Beach Trip 2010

We decided this year we really needed a beach vacation. Both Geoffery and I grew up vacationing in Florida every summer with our families. To us its not a vacation without the beach, specifically in Florida. Luckily, we got there before the oil spill did and we all enjoyed the beach for a week long. I think the oil finally reached the beach a week after we were there. Whew! We really had a good time. We went and stayed at a SUPER nice condo with my parents- THANK YOU!! Everyday we would wake up, throw on our bathing suits, go to the beach for 3-4 hours, come up take naps, get ready, and go out to eat. It was heaven.

As you all know, vacationing with children is really like a business trip for the parents (line from modern family). You never really know how they're going to react when you take them across the country and travel to places they've never been. Well I have to say this... they were angels the ENTIRE time we traveled- seriously perfect. Once we got there, they were still really good until Grant woke up with some crazy looking knee caps, ankles, and elbows. They were sooo swollen and he couldn't even bend them. Geoffery took him to urgent care and the doctor told us he was bitten by sand fleas (never heard of 'em). After that he had hives for 3 days if he even thought about itching them. They put him on a steroid to help with the bites and if you've ever had a kid on steroids you know they make them a little crazy. Grant had a ton of energy and he was scratching like crazy. We decided that we better not go back to the beach and decided to hang by the pool all day. So we did that for three days and it really helped. He wouldn't scratch if he was in the pool because it kept him cool and he also didn't scratch while he slept. So we just kept him doing those two things- THANK GOODNESS HE SLEPT!! I have to say, for as uncomfortable as he had to feel, he really did well not complaining about it and just having fun- it couldn't have been much worse. So all in all the vacation wasn't ruined thanks to sand fleas.

We had a lot of great memories one being that Grant got over his fear of pools! He finally let us put him in the water and move around without screaming at the top of his lungs. By the end, he was even jumping into the water and letting us catch him. I was sooo proud because I LOVE swimming and before this trip he wouldn't even get his big toe wet. Madelyn loves the water and had a ton of fun. It was great because she would take her morning nap outside and just fall asleep in my arms- again she was great!!

Geoffery and I were very happy with out vacation. I wouldn't say it was relaxing, but it was a ton of fun. Thanks mom and dad! My sister and her husband and two kids were also able to come and my little bro and his cute wife too. We had a blast. Here are the promised pictures for my family. WARNING- there are a TON of them. Sorry if I bore you guys!

Preschool

(Tear, tear) I'm can't believe my baby is now in preschool. Seriously, where did the time go? I decided to sign him up for two days a week of preschool at BYU-Idaho this summer. He really needed an outlet to go and run and play with lots of other kids his age, and this is a perfectly safe environment to do just that. It really is perfect because the teachers are students who are being graded (and watched) on what they teach the kids. There is a GREAT observation booth that teachers and parents can sit and watch their kids socially interact with other kids. I LOVE it and so does he.

The first day of school was really hard for all of us (especially me). Geoffery took work off that morning so that we could go and see him off at school. We walked in and of course he wouldn't let go of my hand. I followed him around for a while and then he just got so caught up in what all the other kids were doing that he just kind of forgot that I was there. So I left without saying goodbye (kind of regret that now, I felt kind of mean). But then Geoffery and I went in the observation booth and just watched him. For a long time he just stood there watching everyone. Then FINALLY a teacher came up and took him to build some blocks. After about 10 minutes of watching his every move, Geoffery and I decided to go and get some breakfast at McDonald's- nice greasy, disgusting breakfast might I add (but that's a different story).

It was seriously ripping my heart out watching him. He seemed so shy and lost and I just wanted to save him. But I knew that he would eventually warm up. So we came back after we ate and watched him some more. And then Geoffery decided he had been away from work too long and he had to go. I felt like I couldn't leave my baby. Like he would coming running back to get me because he needed me (or I needed him, I'm not sure which one). But I left him there and I let him be without me for the rest of the hour.

I went back to pick him up like ten minutes early. I didn't want to be a minute late. Have you ever been the last kid sitting in a room waiting for your parents? That's really the worst feeling out there and I didn't want him to EVER have that feeling. After he got in the car it was a little hard getting information out of him on what he did- which I wanted to know EVERY detail of course. But I'm learning this is his time to do what he wants and if I don't know EVERY move he makes he'll still survive and so will I. It really helps that he LOVES preschool and talks about it constantly and always wants to go back and runs to his teachers when I drop him off in the morning. So all in all it was a good decision to put him in. And it helps that I have 2 hours to myself in the morning where me and Madelyn can have our little alone time.

This is the face he made when I asked him to smile. How do you tell a 3 year old not to smile sooo hard?