EASTER FUN

Maddox is the newest member of Shoreline's playgroup. Today he experienced what every kid loves: an Easter egg hunt.

We had perfect weather.

And tons of kids/moms. The rules were laid out and then...the hunt began!

At first, Maddox thought he was supposed to put his eggs in this girl's basket. She was pretty happy with that and didn't protest.

Then, he realized that the eggs had CANDY inside. So, his strategy changed. He stopped giving away his eggs.

He was completely content with his five eggs in the end. His main focus: eating all the candy as fast as possible.... And stealing other kids' candy when they weren't looking.

But it's ok. I think all the toddlers did a bit of stealing, like his partner in crime here, Lillian.

There was plenty of sugar to go around. See? Rainbow cupcakes and homemade banana ice cream. This was a pregnant woman's dream.

Maddox's favorite thing, though, even above candy and blue Koolaid and girls with long ponytails was: the pink Dora the Explorer Big Wheel. Once he found it he didn't leave it's side. I am tempted to buy one for him. Very tempted.

All in all, the egg hunt was a success. I met some awesome women, enjoyed the beautiful weather and watched Maddox run and play with kids instead of being a clinging vine. Grandmas, watch out, your little baby is growing up!

THE GOOD LIFE

These are some of the things that make my days happier. The perfect coffee, sunshine, a beautiful view, and chubby baby feet.

Maddox's day got happier when he got a new toy - an early present from the Easter Bunny.

Plus his daddy surprised him for lunch so that put a big smile on his face.

Life here in Florida has been rather sweet lately. And that's how we like it.

GIRL TV

Maddox looks so sad as he eats his pizza. Why? Probably because I was watching a "Baby Story" again...or maybe it was "What Not to Wear." Either way, girl tv.

So, onto happy news. Andrew is almost back to normal, I am getting a CIVILIAN doctor, and we have an ice cream truck that comes through our neighborhood.

Yep, Monday was definitely better than the weekend.

VELCRO KID

Almost every time I looked down today, this is what I saw.

Then, around 7 p.m., he got over it. The Velcro Baby has become the Velcro Toddler. But I know it won't last forever, so I try my best to enjoy it.

p.s. Andrew said he has gone from 0% Saturday to 50% today, and he keeps getting better, so maybe our Monday will end up better than our weekend :)

THE WEEKEND BLUES

We were really looking forward to our weekend - time together, my yoga class, a BBQ get-together on Saturday, and Destin Commons on Sunday. Things were looking good on Friday...until I saw a bright green lizard hopping - yes, hopping - across my living room floor. I know, I know - lizards don't hop. But I swear this one was doing just that. It was a lizard hybrid monster. I screamed, grabbed the roach spray and tip-toed toward the awful thing. Maddox laughed. We chased it (me spraying at it, hoping the roach spray would do SOMETHING to slow it down) until it made the fatal mistake of hiding in front of Maddox's shopping cart wheel.

 
And that was the end of that problem.
 

But, the beginning of more weekend troubles. Andrew came home not feeling well. I was getting ready for my first prenatal yoga class so he just took some Tylenol and kept Maddox.

 

Poor Andrew. Poor Maddox. Maddox cried the whole time I was gone, staring at and touching a picture of me holding him as a newborn. He finally cried himself to sleep, Andrew said. And guess what? He slept so well! That is the key folks!

While my home was in crisis, I was enjoying time out with a new friend and working every single muscle in my pregnant body (or so it felt when I woke up this morning in pain). Yoga is relaxing at times, but sooo intense too. All in all, I loved it!

Well, onto more problems. Andrew's sickness worsened and this morning alone he visited the bathroom more times than I can count. Food poisoning? Stomach flu? Dear God, please don't let Maddox and I get that.

Of course, we skipped the BBQ, Andrew laid in bed all day, I became attached to my Clorox spray and only left the house for a soup and gingerale run. Not a good Saturday. But, maybe Sunday will improve the weekend blues :)

We feel good.

Andrew? Not so much.

ORANGE MOTORCYCLE BOOTS

What could possibly make Maddox happy on a rainy day? I found out. The list includes: helping me wash clothes and dishes, scrubbing the bathroom floor, and actual fun stuff, like running around the bookstore, getting a new book (If You Give a Mouse a Cookie...fun read), flirting with every woman in Walmart, and Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets with honey mustard.

