Jaxon's First Zoo Trip

Tis the season of limited Nick time.  Cue sad face.  This weekend, we only got to spend time with him on Saturday so we made a whole day of it and Jaxon was quite the trooper!

We woke up and slowly got ready to leave the house, then headed to Maple Street Biscuit Company for brunch.  Nick and I enjoyed chicken biscuits while Jaxon enjoyed his Oball and Sophie.

Afterwards, we headed to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens for Jaxon's first zoo trip. We didn't really expect him to get anything out of it, because he's so young, but we were wrong.  As long as the animals moved, he would notice them and just stare at them.  It was such a fun experience!!!

These two seriously melt my heart.  I could have watched them together all day.  

(Jaxon spends half of his waking hours eating his hands.)

Y'all, seriously.  Look at this kid.  They don't come any cuter than this.

(And oh my gosh, does he look exactly like Nick or what?!)

He loved this giant gorilla and was hitting, feeling, and picking all over his face.

This ball is his favorite.  We have a few of them.  He's always holding it, even while sleeping, as he was in this picture.  We don't get anywhere without it, even if there's plenty of animals to entertain him.

Nick and I each have a stuffed tiger.  Tigers are my favorite animal and Valentine's Day 2007, I received a package from Nick that contained a stuffed tiger.  And I've slept with it (almost) every day since then.  A few months after receiving mine, Nick casually mentioned that he wished he had a tiger.  So I bought one and mailed it to him.  And he then began sleeping with his tiger.  We decided it's only appropriate that we get Jaxon his own tiger.  We had been searching for a while but every tiger we find in stores had those ginormous cartoonish eyes.  No thank you.   We popped in the gift shop in the hopes they would have a tiger with normal size eyes and they did!!!  So Jaxon got his first tiger and a souvenir from his first zoo trip.  

Seriously, how did I create such a perfect little boy?!

Afterwards, we hit up Sam's Club and then headed home.  It was a long day.  We were gone from the house from about 11am until 5pm.  Jaxon didn't cry once!!!!  He just took his cat naps in the stroller, fussed for one minute before I nursed him, and remained smiles all day.  It made for quite the pleasant day.  

I can't wait to spend more weekends creating memories with my little family.  I know they'll be few and far between now with Nick being gone a lot, but we'll take what we can get!

Prepare for Landing! - Our Family is Whole Again

After a couple of weeks without my better half, our family is whole again!!!

Nicholas was away on training for a while, and to be quite honest, it was rough.  This was our first separation with a child, but certainly not our last.  In fact, over the next 16-19 months, it will be happening more frequently.  I'm happy to have one separation under my belt, and happy that this first one wasn't a few months long.   Taking care of a baby with no family around to help is difficult.  Sure, I have friends but those without kids are working full time and unavailable to help and those with kids, well it seems they all have a toddler AND a baby around Jaxon's age (somehow everyone I worked with and everyone in Nick's squadron all had a baby within 2 months of each other) so it's a little difficult to find help.

But we survived!  I'd even say we thrived because Jaxon hit some milestones while Nick was gone (which is unfortunate but the truth is, Nick is probably going to miss a good majority of Jax's major milestones and firsts).  Despite his teething, four month sleep regression, fussiness from vaccines, complete change in routine, refusal to take more than 20 minute naps, and a growth spurt, we survived.  *I* survived.  I was able to suppress my anxiety and frustration to put a smile on my face and be the best mama I could.  And I think I did a great job!  I will admit I was beyond nervous and anxious for this separation, knowing help would be limited, if not nonexistent, but I did much better (mentally and emotionally) that I thought I would.  Which is good, because it's given me the confidence I'll need for these next separations.

But enough of that, let's get to the good stuff!!!!  Nick is home!!!!  Nick flew down to training on a C-130 but for his return, he got to fly the helo back.  I was pretty excited because this meant that Jaxon and I could go to base and watch him fly in.

We met a friend and her son on base, checked in at the squadron, and were taken to the hangar to await our husbands' return.  Once we saw them in the distance, we put our ear plugs in and watched them come in.

