Destination: CROCS

Jude is practicing standing skills...

...as well as his sitting skills and his pick-up-a-Cheerio-and-put-it-in-the-mouth skills.

On Sunday, Andrew had a great idea: let's go to Destin (we had been talking about getting Maddox some Crocs there) through Niceville. Since we live on base now, the toll bridge through Niceville is supposedly closer to Destin than our old 98 route. But...neither of us had ever been that way. I was hesitant.

"Do you know where this toll bridge is?" I asked.

He assured me he did. 

"It's right after First Choice Buffet."

Oh God not THAT place. Bad memories for me...if you recall a previous post....

So...we drove. 40 minutes. Jude screamed. We saw trees. And some more trees. I knew we were in trouble when we passed a hole-in-the-wall restaurant with this sign:

"DIRECTIONS TO DESTIN: $5"

Well, long story short, we did find the toll bridge and we made it to Destin (just don't ask how long it took us).

We experienced the giant Bass Pro Shop. They had about everything outdoorsy you could imagine (hey, camo bikinis anyone?) but no Crocs for Maddox. We checked out these big scary fish and Maddox was not a fan. 

"Gee2 scared!!!"

He preferred the park in the middle of all the shops. Hey, it does look pretty fun. Tunnels, slides, water shooting out the ground...it's a kid's dream come true.

Can you spot Maddox???

The trip ended with smoothies and pretzels (we are such fatties) and no Crocs for Maddox. Turns out, the Crocs don't fit his feet right so I guess we are sticking to the Target brand!

Don't you just want to kiss him a trillion times?!

We took the old route home. 

I like it better anyway. 

A sunset and endless blue water...I love you Florida.

Hello Beach, I've Missed You!

Today, Jude saw the beach for the first time! Andrew dipped his little fat feet in the cold water and no sir, he did not like that at all.

The lack of sunshine didn't stop us. We thought twice about it but decided it was time for beach weekends again. Now swimming...that will have to wait.

Taking it all in

Come on, Dad-ay! (There is no such thing as laying out when you have a Maddox and a Jude)

Man talk

Mmhmm, something to eat! I live to eat!

Beyond exhausted, but this kid REFUSED to nap. He's a trooper.

I even tried the tent and the bottle, but no way, he wasn't catching any zzz's at the beach.

Daddy tried too, but no luck.

The cold water gave him the extra kick he needed to stay awake.

The I-am-fighting-sleep-and-plan-to-whine-nonstop passed and he was a happy boy again.

Daddy cuddles

The guys :)

Look Jude I can jump! Haha!

He was mesmerized by the sand.

Jude Finally Got Him Some Real Food

My 6-month-old has WAY more attitude than my 2-year-old. When he's good he's good. But when he's bad...well...you know how the saying goes. He is convinced that he's the same age as Maddox and can walk, talk, eat everything in sight...and when that doesn't happen, he pitches an out-of-this-world fit. His back stiffens, his face turns bright red and then the screaming begins...and it becomes so loud I often think, "Has Maddox ever thrown a fit like this?" I don't think so. I have no idea what I'll be dealing with when Jude is two, but we're taking it one day at a time!

The worst of his tantrums involves food. If you eat in front of him - even if Maddox has his sippy cup - Jude starts protesting and tries his best to get some. There have been countless times when I've had him in my lap and within a half second he's managed to get a chip or a cookie or salad leaf into his mouth. Fast. And fiery. That's my Jude.

Tonight Andrew told me about this buffet in Niceville that we needed to visit. First Choice was the name. He promised it had a little bit of everything. Well...as soon as we pull up (after a 20-min ride of Jude screaming nonstop from the backseat) I see in big red letters "SUSHI BAR. CHINESE."

"Is this a Chinese restaurant?" I asked with suspicion.

"Yea but it has lots of stuff," he assured me (again).

And yes it did have a little bit of everything...Chinese! It was a Chinese-lover's paradise. Sushi was everywhere I looked (gag) and other yucky things...like clams and "mystery meat." Chicken? Not so sure about that. I gave the food a shot but I swear everything tasted just like banana-flavored sunscreen.

First Choice Buffet would be my last choice! And on top of that, Jude started cranking up. I had assumed this "little bit of everything buffet" would have sweet peas or mashed potatoes, but nope...so I had to let him nurse a string bean and feed him banana pudding and ice cream (because of course he wanted NOTHING to do with his bottle). I think the woman across from us (who kept staring at me as I tried my best to keep Jude quiet...was I THAT entertaining?) was judging me for feeding a 6-month-old ice cream, but oh well. This mama was desperate! What a night, I tell you. I guess Jude enjoyed it though....

my little wild hog, who tries to eat anything and everything

Sunshine All the Time!

