The other man in my life...

I mostly blog about the "lil" man in my life, Bear Cub, but there is another VERY important man that deserves a little attention...my amazing and wonderful husband! I want to wish him a very, very happy birthday and let him know much I love him. He is caring, oh so considerate, funny, and makes both BC and me so very happy.

So, here's to the "big" man in our house!

Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you...WE LOVE YOU!

School update...

Hi everyone! Well, Bear Cub officially completed his first week of school today! Granted, it was only 2 days, but still, we made it! As you saw from the photos, he looked absolutely adorable on his first day (a mother can brag every once in a while, right??) and he did pretty darn good, I'd say! There were no tears on Tuesday OR Thursday morning and much to my excitement, he was in the SAME outfit by the end of the day as what he started in. What does that mean, exactly? No potty accidents! Yay for BC! He's getting to be such a big boy!

We all know that he's a bundle of energy, and he happily showed that off to his teachers too! He needs some practice sitting still at appropriate times, but I KNOW that with each day of school, he'll get better and better at that. His teacher seems great - very sweet, yet very structured and on top of her class's behavior. I LIKE this! Control is a fantastic thing in a classroom! Bear Cub was able to tell me what books she read, who cried during class, what he did on the playground, and the fact that he spilled his applejuice at snacktime. I was very curious to know if the provided information was indeed true, and true to his word, it was! I asked his teacher about some of the things and he definitely reported back to me accurately. I really wondered how much he would share, but I found that as each day worn on after school, I got more and more info out of him.

I am SO proud of him!!!!!! I think back to the 13-month-old baby that we brought home, the one who cried around other kids and wanted NOTHING to do with social situations. Just 2 years later, he happily goes into a classroom, waves and says "Hi!" to people, and truly tries to be friends. He's learning, he's growing, he's changing...and it's amazing to watch.

Next week, they "study" the letter M, family and octogons! What a combo! :) He gets to bring something from home that starts with an "M" --- I'm anxious to see what he chooses! He also needs a family photo, so we'll have to dig one out that includes Zoe, since he's been dying to brign her to school! Not sure if that will happen, but at least a picture can go! :)

Have a great weekend ahead!

BC's First Day of School

BC standing outside of his school

"Cheese, big boy!" Wearing his new backpack and of course, a new shirt! You can't start school without a new shirt on!

All smiles while eating his waffle this morning. He wanted me to read his "Dora Goes to School" book while he ate. :)

Helping Ms. Teresa find his cubby to put his backpack in.

There he goes! Straight into his classroom!

BC with his 2 teachers...impossible to get him to look at me when there's cars on the floor...

On our way! Walking like a big kid! That big backpack on him made me smile ALL the way there!

A puffy-eyed Mommy and BC... you can tell by the looks of me that I had a restless night last night!

Here he was, as I was leaving...he was busy playing!

He's officially a "Barnyard Buddy!"

Well, we did it! I just successfully dropped my lil man off at his first day of preschool! He seemed happy to go this morning and was such a BIG boy! He walked all the way there, wearing his spiffy (yet HUGE) new backpack! What a trooper. He headed straight to the train table at the Center Area, but I was able to get him into his classroom without too much of a fuss. He helped his teacher put his backpack away, found the cars, and went straight to playing! I helped him go potty there, gave him a hug and kiss, and said, "See you after lunch!" He held on tight for a bit, but I got him distracted and was able to quietly slip out. Oh my goodness. Did I cry? No, not there. Just while I packed his lunch last night, while trying to fall asleep, and then again this morning once I got on the phone with Daddy Bear to tell him about our big boy. :) I am so proud of him and know that he'll have a great day. But I will be SO happy to go get my lil man at 12:00 today! I can't wait to hear how he does. Have a great day! I need to get busy around here, so I don't have too much time to dwell on the significance of today. Enjoy the photos of our handsome school boy!

Tomorrow is...

Bear Cub's first day of PRESCHOOL!! :)

Here he is, with his new "Transformers" backpack, soccer ball lunch box, and COOL frog folder! Has he ever seen Transformers? Um...no...but that is what he insisted upon! He has a few of the toys, and a big collection of Daddy's from when he was little. So, after a bit of searching, we finally found his backpack. Phew!

You know how he loves frogs these days...this folder is just PERFECT for him!

This came in the mail last week, inviting us to his school's Open House this past Saturday. We were able to meet his teachers (both seem VERY nice!) and check out his classroom. He found the toy section right away, and seemed happy to be there! He'll be going Tuesday and Thursday mornings, from 8-12. He'll have lunch at school and then I'll pick him up. I'll be sure to get lots of pictures tomorrow -- of our baby going to school! OH MY!! :)

Here we go...

