so silly

While we were in Miami, my parents watched Declyn.  My mom sent me this super cute picture of Declyn cheering on the U.S. team.

I had the privilege of watching all three boys one morning.  I thought this self-made setup was pretty amazing -- Brent walking in the Jeep, Declyn pushing, and James literally riding on the side of it.

'Calling' his dad.

This little guy is obsessed with the phone, and not the pretend ones.

I don't know why, but this pajama look (complete with the sandals) made me crack up every time I looked at him.  I think it was due to the fact that his calves had stretched his ankle-tight pants, making them round at the end.

celebrating 5 years in miami

June 20 marked five sweet years of marriage.  I have to admit, being married to my best friend makes it that much easier.  Come September we will celebrate a decade of actually being together/dating.  I cannot believe it has already been that long ... seems like just yesterday we were meeting at college, oblivious to the fact that we had each met our soulmate.

Cheers to us. But first, let us take a selfie.

Day 1 : the view on the way to the beach.

We were cooling off in the water and Mike spotted this gorgeous starfish.  I don't know if I've ever seen a real, live starfish in person.  It goes without saying, it was amazing.

The flight on the way home was delayed, so why not order another drink while waiting?

Dinner at The Bazaar had this super neat chandelier above our table.

And how adorable are these sliders?

Loving on the babe.

I could stare at the crystal clear water for days, despite the fish swimming around my ankles.

The only time I spent at the pool was the last day.  Even the morning mist was a pretty view.

wild horses

This post was never published, so it's a little out of place.  Nonetheless, it has a few beautiful pictures.

The drive-on beach has the prettiest wild life.

The pack (herd?) traveling together.

A few months back my dad recognized an apparent current trend -- high, black socks.  Since he often wears a similar pair, he likes to showcase them whenever possible.  And when Dec had his on, you better believe he went and changed to match his grandson.

Another surprise from the rents -- funny faces.

James was hooked on strawberry daiquiris.  Virgin, of course.  Those, combined with a little hot tub action?  Life doesn't get much better.

2 boys, 1 bath

Post walk outside and some time spent in the heat.  Can you see the poor sweat shining through on Declyn's face?

And what better way to cool off then with a bath?

Kristen and I thought it 'd be a brilliant idea to get some adorable pictures of them in matching towels post bath.  Above is that idea coming to life.  It'd say we nailed it.

(What's not pictured, thankfully, is what Declyn did after these pictures).  I don't usually let him just walk around naked, so when he had that freedom he took it too far and peed on the carpet.  Not his best moment.  Or mine.

hidden

I have pretty much stopped buying toys.  It took me awhile to realize, but there is almost no point with this one.  He has an abundance of toys, and all he wants to play with every morning are his spoons from the dishwasher and all he wants to do is hide under the kitchen table.

I laid down to do some ab work and look who joined me.  I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a selfie with my Fens.

The moments right before he falls asleep in the car are some of my favorite.

He loves to give Cali her ball.  And when I say give, I mean turn his head, put his arm out and 3/5 times just shove it in her face/mouth.  The times that he actually makes eye contact with her are few and in between.  Luckily, Cali knows the drill by now and accepts whatever is headed her way.

When I first purchased this chair his tiny body would fling itself out of it.  Now, this is what I get.  And believe it or not, this is not the first leaned back, propped leg I've seen.  It is almost becoming a tradition whenever he's in his room.  When I sent the picture to Mike I captioned it, 'all he's missing is a beer.' I mean, I wouldn't be surprised to see this same position in 20 years.  

World Cup

Sharing a chair is always the way to go, especially when it's with your friend.

Someone needed a little break at halftime.  Why not test the fountain waters?

The moment we've (meaning Alyssa) has been waiting for -- the wearing of her birthday gift to Declyn, a USA team jersey.  Mike put on the LeBrons (also from Lyss), to complete the look, and I thought they looked good, but apparently he was supposed to wear his Samba's, that were specifically purchased for the outfit.  I can't keep up.  

BUT as I pointed out to Alyssa -- USA did win, so it looks like those neons were good luck after all. 

caden turns one

Almost the second Caden was strapped into his highchair and that cake was presented, Declyn was right in front of him, curious for some.  Nicely enough, Jason fed him some after Caden started diving in -- hands first, of course.

Us moms decided to have some fun on the carousel while our little guys rode with their dads.

dad's day

Every time a holiday (like Father's Day) comes around, I feel like everything I want to write sounds so cliche.  However true it is, I feel like it's something I once heard in a Hallmark card.  Regardless, I will say this, simple and sweet -- my husband is the best dad to our little man. Period.

 

Fresh out of the crib, he crawled right into bed with his 'Da-da.'

And of course I can't not give a shout out to my amazing Dad -- who is now more popularly known as Pops.  You'd think perhaps after raising two children, he would be fresh out of energy and ideas for little ones but every day he surprises his grandchildren (and us) with something new-- a video, a trick, words of wisdom.  It's as if his bag of tricks is endless.

I couldn't help myself.  Here my boys are on the train at Burke Lake and despite it being Father's Day, Dec looks like he's about to spew.  The truth is, he's super tired.

After nearly falling asleep on the train (he gets that from me... I can sleep anywhere. Literally) he was all smiles for the carousel. 

seat's taken

You would think Cali would be over bothering Fenway, but the love never ends.

Testing out his brand new puddle jumpers.  James, of course, asked if he could have some.

all aboard

Reaching for James' hand has become second nature to Declyn.

Oh yeah, Brent was there, too.  :)

Getting ready to take off -- the best group shot my mom could get.  I must say to me, any picture where all participants are in it is a good one.

free hugs

James just randomly went up to Declyn and gave him one of these.  Luckily, I was able to capture it on my phone ... such a sweet, sweet moment between two loving cousins.  Aka more proof to show them how much they love each other when they're older and getting into it with each other like brothers do.

Declyn, in turn, decided to pass it on ... to Fenway.

And it didn't stop there.  He then wandered down the hall to find Molly, to show her a little love.

swimming to sleep

I don't even know how to explain this one.  I think Caden wanted the ball Declyn was going after, but it also could have been a scream of joy.  You just never know.

Seeing which toys were worth taking out of the pool bag.

We didn't even make it out of the parking lot and this one was out cold.

pirate flag

My parents love surprising us at the beach with little tricks -- water gun fights, Christmas at the beach (Santa included), etc.  This particular morning it was pirates and a treasure hunt.

He was a little unsure about the patch.

busted lip

Almost every day this boy somehow managed to hurt himself.  He started the first day of the trip falling out of the highchair (in all fairness, Brent pulled the tray down).  This day he tumbled off Lightning McQueen and busted his lip.

A drink at the beach.  Could you ask for more?

Safety first -- taking my hand to walk out to the water.

Such a mischievous, water-loving boy.

Exploring. 

Love this face.

Declyn and James had identical methods of plowing things through the sand.

Going in for the kiss.