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!! :)