Lovin' the BEACH

The beach is the best place for BC because he can just RUN all he wants, with no real worries!

Getting some fishing lessons from a man on the beach

Checking out some AWESOME frogs (BC was in heaven!) at the hotel's little pond. We saw so many!

Swimming in the pool! (Well, it's really only about a foot deep, but he really tried to swim!)

Last week, Bear Cub, Mimi and I (and yes, Zoe, too!) headed to St. Pete Beach for some fun in the sun (with one GREAT storm built in, too - I love those beach storms!). It was so fun and absolutely beautiful! We never did leave the resort, staying in our swimsuits and cover-ups the ENTIRE time we were there. It was great - so relaxing! BC loved the ocean, looking for shells, and just digging EVERYTHING into the sand (including his own head...yea). Even though we were only an hour from home, it really felt like a true getaway and made us appreciate and remember the beautiful setting that we live in around here! We are very lucky! Enjoy the pictures from our fun couple of days -- as with any vacation, it was hard to get back to reality once we were home. Ahhhh....beach life is just so IDEAL, if you ask me! :)

Last weekend's trip to Epcot

Checking out some fish with Daddy

Not sure what caught his attention...something WAY more interesting than the camera!

He LOVED this model train outside of Germany...he watched it forever - and could have stayed all day had we let him!

My two handsome fellas

Bear Cub is ALL about Daddy when he is home -- Daddy can do no wrong! BC wants to hold his hand, ride on his back (like this), have him read to him, brush his teeth, you name it...he wants his Daddy! :)

We just keep on running around here!

Hi all! Wow, almost another week gone! Hope it's been a good one for you! We've been busy - as usual, it seems! We spent a couple of nights with Mimi this week, doing a little shopping for the house...well, not SHOPPING, really, but lots of looking and getting ideas. I had no intention of getting the "itch" to paint the walls so quickly here, but unfortunately, I'm feeling...well... itchy. I've been toying with a few ideas, so BC, Mimi and I had a day of fun at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I ended up more confused than anything else! There are just too many possibilities out there, so I've really decided to sit back and THINK before I act on these decorating impulses of mine. Baby steps, here...

We also spent an ENTIRE day at Tire Kingdom. UGH! What I thought was going to be a quick check of my brakes turned into an all-day event - which eventually led to a new brake booster and master cylinder. Sheesh. Do I know what all of this means? Um....no....not really, but I do know that my car now stops like it should without my foot having to go all the way to the floor. So that is a good thing! Although it was a drag of a day, Bear Cub was on his very best behavior and was SUCH a trooper throughout it all. And it was great to have my own Mama Bear there with me to help pass the time. :)

So now that we're back home again, we've been up to our eyeballs in social events!! Today we had a fun play date with little E at his house. He's the friend that took us to the fire station a few weeks back. Both boys love cars and trains, so they have a lot in common! Then it was on to McDonald's for lunch and home for a much-needed nap! While Bear Cub slept, the doorbell rang and it was a neighbor from down the street, inviting us to a "tea party" at her house. She has 2 young children and said that everyone coming was going to bring their kids too. So...off we went! I had no idea what to expect, but thought it might help me meet some new people here and give BC a chance to play with some neighborhood kids too. Well, it turned out to be a lot of fun!! Everyone was so friendly and I even came away with some digits. For baby-sitters, that is! ;) Several of the moms have very cute, responsible-looking young teens that enjoy baby-sitting. One girl lives directly across the street from us! How perfect would that be? It would be great to know that her parents were right there if she needed any help in an emergency. Bear Cub also had a great time, checking out our new friends' house, eating some adorable kid snacks (the hostess seems to have a real gift for this type of thing!) and just buzzing around with the others. I'm REALLY glad I pushed myself into going. It really made me feel welcomed to the neighborhood and gave me good feelings that yes, I will indeed have wonderful friends here too, just as I did back in Clermont.

So, there! That's my update for today! Looking forward to having Daddy Bear home again this weekend -- I do believe a trip to Epcot is in store for us this weekend. Should be fun! Enjoy the upcoming weekend!! :)

Weekend fun

Bear Cub got a very handsome haircut yesterday! He did really great there too - still needed to sit on Daddy's lap, but a WHOLE lot less squirming than his last haircut. And isn't he just the cutest in his "Cutest Kid Ever" jammies?? :) I think so!

