Corn Maze!

For the second year in a row, we were able to go to the  Corn Maze with our friends Josh and Tabatha. Last year we both had an infant in a Baby Bjorn....this year we had roaming toddlers and they had a new little baby. Amazing how quickly time flies and families grow.....

Josiah was fascinated by the animals and thought running his hands through the "corn" stalks made the coolest sound of all time. After about 5 minutes of wandering through the maze, he decided it was best to be held and avoid the exhaustion of walking....smart kid....tired parents :)

This year my favorite part was the toddler play ground (a new addition!) The bounce house was a blast for the boys and Josiah discovered his love for going down fast slides all on his own (that's my boy!) His adventurous spirit and fearlessness always amazes me....and makes me anxious for all of the roller coaster rides in our future...woohoo!

Most of all, I loved watching Josiah discover, ponder, and experience new and exciting things....

Finger Painting Fun

This summer I was lucky enough to get to spend some quality time with one of my beautiful nieces. The last time I saw her she was just learning to read, in Kindergarten, and now she's nearly in middle school! We didn't have a bunch of time, but boy did  we have fun. She loved playing with Josiah and carrying him everywhere.

Here was one of our adventures....

See you next time, sweetheart....

Nights of Lights

So, pretty much I seem to have fallen off the face of the earth (or  at least the world wide web!) So much has happen since my last  post...so many memories enjoyed but not recorded. I tempted to try to recap, but let's just start with today and then maybe someday soon I can post a few "make up" stories....I'll see what I can do.

We had a great morning helping out and visiting over at my mom's new house in  Palatka (only 35 minutes away! Woohoo!) We picked oranges, chased dogs, and  Brian tackled some house projects. Josiah decided that he did not need a nap and would rather blow "raspberries" on my face to make me laugh! Boys can be so silly. He finally fell asleep at 4pm...needless to say, bedtime was pushed back a bit.

Tonight we headed out to Nights of Lights. This was the first year that Brian, Josiah and I were able to do this together.  It was short and sweet. We got there about 20 minutes before the lights got turned on, listened to some music (in the sprinkling rain) and then had some treats at Markland house. Brian and I enjoyed the delicious brownies, while Josiah drooled over blueberries...and then squished one in his stroller. Josiah loved seeing all the horses walking down the street. Really glad we went...We got to see some friends too, which is always fun.

A Birthday Letter to My Little Man....

June 29, 2011

Dear Big Boy Josiah,

Happy birthday, sweet baby boy. What a special day today is. You are 1! I have enjoyed spending the last two days reminiscing about the hours that led up to your birth and the magical first day that we saw your innocent little face. I walked through each moment in my mind and cried tears of joy more times than I would like to admit. I love you so much and I am so thankful that God saw fit to bless our lives with someone as special as you. I could not help myself from kissing your handsome face and playing with those cute little toes every time the opportunity presented itself today. As you grow older you may be curious about what you were  like on your first ever birthday.

~you love attention….always watching to see if we are watching you…and getting the biggest grin when you realized that we are

~you flirt with all the girls in restaurants…smiling with those cute dimples and waving at them as long as they will laugh and smile at you

~you are almost walking. …you’re getting brave and taking 3-4 steps at a time

~you are such a cuddle bug….20 minutes don’t go by without you checking in with mommy, giving a hug, and letting me give you kisses all over

~you would wave, blow kisses, and clap all day if you could

~you love to climb in the Tupperware cabinet and throw all the pieces all over the floor

~You want to explore every single cabinet in the house

~you love sitting on mommy’s lap and reading bedtime stories, although you’re not that interested during the day

~you get the biggest grin of your face when your daddy comes home from work and walks in the door

~when we sing our famous “dancin’ in the living room” song you bounce up and down and shake your head from side to side.

~your are constantly on the move …but will sometimes randomly come over and put your head down on us and cuddle….spending a quiet moment with your mommy or daddy

~you are constantly laughing and have an adorable sense of humor

Thank you, darling, for this amazing year…full of excitement, exhaustion, and unconditional love.

Love, Mommy

Do I have something on my face?

So last night I made some ziti with meat sauce, garlic bread and a nice salad.  Timed it pretty good so that it would be ready right as Brian walked in the door. Well it was ready and Josiah and I were sitting at the table as it stayed warm on the stove...we sat...and talked...and he got antsy just sitting so I started to feed him his dinner....we had a blast, but 40 minutes later still no Brian.


Opps...totally forgot Brian was going to play basketball after work with some guys from church!


On the bright side,  Josiah and had way too much fun with his dinner. Gotta say, Brian totally  missed out on on an awesome memory. Take a look. :)

9 months and counting

A few days ago my precious little boy turned 9 months. I cannot even begin to understand how quickly this time has gone by. It seems like just a moment ago he was swaddled in a blanket content to just take a nap with mommy. Boy how things have changed! At 9 months  Josiah....
~weights 21lbs 2oz
~is 28 1/2 inches long
~has a head that is 47cm in circumference (90th percentile...wow!)
~can crawl like champ
~can pull up on anything and everything AND get down from that position~has eight pearly-white teeth (and isn't afraid to use them!)
~can hold onto something that is rolling and walk along with it....until he realizes I am video taping
~loves to climb on Brian and I and could spend hours playing "climb the parent" during our morning cuddles in bed
~smiles and turns his face when I tell him to give me a kiss and make "kissy" sounds
~loves to look out my bedroom window especially when the trash trucks come on Friday morning
~wants to eat off adult spoons if at all possible
~would rather take a whole cauliflower and stick it in his mouth than eat a spoon of mashed up baby food
~ is an extremely determined young man. He knows what he wants and will grunt and wiggle and get to it at all costs
~Still rarely cries unless hungry, tired, or scared...or if he's in the car and wants OUT
~LOVES water...baths....showers....pools....hoses...sinks....anything.
~Finds turning on and off light switches and faucets amazing
~is always thinking. So many of my pictures of him are with his head down because he is holding, turning, pushing and trying to figure out how everything works
~loves his Daddy's guitar...both playing it and listening to his dada sing and play
We love our little munchkin more and more each day and not a day goes by where Brian or I don't look at each other and say "He's just so cute!"
Thank you Lord.

I love this town!

Brian and I took the little man out for a beautiful and breezy walk through St. Augustine. We spent a lot of time at the Fort, just enjoying the water, boats, and some quality time together.  Josiah loved pulling the grass out and hoping mommy would look away so he could taste it. What a wonderful Saturday!

Our beautiful city!

Looking for dolphins

Exploring a rock

Power to the babies!

Josiah showing his "tough guy" stance

Pulling weeds at the Fort

Fun with daddy

Daddy is dripping water on his head to make him laugh 

Homeward  bound!