Florida Family Tour

We just got back from a FANTASTIC trip to Florida with my entire family - Mom, Dad, Sister and her family, and brother. It was so amazing to spend time with everyone in sunny Siesta Key, the very same place we all vacationed when we were kids. Such great past memories and now wonderful new ones. My mom was the designated photographer, and when the trip was over, she had 469 pictures in her Shutterfly album. 469! "Why didn't you delete some? "I asked. "I DID!" she replied! Can you tell we are a photo-obsessed family?
Here are a few shots...ok more than a few, but when you are starting with 469, this number isn't so bad.

We LOVED bonding with my sister, her husband Dan, and their 4 1/2 month old, Kellan!

The "grandparents" babysat while all the "kids" went out to dinner. Thanks BB and Papa!

We watched beautiful sunsets on the beach.

We dined on local fish and seafood.

We continued to practice our walking skills. Yeah Austin!

We had a few "photo shoots"...

We played at the beach.

We swam at the pool. Caroline started to learn to swim!

BB and Papa and all their grandbabies!

Clayton

It is amazing how one child can frustrate you to no end, and then at the same time, charm every inch of you into absolutely adoring him!
Clayton Matthew. My middle son. So adorably quirkly in so many ways.
He is obsessed with vacuums, brooms, and water towers. I don't mean likes. I don't mean loves. I mean OBSESSED with. He talks about them all day and in any context. He builds them with legos, food, household items. When drawing, he asks you to draw vacuums and water towers. He sings about them. He asks other people about their brooms and vacuums. He can tell you which water towers we pass on our way to different places we frequent. We're hoping this means he's going to be an engineer and not a janitor, but only God knows...
So quirky. And man do I love him. I could do with out the tantrums and whiny phases he falls into...usually about pacifiers. (I know, we NEED to get rid of them. I just need to wait until it gets consistently warm out. I don't think I could endure the transition to no-paci land while being confined to the house with him for all hours. It's going to be a ROUGH transition and I am dreading it. A simple "paci-fairy" or "let's send them to a baby who needs them" and then he's fine with it is SO not going to happen.)
But man, isn't he CUTE?????

Caroline and her best friend

Here is Caroline with her best friend Sarah. I am so thrilled that her very first close friend is such a sweet girl from a wonderful family.

Easter!

My three little Easter bunnies

Searching for eggs...

Happy kids!

Easter with the cousins

Cousin Sarah's 7th birthday

Celebrating cousin Sarah's 7th birthday...

Miscellaneous

What have we been up to this week? Austin has been continuing to practice walking. He'll take 5 or 6 steps before dropping to his knees and crawling. He loves to practice walking to me and then turning around and walking to Kevin. He actually doesn't walk, he runs!

Austin also loves going into my cabinets and pulling everything out.

Clayton continues with his love of the vacuum and still plays with it almost every day.

He LOVES his "toddler" bed (actually his crib with one of the sides taken down.) He gets so excited and loves climbing in. I have been very pleasantly surprised that he has stayed in it for every nap and night. I told him he couldn't get out of bed until I came to get him, and he's complied! (Amazing, given how uncompliant he is with so many other things...but I digress). Doesn't he looks sweet?

And my little boobaloo loves sharing a room with his big brother. Lately, he's been calling him "Ca Ca" and following him around. He loves to go over and give him big snuggles (and vice versa)! They are so loving to eachother. I know the fighting stage will come, but for now, they are nothing but buddies.

I got Clayton to actually play with a ball! He seems to like soccer. (When we try to play catch, it usually lasts about 7 seconds). I LOVE seeing him play with actual toys (and not pretending they are vacuums or water towers.)

Caroline still loves to play dress up and now involves Clayton, telling him "We're going to the ballet. We have to get dressed in our fancy clothes!" At that point, Caroline puts on a dress-up dress and Clayton dons his cowboy gear.

And me? KIds. Kids. and more Kids. And Dancing with the Stars...and Life Unexpected and Greys Anatomy and Medium. I did manage to make the Barefoot Contessa's blueberry streusel muffins and Recipe Girl's banana brown sugar muffins. MMMMMM!