Birthday Celebration Weekend

We spent the weekend celebrating two wonderful birthdays....

Kaz was super excited to celebrate with his BF, Griffin this weekend. He turned the big 1 this Saturday and we were sure to be there from start to finish to celebrate his friends big day! The birthday was fun for all,     including lots of yummy treats and even a photo booth with mustaches and bow ties to "strike a pose" in celebration of the special little man Griff.

Sunday, we celebrated with a very special little lady - Miss Kennedy:)

She shared her backyard with so many that love her, accompanied with pools for the kiddos and delicious food. Kaz is so lucky to have so many great friends to grow up sharing life with!

Our BUSY Week in Review

Our crazy busy weekend started off this Sunday as we celebrated Father's Day - so thankful for our fathers as well as Kaz's daddy (my hubby). This first year watching Preston learn the ropes of what it takes to parent have been quite interesting to say the least;) I'm very thankful to have such a wonderful leader for our family.

Monday was spent poolside. Kaz had the chance to try out his float and find out what it felt like to have his body from the chest down submerged in water. He loved the water and sun...but preferred Mama holding him above everything:)

Before this boy came along, a day at the pool was relaxing and "easy". Now, I find myself questioning if it's more trouble than it's worth! It is quite exhausting packing up the house not to mention having to lugg around a 29lb. little man.

At the end of the day, we were both worn out...but had tons of fun!

Later in the week Kaz and I made our way North to visit friends and family.

First we made a stop to visit Kaz's buddy Owen and my friend Tyler. The boys had fun playing with all of Owen's toys and watching the Laurie Berkner Band. Kaz usually will only watch "sign" shows...but he seemed pretty interested in the song and dance on the TV - so much that I ordered him one of the DVDs to take on our vacation coming up next week. 

Next, we ventured out to their awesome pool where we all got our feet wet and enjoyed some rays before saying our goodbyes and heading to our next destination.

Stop #2, 10 miles down the road we spent the evening with my cousin and her son, Emil. The boys quickly reacquainted and were very excited to see each other:) Kaz spent most of the time pulling Emil around on his walker. Wit and I had a chance to chat and catch up on life...I always find myself encouraged after our talks:)

After making the late-night trudge home we find ourselves less than a week away from the beginning of vacation. We still have quite a few more eventful days here in KY before making our way to the beach. Kaz gets to celebrate two birthdays this weekend with friends:) Happy birthday Griffin and Kennedy!

Life Lately - according to my Iphone

Sushi stop during our Cincinnati shopping trip - YUM!

Playing in the dirt:)

Learning how to play "Vanna" a.k.a - Wheel of Fortune with Uncle Bert

Enjoying cruisin' the town with mommy

Father's Day present for Pops

My handsome little guy

He needed a break from the sun in his cute little tent:)

Here's our boy scooting around in his walker...He is one little speed demon;)

Blueberry Pickin'

After our weekly Tuesday Gymboree Music class and practicing all the famous broadway musicals:), Kaz and Griffin got to partake in a little blueberry pickin'. It was a hot one, so these two mamas came prepared with water and strollers. After a quick bite to eat, Griffin sharing a few bites of his food with Zoey (the weimaraner), and a visit with the goats...we decided to head down the rocky trail in hopes of finding the blueberry patch.


We followed the signs that led us to the blueberry tent and joined the Japanese beetles in the endless rows of berry filled bushes. We found plenty of large blueberries to add to our baskets and even worked on some fine motor skills while we were at it;) The boys enjoyed eating them as they picked them more than putting them in the basket.

Needless to say, they were both passed out before we made it home:) Thankful Kaz has a little buddy to grow up with. 

OBX...Hurry!

Our beach trip couldn't get here soon enough! I can't wait to show Kaz the waves, sand, and sea creatures ....

Outer Banks already carries many memories for me and my family - growing up with this being our summer tradition. It's going to be so much fun to add the Kaz man into the mix of our family experience at the beach! We plan to celebrate the 4th of July on the sand dunes. I know there is lots of fun in store:)

1 year + 1 month

The past couple of weeks have been lots of fun since the start of summer and being home with my boy. Kaz is now 13 months and continues to show me daily that he is not through changing and growing any time soon. For some reason I thought he would slow down when he turned 1???  He has been a babbling boy the past few weeks. We couldn't be more excited for him to finally throw the all popular "ma ma"/"da da" sounds into his vocabulary, as well as many "goos", strawberry sounds, and our current favorite giving the fish face when smacking his lips to give kisses:)

We have spent endless hours in the pool on the deck, made weekly visits to look through every possible board book and drive the "car" at the library, many rides in the red car, and attend a wonderful music class once a week.

Kaz still lacks those core motor skills - ie: walking/crawling, however we continue to work with his therapists and stay dedicated to working on specific things to help him continue to get stronger. We know in time he will get there:) God has big things planned to come....

"For I know the plans I have for you,"declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." - Jeremiah 29:11

Library Mondays!

My boy and I started off our summer by making a pact to visit the library every Monday! We met up with one of his favorites - Ms. Sara and her girls for a morning checkout:) We managed to play with all the cool puzzles and read all the board books cover-to-cover. Kaz's favorite was the "car" where he could steer the wheel and shift gears. We are already looking forward to next Monday, when we plan to try and be early risers and make it to "reading time".

Recent Photo Op with the BF

 Kaz and Griffin had a lunch date the other day - so before leaving we decided to dress them up in their cute summer matching white outfits and have some fun capturing their smiles. Kaz turned 1 a few weeks ago and Griffin is just behind him, turning 1 June 23rd. These boys sure are growing up to be great friends with lots in store to come:)