A Day At The Georgia Aquarium

We took Declan to the aquarium yesterday with Uncle Chris and Aunt Lauren.  It was SO much fun!  I had a feeling Declan would like it and he did...he absolutely LOVED it.  He was very in to ALLof the animals.  It was so fun to see his little face light up and watch him take in everything. He was also a prefect angel for the almost 3 hours we were there.  He was very entertained:-)  He liked it so much when he woke up this morning he whispered "fishies?" and started doing his fish noise with a smile on his face.  Too cute!  It was also so fun to have Chris and Lauren with us.  My brother-in-law is one of the funniest people on the planet and had us all laughing the entire time.  I love hanging out with them and they are so great with Declan and love him so much.  They definitely have a special bond with our little boy.  After the aquarium we went back to our house and grilled out.  It was just a really great and fun day with family!  Oh and did I mention that this was Jason's idea?  I love it when he plans stuff and I don't have to.  Thanks, Honey for a fun day :-)

 The Beluga Whales were amazing!

 The boys :-)

 Taking it all in.

 In the water tunnel.  He was mezmerized.

 Aunt Lauren and Uncle Chris

 Shark!

 Our little family :-)

 So, Declan chose to hang out in theis tunnell for awhile.  I thought he was stuck, so Uncle Chris went in to rescue him.  He wasn't stuck, just hanging out checking out the view and sitting in a pile of some other child's pee.  Nice.  Notice the outfit change below...last picture.

 Touching the stingrays!

 He looks like such a big boy here!

 The water tunnel again.  I think he could of sat in here all day.  Uncle Chris-He wants one for his room, please!!!

 He was so calm watching them.

Poor kid!  This is the only outfit I had for him...um...it is 18 months and definitely did not fit the chunker.  Bad Mama!  Good thing all he cared about was watching the dolphins :-)

Nora, Wyatt, and Declan

Many of you know that I found out about Ms. Jeanne through a longtime friend on Facebook.  Stefanie was one of my very first friends when we moved to Georgia and we lived in the same neighborhood growing up.  We moved from that neighborhood when I was in middle school and I lost some friendships with the move. 

It is very funny how certain people come back into your lives after such a long time.  Anyway, I'm so thankful that Stefanie told me about Jeanne.  I feel like he has gotten the absolute best care with her.  Declan has also made great friends.  Jeanne also keeps Stefanie's daughter Nora, and there is another little boy that is with them named Wyatt.  They are the 3 amigos.  Declan actually starts talking about them the minute I tell him it is time to go to Jeanne's.  That makes me so happy!  It also makes me incredibly nervous to put him in daycare.  He is so comfortable and happy where he is and I hate that he has to leave his friends.  I know he will make more at his new place, but it is kind of sad. I'm hoping they will join Declan at the same daycare :-)

 Playing with Nora

 Cute little Nora

 Wyatt wasvery focused while mowing the lawn :-)

 Dinnertime!

Loved the tire swing!

Stefanie and her husband had us over for a delicious cookout.  The parents got to socialize and the kiddos had a blast playing with each other (as usual).  It was a great time with great friends new and old :-)

Monkey Song

Declan is obsessed with Bruno Mars' Lazy Song.  If you have not seen the video check it out.  It is basically Bruno Mars singing and dancing with a group of men with monkey masks on wearing sunglasses.  Declan knows some of the words and even does the motions.  You will crack up when you see him put his "hand in his pants," like the song says.  It may not be the most appropriate song for a 2 year old, but he loves it and it cracks us up!  The beginning is the best...

Coloring

I had Declan "draw" in Jason's Father's Day card.  He loved that little activity.  We had tried it before and he could care less, but now he is really into coloring.  He asks to color at random times throughout the day.  I snapped these pictures last night.  I swear, it is so hard to not teach and look at things from a mom perspective rather than a teacher.  He is my child for God's sake, not one of my students.  I'm working very hard on that.  So here I am watching our little boy color and looking at his grasp and watching him color independently and see which hand he is using consistently and if he is crossing the mid line.  Really???  He is not even two!  I have to literally take a stop back and tell myself to stop it and enjoy the moment and just be a mom.  I wonder if this is common with other parents that are educators?  At least I recognize that I do it and need to fix it.  I need to take off the teacher hat and be Declan's mom when I get home.  I'm just in awe of our little boy and all that he can do, what he knows and is capable of doing in less than 2 years.  I thank God everyday for a happy and healthy little boy!

40 YEARS!!! Happy Anniversary!!!

I was also lucky to celebrate my parent's 40th wedding anniversary on Father's Day.  Mom and I spent the day reminiscing about how she and my Dad met, how he asked her to marry him on the first date, marrying after less than 6 weeks and moving to Japan a couple days after their wedding day.  It was so neat to hear the stories my mom had to share.  I have heard them before, but I appreciate them so much more now that I'm married and have a family. 

My parents have been amazing role models when it comes to marriage and I often look to them for advice.  They have such a strong relationship and are still best friends and so in love after 40 years!  I want that so badly when Jason and I reach that milestone.  Don't get me wrong they have been through a lot and it has not always been perfect (they will tell you that themselves and don't pretend that it has been), but they have stuck it out together and have always been there for each other.  They have obviously been through so much together in the past 40 years.  Some good, some great, some bad, and some terrible.  If I even told you some things that their marriage has survived you wouldn't believe it, but they made it work.  They are a team and always have been.  Believe me...I tried to put them against each other more than once.  It never worked!

