Rowan turns 5!

It hit me a few weeks ago that Rowan is a big kid now. I guess I didn't expect it to happen so quickly. We were at the Children's museum and he climbed to the top of a rock wall despite me telling him that he was too little to do so. Before then there were signs that he was maturing, like when he wanted to sit in his own chair and not on my lap when the doctor gave him his shots. Or when he rolled his eyes at me when I told him to clean up his desk -remember that Sara!

I remember the day of his birth secretly hoping he was a boy and overjoyed when he arrived! Some of the things that stand out to me are the stork mark he had inbetween his eyes, the outfit he wore to his 1st Birthday party, and the way he would say "nuggle" instead of "snuggle". Then there was his obsession with Thomas the Train, Cars, and now onto Angry Birds and the ipad.

Rowan is empathetic, independant, friendly, and the best big brother out there. He loves to play on the ipad, watch America's Funniest Home videos, swim, and play soccer. His favorite foods include noodles with cheese, blueberries, and freeze pops! When asked last week what he wants to be when he grows up, he asked if he could get back to me by the end of the day. The next morning he declared that he slept on it and decided he wants to be a boss when he grows up. Love it!

We asked him tonite what his favorite part of being 4 was and he responded 'eating ice cream'! Love that he is still my little boy and that he's enjoying his childhood:)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROWAN MATTHEW! WE LOVE YOU!

Happy 1/2 Birthday Morgan!

Morgan turned 18 months old yesterday! Her new obsession is the ipad. Her and Rowan fight over it 24/7. She loves to watch puppy videos and her giggling at them is priceless. Her personality, as well as, her calves seem to come from Jason. It's rare you see her heels touch the ground and her butt and calve muscles show it. She also seems to be fearless - weather it be jumping into the pool by herself or trying out the scooter at the toy store. I always got to be on my A game with her - so glad I'm getting extra sleep!

More flooding plus a Manatee!

TS Debby has kinda stalled over the gulf and is pounding the Tampa/St. Pete area with rain and high winds. It was hard sleeping last night with the wind howling the way it was. I can't imagine going through an actual hurricane after experiencing this. Jason, with his 20/15 vision, saw something hanging out in the water this afternoon. He went down  to get a closer look and it ended up being a Manatee and her baby! It seemed that they were stuck and were trying to get out of the bay.

I'm hoping this weather clears out soon as we are starting to get a bit of cabin fever! How many times can one watch Puss in Boots or Chipwrecked? At least I have The Bachlorette and RHONY tonight!

Surviving Tropical Storm Debby

Bayshore Blvd

Bridge to Davis Island

TS Debby came rolling in this weekend. Yesterday we ventured out for food and movies and have been hunkered down since. Jason's condo is on the 14th floor so we have a good view of what's going on out there. As the above pictures show, Bayshore Blvd (street where condo bldg is on) is completely flooded and the bridge to Davis Island is not too far behind!
We've watched several movies so far. Kung Fu Panda 2, Tin Tin, Lion King, and Alvin and the Chipmunks "Chip"wrecked (what a catchy name)! Jason also made a fantastic dinner and homemade blueberry pie...yum! It's been a long time since we've been able to chill and do nothing all day!
We saw a few kayakers out in the bay this afternoon and also a few on Bayshore. Reminiscent of Hurricane Ivan (circa 2004) when people were jet skiing down Route 8 in Pittsburgh. Good times....

Clearwater really does have clear water!

Rowan loves the beach!

Showing Morgan how to build a sandcastle

So excited...calm down you 2!

Why not put shells between my toes?

Here are some pictures from Clearwater Beach! We had a fantastic day and the kids did really well - lasting 5 hours without whining! Our friends, The Puffers, joined us for sun, fun, and good food. So happy to be with Daddy!

Father's Day 2012 in Tampa Bay

After dinner swim

Our crazy daddy

This year we will celebrate Father's Day at the beach! This is a special Father's day for us considering how much time we've spent apart this year although Jason certainly has been making up for it since we've been down here. He took Rowan to the Rays game yesterday is going to surprise him with a Daytona Nascar event in July. He and Morgan have been getting lots of pool time in. She loves when he catches her from the side and spins her around! Happy Father's day to all the special dads out there.

First day of nice weather

It practically rained all last week from the moment we arrived. Fortunately, Saturday arrived with the sun in tow so we ventured to the Marina and beach on base. The kids loved it...especially Rowan.

We are finding our way around downtown pretty well. Tampa is a small city - kinda reminds me of Pittsburgh. Yesterday I was blown away by the massive cruise ship that pulled into port while we watched. Rowan was amazed and could have stayed there all day. We all are really liking Tampa so far!

The Aquarium

Showing Morgan the fish

Looking alittle weary of the stingray

It has been raining nonstop since we arrived Monday morning:( So today we joined the aquarium and got a fantastic price for our memberships - thanks to military perks! We had so much fun! This aquarium even has an outdoor area with a waterpark, huge sandbox, and playarea for the kids and a nice wetbar for the adults! Looks like we'll be using our passes a lot this summer.

I've been kicked to the curb by the kids since we got here but who can blame them. I'd totally be sick of me too if I were them. It's given me some free time which is awesome! I joined a running group tonight and plan on shopping a lot in the cute shops nearby!

It feels so great to be here with Jason! The kids are SO happy and I'm thrilled to have my TV watching partner back! Cheers to an awesome summer and season of RHONY!!