2014 Summer Bucket List

I'm jumping on board with my friends over at More Than Words &  Little Monster(s) & Mommies & am creating a Summer Bucket List.

At the beginning of summer I have all these ideas & plans for all kinds of great things to do with the boys but as usual time flies by, the end of summer arrives quicker than I anticipate & we're left to wait for next summer.

So here's what I have in store for us...

1. Plant some Vegetable seeds - CHECK

2. Go to the pool at Neptune Park

3. Check out the farmers market in Fernandina Beach - CHECK

4. Go to Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island - CHECK

5. Potty Train Caden! - CHECK

6. Have frozen yogurt at the pier - CHECK

7. Take MomMom to see the new Tiger exhibit at the zoo - CHECK

8. Run through the sprinklers - CHECK

9. Hang out at our community pool - CHECK

10. Go to the GA Sea Turtle Center

11. Go to East Beach on Saint Simons Island - CHECK

12. Go to the splash pad while visiting grandma - CHECK

13. See fireworks

14. Eat snow cones -CHECK

15. Paint with Shaving Cream - CHECK

16. Make sidewalk spray paint - CHECK

17. Go to the farmers market on Amelia Island - CHECK

18. Picnic in the park - CHECK

19. Go to a drive in movie

20. Try out story time at the public library

I may or may not think of a few more but for now this should keep us busy. We've got a head start on some of the things listed but I wanted to include them anyways :) Now to put it all on a calendar to actually fit it all in!

Happy Summer to all of you & if you have a Summer Bucket List, we'd love for you to share it with us!

It Doesn't Look Like Much Now...

...but this will be where our new house sits in just a few months!

Two weeks ago Donna & I signed papers to build a new home for our family. It's about time right?! We weren't sure where we wanted to be long term, where we wanted to raise the boys & where they would go to school. We want the best of everything for them & had hoped that when Donna's 2 year commitment was up here that we'd have an answer. Nothing is ever that clear or cut & dry for us, throw in the recent passing of my dad & things just got more confusing for us emotionally. 

After a couple months of tormenting ourselves we decided our original plan, when we first moved down here from NC, was what was best. So come fall we will be moving into our new home in North Florida.

Donna will have a little commute, about 45 minutes but if an opportunity comes up in Jacksonville we will be perfectly situated for her to make that transition without having to uproot us all. The schools in the area are fantastic & we will still only be about 15 minutes from the beach! Its a smaller town we will be in, just outside of Jacksonville but we'll be close enough to take advantage of everything in the city. We will be about the same distance from parents here in GA, about 45 minutes from my sister & about an hour closer to my bonus mom & Donna's parents in Central Florida.

I'm super excited to finally have a home with enough space for all of us & a nice big backyard for the boys & the pups to run around in. The neighborhood also has a community pool, clubhouse, playground, basketball court & soccer field. We will also be in an area where we can join the Y & there will plenty of options to enroll the boys in sports. Did I mention that I'm super excited!?!

One week in, permits have been applied for...

Caden's NICU Graduation Anniversary

It was 3 years ago today that we brought our first baby (who just happened to be the first born) home from the hospital. 

We never could have imagined the little person Caden would grow to be from that 5 1/2 week old, 5lb baby

He definitely keeps us on our toes! He is sweet & warm, he gives the biggest, tightest hugs. He's smart, creative, curious & funny. 

He pretends to be bashful but he's just playing hard to get, he is quite the charmer & flirt. 

He loves animals & is very gentle with them. 

He loves to draw & paint & put together puzzles. His speech therapist says he has the most patience & best concentration she has ever seen in a 3 year old. 

He is still completely fascinated with Thomas, well any train really & he also loves Cars & Buzz Lightyear & Monsters.

His favorite food as of late is mac n cheese, Annie's of course so I feel slightly better about serving it so often.

He loves to play at the playground & swim in the pool but I'd say the beach is the best place for him to get his fill of sand & water.

He's very caring & loving, always hugging & kissing both Donna & I & his brothers. If he accidentally (or intentionally) hurts one of them he always offers a hug & kiss along with an apology.

He's also very polite & charms everyone he meets, once he warms up to them :)

22/52

Project 52; operation no naps ~ FAIL!