Time flies....from Easter to School Out!

Sunny days and Easter got us excited about warmer days and the thought of Summer.  Easter was extra special this year as the kids anticipated the Easter bunny, egg hunts and getting dressed up for the holiday.  

Sophia loved using her easter basket 

He is still always in a cape

They are really good at sharing and making sure they found eggs together

Enjoying some candy!

Jack and Sophia both had easter egg hunts at school.  They both got lots of sticker.    The school doesn't allow candy which is nice in someways but makes it hard to find things that will go in the eggs.

Sophia's hair is getting so long. She loves the bracelets that she found. They made great accessories:)

At the end of Spring, we took a trip down to Hollywood, Florida for an orthopaedic conference.  This was the first time that the kids got to share a big bed together.  The first nap was a little hard but we worked through it.  They had a lot of fun. As you can imagine, Sophia thought she was such a BIG girl.

They had so much fun together

As I write this blog entry in August, I find it amazing looking at this picture that I took the first week of May.  Jack was just learning how to swim. Carl would take him to the base pool two times a week for lessons.  He was swimming about 3 feet at this point but needed swimmies when Carl wasn't there.  Now, he is a fish!  By the first week of August, he jumps off the diving board at the yacht club by himself and can dive to the bottom of the pool to get rings. It's amazing how good he has gotten this summer.  When we were at Westin pool, I saw a little boy diving for pool toys and my hope was that Jack would conquer this by the end of next summer.  I am amazed at his progress!  He worked really hard, and now Carl has a job to fall back on, swim instructor. He's honestly been asked by four parents if they would teach their kids to swim!

My little coppertone baby!  She can't seem to keep her bottoms on.  It is always ends up with Sophie and the diaper.

The waves were really rough in Hollywood.  Carl helped Jack try to surf. Jack loves his boogy board, and was trying to coast the waves. They had a lot of fun.

Look at that little bottom!  She loved running away from the water

Sophia running towards the water

Conquering the wave!  Jack and Carl are really starting to enjoy their time playing water sports.  

So happy in the sand.

Sophia and Jack adore frozen.  As you can see, Elsa is in the middle.  Sophia is the only little girl, I know, that does prefer Anna over Elsa.  Jack really likes the movie too.

Finally, asleep:)  Jack with his two middle fingers in his mouth and Sophie with her thumb.  

Fun times at the zoo water park.  It is so hot in Jax that it's hard to go to the zoo because of the heat.  The water park makes it bearable.  When we go, we spend so much time at the water park that we don't see that many animals.  We always make time to see the monkeys because those are our favorite.

I think he looks so much like Uncle Mark in this picture.  It's that expression on his face.

Our friends, the Applegates, invited us to go and meet them at the beach.  Jack and Tug have been in the same class since age 1.  Tug's younger sister, Poppy, is a few months younger than Sophia.  They love to play together.  This day, Sophia and Poppy played in the sand while the boys explored the water with their boards and found a crab!

Sophia finally can wear pig tails! 

Accessorizing for the beach.  Bracelets and upside glasses:)

Happy Birthday Carl!  Carl turned 34 in June. Jack, Sophia and I made him a carrot cake.  It wasn't our best:(  We all ate it though.  I think we need a new recipe.  The kids loved singing him happy birthday over and over again.  Just like last year, Carl came home for work and as soon as he opened the door Jack listed all of his presents that he was going to receive.  He is incapable of keeping it a surprise!

MOPS hosted a fundraiser.  Jennifer Mendoza is a MOPS mom and amazing photographer. She donated her time, and we each got a picture of our kids. This one is precious to me because it perfectly shows their personalities.  Jack is thoughtful one and Sophia is there looking inquisitive and plotting:)

Jack loves his new pjs from GIGI.  What goes more perfect with jammies than fire man boots?

Sophia LOVES applesauce.  Her favorite is definitely strawberry

Making quite the mess in the kitchen

Funny face!

She has chubby cheeks just like her momma

One of my favorites

Both kids love to play doctor.  Sophia is currently fixing Elsa's leg with her eye tool.

Sadly, both kids know about the pager.  Only in the past few months has Carl finally gotten rid of his pager and gone straight to cell phone.  It's funny to listen to Jack tell you all about his patients and all of the surgeries he does on them.  I think Carl realizes just how much he talks about work at home:)

When Sophie finds something really fun, she gets this laugh that is deep in her belly. She lets out the loudest laugh!

Shot time

We celebrated Mother's day early this year. I told Carl that there was only one thing I wanted for the day, a boat ride.  We have lived in Florida for three years (on the water) and we have never rented a boat.  The week before Mother's day, Carl rented us a huge pontoon boat and made a gourmet lunch for the four of us. It included wine, berries, cured meats, cheeses and fabulous sandwiches.

We docked the boat for lunch and had an awesome swim.  Jack and I loved jumping off the side an swimming in the river.  As you can tell, Sophia was not as pleased.

I think pontoon boats are great for families with small kids.  The kids were able to enjoy walking all around the boat.

Us on the front of the boat

There was a radio and speakers on the boat.  Carl and Jack were jamming out to the tunes, and pretending to be play their guitars.

I can't believe this little guy is about to be FOUR!!!!!!!!!!!!!   He is such a sweet heart.  He is such a kind child, laughs easily and lots of fun to be around.  He had a blast on the boat.

Both kids did surprisingly well wearing the life jackets. 

Still jamming out

The view from black creek

The boat had great cover. It was an amazing day.  Sophia even took TWO naps on the boat.  It was super relaxing.  We stopped on our way back at a restaurant, docked the boat and had some fun seafood appetizers.  I'm hoping we see some more boat action in our future!

My SUPER kids in their super jammies:)

It's amazing how fast pre-k1 went.  Here are some pictures from the end of the year party at Jack's pre-school. Jack has been at St. Mark's since age 1.  We had mixed feelings about switching their schools but I think we are making the right choice.  Jack will be in VPK next year and Sophie will start the 2 year old class.  Jack really enjoyed his time with Ms. Kowald this year.  He made significant improvements in his confidence and by the end of the year he was rough housing with all the boys and was a chatterbox.

Jack and Benjamin made a connection on the playground this year.  They became close friends and bonded over their love for super heroes!

Jack hiding 

Playing at the water table

Sophia came over from her class and joined the fun!

Jack took this picture of me with our big camera.  He did a great job.

Carl enjoying his favorite bottle of wine from Berns, a 1983 Insignia from Joseph Phelps.  We went down to Tampa for another orthopaedic conference and got a babysitter for the night to celebrate Carl's birthday.  The kids did great and we had a wonderful time!  I also got a chance to catch up with some old friends, Lea and Deirdre, while Carl worked and we got to see the Tampa zoo.  Jack and Sophie really liked it!

Anyone have an owie?!?!