What is a Homophone?!?

Austin was trying to zip up the back of Brooke's dress and he stepped aside and asked "Can you do this dear?" to me. I said "What did you say" to which his reply was "I said dear, because Daddy always calls you a DEER".......LOL! Somehow I have a feeling that my son looks at me and sees Bambi =o)

Identity Crisis

Brooke and Austin began Summer Camp yesterday at Sun Country. They attend from 1:30pm-6:30pm this week and a week in august. Yesterday Jeff dropped them off and picked them off, however; today I had the opportunity to do both. When I picked them up we ran into our good friend, Danielle, who is the Office Manager. She stopped me and said she had a good story from the day. Elisa, their counselor, was talking to Danielle about her roster and Danielle told her that she had both Brooke AND Austin Cardozo. Elisa told her that she had Brooke Cardozo, but not Austin Cardozo. She then said "All I have is an Austin Danger." Of course, knowing exactly what happened Danielle began to laugh. Austin had told Elisa that his name was Austin Danger, which is why she couldn't match up the names on her roster. HAHAHA......you seriously wouldn't expect anything less from that little guy. After Danielle told me the story I asked him why he said his name was Austin Danger and he replied very sternly "BECAUSE I AM AUSTIN DANGER!!!!" There's no arguing with a 4 year-old, but it should make for an interesting and confusing week for those poor counselors =o)

Mimi's 80th Surprise Party

Yesterday we celebrated the 80th birthday of the Matriarch of our family, Mimi! We gathered family and friends from near and far to surprise her with a celebration that she is sure to remember. After spending the day surrounded by so much love and happiness I feel blessed that we were able to pull off such a wonderful tribute to a woman who has played such a HUGE part in my life, and is now carrying on that tradition with Brooke. We love you Mimi!

Click on this picture and you will be directed to an album showcasing all of the pics I took.

Family Photo Shoot

Kimby bought us a package with her wedding photographer, Mike Briggs, when Addison was born, but since we had already scheduled to have her newborn session done with Shandon we decided to wait until after Addison was 1 and walking to have a shoot done with the entire family. The shoot took place in Lake Mary and was a ton of fun. By the end we were all a sweaty mess from the Florida humidity(and it was only 8am!), but I couldn't be more pleased with the moments that were captured and wanted to share a few of my favorites:

The look on Daddy's face

So, we were about 45 minutes away from our vacation destination of Myrtle Beach and from the back seat Austin asks......"Mommy, are we at the FERTILE Beach yet??" I looked over at Jeff to notice how stark white his face had turned and began hysterically laughing and replied....."Daddy sure hopes its not a fertile beach buddy!"

Bumps & Bruises

Of all 3 kids, I would have to say that Addison is by FAR the most accident prone we've had at the age of 1. She has had so many, it seems as though as soon as one bruise goes away she gets another and the worst part is that most of them end up on her cute little face! Nothing like taking your little girl out in public looking like she was just in a boxing match :(

Black eye from the toy box: May 16th

Egg on forehead from footstool: June 7th

Dent in forehead from corner of wall: June 13th

No more bottles

So, I had set a goal of getting Addison off the bottle by the time she reached 17 months. I had tried to give her milk in a sippy cup on a few occasions in the past and she refused to drink from them. She would drink water fine from them, but as soon as I would give her milk in one she would take a sip, make a face, and hand me back the cup. Fussy much?!? For the past few weeks I kept telling her that she was going to give up the "babba" soon and we would count down as each day passed. Brooke also knew about the goal and she would be sure to tell me every night how many more days Addi had left. This morning was a rush getting the kids out the door to VBS, so I let her have a bottle(more for mommy convenience than anything else!), but tonight I knew I could take the time to sit down with her before bed while she had her milk. I put it in a sippy cup that had a straw, warmed it up, and voila!........she drank it no problem :) I am so proud of her and incredibly happy that it was so easy. I guess she just had to be ready on her own to give up "babba."

South Carolina Baseball Trip

Baseball season has been incredibly LONG this season! I'm not quite sure what it is that has made it seem like it is never going to end. This year was a little different than those in the past because Jeff worked EVERY single game, I am employed as a Nanny 4 days/week, I have had several health issues arise, Brooke & Austin are both in school, and Addison is all over the place (last year she was just 1-4 months old during it.) Regardless of the reasons I have felt on many occasions that I was sucked into a black hole and fighting to get out.

With all of this being said, UF was gracious enough to tell Jeff that we could join him for the series up in South Carolina and they would foot the bill(including mileage......score!) I was stoked because I was going to be able to spend some time with my oldest friend, Melissa and her family. The added bonus was that Kimby drove down to join us for the weekend and kept me company during the games. Austin even had a sleep-over with her Friday and Saturday night. He was such a big boy and he had a great bonding experience with his Aunt. It really was a priceless memory!

