Fourth of July Family Fun

We had a great time in Gulfport for the town's family-friendly Fourth of July celebration, and enjoyed, very much, the chance to spend time with Granddaddy, Nana, Uncle Mike, Aunt Tanya, Makayla, Janet, and the First United Church of Gulfport!

After services at our church in Zephyrhills, we packed up & headed down to the 4th of July potluck at FUMC Gulfport, where we had the chance to catch up with the many friends we've made over the years there. In particular, we were glad to see Jenn and her daughter Aubree, just a year older than Quintin. Because of the torrential downpour, we missed most of the lunch, but fortunately, came with our own supplies of pasta salad and cake :-). We then headed over to Granddaddy & Nana's house, where we got to play & visit for a while with Uncle Mike, Aunt Tanya, Makayla & Janet. Makayla, our beautiful niece, is growing with incredible rapidity! She's almost ten months old now, and is a crawling champ! She's also starting to pull herself up, and even toddled around with some help from Mommy & Daddy :-) She & Quintin played on the piano at FUMC Gulfport, and knew just what to do on that piano, lol! It's such a joy to see my brother caring for his own child; he's such an amazing daddy! We love you all!

We enjoyed a quiet afternoon, playing inside with Nana's great supply of kiddie toys and munching on a lunch of fried chicken Granddaddy brought home, while it poured outside. Quintin loved playing with Nana & Grandaddy's new puppy, Sparky. The two had a great time together, and Sparky actually liked being carried around by Quintin, even trying to jump up into his arms once he'd put him down. It was so sweet to see Quintin caring for the "baby puppy," as he called Sparky; he was really gentle and loving :-)

Once Nana got home from work, we played a couple rounds of Last Word (the competition, guys verses girls, got pretty intense, lol!), before heading over to watch Gulfport's small parade. Fortunately, the rain stopped just long enough for us to watch most of the parade without umbrellas, and Quintin got lots of beaded necklaces, tons of candy (we gave most of it away!), and a little flag that he loved waving around :-). Since most of the usual downtown festivities had been rained out, we again headed back to Nana & Grandaddy's (they're located right in downtown Gulfport, so enjoying the activities is always very convenient!).

The rain again broke just before it was time to head down for the fireworks & we were able to lay out blankets and chairs right at the water's edge for a spectacular fireworks show! This was the first fireworks display that we saw as a family; the last time Mommy & Daddy had seen a city fireworks display was during our first date, six years ago! Watching them together was such an incredible treat -- Quintin loved them!

E.P.I.C. Game Night

In early June, we invited our E.P.I.C. class from church over for a game night, and about twenty-five people (most of our class) were able to come. Everyone was asked to bring a favorite game & dish to share and we ended up with a huge variety of food & games. The above photos were taken of the Harrison family's Wii dance game -- watching everyone get their groove on was definitely a highlight of the evening, lol! Another favorite was Catch Phrase -- we did girls vs. boys & things got pretty dang competitive ;-) It was wonderful to spend an afternoon & evening with so many of the friends we've grown to love dearly, and our kids had a blast playing together, too! (Thanks so much to all of those who chipped in to watch them during our evening of fun!) We are blessed to have such an incredible church family :-)

Father's Day Fun at the Florida Aquarium

We made our first family trip to a Florida attraction this week by heading over to the Florida Aquarium in celebration of Father's day! The weekend had a rocky start (Lucky the horse trampled a fence and escaped Saturday morning, the air conditioner broke Saturday night, and Mommy's car broke down Sunday morning), but we didn't let that stop us! We headed from church to the aquarium, where, in honor of Father's Day, all fathers got free admission and, since kids two and under are free, Mommy's was the only ticket we had to purchase :-D. Daddy chose our destination with Quintin's enjoyment in mind, and by that standard alone, the day was an awesome success! Quintin loved looking at all of the exhibits, but was particularly excited by the sharks, sea turtle, and rays. He was fascinated by the touch tanks, where he got to feel star fish & rays, and had a great time playing in the shell play area on the second floor with Daddy. When the aquarium closed at 5:00, we headed over to Miguel's Mexican restaurant for dinner with Granddaddy, Nana, Uncle Mike, Aunt Tanya, Makayla, Aunt Trisha, and Uncle Alex. Fortunately, dinner didn't start until 6:30, since Quintin fell asleep in the truck and got in an hour long nap while Mommy & Daddy circled the Tampa restaurant (fortunately, we had lots of gas, lol!). On the ride home from the wonderful family dinner, we called Grandpop & Grammie and got caught up with the New Jersey news :-). We're so thankful for the chance to celebrate the incredible dads in our lives!

Happy Father's Day!