I'm so proud of my parents and thankful for the example they have set for us.  Here's to you Mom and Dad!!!  Happy 40th Anniversary!!!  I love you MORE!!!

 Toasting 40 years on the lake!

 My wonderful parents!

Father's Day @ Lake Burton

My Uncle Ted and Aunt Susan invited us to the lake along with my parents for Father's Day weekend.  We headed up Saturday afternoon and spent the early evening by the lake catching up with my aunt and uncle and letting Declan take in his surroundings.  He loved the lake!  We put on his vest...which he hates...but we were NOT going to take him near the lake without it on.  Jason and I were nervous even with him having his vest on.  He loved throwing rocks off of the dock and watching the boats and jet skis.  My parents arrived later that night and we grilled out.  Declan fell fast asleep on me on the porch.  He never does that, so he must have been very relaxed :-)

The next morning the guys went to play golf and the ladies (and Declan) enjoyed the lake.  Declan was so anxious to go to the dock.  He grabbed his pile of rocks and went to throwing them in.  Well, he overstepped the dock and fell right in head first.  Hello heart attack!  I immediately grabbed him by his vest.  It didn't phase him one bit.  My mom and I didn't panic,,,so neither did he.  I know the vest would protect him, but it still gave me a scare!  He liked telling my mom and I to jump off the deck or pushing us in.  He got in the lake a few times, but was more entertained by watching us and my aunt and uncle's 4 dogs!

After the guys got back from golf we took a boat ride.  Declan LOVED the boat.  He was in heaven!!!  We also got a chance to see the devastation that the tornado caused at lake Burton.  I had no idea the damage it caused.  It definitely made us count our blessings.

It was a perfect Father's Day according to Jason, and that made me so happy.  I know, I know, I am always saying how great he is, but it is the truth.  Watching him with Declan makes me fall more in love with him everyday.  I could not ask for a better father for Declan! 

I am also very lucky to have Scott Woodside for my Dad.  He is the most thoughtful and caring man on the planet and I'm lucky to be his daughter and so loved by him!  I was glad I could celebrate with the 4 most important guys in my life...My husband, son, father, uncle/Godfather.  I feel very blessed to have them all in my life!

 The DEW

 Foster (1 of their 4 doggies)

 Taking a swim with my boy :-)

 My Dad!  Isn't he cute?

 Uncle Ted and Aunt Susan!  Love these two so much!

 Taking it in!

 Yay!

 Wow!

 So sad!

 No more houses :-(

 Me and my baby's daddy ;-)

King of the world!

Gi Gi

 So happy!

 Smelling the flowers...

 Helping Gi Gi walk with her cane.

 LOves her great grandson!

Feeding the fish with Cyn Cyn

We went to visit my grandmother today with my mom.  Declan and I had not seen her since Easter, so it was time for a visit.  I love visiting her because I know how happy it makes her.  We cannot stay too long because she gets worn out very easily.  I know I have blogged about this before...her good days and bad days...today was a not so good day.  Maybe I feel like that because it has been awhile since I have seen her.  She recognizes us, but calls Declan "she" and "her." She is also losing a lot of vocabulary which makes it very hard to have a conversation with her.  She also complains that the staff hurts her.  I always think about the scene in the movie Happy Gilmore when she tells me these things.  I know it is not true and part of the disease.  She also says she hates the food and hasn't eaten in days, but was scarfing down a plate as we left her to eat lunch.  I leave there feeling happy because I know we (or should I say Declan) have made her day with a  short visit, but heartbroken at the same time leaving her and guilty for not visiting enough.  My mom does so much for her and goes to visit her sometimes numerous times a week.  I hurt for her too, because I can't imagine seeing my own mother like that.  She is not always nice to my mom, but my mom has definitely been very patient with her and very loving.  Even if my grandmother may not recognize it, I certainly do and just another reason why I admire, appreciate and love my mom so much.  She really is the most amazing woman on the planet!  It is just such a sick disease and I think it affects the family members more than it affects the actual individual with Alzheimer's.  They don't get it, but we do.   Hopefully with my summer hours I will be able to visit more often and we can make her smile and focus on happy things and memories while we are there....even if it is for a little while.

My Personal Chefs

Jason has been doing the majority of cooking lately, because we have been grilling out and I have no clue how to use our grill.  He is the grill master.  Anything he makes on the grill is delicious and I'm happy because all I have to do is whip up some sides to go along with it. 

So when Jason gets home after work (if Declan is still up) they get whatever we are having prepared to grill.  Declan loves to do this with his Dad and it has become some what of a routine for him.  It is so cute to hear them in the kitchen chatting and preparing the food while I'm in the other room.  It is little things like this that remind me how lucky I am to have these two, love them so much,  and cherish the little moments that happen in life.  Honestly, nothing warms my heart more than watching and listening to my boys bond.  I'm one lucky girl!

I Scream, You Scream! We All Scream For Ice Cream!

One of my students gave me a Bruster's gift card for teacher appreciation.  I do not get many gifts and do not expect them at all, so I'm shocked when I do!  His mother told me that I had to share it with Declan too :-)  So, The DEW had his first ice cream cone.  He liked it, but was way more interested in the sandbox.