Florida!

We left around 11:30 pm on Saturday evening after Owen's birthday party. We drove 15 hours through the night and we arrived in sunny Jacksonville Sunday afternoon. We were worn out, but thankful to be there! With the help of my wonderful friend, Megan, we got checked in and immediately started soaking in the Florida sun.

We unpacked, spent some time at the beautiful pool, checked out the beach, went to dinner, then went to B-E-D! We were super fortunate to be able to have my mom and dad join us for the vacation so they took the boys and we were able to crash and catch up on some much needed sleep.

Monday morning, we got up, had breakfast, and then headed down to the beach to go meet up with a childhood friend of mine that lives in Jacksonville. Patti contacted me right before we headed to Florida to see where our travels were taking us, and we were both surprised to learn that we'd be able to meet up during our vacation.

After a mishap involving me having no clue how far 4 blocks really is- and walking about a mile down the beach (and back), we were finally able to meet up with my long lost friend and her two beautiful girls. It was so nice to be able to spend the afternoon with her and catch up about where our lives have taken us. Eli had conked out by the time that we met Patti, so she graciously loaned him her stroller to finish his nap in.

That night, we took Patti's recommendation and went to this uniquely "Florida" restaurant called Clark's Fish Camp. This place has the US's largest collection of taxidermy in one place and it's pretty incredible. If it can be killed and stuffed, it was in there! Monkeys, giraffes, lions, tigers, bison, birds, snakes, fish, you name it- they had it. Their menu was nearly as eclectic as their stuffed animal collection and when we returned on Friday night with Sara and Todd, Sara decided that she wouldn't eat anything that was taxidermied in that restaurant. It seriously limited our options :) Tuesday night, after giving the boys goodnight hugs and kisses, Matt and I went out to a little beach bar with live entertainment for some "just the two of us" time. We had so much fun hanging out together!

Tuesday, we took a trip down to St. Augustine with my mom and dad and the boys. We went to Marineland and had a great time watching the dolphins and playing on the gorgeous beach. We had lunch at a little beach diner, then returned to Jacksonville. That night we all had dinner together at a fantastic restaurant. When we returned to the hotel, Sara and Todd had just arrived and were getting checked in.

Wednesday, we spent the day with Sara and Todd on the beach. We set up our canopy, rented a surfboard, and bummed around the whole day by the water. Matt and I both tried our hands at surfing. We both managed to stand up--- but not for long. :) We had a great time, even if we both were aching and bruised before the day was over.

That night, we went to dinner at a swanky "member's only" restaurant. We had a groupon for it, but when we arrived, we found out that we couldn't even PARK there without reservations. It was not busy, and we were able to get reservations right away- so they allowed us into their swanky, private parking lot. We had an amazing meal at a table overlooking the ocean, and had an awesome time laughing when Sara got suckered into a $10 bottle of water. We celebrated our anniversaries, and had an excellent time making memories with our best friends.

Thursday, Sara and Todd went their own way for the day, and I was fortunate enough to get to spend the day with my wonderful friend, Megan and her little boy, Liam. We set back up on the beach and hung out together and watched our littles eat sand. One of my favorite moments was when Eli decided to help feed Liam his bottle. :) Spending the day with Megs was one of the highlights of my trip, and I am so thankful that we finally had a chance to meet up!

Friday, we had to say goodbye to Mom and Dad. They spent over 24 hours trying to make a flight home, but they finally made it there safely. Sara, Todd, the boys and I all made our way to the Jacksonville Zoo for the day. And OH MY- what a zoo!! We absolutely loved it! We particularly enjoyed the gorillas, stingrays, and the alligators. Owen's most important goal for Florida was to see an alligator, so this day made his trip! We were so impressed with the variety of animals and the beauty of the landscaping and habitats.

The gators!

Owen feeding the stingrays

Eli trying to kiss the penguin

Saturday, we packed up to head home, but not before a final stop at the Budweiser Brewery. The boys with "Larry" the ClydesdaleWe took a fantastic tour and enjoyed some time in the "Hospitality Room" before heading on our way. We said goodbye to SarTodd at the brewery since they were flying home.

We continued on our way North and even made a stop at the Macon, Georgia Bass Pro Shop. The boys sat on boats, watched the giants fish swim around in their giant tank, and Owen of course, made a flat penny.

