Mostly Them and Sometimes Us

Just cruising...

2012-02-17T15:02:00.003-05:00

Dax's first hair cut!

2012-02-17T14:59:00.002-05:00

This was in October... We went to Chad and Stacey's house and I asked if Stacey would give Dax a haircut... it was easier said than done....

Chad and Dax discussing life...

Phone Pics - Tampa

2012-02-17T14:53:00.000-05:00

This was when we went to Tampa after our cruise.

Visiting Kyle! My psuedo nephew...

Zoey helping abuela cook!

Dax relaxing...

Dax "exploring" Ca's closet... few have gone in and came out alive... :)

Dax relaxing on the ride home.. it took us 6 hours to find a show he would watch....

That is love...

2012-02-14T20:45:00.001-05:00

Best husband ever! NY strip steaks, chocolate covered strawberries, cheesecake... and he ate the worst potatoes I have ever made! Now that is love...

I love his love of our kids, I love his desire to make your lives better, I love that our kids ADORE him, I love that he always puts us first, I love that he is my best friend, I love that he is the father to my kids, I love the smile you bring to my face... I love that we get to spend out lives together... I love you babe!

Clearly a professional

2012-02-13T23:24:00.000-05:00

JUMP or... step...

2012-02-13T23:21:00.002-05:00

Visions of a Sick boy...

2012-02-02T16:58:00.000-05:00

"upatoyou"

2012-02-01T22:21:00.002-05:00

= Happy birthday to you in Daxton language generally followed by clapping and "yeah"

One smart cookie...

2012-01-30T17:06:00.000-05:00

This girl amazes me everyday. We sat down to color... and Zoey busted this out..

on her own.. without prodding or suggesting...

at this rate she will be doing algebra in the third grade... I better start studying!

Daxton and the Emergency Room...

2012-01-30T17:04:00.000-05:00

Saturday, Dax woke up from his nap with a bark cough and wheezing. So I quickly put him in the car and took him to Urgent Care. After 3 hours, a chest x-ray, nebulizer treatment, and ibprofen, he was still wheezing. So off to the ER we went.. HOORAY!

We were in the ER for about 3-4 hours... come to find out he has croup. Which of all the things we could have it was the least dangerous... basically its a cold that sounds horrible. But he was good to go and we were home around 11pm.

But he was quite possibly the HAPPIEST sick kid ever! Thankfully everywhere we went he was smiling and talking to everyone. He only got upset twice, once when they had to do his x-ray and hold him in awkward positions, and secondly when they put the pulse-ox monitor on his toe.. once again don't blame him. As we left he was waving to all the nurses saying "bye-bye" and "tant you (thank you)"

This was him in the ER.. watching bubble guppies.. or some of the other million youtube videos we watched!

Just like you...

2012-01-25T22:40:00.000-05:00

While we were outside this afternoon playing, Zoey came over and gave me a hug..

Me: "Zoey I don't want you to get bigger."
Z: "Mommy, I am going to be four soon."
M: "I know but I don't want you to get bigger, I want you stay just the way you are."
Z: "Mooom, I have to get bigger."
M: "Why?"
Z: "So I can be a mommy."
M: "You want to be a mommy when you grow up?"
Z: "I want to be a mommy just like you...."

Melt my heart...

Circus!

2012-01-25T20:53:00.002-05:00

Gary called me one morning, and talked about going to the circus.. of course I said YES! They he upgraded our seats... so we were right in the middle of the action!

Before the show starts they let the kids get right into the ring and have a few different things going on...

They brough the elephant out to make a footprint...

Before the show Zoey got a snowcone.. and we probably could have gone home at that point.. Zoey was thrilled!

This was the only clown we saw.. weird huh?

The camels, horses, and mini horses...

The different side shows all together...

Dancing puppies.. a bit hit with Zoey

The acrobats!

One of the acts they put on while they set up... There was never a dull moment..

Seriously impressive!

The Elephants were AWESOME! One did a headstand... of course this is while Zoey wanted to take a picture...

Three motorcycles in there at one time...

Under that jeep was the Strong Man

Overall Gary and I were seriously impressed with the Circus! And Zoey loved her snowcone and the light she got at the end...

The State of our Family

2012-01-25T13:10:00.000-05:00

The Mattes Family is WONDERFUL! I don't want to jinx it, but things are really great! Sure we have a day here and there where the kids are driving us crazy, or work gets to be a lot, or life is just out of funk.. but overall we are great.....

Zoey is going to be 4 in April. That thought alone is enough. She is getting out of the horrific threes and starting to be able to reason through behaviors and why it is not appropriate. She is super smart and is now working on writing. If you write something out she can copy it onto her own paper. It is pretty impressive. Her memory of events or facts is astounding. She will recall SPECIFIC details of an event that took place months and months ago. She LOVES school and all her friends. She is still quite a picky eater, but we have some basics down that hopefully keep her sustained. Her favorite activities would include playing games; candy land, computer games, phone games, playing with friends, going to grandma and pop's house. She is such a energetic little girl. She is a daddy's girl beyond all means. We love you Zoey!

Daxton is 19 months... and temper tantrums have taken over. Everything is "NO" or "No mama". He is a fiesty little boy, with a temper to boot. But then he will be the sweetest boy ever. He is a lovie boy. and wants to sit in your lap and snuggle. He is talking and talking and talking. Most of it is coherent and understandable, but if not I can translate most of what he is saying. He is VERY energetic. He will run and run and run, even after we put him to bed he will talk and play for at least 20 minutes. His bottle is still his favorite thing in the world. He is learning and learning more and more.. He loves his teachers at school, and asks about them all time. One of Dax's favorite things to is talk on the phone, especially to Papa and Abuela. Everytime he grabs my phone he will repeat one of their names until we call them on the phone. and he is quite the conversationalist. We love seeing him grow more and more.. even if its not in size! :)

Emily is still working and working and working for FLVS. Sometime I think the phone is surgically attached to my head. BUT I am able to spend wonderful time with the kids, so I hope that in the end it will balance out and they won't remember their mom as ALWAYS on the phone...I am working out a bit more.. in an effort to get my healthy on. I don't really have a weight goal... just a feel better goal. And its working! I feel a million times better! I have energy and overall feel better. I am hoping to have more free time to do some more FUN things... but right now I feel like its either work or mommy stuff. But overall I am happy and content will all things in life.

