Pilot Mountain Trip

Blake and I were able to visit my grandparents in Pilot Mountain, NC. About 2 weeks ago my Papa gave us a terrible health scare. He had a heart attack...and his triple bypass surgery was 10 years ago. Currently he is taking medication to try to strengthen some small vessels in his heart, but he is somewhat running on half a heart.

It meant the world to us that we were able to go and spend some special moments with him while he is recovering. I think it helped him too. :)

Choo Choo...

I love grandparents. It is so much fun watching them do all of these things just for Blake. Talk about selfless love! For my dad's birthday this year he just wanted to take Blake on a train ride...a REAL train ride!!! And its no secret that Blake LOVES trains.

My dad purchased a couple of tickets from Durham to Raleigh. The train ride was just a little over 30 minutes. Perfect time for Blake to get excited about the train and also fit his very short attention span. :) Heather and Memommy dropped us off and then picked us up. Perfect day for new things!!

PS- Ryan was still at National Guard and missed out on the fun. :(

Happy Birthday Dad - 54 years old!! Sorry, had to put that for family history's sake ;)

Grandparent Fun

This weekend is Ryan's National Guard weekend. I always hate these weekends. It sounds cheesy, but I hate being without my husband!! I want him with me every day and every night. Yes, I can obviously survive, but it just doesn't feel right. :( Thankfully we live near my family and they always know how to cheer us up when Ryan is away. Today the grandparents took over and put lots of smiles on our faces!!!

Granny had the morning shift! She took us to Hillridge Farms to have some fun.

 

There was a huge corn kernel play pit.

 

A GIANT slide..



 

 

 And of course a train!

 

GDaddy had the afternoon shift... He took us to the pool! Blake still isn't a huge fan of large bodies of water yet. Large body of water = anything that isn't our bath tube. He did get an A for effort though. He got in but had to cling to my side the whole time. Overall, the poolside snacks were the afternoon favorite. :)

 



 

Blake is 18 Months Old

Blake is 18 months old... that means he is 1 1/2!!! Oh my word...I am speechless. Our baby is no longer a baby! Where has all the time gone. It is amazing how fast they grow and develop within the first couple of years. I could go on and on being mushy, but I know that is not what everyone wants to read about. :)

Since this is such a critical benchmark, I thought I would put in some picture comparisons too.

Baby Blake...

 

 

 6 months...

 

1 year...

 

18 months...

 

 

 

Here is what he is up to these days...

• Words: dada, toodles (Mickey Mouse Club), go, choo choo, bob, mama, car
• He weighs about 27 lbs. Official check-up is on Monday!
• He sleeps all night now! Still wakes up at 6 every morning.
• We are down to only 1 nap during the day (12:30-3)
• He is obsessed with trains. Loves to ride them.
• He loves to play with his cars.
• Being outside is a favorite. He lives to ride his wagon and family bike rides.
• He likes water but is still not too sure about the lake or pool. Baby steps!
• Favorite foods are strawberries, cheese, crackers, oatmeal cookies, applesauce, mac n cheese
• He is a climber and tries to climb anything
• His favorite animal is a monkey. He loves to make "oohh ohh ahh ahh" sounds. :)
• He is sometimes shy when meeting new people but he always loves to make friends.
• We are trying to get rid of the pacifier during the day. It's a struggle. He loves that thing.
• When he wakes up he has to hold his blanket and monkey for about 5 minutes while waking up. :)
• He loves learning new things.
• New skills we are working on - playing with crayons, sensory learning, singing ABC song, counting 123, learning new words, exploring new sights
• Favorite Shows - Mickey Mouse Club, any train show, Madagascar, Jake and the Neverland Pirates
• He loves to laugh and wave and point.
• He isn't too bossy yet, but I am sure that will come soon enough. Sigh.
• He gives mommy and daddy kisses!
• I am sure we are forgetting a lot.... but you get the idea behind our grown up little boy!! :)

 

Neuse River Picnic

We are so blessed to have the Greenway Trail less than 5 miles away from our house. It has been our go to spot for bike rides. It is a HUGE trail and we have only explored small parts of it, but each time we go we discover something new.

This last time we packed a picnic lunch. We knew that there was a small little spot with picnic tables. What we didn't know was that there was also a small sandy beach area right there by the river bank. Jackpot!!! We had such a great time playing around in this area. Blake was able to put his toes in the sand for the first time! :)

We are so lucky to have such a beautiful place to visit anytime we like...and for free!!

Lake Bums

Every year, my moms side of the family gets together for her birthday at Lake Gaston. I would say this is the annual family vacation for the Dixon side of the family. For the past two years I have missed out on the fun, but this year I got to bring along my two guys!

 

 

 

 

We had tons of fun!! Plus we got to experience a lot for "firsts". This was the first time that Blake has been on a boat. He loved sitting with everyone. He even got to drive! Big Boy!!

 

 

 

It was also Blake's first time in a large body of water! He was totally not a fan to begin with, but then he warmed right up to it. I wouldn't say he is a little fish just yet, but he will get there one day.

 

 

 

It was even a "first" for us big kids. We got to ride the tube together! :)

 

 

 

And the fun didn't stop there. Of course we hit up the playground, feeding the fish, and long walks by the lake.

 





 

 

And only naturally... we were totally exhausted. It's a typical side effect for first time lakers. ;)