Gramsie & PaPa's Visit & Our Baby Turns 3!!!

As I mentioned in my previous post, my parents came to visit for a week as well. They flew in the afternoon of Matthew's 3rd birthday, which was so nice! Matthew got to celebrate his birthday with Aunt Mol & his Gramsie & PaPa! We had a little informal pizza/watermelon fruit bowl/birthday cake party with everyone & our great friends, the Korineks, too. Matthew was soooo spoiled this birthday. Rob and I really only bought him one thing because everyone else got him so much!

We had such a wonderful & relaxing time with my parents. We had no agenda, just relaxing & sunshine! We went swimming quite a bit, which Matthew loved! He is a little fish & is always happy to be in the water. He, of course, was loving every minute of playing with Gramsie & PaPa. I think he gave them more hugs & kisses than Rob & I! Ha!! He keeps asking to go to the farm and see PaPa's tractor & barns, so hopefully we can plan a trip to Tennessee in the near future as well. All I can say is thank goodness for Skype! Now, Matthew's other grandparents need it too!

I also have to mention that my parents both have birthdays shortly after Matthew's (My Dad's is August 4th & my Mom's is August 5th.), so they got to celebrate them here with us! My Dad turned the BIG 6-0!! I know he won't mind me calling out his age since he looks great for being 60!! It was so much fun having them here for their birthday's too.

One final note... Matthew had his annual check-up, and he is still in the 10th percentile for weight (29 pounds dressed) and in the 25th for height (a little over 3 feet). He has always been in those percentiles, and his pediatrician said he was perfectly healthy! (My mom even got to come to his appointment.) He got updated on his shots and will be able to start preschool in just a few weeks. Yes, I promise to post pictures on that new adventure. Where has our little baby gone??? I just looooove my little man. He is so sweet, loving & funny!!

Thanks again Mom & Dad (Gramsie & PaPa) for a wonderful visit!! You are the most amazing parents & grandparents!!! I love & miss you so very much!!! xoxoxoxo

Here are some pictures from their visit....



Matthew & PaPa eating icecream at Chick-fila! Yum!!


Posing outside our home. Gotta love the beautiful palm trees!


This is how I found Matthew and my Mom during his b-day celebration. I kept hearing Matthew laughing hysterically. Hmmmmm.... wonder what Gramsie was telling him?!


Matthew at his 3 year check-up. They had him wear a tiny little gown that opened in the back-- so so cute!!


My parents with their birthday cakes- Boston cream pie for PaPa and key lime cake for Gramsie!

Auntie Heidi & Aunt Mol's Visits!

We were so lucky that both my sisters came to visit last month. My fabulous sister-in-law, Heidi, came first in July for an entire week. She came right before she left for a 3 week trip to China! I always say how lucky that I am to be so close to Heidi, and she actually wants to come stay with us for so long! We had the best time like we always do. Matthew absolutely adores Auntie Heidi, and she is sooooo good with him! She even let Robert and I go on a much needed date night. We went to a late showing of the movie, Inception. It was such an amazing movie, and the bonus was that we were practically the only ones in the theater! (Thanks again Heidi!) We spent the days swimming at the pool, we went to the beach & went shopping (of course!) Hopefully she will come back soon! We are trying to plan some time to head up that way too in the near future. Love & miss you, Heidi!!! xxxxxx

About 3 days after Heidi left my bestie & sister, Molly, came to visit too. She stayed for a little over a week, and again, Matthew was in heaven! Yet another loving auntie to spoil him & give him tons of attention. He has been calling Molly "Aunt Mol" since he started talking. He can say "Molly" now, but she likes the uniqueness, & it's pretty cute when he calls her that. I think this was the hardest it has ever been when Molly left. She and I are really close, but thankfully we have discovered Skype. In fact, today Matthew & I talked to her using it. Even though it's not the same as seeing her in person, at least we can see each other over the computer. I hope to see Molly again very soon too! I love & miss you tons!!! xoxoxo

My parents came to visit as well (Yes, we had company for 3 weeks straight, but I loooved every minute of it!!). They flew in the day of Matthew's 3rd birthday, and stayed for an entire week. Molly was here for about a day and a half with my parents until she flew home. I am going to create another post with pics of my parent's visit....

Here are some pictures of my a-m-a-z-i-n-g sisters (and fabulous Aunties! Matthew is sooo lucky!!)....





