Alligators, Park, Swimming, etc...

So last week was completely nuts for us.  It was probably one of the most roller coaster type of weeks I've ever had going up and down and up and down and up. 

One of those highs and lows was about where we are moving too.  We found a rental house that we loved.  Signed lease papers put down our deposit and everything.  Got a call that we couldn't move there because an HOA restriction in the community that the realtor and the home owners where not aware of.  No more than 18 rental homes in the community, we'd be number 19.  I can't imagine how frustrated the homeowners must be!  Anyways the rental company had another house in the same area but different neighborhood that is bigger and has a fenced in back yard and screened in porch.  It was over our price range though.  However they brought down the price for us since what had happened to us with the other house!  So now we are moving to a bigger house with a fenced yard so we are excited about that one!  That craziness ended up so that's good!

 Anyways after a week like last week it was great to have a day like today!

Today we went to our favorite park to take Tony.  Then we went on a trail that just opened up, it's been under construction since we've moved here and I've been waiting for it too open!  I have been wanting to spot some alligators!  Well we saw 4 total and it wasn't like at a zoo where they are all laying around, they were swimming and moving.  Also saw birds and lot's of pretty tropical forest.  I also got ice-cream at these ice-cream places they have all over FL that look like a giant ice-cream cone.  Anyways I used to go to one when we'd visit my Grandma when I was little and I have been wanting to go so I got an ice-cream.  After ice-cream we went out for burgers, yum, we got Tony McDonalds though to take to the restaurant since they don't have chicken nuggets at 5guys.  We got home and I told Isaac "I just want to chill and relax in a pool"  and he said "I don't mind let's go".  I guess I forgot that we can actually do that because it's hot and our apartment has a pool.  I'm just not used to being able to swim in April.  So we went for a swim.  It was cold at first but felt great when your moving.  It was nice to be weightless and get some of this extra baby weight I've been lugging around feel weight free!  I got to swim some laps and Tony did great!  He was kicking so good.  He even moved (with his floaty) all by himself with kicking.  I even got him to move his arms too!  He did not want to get out.  Isaac let me relax on one of those nice reclining pool chairs while he and Tony played a bit longer.  Came back and took a nice shower.  Then relaxed because everyone was exhausted, even Tony!  We actually wore Tony out, that does not happen like ever lol!  He went to bed great!  Here are some picture's I took of today ( :

Tony always claims a stick, anytime we are outside and runs around using it like a gun.

Looking at the Alligator

He really liked seeing the gators

Too small to see but there were 3 gators in the photo

The tropical forest

Totally in my element, I love this type of outdoors!

In a cool tree Isaac found!

More gator spotting

Pointing at the gators

I stopped taking pictures and Tony got upset, he wanted me
to take pictures of the gator's.   He took this picture, the gator is really
small but he got it in there lol

Water Colors in the Tub

So I got this idea off pinterest to let your kids watercolor in the bathtub.  Decided to give it a try today.  Tony really liked it and had fun!  However I recommend using a diaper lol.  I had took his diaper off because we just finished dishes and it was soaked with dishwater, I didn't want to put a new one on only to get paint on it and then change it again so I just left it off.  He peed like 3x lol I had to clean it up so he wouldn't paint in it, which he did manage to do once.  I cleaned the brush before he put it back in the paint though.

Thinking about what to paint next!

oops, he pee'd in the paint! Don't worry I cleaned it.

Being creative and painting holding the brush in his mouth.

Photo Collage

I had some Christmas money that my parents gave me for Christmas.  I had been saving it trying to decide what I wanted to use it for.  I had been wanting to hang photo's for a long time but that wasn't exactly on in the "needs" category of spending so I haven't done it.  So I decided to use it too make the photo collage I have been creating in my brain!  I finally finished it.  I bought lot's of random frames from thrift store, I wanted all different textures and sizes.  It took countless layers of paint, particularly with the yellow.  And It was hard to choose which pictures to print.  I wanted to get high quality prints as well or else it would bother me every time I looked at them, so I did research on what company to print from.  They turned out great!  Exactly how I calibrated it on my computer for printing.  That cost a little more than cheaper prints so I used some awesome orange fabric to fill in the other frames, and later I can add photo's in there too!  I love how it turned out so much!

Now all I need to do is hang them!  That part sounds difficult lol.  However we may be moving soon so I will wait till I know if we are moving or not till I decide to hang them up.  It would be pointless to hang up only to have to take down and patch up holes in the wall a month later. 

BEFORE

AFTER

Easter

I really try to incorporate the Savior in with the Easter festivities since the Resurrection of  Jesus Christ is what Easter is about.  So this is what our Easter involved of.

This morning Tony got his Easter basket.  I painted a frame and put a picture of the Savior in it so that Tony can hang it in his room and he also got a chocolate bunny.

I wanted to get a picture of us all in our sunday clothes before church but we were running late so that didn't happen....

We went to church as usual on Sundays.

Then we went to my Isaac's family's house.

Jessy got Tony an Easter basket with a gun, Tony loves guns!

I hid Tony's eggs with scriptures and candy.

After the hunt we opened all his eggs.  We all got together as a family and divided up the scriptures about the Resurrection and we read the scriptures while Tony ate his candy and looked at a picture of Jesus that was in one of his eggs.  He can recognize Jesus which I think is really neat, it means he is actually learning something when I teach him ( :

Took a quick family picture since Isaac and Tony were being very impatient.