I haven't blogged much lately because I've been living 80% of my life outside. It keeps the boys happy...and if they're happy, then I'm happy!

sunroof baby!

Playdates at the park are a frequent thing around here. I need to invest in some sunscreen though. It's only March but alas, my shoulders have already gotten burned.

It's true - boys love boogers...and other gross stuff

You know how I know it's summer (they call it spring but around here it's summer)?

Boiled peanuts.

That's how.

And that's just ONE of the many reasons I love this time of year.

Sickness...and Happy St. Pat's!

Don't you just hate colds that liiiiiinger?
We have been dealing with one for almost a week and I'm getting tired of wiping up snot and suctioning tiny noses. Jude 100% hates his aspirator and I don't blame him. That thing is loud and scary but it gets the job done.
A lot of plans have been called off because of this stinkin' cold, so we didn't do anything exciting for St. Pat's today. I felt like I should do something with Maddox though (after all, it should be his favorite holiday since it's all about GREEN). I didn't feel like packing up the grouchies to get anything so we just made green paper fans and baked some sugar cookies. See?

Maddox's dough got stuck in the cookie cutter 

Jude draining his bottle, as usual!

Yesterday the boys got to experience the Hard Rock Cafe for the first time and of course I forgot my camera! Maddox eating a giant brownie sundae would have made a great picture.

I love me some Destin!

Andrew has had some time off to prepare for Below the Zone (early promotion...let's hope he gets picked!) and we got to go a couple of times this week. Again, I love Destin, but...not during Spring Break.

Happy to St. Pat's to everyone!

the terrible no good very bad day

It is hard to have a bad day with these two little fellows around, but sometimes it happens.

Could it be PMS? I officially stopped nursing Jude (sad thing of the day #1) and I am just waiting for you-know-who to show up.

Yesterday we spent about 45 minutes in our hallway hoping a tornado wouldn't hit our house. Today the sun was out (much better) but my head hurt (I face-planted  into a wall lastnight).

We ate Ruby Tuesday lunch and I worried when the hostess seated us by old people (who aren't usually fans of noisy kids). The boys behaved like angels, though. The going-out-to-eat thing is almost a piece of cake, now.

The day turned upside down when Andrew said we were going by the old house to check our mail. My heart sank. I had tried not to think about the little blue house where we brought Jude home, played outside, laughed, cried...ahh the memories. The drive became very familiar and then...there it was, looking exactly the same. Maddox, wide-eyed, shouted, "More house! More house!" That broke our hearts. (Sad thing of the day #2).

To top it off, Maddox told me that daddy was now his best friend (sad thing of the day #3).

That evening, we met Erika and Ava to do a little clothes shopping. Maddox had to potty twice and I had to take the double stroller in there once, which was quite a challenge. Opening a heavy door with one hand while trying to push a giant double stroller through it (that barely fits) before the door closes...well...you should try it some time. The woman back there offered no help and Maddox ended up slamming his head into the door by accident (sad thing of the day#4). Andrew always says he has no faith left in humanity after being around his co-workers and I always stay positive. But, in this moment, my positive position wavered. Why do people watch when they could HELP? Hormones, hormones, hormones.

All the clothes I tried on stuck to my "Jude roll"...sad thing of the day #5.

See?

A  very sad day.

But not really.

I think it is just my perspective that needs shifting.

Check back tomorrow.

March winds

Fat Tuesday

Maddox and I tried something new today: storytime at the Eglin Library. He heard a story called The Chocolate Moose and then all the kids colored a picture. His buddy Peyton, who lives about 3 blocks away, was there too. He put his arm around her, said "Hey Peyt," and then gave her a big kiss (or two) on the cheek. Whoa, slow down Maddox!

He liked all the kids, the story, the coloring...but his favorite thing? The water fountain. He thought that was just the coolest thing EVER. Such a boy, right?

I hear it's Fat Tuesday. That means I can indulge (like I don't do that every day). We had chicken wings and cheese fries for lunch topped off with a strawberry shortcake popcicle. We also discovered a really, really neat toy store called Toy Magic. Most of their toys are made in the USA or Europe and not China. Score! I got Jude the cutest little turtle teether with jingle bells on it. He loves it. And it's made in Israel. That's a first!