Air Show -ers

It was a good thing that Charlie loved seeing the planes at MacDill AFB in Tampa, because it was a bit of a nightmare trip. After getting to the AFB, we met Heather and walked about a half mile to one of the Hangars. On the way there, it started absolutely pouring. I started sprinting and was almost to the hangar when a military person yelled at me and told me slow down. Look, I don't care who you are or if you are carrying a large weapon, I have a 9 month old and 2 year old and a LARGE bag full of stuff that I don't need even more soaking wet than they already are. I am running for cover and I am running fast. Don't mess with a mom....Sir.

After finding shelter, feeding Casey while occupying Charlie, changing Casey on the hangar floor, calming both of them while planes were breaking the sound barrier right over our heads, and meeting back up with Heather, we set off to see the big planes. Charlie loved the little green helicopter, but, as you can see, would not go inside or pose for a picture. We also got to go inside a large Air Force plane... like the kind they use to transport troops overseas. It was pretty amazing to see what they have to use as a seat on those long trips. Let's just say it's not even US Air equivalent (and that is our least favorite airline!). The seats are hard, close together and upright. On the bright side, they do offer a lot of leg room!

That was pretty much the extent of our trip. Short and not so sweet. But we had a good time with Heather and got to see some crazy stunt planes too!

Walk in the Park

It was back to Phillipe State Park with Shan and Cam. We were shooting for a water park, but when we found out that it was 'closed for the season' we made the best of it. After the swinging their hearts out, we ate our packed pb and js by the water. Then... a breakthrough...Charlie and Cam played together. Although Shannon and I had just about had it at the end of our trip, we couldn't have been happier to watch history go down as Cam chased Charlie around and around. We have so fun much with those girls. As we hang out more and more, I am hoping that Cameron will let me borrow her fab yellow shoes someday soon!

Practice Makes Perfect

Apparently it is not enough that we just go and watch baseball practice, we have to practice playing baseball while we watch baseball practice. If you haven't gotten the picture by now, Charlie is enamored with the game and the players. When they would run by to go into the clubhouse, he wouldn't take his eyes off them for a second. Staring at them in their uniforms as they jogged past, some of them noticed and waved or gave him a high five.

Finally, he got to see who he went there to watch- "daahhee" (his new name for Blaine). Casey and Charlie smiled a big smile and we all went home in a good mood (a rarity these days :)

D and Me

This is just a quick shot of when 'Uncle D' took a break from his busy work schedule to come down from Orlando to visit us. After Blaine and Dave went on a man date, Charlie showed off his baseball skills and even let Dave pitch to him (a privilege that is not granted to just anyone).

The original purpose of his trip was to instill Godliness in his Godson, Casey. Well, that might be a work in progress, but we all enjoyed his stay (and the cookies!) and are confident that Dave will teach Casey good morals or an awesome golf swing. Maybe both, but we are hoping for at least one!

Catching Up

Casey is getting bigger every day and doing some new tricks of his own. This week was really exciting (for us at least!). Not only did he start sitting all the way upright in his stroller, but he got upgraded to first class, Charlie's front seat, for this walk at least. He loved watching Wrigley walk and felt free to wiggle his toes in the wind. He was so proud of himself.

Two days before this, he got his first tooth! We were waiting and it finally came! Yes, it was painful, but he says it will be worth it one day when he gets to eat lollipops just like his brother.

Even more fun, today, he rolled from his back to his belly! We have been practicing and working on this (almost like teaching a dog to roll over) and he finally did it! We were all so proud of him and can't wait for him to show us even more! Go Casey Go!

Abacoa Action!

Lucky for us, we got to take a trip back home to Jupiter. We drove back to have a photo session with Lena Hyde...my favorite Photographer. Just driving there was exciting... long but exciting! Once we arrived at the Bumps new house, we were made aware of how much everyone had changed since 5 months ago. Casey: bigger. Charlie: bigger. Wrigley: MUCH bigger! Unfortunately, Scooby was willing to share his food with Wrigley over the off season and Wrigley was willing to eat twice the amount of food he should have.

Charlie was so happy to have kids to play with. He proved himself to be somewhat of a brut as he has a habit of tackling and/or wrestling anyone within 5 feet of him. Casey was "the best baby ever". He was amazingly well behaved and happy. He loves watching the action (and drama) that frequented the Bump house during our stay.

During our short tow day stay, Natalie introduced us to her new duck friend... Penelope the male mallard. This guy was a friendly dog duck. He loved company and food and would follow us around when we went to feed it. We also got to visit the Hoss family (who had a little drama of their own) and play baseball in the backyard. Charlie and Brody were enthralled by Joe's fish. Court and Cal were around too and loved playing with Casey.

Towards the end of the trip, Charlie experienced a new method of time out...Bump style. I think it's a keeper! All in all, all the kids were amazing. It was so good to see everyone again. When got back, Charlie and I sat on the couch and Charlie was upset because he wanted to "see brodt and nahh". Hopefully we will again soon!