Hayley colored Easter eggs with Tony.  Tony enjoyed talking about how pretty the eggs were, about the colors, and he said the eggs were hot (they were not hot).  So he wouldn't tough them but he still enjoyed his time with Titi.

tickles from Abuelito!

The rest of the day we enjoyed being together as a family and Tony had lot's of fun with Jessy and Hayley a.k.a (Titi!)

First Time Camping as a Family

So I love Camping.  The last time I went camping was when I was pregnant with Tony.  I needed to get out.  We hadn't camped with Tony yet because when we lived in Idaho it was cold, I really don't like camping in the cold...sorry!  Then we moved here and we needed to restock all our camping gear.  We sold everything before the big move to Fl because it was too expensive to drive a moving truck.  So we invested in some camping gear and I planned our trip!  Camping is a tradition that I want for our family, it is something that I grew up with and loved! 

We went to Anastasia State Park here in the Sunshine State.  It was actually colder than I hoped but with sweaters we were just fine and we slept very warm!  Tony got to dig in the dirt, ride his bike, and push his truck.  Our site was so pretty and great privacy!  I love all the tropical plants.  We ate great food!  And we all enjoyed being mesmerized by the campfire! 

The first day we set up camp and just played around our campsite.  I taught Tony that he was actually allowed to play in the dirt!  So we dug in the dirt alot and Tony rode his bike around and pushed his truck.  I bought Angry Birds the board game version to play as a family so we played lot's of Angry Birds.  We built a fire, ate beef hot dogs and dutch oven peach cobbler for dinner!  Tony was a little apprehensive about the dark after sunset so he and Isaac played birds in the tent and talked about many things while I relaxed by the fire and listened to little toddler giggles and Isaac singing fun little songs to him.

Just had to add this photo even thought it was blurry because he was experience pure joy with his bubble gun lol so stinking happy it's crazy!!

The first night was a little rough because Tony was getting over a cold and sounded like a monster snoring!  Isaac was coming down with a sore throat so he didn't feel well with the cool air being breathed in and he snored like a monster lol.  The first night we put Tony down for bed when we went to bed.  Several times throughout the night he would wake up yelling Mommy Mommy and I would tell him to lay back down and he would go back too sleep.  He woke up cranky because he went to bed at 11pm!  

Needless to say by morning we were worn out!  We actually went out for breakfast at a local diner which was Isaac's idea....sometimes life requires compromising.   I was willing too compromise my roughing it for a happy husband who was well fed lol.  Marriage is just happier that way ( :

After breakfast we went to the beach and Tony got to push his truck around and we did shelling.  Lot's of beautiful shells.  I love the ocean so I enjoyed walking along the beach even though it was too cold to swim.  After the beach I drove around the park so Tony would fall asleep.  When we got back to the campsite I transfered him to the airbed with me and he napped for about 2-3 hrs and I got to nap as well!  Later that day I took Tony on a trail ride with his bike.  We went back to the beach at sunset for one last view.  We played at camp and we ate 7up chicken and did s'mores!  Of course Tony is so darn picky he wouldn't even eat the s'more but I loooove s'mores!  We bought extra firewood that night so we could have a longer fire.  We put Tony down to bed earlier this time and I snuck out of the tent when he was asleep.  So Isaac and I got to enjoy the fire together which was nice!

That nights sleep was much better well for Tony and I.  Tony slept through the night and didn't snore too loud.  However Isaac's sore through hurt worse that night so he didn't sleep too well.  I slept okay.  It was nice because we could hear the waves crash as we layed in bed at night, something I have always dreamed of!  Tony woke up very happy that morning!

We ate some powder doughnuts in the morning and then packed up quickly so we could get all our stuff loaded before the rain hit.  Literally as soon as everything was loaded in the car a storm hit and it was pouring rain!  Such a blessing to have everything packed first or else we would have to set everything up in our apartment parking lot to dry out when we got back.

Since we have a 2 door Honda Civic and a big toddler seat in the back we needed some extra storage. We don't have roof racks so we got a car topper that can go through the car.  However when the rain hit it came pouring in the windows.  So Isaac and I held up sweaters to try and catch it all but it would get drenched so fast.  Luckily Florida rain usually comes and goes quickly so it went away after maybe 15ish minutes.  Isaac said well something had to happen to make this trip exciting because everything else went so well lol...past camping trips with just the two of us we had some not so pleasant experiences lol.  Our car sounded like a train inside when we were driving the highway because of all the wind hitting the topper, great white noise for Tony too sleep with!

Anyways all in all this trip went very well!  We all had fun and got some quality family bonding time together.  The only thing that could have made it better was if Isaac didn't have a sore throat but there is always next time!

(I HAVE MORE PICS ON FB)

My advice to you if you are hesitant about camping with toddlers it:

1. DO IT!!! It is so worth it.

&

2.  If the first night is rough, most likely the 2nd night will be so much better so don't give up!

Tony and The Phone

Tony started getting a little, no, a lot possessive over my phone!  He was on it for way too long and felt that he had the right to use it anytime he wanted too and not me.  So to solve the problem we went through a phone detox program, lol jk well kind of.  When we went camping there was no phone time and he kept asking for it.  So when we got back from the trip I bought a timer and he is aloud to play his games on it twice a day.  I set the timer and when it goes off then he has to give it back to me.  It is working pretty well, the timer goes off and he gives it back.  I can actually use my phone occasionally with out a huge fit from him which is nice.  I usually let him have phone time when I shower and in the late afternoon when I need a break.  Anyways never thought I would be running into this problem till I had teenagers in the house!  One day during his phone time I was on the computer and I heard snoring....