Let the Sun Shine...

We spent a week with my parents in Naples, Florida. It was heaven. The weather was beautiful and we spent every minute of daylight outside. Leo woke up in the morning saying "Let's Go" and he would run outside to push his bubble mower or stroller around the sidewalk. He came inside to eat and nap and would head right back out. My parents were staying in a beautiful development that had a clubhouse with several pools, golf courses, a playground and a yummy restaurant. We spent a lot of time at the pool and went the the beach a few times. Kevin and I even got away for a night alone on Marco Island. We went to the Naples Zoo and saw many different types of animals. Kevin and my dad got a round of golf in and my mom and I spent a morning shopping in Naples. We went to some fabulous restaurants and were usually home by 7:30 for Leo's bedtime! Leo slept great and loved all the attention he got from Ammie and Papa (their new names from Leo). He LOVED the water and had fun jumping into the pool over and over again! It felt great to relax and spend the days being in the warm sunshine. We were very sad to leave and then we were welcomed with a snowstorm and 2 feet of snow in Minnesota :( A big thank you to my parents for hosting us and for taking such good care of Leo. Can we come back next year???

Valentines Day Party

One of the things I miss about being a teacher is the holiday parties! I loved the crafts, the food and the excitement of a classroom party. This year I decided to throw our own Valentines Day party- toddler style! On Monday morning we invited a few friends over and decorated cookies, made Valentines and played with toys. I filled the sensory table with pink heart marshmallows and the kids had a great time playing and eating lots of sweets.

Catching up...

We've had a busy start to 2011! The weather has been less than desirable, making outside activities impossible so we have found lots of fun inside activities to fill our time! Today we went to the zoo and had a great time seeing the indoor animals and walking through the Tropics exhibit breathing in the humid air. Leo was interested in seeing the animals but was even more interested in eating an ice cream cone and running up and down the ramps in the zoo. He also liked playing with the cars in the gift shop :) Did we need to drive all the way to the zoo to do that???

Our house is really coming along and we have set a closing date for March 18th. We were there tonight to check on the progress and saw the cabinets, doors and hardwood floors installed. It is so fun to see it all come together. It has been quite the process- there have been so many decisions to make!!! I didn't realize that we would have to choose every detail and that there would be so many choices. I started out trying to make all of the decisions myself but got VERY overwhelmed and enlisted the help of a decorator. She is amazing! She is able to narrow down the choices for us and help us decide what we really want. We are so excited to move into a bigger space and feel settled. The cabinets in our townhouse are over flowing and something falls out every time I open a door. It will be nice to have space to spread out!

We spent the past weekend in Houston at my cousin Erin's wedding. It was wonderful. The weather was beautiful, in the 70's, and the wedding was perfect. My entire family was there and most of the extended family on my mom's side. I was ANXIOUS about the flight, the hotel stay and the big events with a 18 month old but it all went smoothly. Leo was busy busy on the plane but was good and never cried. He spent most of the flight eating snacks, playing with gears and cars, doing stickers and playing peek-a- boo with auntie Molly who was sitting behind us. He did great in the hotel and loved running around exploring. He even ate dinner in a booster seat on the bed in the hotel room! I brought instant Mac and Cheese and made it in the hotel microwave, yummy! My cousin found a babysitter for us to use both nights so we put him down before the rehearsal dinner and were able to enjoy a kid free night! It was great to be able to chat with people and enjoy ourselves. On Saturday, he came to the wedding with us but Kevin brought him back after the ceremony and put him to bed at the hotel and he stayed with the babysitter while we ate, danced and had fun at the reception. It was such a beautiful wedding and we had such a great time. Leo slept most of the way home. I think it took me more time to pack and unpack than the time that we were actually gone. I have learned that traveling with a child is a "working vacation"! Now we are getting ready for our next flight in two weeks when we visit my parents in Florida for a week- yeah for the beach!!!

Sorry about the crazy mix of pictures! Something weird has happened with my blog and it won't let me organize or label my pictures...I'm working on it! Also, I do have more pics from the wedding, they are on my mom's camera so I will post those later...