These Little Moments...

My little man had his first Kindermusik class on Monday morning. I've been looking forward to this for a while now, since I really missed the classes Gracie and I used to take together when she was younger. Ethan and I had so much fun! I loved watching him take in this new experience. The musical aspect of the class is wonderful, but it's also a great social opportunity for Ethan. He is such an observer and spent the minutes before class started watching what the other babies were doing. The majority of the little ones are between 13-15 months old. I did notice that I have a big boy! I don't have many comparisons to go by, but the baby boys in the class seemed so small compared to mine. I think he's hit a growth spurt since his 12 month doctor visit! We shook bells and eggs (that sound like maracas) to the beat of our songs. At the end of class, our instructor gave out the class materials for the semester. I'm looking forward to spending this special ...

My grandmother was here visiting at the beginning of August. I had intentions of adding these pictures weeks ago and never got around to it, so I'm adding them now. It was wonderful to see my Granny and spend a couple of days with her. We all spent one evening at my mom's house, enjoying dinner and each other's company. The kids are always entertaining. Mine become especially wild once they hit Nana's living room rug. Below is picture proof of what occurs in our household on a daily basis. I'm telling you, Gracie will be in trouble soon! He usually just goes along with her... game? torture? I swear I don't just let her drag him around the house. She knows to back off if he starts to fuss or act like it's no longer fun. We miss you, Granny! We enjoyed your visit so very much!!

What is one of the most significant lessons you've learned during your years as a mother? Let's pretend for a moment that someone actually asked me the above question. No one has, but it's one that I've thought about a lot lately. Becoming a parent changes you, and your life, in such a profound way, there are bound to be countless "lessons" that you learn as you feel your way along such a new, unknown path. These lessons can be as simple as learning that you should never leave the house without a change of clothes for your newborn, or as complex as realizing that, against your natural instincts (which pull you to sacrifice yourself for you child), you truly have to make caring for  yourself  a priority . I'm currently learning to focus on the latter. I have to. After 4+ years of motherhood, I am finally starting to see that taking steps to care for myself actually has less to do with me, and much more to do with the well-being of my family. It would ...

In an effort to prolong that summer feeling, we spent yesterday evening at the pool. Getting there was an adventure, but once little toes found super cold water, all was well. We had planned to meet Sean at the pool to maximize our time there (rather than waiting for him to drive home after work). Right before lugging pool bags and two children out the door, I sent Sean a quick text, asking if he'd grabbed his bathing suit along with his gym clothes that morning before leaving for work. I mistakenly assumed that he probably had ('cause he usually surprises me with what he remembers, while I tend to forget). Anyway, halfway to the pool, I quickly checked my phone and discovered he had not taken his trunks and needed me to bring them. Sigh. Instead of having me turn around, he offered to drive home to get them himself so that I could take the kids on to the pool. Okay, easy enough. Ethan was already fussing in his car seat, so this seemed like a good idea. ...

Sean was anxious to get back on the boat one more time before we had to head home, so Grandad agreed to take us fishing Sunday morning. Ryan and Bekah joined us, as did Sean's brother Will, his wife, and her 8 year old nephew. It was an overcast morning, with a chance of rain, but we made it out in time to let Gracie experience her first fishing trip. We didn't catch anything, but Gracie and Sean did get a nibble! This was better than nothing at all. :) On our way back, it did start to sprinkle, so we had to cancel our plans to fish from the pier. Either way, I think we all enjoyed spending a little more time on the boat. Ethan stayed with Grandma back at the condo. He ended up sleeping the entire time we were gone. It was nice having that time to spend with Gracie while he was sleeping. We really had such a fantastic time. I'm already trying to see if it's possible to squeeze in another Williamsburg trip before the holidays!

Today, Gracie went back to school. She has officially started her last year of preschool, and I have a feeling that this will be a really great year for her. When I took her to her classroom this morning, she didn't hesitate to find her book bag hook and walk on in (after Mommy grabbed her for a good-bye hug!). I stepped away to speak to one of the other mothers, then took a moment to peek at her again before leaving. She was working on an activity, spotted me, then gave me a big smile and wave. I would be lying if I said I didn't get just a little lump in my throat as I walked to the car... Who is this big girl? She can't possibly be my little Gracie. I am a proud mommy, on days like today, and every day. I imagine I will get that lump-in-the-throat feeling every time we start a new school year. These first days are such an indicator of how time is passing, and of how much my sweeties grow year to year.  First day of preschool, 2011 First day of preschool,...

As I mentioned in my Part 1 post, we spent Saturday at Busch Gardens. We've been many times, and even enjoyed a day at this theme park when we were on our honeymoon in Williamsburg 6 years ago! Back then, we bypassed Sesame Place, but it was our first stop this time. :) This was Ethan's very first trip to Busch Gardens, and since he is old enough to enjoy some of the children's rides and is a very curious 14 month old, we knew it was going to be a lot of fun for everyone.  And it was... until Gracie slipped and fell while waiting in line for our first ride of the morning and got a nice cut on her elbow that required the attention of someone from the First Aid team. Luckily, the kind gentleman who helped her was a great distraction, because she was flipping out. He sent her off with a yellow crayon band-aid, mostly back to normal. She eventually forgot about her boo-boo completely and we were able to get back to having fun, starting with a show featuring our Sesame Str...

We arrived home yesterday after a truly wonderful weekend away visiting with family. We stayed with Sean's grandparents at their condo located near Williamsburg, Virginia (one of our favorite places!). Sean's grandmother cooked us delicious meals and his grandfather treated us to trips out on their boat. Saturday was spent at Busch Gardens with Ryan and Bekah. We were literally there for more than 12 hours, basically open to close. It was so much fun! Sean's mom even joined us for part of the day, then took Gracie and Ethan back to the condo to rest before bringing them back again for fireworks Saturday night. I'll have to break this trip up into a couple of posts! We left Friday afternoon, which meant we arrived Friday evening in time for dinner and a boat ride. This was Ethan's first time on a boat, the same boat that his daddy enjoyed riding during his childhood. I found this picture of Sean at 18 months old fishing off the boat! It was taken in August of 1985,...