First Firsts

Well, last week was full of firsts for Charlie...first foam #1 finger, first real sunglasses, first date (chaperoned by the moms of course), and (the most exciting, for me, of course) first poopie on the potty. It feels weird writing the word on the blog, but I have no other way to put it.... sorry.

Aunt Mindy and the boys got Charlie this big lollipop made completely of solid chocolate and I told him he could eat it if he went on the potty. Sure enough, almost 3 weeks later, he got his act together and got to eat his 'bhati' (his word for a lollipop).

Charlie's first date was with Cameron... nothing fancy, just dogs and beers. Although she wasn't that into him he's confident she will cave sometime this season. :) In the meantime, he is focusing on his other love, baseball. He decided that, to become a great player, you must first be a great fan. He thought this Phoam Philles Phinger would motivate him to be the ultimate Phan! He practices with it night and day. We hope he practices only with THIS finger for the rest of his life! Although we all know that Phillies sports fans are much more familiar with a different finger :)

Flying FIsh!

As a stay at home mom, I try to get the boys out and about in the morning- as I can imagine most moms do to avoid chaos in the house. Today, we tried a park that Aunt Joan suggested. In the morning, Charlie helped me make Peanut Butter sandwiches (he doesn't like jelly- are you kidding?) Anyway, sandwiches, drinks, snacks and everything else you can imagine in my bag, we headed to Phillippee State Park in Safety Harbor. It was gorgeous just like Joan had promised. The best part about it was that it was ALL shaded.

Charlie found a couple of kids and played with them for an hour! This was great because it gave me time to sit and feed Casey. Both Charlie and Casey LOVE to be outside... what kid doesn't, I guess?! After the kids were loaded back into the stroller, we went over to a pavilion on the water to eat our homemade lunches and enjoy the view. We didn't see too much, but were excited to spot some really cool jumping fish!

Charlie pretty much skipped through his PB sandwich right to the goldfish and then I bribed him with candy to take this picture by the water, which is why he is smiling so big. Whatever works, right?! Fun times.

Hi Daahhh

Charlie LOVES the baseball games. Last Sunday was a HOT but beautiful day. After Mom Mom treated his to a soft pretzel, and hot dog, we headed over to the playground and then to Dad's bullpen. Charlie hangs on the side of the fence where the berm meets the 'pen to be as incognito as possible. But as soon as he spots Dad, he screams "Hi Daahhh" and our cover is blown.

Blaine more than willingly comes over to talk to Charlie, which, of course, makes his day. He is Daddy's boy. After their short but meaningful conversation, we walk back up the berm and Charlie always has an extra skip in his step. There is nothing better.

Casey's Playtime

Casey was born early and has had some delays because of this reason. He has been getting therapy since he was 4 weeks old. This has been a roller coaster ride, but he is making progress every week and each one of his therapists (which are more like personal trainers) have been awesome! Our new "trainer" comes to our Clearwater rental to visit Casey.

Carrie in Clearwater says that he is doing great! He is sitting up pretty well, rolling from his belly to back and practicing kneeling. He is non stop grins and giggles during playtime with Carrie. His tongue never goes in and his lunch almost always comes out! We have lots of fun together!

Daddy's Day Off

Swimsuits? Check. Hats? Check. Shovel and pail? Check. Dad, Mom, and Mom-Mom? Check!The list is endless, but after about an hour of packing we are off to the beach with everything but the kitchen sink. Next time, it would be smarter to use a wheel barrel to schloop all of our schtuff to the beach.

Charlie was so excited to have his daddy home all day. Nothing was better to him than playing in the sand and "ball play-ing" with him. Phillies hat on, he took a couple of trips to the water, hit a couple home runs, and shoved a "doh dah" (translation:hot dog) in his mouth and we were headed back home. Casey loved the sound of the waves (somewhat like his sound machine at home) and people watching. A short but fun day in the sun.

Good Morning Mickey!

I know... all kids are picky eaters... right? Well, Charlie might set the world record for foods he considers inedible. Thankfully, there is a small list of foods he will eat... Mickey Mouse pancakes are on that list. Somehow even though I make them with chocolate chips and use jelly beans as eyes, I am strangely happy that he eats pancakes. Apparently, he is also.

Family Friendz-y

Eyes on the game, Lips on the cone.

Charlie's way of saying he wanted to help Pop-Pop blow out the candles.
Rare footage of Brett taking a normal picture AND cuddling with a baby... looks good!
The boys out back.


We had quite a busy weekend! All of the boys came down for Spring Training... and Mom Mom! Pop-Pop, Mr. Lee, Adam Lee, Nick Dalsey, Uncle Brett, Richie, and Patrick came to watch Blaine and hang out with Charlie and Casey too! Saturday we hung out at the ballpark where Charlie was treated to his first very own ice cream- compliments of Mom Mom. He might have eaten all of 2 ounces of it, but loved every lick. Casey loved watching. After the game, we headed over to Aunt Joan's and Uncle Jim's house to celebrate Pop-Pop's birthday with cake-yum! There we got to have fun with Einar, Michael and his girlfriend, and Kevin. Charlie loved jumping on the couch, running circles through the house at top speed, and leaving cheezy crumbs all over the floor while stealing doritos by the handful. Aunt Jon is the opposite of me... loves organization and cleanliness. I am sure she enjoyed the utter chaos.