Gary is still working at Northview, this might be the longest he has been at one school since we have moved to Pensacola! And thankfully he plans on staying next year, with hopefully a bit of an upgrade. (cross your fingers). This summer he will be going to a class to help him get the upgraded job. He is playing tennis intermitenttly when he can find someone and time to play with. The kids are SERIOUSLY in love with their dad. As soon as he drives into the driveway the kids goooo NUTS! "daddy's home" it definitely is a favorite time of day for the kids and me! ;) I know daddy is enjoying playing more with kids... especially soccer, which BOTH kids love.

So that is us right... nothing BIG on the horizon, but LOVING the moments in our days!

Its official...

2012-01-23T21:13:00.001-05:00

Daxton is a Gary clone.... he watches WWE Monday Night Raw.

This boy will not stop and watch much television...

but he stops to watch the WWE Monday Night Raw.

Dance Dance!

2012-01-22T20:51:00.000-05:00

Learning to write!

2012-01-19T13:41:00.000-05:00

Zoey wrote her first name all by herself, and then all I did was tell her what letters to write for her last name!

I can do it myself...

2012-01-16T14:47:00.000-05:00

Good Morning Dax!

2012-01-14T09:44:00.001-05:00

Viva Las Vegas

2012-01-12T14:37:00.004-05:00

Z: "I want to go to vegas...."
Me: "why...?"
Z: "Cause that is where the Fresh Beat Band Show is ....."

pheww.. i was worried for a minute

Dax's first buzz cut!

2012-01-07T17:49:00.000-05:00

After seeing Dax wake up from his nap with crazy hair.. I knew it was time.... So Gary held him while I buzzed... I was impressed he sat through the whole thing...

He looks so much older now!

America's Funniest Home Videos Submission

2012-01-07T10:05:00.002-05:00

I haven't but i think it would be a contender....

Papa, Nana, and Steve visit!

2012-01-07T09:59:00.002-05:00

Christmas!

2011-12-26T13:41:00.001-05:00

Christmas Eve

2011-12-25T22:56:00.000-05:00

We had Christmas Eve at our house this year... a traditions that must continue! It was perfect.. I made pork, yellow rice, and black beans and Grandma and Pop came over..

after dinner, Zoey, Grandma and Pop played cards..

We tracked Santa on the computer...

Dax watched Elmo!

We even got a family picture!!

A rare shot of just the two of us..

An even more rare shot of Zoey and Dax...

This one is my favorite....

And after grandma and pop left... There was some wrestling..

Then after the kids were snuggled in bed.. Santa paid the kids a visit.. and spoiled them rotten!

Christmas cookies!

2011-12-25T22:43:00.000-05:00

After I convinced her to stop eating the icing...

She finally decorated from cookies for Santa...

Christmas Lights!

2011-12-23T15:05:00.003-05:00

On Tuesday we put the kids in jammies and headed out to go Christmas Light hunting... Dax was sooo excited! He is obsessed with Christmas lights...

Not much to watch but the reactions are priceless..

and so it begins...

2011-12-23T15:02:00.000-05:00

I took the kids to the bounce house today... The kids were playing and Santa showed up...

Also there were two of Zoey's friends from school.. including Evan.. Zoey was soooo excited! As we were leaving she went to say goodbye and kissed Evan... so when we got home I told gary.. and he quickly explained that we do not kiss boys on the mouth.. only on the cheek...

Choo - Choo!

2011-12-23T14:57:00.000-05:00

This little boy has become a bit obsessed with "choo-choo's"

Zoey & Mommy & Daddy Day

2011-12-23T14:55:00.002-05:00

While we were on Christmas Break we took Zoey bowling.. while Dax was with Holly...

Zoey loves bowling!! Daddy LOVES to help Zoey!

She was even beating Daddy at one point..

Game #1

Game #2

Mark this day in history!.. I beat Gary in bowling.... :)

just get him a box

2011-12-23T14:47:00.000-05:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2011-12-23T14:45:00.001-05:00

The kids went nuts this year when we put up the lights... Dax now screams "peeety" (pretty) eveytime he sees the lights...everytime..

Clearly the tree had to be Dax proof... it fell three times before it was done being decorated.

Pancakes with Santa

2011-12-23T14:42:00.000-05:00

Holly invited us to Pancakes with Santa..

Zoey and Haley

Dax wanted nothing to do with Santa...

Zoey being Zoey.

Zoey enjoying her pancakes!

Dax feeling better now that Santa was on the other side of the room.. and with pancakes.

Trying to get cute pictures of the kids turned useless very quickly.

Ca and Abuela

2011-12-23T14:35:00.001-05:00

Ca and Abuela passed through Pensacola on their way to Baton Rouge, so they stayed with us on the way there and then on the way back.. I know two kids were very excited.... especially when Ca and Abuela bring Ipads!

FINALLY!

2011-12-20T22:34:00.003-05:00

Zoey said she was tired of talking....

ahhhhh silence...

*this lasted three minutes...

Daddy/Dax time

2011-12-17T22:27:00.000-05:00

Cookies with Santa

2011-12-14T21:30:00.000-05:00

Zoey's school has cookies with Santa every year... unfortunately I was unable to attend, but one of the parents shared pictures... So Dax saw Santa too.. but I only have these to document...

The boy sitting next to Zoey is Evan.. we hear a lot about Evan...

