We are the brave souls that decided to load up an almost 15 month old and drive 13 hours to Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. To our surprise, we had a perfect little road tripper. We left bright not so bright and early in the morning....6:15am on Saturday morning. We had hoped that Ethan would sleep for the first part of the trip. No such luck. He was too interested in why Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, and Dad were all in the car at this time of day. He did eventually take a nap, we were in Mississippi I think by the time this happened. I must have missed the memo that is it was nap time.
Genetics don't lie! (Sorry Grandpa)
We made it a point to stop every couple of hours to stretch some legs and expend some energy. We even made friends in Alabama with a lady who loved babies so much she gave Ethan 4 quarters and a dime. I guess she thought Ethan needs some pants. After a few stops every few hours for a diaper change or gas fill up we made it Florida in under 13 hours. Once we got into town, we stopped for some dinner at Ruby Tuesday and then headed to the condo.
On day two after getting some breakfast and groceries for the week (much easier than eating out with a toddler), we went straight down to the pool. The pools were fantastic. There was a larger pool that had very shallow end that little ones can splash around in. There was a lazy river that truly does induce laziness. Then upstairs we found two other pools, one fairly deep for relaxing and one extremely shallow for the kiddos. The kiddie pool also had a fun pirate ship that seconds as a slide. We were frequent visitors of this spot throughout the week.
Enjoying some time at the pool
Pirate slide
Almost nap time
Rowing away with Grandpa
Splashpad with Dad
Later we went to down to the beach. Ethan was not impressed. Granted the current was pretty high. He much more at ease at the pool. Bummer for Mom.
We had a couple of rainy days throughout the week as well. We did our best to keep Ethan entertained with little luck. We used one day to head over to Destin for some outlet shopping. He's not a big fan of shopping. The next day we went to the Science Museum in town. While small, it was fun for him to play with the invisible guitar and the car tracks. There were few things in town that are indoor activities. We did learn that this doesn't mix well with Ethan. He gets cabin fever rather quickly when he doesn't have the run of the house like he normally does. We even tried to head to McDonald's for playtime. Would you believe that Playplace at McDonald's are almost non-existence in that area? I was amazed.
Entertaining ourselves inside with the rain
Playing the invisible guitar strings
Luckily, we were able to enjoy one more day of sun on Thursday. We spent most of the day at the pool taking in all of the sun we could. Thursday night we went to dinner down the road at the Seafood place (I don't remember the name) on the shore. We were able to look out over the ocean while we dined. They even had super tall highchairs so that little ones could sit out there. After dinner we walked down on the pier at sunset. It was lovely to watch the sunset over the pier.
Throwing him overboard!
One of my favorite shots!
We woke up early on Friday to head home. Once again, we had an angel for the most part. Once we learned his tolerances, we learned to stay ahead of the game. I think he slept all of an hour on the way home. He did fall asleep again as we pulled into downtown Ft. Worth.
All in all we had a great time, rain and all. I think it is safe to say that we will be going back in the future!
Ethan turned 15 months on Wednesday. Unfortunately, we had to spend the morning of his big day at the doctor's office for his 15 month check-up. He is growing so fast. He added almost 2 pounds and 2 inches in the past 3 months. He is weighing in at 26 pounds, 3 ounces and is 32 inches tall. He has eight teeth and we are working, SLOWLY, on the first molar. Teething the back teeth is TERRIBLE!!!
Shots can't get me down! Swinging on my month day!
I did try to make up for the shots by having a play date and picnic at the park with his friends. The weather has been so nice we are taking full advantage.
Ethan, Abigail, and Camden
I truly love to watch with fascination at how quickly he learns new things. He uses just a couple of words frequently, Mama, Dada, and Bye-Bye. He has said many such as duck, fish, and dog. But, we haven't heard them since. He has also figured out what the phone is for - and not just to take pictures. After we got back from vacation, he has been mimiking a certain Grandpa that uses the blackberry. He will put it up to his ear and talk seriously to whomever that may be and wave his hand around. He takes his phone responsibilities very seriously! He is also starting to point to a few body parts. He loves to show you his head and usually his belly button. Some days he will show you his ears and mouth. He is also starting to follow some instructions. He will point his head toward you when you say "Let's put your shirt on" and then follow with holding each arm up. He will go grab his shoes to put on when asked, some days. He will lift his foot for you to put it on him. He LOVES to put his shoes on. His new Toms are his favorite, just like his mom.
Doing a little playing with Abigail after buying our new Toms
We have had a few fits when he doesn't get what he wants, which is usually just to be held or play in Turk's dog bowl. Everything is else he is usually pretty laid back about. Luckily, the doctor said the clinginess will subside within a month or so now that he is a full time walker and gains some more independence. Now that he is walking more, he loves to walk around the house. He will do laps around the kitchen island, go to the dining room and back multiple times just singing and laughing. He has also started trying to chase Turk. But, he is not coordinated enough just yet to run to make it worth his while. Other things he loves are his push cars. He has learned to ride them now, instead of just pushing them around.
Doing some laps around the kitchen
(for the great grandparents that live far away)
Also this week, we went to Dallas to visit the Chulily exhibit at the Arboretum with Grandma, Gram, Aunt Diana, and Cousin Emma. The weather and sculptures were gorgeous. Of course, I left my camera at home so we are forced to look at these iPhone pictures.
