures to post in the next couple of days!

Table talk at our house...

So, just a quick funny to share with you. While still at the table last night, Daddy decided to have a piece of pecan pie. Bear Cub was happily in his high chair, just chattering away, as usual. All of a sudden, he looked over at his Daddy, who at this point had a BIG bite of pie heading towards his mouth, when BC pointed his finger and said in a very authoritative way, "Poop! Dat poop!"

Bet you'll never think of pecan pie the same way again... I know we won't! We had a big laugh over that one. Daddy said, "No, it's pie...do you want to try a bite?" Bear Cub looked at him as if he had 3 heads and said firmly, with his hand out in from of him, "No tanks." :) Too funny.

Don't forget to leave me a quick comment! It's been fun to read the few comments that I've gotten. Keep 'em coming! :)

I'm curious...

...to know who is out there reading this Bear Cub blog of mine! I'm wondering if it's just the family and friends that I've shared the site with? Or do I have other readers out there that have found us through some other blogs?

Do me a favor...click on the little green link below that says something about "Comments." Just follow the directions and leave me a little note so I can see who reads this masterpiece of mine. ;) ha, ha

You can leave your name or just click on Anonymous, if you like.

So come out of hiding and say hello! I look forward to reading your friendly comments! ;)

Have a great day!

What a couple!

Who is this handsome couple, you may ask? This is a photo of Bear Cub's GREAT-grandparents who have recently been married 63 years! Congratulations! We should all aspire to have a married life as full and rich as theirs has been and will continue to be.
And by the way...they're just as adorable NOW as they were then! :)
We love you, Grandma & Grandpa!

Phew! And it's on to November...

Getting a magic carpet ride from Grandpa...
Reading a great book -- "Cars and Trucks and Things That Go!" by Richard Scarry. This is a good one for ANY child...there are so many pictures to talk about it in this book!

Getting a tickle and sharing a laugh...

Pumpkin carving time! Not too sure about touching that gooey stuff!

In his, "I'm so cute, it's scary" pajamas on Halloween night

Helping Mama make "tooties" for our Halloween party -- no fear... these cookies were saved just for our family's eating...no friends were exposed to these!

Halloween day...eating a lollipop already and wearing his "Monster in training" shirt

Hi everyone! Yeah for the end of October! For some reason, it was a very long month for me, so I'm happy to be on to the next. I think the agony of finding that duck costume just about wore me out! ;) As you've probably read, we had a fantastic Halloween and Bear Cub really got into the Halloween spirit this year. Just imagine what he'll be like next year!! The rest of the weekend was very nice. Saturday I was able to do a little Christmas shopping by myself and my fellas went to a park and played. Then yesterday, Grandma and Grandpa came over to our house for the day and we enjoyed a nice lunch at home and some play time. We hadn't told Bear Cub about their visit, so once they were getting closer, we went ahead and unlocked the front door for them to just come into the house. BC was rounding the corner near the door when they walked in...it was so cute because he just froze for a second and then with a BIG smile he said, "Dramma, Drampa!!" I'd say he was happy to see them!

Let's see...other news around here...well, poor BC has a chest cold and a really goopy nose that caused some sleeping issues last night. So I ended up sleeping on the twin bed WITH him last night. He slept fine as I received a few punches to the head and kicks to the stomach from that squirmy sleeper! So....thinking about his crib that he USUALLY sleeps in. I have a feeling it's on its way out because one day last week he wanted to nap in the "big boy" bed and last night he wanted to lay down on it again. And right now, as I type, he is sleeping once again on that twin bed. Oh me, oh my. Time to get those bed rails, I guess. Our crib days might be numbered. Let the night house roaming begin...

Enjoy the pictures from the past few days (a little out of order) - leading up to Halloween and from the weekend. Hope you all have a wonderful week ahead!