Sunday, December 14, 2008

12 Days of Christmas

The excitement of opening a gift so magical.
Yummy surprise!

One afternoon Hunter and I came home to a huge box sitting at our front door. We opened it and discoverd that Annmother has sent several gifts counting down the days until Christmas. The first day of Christmas was today. He opened a box of yummy cookies. I have to admit...I tried them too. I love this idea and we are looking forward to opening a new gift everyday until Christmas. What a great way to spread out the magic of this time of year.
Thank you Annmother!

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Christmas Book Exchange

Colin loved his new Christmas book so much.
Haley picking out her book to unwrap.

Hallie and Deanna enjoying their new book.


Ashley and Elliot opening their new book.

Jackson was still hungry, but eventually unwrapped his book.

Christine and Colin debating on what to pick. They had #1.

‘Twas the night before Christmas,
And in my cozy nook,
I was curled up reading my new Christmas book.
This special book was given to me by a dear friend,
It is something that I will cherish to the end.

I had so much fun putting Hunter's birthday party together that I decided that I wanted to have the kids together again around Christmas. At first I thought I would do a cookie party. After a few days of debating frosting, sprinkles, and hyper kids, I decided on something different...a Christmas Book Exchange. Each of Hunter's friends brought a Christmas book wrapped. The kids picked numbers and then went in order to pick a new book to unwrap. The kids had a great time and I think the parents had a little fun also.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Girl Time!

Jayme, myself, Michelle, and Megan
Us with Jill and her beautiful baby boy.

Can we say "getting a baby fix"?

Moving to Bristol has lit a little fire under my girlfriends and I. We have been getting together more often. We recently took a trip to Tampa to see Jason Mraz. I knew a little about him before I went, but LOVE HIM now. It was Megan's idea and I'm glad we did it. We spent the night in Tampa and then the next morning went to a friends house, Jill's house, for breakfast. Her baby is growing so fast! Then we did what we do best...SHOP! Had fun and ready for another trip.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

'Tis the Season

Hunter's Christmas Tree is made up of ornaments that are both kid friendly and that he has made.
Nannie's gift to us. We put a new ornament on the tree everyday. Cute!
Adam putting up his 2 ornaments.
Oh "Mistmas" Tree, Oh "Mistmas" Tree
Decorating for Christmas is one of my favorite things to do. In the past, I have been able to get this process done in one afternoon with Christmas music in the background and peppermint candles providing the Christmas aroma. However, having Hunter around has definitely changed this process. WE decorated over a period of a week. We started with the biggest project, the "mistmas" tree (as Hunter calls it). Every evening we would put a little more up. We would have Christmas music in the background, but it is not Frank Sinatra...Veggie Tales Christmas music. Good enough. The candles were lit, but once they were discovered Hunter would want to blow them out. Overall, I think I enjoyed the decorating process more this year because it wasn't a process, it was a daily happening. This year it has been a little easier to get into the Christmas mode because of 2 things 1) Having a child around puts magic in the air, and 2) Florida is actually chilly this year. Happy Holidays!

Friday, November 28, 2008

Thanksgiving Day

We had several tables set up, but the dinning room was my favorite. Nannie, Papa, Adam, and I sat outside. This was our last Thanksgiving sitting on the patio enjoying the warm sun and palm trees.
Michelle, myself, and Jayme posed for a picture while Hunter tried to be apart of the experience.
Nannie helping out in the kitchen.

Everyone visiting and enjoying the game...Joe, sitting on the couch, was a little upset with the outcome of the game, but what can I say. GO TITANS!

Family Photo



The last 4 years, Adam and I have hosted the Annual Boyd Thanksgiving. Our home is open to all of our friends who do not travel home for the holidays. Usually we have between 12 and 16 people. This year we had the most ever...24 people! Everyone brought something to enjoy. I am so lucky to have such a great group of friends here in Southwest Florida. We are going to miss them all.

Nannie was a huge help and Hunter was perfect. The day was wonderful and Herky the Turkey turned out yummy. (Hunter named the turkey this year.) Thanksgiving was the end of Nannie and Papa's trip, but I was so thankful they were able to join us for this wonderful day.

Golfing at Olde Florida





Nannie had one request on this trip....to see Olde Florida, Adam's home course. Papa and Daddy enjoyed 9 holes while we rested. Then we joined them for the last 9 and rode around. Hunter is getting better at holding the club and understanding the game...at least putting the ball in the hole. However, Nannie and myself need a little lesson on etiquette with golf carts. I was driving in a cart behind Adam and Papa. I was following them pretty closely. Hunter loves to go up and down the little mounds on the golf course and so I decided to vear off a little and continue to go over the mounds. We were going up the biggest mound and looking forward to going down the other side. When we reached the top of the mound Nannie and I discovered that the mound ended in a very deep sand trap. Thankfully we landed in the trap without tipping over, but it was a scare for all of us. If only there was a camera to see our reactions. Our screams where rather loud also. Thankfully, there were no members around, but I think the Mexican workers got a good laugh out of our little "oopsie".

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Beach Time




Hunter loves the beach! Tonight we decided to head out to the beach for a quick little trip. The weather was rather chilly and the water was cold. However, Hunter and Nannie didn't seem to mind...seeing as Hunter AND Nannie fell in. It was a little humorous. Papa enjoyed sitting on the beautiful beach. We are going to miss the beaches here in Naples.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Fun at the Park

Making Discoveries
How much fun!

Spinning around is fun, but too much might not be as much fun. Below is the picture of while she is enjoying this toy, but the above picture she is having difficulty getting out of it.



Let's diggit'.


