Ahh, its Spring

We are alive! And in very great health.  Having made it through the busy holidays and starting to anxiously await the fun of May, summer, family time and so much more.  But this spring so far we have done some pretty fun stuff as a family of three.  We got to see the IndyCar's race in our favorite place, St. Pete.  But of course Conor and I had to get some sun and sand time.  

After mister fearless got knocked down a few times by the waves we went poolside and dried up after some fun in the shallow end.

Race day, we got the grass while Darren got to enjoy our bleacher seats.

We also celebrated 40 days to Darren's big fortieth birthday.  One of his gifts was learning how to play curling, so on a day trip with Conor staying at grandma and grandpa D's.  Lots of technique, balance and pretty hefty seriousness.

Conor and Darren got lots of fun in during spring break. Toddler time, walks to the park and trips for the many home errands I could not take care of.

And of course Easter with family.  Conor loved all the chocolate that grandma and grandpa filled the eggs with, so much that he had to share the "extra" but when he heard me opening a wrapper it was over.

Flying a kite of BB-8, short lived as the small plastic kite got tangled.

The youngest of the boys doing their own thing.

Conor is getting really comfortable with claiming his space now when we visit.

Darren's big day, finally turned 40 and the gifts rained on him.  

Conor was more interested unwrapping gifts with Darren everyday and April 6th was no exception.

Then... Conor and I hopped on a plane to spend the week after tax season in the sun with family.

And the next day we caught the tram into the land of Disney.

While Conor was too shy to get photos with his favorite characters I got in there to show him how fun it is to visit them in their home.

But his face was all smiles every time one of the characters stopped by to say hello.  And Conor loved hearing the music and watching dancing, constantly signing "more" when the fun music stopped.

Dining was the best way to see all the characters up close.

Pool side Conor decided he needed to use goggles.

When heading to the lake a splash pad stopped us and of course we had to go in and cool off.

Seeing Lego's of some of our favorite characters. 

Magic Kingdom day, this kid is the best, even at his crankiest.

We grabbed a snack at Gaston's to break up the day and get out of the sun.  Beauty and the Beast has been one of my favorite movies so it was only fitting that while the music played in my head that we sit in a replica chair.

Before we headed out for the day I treated myself to a root beer float while Conor napped.

A great visit has to end with snacks and toys.

Lining up all his favorites at dinner.

We made a pit stop for some walking and had to get some ice cream before the airport craziness sent us to be reunited with Darren.

This is one experienced traveler taking advantage of a flight that was not fully booked.

Our first yellow bus ride.

When you have an only be ready for anything.  On this trip that meant I too had to get in on the fun of bounce houses and slides.  It's worth it EVERY single time.

We were all so happy to be back together, we missed Darren just as much as he missed us.

A stop for some southern food as we made the trek back home, those fries and sweet tea had been missed by me.

We made it back home and are now back into our groove hoping that the spring and summer stick around for us to enjoy our time outdoors together.

Busy bees

So much has been going on the last few weeks.  We have enjoyed some down time in the midst of all the busy moments.  But one thing has stayed true this past month, Friday's are meant for fun.  While I have had some scheduled things that may not be so fun our time as a family has been amazing.

I try not to plan too much but I always make a point that while I have time out of the office we are sure to spend plenty of time enjoying each other.  That means, in between the appointments and errands we are making time to laugh, play, learn and eat.  Because, food is just as important.

Some things Conor has been up to:

*Met and played with/petted 3 pups. 

*Swim lessons, this kid loves water and has made such great progress.

*Raked leaves with daddy and helped bag.

*Taken off with his bubble mower, making several trips to the park by foot. BEST money spent!

*Chores, Conor helps every week with trash night duties on top of a few other things.
*Making new friends and learning to share.
*Celebrated Grandma D's big birthday with family and friends.
*Decorated cookies with friends and shared with another friend.
*Lots of shopping trips and Conor picking up some familiar items.
*Advent calendar fun, which included meeting Santa and having frozen yogurt to celebrate the cry free trip.
*Enjoyed the amazing December weather we have had this year.

Figuring out what we wanted to buy.

Walk and talk, errands have to get done and calls have to be made.

Our little artist.

Trash night chores, thankfully he enjoys it every week.

Conor was not too sure about Santa but he also was okay with seeing him for a few minutes.

Peppermint frozen yogurt was a hit.

Taking time with Great Grandpa W.

And of course 18 month old Christmas Photos:

There are quite a few characters that Conor enjoys and finds everywhere we shop.

Thinking he was up for helping dad clean gutters.