Fisher-Price Recall

Fisher-Price has just recalled 10 million trikes, high chairs and toys. I know how much we all want to keep our kids safe. Click here to make sure none of your child's items are on the list.  

Happy Birthday to the Queen

Today we celebrated my Grandma's 93rd birthday, yes 93!  I can't even imagine all that she has seen and lived through during her life. She is such a character and brings so much joy to all of us. We threw her a little birthday party at our house which she said was the "nicest party she has ever been to in her life." I hope that I have that great of an attitude when I get old. Maybe I should start working on that now haha. 


Some of my favorites from her tonight were -"I am so excited I could just sit on the table with my cake" and "Wow those are some big earrings you are wearing, they could hang on the chandelier." 

Isn't she the cutest?  Happy Birthday Grandma!


Love,
H&B

A Boy and His Dog

I am the worst Mom EVER for not posting yet about my first baby, our pug Finnegan. He was our first "parenting" experience and to say we were/are obsessed is a serious understatement. The Hubs got me Finn as a surprise birthday present almost 3 years ago and after I finished hyperventilating, I went into full Mommy mode. He is the cutest pug you have ever seen and is so amazing with B. They are the best of friends and when we are home you will never far them from each other. This is obvious from the five pounds he has gained from B feeding him, oops!


Love at first sight

Going for a walk

Sharing Toys

"Crawling" together

Much more to come in the future from these two :)


Love,
H&B

Baby Consignment Sales

Baby/kid consignment sales are a great place to buy gently used kids clothes, toys, etc. Alot of times you can even find brand new stuff with tags. Here are a couple sales this weekend that are filled with great deals. I have been to both of these, make sure to get there early because the best items go quick!

The SaleBoat

When: Saturday, October 2

Where: College Park

1505 Edgewater Drive Orlando

The Cathedral of the Incarnation / St. Vincent's Academy

Time: 8:30 am - 1:00 pm

1/2 price sale 1:30 -3:00 pm

Fee: Free

Fall Clothing Exchange

When: Saturday, October 2

Where: Delaney Street Baptist Church

1919 Delaney Ave

Time: 8:00 am - 12:00 pm

Fee: $1 per person

Smithsonian Museum Day Tomorrow (9/25) FREE

If you have been wanting to do something cultural in Orlando, here is your opportunity to do so for free! Tomorrow, Saturday, September 25 is Smithsonian Museum Day. The following Central Florida attractions are offering free admission for up to two people. I am not sure how exciting some of these will be for the kids but that's up to you :)

• Mennello Museum of American Art
• Maitland Art Center
• Orange County Regional History Center 
• Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens

Make sure to register on the website because you need a ticket for the free admission!

Let us know if you check any of these out, we would love to hear what you think. 

Water, water, water

B is finally feeling better!! Yesterday was a rough day, he was super grumpy and throwing tantrums about anything and everything. Of course, by the time Daddy got home he was in a much better mood and I looked like a liar :)  Oh well, I am just happy that he is feeling better. 


Here's a cute video of him drinking from the hose. Now I know why Daddy is more fun. Mommy would never give him the hose to run around with and getting soaking wet.  

Similac Formula Recall

I just saw this article in the Orlando Sentinel that Similac has recalled its infant formulas due to possible contamination from insect parts. This only affects Similacs powder formulas. Check here to see if your formula was recalled. 

I'm Back!

Sorry I have been M.I.A. this week!  I got back from NYC on Sunday night and B got sick with a throat infection and fever. Talk about jumping right back into reality. Poor guy, it has been a long week and we have been pretty much stuck in the house. His fever is finally gone though and we are hoping he is at the end of it. It is so sad seeing your little one sick and miserable. 

I promise to post more updates soon. Hopefully we will be out of the house and doing something fun!

P.S. How cute is it that the Hubs did a guest post while I was gone?!

Love,

H&B

Guest Post: Dadlando

Special feature today as mom is away on a girls' weekend.  H is in New York City (makes me think of that salsa commercial: "New York City!?") with a bunch of her girlfriends so B and I are on our own for the weekend.  I think it is important for parents to have some time to do adult things that don't involve sippy cups or diaper changes once in a while.  It has a been a fun and challenging weekend so far, I'm not sure how single parents retain their sanity.  It is great to get to spend time with B he is a great kid and it also helps me appreciate what my wife deals with on a daily basis.  I had B all day today which was extra tough because he did not feel like sleeping last night (I think he's getting some teeth) and we were watching Sesame Street at 1 am last night.

This morning we got up and went to Gatorland in south Orlando. Gatorland is Orlando's oldest attraction.  It opened in its current location in 1949, after its founder Owen Goldwin Sr. purchased the original 16 acres for $300 from the city.  The park advertises itself as Orlando's most laid back attraction and I agree.  We pulled in and parked 20 feet from the entrance and paid $9 for admission (B was free) and we were off.  You enter the park and walk across a boardwalk over water that contains some huge alligators.  I was a little apprehensive on the way that B would somehow run off and fall in and get eaten, but it is really well fenced off so little ones are okay running pretty free.  We saw the Gator Jumparoo show where the alligators jump out of the water to eat whole chickens out of a gentleman who was wearing overalls' hand, which B had little interest in and fed some goats at the petting zoo, which B freaking loved.  They had sinks, soap and hand sanitizer at the exits of the petting zoo, which was reassuring for any germophobes out there.