Snuggling with Auntie Heidi!


Matthew wanted to sit with Auntie Heidi at our fav Mexican restaurant!


The Graser Family!


Matthew hanging out on the stools with Aunt Mol!


Eating noodles with Aunt Mol! Y-U-M-M-Y!! I love Molly's face in this picture!

Sea World- Memorial Day Weekend 2010

We decided to head back to Orlando and visit Sea World during Memorial Day weekend since Rob had a three day weekend. It was pretty hot the day we went to Sea World, but it was pretty fun, and we got to experience just about everything there. I personally prefer going to any of the Disney parks because Sea World didn't have as much for Matthew to do- well as far as rides. (He wasn't quite tall enough to ride the kiddie rides.) He did really enjoy seeing all of the animals though. The funniest part of our experience there was watching Matthew yell every time the people riding the Manta rollercoaster went by overhead. He LOVED screaming in synch with the people riding. It was hysterical! I am afraid he is going to love rollercoasters when he is old enough to ride them. He gets that thrill-seeking gene from his Dad, not from me!!

So, here are a few pictures below from our visit. I really didn't take too many photos this trip. We have decided to take a break from Orlando until probably October when it is a bit cooler. We're getting ready to plan our next Florida adventure, so stay tuned to see where we will be going next (that is if I keep up with this blog- haha!)...



My boys! They look alike in their white shirts & khaki shorts.


Cheesy family photo....


Mommy & her little man. Look how long his legs are getting!!


The flamingos- my favorites, of course!

Wow! Time Sure Does Fly When You're Having Fun!

Yes, Mom, I know it has been quite some time since I have updated my blog. Notice I said "Mom," because I am pretty sure she is the only person that still checks on a regular basis to see if I have posted anything. Ha! All kidding aside, we have been pretty busy here. It's funny- we move to Florida and suddenly we have visitors just about every month. Hmmmm. No, we LOVE having our friends and family come here to visit.

Rob's sister, Heidi, came in February for a week. We had sooooo much fun! She is an incredible Aunt to Matthew. He absolutely adores her, and of course, I love having her here for some "girl" time! She has visited us several times now, and we really feel honored that she would want to spend her vacation with us! Come again soon, Heidi! Next, our friend, Mike, came to visit. He and his fabulous wife Katie (& their three adorable kids!) live in Ohio, and we miss them soooo much!!! Mike is from Pittsburgh and the Red Sox were playing the Pirates during Spring Training in Ft. Myers, so he, Rob & a friend went to the game. We also got to go the beach one day, and unfortunately for Mike, Matthew got pretty sick and projectile vomited numerous times in front of Mike. Thank God Mike is a dad to 3 kids, so he was pretty wonderful about it all. Hopefully he will want to come visit us again! :) We miss the Libbon Family!!

My sister, Molly, came to visit in April. She and I are especially close. In fact, we talk just about every day. We like to joke that we were twins born 26 months apart. Sometimes I just do not know what I would do if I didn't have her to talk to or cry to. She is an amazing amazing amazing woman!!! I LOVE you Molly!!! She is a total sun goddess ( & so am I, so no complaints here!) so we visited the pool and beach pretty much every day she was here! Oh, and we ate lots of key lime pie. Molly always has to have it when she is in Florida. I think it is because when we were kids & we went to FL for vacation our parents always ordered it. Yummy!!

Rob's parents came in May, and we took a spontaneous trip to Disney. We did the the 4day/3 night experience there so Bob & Ann got to go to every park. We packed a lot into the trip, but we had a really good time. Matthew loved having his grandparents there too! He made (poor) Grandma carry him around the Disney parks and he wanted to wear PaPa's Seabee hat the entire time. In fact, they just bought Matthew a kid's version of PaPa's hat, and Matthew won't take it off! It is just adorable!! Thanks again, Grandma & PaPa!

We already have more family/friends on our calendar to come visit us this summer, and we cannot wait! I really am going to try to update my blog more often. It has been way too long since my last post, and Matthew really is growing up way too fast! We can't believe he is going to be 3 soon! I've also registered him for a 2 day (3 hour) preschool class that starts in September! I am already emotional, and it's several months away!!

