Growing Old (er)

I turned 26 yesterday and there's proof that I'm aging: I have recently taken an interest in gardening.

We celebrated the big day at Harborwalk - dinner at Harry T's (where some drunk girl and her sugar daddy were looking to kidnap Maddox, I swear!), a train ride and then frozen vanilla yogurt with fresh strawberries and cheesecake bites (better than cake).

Harry T's! Gorgeous view, ok food (tourist trap, it seems)

The birthday girl (who is fast approaching 30)

The view

I'm pretty sure we looked like tourists with all the picture-taking....

 Looks like Andrew needs to grow some hips!

Train ride

We hung out in the caboose

And the "conductor" let Maddox ring the bell when we stopped. Of course, he really didn't care about the bell and instead went for the steering wheel. *heart attack*

Bippy's By The Beach - best place for frozen yogurt. Andrew chose peach with gummy worms. Jude approved.

I went for the vanilla with strawberries and cheesecake bites (oh, but I said that already). 

Who needs cake? No thanks. I'll stick with this divine little creation. 

Homemade Fun

I love my new lanterns!! They were a pain in the butt to put together and hang, but now when it gets dark and the lanterns glow, my porch looks magical. All I need now is a big rug out there so Jude can crawl around and play. 

Andrew and I are still catching up on Dexter every night. The other night I put Maddox to bed and walked into the living room to find this:

Fondue pot, veggies and apples, and the ever manly extension cord. I think this is the best part about him working the dayshift: quality time together at night when the boys are asleep. (Too bad the fondue was horrible and tasted like super bitter beer. That's what I get for buying "ready-to-serve fondue from Switzerland." I'll stick to our old fondue recipe!)

And now onto the boys. Lately we have been making a lot of homemade fun, such as:

Cardboard racecar (which Jude is not allowed to touch, according to Maddox)

Cardboard house (which Jude is not allowed to get near, again according to Maddox)

Maddox informed me that it was his house and apparently it doubles as a seat and climber.

 I also pulled out that old trick in the hat - the clothes hamper turned sled. Unfortunately, Jude was more impressed with the sash than with the ride down the hall.

You see, I am always looking for new ways to keep them busy and entertained. This morning I hid a handful of pennies in Maddox's sand table and he used his shovel to dig them out. I'll use this one again! The treasure hunt was  a great success. 

And then it was time to relax under those lovely lanterns (can you tell I love them? A lot?)

Oh I almost forgot...the jumping off Andrew's guitar case into a bed of pillows.  Who needs toys?

Yoga Confusion and Paper Lanterns

I got an iPhone a couple weeks ago and that was my early Happy Birthday from Andrew. But, he wanted to get me something to open on Friday (my birthday) so I thought about what. Every day I look at my yoga mat collecting dust and then I look at my stomach and think, "Man, this is going to take a lot of work." And that's as far as it goes. But not anymore.

My plan is to get a yoga DVD and work on the moves at home until I'm halfway decent and can attend a beginner's class. I did a prenatal yoga class when we first moved here and it kicked my butt (but oh how I loved it!). Andrew laughs about this, but it's true. I made him promise to do yoga with me at night to prove it. Yes, you sweat doing yoga! I never believed this until I did it and then woke up the next morning feeling like I'd been hit with a truck...a few times.

But...browsing the yoga DVDs at Target...I got lost. Do I need 15 min yoga, strength yoga, total yoga, weight loss yoga, relaxation yoga? I just thought yoga was yoga, but I guess not.

I grabbed a pack of outdoor paper lanterns while I was there. My screened porch needs HELP and maybe these will do the trick. But until I get a staple gun and extension cord, these colorful balls of joy will be hanging out here (off the floor so Jude can't eat them). 

The boys play together a lot now and it's so, so cute. I'm glad they have each other in this lifestyle of constant moving and uprooting. 

Sluggish Monday

I am getting to be like my husband: eating a big chunk of peanut butter right off the spoon. It could be that my vegetarian-prone body is crying out for protein. Or...maybe the little habit has actually grown on me.

It's a sluggish Monday. Usually we have a breeze from the ocean, but no, not today. It's hot, humid, sticky, sweaty...get the point? It makes me want to stay inside close to the AC. Ahh, the AC. It's such a beautiful sound (and even moreso right now because my kids are asleep).

Maddox helped me make broccoli soup today. He washed the broccoli and then I chopped it up. At one point he devoured a stalk of celery. What 2-year-old loves celery? Apparently, mine.

And so, Mondays always snap me back into reality, but weekends...now that is the good stuff. Take a look.

 Pool party in the backyard 

 Bubbles = best toy ever 

 Lookin' handsome in their polos 

 Waffle cone, milkshake and lemon custard ice cream...yep, we're fatties 

...the end to a perfect weekend♥

Who Needs Sleep Anyway?

The boys are on a weird schedule these days. I'm not sure how it happened...or if I like it or not.

Jude gets so cranky and sleepy by 6 pm that I have no other choice than to put him to bed. And then there's Maddox. Tonight- exactly as the clock hit 7 pm-he came to me and said, "I want my ice water." He associates ice water with bedtime. While I filled his sippy cup, I heard him tell Andrew, "Good night Daddy," and that was that. No fighting; no crying. He WANTED to go to bed. We read Llama Llama, said out goodnight prayers and snuggled up until he fell asleep.

This is a great thing for our nightly Dexter time (Andrew and I are a little obsessed with Season 2) but at 5:45 am, when the boys wake up ready to start their day, I am not so happy with this new schedule.

 Maddox is my new Zumba buddy. There is no way I can keep up with him! 

The boys are "playing nice" a lot more these days. Maddox realizes that Jude is becoming a fun playmate and Jude realizes that everything Maddox does calls for giggling...and imitating. 

Another Good-Bye

During the last year, I've said good-bye a lot. It never gets much easier and it's never tear-free. But, I've learned to look forward to the next get-together and to enjoy the now.

We spent our last night with Nana eating chocolate fondue with strawberries and Rice Crispy Treats. This morning, we said our goodbyes at the airport and watched that little familiar head go up the escalator and out of sight.

Maddox helping NaNa fix his stool

Back home, Maddox started getting that sad look on his face, so I sat him on the counter and let him "help" me make coffee (coffee can fix a world of woes). Well, he started talking about Nana. His lip quivered and then came the tears. I gave him a big hug and then...started crying myself. We were a mess!

Out of nowhere, one of Jude's toys in the living room turned on and started playing a happy little song. Normally that would be creepy, but today it made us laugh. Maddox stopped crying. "Tell me it will be ok," he said.

I smiled. "It will be ok."

It always is.

Partying in Jude's crib