Play Time

Twenty months is such a fun age! Danny makes for a great play date.

Tunnel cuddles at the aquarium playground

Picking out new books

Baby brain teasers

Coffee shop date

State Park Exploring

We recently took Danny on a hike in the Carolina Beach State Park. Not "beautiful" scenery if you're accustomed to the trails around Boone, but a great place to take a toddler who struggles to stay on course. Little Danny would be walking just looking at his feet and would constantly detour to one side or another. It was pretty cute. We ended the hike with snacks at Sugarloaf Dune overlooking the Cape Fear River and then a snooze on dad's back.

The Build: Part 2

Check out Part 1 of the build here. Since the beginning of January, the crew has been hard at work framing the second floor and all interior walls, prepping for the metal roof and starting to add siding. Now we're in the plumbing and electrical phase. Obviously an essential step, but not as much "fun" because we can't visibly see the daily progress like we could with framing.

Kids rooms from the 2nd floor TV room

Rooftop access

Siding (will eventually be painted white)

The view we've worked so hard for!

Stylin'

Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles shirt. Check.
Camo pants. Check.
Converse All Stars. Check.

Poppa and Lita Look for Real Estate

This past weekend we had the pleasure of Dan and Marisol in town scoping out a lot they're hoping to buy. Fingers crossed they get it! We also snuck in 2 dinners out and a get-together at our place to watch the championship games on Sunday. Woo hoo!

Helping with lot measurements

Brr, it was unseasonably cold! 

At the Fat Pelican

At dinner

Hump Day

Happy hump day everyone!

My little ankle biter

The bubble song at story time

Channeling his inner Carlton

Porches are dirty too people

Ringlets to rat tail. I hope his hair always stays this curly!

A Fine Balance

I work out with my buddy Phoenix...

So I can eat my chips and queso guilt free...

More Commentary

My posts have been very photo heavy for a while now, without much commentary, so I thought I'd take a few minutes today to write a little...about Danny, of course.

He'll be 20 months in a little over a week and he's just such an amazing little boy. He loves music and dances his heart out every chance he gets. Still really into Mickey too, but perhaps the soundtrack of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse more than anything. He's a very good and adventurous eater - pretty much tries (and usually likes) anything we put in front of him. He's tried chicken 30+ ways, all kinds of vegetables, you name it. He even likes seemingly "strange" food for kids like hard boiled eggs and raw cauliflower. He loves to point out whose shoes, clothes, etc belong to mama vs. dada vs. baby (what he calls himself) vs. Nana. He's definitely a busy body, as I imagine all toddlers are. When he walks, he struts. When he smiles, he says "cheese". When Jimmy or I go anywhere, even upstairs for a second, he makes sure to say "bye bye mama" or "bye bye dada" (over and over and over again). He knows to always say "peas mama" when he wants something from me, but can't quite master the "thank you" yet. He adores his daddy like all sons should. We're so in awe of him - we love you so much, Danny boy!

Loving his Learning Tower

Vacuums daily

Big breakfast smile

Looking tough

Ready for an adventure

The Build: Part 1

As you may or may not know, we're in the process of building a new home! It's been a long time coming - a dream that was born on a beach walk last spring that we, particularly Jimmy, have since worked very hard to make a reality. And now as I write this, just a half a mile away from the build site, they're framing the second floor! If we had mommy and me hard hats I'd be over there constantly, but alas I must wait until the crew retires every night to scope out the day's progress. I can't even describe how fun and rewarding it is to see our dream home go up before our eyes. Below are pics of the build thus far...

We ran into our builder last Saturday when we swung by the site after a morning run (hence our workout outfits) and he snapped this family pic in our future living room.