Oh, and a few more updates since my last post.... Matthew moved into his "Big Boy Bed" in March, and he looks so tiny in it. He has a full sized bed, but that just means he has extra room for his entourage of stuffed animals! Ha! We also got to take him to his first official professional baseball game. We went to see the Red Sox play during Spring Training in April. We had so much fun & Matthew cheered the Red Sox on. I probably should post pictures. We all wore our Red Sox shirts, of course! We just love baseball, and I am hoping that Matthew will want to play when he is older. Well, I guess that is enough of my rambling for now.....

Here are some pictures of our visitors (and a cute one of our sweet Matthew!)...



The sweetest little ducky ever!


Auntie Heidi came to visit & we went to Disney!


"Uncle" Mike & Matthew at the beach!


Auntie Molly came to visit next. Matthew is making another one of his "faces!"


Next, Rob's parents came to visit. Here we are outside the Nemo ride at Epcott.

Sew, Sew Cute!!

I have to share the pictures below. I have a fabulous, incredibly talented friend, Sara, who has inspired me to start crafting again! I have always loved to create handmade things from sewing to scrapbooking (though I am just considered a beginner!) Actually it's in my genes as my mother & grandmother are incredibly talented artists. My mom has this amazing gift and can see something that she would like to create & can teach herself how to do it! Well, my friend, Sara, is the same way!

Anyway, Sara and I have been working together to create some designs for baby onesies, toddler/kid shirts & even adult sized shirts! She, of course, is doing all the sewing, and let me tell you, she is REALLY good!!! She used to own her own company in which she designed/sewed custom handbags & she sews cloth diapers for a company.

I will post more designs once we have them created. We will be selling them on Etsy soon, or you can contact me if you are interested in one for your little ones (or yourself!). My mom will be getting the first adult shirt creation in the mail soon. I hope you love it, Mom!

Here is Matthew's Rocket shirt.... Sooooo Adorable!! What do you think??

Christmas 2009!

I know... I know... it's February, & Christmas has long passed! I am so behind in my blogging. The only excuse that I can make is that we have been pretty busy. Unlike most of the country, Florida winters are pretty mild. We have had a few cooler days here & there, but no snow! YAY!! This means we have been enjoying the beautiful temps until our Very Hot!! summer begins and all we can do is sit inside by the a/c! Ha!

Anyway, we had the best Christmas ever this year!! My Grammy flew in from Arizona, my parents flew down from Tennessee & even Molly came for about a day & a half. We actually had been planning for a few months prior to have Robert pick Molly up in Tampa and surprise my family. Wow! Were they ever surprised!! Molly is the Store Manager of the Kohl's in Hendersonville, TN so she doesn't get much time off. We were elated that Molly could join us. I had most of the people I love with me, which was the best gift I could ever ask for!!

Here are just a few of our Christmas pictures. I love & miss you all so much- Mom, Dad, Grammy & Molly!! Thanks for making it such a special holiday!!



Matthew & G.G. watching Mommy cook!


Matthew & Gramsie at the Naples Pier!


Matthew & PaPa playing in the playroom! Isn't this the cutest thing ever?!!


Matthew "helping" PaPa put on his shoes!


My beautiful sister, Molly & my beautiful Grammy!! Love them!!

Faux Hawk!

I took Matthew to get his hair cut this afternoon, and he sat in the chair all by himself! He is such a big boy, so he had to get his new "Big Boy" hairdo. The stylist gave him a faux hawk. I have always loved this look on little boys, but just couldn't get it to work on Matthew's hair. I learned the secret to getting it to stay in place- hair wax! So, I took Matthew to Target after and he did get a few stares. Oh well, I think he is adorable! And boy did he have a lot of hair on the floor after his hair cut!

Here are a few pictures I took when we got home...

Disney World Vacations!

Yes, that is not a typo- I really meant to title this post "Disney World Vacations!" We bought Florida resident season passes to Disney World and have been two times this month! This was Matthew's first/second time visiting Disney. I know, he's already spoiled & doesn't even know it! Ha! Orlando is only a three hour drive from where we live, and we have found some amazing deals on hotel rooms, so we decided to go to the place where dreams come true!

Our first visit was for 3 days/2 nights, and we all enjoyed it so much. It was amazing to see how much Matthew loved it. He loved riding the tram, monorail, choo!choo! train & all of the rides. In fact, I was surprised that he was not scared at all of the loud sounds or dark rides. The only thing he wasn't so sure about was the large Disney characters. He kept on asking to go on rides, and the great thing about Disney is that there is plenty to do with a 2 year old! Robert & I even felt like kids again!