As our country gets ready to celebrate the special fathers in our lives, I'm reminded especially of how fortunate Quintin is to have such amazing male figures in his life! In addition to having a FAB father all to himself, Quintin has two awesome Grandfathers! From day one (and before Quintin even made his official entrance into the world!), these men have been incredibly involved in his life. We are so blessed! Thank you, Daddy, Granddaddy, and Grandpop, for the millions of ways you make us all feel loved! Also, thank you to all of Quintin's "uncles," biological and otherwise, who are such great male role models in his life :-)
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Our First Family Vacation :-)

Over Memorial Day weekend, our family was incredibly blessed to be included in the vacation plans of Coral & Tom Voorhees, dear friends we met through First United Methodist Church. They rented two hotel rooms in South Lido Beach (just a couple of hours from home), and Nana Slicker agreed to stay at our house for the weekend to pet-sit dogs Caity & Buddy, cats Hannah, Saidie, Tsuni, & Tucker, and horses Lucky & Missy! When the weekend got off to a rocky start (There was a fatal accident in our front yard that involved a woman who'd been heavily drinking - Please don't EVER drink & drive!), we were especially grateful for the opportunity to leave the house behind for a few days.

While we didn't log many hours at the beach (Apparently, we were not the only ones in Florida to think BEACH on this busy Memorial day weekend, lol, so the waterways were really dang full!), we had an awesome time relaxing with Coral, Tom & Holden by the hotel pool! The weather was perfect, the company was fabulous, and the food was great (Coral is a Cooking Queen!). We were so lucky to get away from the helter-skelter pace of everyday life for a bit & refocus on the importance of family time :-)

"Fixing" Cars Just Like Daddy!

Quintin's newest passion is "fixing" stuff around the house (mostly, by banging on it with a toy hammer, lol!). The trend started at the book shop, several weeks ago, when I heard Quintin banging next to me and turned to see what he was doing. "I'm fixing the car, Mommy!" he announced proudly, and added, "Just like my Daddy!"

I had to get a picture, lol :-D We love you, Daddy!

Summer Loving!

Our family is loving the long summer evenings -- it's such a blessing to have a few extra hours of daylight to share with one another after a long day at work! Our neighbor, Lynn, has horses as well & since all of them (hers & ours) need some extra ground work, we've been taking them out on quiet "walks" together. Watching Kevin with our horses is an incredible gift -- Owning them fulfills a lifelong dream of his & he has such a natural ability with them that it's easy to see that he was created to ride them! There's this sense, for me, that whatever else is crazy in our lives, this part is definitely meant to be happening :-)

Thomas the Train! (Almost)

We live just over a mile from regularly used train tracks (we're in a rural area & the local farmers use the freight cars to ship produce, cattle, etc. through central Florida), and often hear the sound of the train whistle as it passes through multiple intersections along Old Lakeland Highway. Quintin has always been excited by the sound -- he'll look toward it and yell, "You hear the train? You hear the train? Choo Choo Train! Choo Choo Train!" He's so passionate about All Things That Have an Engine & Move that it's kind of contagious :-)

About a month ago, Quintin & I heard a radio ad for Thomas the Train's visit to a Railroad museum in Parrish, Florida; the entire Thomas entourage (in full scale!) was making its way to the museum in celebration of the museum's 100th anniversary. Quintin recognized the name (we regularly look up Thomas episodes on YouTube) and kept repeating gleefully, "Thomas! Thomas!" -- We were BOTH pretty excited! When I looked it up online, however, I found the tickets to be expensive, and had to admit (very reluctantly!) that a visit with Thomas couldn't happen for us this year. I remembered learning about trolley rides at a local outdoor shopping center (thanks to Martha & the Hernandez family!), and decided that we'd at least try for one of those. Daddy drove Quintin down to take a ride, but learned that the trolley (decorated like a train) had a broken axle and would be out of commission for a month.

The day that the train was fixed, Quintin and I drove down & went for a very fun ride! Quintin called it "Thomas" and couldn't have been any more excited about it :-) Mommy was so happy to be enjoying Quintin's pure bliss at this simple pleasure that she cried, lol! Best of all, rides were only $2.00, so we'll be able to enjoy it some in the future too!

More Beach Fun!

A few more picts of the FUMC mommies' trip to the beach!

Enjoying Florida's Beautiful Beaches!

As a Florida native growing up on the Pinellas peninsula, I have numerous memories of glorious summer days at the beach -- what a pleasure it has been to share some of those experiences with our precious son! Quintin is fast becoming a beach fan himself, loving the sand & sun and having a blast with other kids splashing in the water.

Gulfport, the small city where my parents live, has a small, quiet beach with an awesome playground, and is one of our favorite spots. Mommy & Quintin's godmother, "Aunt Tsa-Tsa" (Teresa), took Quintin a couple of weeks ago after work -- we all had a wonderful time playing in the sand & sea and climbing the playground equipment, as the sun went down. Nana & Quintin enjoy the same spot pretty regularly together, since Nana & Granddaddy live just a few blocks away!