Zoey Story

2011-12-05T16:55:00.000-05:00

Last week, I was dropping Zoey off at school. We got to her from room and took off her backpack, then told her to take off her coat.

Z: "No, Evan will do it"
M: "Zoey just take off your coat"
Z: "No, Evan likes to do it"

Mrs. J (her teacher): "No, really he does, Evan Zoey needs her coat off."

Evan runs from the other side of the room, takes off her coat and puts it on the hook.

SERIOUSLY?!?!?

Then I pick her up from school.. and Mrs. J tells me another story...

Mrs. J: "Zoey take off your coat so we can go to totercise."
Z: shaking her hand at her teacher (with attitude) "Evan!" she then points to her coat..

Evan RUNS again and takes off her coat and puts it on the hook...

RIDICULOUS!

Don't watch.. just listen..

2011-12-01T21:38:00.000-05:00

This is a fairly normal occurance for Zoey... just making up her own songs.

17 months..

2011-11-28T22:21:00.000-05:00

Almost a year and a half.. seriously this kid keeps getting better and better...

Dax can..
- Say a lot of words his vocabulary has tripled in like 2 weeks.
- Say some short sentences "I want that"
- Climb on the ottoman, couch, and up most chairs.
- "Sing" Abc's, Wheels on the bus, Twinkle twinkle
- Identify several objects, people, in pictures and books
- feed himself using a spoon!
- Say everyone's name in the family!
- Say his teacher's names "Dana and Rara" he LOVEs his teachers

Dax likes..
- reading llama llama misses mama - seriously we read this at least once a day
- bottles.. still obsessed.. no end in sight
- Mama and Dada
- Playing with Dada - tickles, ball, chasing
- riding on anything
- cars, trains, airplanes - any mode of transportion
- playing boo
- bathes
- Calling Abuela - everytime I pick up my phone he says "lala"
- milk, juice, fruit, cookies, crackers, cereal, pancakes
- ANYTHING Zoey says or does - DEFINITELY in a copycat phase
- carrying his lunchbox to school everyday
- not listening
- going "byebye"
- closing doors
- sitting up on the couch with mama

Dax doesn't like...
- getting in trouble
- not being able to do what Zoey does
- when one of us leaves without him

We love you little man... you make us smile and are HILARIOUS!

Love...

2011-11-25T09:49:00.001-05:00

Z: "I love you."

G: "I love you too."

Z: "I was talking to Oliver."

No School

2011-11-21T09:06:00.002-05:00

Zoey; "Hey Mom"

Me: "Yes, Zoey"

Z: "I don't have to go to school today"

M: "Correct"

Z: "I don't have to go to school like daddy has to go to school. He has to go to school to get money to bring to me."

M: "Yes, Zoey correct."

Pa - eee! (Potty)

2011-11-20T09:34:00.001-05:00

Dax asks to sit on the potty due to watching his sister go.. so that is where I put him..

Fall Program 2011!

2011-11-17T13:34:00.002-05:00

St. Luke's had their annual Fall Program at school today... It was awesome.. Even better that daddy got to be there. We didn't think he was going to be able to come since he had taken off the week before! But as I was waiting for the program to start.. in walks daddy! Zoey didn't know! Pop, Grandma and Juju were also in attendance...

Zoey ready to sing in full garb..

Then is was Dax's turn.. I was a bit more nervous about this one.. so I hid. So he wouldn't see me and I could get video...

Then it was time to see everyone! This is moments after Zoey RAN to her daddy!

Dax was sooo excited to see daddy!

Pop, Zoey, Dax, and Grandma!

Dax learned to say Juju.. which melted Juju's heart..

Daddy wearin Zoey's headdress!

After they had a feast! Zoey with her two favorite teachers, Mrs. Jeannette (her teacher this year) and Mrs. Sarah (her camp teacher and babysitter).

Pop kept Zoey and Dax busy by running back and forth..

Dax with Ms. Dana.. he LOVES "Dana"

Bahamas!

2011-11-13T22:23:00.000-05:00

For our 5-year Anniversary, Gary and I planned a cruise to the Bahamas...

So we ~~conned~~ asked the grandparents in Tampa to take the kids for the week.. We left on Nov. 4th (our actual anniversary) and drove to Papa and Nana's house..

As you can tell they were sorely abused and mistreated... Gary and I left the next afternoon for Orlando, we stopped in Lakeland to see Darrin, Joy, and Baby Riley, then we were off to Orlando to meet up with Steve.

In the morning we headed to Port Canaveral for our cruise...

Gary getting one more chance on the cell phone before we boarded...

The view from our room..

On our way!

The first day was a little rocky.. thankfully I took dramamine, unfortunately it KNOCKED me out! And I slept about 90% of the first day.. which was lovely.. every moment of it! The next morning we awoke in Freeport, Bahamas with 80 degree weather.. ahhh...

We took a taxi to the straw markets... and stopped for a drink.. they used a machete to make the drink.. the Bahamas does not mess around..

While in the straw market we met this character... we spoke with him about Freeport.. and when we left he blessed us.. and told us we would in the lottery. This "blessing" cost us five bucks... something tells me this will not come true...

Then it was off to the only free beach access around.. it was GORGEOUS! even if we did have to fight away peddlers selling us everything from jewelry to hair braiding...

Then it was back on the ship and in the morning we awoke in Nassau, Bahamas and even warmer weather...

This was the view from the ship of Atlantis..

A small yacht.. HOLY COW this thing was huge!

We walked around Nassau in the morning taking in the local scenery... McDonalds..

I must say this local free beach was AMAZING! The colors of the water was ridiculous..

As we were walking around we noticed this.. it was a police stand in the MIDDLE of the road... who wants that job? ps- this was one of the busiest roads

After we went back to the ship had some lunch and relaxed.. then we took the water taxi from Nassau to Paradise Island... There were three ships docked in Nassau at the same time.. ours was the one in the middle.