Our family! We LOVE having Daddy home! We didn't do much except enjoy each other's company, eat at home, and relax. Can't wait to have him home all the time again!

The FUN splash park we went to with our good friends! There's BC on his way up (in the blue shirt). He had an absolute blast! Once he got the hang of the little water slides, he was up and down them all day long! It was a great visit with my friends too and their cutie-pies.

Whoooosh! Down the slide!

Here he comes! He was like a little raisin once we left for home -- he spent over 3 hours in the water! WOW! :)

Smartie pants...

I've told you BC is very into frogs these days - his favorite being ANY of the poison dart frogs.  He's obsessed, but it's a good obsession, because he is LEARNING and it's incredible!

Example:

While playing with the frogs in the water table yesterday, I heard him say, 

"Frogs are amazing amphibians!"  

WOW!!  Granted, it's a line from one of his frog books, but I was still pretty impressed.  As always, he does this teacher's heart a world of good.  :) 

(But I can't forget today's comment, when I asked him what he was going to do at his new school, he said, with a mischievous smile... "I am not going to listen to my teacher!"  Oh boy...)

Our week

Zoe...relaxing and cooling off in the water table!

BC and Zoe... he had to climb in, just like her!

The intense look of a young man devouring his SECOND bowl of mac-n-cheese...he was hungry!

More mac-n-cheese action (and yes, he was eating with his spoon!) and check out that hair...gorgeous!

The only dentist shot I got...you can see his vehicles with him...of course!  :)  He and the dentist did have a rousing conversation about Matchbox vs. Hotwheels.  So, the cars were a good ice-breaker for BC!  :)

Hello!  Well, here it is Wednesday night already - woo-hoo!  This week is going by pretty fast, although BC and I have had a couple of SLOW kind of days at home.  Like I mentioned in an earlier post, this is what I wanted, but now it's time to get out and do something!  

Ok, so we haven't been totally house bound this week.  Bear Cub had his first dentist appointment yesterday!  His pediatrician told me that at 3 years old, it was time to go in for the first check-up.  I was DREADING this, but finally made the call and was told they could take him the next morning!  I had a big internal debate with myself... Do I give him a week so we can really talk it up?  Maybe check out some library books on going to the dentist?  Or do I just hype it up BIG today and we go tomorrow?  I ended up going with the "tomorrow" option and am glad I did.  We talked some about going to the "kid" dentist and of course, there was a bit of bribery involved.  Why wouldn't there be?  Actually, I had asked the office on the phone what type of incentive they used with the kids, so I told BC all about the gold coin he could earn to go to their "Treasure Tower" with.  He liked the sounds of that!  The morning of his appointment, the first thing he said to me was, "I want to go to the kids' dentist!"  Ok!  And off we went.  

I also showed him a dollar bill and folded it up in his pocket during the appointment.  So he knew the whole time that if he let the dentist check AND clean his teeth, we would go to Target for him to choose one of the beloved Matchbox cars.  It worked!  Now don't get me wrong, it wasn't a perfect appointment, but it sure went better than I had ever dreamed of!

The exam was done with him sitting on my lap.  Ok...that wasn't TOO bad.  But then came the part where the little mirror thing had to go back into his mouth more and he got a bit squirmy then.  But again, no crying, no out of control fits, just him trying to escape from this very new and strange thing that was happening to him!  Right away, the dentist said, "Wow!  You're doing a GREAT job cleaning his teeth!"  Well, a-hem...thank you very much!  :)  Of course, that was just him looking at his FRONT teeth, but as he worked his way back, he discovered some areas that need a little extra attention.  Those dreaded areas that are just SO hard for me to get to without completely pinning my poor boy down to brush!  But, with a little practice, we'll get better.  He had no major decay or cavities and yes, his teeth even got cleaned by the hygienist!  Still, all done in my lap, but hey, for a first visit, I'd say it was VERY successful and not the least bit traumatizing...for any of us!  He did get to go to Target and was very happy to pay the cashier (all by himself!) with his dollar.  Too cute.  I was very proud of my big boy!

We've continued with our daily walks and as always, we play outside with Zoe and fill up the sand table with water for the "kids" to swim.  Zoe is so funny!  Last night, she and BC were running and playing upstairs.  I swear, both of them were sweating!  (Have you ever seen a dog sweat?  Hmmmm....well, she looked like she was!)  And all of a sudden, BC disappeared, laughing the whole time, into our bath tub and Zoe was gone.   Where did SHE go?  She headed for the OTHER tub, I'm sure looking for some nice, cool water to soak in, but to both of their disappointment, both tubs were empty.  What a pair.