This morning we loaded up and went to the dentist. We can't deprive Nannie of dr's offices while she is here. If she is away from them to long she starts to have withdrawals...just kidding.

Hunter needed to have his teethe looked at. Everything turned out great. We then went and did a little shopping. After that we attempted the zoo, but decided that going on a quick trip in the park would be just as much fun and FREE.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Papa and Nannie Arrive


Tonight Papa and Nannie arrived. They are in until Thursday night. Hunter had fun just playing and visiting with them. It is nice to have family in town. I'm not sure who had more fun, Papa, Nannie, or Hunter.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

In Space

Last night we experienced something not many get to experience in a life time. Adam, Hunter, and I were watching the shuttle take off from Cape Canaveral, FL, on TV. Adam suggested we go out in the backyard and see if we can watch it from there. I totally thought it was a silly idea, but played along. We have NO tall trees around our house and you can see for miles because of the flat land. 10 seconds after blastoff we saw a bright flame from behind a cloud. It looked like the sun coming out from behind a cloud at night. It was the shuttle. It was amazing! Hunter and I watched it as it went into space for about 3 minutes. Once it exited our atmosphere, the flame disappeared. SOOOO COOL! One more thing to add to my list of "Things I Experienced in Florida".

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Hunter's Birthday Party

The crew enjoying a nice night out on the patio.
Haley helps Hunter unwrap his gift.

Samantha, Haley, and Hunter enjoy dinner outside on the patio.

Agota, Hunter's nanny, was able to stop by for a moment.
This past Saturday we had Hunter's birthday party. I love planning events and having friends over. Hunter had a blast with everyone that was here. The evening unfolded as follows:
1. Play a little outside.
2. Eat dinner with friends
3. Play a little more
4. Sing "Happy Birthday"
5. Eat cupcakes
6. Unwrap gifts
7. Play a little more.
The kids had a blast! Haley is Dominique's daughter and his best friend. Dominique is a family friend and watches Hunter a few days a week. We are truly going to miss them both.

The theme of the party was "A Few of My Favorite Things". Hunter loves playdough, balloons, bubbles, drawing, and playing outside. Saturday night we sent each friend home with a little of each of these experiences. I hope they enjoyed Hunter's favorite things as much as he does.

Hunter is loving life and having fun every minute. Most people call being 2 the "Terrible Twos". I have to agree with my mom and say that it is the "Terrific Twos". Having so much fun with Hunter on the weekends makes the week so much harder.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Happy Birthday!

My very own vacuum!
Happy Birthday to you!

I want another slice please.

Yummy!
Today was Hunter's 2nd Birthday. I can't believe that it has been 2 years. This time 2 years ago I was going in to have a c-section. He was born at 8:22pm. I have been reliving the events of that day today. My mom asked me today if I have ever written those days events down. "NO" is the answer to that question. It was a very rough day that had a great outcome. All I care to cherish about that day was the outcome which I love everyday.
Today we woke up at 6:30am. Hunter was with Agota, our nanny, last night so I'm not sure how many laps they did around the house, but he slept in this morning ;) Very happy about that one. We spent the morning opening presents and having fun with Adam at home. (He doesn't take many mornings off work.) We then loaded up and went to church followed by a trip to Adam's golf course. After finding a few 'gators in the ponds we went to lunch and then headed home for a nap. Because we don't get the Titans on TV, Adam watched the game with his buddies and came home later with a birthday cake. We have spent the rest of the evening enjoying being together. I love being home with my 2 men.

Friday, October 31, 2008

What Can Brown Do For You?

Enjoying his first sucker.
Trick or Treat!


Hunter had a great Halloween night. We were not sure if he would wear a costume this year because he has been so picky about wearing things that are not comfortable. He loved wearing his UPS costume.
We went trick or treating in a community around the corner from where we live. We met up with a few of my friends that have kids the same age as Hunter. We had a blast going around the neighborhood "delivering" packages...more like picking up candy.
Last year he was a Hershey's chocolate kiss and this year a UPS man...what comes next year? We will have to see.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Elmo the Pumpkin

Kissing the pumpkin.
Decorating the pumpkin.

Getting out the pumpkin seeds.


Introducing Elmo the Pumpkin!

Ok, so this doesn't look anything like Elmo, but when Hunter was asked what he wanted to name the pumpkin it was Elmo. Honestly, I'm pretty impressed with my pumpkin carving skills. I have carved one before, but it looked terrible. I even called Papa to get some tips on how to get out all the "gunk". We had a great time carving the pumpkin.

This weekend was perfect, besides having to go to school yesterday. I did start decorating the house for Thanksgiving. I'm really looking forward to having Nannie and Papa down her to celebrate our last Thanksgiving in Naples.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Organization Gone Wrong

Ok so in the past I have always bragged on Hunter's organization skills. Yesterday he proved me wrong. He dumped every one of his Legos, puzzles, cars, and book bins out. He seemed to enjoy the fact that he had done this. I'm hoping that this is a phase that doesn't last long...one day would be great.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Pumpkin Patch

Picking out the perfect little pumpkin!
Mom can I have more?

After a long, exhausting week at work, Adam treated us to a family night out on the town. First we began our adventure at the local church pumpkin patch. I have been going to the same place for 3 years and have always enjoyed picking out our pumpkins this year. Hunter enjoyed being able to pick out his little pumpkins and put them in his shopping cart. After that, we went to dinner. Then proceeded to Toys R Us to pick out Hunter's birthday gifts. He was involved in exploring that he didn't even pay attention to what we bought. You will have to stay tuned to find out. Adam finished the evening off with an ice cream stop at Cold Stone Creamery. One of my favorites! What a relaxing, unwinding night it was.