Mother's Day

I had held off on this post because I realized the day after Mother's Day that my camera is missing! I'm so sad because we took family pictures before church and it looks as though they are gone for good.   :( Luckily Ryan had taken a few on his phone.  

Mother's Day weekend started off great with a nap on Saturday and some time to myself in the afternoon.  Ryan took James to Academy where they had "man time" and played on the putting green.  

The next morning I got to sleep in until 6:20 (haha!) and then James and Ryan brought me breakfast in bed along with two sweet cards.  We headed off to church, and Ryan had gotten us reservations for brunch.  Long story short- James was wild and crazy.  Normally he does okay in restaurants or I can at least bribe him to stay good for a little while but not that day. Oh well, at least the food was tasty.  We went home where he then took a classic JT 45 minute nap and woke up MASSIVELY cranky.  Needless to say it wasn't the most restful Sunday but it was still extra special.  Ryan gave me an awesome Groupon for a house cleaning! My favorite present ever!!!!  Ryan and James made me a sweet art project that involved our family hand prints on canvas that we can hang on the wall.  Ryan also put together a video of our recent family vacation. So sweet!

Little guy would not cooperate for a picture 

Random side note- this bib is the greatest one ever.  If you have a baby/toddler you must go get one!  It will save  you many hours with a broom. 

In case any of the out-of-town grandparents want to see Ryan's video 

Ryan and James's art project 

While we were at church on Mother's Day I couldn't help but get overwhelmed with emotion thinking about the joy that being a mother has brought me and how grateful I am to experience it.  My heart was also burdened for those moms and women I know who were struggling on this day.  Moms I'm praying for that are facing serious health battles and don't know how much longer they will have with their children.  Moms who have lost children this year and moms whose children are fighting extreme battles.  I'm constantly reminded that I need to be intentional in my parenting because every day is a gift, and we don't always know what trials lay ahead. I'm also extremely thankful for the many women in my life who are helping me "mother" James.  These women love him, pray for him, and encourage me in this journey. Some have their own children, some don't, but each is playing a part in who he is becoming.  I'm also forever indebted to my own mother and mother-in-law who have taught me so much.  Happy Mother's Day!!! 

Florida!

Ryan recently had some time off, and we were blessed with the incredible opportunity to visit Florida.  We had a fabulous time!!!  I wasn't sure what to expect because you never know how a vacation is going to turn out when you have a toddler, but the trip far exceeded our expectations.

We spent a lot of time at the pool which was super close to our condo.  It was so great to be able to run back and forth to get what we needed or take a break.  Within the first 5 minutes JT learned the word "splash" and he definitely splashed a lot! 

Ryan's idea of a relaxing vacation

Taking a break to call Pappy 

Hello Pappy, are you there? 

This just makes me laugh.  He looks like he is posing in a speedo! 

Cute stuff 

Of course we had to go to the beach as well.  The first day we went to a private beach via boat.  James thought the bus and boat ride were pretty cool. 

Bus bus bus bus... that is what we heard from little man all day.

Took him a few minutes to warm up to the beach concept but he got real excited when we got the shovels out. 

We also spent some time at another local beach.  So pretty and fun!  The waves were calm which was a nice change from the Atlantic ocean that we are used to being at. 

Nice mosquito bite on your cheek James! 

Time for a beverage break 

And a little conversation with Nene.  We were so glad she got to come for the first couple of nights. 

Golf on the beach anyone? 

 We also got to do all sorts of other fun activities while on our trip. 

Hanging out at the condo 

Checking things out

Walking around Naples 

Outlet mall playground 

Park near the condo 

Of course no vacation would be complete without a little eating. :) 

This is not a good picture but can you believe how big the kid's chicken and rice plate is?!?!

Tommy Bahamas (not sure what JT is doing with his train on his face) 

We took advantage of having Nene with us the first half of the trip by going out to dinner, going to a movie, and a date to Target. Lol. 

Lunch on the water 

One night after dinner we were able to make it to the beach for sunset.  Beautiful place to watch the sun go down! 

Someone decided to get up a few mornings too early.  Probably so he had an excuse to go wave hello to the moon! 

Of course it wouldn't be right to not try some ice cream while we were in Florida 

One of the neighbors at the condo let us borrow bikes.  We had a blast riding around the neighborhood. I don't think I have ridden a bike in probably a decade. 

Final day at the beach (we have got to work on our these self-taken pictures)

Ryan and I both agreed that this was one of our best vacations ever! It was such a blessing to get out of town for a few days and get some rest and relaxation as a family.