Week 85

Oct 20-26

This week I was mostly at work since it was my weekend on. The E.R. is definitely a change of pace from pediatrics and keeps me super-duper busy. Most of the time I hardly sit down the whole 12+ hours because there is just not time. The only good thing about this is that it makes the time go by fast. We have been very fortunate to find another great babysitter and that is one thing that makes going to work a million times easier.

Our new babysitter is Kate. She is AWESOME! From the moment we met her we knew she was going to work out. Jack absolutely ADORES her!! He gets soooooo excited when I tell him Kate is coming over to play. We are so very lucky!

One day this week we had a fun play date with Charlotte and Vincent. We went to one of the many parks along the beachside on A1A. They had a nice time. It was super-duper hot and humid this particular day so this is why they are all soaking wet in the pictures.

Overall we had a nice week. Next post I will have much more to talk about with Halloween and all. :) Jack is going to be a firefighter of course. He is very excited about it!

Week 84

Oct 13-19

We have been busy little bees the past week. This was my off week for work (where I have 5 days in a row off) so we try to make the best of the quality family time. We only have 2 weekends off together in October so we have decided to pack in as much fun, fall festivities as possible. Unfortunately, the area we live in is not exactly filled with such things. At least not what we are used to.

Let me start off by saying that family traditions are VERY important to us. I can remember having lengthy discussions before we were even married about things we wanted to do with our kids as a family. Holidays are special to us and we take them seriously (hence the ridiculous quantity of pumpkin-themed items inside AND outside our home right now). It's all in good fun! We used to do this before we had kids so now that there's a little person to appreciate all of our efforts we have taken it to the next level.

So even with our limited options of fall fun, we decided to try out something called "Happy Hooves Farm Fall Festival" or something like that. It was supposed to be a family-owned petting farm that had fall festivities. For $12/child you get a pony ride, hay ride, the "pumpkin patch" and the chance to walk around and pet the animals. Of course it was extra for the food to feed the animals and for the itty-bitty pumpkins they had.

Despite all of that it was cute and Jack REALLY enjoyed the pony ride. That alone was worth the $12 to me because he was so adorable. I wasn't sure if he would hold on, but he was a champion! He took it very seriously and when it was all finished and Ed got him off he was grinning from ear to ear!

It was fun to feed the horses but FL just kind of ruins everything because you're looking at hay and pumpkins...but it's like 80+ degrees outside and you still see stupid palm trees on the horizon. I guess I am just ready to get out of here and sometimes I think a year can't go by fast enough. On the other hand, we have made some great friendships here and it makes me sad to leave everyone. :( Sigh.

Another fun tradition we like to keep is the tradition of a seasonal or festive food. I have been trying a bunch of new recipes lately to see which ones we like the best. This week I made pumpkin bread with cream cheese frosting and some chocolate chip pumpkin cookies. Both were very good!

Earlier in the week I took Jack to the zoo by myself. We were originally going to go with his little friend Mackenzie, but she wasn't feeling very well and her mom was gracious enough to not spread her germies to us! Thanks Angi...love you! Angi works in radiology at my hospital and that's how we met. If you guys read my blog you will remember Jack's first date with Kenzie at the pool way back in May. Both of our families have been busy over the summer and the babies hadn't seen each other for the whole 5 months. What a difference!

So anyways Jack and I went alone since I had already promised him and actually deep down I just really wanted to go to the zoo because I had been looking forward to it. We had a great time and as usual Jack was loving his giraffe friends! He just stared at them for the longest time! I like at our zoo how they have the giraffes set up. People can buy crackers to feed them so often they are right up close to you and you can even pet them.

We also stopped by the ever popular petting zoo so Jack could see his goat friends. He just followed them all around and brushed them. I think they all looked a little bit better after Jacks visit. :) Haha!

Ed and I managed to go on a date! :) Here is a picture!

Monday we kept our date with Angi and Kenzie and had another great visit! Honestly, if you live in Brevard County the zoo pass is the BEST investment ever for families with kids!!!! I think it pays for itself in 2.5 visits and we go probably 10 times a year. Definitely worth the money. We just renewed ours so we will have it for another year. The zoo is not high on the exotic/awesome animal spectrum...the biggest attractions are the giraffes, jaguars, and some cool monkeys...BUT it is very kid-friendly and the "Paws-on" area is AWESOME! There are so many things for them to do!

It was an awesome 5 days off and now it is back to work! I'm about to be on my work-heavy week so I might not update for awhile. I will try though!!

Week 83

Oct 6-12

This post is going to be dedicated to all the firefighters. The heros.

As most of you know Ed has recently decided to make a drastic career change. He has decided to depart the Navy and become a firefighter. He says that it is not just a job to him, but a calling. I have never seen him so passionate about anything (except for his family and his religion). From the moment he decided to follow his dream I have seen a change in him.

Well there have been many changes. First Ed signed up at the local Volunteer Fire Department. He has undergone training and was officially voted in to be a member. He has a shiny new badge and a pager that he carries everywhere with him. There are times when I get annoyed at the pager, but when I see his face light up to go on a call I can't help but be happy for him.

The second major change Ed made was to change his major to a Bachelors degree in Fire Science. He will have his degree complete before he gets out of the Navy. I see him go through his classes and with every discussion and every paper he is asked to complete, he does so with such seriousness and motivation. It's not a chore for him. He is happy to learn every lesson and he takes it all in.

This week his station had their annual "Open House" at the station. It was awesome! Jack had an ABSOLUTE BLAST! We had full access to the station and all of the trucks. I think it was probably his dream come true! :) What can I say? The kid LOVES firetrucks!

Before I forget...let me link this to the station's website because they will probably post pictures as well. I know everyone wants to see Ed's fire station! It really is a nice place with cool trucks and gear. When you go to the site click on the link for 'firefighters' and Ed's picture is on there. I am just SO PROUD of him!!!!

Indian Harbour Beach Volunteer Fire Department Station 56

http://www.ihbvfd56.com/

I know there are a million pictures on this post, but I couldn't help myself. We were having so much fun and I have been dying to get pictures of things around the station for Jack's future Firefighter room! I love the colors and the elements of a fire station. Jack will sit still and look at these pictures for hours...it's the cutest thing.

So the station graciously fed us hotdogs, chips, and cake (Publix vanilla cake with raspberry filling and buttercream frosting...one of my favorites!!). It was fun to finally see where Daddy puts in his hours. There was a very good turnout...kids everywhere. I love to see their faces as they climb the trucks. I think everyone can appreciate the awe of a fire truck. Everything is so shiny and there are buttons/knobs/gears galore!

This post is dedicated to the firefighters...especially our firefighter Daddy! We are so proud of you Ed! I love that you are following your heart and discovering your dreams! I know you will do a great job! We love you!!!!!