We drove up on Thursday morning, leaving Addison behind with my parent's for the 4 day trip. I didn't think she would enjoy the car ride or the 3-4 hours spent each day at the ballpark. It was also nice to spend some quality time with Brooke & Austin, which is something we really haven't had the opportunity to do in a long time. The car ride was long, especially since every 2-3 minutes we heard "Are we there yet?" or "How much longer until Carolina?" It really didn't matter how we answered either of those questions because a 3 & 5 year old have no concept of time or mileage. When we arrived we grabbed a bite to eat and brought it to the hotel. Jeff left for the field while we tried to get a nap in. The kids and I then headed to the field where we met up with Melissa and AJ. The new stadium was incredible, complete with a grassy area and a bounce house for the kids to enjoy. We lasted 4 1/2 innings in our seats, where the kids learned how to keep score by a very sweet grandma-esque Gator fan. The other 4 1/2 innings we hung out at the kid friendly zone. The kids had an absolute blast and I left wishing we had an area like that at McKethan so we could make it to more of the games.

Friday we headed over to Melissa's house, which was beautiful and the type of Craftsman style home that I've always wanted to live in. Their neighborhood was new and full of adorable houses. the instant we turned into the neighborhood Jeff looked over at me and said "Oh I know you are in love with this!" He of course was right. Why can't we have houses like that in Florida?!? We had a great time hanging out with Melissa and AJ and as an added bonus her Mom, Maria and Stepdad, Terry had made the trip up from FL to watch AJ for the weekend. It was nice to see everyone. We enjoyed a pizza lunch and then let the kids run amok outside playing in the kiddie pool. That night Kimby arrived and we enjoyed the game, where the Gators took the SEC Title!

Saturday I wasn't feeling very well and didn't want to sit out in the heat watching a game that didn't matter and I thought it would be nice to do something special with the kids. So, after Kimby and I headed out for a bit by ourselves to hit up Starbucks(you shouldn't expect anything else when the 2 of us are together) and drive around campus we loaded the kids up and drove off in search of a movie theatre. We ate lunch at Moe's and then saw Shrek the 4th. Afterward we took them on a mini shopping excursion(purpose was bor Kimby to buy Austin his b-day presents) to Toys R Us. We had a lot of fun with the kids playing with all of the fun stuff! Of course we couldn't even leave the parking lot without taking everything out of the boxes :) Austin got a new Ironman Mask(which is HUGE!) and an Ironman shooter. Brooke got a cute little puppy with clothes and a carrying case. By the time we got back from our excursion, Jeff was done with the game and we took the kids out for ice cream.

The next morning we ate breakfast at the hotel and began the long journey home. It was a good trip and I'm so glad we went. Next year I have my sights set on joining him for the UF/GA series up in Athens......sans kids!

Chomp, Chomp!!

Learning to keep score

Sharing a Lemon Ice

Kindergarten Assessment

Today Brooke had to go to P.K. Yonge for her Kindergarten Assessment. I picked her up from school and then drove out to Ironwood to drop her off with Jeff so he could take her. On the way there I was telling her some of the things that they would probably ask her and told her that she needed to show them how smart she was. She tends to clam up when people she doesn't know ask her questions, so I was nervous that her intelligence and everything she learned this past year at VPK wouldn't show. I told her that she needed to put on her "Thinking Cap" and answer their questions like I knew she could. When I got to the golf course she was being a little grumpy and didn't want to get out of the van. I asked her what was wrong and she started to cry and said "Mommy, I don't want them to put one of those things on my head." It became clear that she took my telling her to put her "Thinking Cap" on a bit too literal.

I'm a big kid now!

Austin is officially out of night time pull-ups! This is so exciting for us because he was potty trained at 2yrs/8mos., but has had to wear pull-ups during the night since then. With his 4th birthday approaching in just over a month, one can imagine how much $ we have spent on pull-ups!! We were spoiled with Brooke because she too was potty trained at 2yrs/8mos., but only had to wear pull-ups at night for 1 week!
Last Friday night Austin spent the night with Granni & Grandpi while Jeff was out of town. The next day when I unpacked his bag I noticed that his pull-up was still in it and hadn't been touched. I called my Mom to see if she forgot to have him wear it and she told me that Austin said he didn't want to wear it and would be fine during the night without it. I told her she was BRAVE and that was the 1st time he went without wearing one. Low and behold he didn't have an accident! He of course thought that meant he never had to wear one again, but I on the other hand wasn't so confident. I made a deal with him that if he went the next week without peeing in his pull-up during the night he could start wearing his undies to bed. I am proud to say its one week later and he was dry every morning when he woke up! This marks a very important milestone....not to mention a little extra $ in our pockets!

Kissy, Kissy

So, Addi certainly is an affectionate little girl. I can be holding her and she will lean over and kiss my shoulder or arm and make the "MWAH" sound. It really is so cute and melts my heart. She is always trying to kiss everyone in the house.......including the dog, Maddux!