Mom and Ethan
Ethan, shortly before he saw that he could knock over those pumpkins.
Thanks for Gram trying to keep up with him.
Cousins - Ethan and Emma
Grandma Flynn with her babies
Mom, Ethan, and Gram
Let's play in some grass
Beautiful view of White Rock lake
Here we were at the Safari Park in Flower Mound. It was a lot of fun. They have enclosed trampolines, ball pits, tunnels, a mini train ride, and robotic animals to ride (Ethan hated these).
Since we moved into our house 3 years ago, I haven't ever felt like our house is really complete. So, now that I am home I have decided to get to work. Of course our needs have changed since then, so I have adjusted the to do list a bit. Plus, our budget is smaller since I am home, so we have to be a little more creative. I decided to start out small so we didn't get too discouraged. I have spent a good portion of the summer working slowly on giving our house this little makeover, room by room. I got TWO done!
Our Laundry Room:
I forgot to take some before pictures. However, we started out with a small space with one shelf above the washer and dryer that held a lot, but not neatly. I started by painting the walls blue with a nice, perfect stripe on the back wall. I then put up some 3M hooks for hanging wet clothes.
I then searched and searched for some cabinets. My diligence and patience paid off. I put a fresh coat of paint, soaked those nasty hinges to remove to the paint (from the previous owner painting them) in my old crockpot, and varnished them with a homemade varnish.
Anyone want to come for dinner? We are having roast.
I then added some cute knobs and BOOM, new laundry cabinets for hiding many things! I have a fantastic hubby that helped me hang up said cabinets!! I made the LAUNDRY sign on the back wall as well. I then took some pictures of my little laundry helper, mod podge them on some 12 x 12 canvas, and put those cute little things up!
$50 total for the cabinets, including paint and knobs!
I also made some instructions on how to wash the cloth diapers. Look at that cute bum from months back. Laundry Room: check!
Ethan's Playroom
We no longer have a guest room. Friends will be sleeping on the blow up mattress when you come over until the office is made into a dual functioning space. We bought some shelves for toys, hung some homemade art, curtains, and photos, and added some big toys. We spend quite a bit of time in this space. I would like to say this has freed up my living room. I can't. It is better though. I do have one more small project planned for the room. But, until can make it over to IKEA, it will have to wait.
Pennant and art display board
Nail and yarn "E" made by Aunt Carissa
Art made from leftover material from the curtains. That little corner will some day be a reading corner. If I ever make it to Frisco for some IKEA shopping.
Where did the summer go? We only have an official week left of summer. It was at least a successful and productive summer. Roadtrips, family fun, playdates, and I think Robert and I even got to have a couple of date nights somewhere in there. We made the high temps a good thing by staying in or near water for a lot of the summer. The weekends were full of time at the pool or lake with the Flynn's, hanging at Gram's pool, or the splashpad for playdates during the week.
Emma, Grandma, Ethan, and Dad swimming
With me home all but one day during the week, we have been keeping busy so far this month. The first two weeks of the summer we had swim class in the morning each day. I don't have any pictures of this since it is parent participation activity. The class is great for the little ones. It helps get them used to being in the water. We would sing children's songs for each new skill taught. We would sing ring around the rosy. When you get to 'we all fall down', then it was time for a good dunking. His favorite part was climbing onto the ledge, kicking his feet while he waited until he could "jump" into the water where I would catch him. Hopefully, we will jump right back in next summer!
Most days now are spent on playgroups and running errands with me. We spend a lot of time either at the splash pad or at McDonald's playground where it is nice and cool.
You can't go to Ikea without playing in the beds and closets
Toddler area at McDonalds
Brave boy going to down the big kid slide
Splashpad
Somedays we ventured out to places like the zoo. Please take my advice.....DO NOT GO ON $1 DAY!!! It is not worth the $11 savings. Scratch that, just go to the Ft. Worth Zoo. It is 100 times better. The landscape is beautiful, the patrons don't dress like they are going to the club with their kids in tow, there are actually animals to see, and there are more kiosks for opportunities to get a cold drink. The Dallas Zoo in general is not worth the $12. The good parts of the day included a happy baby that didn't fuss once even though he was hot, the giraffe exhibit does give a good view of the animals, and we had a good company. We had a fun day even given our circumstances.
It is too hot to be wearing clothes, Mom
Checking out the giraffes
Abigail and Sarah
Me and my boy his first time at the zoo.
The rest of the summer, I wanted to get a few projects done around the house and prepare for our long Florida vacation (more on that up next). I can say I have successfully finished TWO room redos for the house and made a few fun items for the trip.
And my first two Road Trip crafts:
Car Caddy
So far I love it. It has a place for the iPad, wipes, snacks, any other car essentials you might need. Once little man gets a little older, I plan to move it to his side for easy access to books, pencils, and such.
Take anywhere high chair.
I was hesitant at first as to its funcationality. We tested it out first on our short trip to Austin to visit our friends, Lindsay and Sean. It worked so well! We were using it on a barstool that has a back so we had to put a pillow under the chair so he could reach the bar, but it worked like a dream. Of course, only to be used under adult supervision. We used it again on our trip to FL. Of course, I forgot to get a photo. But, at least he was able to join us at the table for each meal. I have thought of making a few to sell. Any thoughts on that?