Nick is the helicopter on the left, closest to the camera.

Then they taxied over, shut down, and walked across the flight line to us.

Then we received a giant, smelly, sweaty hug!!!  And life was good!!

This was such an amazing experience.  I've seen Nick flying over our house a few times, but I've never witnessed him land the helicopter.  He truly loves what he does and I am thankful I got to see him in action, especially while welcoming him home after a couple weeks apart.  In the grand scheme of things, our separation wasn't long at all, but any time spent apart, especially with a baby, is not easy. We were happy to come home and resume life as a family.

The Significance Behind the 5 o'clock Manhattan

Everyone has a signature 'something'.  Maybe it's a laugh, or a personality trait.  Maybe it's a tv show or a dessert.  Grandpa's was his 5 o'clock Mahattan.  Every evening, he'd make his Mahattan, usually using Early Times Kentucky Whiskey and Martini Sweet Vermouth, and set it in the fridge to chill.  Then right at 5pm, he'd take it out and sip on it for the next hour or more.
Every.Single.Night
Even when Grandma was in the hospital for her bypass, his Mahattan makings were in a cooler in the car.

But Grandpa wasn't the only one who loved Manhattan's.  His siblings, two of whom have passed before him, also loved Manhattans.

One year ago yesterday, Grandpa left us to be with Jesus.  You can read about what happened in more detail if you look back to last August, but essentially, Grandpa's cancer weakened his immune system, he got c-diff, and in a matter of two days, passed away.

When he passed away, we were all surrounding his bedside.  His wife, his two daughters and two sons, their husbands and wives, myself, my brother, my sister, and my four cousins.  All 16 of us, around him, holding hands, praying, laughing and sharing memories of Grandpa.  At 4:58pm, Grandpa took his last breath and left this world.  He left with just enough time to pass through the pearly gates, where I'm sure he was greeted by his siblings, handing him a chilled Manhattan just in time for 5 o'clock.

The Manhattan has since become the signature drink of our family.  Following Grandpa's funeral, we all gathered at my uncle's house where we mixed up a pitcher of Manhattans and about 25 of us all toasted to Grandpa and went around the room saying something, whether it be something we'll miss, a great memory, or just kind words about Grandpa.

We found ourselves sipping on them at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Father's Day, and again on April 15th, his birthday.

And last night, at 5pm, Nick and I toasted to Grandpa.

At 5 o'clock, one year ago, Grandpa became our guardian angel.  And our lives have never been the same since.


We love you, Grandpa.  And we're slowly learning to love these (awful) drinks.

(My mother and her sister visited Grandpa yesterday evening and had a Manhattan with him.  I'm sure it just made his day.)

Sisters Love and Goodbyes

Why can't weekends be longer? Two days just isn't enough. Especially when they're spent visiting family.


A few days ago, Nicholas and I randomly decided we were going to go visit my sister, Leah, and her fiancé, Kyle.
It was bittersweet because this is the last time we'll see them before they move. (They move mid-June and our weekends are booked until then. Hence why we decided to go this weekend). I was spoiled having my sister only two hours away the two years we were in Pensacola. And now with us in Jax, they're only five hours away. Being away from my family is so incredibly hard for me, but having them close made it a little easier. 
But now, I won't have that. They're moving back to the Midwest. Kyle is being stationed at Ft. Riley in Kansas. They'll now be like every other family member whom we only see a few times a year. And I hate that.

Don't get me wrong, I'm thankful I've had her so close the past few years. We weren't always close when we were little (read: we hated each other) but when we entered our teenage years, we grew closer. Our three year difference didn't seem so drastic, and I stopped viewing her as that annoying little sister and instead as a best friend. And we've only grow closer over the years.

It doesn't hurt that our husbands have this weird bromance going on. They love sports, the St. Louis Cardinals, geek out all night long on video games, and they're both helicopter pilots (Kyle is an apache pilot in the Army.)