Our room was in the back of the boat... it is the second window above the ships name..

Paradise Island is where Atlantis is.. while we could access most of the areas, we were able to catch some of the amazing view around the hotel..

Sea turtles!

After convincing Gary to walk an extra way to get to the free beach access, we finally got to see the oceanside of Paradise Island.. very pretty and very rough... so rough that a rogue wave came up and SOAKED me! It was not fun to walk back through the hotel lobby looking like I had just wet my pants! So thankfully we took a taxi back to the ship!

Us leaving the ship... so sad.. .

The kids were now at Abuela and Ca's being abused and tormented again... They arranged a sleepover with the Glenn's and of course had a BLAST..

A few more hugs before we headed home..

It was sooooooooo nice to get away.. and FINALLY take a honeymooon! The kids did great being away from us, and we didn't mind it either!

5 years!

2011-11-04T11:27:00.000-04:00

5 years ago today I married my best friend...
and in 5 years there have been....
- 2 kids
- 2 dogs
- 2 houses
- 2 cities
- 4 cars
- 4 jobs
- 1 masters degree
- 3 soccer teams

I love you more and more everyday! You are what I look forward to everyday, I love that you are my best friend and the person I want to spend all my time with. Thank you for being with my through our crazy lives and being the dad to our two crazy kids. You make me the happiest I have ever been and I am the luckiest girl in the whole world! Can't wait for the what's next.

I LOVE YOU!

Read to me Dada...

2011-11-03T14:57:00.000-04:00

As we were putting Dax to bed, I left the room to get something.. and came back to this... and my heart melted...

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2011-11-03T14:56:00.004-04:00

Halloween was much anticipated this year, especially for Zoey. I think she asked for two weeks if today was Halloween. She was so excited that she could actually wear her costume to school.. poor Dax was just along for the ride.

Zoey got to wear make-up which of course made her day!

Someone taught Dax to say cheese and actually STOP for the camera... whoever this was, THANK YOU!

Then it was off to school! Dax is such a big boy! He wants to carry his lunch box to school!

Zoey's class was all dressed up too. The little girl Anabel saw Zoey dressed up as a princess and they hugged.. too cute!

Later in the day I came back for trick-or-treating!

Zoey's Class!

sideways smile...

Then it was Dax's class... I think he actually got the hang of it... he would hold his little bag out... not say anything, get candy and then mumble words that are like "thank you"

At night we decided to forego trick-or-treating.. we figure this is the last year we can actually get away with that.. so Zoey and I made cupcakes and Holly, Corey, and Haley came over and the girls played and decorated the cupcakes.. I think a much better Halloween tradition!

Finished product!

Of course Dax was not left out... this boy loves him some sweets!

What wakes a sleepy girl?

2011-10-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

Tennis Lessons..

2011-10-27T08:58:00.003-04:00

A Fall afternoon...

2011-10-27T08:58:00.000-04:00

Rock it out!

2011-10-18T12:26:00.001-04:00

Halloween! - Prep..

2011-10-17T23:13:00.001-04:00

Halloween is in full swing around here... Zoey asks DAILY if today is Halloween...

First the costumes... Dax is a lion... since his signature animal noise is 'roar'

Zoey wanted to be a princess... how appropriate...

Then of course pumpkins... Their school has a pumpkin patch every year, so we went and got a few pumpkins.. a perfect activity for afterschool... we first started with every art supply I could think of...

and I ended up drawing a face on Zoey's

Daxton's pumpkin, the family pumpkin, and 'Zoey's' pumpkin...

Then Zoey decided that stickers would be better for her pumpkin... so stickers we did...

then finally... on Sunday she asked to "open" her pumpkin.. and it just so happened that some friends were having a pumpkin carving party.. so we took her pumpkin.. and ended with this...

i'm sure this will not be our last pumpkin to carve.. as this one is sure to only last a few days...

Boys will be boys...

2011-10-17T23:05:00.000-04:00

Even with a diaper on...

still trying to ....

make sure 'it' is still there...

The Faces of Zoey...

2011-10-17T23:02:00.000-04:00

Firehouse!

2011-10-17T23:01:00.000-04:00

The local firestation had an open house one Saturday, so I packed the kids up and headed out...

Zoey loved Sparky!

Exploring the firetruck!

This photo took 4 tries...

Policewoman Zoey!

Katie Visit!!!

2011-10-17T22:55:00.000-04:00

Katie and Florian were in town for a brief time, so I dragged the kids over to Niceville for the day to play and visit! It was soooo nice to see them even if was only for a short period of time... Hopefully they will come again soon! Zoey sure did fall in love with Katie...

Of course our first stop was Waffle House for breakfast!

Then we stopped for a few hours so Dax could nap and Zoey could relax... Katie introduced Zoey to War... Zoey would later tell me that this was her "favorite" part of the day...

Then it was off to the water park to let the kids run around.. we also got to meet up with some friends from high school, Jenn Bradshaw and Katie Fraley Cox and her two girls Lexie and Maddie

And of course we had to get snow cones... however I was not so smart in my color choice...

So sweet...

4 friends! Love these girls!

Dax was not so into the water park... but eventually warmed up to the idea...

Zoey was fairly content with the snow cone...

Then it was off to the playground - this park was AMAZING!

Dax quickly found out that Katie would facilitate him on the slide...

and with a smile like that.. who could resist...

A group shot minus Flo...

While mom's away...

2011-10-17T22:38:00.000-04:00

While I was away Papa and Nana took care of the kids while Gary was at work...

Drawing and computers..

A little dress-up..

Nana is such a good sport...

OF COURSE cooking! We can't have a visit from Nana without cooking!

and walks... Papa LOVES his walks!

Papa and Nana visit!