After that- we dug in our heels for the last leg of the trip. We finally made it back into Indiana around 5 am, and pulled into the drive around 8:30.

This was our first beach trip as a family of four. We took Owen to Hawaii when he was 6 months old, and Eli went to Alabama last summer, but this was our first trip all together. It was truly such a fun, special and memorable trip. It was so fantastic that my mom and dad were able to come as well. We were able to spend a lot of time with them, but because they were there, we also had a lot of time to spend as a couple or with our friends. I'm so thankful that we got to have fun with our boys, watch them dip their toes in the ocean, see the delight on their faces as the waves rolled around their feet, laugh as they fed seagulls wheat thins out of their hands- but I'm equally as thankful for the time that I was able to spend with my amazing husband. To have our boys "with" us, but not be responsible for their every care was the perfect situation. Mom and Dad also really enjoyed getting to spend their vacation with their grandsons, and the boys were pretty happy about it as well. Win-Win-Win!!

This vacation was truly the highlight of our summer, and I wish that I could have written this blog when more of the specific memories were fresh on my mind- but at least you get the jist.

I just have to say thanks again to my Megs. She truly made this trip possible for us, and getting to meet her and spend some time with her tiny, little, sweet self was icing on the cake! Love you Megs!

Owen's Party Part II

After an excellent evening out with Owen's friends, we turned around the next day to celebrate Owen's big day with our family. We had an awesome, laid back day and really enjoyed spending time with the people we love the most. (Except for a couple that couldn't make it that day). I made Owen's cake and we cooked out hot dogs and brats. I just can't even express what a special and fun day it was. Owen had a blast and loved opening his gifts from everyone.

After everyone left and we got everything cleaned up, we got in the car and took off for Florida!

Owen's Big Boy Party

On Friday night (6-18) we took Owen and his two best friends to Cold Stone Creamery and to the movies to see Toy Story 3. The kids had a blast choosing their ice cream flavors and sitting together like big shots to enjoy their ice cream. It was hard to believe how big they seemed. I've known both of these little characters since they were tiny babies. N's mom and I were in breastfeeding support group together, and I started watching T when she was just 6 weeks old. It's been such a privilege to see these two grow up with my son and watch their friendships blossom.



After Cold Stone, we took the kidlets to Toy Story 3. It was SUCH a good movie and the kids loved it. They ate popcorn, wore 3D glasses, and had a fantastic time. It was good for them to have an special evening together without their little siblings.

I'm baaaaaaa-aaaccck!

Did you miss me? :)

I cannot believe that I've been without my beloved computer for about a month now. When I said that I wouldn't be updating for a while in my last post, I had NO idea how long it was going to be.

We had a ton of things go wrong in the last month, the most minor of which was my computer battery and charger being struck by lightning and getting fried. So needless to say, several other things had to be taken care of prior to u purchasing a new laptop battery.

The good news is that we're back up and running across the board. All of the mishaps have been repaired/replaced and we're happily back on track. I will do my best to get my much-neglected blog back up to date over the next few days.

Florida Bound!

This is just a quick update to say, I won't be updating for a while...

The next two days are chocked full of fun stuff to celebrate's Owen's b-day, and then Sunday morning, we leave for Florida! We'll be gone until next Sunday(ish) so don't expect to see much on here until after then.

Tomorrow night is Owen's first "friend" birthday. He's taking two friends to the movies with him to see Toy Story 3. It's a big night! Then Saturday is the family party to celebrate the big guy. He's pretty excited and he's counting down how many sleeps until Florida.

Florida will be wonderful for many reasons, but some of my top reasons are...

Celebrating Last Blast with SarTodd

Finally getting to meet my sweet, wonderful friend Megan

Having Mom and Dad come along to help with the boys and enjoy vacation with them as well

Beach and Sun are also very high up this list : )

I'll have lots of fun pictures and updates next time!

Happy Birthday Owen

2:45 this morning marked the 4th year of my son's life. He came into this world after a 36 hour marathon labor and a miraculously easy delivery. He was 7 lbs 9 oz, 20 1/2 inches long. He had beautiful brown hair with blond highlights. That's something that everyone remembers about him at birth, those highlights! He was perfect. We brought him home the Saturday before Father's Day 2006.