Today we had our friends come to the house to play, which was really nice.  With Daddy traveling so much, I get a little lonesome for some grown-up talk, so my friend and I had a nice visit while our boys played with CARS (of course).  This was our first official play date at our new house!  I'd say it was a success...and it made me appreciate our nice playroom upstairs all the more.  What a great space!

Something random and funny that BC said the other day:

While standing up on Zoe's food container in the pantry, he calls out:  "I want a snack! (as he snoops around) I am interested in candy right now!"  

This coming from the boy who was NEVER interested in sweets.  He now tells me daily that he's "into candy" as likes to say.  How did this happen? I believe it all goes back to October 31, 2008...and that one particular SWEET holiday.  Oh boy.  Now I REALLY have to get in the back of that mouth to clean those teeth!  ;)

(My pics for today's post are not that great...but enjoy anyway!)  Have a great end of your week!

Happy August...already!

Sound asleep in the car after Disney (I changed him into his PJs before we headed home)...notice how he's still clutching his new toy monorail.  :)

Happy, happy Birthday to Mimi Bear!

Reading a good book with Mimi...all smiles!

Having fun with Grandpa at the beach!

A little Grandpa snuggle time...

Hello!  We had a great weekend with Daddy Bear at home - so good to feel like a complete family once again!  We miss him SO much when he's not here!

The theme of our week is going to be to STAY AT HOME...or at least CLOSE to home!  Last week was a blast, but totally on-the-go, so I think BC and I need a little downtime to just relax and enjoy our new home and neighborhood.  Now I say this, but every day ends up being busy, even if we just make a trip to the pool or grocery store.  It seems like there is always something to be done!

We'll start off with last Monday - BC and I headed to St. Pete Beach to spend a fun day with Grandma and Grandpa and Auntie A.  Bear Cub LOVES the beach - loves to dig in the sand, splash in the ocean, and mingle with the other beach goers.  Yes, this once fairly shy boy has come out of his shell to the point where he will now walk up to strangers and just make himself at home!  So now we're working on the difference between being friendly with a wave and a "Hi!" versus running up and hugging legs or sitting on someone else's beach chair to just hang out or "relax" as he likes to say these days.  :)  Anyway, we had lots of fun at the beach and playing in the pool.  It was a full day, so we were both zonked that night!  

Later in the week, Mimi came to our house and we celebrated her 29th birthday (again!).  :)  This year, Disney is offering free admission on your birthday, so we took advantage of that.  Since we have our passes, Mimi was able to also get in free and we enjoyed a fantastic day at Magic Kingdom.  Phew...it was H-O-T, but we all survived and enjoyed the inside rides as much as possible!  BC was a trooper and had a lot of fun.  The monorail continues to be his favorite ride...STILL.  Although he does enjoy everything else too, but the monorail is IT for him!  I think Mimi felt pretty celebrated, as most of the park staff wished her a big "Happy Birthday!" thanks to the birthday button she was wearing.  That was fun!  She also discovered that LOTS of people have July 29 birthdays!  :)  She's not the only one out there...  Disney World really is the happiest place on Earth!  :)  

We made a trip to IKEA and I FINALLY bought the chair of my dreams...ok, that's a little extreme, but I finally bought the Poang chair that I've wanted for so long!  It looks great in our family room and it is so comfy!  I'll have to take a pic of that so you all can see it.  Love it!

We've been swimming, playing at our local parks, and taking LONG power walks each day.  BC has been really good riding in his stroller and letting me get my morning exercise in!  He really is a good sport and easy going most all of the time.  We have seen lots of changes in him lately - just signs of general maturity and growing up.  He says some of the cutest and funniest things and keeps us on our toes constantly!  His latest obsession is FROGS.  He's always liked them, but since buying a new pack of tiny frogs at the zoo last week, he's been crazy for them!  He requested frog books from the library, we do "frog hunts" around the house, and he even asks to look at web sites about frogs!  He's really into them, that's for sure!  He told me today that one of his frogs was an "American Bullfrog."  Oh really?!?!  He also is determined to catch a poisonous dart frog, despite me telling him they only live in the rain forests of the Amazon.  Hey, he is one determined little man!  :)  

Enjoy the pics from the last week!  Hope you have a great week ahead.  We'll be hanging out, relaxing, and catching up on some much needed home time.  It's great to be busy, but it's great to have some time to just 'be' for a bit too.  We'll be buzzing around town again soon!  :)  Take care!