2011-10-17T22:33:00.001-04:00

In September (my computer has been jacked up since then, woohoo for new computers), my parents came up to watch the kiddos while I went to my annual conference. We met them at the beach on the first day they were here...

Of course we had to build a sand castle... that is predominantly what Zoey spoke about the entire ride over to the beach...

Bathing beauty..

Then finally it was time to go in the water!

Thankfully Dax LOVES the water.. and didn't mind the water all over his face! This is HUGE since Zoey HATES water on her face...

Zoey and Nana jumping over the waves....

Then we scooted off to the pool...

and Dax found a door to play with.. so he was happy..

Both kids were passed out in the car within 10 minutes....

Giddy-up

2011-10-14T11:00:00.000-04:00

One day she will watch Happy Gilmore and realize why this is funny...

Ms. St. Luke's Preschool 2011

2011-10-06T17:35:00.000-04:00

I picked up Zoey on Wednesday from school:

Me: "How was Zoey's day?"

Teacher: "great!" Then she called Zoey over and said "Here she is Ms. St Luke's Preschool 2011..."

Me: "Huh?"

Teacher: "That's what I named her. Because everyday when we go outside and the other class is passing us, all the kids from the other class yell 'HI ZOEY HI!' and then Zoey yells back "Hi ____, I miss you!' Then she will stop and give each one of them a hug."

Me: "so this happens everyday."

Teacher: "yes. all the kids ask for Zoey everyday, and want to give her hugs."

Me: "Oh lord, we are screwed."

Teacher: "not to mention the princess wave she does to all of them."

Me: (smiling and shaking my head) "Come on Zoey..."

Riding bikes...

2011-09-30T22:53:00.000-04:00

15 months!

2011-09-27T12:15:00.004-04:00

my little dax is 15 months...

dax can..
- charm his teachers into holding him
- sing twinkle twinkle.. or at least have the gibberish going to the melody
- climb! on EVERYTHING! .. the playset outside, furniture, the ottoman,
- say more and more words (well i understand what he is saying)... pretty much everyone's name, backpack, oliver, airplane
- say two word phrases. bye bye dada

dax likes.. .
- FOOD - he is a non stop eating machine.. how is this boy so tiny?
- being held
- going to school... he walks to his room all by himself...and is happy to go
- his teachers at school
- falling.. he falls ALL THE TIME!
- making us laugh
- his bottle.. im trying.. but he loves it.
- saying bye to everyone and everything..
- to dance and sing

dax does not like...
- being put down
- not getting his way
- when his sister takes his toy.

Learning...

2011-09-14T17:53:00.002-04:00

Zoey just pointed to a butterfly on a flower and said he's eating nectar .... I'm pretty sure I learned that in high school

Time Management

2011-09-12T14:44:00.002-04:00

I love that Zoey has no concept of time yet...

she had to lay on the couch for ten more minutes to rest after school.... after five minutes she was getting antsy and so i said five more minutes...

she said "no mommy i thought you said ten minutes."

"ok Zoey ten more minutes!" :)

Phone pictures

2011-09-08T17:27:00.000-04:00

Random pictures from my phone!

While we were living at Grandma and Pops, the kids would find their ways to daddy's lap every night. Those two sure do love their daddy!

Daxton came out of his room like this.. he let Zoey put on his sunglasses. Cool dude!

Zoey showing off her pearly whites from the dentist!

On the way home from the beach Dax was making this hilarious face and I tried to get it a few times... but in the end the only picture I got he looks like he is making a not so nice gesture... hahha

While the cousins were here Sam just wanted to hold Dax every chance she got.. sweet girl!

One of my favorite Saturday mornings... Zoey was at grandma and pops and Dax was a chilled little man with his dad!

One of my favorite sights! Zoey LOVES when daddy reads to her... its just not the same if mommy reads it.

A picture we took to show daddy...

Gary's mini me! Gary is usually dressed in a striped polo shirt and khaki shorts... so Dax looks a lot like his daddy here.

After: Floors!

2011-09-08T17:12:00.001-04:00

I forgot to take before shots of what out house looked like.. but if you look back at old pics you should be able to see.... imagine UGLY beige carpets and linoleum floors! Living with two kids and two dogs it wa definitely time for a change!

SO last week our life was turned upside down and we had new floors installed in the whole house.. except the bedrooms! Gary and his dad worked their butts off getting everything prepped for the floors to come in. AND they let us stay at their house for the entire week.. have I mentioned I have AMAZING in-laws!

Tile floors in the kitchen and baths!

Then is was on to the living room.. I pulled up most of the carpet myself! and carried it out to the trash! Thank you very much!

Wood floors! LOVE THEM! I was obsessed with these as soon as I saw them in the store.. and it hasn't gone away! Now I clean them everyday!

I also had the flooring people install waynescoating and a chair rail in our TINY foyer. Just gives it a little different feel.. .

More pics to come!

phone videos..

2011-09-04T12:30:00.000-04:00

SCHOOL DAYS!

2011-08-30T16:51:00.000-04:00

Monday was the first day of school for Zoey and Dax. They both attend St. Luke's UMC Preschool. Zoey attended there last year, and now this is Dax's first year! Zoey is in the Ocean 3-year old room, and Dax is in the Barnyard 1-year old room. Zoey was BOUNCING off the walls to go to her new room..

1st Day of School! Zoey picked out her outfit all by herself!

Ready for school! She was very excited about her Mystery Machine lunchbox...

After dropping off Zoey in her room, and no tears from her! Dax was off and running to his room...

But then once we got there.. he tried to leave. He is reaching up to the lock the closes the gate... He cried but only for a bit!

And I am excited to have 4 hours a day to work and get things accomplished! But sure do miss those kids while they are away... and so far they are both so worn out from the day that they come home and crash!

WE LOVE SCHOOL!

Last Days of Summer...