Happy Mother's Day

This Mother's Day was very hard for me because Jeff was out of town and I was somewhat stressed out after a LOOOONG week and was feeling a little down knowing that the one day that was dedicated to appreciate me for my FULL-TIME job was going to be no different from any other day as I was going to be the one taking care of everyone else. I couldn't really expect anything different when we have a 5, 3, & 1 year old. My Dad would say "Do you want some cheese to go with that whine?" right about now.......but I felt that I was entitled to feel a little down in the dumps. Am I wrong?!?!

Anyway, I do have a sweet, sweet husband who did try to make me feel loved before he went out of town (he was in AL with the baseball team). He bought me a beautiful pot of tulips (my favorite because they remind me of the ones we had in VT!) and a treadmill (no he wasn't trying to send me a subliminal message.....I had been asking for one.)

When he called this morning he spoke to Brooke and she disappeared into her room with the other 2 kids. I knew they had something planned because Brooke kept hinting towards it and told me I wasn't allowed in her room. They came out wearing these adorable shirts:


They also gave me a new Vera purse....gotta love that! I do have to give a shout out to Jeffrey.....he has great taste when it comes to shopping for me! He never goes wrong in the purse and jewelry department, and his sentimental gifts....such as the shirts.....always bring me to tears.

We went over to Mom & Dad's house for some fun in the sun and a BBQ. On the way we picked up Mimi, who I made the following gift for to showcase all of her Great Gandkids:


Mimi also got flowers from us. We gave flowers and a Cloud 9 gift certificate to Mom.


We had such a fun day and it really made me smile, after having felt so down in the dumps. I was able to capture some great family moments on film that will hold the memories in our hearts forever. It was especially great to see my Dad looking so healthy after his surgery 2 years ago.

Such a good patient

Today Austin had his tonsils and adenoids removed. He had been having problems with them since the fall and they refused to return to normal size since his bad case of strep throat. We arrived at the surgical center at 8:00am. He was taken back around 9:15 and was finished by 10:00. I was a little sad when the nurse just took him from us and we weren't to see him again until after the surgery was over. I was nervous that Austin wasn't going to cooperate without us being there with him, but low and behold, he was perfect! It was such a sweet moment watching the nurse pick him up (per his request) and he rested his little head on her shoulder as she carried him back to the operating room.
It was a very quick surgery (all done by the time my Starbucks was finished!) Dr. Walker told us that he did great and was the perfect little patient. The nurse then told us that he was the best "wake-up" patient of the day. My eyes did swell up with tears as we went back and saw him lying in the bed recovering from the anesthesia. Its SO hard to see your little baby have anything invasive done to them.....even when you know its for the best! He did however look pretty angelic lying there in his little tiger gown :) He was so excited to receive his HUGE Spiderman balloon from the nurse and by 11:15 we were walking out the door and on our way to pick up his prescriptions. I learned today what a tough little guy we have been blessed with and I hope this surgery makes a HUGE impact on his health and well being!

Just got out of bed and ready to leave to head to the Surgical Center

Waiting, waiting, and waiting

Fresh out of surgery and in recovery

We were waiting for him to wake up and see his balloon

All snuggled up with "Buddy". I love that one of his eyes is slit open.....
his Mommy used to sleep like this when she was a little girl

Baby Steps.......

Today I was brought to tears when Addison decided to take her 1st steps! We were at Sun Country with a group of our friends from our NFRMC playgroup. We decided to take the babies (well I guess they are toddlers now) to the "small" gym portion of the complex. Addi was playing in the ball pit and I took her out to give another child an opportunity to play in them. I stood her up next to me and she walked 2 steps to reach a yellow divider wall. I couldn't believe it. I think I was grinning like a Cheshire Cat at this point and brought her into the middle of the room to see if she would do it again for her friends. After I placed her on the floor she took 5-6 steps toward me before leaning in and falling into my chest. At this point I was reduced to a blubbering mess and was overjoyed as the other Mommies cheered for her accomplishment. I was blessed enough to get her "moment" on film because Lisa, Ryder's Mommy, had her camera with her. I think that may have made me happier than the accomplishment itself because I was overwhelmed that Jeff was out of town and not with us to witness this milestone.

Taking her 1st steps has been a "waiting process" for us, and we were hopeful she would do it by her 15mo. check-up, and true to Addi form.......she didn't disappoint!

A lecture for Grandpi

My Dad is in Jacksonville for work this week, so I invited my Mom over for dinner last night while Jeff was also gone for a baseball game. Before she left my Dad called and Brooke asked to speak to him. I was listening in on the conversation(well Brooke's side of it anyway) and heard her tell him what she had for dinner. She then turned to me and said "Mommy, Grandpi had a hamburger and french fries for dinner." She got back on the phone and said "Grandpi, that's not very healthy!" HaHaHaHa! That little girl just cracks me up with the things that come out of her mouth. The funniest thing is that at least 3x a week she begs for a burger from McDonald's. She doesn't get it, but she asks for it, so for her to tell her Grandpi that his dinner choice was unhealthy was just plain hilarious.