His first year was a stressful one. I say this in relative terms, because I know how many people have had far harder roads to walk than we did. He was a delightful baby, very easy-going, and adapted quickly to his mom and dad's go-go-go lifestyle. But the stress came from the kidney condition that he was born with. We found ourselves frequenting Riley Hospital, administering daily doses of meds to keep him bacteria free, and constantly stressing over the fevers that he routinely developed. Just before his first birthday, he returned to Riley to have his right kidney removed. He bounced back from the surgery within a couple of days and never experienced another issue as a result of the missing kidney.

Each year since has brought new and exciting challenges. He keeps us on our toes. He tests us. He blesses us. He is our first child, our oldest, but always our baby. He is the one who took us from being a couple to being a family. He changed our lives forever just by being born. He changed me from career woman to stay-at-home mom. He can make me want to pull my hair out, but in the next breath make me realize what a joy he is in my life. He is smart, witty, a great people-reader, kind, funny, sweet, and one of a kind. Nothing could ever surpass the impact that he has made in our world. You simply cannot understand how the earth moves until you've held that life in your arms.

Now, he's four. I. cannot. believe. it. The years are marching by so unbelievably fast. I wish that I could trip a few of those soldiers just to slow them down. Each year, the world steals him from me a little more. It's fun to see him acheive new things. To accomplish the next milestone. My heart bursts with pride every time, but it breaks a little too. It just goes too fast. And as he told me yesterday, he's just not little anymore. Yesterday afternoon, he asked me to hold him and he ended up falling asleep in my arms. I laid down on the couch with him and his thin little body stretched from my shoulders to my knees. I soaked in all of the life from those moments of holding my sleeping boy yesterday. Those moments are few and far between, so instead of taking advantage of naptime to do laundry or start dinner, I laid there. I breathed in the sweet smell of the baby shampoo that I still use in his hair, I rubbed his bony little back, and I thanked God for this gift in my life.

Happy fourth birthday Owen Matthew. We love you forever and always.

Quotes

Things that I have heard said in my home in the past couple of days.

Matthew: "Gentlemen don't put pinwheels down their pants."

brief pause...

"They also don't take off their diapers in the middle of a room."

Two quotes. One for each little boy. I let you take it from there.

Last Day

Today my little man informed me that this was his "Last Day". "Last day of what?" I questioned. "The last day I'll be little, Mommy." He responded. "Tomorrow I'll be four. Then I'm big."

Wow.

Here are the last pictures of the "little" boy. Come back tomorrow for pictures of a "Big" boy.

Happy Birthday to me!

Last Saturday was my 28th birthday. The past couple of years, birthdays have been a little bit hard for me because the due date of the baby that I lost was just two days after my b-day. This year was better. Yes, I know that she would have been two last Monday, but I've also found the peace to understand that this happened for a reason. I can't even for a minute imagine my life without Eli in it, or without my wonderful friends that have become a part of my daily life because our shared tragedy- so now, two years later, I feel blessed. I know that life is as it should be. The Big Guy upstairs is calling the shots and it's clear that His wisdom is one that I should submit to.

So enough of the waa-waa talk- on to the fun things!

Friday night, my mom and dad came down and we went to Maggianos for my birthday dinner. We had a great meal and enjoyed spending the evening together. My dad fell in LOVE with Maggiano's lasagna and I'm not sure that he's stopped talking about it--- a week later. :)

Then- Saturday morning, we took off for Brown County with the SarTodd. We stayed at the Lodge this time and spent a good portion of the day playing in the water park again. Owen started going down that big slide all by himself!! Who gave him permission to get so big all of the sudden? It certainly wasn't me!

We had dinner at the yummy little pizza place and then went for Ice Cream at Miller's- which is possibly the best ice cream on the face of the earth, ever! I had my first waffle cone at Todd's suggestion and it was amazing!

Sunday, we walked around Nashville and had a great time scoping out all of the stores with adorable handmade baby things. We may or may not have been stealing some ideas for little Miss Walroth!

It was such a fun weekend. I am so thankful to have such wonderful friends and family!! I feel lucky everyday to have them in my life!

Now we're counting down the days to the Florida trip with SarTodd and Mom and Dad! Everything has finally come together (A huge thank-you to Miss Megan!), and I can't wait to have some adult vacation time with my best friends! T-9 days!! WOOT WOOT!! I also get to meet up with my wonderful Megan while we're there! It's going to be so great to finally "meet" such a fantastic person and friend!