2011-08-30T16:44:00.000-04:00

It's been sooooooooooo HOT here.. as is EVERYWHERE.. so it's a rare occasion that the kids go outside without it involving swimming, but the kids had been inside all day and I cracked. So we went outside in the evening for a little play time.. I think we lasted 30 minutes...

yup.. that's Dax eating chalk...

14 months!

2011-08-26T13:52:00.003-04:00

Dax is 14 months! its getting better and better everyday!

Dax can..
- sign more, drink, food, milk
- say hello, bye bye, something that sounds like backpack(he learned this from Dora)
- pretend to talk on a cell phones and play with fake food/kitchen
- dance
- get into EVERYTHING!
- throw a temper tantrum
- make animal noises for lion (his favorite), dog, duck, pig, bunny, almost a cow (right now it just sounds like mmmmm... )

Dax likes..
- food! especially grapes
- bottles - this boy is addicted!
- his mama
- playing
- getting into every door/drawer/box
- to be sung to

Dax does not like..
- being told no
- not getting what he wants

Before and After: Countertops!

2011-08-25T14:02:00.001-04:00

For the past two days, our house has been a mad house.. We decided to get granite countertops in the kitchen and bath, and now understand why people pay for it to be done before they move in!

It was a bit crazy but WORTH IT! I love my new countertops...

BEFORE:

DURING: imagine.. this with two kids.. for two days!

AFTER:

Cousins!

2011-08-23T15:08:00.000-04:00

Kim, TJ, Alex, and Sam came in for a whirlwind weekend! We LOVE when they come to town! Zoey especially loves it, because SAM is here... As soon as I told her Sam was in town, she did not stop talking about Sam until we got there... not anyone else.. just Sam!

Of course we had to go swimming.. and thankfully Pop is happy to oblige/do whatever the girls want to do.

Alex jumping off the diving board! Such a big kid!

Sam wanted to hold Dax .. so cute!

These two were in their own little world! It was awesome!

Our attempt at a group shot...

Poor Alex was so sad to leave.. we were sad to see them go... thankfully there is another wedding in October that they will be back for! Can't wait!

BEACH TRIP!

2011-08-23T14:58:00.001-04:00

In another effort to have fun before the kids return to school, we headed out to the beach with Holly and Haley. I am soooo glad that they came with us, since Zoey and Haley are like two peas in a pod, and Holly was there to help wrangle Dax - this was his first trip to the beach!! He LOVED IT! He did amazing and was soo good!

First explorations into the sand..

Zoey and Haley! Monkey see Monkey do!

Dax trying to figure out how to walk in the sand...

All the kids playing in the sand!

Then Dax discovered the cooler with drinks and ice...

This kept him occupied for a good 20 minutes.. he would pick a piece out and then drop it in the sand, pick it up and then put it in his mouth... YUM!

Exploring the water...

SNACK TIME!

Dax actaully sat with me for a good 20 minutes! It was amazing!

Zoey played in the sand forever!

After we headed out to get some lunch.. and the restaurant had pirate patches so of course we had to put one on Dax.. poor kid.

Such a fun day!

Park!

2011-08-17T17:30:00.000-04:00

It was finally not a million degrees at 9 am. So Tuesday I packed the kids up and took them to the park...

The kids were soooo excited to get to run around outside.. this is a constant request!

Then they had a plane area that was a huge hit.. especially with Dax... that boy loves airplanes!

This is generally how you will find him when we are outside.. always looking up anytime he hears a noise looking for the airplane or in this case helicopters

we are definitely heading back to this park.. it was shaded and had a TON of things to do.. not to mention an entire toddler area... LOVE IT!

Pensacola Air Museum

2011-08-17T17:21:00.001-04:00

Bright and early I packed the kids up and took them to the Naval Base for the Blue Angel Practice and the Air Museum.. Dax is a bit obsessed with airplanes, helicopters, and any mode of transportation.. and Zoey is always in love with airplanes. In fact I was a bit worried that she would be mad we were not getting into one and flying somewhere.. thankfully she was ok.

First was Blue Angel practice! To say I love watching the Blues is an understatement... Zoey thought it was a bit loud so she spent most of the time covering her ears.. Dax thought it was great. But then Zoey warmed up and liked when the airplanes wrote letters in the sky with smoke.

Dax loving the show!

After the show we went inside and enjoyed the air conditioning and the exhibits. Zoey and Dax loves climbing into the plane cockpits.. both were equally sad to get out of them.

Then of course we couldn't leave without visiting the play area... geniuses those museum people. The place was mobbed.. but it was the perfect way to end the day...

Dax was DONE! perfect trip!

Test of Patience

2011-08-17T17:10:00.002-04:00

Zoey's First Visit to the Dentist

2011-08-12T17:36:00.000-04:00

Zoey had her first appointment with the dentist today... We scheduled her just for a "happy visit" where she could explore all the things at the dentist office... but Zoey was such a ROCK STAR, that they went ahead and cleaned her teeth!

They gave her a kangaroo for her to practice on ...

Then she got to shine the light on the kangaroo..

Her hygenist was soo awesome! She showed her all the equipment she was going to use...

Then it was time...

floss time!

Cleaning her teeth.. Zoey just sat back and said 'AHHHHHH'.. as though she had done it a million times!

Then the kangaroo got his teeth cleaned by Zoey!

and last but not least.. a trip to the toy treasure chest!

I was seriously so proud of her! I was nervous that she would freak out.. but she was amazing! SO proud of my big girl!

Toddlers and Tiaras

2011-08-11T13:26:00.000-04:00

Zoey decided that she wanted to put on make-up....and after watching an episode of Toddlers and Tiaras.. I went all out...

This is my 16 year-old... gees...

Model in training.. her "blue steel face"

Sweet girl!

Now she is ready for the pageants.. yeah right..

Then on to the accessories...

Thankfully still a three-year-old Daddy's girl...

