WEA 19 Months Old

 It's the last teen month for my little Walker-man.......I may have just shed a tear :(  My sweet baby boy is almost not a baby anymore.  Well, technically he'll always be my baby but to everyone else he's rapidly becoming a rambunctious little toddler.  Oh how I love this little guy!!

it's sticker time once again

such a big boy

Walker's 19 Month Milestones/Achievements/Random tidbits:
~he's back to teething.  This time it's his top canine teeth slowly pushing their way through.
~he had another at-home haircut.  I'm not used to hair that grows so fast.  I mean, S didn't get a haircut until she was almost 3 and a half.
~he had an appointment with the ENT and he is a prime candidate for tubes.  We also discovered that his ear drums are not responding the way they should and he can't hear soft sounds.  After the tubes are put in on August 8th, they will retest his hearing about 6 weeks later.  The doctors are thinking that his poor hearing could be causing the slight delay in speech.
~he has a small vocabulary that includes: mama, dada, up, hot, step, shoo (shoes), tweet (birds), choo (train)
~he can point to most body parts when asked "where is your nose/eyes/toes/teeth/etc"
~his current faves: books (actually the same 5 books over and over again), trains, balls, play kitchen with his favorite frying pan and hamburger patty, my pots and pan, bath foam, pretend talking on the phone,
~he has behaving wonderfully during all childcare settings.  Actually he behaves better when S isn't with him.  I think he becomes jealous when she is playing with other kids and that causes him to act out......he's quite possessive of his sister and mama :)
~lately he has been staying up later at night (9-9:30), sleeping in later in the morning (7:45-8:20), and taking really long (2 1/2-3 hour) naps.  Not sure what to make of this new schedule.
~he is still the little "terror"! This little boy gets into any and every thing and he's even started to climb up bookcases to get into things up high.

fun times at the pool

this is what getting your hand stuck in the candy jar looks like

W gets put in time out and what does S do??? She joins him! Must rethink time out strategy

coffee thief....surprisingly he actually likes it.  thankfully it's decaf :)

crazy tub hair

about to pull a Harlan and fall in the fountain

he loves to play with my makeup....should I be worried yet??!!

story time

he pulled the stool from the pantry, across the kitchen, and climbed on the counter all while I took a 5 second bathroom break

he's finally discovered the joy of the Chick-fil-A play zone 

my pretty little boy

I am loving this period that's the tail end of babyhood and just the beginning of toddlerhood.  Walker is becoming a little more self-sufficient but yet he's still dependent enough to make me feel needed.  Okay Father Time, you can official stop the passing of days.  I just want to linger in this sweet spot for a little bit longer.....or maybe forever if possible.  

Sea Island Wonderfulness

Ahhhhh, another wonderful Sea Island vacation has come and gone.  I say it after every trip but it really is my favorite place and I love all the memories our little family makes there every year.  I hope to never stop going.

The best way to describe our time there is to just let the pictures do the talking.  So here is what our July 4th week entailed.

Sunday:

We left Chapel Hill at 6am and arrived at Sea Island just after noon.  We checked into our room (good 'ol room #99), had a yummy lunch at the River Bar, went to the grocery store, went to Tea Time, then relaxed briefly in the room before heading to dinner at Southern Tides.

exploring the grounds

 Monday:

It seemed to be much hotter much earlier this year so we decided to go for our daily family runs before breakfast.  This worked well for me and Walker but poor Savannah had to be carried most mornings from her to bed to the stroller.  After our run we always stop by to say good morning to the fish by the spa.  

After a quick breakfast, we load up and head to the beach club.  Most of our mornings were spent playing in and around the pools.  Then we always had lunch poolside before heading back to the room for Walker to take his nap.  Today, Oscar spent nap time at the shooting range while Savannah and I relaxed watching cartoons and playing princess.  

After nap time it's tea time.  This is always a favorite time of the day for everyone.  I mean, what better way to spend a hot afternoon then sitting around eating cookies, drinking lemonade, and playing checkers.  

Dinner tonight was at Tavola; the yummy Italian restaurant located inside The Cloister.

"good morning fishes"

waiting for the sprinklers to shoot up

O at the shooting range

checkers at tea time

big fan of the cookies

family pic

Tuesday

After today's morning run, we headed to the Stables at Frederika for Savannah to horseback ride.  Last year she decided last minute to forgo riding so I didn't know what to expect this year.  I am happy to report that she eagerly climbed on and off she rode.  After which she asked if she could ride every day.  I'm hoping this enthusiasm will continue so I can sign her up for lessons back at home.

The rest of the day continued much like Monday except dinner was at the Lodge. 

"look Mom! see those fishes"

not sure who loved who more

the pina colade thief and her accomplice

while exploring The Cloister, came across the room where the UN met

after dinner smores

Wednesday

Usual morning routine: run, beach club, then nap time.  Actually today I attended a boot camp style class at the Spa at 6am.  I think I've gotten a little spoiled with my typical workouts at home because this one seemed too easy.  But the amenities are way better :)

Today's special activity was a princess tea party just for Savannah.  We dropped her off on our way to usual tea time.  She had a great time playing dress up, making a wand craft, eating cookies, and dancing around with about 30 other little girls.  

For dinner tonight we branched out of the resort and went to a famous hole-in-the-wall barbecue joint, Southern Soul.  Ohmygoodness talk about yummy food!  Why have we waited sooooo long to try this place?!  We'll definitely be returning every year.  

shuffleboard

our one and only day getting in the ocean

S at the princess tea party

checking out the smoker at Southern Soul

such yummy bbq

Thursday

Just a normal Sea Island day: run, pool time, nap time, tea time, then dinner at the River Bar.

bocce ball

S teaching W her version of chess

Friday

Today was July 4th so after our run we claimed our pool spots then headed out to watch the parade.  SI does such a great job on the fourth having extra activities for the kids.  After lunch, Savannah played in the giant inflatable and tried a few rounds of the dunk tank.

After nap and tea time, we enjoyed our last dinner back at Southern Tides.

at the parade

happy boy in the candy store

Saturday

We always try to make a full day out of our last vacation day and to hopefully really tire out the kiddos in hopes that everyone will sleep on the drive home.  So we had a usual morning routine and after lunch we loaded up and made the 6 hour drive home.    

final family run

my happy trainers

last day at the pool

my boys

It really was my favorite week out of the year.  As the kids get older, more memories are made and they, too, fall more in love with this special place.  Oscar is already planning for next year :)

 Just a quick look back......

2011: Savannah 20 Months old

2012: S 2 1/2 years old

2013: S 3 1/2 years old

2014: S 4 1/2 years old

2013: Walker 6 months old

2014: W 18 months old