Family Time in Florida!

The last time I posted we announced we were welcoming a little baby girl into our lives this June. Well since then our baby girl's been growing - kicking all the way, we've been having fun as a family - what's new, right?! and reserving some time for family thanks to my cousin Kathryn Abbey getting married.

Michael LOVES to be around family as reflected in these pictures - taken by our family historian, my Aunt Allison.

Michael had a fantastic time, as did David and I. Here he is with my Uncle Kirk - he loves his Kirk...

Here I am with my Aunt Abbey and Cousin Joseph at the wedding.

Me and Joseph enjoying the festivities.

I am definitely beginning to show as I am 26 weeks pregnant now, but heck - still fit in my dress!

Goofy little boy loved running around with all of my cousins, which we affectionately refer to as his cousins too.

Here he is with "his cousins" - Nathan, Owen, Madeline and Jessica.

Background on why he's dressed like Superman... Well, my/our Nonny decided to show him all the new clothes/toys/books she had bought for him right before the wedding and he latched - and I mean LATCHED - onto the Superman jacket. He is wearing a very handsome outfit, complete with a bowtie, underneath but that Superman jacket has yet to be hung up...

My family - Mom ("Auggie"), Dad ("Poppa"), Deborah ("Aunt Deborah") and Emily ("Auntie 'Em") - we shine-up pretty nice.

Here's me and my cousin Matthew - he and Joseph hung out with us at Islands of Adventure too (more pics later on). I have to laugh because A LOT of the photos taken of him at the wedding were when his mouth was full, so I supported him... what a good sport!

 

 

Here I am with my beautiful Aunt Abbey and Mother of the Bride.

Michael always makes friends, no matter where we go, and Kathryn's wedding was no exception. And yes, he is giving her a kiss... sweet boy.

Mastering his winking skills.

With his cousins Madeline (L) and Jessica (R).

And who is Kathryn Abbey? Well here is a picture of my beautiful cousin and her lucky husband Anthony. As you can see, Anthony is a Marine and they are currently based in Japan so it was nice to see her/spend time with her before she traveled back overseas.

I've always been very close to my extended family and am so happy that Michael has formed those same relationships. 

When in Rome...



Since we were in Orlando we decided to take Michael to one of the Disney theme parks - Islands of Adventures. I know, I know, why not Disney right?! Well, we didn't have a lot of time to spend at the park, Michael's not old enough quite yet to take full advantage of the park and the big kicker? My cousin Daniel got us FREE tickets to Islands of Adventure. It was a blast and I think Michael enjoyed every minute of it - I think...

Our adventures began at Dr. Seuss's Landing.

And he wanted to try it ALL...

But David and I were there to help.

He may or may not have ran away from me, skipped past all the kids waiting in line and sat down on their laps. Oh well, they didn't mind and he loved it!

This ride had a funny ending. It's the "1 Fish, 2 Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" ride and you're supposed to listen carefully to the music that accompanies the ride so you avoid getting sprayed by water. Well, when the ride was over, they were both drenched and Michael was crying because "Daddy got me wet" - too funny.

Our little boy is a big fan of super heroes. So, even though he couldn't ride any of the rides, he enjoyed walking through The Marvel/Avengers area.

Our final stop at the park was in the "Toon Lagoon" where you could spray some people riding the water-centric rides below - Michael had WAY too much fun spraying unsuspecting people.

Yep, spraying more people here.

Daddy was no help as indicated by the finger who's actually "pulling the trigger" on the water.

Dirty porthole window, but cute shot.

It's Been A While Since I Posted, So...

I mentioned having fun as a family and below are some pictures. David and I took a cooking class - thanks to my Mom and Dad who gifted us the class for Christmas, Valentine's Day at Michael's school that I attended and Michael's bike-riding skills. Enjoy.

Who knew we were such chefs?! We created some delicious grub and had a blast doing it together.

Seriously... tasted as good as it looked!

Random picture I took at the Home and Garden Show, but he just looks so cute and smug in this picture, I had to share.

I had the opportunity to attend Michael's Valentine's Day party at his school and to kick things off, they ran around to a farm song, acting out all the activities. Here he is driving a tractor...

Galloping like a horse...

Crawling like a pig, before they roll around in the mud (which I don't have a good picture of). It was a cute song and it's clear all the kids LOVE it.

Then it was time for the Valentine exchange.

Michael gave out Avengers Valentine's - surprised given the Superman jacket and Avengers reference above?!

He did a good job passing out his Valentine's.

I brought Dunkin Donut "Munchkins" (aka donut holes) - they were a hit with the kiddos since other snacks were yogurt, grapes, crackers, etc.

And Mom ("Auggie") sent some Valentine's Day candy - here's Michael displaying the chocolate lips candy. Yum, yum.

On the actual day - which was a Saturday this year - we took Michael to the park to ride his bike. He sure is getting good at the Strider - next-up, the big boy bike with pedals and NO training wheels. It will be sooner than later since he's really beginning to balance.

His first stand-off with a prairie dog - it was really cute and he had fun chasing them around.

Well, as always we're taking advantage of every day and in just a few more months our family of three will become our little family of four. Stay tuned for more adventures...