Daddy was not to happy about his little girl wearing make-up... thankfully he likes girls without make-up! (like mommy)

Can you hear me now?

2011-08-10T22:41:00.002-04:00

Bowling!

2011-08-10T12:48:00.002-04:00

Zoey finally got the chance to go bowling .. she has wanted to go since she started bowling on the wii.. and Gary has been itching to play all these sports with his kids, we have already mentioned how fun it will be once BOTH of the kids can participate!

I was impressed she could pick up the ball all by herself...

Then once we showed her how it worked...

She was off and running...

Meanwhile, we were trying to wrangle Dax..

She's a pro!

Everytime she would roll a ball Dax would cheer.. it was pretty cute!

78 was her final score.. not bad.

Cool dude!

Then it was Dax's turn.. he wasn't too sure about what to do.

and what was Zoey excited about.. the treat she got out of the candy machine..

of course.

Kisses from Dax...

2011-08-05T15:05:00.000-04:00

Little Climber Boy!

2011-07-27T15:17:00.000-04:00

... just one of many things this boy has learned to climb on... don't worry I was right next to him...

13 months old!

2011-07-26T18:02:00.001-04:00

13 months old.. I am amazed by it everytime I think about it!

Likes
- bottles - milk.. lots and lots of milk!
- fruit - watermelon, strawberries, and grapes
- food - goldfish, gerber snacks, surfboard crackers
- dancing/music
- baby einstein
- mommy and daddy
- Zoey and whatever she is playing with
- the puppies
- playing outside
- climbing on EVERYTHING
- singing - especially Wheels on the Bus and Itsy Bitsy
- walking on his own
- water! loves to splash and then stick his face into the water.

Dislikes
- being put down if you were holding him
- teething - or maybe that is a dislike of ours! man it seems like its been weeks!
- not getting what he wants
- variety of food - veggies especially
- being dropped off at school

Can
- dance/march
- turn in a circle
- understand simple directions
- sign "more" "food" "all done"
- blow kisses
- drink from a sippy cup
- eat from a snack cup
- be extremely PERSISTENT
- climb on EVERYTHING! - chairs, play table - starting to figure out how to put something next to an object to climb on... yeah we are in trouble.

We love you bubs!

weight: 20lbs 8%tile
height 28.5 inches 0-5%tile

Zoey's Wedding

2011-07-24T16:33:00.000-04:00

As we watched The Cake Boss today, I explained to Zoey that he was making cakes for people's weddings, Zoey described her own wedding..

- a chocolate cake that is white with blue polka dots
- a red dress with blue polka dots
- a crown to wear
- decorations including a Christmas tree
- She wants to be married in a castle like a princess

Then she said but who will be my prince? and I said well you have to wait and find out....

I guess we better start saving some money...

Tennis Anyone?

2011-07-19T15:19:00.003-04:00

Two kids love their daddy...

2011-07-19T13:14:00.004-04:00

Summer Fun!

2011-07-19T13:11:00.001-04:00

4th of July

2011-07-19T12:58:00.006-04:00

oh boys..

2011-07-13T09:20:00.001-04:00

... woke up to Dax laughing on the monitor.. go in his room to find him half naked with diaper thrown down, and pee on the floor.. awesome.

One more week...

2011-07-07T00:13:00.002-04:00

and Gary will finish his Master's Degree in 14 months.. while working a new full time job, having a new baby, being an amazing husband and dad! Great job babe! Zoey, Dax and I are EXTREMELY PROUD! We love you!

Cheese Sandwiches

2011-07-05T21:19:00.002-04:00

This is what Zoey eats.. at least once a day.. most of the time twice a day..

To make a cheese sandwich...

1 hot dog bun
1 slice of Kraft American Cheese

Defrosted hot dog bun for 22 seconds in the microwave, because I keep them frozen. Slice cheese in half, place them lengthwise on opened hot dog bun. Close hot dog bun. Smoosh hot dog bun closed. ENJOY!

That is my culinary master piece that feeds my child.

Panama City Beach

2011-07-03T14:39:00.006-04:00

So, after getting back from 10 days in Tampa/Disney, we packed up again and headed to Panama City Beach for the night. Some of Gary's childhood friends were there, so we went to visit.. Grandma and Pop also came..

On the way over there Zoey showed us her new dance moves. She does this quite often.. just dancing the Zoey way...

For Lunch they had no child seats, but assured us they have done this before... let's just say it didn't last..

Zoey LOVED the attention from Grandma and Pop and all the pool time she got..

Gary and the boys woke up and went fishing and caught all the snapper they could.. mmmmm.

Dax won over the hearts of all the women and made friends with them, as they were more willing to tote him around...

Dinner! We brought home a ton of filets and shared them with Fran and Jen for watching our dogs. Gary grilled them and they were AMAZING!
On the way home Daxton showed us he learned to sign "more"... smart boy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAX!

2011-07-03T14:21:00.010-04:00

We celebrated Dax's birthday in Tampa, it was out last day there so we tried to cram everything in one day...

We invited family and friends over to celebrate with a little cake.. Dax was not so into it..

Poor tired baby boy...
At least all the kids were happy with the cake...
Dax finally got to sleep.. for 30 minutes.. poor kid.

Then it was off to Papa and Nana's for one more goodbye/dinner/birthday celebration..
Nana's cake for Dax
Of course Nana had some extra cupcakes, or "pupcakes" as Zoey calls them, for Zoey to decorate

Its good to know that Dax was consistent on his birthday..

Nana tried to coax Dax into eating by disguising a strawberry(one of his favorites)... Nope.. sorry Nana.

Dax at 12 months.. where did the past 12 months go? oh yeah i was sleep deprived! Dax you are now entering one of our favorite phases. You are mobile moving ALL OVER! a very very busy kid! You do not STOP from the time you wake up till the time you crash. You are generally a happy child, but when you are upset you definitely let us know. Your smile wins everyone over and are a handsome boy. You are still a peanut and tiny. You are STUBBORN.. and determined! You will try and try and try to do something until you get it. We love you bubs.