We saw the special exhibit, the white alligators, which I though was cool, but I don't know that B realized that they aren't usually white.

The train ride is the best bargain there, $2 per person (B was free) and you got a little history lesson on the park on the way (and we even got a little "choo choo" out of B).  There are a couple of shows--gator wrestling and snake stuff--but B is to little to sit still for those so we skipped them.  Note: there is a splash park that looks really cool so be prepared with a towel and swimsuit or be prepared for tears.  I saw a kid crying on a bench because his parents wouldn't let him get soaking wet at 10:30 am.

To sum it up, its a great deal, 1/10 of the price of the other theme parks so you don't feel guilty about going for 3 hours, great gift shop, and some kitschy Florida fun.

NYC Here I Come!

This afternoon, I am heading to NYC for a Girls Weekend with my best friends from college. Woohoo!! Can you tell I am excited? I can't wait to see all of my girls. There are seven of us getting together, three of the girls live in NYC and the rest of us are coming in today. Between marriages, babies, life, etc., it's so hard to coordinate schedules these days but this trip just fell into place so we must have all needed it. 


My husband is the most wonderful man in the world and totally encourages me to get together with my friends and have a break! I do the same for him, we both think this is so important. I love that he is looking forward to a weekend with our little guy. I am sure he will do all kinds of fun stuff Mommy wouldn't do and will solidify his position as the current favorite. This is okay with me though because I can't blame B for him being the favorite, he's pretty awesome :) I will miss them both so much but am definitely excited for a break and some much needed girl time.  


This morning we have just been hanging out at the house and I have been getting ready for the trip. Here are some of the ways B has been "helping me." 

• Drinking water out of the dog bowl
• Pulling all of the folded laundry out of the basket
• Wearing my underwear as a necklace and running around the house
• Using our sterling silver marriage certificate holder as a hammer "hammy" on our tile floors

I wouldn't have it any other way though because life is so much more fun with him around. 

Hope you have a great weekend!

Love,

H&B

16 Months Old!!!

Today is B's month birthday and he is 16 months old! It is scary how fast the time is going and what a big boy he is now. He is really so much fun.  


As a surprise for Pete's birthday, I got his pictures taken at Picture People. The Picture People does a great job and is really affordable. Check out their website, they always have mobile coupons you can send yourself which is so convenient. The best part is they print the pictures in the store, so you get to take them home with you.  


B was running all over the place but they still managed to get some really cute shots. I was so impressed, he was really good though because it is a process. Here are a few of them, it was so hard to choose! These are scans of the photos but you get the idea. 


This one is definitely for Daddy!

Happy boy

Serious pose

Cutie 

Love, 
H&B

Cute Commercial

I love this new commercial from McDonald's. I think all of us Mom's and Dad's can relate to this scenario. Pete and I may or may not have done this ourselves and gotten milkshakes. You gotta do what you gotta do ;)

The Yogurt Incident

This is totally a had to be there story but I am going to tell it anyways ;)


Yesterday, my friend Christie and I decided to try this new cupcake place near us that we have been hearing about - Blue Bird Bake Shop.  I love cupcakes and am always up for something sweet. It was such a cute place and the cupcakes were yummy.  


B and her daughter, Kate, were along for the trip. I decided to bring some snacks for B so that he wouldn't eat all my cupcake haha. So while we were sitting there I gave him his yogurt, which now comes in a tube (picture a push-up popsicle). He is in this stage where he thinks he can do everything himself. Of course, right away he takes it and thinks he has done this before and can do it himself. I let him give it a try and then go to grab it back and help him. 


Well, he does not want help and screams NO at the top of his lungs and flings his arm away while continuing to squeeze the yogurt. The problem is the more I try to get it away from him the worse it gets because he keeps moving his arm away and squeezing the tube. At this point, I think I died of embarrassment. Then I came back and surveyed the damage. This cute little bakery (with white walls!) was covered with pink, strawberry yogurt.  Of course, it was all over B and me and even under the table behind us. He was only upset because I managed to finally pry the yogurt out of his hand. We cleaned up as quickly as we could and were out of there. He will definitely not be going back with us next time.  


I think I finally got the strawberry yogurt smell off of both of us :)


Love,
H&B

Hobby Lobby Open in Orlando

For all of you crafty Moms out there, Hobby Lobby has opened in Orlando. I have heard about this store but never been to one. I went to check it out today and it's amazing! I just happened to go on the official store opening day and it was packed. Lots of great stuff and good deals. I feel some craftiness coming up soon.  