Several weeks ago, a group of church mommies met at Coral & Tom's to take our kids to Clearwater beach -- that was a beach experience on a whole new level! We caravanned to an awesome spot near the water's edge & set up with enough food & supplies to keep us there for a week :-). The day was perfect, with a bright sun, perfect breeze, and cloudless sky! The kids had an awesome time & the mommies got a chance to socialize & soak up some sun of our own!

Hunting for Eggs!

The Saturday before Easter, Granddaddy Slicker & Mommy had the same idea for Quintin -- Easter Egg Hunt! Mommy bought a package of dinosaurs from the dollar store & filled about ten eggs to bring. Granddaddy bought a bag of chocolate eggs & hid them inside of some larger Easter eggs. Guess whose eggs were more popular? (Check out the face he's giving in the top picture, taken after he found a dinosaur instead of chocolate, lol -- He definitely inherited my affinity for chocolate!). Thanks, Granddaddy, for a LOT of Easter fun!

Easter Sunday, Daddy got up EARLY to play his bass for the sunrise service at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills (Mommy stayed behind to clean house, get ready for the family egg hunt & let Quintin sleep as long as possible). We all headed to the church for a quick band practice before the contemporary service & Quintin spent some time with Eva & Elarie in the nursery. After church, we jotted over to Coral & Tom's before heading home for an Easter egg hunt with Uncle David & Aunt Chrissy, Wade, Bailey, and Grandma Robin. The big boys smoked chicken on the grille while the little boys hunted Easter eggs around the house. Bailey turned out to be a champion egg hunter! Fortunately, he shared his bounty with Quintin. Wade & Uncle David helped Quintin to find more eggs, while Mommy attempted to get pictures (again, the phone camera is just NOT designed to take action picts!). Daddy helped Quintin find the last of the eggs, and provided some assistance getting to the fun stuff tucked inside each one.

Celebrating the miracle of the Easter day among such wonderful family & friends made us more grateful than ever to our gracious God -- We are blessed!

Fun with the Easter Bunny (Sort of!)

Wednesday, March 31, we went to the local library for story hour with the Easter Bunny! Quintin loved the story hour, and was very excited when the Easter Bunny came in ("Bunny Foo-Foo!": Quintin has been watching Wee Sing videos with Martha in the church nursery on Tuesday nights while Mommy & Daddy practice with the band -- Because Martha is the most awesome EPIC leader EVER! -- Quintin was sure that the Easter Bunny was Bunny Foo-Foo, lol!). Quintin was NOT happy, however, when Mommy asked him to sit on the Easter Bunny's lap for a picture. He & Sarah (a good friend from FUMC, just three months older than Q) both screamed and cried when it was their turn to visit with the Easter Bunny -- they wouldn't get any closer than four feet from him! Holden (9 mos. younger than Q, Sarah's cousin & Q's special friend) loooooooved the Easter Bunny and started screaming & crying when he had to get off of his lap -- We ended up with three very unhappy toddlers, lol! Afterward, we all headed over to Coral's house for some cheese pizza & girl talk while the kids played in Holden's awesome toy room:-)

Later that week, as Quintin and I drove home from the shop in St. Pete, he randomly yelled, "I DON'T WANT TO SIT ON THE EASTER BUNNY!" Obviously, that Easter Bunny made a big impression, lol! I told him he'd never have to sit on the Easter Bunny's lap if he didn't want to -- Quintin just solemnly nodded his head (I think it'll be a while before we want to visit with the big white bunny!)

HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY! HOORAY!

Monday, March 29th was an AWESOME day for our family! We (specifically, Mommy) closed the book on a very painful period -- and we celebrated big time (Mommy style!). After several very sleep-deprived nights & a looooong morning, we left a building we'll hopefully never see again and went out to breakfast with Nana and Granddad Slicker & Uncle Mikey. Quintin, the trooper, despite being ripped out of slumber at 5:50 a.m., ate his pancake breakfast with gusto & later kept up somewhat frantic energy levels for a day of fun! We went to Uncle Mikey's and hung out while he drove over to his Mother-in-law's to pick up Makayla, his beautiful baby daughter. I got to carry my precious niece around and show her the incredible children's museum in St. Petersburg, Great Explorations. Quintin looooved it! His favorite was the tree house (with real trees!) set up in the middle of the museum (a huge twisty slide made the climb up into the tree completely worth it!). Our brave boy raced up the steep ladder steps to the slide over and over again :-). They also have a fire engine with working siren and video footage from downtown St. Pete that plays on a screen in front of the steering wheel; Quintin had a great time "driving" us to the scene of a fire, giving Daddy & I instructions on where to sit in the fire engine, when to grab the hose & start spraying, etc. After several hours of such fun, we left for McDonald's, where Quintin played in the huge indoor tube playground they have. Mommy was very nervous, since I couldn't see him while he was playing up there, and was NOT excited about having to crawl up there if anything happened, lol --but Quintin had no problems & scaled the interiors as if born to do it (this is the kid who scaled our furniture regularly before he could even walk -- what was I worried for?!?).