It was also bittersweet because while our girls had a blast, it'll be the last time they get to play like this for a very long time. Maybe ever.   Leah and Kyle have two female dogs and they're all four the best of friends. Yadi and Vino do not play and wrestle with anyone else like they do these two. It's adorable, comical, and sometimes annoying with the nonstop movement. But now, they'll only see each other at Christmas and my parents house is not as accommodating without a fenced yard for these four morons to run around together. Nonetheless, they were happy to see each other and had a blast. I mean, this was Yadi when she realized where we were going. Despite not being to their house since September, when we were about a mile away, she shot up and completely freaked out because she knew where she was and who she was about to see. 


We spent the weekend just hanging out and having fun. Leah and I ventured out Saturday for lunch at Cactus Flower, one of my favorite restaurants back in Florida.  When I heard she had one in Dothan, Alabama, I was all over it. 

After lunch, we headed to various stores to shop for decor for her wedding reception and also bridal shower necessities. (Her wedding is back home in St. Louis in November and I'm the MOH).  And I couldn't come to Dothan and not get Gigi's Cupcakes!  Seriously, look at this amazingness!!!

These were our selections:  Chocolate Turtle, Red Velvet, Triple Chocolate Torte, and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough!!!


Upon arriving home, we grilled out and then headed to the drive-in theater. I haven't done this since I was single digit age. But it was only $7 for TWO movies!!! How can you beat that?? So we headed there, with Nick pimping out, braving the storms, and saw first "A Million Ways to Die in the West" followed by "Neighbors". Both were a bit of a letdown. But it was a great experience!!!

Sunday was just a day to lounge around, make more definite plans for Leah's shower, and take some photos. They wanted family photos but Zoey was more interested in hunting for cats so it didn't go over well. I then took some of them in front of their house, their first house together. And some normal photos that clearly didn't turn out too normal.

And then they began being their normal weird selves and I continued to take photos

And I took a photographer as an excuse to some of us instead of timer and wireless remote photos. We got a few decent ones.

Then we said goodbye and it sucked. I'll see them both in June when I go home, which happens to be when they'll be stopping by for a few days on their way to Kansas. But it's sad knowing they aren't a short drive away, and these fun weekends with just the four of us, (six including the girls), won't exist anymore. I've greatly appreciated them the past few years but damn! I'm upset they've come to an end. Missing family is seriously the hardest part of this damn lifestyle.  I'm going to try to focus on the fact that I HAVE an amazing sister to miss so much and that she's found an equally amazing guy that we truly consider a brother.  All I have to say, Thank goodness for technology!!!!!


What did you all spend your weekends doing?  Anyone take a little weekend getaway as well?
For those that live away from family, how to cope best with the distance and homesickness??

First Family Photo!

If you know me, are friends with me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or follow this blog, then you'll know I'm obsessed with photos.  I love to document everything.  I'm also pretty obsessed with my husband and dogs, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I take a crap ton (official measurement) of photos of them.

So I'm sure when I tell you that we haven't had a family photo taken, you would call me a liar face.
But it's true.  Since we got our little Vino in September 2011, we have not had a photo taken of the four of us.  Sure, we've a few random (and awful) photos snapped on Christmas morning, but I'm talking a real, posed, looking decent "Let's take a family photo" photo.

So when my sister came to visit, I decided this would be a good opportunity.  After a day out and about, right before they hit the road to head back to Alabama (the car was packed and her pups and fiance were already in the car waiting), I asked her if she'd snap a few quick photos.  And I mean quick.  This was all done in about 2 minutes times.  I'd say it was pretty successful for it being so quick (and let me add, I set the camera up on manual mode.  Sure, they aren't perfect but I messed with all my gadgets, didn't cheat with a flash, and produced some pretty decent photos!!!)  So thanks, Little Leah for taking these!

We also realized we didn't ever get a photo of us taken in front of our house when we closed back in October.  Here we are, five months after being first time homeowners, taking a of my adorable little family in front of our first ever gorgeous home!

And because I love bloopers, here are two.  Some ask how we get such great photos of the dogs.  Lots of calling their names, "watch me",  and "stay".  We usually end up with more outtakes than good photos, but this time, we only ended up with two duds and about 10 decent photos!