We left for our second trip on the day before Thanksgiving. We spent 3 days/3 nights there. I could not believe how crowded it was on Thanksgiving Day! The lines for all the rides were sooooo long, but we were able to catch a lot of the (fabulous!) shows. Matthew also kept asking for "Mickey Ears," so of course, Mommy & Daddy had to buy them for him. He loved them so much that when he woke up this morning he wanted to wear them first thing. Ha! He's such a sweet boy! Oh, and he was an absolute angel at Disney! We took plenty of pictures, but here are a handful of some of our favorites below..... We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I cannot believe how quickly Christmas is approaching!!!!

P.S. Happy Birthday to my sweet husband! Today is his birthday. I won't tell his age, but he keeps getting better & better! Love you Rob!!



Matthew had to wear his "Mickey Ears" this morning!


My handsome boys riding the tram back to our car. I am so very blessed!!


Our handsome little boy!! What a sweetie!!


The Graser Family at Disney- November 2009.


The Graser Family posing with Minnie & Mickey Mouse.

Girls' Weekend!

I am so behind on my posts. In fact, it has been a month since my last one. Anyway, I had another visitor this month- my dear friend, Karissa! She came from (chilly) New Hampshire for a long weekend getaway. Our husbands graciously watched our boys so we could enjoy some girl time. Thanks Erik & Rob! We went to the pool, beach, shopping, got pedicures, went to see The Blind Side (awesome movie btw!), and went out for dinner/drinks! It sure went by way too fast though! Thanks for an amazing time, Karissa. I hope to see you again very soon!!

Happy Halloween Ya'll!!

Happy Halloween!!
I hope everyone had a great Halloween. We dressed Matthew up last year, but really it was only so we could take pictures and show off how adorable he was. Well, who are we kidding, we basically did the same thing this year too! We decided to try to take Matthew trick-or-treating though we don't allow him to eat any candy. He's only two years old, so he doesn't really understand, but we decided to head down to the church for "trunk or treating."

I had never heard of "trunk or treating," but it's really a great (and safe) idea. People decorate the trunks of their cars/suvs and hand out candy. The church also had mini pumpkin painting and games for the kids. It was all pretty overwhelming for Matthew, so he got about 5 pieces of candy, and he was done. All he wanted to do was have Daddy carry him around, and it was about 90 degrees outside. So, we didn't stay that long, but it was still pretty fun. Next year I am sure he will be more excited. We took him to eat at Chick-fila, and I think he enjoyed that more. Oh well! Here are some pictures of our adorable little bee.... oh, and I dressed up too... Can you guess what I was?...



On the way to "Trunk or Treat." Matthew was either giving the peace sign or telling us he's 2!


Our sweet little bee!!


This is one of my favorite pictures- sleepy bee with Daddy!


Baby Bee & "Queen" Bee! Ha!


Buzz!! Buzz!! Matthew was tired of wearing the hood. I don't blame him when it's 90 degrees!!

Florida Fall!

Last weekend we had the most beautiful fall-like weather here, so we took advantage and visited Lakes Park in Fort Myers, FL. It was so nice to actually wear jeans and not sweat! Ha! Lakes Park is such a beautiful place. They have a train you can ride, paddle boats and canoes you can take out on the lake, paths that you can walk or bike on that go along the lake(next time we are going to bring our bikes), and they have great playgrounds.

They had a pumpkin patch set up so we took Matthew to look at all the pumpkins. His favorite part was watching the Choo Choo and playing on the Choo Choo at the playground. In fact, he threw a little fit when we had to leave. Here are some pictures from our beautiful day... Oh, we are also back in the high 80s here. It just doesn't feel like fall, but I won't complain since many of you are wearing coats already!



Sitting on the lanai with Mommy.


Sweet little Matthew is so happy to be outside!


Look, Daddy, there are a lot of pumpkins!!


The official pumpkin patch picture!


This pumpkin makes the perfect seat!

Go VOLS! (This one's for you Dad/Papa)

We went to watch the Vols almost beat Alabama, and Matthew was yelling, "Go Vols!" We caught a quick clip, though he wasn't as animated. Oh well- you know how it goes- they are cute as can be until you get the camera out. Ha! We had a great time watching the Vols play at Hurricane's with all the Vol fans here in Florida. Yes, they do exist! Ha!