Sunday the guys came over to our house to party. Luckily, 2346 Lorena Lane has character... like a really old pair of jeans that hasn't been cleaned in 5 years, so Charlie couldn't do any damage this time. We had a great time grilling and laughing at Charlie's pre meditated antics. We are sure we are raising a future class clown.

In the mornings, Nick was awoken by Casey's joyous but loud babbling followed by Charlie's pleas for him to get up and "woo-woo play" with him. Nick was a good sport and bended to all of Charlie's demands (kind of like what Blaine down with me :)... hah). Same story when Uncle Breeet woke up. Breeet never once told Charlie no. He could be in the middle of a conversation and had just started a beer and when Charlie would ask him to "ball play", Breet would oblige. Thank you Mannies! And thanks boys for a wonderful weekend!

Full Contact Baseball

Charlie plays baseball inside the house everyday, so he is forced to get creative with it. When Mitchell and Peyton visited, he was excited to show them his latest version of the game... full contact baseball. Charlie would pitch to Mitchell and Peyton was catch (and ask why he was never allowed to be the batter). As soon as Charlie pitches the ball he will immediately run toward the batter and tackle him or her. The boys had an awesome time playing baseball, chasing each other in circles, and watching spone bohb together.

Blizzard Beach

Since the day at the pool, the weather has turned cold... for Floridian standards, anyway. We quickly discovered that finding something to do with 4 boys including an 8 month old is quite a challenge! Who think of the beach when it is 50 degrees outside? We do!

We packed all 8 of us in the car and headed to Clearwater beach. The ride was half the fun! We laughed at spongebob jokes and got some solid family family on the way to Frenchy's. The first attempt at going to lunch was unsuccessful so we headed to our second choice... (Frenchy's does have 4 locations, so we were happy we only had to hit 2). We sat beachside and sipped cocktails as the wind nipped at our toes from under the floor boards. Amazingly everyone was happy. The kids had their very own table and the adults had theirs. A total of 7 trips to the bathroom from the boys and we were on to the playground. Cheers to a great visit!

Splish Splash Saturday!

Unfortunately, it wouldn't have been a vacation for Mindy, Steve, and the boys to stay with us. Casey is up at 5 am more days than not and Charlie is a light sleeper. Fortunately, they stayed at the Innisbrook Resort. This place is great! It has golf for Steve and a huge heated pool and water slides for the kids.

On Saturday, I ventured over there with the boys. This was a big step for me. Being able to handle two boys in public is tough enough, add water to the equation and it is a small feat. We lugged Casey, his stroller and baby seat from the car to the pool as well as hats, sunblock, water bottles, diapers, wipes, binkies, snacks, thomas trains, extra clothes, and camera. Who needs the gym when you carry this stuff to every outing?!

Charlie had the best time slapshing around with Aunt Mindy in the wading pool and watching his favorite cousins having a blast on the slides. He was probably fantasizing about the day he would be tall enough to slide with them. Casey sported his sun hat and enjoyed the action from the sidelines. Thanks for a great time guys!

Game one, spring training

Everytime we pass by the Phillies field, which is 1/2 mile behind our house, Charlie wants to "see dad ball play". So, we have been going to the practice fields to watch him play. I think the practice fields were more Charlie's style. The first game of Spring Training was packed! It was a little intimidating. So, Charlie and Cameron dealt with the crowd by completely ignoring the game and concentrating on food. Funny- that's how I deal with overwhelming situations too. Charlie and his buddy Cam ate pretzels and played at the playground and had a blast. Casey ate too... but was ready for a nap soon after. Later we visited the bullpen where Cam was excited to get a ball from her daddy! We didn't last too long, but Charlie made sure everyone knew of his departure by yelling "bye Dad" to Blaine in the bullpen. It is a beautiful field and a great day for baseball.

Road Trip!

Well, actually mini day trip. As our need to get out of the house strengthens daily, we picked up Cameron and Shannon (aka Cam and Shan) Hoover and met Heather (Angus) over at Heritage Village. We were a little unsure about what it was at first, but proved to be lots of fun! It has gardens and museums, and antique houses, and most importantly a real train car. Add that to a lot of space to run around in and we all are happy campers. Casey was a content guy in the fresh air and Charlie had a blast hanging out with other kids. Although he has not won Cameron's over yet, he is positive that she will fall for him someday soon :)

My Cousins, My Heros

Charlie and Casey love when their big cousins come to visit! Charlie always learns something new from them... chocolate candy, Spongebob ('spone bohb') and most recently, how to use the potty. Peyton was the most eager to show Charlie just how the potty should be used. He was thorough enough to show him both number one and two. Here is a picture of the tutoring session. Thanks Peytie!