It's a Florida Surprise!

Sorry it's been so long since we last posted!

Here are the promised pictures of Chris's special b-day cake. Who knew, you can use sugar-free pudding mix to flavor AND color your sugar-free frosting!

We got to give Chris's dad a huge surprise... we flew out to Florida for his 50th birthday weekend! It was so much fun planning with Lisa, Jackie, and Sarah for the surprise. We all kept it a secret for several months. There were a lot of times where we thought that he'd found out, but we were all awesome and succeeded. We flew into MCO on Thursday afternoon, were picked up by Lisa and Sarah and waited for Dad to get home. Chris, Westley, and I all waited in the office and came up behind him and yelled "surprise!". Talk about a good birthday present. Hahaha! It was so wonderful to watch him interact with his grandson for the first time. I think they became buddies really fast. Here is an adorable video I caught of them playing a game:

Westley also thoroughly enjoyed spending quality time with Auntie Jackie and Auntie Sarah, Uncle Brian, and Grandma Lisa. 

That night we went to Downtown Disney. I'd never been to the one in Florida before. It was huge! And very entertaining. We saw giant Disney Lego sculptures, saw a couple shows including a very beautiful electrical quartet that played ramped up versions of our favorite Classical songs. We had a lot of fun with the family there. 

The next day we all went to the Disney waterpark called Blizzard Beach. What a blast! I only went on two rides, but thoroughly enjoyed watching Westley play with his aunts and the water. He is such a waterbaby! All the times we went in the pool he was splashing and laughing away. Here are some pictures taken from Blizzard Beach:

We enjoyed lots of good food, family time, and games of Cornhole. It was a very good visit and we were really grateful for the opportunity to go. 

We're Still Alive, I Think

Westley is trying to help me type up the blog this time... he keeps getting his little toes on the keyboard! He has been so much fun the last couple of weeks. Here he is, saying "Hello!" to his adoring fans. 

His new favorite trick is rolling over and wiggling in the crawling position. He figured it out on his own and now he rolls over in sets of two or three until he rolls right off a blanket and on to the floor. Silly boy! I don't think we'll be able to hold him off of learning to crawl early. 

Here he is demonstrating, even though he got a bit of stagefright in the middle. He and I are cuddling in bed today because I'm sick with a fever and sore throat.

We had a pretty eventful week and Labor Day weekend. It started with the birthday celebration for my dad and Chris. I made Chris a Batman Cake (pictures to follow when I get my camera back from my parent's house).

For Dad's present, Chris and I decided to watch the boys for the Labor Day weekend so that Mom and Dad get away for some much needed quiet time. They have been married for 25 years and never have had a trip away from the kids until now. Even on their honeymoon, they had a lot of people with them because they went on a college choir tour to Austria and Germany. We had to laugh when they announced they were going to Johnston this last weekend for their "getaway" (that's about 15 minutes away from where they live). Even though they didn't go far, they had a very pleasant time together.

The boys behaved better than expected (much to my relief), and everyone helped out. I was very proud of them, especially since Tanner was pretty sick the whole time with a bad cough and a fever. They are all really good at stepping up to the task, whatever it is. Chris, Westley, my mom and brothers, and I all had a hand at helping two families pack and move this week and weekend. It was a lot of hard work, but very rewarding for all of us.

Every day I can't wait for Chris to get home from work. I claim bragging rights about him, I'm very proud of his progress there. He has excelled at his normal duties to the point where they have decided to train him on more complex duties. He now is very flexible for the company because he knows how to perform all of the different tasks in his division of the department. This also mean he is sure to get all of his hours for the week, instead of getting sent home occasionally. It has been a blessing for me to see him take such a leading role in supporting and providing for our family, and I truly appreciate his hard work.

Opps, excuse me, I better go get Westley. He has rolled over on top of one of his toys and doesn't like it. Hahaha!

Love you all and hope that you are able to see every day how much you are loved by the Lord and your loved ones.