Flocking with the Fishies!

Saturday afternoon when Cam woke up from his nap, we packed up the car & headed to the Florida Aquarium.



Cam had such a great time looking at all the different fish; probably even more so now that his favorite movie is Finding Nemo.



So many things to discover! It's so fun watching his face light up as he sees new & exciting things.





This little fella is a FL owl who happens to be full grown.



And this floppy fish is a blond trout!







Cam would've made a nice snack for this guy!





Can't stand jelly fish after being stung by one in Key West, but they sure were pretty to look at!





EEK! This crab gave me the heeby-jeebies; looks like a massive spider!



The ghouls came creeping out of the mist! OO-OO-AH-AH!

Time with the Grandmas

Cam is one lucky boy since he'll be taking a two week hiatus from daycare starting this week. We were off as a family for the holiday weekend on Monday & then my mom came to visit & watch Cam on Tuesday & Wednesday. It's very rare that my mom is able to spend quality, one-on-one time with Cam since she's typically working long hours, six days a week. She gets a summer break from her job so I was thrilled that they were able to bond while we were working. And they had such a great time, going to the mall, playing in the kid's area, having lunch & just playing around the house. Cam was an absolute angel for my mom which made me very happy!



Then yesterday afternoon, Cam's Grammy Pernecky & Auntie Erika flew in for a ten day visit. It's so nice to be working, knowing that Cam is in great hands & spending time with his family. We're so lucky that he's surrounded with so many people who love him. And as he's getting older, he's so much fun to be around; that kid keeps everyone laughing!



On a side note, we were so lucky to have a professional fireworks show in our friend's neighborhood over the 4th of July weekend. There we were, enjoying the beautiful night, hanging with some neighbors when all of a sudden this amazing slew of fireworks started going off. We seriously couldn't believe our eyes! It was such a great, long weekend & that extra day off from work made a world of difference! Too bad every work week can't be only four days.

Such a Boy!

My little man is now 21 months old! It's so hard for me to believe that he's coming up on two when I feel as if we just celebrated his first birthday. Cam is such a boy! He loves to climb, run, wrestle & he has absolutely no fear. That lack of fear is the reason why I'm so thankful that I'm able to retouch my pictures... there are a constant supply of bruises, cuts & scrapes all over that kid's face! People probably think we beat the little monkey! And I assure you, we don't!



Cam loves to open/close doors, play with his cars, climb on the furniture & stand there with a mischievous grin on his face because he knows we don't want him there. We're starting to read our first book on discipline since we're not always sure how to handle him. When we tell him no, he often laughs hysterically & does whatever it is he's doing that much more. We're reading 1, 2, 3, Magic so we'll see how it goes. We won't implement the things we're learning until he's two, but at least we'll be armed & ready!



Cam is starting to say a ton of words which has been a lot of fun to hear. He's a pro at saying "D" words, but not such much "B" words. For instance, he waves goodbye and says, Dye, Dye! He often says that to one of us as he's shutting the door in our faces. In other words, go away & leave me alone so I can get into some trouble in privacy!



The picture above has been retouched but the pictures below have not been. You can see the cut below his eye where he scraped his face with mulch at daycare. You'll also find an array of bruises on his forehead from God knows what!





Cam is your typical, rough & tumble boy & we love him to bits & pieces! We're having so much fun watching him rapidly grow & change right before our eyes.





Anyway, hope everyone has a safe & fun holiday weekend. God bless the USA!

Jump, Jump!

Saturday we celebrated my niece Mikayla's third birthday at the YMCA & it was an absolute blast for all adults & children involved! Everything was soft, cushy & bouncy; including the entire floor. How fun is that?!







There was this awesome deep pit of foamy cubes that we were able to jump into off a trampoline.



Cam & I swam through the sea of cubes & it was no easy task since the pit was so deep & it was impossible to reach solid ground.









Mike had a chance to hop in with Cam & they had a great time even though he looks like a disgruntled baby in this picture.



My mom & sis had to try it out too...



And my mom took a leap into the sea of cubes too!



There was even a rope you could swing on as a way to get into the cubes... of course my brother had a ball with that.



Cam & I spent a lot of time in the bounce house after all the other kids were done & occupied with something else. He was the youngest one of the group so there was no way I wanted him jumping with the big kids. The only big kid allowed in with Cam was me!! And boy did I have fun!



Told you I was having fun...





After the hour of playing in the gym, we all went into the party room & enjoyed some pizza, cake & presents. The YMCA ended up being the perfect spot for a kid's birthday party & I definitely plan on looking into it for one of Cam's birthdays. There were two young YMCA employees that led the group & completely helped out; no muss no fuss involved. Check it out if your little one has a birthday coming up!

Jack of all Trades!

A couple of years ago Mike asked me if I'd start cutting his hair for convenience & to save some money. I didn't mind, so I gave it a whirl & eventually got pretty decent & comfortable with it. Funny thing is though, I typically have to bug him to let me cut his hair. Like he's doing me a favor! Uh, don't think so, scruffy!



Anyway, now that there are two boys living under our roof, I am the cutter of two heads; one very blond & one very dark!



One would not expect Cam to be a good hair cutting customer because he is always on the move. However, he is amazingly good at sitting still & cooperating the entire time. It's the same way when I have to trim his finger or toe nails.



So we ended Cam's Friday evening with a haircut. Problem? I remembered I wanted to cut it after his bath & after Mike had already put lotion on Cam. Lets just say he had to take another dip in the tub since he looked like Sasquatch after his cut.



I love that I'm able to serve as my boys' hair stylist but there's one issue I'm faced with. I've yet to get a tip!!!

What's For Dinner?

If you love buffalo chicken & macaroni & cheese (and who doesn't?!), why not combine them into this delectable dish? Click here for the recipe; you won't be sorry! And just an FYI, plan on serving a lot of people with this dish or having a ton of leftovers. I made this on Sunday with the help of my friend Matt & we served four adults & two children & still ended up with major leftovers. Perfect for dinner or lunch the next day or freeze it for another time.



Tonight I whipped up falafel which is a Middle Eastern food that can be eaten as an appetizer or an entree. Normally it's deep-fried but I pan fried it for a healthier spin on the dish; click here for the recipe. We served it with wheat flat breads & topped it with cool, tasty tzatziki sauce & had a salad on the side.





So tasty topped with tzatziki sauce! We normally buy a tub of tzatziki sauce at Sam's Club & put it on sandwiches or use it as a dip for veggies & chips. Since we didn't have time to get to Sam's Club, Mike just picked up an order of it at a local Greek restaurant. So yummy!



The dish was Cam tested & Ally approved!