It's a boy's life, for sure!

Observing the grubs he found while Daddy dug up some sod for our paver project.

Oh yes, he even handled the grubs...and LOVED every minute of it!

3 cool toads that he caught on one of our "night walks"!!

The frog scientist carefully holds his latest specimen...

Ahhhh...winters in Florida...short sleeves and popsicles! :)

It's beginning to FEEL a lot like Christmas...

Bear Cub, Mimi Bear, and I leave this coming Friday to see Aunt J in New Mexico! Yay! Well, it is VERY cold there right now, so we had to break out the winter gear (which is mostly hand-me-downs and random pieces) to "practice" for our upcoming trip. I thought FOR SURE that BC would freak out over the gloves, but we told him that he would "become a frog" once he put them on and they would be his "sticky toe pads" and sure enough...the boy was hooked. He hopped around and played frog for a long time that night! Hopefully he'll be this eager again to bundle up once we need to for real... Brrrr! 12 degree lows are going to be a BIT frigid for these Florida folks! What in the world does that feel like?!?!

Sticky toe pads help you climb walls...

Checking out his transformation into THE FROG. Oh, the things we say and do to get what we want...

Trying on Daddy's ski hat....hmmm....maybe a bit big?

This is typically what Bear Cub looks like...always on the MOVE! Here he is, dashing around the outside of our clubhouse this evening, getting ready to head in for our Santa Story Time activity. It was crowded, but fun and he looked adorable in his new Christmas p.j.s! Thanks again to our MA cousins!! :)

In the craft and snack room...he did well decorating his stocking with the little stickers. He had NO interest in the yummy-looking cookie...only the tiny candy cane!

VERY serious when it comes to candy...

Time to talk to Santa! BC didn't want to sit on his lap, but he WAS ready to tell him what he wants for Christmas...."a stuffed kitty," "a mote & troll car (remote controlled car)," and a "subway." Interesting requests, don't you think??

Ahhhhh...there's that famous "CHEESE!"face again!

Bear Cub LEAPS into December!

Holiday review...

Our Christmas tree!! And check out our adorable Santa countdown calendar...a big, special thanks to our MA cousins for that! :) BC can hardly wait for Dec. 1 to get his first Hershey's kiss!

BC quickly lost interest in decorating and decided it was way more fun to play with the Christmas train instead!

Daddy helping him hang one of his favorites...a race car!

My 2 babies... sweet as can be!

Part of the Thanksgiving crew! BC looks like he's about to get into some trouble with that spoon...

The self-portrait... check out those blue eyes on my man! :)

My pretty Mama (the hostess with the most-ess) and me! :)

2 silly sisters...aren't they cute?!?!

Bear Cub hanging out with Uncle Gene - in the kitchen, of course! :)

Hi all! Well, here we are...on our way to Christmas now! I can't believe it...although we are fully decorated here and shopping for Bear Cub is D-O-N-E. This year was so easy to choose things for him, because basically, as long as it's a toy...he LOVES and WANTS it. :) Christmas is going to be so fun for him (and us!) this year!

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving at my mom's...having a fairly quiet celebration with my aunts and uncle. We had beautiful weather, delicious food, and best of all, a wonderful family to be with. I really am continuing to remember all that I am thankful for and all of the great things we have in our life. I need to do that all year long, and not just at this time of year. :)

It was so nice to have Daddy Bear home for a long weekend, too! We did some shopping (even venturing out on Friday with Mimi Bear for a bit) and also got a lot done around the house. We have a big patio/paver project in the works here, so Daddy got a lot done in the yard in preparation for the big task of putting in the pavers. I'm excited to have a place to put our outside table and chairs! :)

Well, just the usual here for us this week. Enjoying our nice weather, school on Tuesday and Thursday, and a play date with friends. This weekend Bear Cub will have the chance to meet Santa here in our community and do some fun activities too, so that will be fun (Or scary?? He's a little iff-y on the big guy).

Have a great week and let the countdown to Christmas begin! :)

Bear Cub's BIG DAY!