Likes..

- mom, but is definitely a big fan of dad these days

- milk, still in a bottle

- strawberries, blueberries, grapes

- food

- walking/moving around

- dancing

- opening and closing doors

- looking out windows

- doing raspberries/spitting

- playing with toys - especially balls, anything with moving parts

does not like...

- being in one spot for too long

- being in a highchair or any restraint device

Can..

- walk, trying to run

- say mama, dada, ba - whole bunch of other gibberish - when he talks he has a lot to say

- wave bye bye and hi

- do "so big"

- understand small instructions - go get the ball, sit on your bum

- drink from a sippy cup

- give kisses and "love"

- sign more!

clothes - 9mos shorts 12-18 months outfits

diaper size 3

weight - under 20lbs

Tampa Trip Part 3 - Back to Tampa

2011-07-03T14:20:00.003-04:00

When we got back from Disney we wanted to make sure we visited more with family and friends..

Our first stop back was to Kim and TJ's ... Zoey and Sam fell in love with each other and stayed up FAR to late playing dress-up...

Alex joined them in the morning..
Then it was over to Abuela's to visit with the Glenns! And apparently its more fun to watch Scooby-doo on a double bed on a 7 inch screen... Who needs a big screen TV?

DISNEY WORLD - Day 3

2011-07-03T14:09:00.009-04:00

Our last day at Disney.. definitely bittersweet! We had had sooo much fun while we were there, but man this place wears you out. So on our last day we decided to put our park hopper to good use and spend the day at Epcot and Hollywood studios. There wasn't much for Zoey at either so it was a perfect ending.

The main thing we wanted to see was Finding Nemo! It was pretty cool..

The best part was after the ride was the aquariums! They had a ton of things to look at INDOORS! which might have been the best part, it was sooo hot outside!

Then after we found a meet and great character spots.. we hadn't seen Mickey the whole time we were there, so this was out chance. Of course the wait was 45 minutes. This was the longest wait we had had the entire time we were at Disney... so of course we did it.. and it was worth it!

Gary had to get a pic with Donald...

and goofy...

Then we took the bus to Hollywood Studios, we arrived just as the Disney Jr Live show started so we had about 45 minutes to waste... thankfully Zoey got to meet the Little Einsteins..

and Handy Manny...

Then is was time for the show! This was the one reason I wanted to come to Hollywood Studios.. and it was WORTH IT! Just to watch Zoey's reaction to everything was priceless...

And to top it off she got a gold debloom! She could not have been happier!

and on the way home.. she passed out...

DISNEY WORLD - Day 2

2011-07-03T14:02:00.010-04:00

We knew this was going to be a long day.. so we tried to take it slow.. and Zoey was having none of that! She woke up BRIGHT and EARLY and wanted to go see the animals.. so that is what we did! We headed off to Animal Kingdom and quickly went and got a fast pass for the Safari Ride... in between we walked around to see some animals...

There is Gary and Zoey looking at the hippos...

Then the gorillas

Finally it was time for the safari.. and it was worth it! It was so much fun to ride around and see all the animals!

After that Zoey was exhausted... so she had said that she wanted to go back and relax so that is what we did. When we got to the hotel we tried to do a little shopping.. Zoey loved the wedding mickey years...

After a rest and some lunch.. it was back to Disney World. Where we got rained on.. and rode Buzz Lightyear (2 more times), Dumbo, teacups (again), Merry-go-round (three times), Snow White, Small world, Peter Pan.. it seems like EVERYTHING! Zoey was a rock star! She was happy and wanting to go more and more...
This is her at the 3-D show.. she loved it!

One of the many merry-go-round rides.. i think we rode this like a million times...

Zoey's best reaction was its a small world! She thought it was amazing.. and we almost didn't even ride on that.

Seriously we had sooo much fun on this marathon day...

Merry-go-round again...

Buzz Lightyear again!

Zoey on the train that goes around Tomorrow Land.. I think this was one of her favorites again...ahh the little things... she liked it so much she composed a song!

Fireworks to end the night... then just as the Finale was getting ready to start.. Zoey had to go to the bathroom.. OF COURSE!

... and finally after 14 hours.. she was DONE!

DISNEY WORLD - Day 1

2011-07-03T13:54:00.007-04:00

Tampa Trip Part 2 - Abuela and Lakeland

2011-07-03T13:49:00.002-04:00

Tampa Trip Part 1 - Papa and Nana's

2011-07-01T13:28:00.006-04:00

We decided to take a trip to Tampa with a detour to Disney for a couple of days....

Dax was excited to start the trip...

Zoey was just excited to get McDonalds and watch videos for the next 7 hours..
Once we go to Papa and Nana's it was PLAY TIME!

Zoey and Dax loved the undivided attention from Papa and Nana... and they had their two favorite toys.. Papa and Nana
A brief snuggle with daddy..
Slave labor put into full force, helping papa water the plants.

Dax and Papa snuggling on Father's Day!
Dax helping Papa with Laundry... (slave labor)
Building a "really really tall tower"
Uncles Steve and Dax
Uncle Brett giving Dax the good stuff - ice cream!
Papa showing Zoey the real way to eat ice cream... with never enough sprinkles.

We were lucky enough to be there for Father's Day and my dad got the best present - all 5 kids and grandkids in the same place.. so we have to commemorate it with a picture... Dad also got "roasted" by his children.. it was hilarious.. and sadly all true!

Summer Happenings

2011-07-01T13:23:00.003-04:00

June has been a busy month for us... So here is a random sampling of what we have been up to...

Playing with friends..

Ladies who lunch..
Swimming LOTS in grandma and pop's pool..

and of course making pretzel robots.. this is Zoey as a robot.