It's located in Colonial Plaza
2728 East Colonial Drive
Orlando, FL 32803
(407) 895-6203


Check out the website for store hours and information.
http://www.hobbylobby.com/stores/store_hours.cfm

DC Fun

As promised, here are some pics from our trip to DC to visit my parents. We had such a great time! I just love DC (and of course seeing my parents) and am going to take advantage of the opportunity to go visit them while they are still there. We are making progress on convincing them to move back to FL ;)


Flying with B was however not so fun. He did not sit still for one second and was trying to get "out" the window and saying "no" to pretty much everything. I am sure the people sitting around us were as relieved as I was for the flight to be over. Good thing he is cute.


I was happy to get off the plane but the fun didn't stop there. While I was grabbing his carseat from the baggage claim, I look over and in these two seconds, he has gotten on the moving baggage claim! Luckily I grabbed him before airport security could be alerted haha. This did not faze him at all so instead he decided to check out the non-moving one across the way. I know it sounds like I am a wonderful Mom at this point but trust me this kid is fast. Of course when I told Pete about this his only question was why I didn't get a picture.  


Meeting the panda at the DC Zoo

I promise my Dad was right there to catch him!

Love this picture

Enjoying dinner in the lovely weather

I think he liked his dinner

So sweet, reading with Grandma

Hope your week is off to a good start!


Love,
H&B

Grandparents Day

Happy Grandparents Day!  To be honest, I didn't even know this existed until today but Grandparents should definitely be celebrated. B is so lucky to have amazing Grandparents who love him so much and maybe spoil him a little too. That's why God made Grandparents :) We are so thankful for all they do for us and how much they love our little guy!
  
We are also blessed that he has two Great Grandma's living right here in Orlando. They are both young at heart and so much fun and we love going to visit them. 


Take a minute today to let the Grandparents in your life know how thankful you are for them.




Go Noles!

Fun with the Foleys

Loving "outside" with Grandpa and Mary

Fabulous Great Grandma's

                                          

Love,
H&B

Baby Divided

We are back from DC!  We had such a great time visiting my parents and were sad to leave them. I am sure their house is much quieter and cleaner without us haha. We were so excited to come home and see Pete and Finnegan. I promise to post pictures soon.  


As most of you know, we are a divided football household. Pete is a Gator and I am a Nole. This has been really fun over the years but unfortunately seems to be less fun for me the last few years. I am hoping by the time B is older, the Noles will be back to their former glory. 


Until he picks a team, we will have fun dressing him as both a Gator and a Nole ;)

Love, 

H&B

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend!  


We had so much fun but it of course went too quickly. Yay for the return of college football! Can't wait for this season and hope that the Noles can keep up the wins. It's been tough being married to a Gator these last few seasons ;)


The fun continues though. Tomorrow, B and I are headed to Washington, DC to visit my parents for the week. We are so excited to see them and enjoy some of the amazing DC sites. There is so much fun stuff to do there and great restaurants and shopping too. I am sure we will try to fit too much in, as usual. I am not looking forward to flying with B by myself since he is so active these days but hopefully he will be on his best behavior. I have all kind of toys, snacks and movies ready to distract him, keep your fingers crossed for me. 


Stay tuned for updates...


Love,
H&B

Local Celebrities and Flu Shots

B and I were on the news yesterday! After music, we went to the park at Lake Eola with some friends to play and Local 6 news was there filming a segment on flu shots. My fabulous Mommy friends, Lisa and Danielle, were interviewed and featured in the story. They did great! I am camera shy and didn't want to be interviewed but we were shown in the segment. Don't worry, I am making sure all of this fame doesn't go to B's head. No autographs please ;)


Here is the video, look quick or you might miss us! It doesn't provide a date that they will be available but they should be at Centra Care and other locations in Central Florida soon. I will keep checking and let you know when they are available. This years flu shot will also protect from H1N1; which is great since you will only need one shot.  


Flu Shots on Way to Central Florida


On a side note, watch out for the swans at Lake Eola. Poor Lisa had bread in her hand and was going to feed some of the ducks and swans and one reached out and bit her! Ouch! 


Talk about an exciting day at the park.  


Love,
H&B

Music to My Ears

Music class is here again! B and I love this class and were so excited for this session to start. We were lucky enough to find MusikGarten when he was really young through our church, First Presbyterian Church of Orlando. The program introduces kids to a variety of music and instruments and is helpful to parents, as well. This way you aren't stuck singing the three songs you know over and over. More twinkle, twinkle!

It is such a fun class and a great bonding time for Moms and babies plus unbelievably affordable (By now you know I like a deal). I hear that there are many benefits to exposing kids to music at an early age but typical of me I can't remember what they are. I promise it's good stuff though.  

I am so thankful that we found this program because I have met so many amazing Mom friends and friends for B. Staying at home, it is really hard to meet other Moms with kids around the same age but getting involved in activities is such a great way to do this. Whether you are a stay at home mom or a working mom, I highly recommend joining a Moms group or activities, it really makes all the difference in the world. Both B and I would go crazy if we stayed inside all day and that's no fun for anyone. 

I could go on and on about this music class and its benefits but really it is great. If any of you Moms out there are interested, let me know and I will send you the info. It is offered in Fall, Spring and Summer sessions.  

Is this how you play the drum?

That's more like it. Oh wait, not yet.

FINALLY!

Love,

H&B