Yesterday we headed to our mall so Bear Cub could go to Build-a-Bear! He has wanted to do this for a long time now, always stopping to check out the bears and puppies when we shop. At school, he's been working on being a good listener and "sitter" during Circle Time and finally earned enough frog stickers to make his BIG trip to build his dream puppy! He had a blast! He knew the process (because of all of our visits to the store!) and loved actually getting to do it! Here are some pictures from our fun outing. Yay for Bear Cub...we're proud of how hard he is trying at school...what a big boy he is! :) Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Trying to decide which puppy to make....

Decision made! Here he is helping to put the "bark box" inside his puppy's paw.

He did great at helping to "fluff" his puppy!

BC hugging his puppy's heart before it went in...he also gave it a nice, big KISS!

His puppy is almost done!

Here he is, brushing and blow drying his new friend!

YAY!

Bear Cub entering in his puppy's information on his birth certificate....he officially named his puppy, "ROSCOE." (just like his friend's real dog in Jacksonville!)

All loaded up and ready to take Roscoe home!

Roscoe's first car ride...he did very well! And look how HAPPY our Bear Cub is! :)

Gobble, gobble!

At breakfast this morning, BC told me that his piece of bologna was the "vocal sac of his frog plate." Um, ya see....he LOVES frogs! :)

He's been so excited to take "night walks" after dinner...he brings the flashlight to look for...you guessed it, frogs and toads! And he usually finds them...and catches them!

At Epcot -- only some of the Christmas decorations were up there

Daddy and BC in front of the model train set outside of Epcot's Germany. BC could stand there for HOURS watching the trains go by!

All smiles in front of a mock fire truck at "Innoventions" Epcot.

Hello! Well, happy week of Thanksgiving! Bear Cub is at school this morning...a little different from his usual schedule because of the holiday week. He's recovering from some little bug...had a fever on Saturday so we stayed home all day yesterday for him to get better. He seems to be doing well! We did go to Epcot on Saturday and had a good time... had to cut our visit short once we felt how warm our lil guy was. I will say that it was REALLY nice to just spend some quality family time at home yesterday! We need to do that more often! :)

Have a wonderful week ahead! My goal for the week is to really focus on all the things that I am thankful for. It's a shame that it takes the week of Thanksgiving to get me thinking like this, because there is SO much in life to be thankful for...each and every day. So, to start off...I'd like to say that I am thankful for my friends and family that read this blog and care about Bear Cub and his family! :) I'll post more again soon... Take care!

Bad blogger alert

Hi all! Geez, I'm sorry for my lack of posting and creativity as of late! We've been busy with our usual stuff around here -- library trips, school, playing with friends, and visiting with family. Last weekend, we headed to our home town for my sister-in-law's baby shower. Bear Cub's newest cousin is due January 1 and we had a great time celebrating her on Saturday! I can't even believe this little girl's wardrobe already... it's incredible! BC's great-grandma and aunt & uncle were in town for the occasion too, so we really had a nice time seeing them. :) It all really makes me remember how thankful I am for such a wonderful family that we have, all around!

Bear Cub's biggest thing lately has been the question "WHY??" to EVERYTHING! Oh my...we have some conversations that go around and around....with each answer of mine, he turns around and asks another "Why?" question! Eventually I have to throw in the towel because I'm out of answers! He is one curious little guy - which is absolutely wonderful. And he soaks it all in, just like a sponge!

Science is definitely going to be BC's forte. You know he LOVES frogs, but he is interested in anything related to animals. This week at the library, we probably checked out 15 science-related books --- reptiles, frogs, nocturnal animals, insects...the list goes on and on! I'm excited that he loves science so much. It really makes a walk around our neighborhood an adventure because he can find any little creature imaginable and we always end up learning something. I do believe we have a future scientist on our hands. :)

I promise to post some pictures soon! I can hardly believe Thanksgiving is next week - I swear the weeks just keep slipping on by. Hang with me and the blog...I'll get back to my old ways once again soon! Have a great Friday...and an even better weekend! :)