Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Collin watched his first, live baseball game this weekend. He got to see The Citadel (my dad's alma mater) play Elon in the Southern Conference Tournament. It turned out to be a great day. Collin was much more immune to the elements than the adults were, but inspite of the sweat and exhausting heat we made it through almost the entire game.

Collin thoroughly enjoyed his hotdog and french fries. He's not 100% sure about boiled peanuts, since he thinks you are supposed to eat the whole thing :) He watched a few minutes of the game at a time, every few plays. he was much more interested in the food. He also was not very interested in having his picture taken, hence just one for this post.

The Citadel was not playing well and we were all roasting. Not to mention our sleepy 2 year old had had enough. So, bottom of the 9th with 2 outs we left. As we exited the stadium the place erupts with cheers. We made a mad dash to the car to find out what happened. Sure enough, with 2 outs an error by Elon's pitcher allows 3 runs, ties the game and sends it to a 10th inning and The Citadel pulls out the win. GO BULLDOGS!!!!

As a Carolina fan I should know NEVER to leave early :)

Cute Cousins

It was fun in the sun this weekend for these cute cousins.

Collin and I were so excited to have his Aunt Erika and Stella come to visit. They got in Friday and were able to stay with us until Sunday afternoon. It was a great weekend. We didn't rush to do anything. We had time to just visit and play outside - yes, the mommies went too :)
The kiddos enjoyed digging in the sand box and playing in the water.





















And posing for pictures. Ok, they didn't really enjoy posing for pictures. We had to take 10 just to get one to turn out. But they humored us every now and then. In the end they just had a great time running around and playing together.
It must have been tiring work, because at the end of the day they were exhausted.
We can't wait to see Aunt Erika and Stella again in June. We're hoping that Uncle Brian, Nana and Grandaddy will be there too. I think we'll even get to go to the zoo :)

Fun with Friends

It is definitely summer time! The temperature is rising and the water activities have started.
In a rare moment at my home it was 4 against one (God Bless you all who have more than one child). Collin was in 7th heaven. He had 3 friends spend the day with us and we all had a blast. The slip n' slide island was running, along with the plastic pool. Don't forget about the sand box and pirate fort if fingers were too pruned. The kids enjoyed diving straight into the ground in an attempt to slide through the water.
Then it was to the pool! They would kick water, dump water, put sand in the water, try to put Zach (the dog) in the water. It was great fun to watch. They definitely ran/swam off all of their energy.











Because once inside they were quiet and zoned out. It made for a wonderful day!!

Time with Papa

Collin has spent a lot of time with his Papa since we got to Florida, however this was the first trip girls were allowed to follow. So, this is the first trip that has photographs :)
Our last Saturday here we spent at the aquarium. We have visited so many times because we have a year pass. Collin loves it too :) He really enjoyed showing my dad around, since Collin is now a regular there. He pointed out all of the big fish, turtles and eels swimming in a coral reef.
Then, it was off to try to find the "hidden" fish in the tank. We saw sharks, crabs, jellyfish, Dory, Nemo and lots of other fish from the sea.










We even watched a scuba diver swim in the one of the tanks. Ok, so that show was a little disappointing and Collin could not have been less interested. It was a great day though! Collin even wore his Tampa Bay Rays hat. This is a big deal for two reasons. 1 - the Rays have the best record in franchise history, and the best record in the league, 2 - Collin never wears a hat. He always takes them right off. He is really weird about things on his head, but he loves this hat.

So, he and his Papa have matching baseball hats.

Sunset and Snow

Yes, the title says snow. There wasn't really any snow in Florida. However, when we went to the beach to watch the sun set Collin grabbed handfuls of sand, threw it in the air, and yelled, "snow!" I guess the last time he saw everything covered in white it was snowing. Just funny that this little boy from coastal Carolina, who only sees snow once a year and sees sand way more, thought the beach was snow. I'm sure everyone standing around thought this little boy was from way up north and seeing a sand covered beach for the first time. Too funny.

It was, however, a great end to a wonderful day. We concluded our fun-filled day of shopping with dinner at sunset on the beach. It was beautiful and good for the soul.

We live in a Sand Box

Per the previous post you know that Collin has a sandbox. You also know I have some slight obsessive compulsive tendencies about cleanliness. One of those is that I do not like sand. I LOVE the beach, but I can't stand sand. It only belongs on the feet. I constantly brush off my beach chair, am meticulous about having extra towels so I don't dry off with a sandy one. I don't hold Collin close to me when we're at the beach unless he's in a towel. Now, before you go crazy about what a fun draining mom I am, I am working on this. I will say I am getting better. I think even my own Mom (who LOVES sand) would say I'm getting better :) I would think so since we've been living in a sandbox since we got to Florida. While Collin is awfully tidy he has not caught on to the notion of wiping his hands and feet (and face, head, legs, arms, rear end, etc...) before coming in. So, he will play for hours outside and bring it all in with him. There is sand everywhere - and we're cleaning. You can feel it when walk barefoot or sit on the couch. AAAHHHHH!!! The funny part is that we will sweep or the cleaning lady will come and within minutes of finishing here comes our sandman. I don't recall ever getting away with this type of thing when I was child, and yet here is my child trekking "mess" all over the house. Even Papa is in on the action. Note, I am not in the sandbox. I haven't gotten that good yet.

The sins of the father...or, in this case, the mother

I am not the best housekeeper in the world. I don't like to unload the dishwasher, so sometimes dishes pile up, rinsed of course, in the sink. A few times a week toys don't get picked up before bed time, and clothes aren't put in their rightful place immediately. Important mail can, every so often, make a temporary home on the kitchen counter. With all that said, I have come to realize that I do have some obsessive compulsive tendencies when it comes to cleanliness. I have learned these things through the tendencies of my own child.

We are spending some time with my parents and they have set up a play area for Collin in the backyard, complete with a sandbox. Oh boy!

When we first arrived he would not go outside without his shoes on. When he finally did, he kept saying, "oh messy," "it's dirty." I can hear my words coming back to haunt him. My child has no clue how to play in the dirt b/c everytime he has gotten dirty his mother rushes in to clean him up. Then, we caught him sweeping the ground around his sandbox. Aaahhh!!!! While, I love his tendencies for tidiness and truly hope they will stay with him throughout his years in my home, I am also convinced that all children need to play in the dirt. So, we have worked very hard at making the mess ok. Though he still enjoys sweeping the ground, he does it with sand and dirt and mud from head to toe