Winter (in Florida) Fun

Once again, this is just a random collection of pictures we've taken since the holidays. I'm trying to do a better job of uploading them before I forget I even took them!

One of my crafty coworkers made this little suitcase and gave it to Harper. She loves filling it with anything her heart desires and brings it with her in the car to keep her busy!

Just like last January, the Graham and Mitchell families got together down in Boca Grande for a Sunday afternoon. We enjoyed a big lunch together and then an afternoon walk and dessert on the beach. It was cool and breezy by the water, so there was no swimming this year! Mr. Graham also took the kiddos for a golf cart ride, with Andrew and Alison as chaperones. :)

Mrs. Graham had bought the girls matching lavender dresses and had them monogrammed, and Ryder sported a navy blue polo with his monogram on it.
(Ryder, Madeleine, Charlotte, Harper, and Maisie)

ready to ride!

Ryder loves driving!

And they're off!

Grann at the kids' table :)

Since the kids and I were off the following day for MLK day, Mrs. Graham invited us to come back and enjoy some pool time since it was supposed to be warmer outside and the pool was heated. Carrie's girls were napping when we got there, so just Carrie and I took Ryder and Harper until the girls woke up and could join us. I really enjoyed just sitting in the sun, but the kids thought it was still a little chilly in the water!

WINTER WEATHER ALERT: FREEZE WARNING
This message kept showing up on my local news app last week, and it made me laugh. It's a big deal down here because we never get weather this cold. It really felt like winter for a couple of days!

It was 31 degrees when we left for school one morning, so the kids wore winter coats and hats for real! It's a good thing Grandma had supplied us with some winter wear before our Thanksgiving trip to the mountains. 

Fresh out of the shower one morning, Harper asked me to fix her hair. Since it was so wet, I was able to make a small tail of it stick straight up! Ha!

Birthday party double-header
Last Saturday both kiddos had been invited to different friends' birthday parties and really wanted to go. Andrew and I decided to divide and conquer until we realized that the parties didn't overlap. Ryder's friend had his party at an indoor skating rink, and Harper really wanted to go too! Neither of them have ever skated, and Andrew and I calculated that we probably hadn't been in 20 years. Andrew and Ryder went to the party on time, and Harper and I arrived about an hour or so later for the public skating time. We had a blast! The kids couldn't believe how cold it felt since we were technically inside and it was warm outside. We bundled up again in our winter coats! R & H spent a lot of their time falling and trying to get back up again, Andrew only fell once, and I somehow managed to keep my balance...barely! They are already asking "when can we go back?"

After the ice rink, Harper and I headed to party #2. It was at a park, so it felt nice to stand out in the fresh air and warm up after being on the ice! Luckily I had brought an extra outfit for Harper because her pants were a little frosty. After the playground party we headed to Pops and Grann's house for dinner. I was exhausted after such a busy Saturday, so it was wonderful to have someone cook for us!

Ryder turns 7 and Happy New Year!

It seems incredible to me that this picture was taken SEVEN years ago. The saying "the years are short but the days are long" definitely seems truer the older I get. It is difficult for me to remember a time when this little guy wasn't in my life. I have blinked and now he is a smart, kind, energetic, funny little boy who loves books, practical jokes, gadgets, and magic tricks. :)

December 31, 2010

On Ryder's birthday we spent a nice lazy day at home. We enjoyed our final pieces of coffee cake for breakfast and spent the rest of the day lounging around and playing with new Christmas and birthday toys. Ryder chose the menu for his birthday dinner: grilled chicken, homemade mac and cheese, and peas. We ate early so that we could go to the beach for sunset and then got hot fudge sundaes on our way home. It was a low-key New Year's Eve, that's for sure!

morning snuggles with Garcia

Hal and Thelma gave the kids these large maps as part of their Christmas present, and they had fun pointing out places they have heard of to see how far away they are from where we live.

opening birthday gifts from Grandma and Grandpa

a card game called "Poop"! :)

a picture book based on the movie E.T.

Andrew and I gave Ryder a metal detector for his birthday because he loves to look for treasures. Before giving it to him though, we had him open up a small shovel we had wrapped. He smiled graciously, but I could tell as he looked at Andrew and then me that he was wondering, "What in the world do I need a gardening shovel for?!" Once he had the metal detector in his hands, he said, "NOW I know why you gave me a shovel!" Ha! He practiced in the front yard and found a few coins that just happened to be scattered out there. ;) He can't wait to take it up to our land the next time we go. The beach was super crowded, so he wasn't able to do much practicing with it. 

Along with birthday wishes, Steve sent a picture of Ryder that he had taken when he and Alison gave Ryder his orange chair on his 1st birthday. I asked Ryder to help me recreate the picture to send back to Steve, and I thought it was hilarious! The general consensus in the family is that both the chair AND Ryder look older. 

2011

2017

 

the final sunset of 2017!

On New Year's Day, we headed over to Pops and Grann's house for a birthday breakfast for Ryder. Upon his request, she served a breakfast casserole, cinnamon rolls, and fruit salad. After breakfast he opened some more gifts and then we had birthday cake for dessert! What a way to celebrate our little man and kick off 2018!

It's embarrassing how spoiled this dog is. It has been chilly the last few days, and he is quite happy to be covered with a blanket as he snoozes on the chair.

Game Night and the Florida Aquarium

A few days after Christmas, Steve and Alison hosted a game night at their house. We ended up having 10 adults and 8 kids, and it was so much fun! The kids wore themselves out by chasing each other around outside and running away from golf carts. We ordered pizza and then put the kids in their pj's and got them all snuggled up for a movie. The grownups sat out on the lanai and were able to play a game while still keeping an eye on the kids through the window. Ryder did have to ask us to be quiet a couple of times because they couldn't hear the movie--ha! That's when we closed the sliding door...problem solved!

a very intense viewing of The Smurfs movie

Andrew, the kids, Garcia, and I spent the night at Steve and Ali's because the next morning we were going with Pops and Grann up to the aquarium in Tampa. At about 3 am I couldn't sleep because of Andrew snoring, so I headed out to the couch. I stopped at Maisie's bedroom door and snapped a picture because Zoe had pushed it open to join the cousins' slumber party. The lighting is bad, but Ryder is on the bed and the girls are camped out on the floor.

a real snake!