Puppy tales

Since I am able to stay home with the boys (thanks to Rich working so hard), I have been trying to get them involved in different things.  One of the things I wanted to do is get involved in some community service projects.  Another mom I met down here told me about The Southeastern Guide Dog Association.  They train and provide dogs mainly for the visually impaired, and sometimes for those with secondary disabilities, such as a wheelchair, free of charge.  But in order for the puppies to become acclimated to a variety of situations, they have what they call "puppy hugging"  several times a week.  And after bringing Tyler today, we will be back every week.  He had SO much fun!  What a great introduction to community service! 

If you would like more information, here is their website:

www.guidedogs.org

  

I would really like to challenge all my other friends who read this blog, if you have the time, go find someplace to volunteer or help.  It is a great way to instill empathy in our future generations and it can be a lot of fun!

Tyler and Jackson

Ever since we have taken out Tyler's old exer-saucer and jump-a-roo, Tyler has rediscovered them.  He loves to get in them and Jackson thinks it is the funniest thing.  

"Max and Ruby zone".  For those of you not familiar with the cartoon, it is about a brother and sister bunny.  It drives Rich and I crazy, but totally entrances both Tyler and Jackson.  Do you think they look like brothers???

Okay, so maybe only Tyler...

Playground fun

Since our playground is infested with ants and wasps, we have been going to one down the street.  Any playground is good with Tyler.  He is 110% boy.  Running, jumping, all action, all the time.

At the beach

We finally made it to the beach yesterday- Manatee Beach on Anna Maria Island.  They had the red flags out because to the waves and currents from the storm, so we could not swim, but the boys had fun anyway.  They have a playground right on the beach, so Tyler had a blast on that and playing in the sand.

"Hang on, Jack! "  It was a little windy.  

You can just see the playground in the top left hand corner of the picture.

Collecting shells.

Come back, Birdeeeeeeeee!!!!

The big storm

The only thing the big storm brought us was a lot of wind and only a little rain, thank goodness.  It was actually very nice out.  It was a little on the cool side, but the wind kept the bugs away, which was a nice break.  Here we are playing outside in all the wind.

Tyler found out the hard way that strong headwinds and bubbles don't mix.

Jackson thought his brother was pretty funny trying to blow bubbles.

Preparing for the storm

So, after you move all the patio furniture and pool toys inside to get ready for the big storm, what do you do next?  Make brownies, of course!

Tyler's new favorite thing to do is go get a box from the pantry and "make" it.  So, here we are making brownies, awaiting the storm.  Which we survived just fine. 

Here are some pictures from the backyard the night before the storm started to come up the coast.

Gym Class and another family pet

Tyler started his class today at The Little Gym- and he loves it!  They get to run around, jump, swing from the bars, kick the ball, and all kinds of other fine and gross motor skill development activities.   We also go to a music class on Fridays, but you can tell he likes his "gym" class much more.  

We also have a little black snake that lives in our yard.  I say little, it is about 4 feet long and about the thickness of our hose.  But harmless.  Tyler loves to watch it and look for it.  We haven't seen Leo for a while, but we keep looking! 

  

And yes, still more boxes.

I feel like there is a never ending supply of boxes coming through the house.  Just when I thought we got most of the moving boxes out of the house, we bring more in!  And as always, Tyler has to be right in the middle of the fun.  He and Rich were putting together cabinets for the garage this past weekend.  

We are still on alert for the hurricane, but I think it is going to hit just south of us.  We are just expecting some really bad storms and possible tornadoes, but will keep you updated!

Little fish

Hello, everyone.  I am updating this as we watch the weather to see when and how bad the new hurricane/tropical storm will hit us.  Right now, they are predicting it to hit somewhere on the west coast of Florida, but they are not sure where.  Hopefully not near us, but we will keep everyone posted.  They have already started talking about school closings for the potential hurricane/tropical storm like we do for snow in Atlanta.     

The house is starting to come together.  Most of the boxes that we have inside are unpacked, just the garage to go.  I am starting to get the boys out and about more now since it is hard to get much done at home during the day anyway.  So hopefully, I will have some more exciting stories and pictures from our adventures in the next few weeks.  What did we ever do before GPS???

Here are some pictures of Jackson in the pool this afternoon.  He is following in his brother's footsteps- another little fish.  

Ooohhh...this is cold!

Okay, this is not so bad.

Hey, I kind of like this!

Another sunset from the backyard.

Another day in the life of us...

Tyler is very independent these days.  He wants to do everything, including feeding Jackson...

Or atleast trying to.  

And yes, we still love playing in the moving boxes.

We miss everyone!

Jackson being Jackson

Me, cute?