Oh! And pot bellies and orange motorcycle rainboots, too.

He was even happier when the skies cleared and he could go outside.

See? All smiles, even on a very very dreary day.

p.s. I start prenatal yoga tonight. Wish me luck - I'll need it! And send some luck Andrew's way too. He gets to keep this little wild man we call Maddox.

YUMMY YUMMY

These four little guys are our morning visitors. They make a lot of noise until we give them bread then they go about their business.

A treat can really brighten up a day...whether you're a goose or a kid. When Maddox gets a little cranky, the fruit smoothie trick works wonders.

Throw some blueberries and strawberries in a blender with banana and yogurt...and VOILA!

You have one very messy and HAPPY baby boy!

HUMP DAY

It's only Hump Day and I'm already wishing for the weekend. Maddox hasn't been sleeping good at night, then he's up at 7 sharp ready to go outside and dictate my whole day to me. I try to spice things up a little for him every day. This morning we fed the geese. We found Target and Moes (well, maybe those last two things were to spice up MY day haha). We ventured to the park again, too, where Maddox followed a 4-year-old named Dylan around.

If Dylan crawled in the dirt, so did Maddox. Us Moms just sighed and talked about boys, boys, boys...about how they like to hit, bite and throw sand. Such is life for a boy.

Well, about these pictures - they have nothing to do with today. The first one is just plain cute so I couldn't resist posting it. It made me laugh.

The others show Maddox being Andrew's personal trainer...or something like that. Maddox laughed at Andrew doing sit-ups lastnight and tried to do some himself. Then he thought it would be extra funny if he bumped Andrew's head every time he came up.

It's a boy thing. And that would be why Maddox's favorite word remains "BUMP."

LIZA JACKSON PARK

About 4 miles from our house there is a wonderful place called Liza Jackson Park. Maddox can run wild.

And slide.

And slide some more.

Or just look at the water and the birds. I think every park down here includes water.

For almost 2 hours, he ignored his turkey sandwich and Cheetos to explore everything from dirt to swingsets (I actually put him in one of the "baby" swings and he screamed like a girl. Maybe next time.).

He was the only boy on the playground but didn't mind. At first shy, he soon opened up and even pulled a fellow toddler named Trinity down into the dirt with him. Oh, son. Why are you so rough? I guess the old nursery rhyme is true. Little boys really are made of "frogs and snails and puppy dog tails."

Back to the Real World

I got really homesick on Sunday. The best part of the day was early on, when Maddox fell asleep in the car on the way to church and woke up with one of the craziest hairdos I've seen on him. His hair was soaked from sweat and sticking out EVERYWHERE. We laughed so hard as Andrew tried to fix it.

Unfortunately, little could be done, except laughing about it. We liked the new church we tried - it's called Shoreline in Destin, Fl and is held in a movie theater. As we expected, Maddox stayed in the nursery about 5 minues...maybe. His assigned number quickly popped up on the screen during church (CHILD 1031) and that meant, well, he wasn't doing so great back there. I jumped up. There he was, in a woman's arms at the top of the stairs, crying so hard that snot was running into his mouth. Ahh, separation anxiety, when will you pass?

I cried yesterday too, except not as hard as him. But then Monday morning came, and with it - telling Andrew goodbye at 6:30 am (his first day of work), making breakfast, and waking up amidst coffee and the smell of crayons. This is how my morning looked:

There is nothing like a lively toddler to bring you back into the real world and make that homesick feeling disappear.

BEACH BUM

When the temp reached 70, we decided it was beach time! We had a picnic but Maddox wouldn't eat - he just wanted to run in the sand and chase the birds. It was so windy his little fat cheeks got wind-chapped and his hair ended up in half a million tangles.

But...he LOVED it. I can definitely see being a beach bum in his near future.

Back home, it was more outside adventures. Our neighbor's boat escaped from the embankment and floated by our house. We later noticed a sign by the lake on a walk around the neighborhood:

"Lake Charleston. No swimming allowed. Moccasins and gators present."

Oh. That's just great. Are gators just everywhere in Florida because it really seems like they are!

Poor Maddox doesn't have much room to ride his 4-wheeler in our midget-sized yard, which is mostly deck, but he tries.

Apparently the beach gave him a huge appetite. He ate spaghetti like a madman. And I know this is supposed to be a family blog, but he is just a lot cuter than we are and so...it is still pretty much all about him.