Our little summer vacation

(I happened to have the camera on Nick & Leo when Shamu made his first jump...I think this shot is absolutely priceless!  I sure love my boys!)

So we were tied to Houston for the summer as Nick was completing an internship with ExxonMobil...Nick living with my parents during the week and commuting home for the weekends and Leo and I staying a few days here and a few days there pretty much all summer.  It wasn't as bad as we thought, however it was a lot of driving for us...especially me & Leo.  All in all he did great- dvd players in the car are such a life-saver!  However after 14 long weeks of commuting and missing great vacations on both sides of the family, we were happy to be done and return home to College Station.  School didn't start for another 2 weeks and so we decided to take a quick trip to San Antonio for a little vacation...we weren't at all bitter about the fact that we missed the Woodbury family cruise to Alaska or spending time at SI Bar with Grandpa Elmo's new horse...we just needed a vacation! :)

(Luckily Leo napped on the way to San Antonio!  You would have thought that it was vacation enough just letting him have his nuk and "puppy" (blanket) in the car...he thought that was pretty great.)

 So we drove over on a Tuesday and settled in to the Hyatt Wild Oak Ranch.  Our first stop was at Krispy Kreme- there are donut shops a plenty in Houston but no Krispy Kremes!  It felt like a vacation already :)

(Donut lovers!  Leo wouldn't wear the hat...but Nick didn't have a choice!)

Leo has really gotten in to donuts lately too because we reward him (and us!) with a Shipley's donut after our long runs on Saturday.  He has discovered sprinkles and now prefers a whole sprinkle donut to the much easier and not as messy donut holes.  Sigh.  At least it is cute, right?

(Our room at the Hyatt resort-  the life-saver kitchenette, Leo's makeshift bedroom, and Leo jumping on the bed)

We were pleased with our room at Wild Oak Ranch- it had a little kitchen area and a little living room area where we rearranged the furniture to make a "bedroom" for Leo, complete with rocking chair.  We ventured out to explore the resort a little bit, ate at their restaurant, and played for a few at the "beach" by the lazy river the first night before putting Leo to bed and making a plan for SeaWorld the next day.

(The beautiful resort- lazy river, watching and learning from the girls in the pink bathing suits, digging in the sand with Dad, dumping water, and the "yes I just ate sand and I'm not sure if I like it" face)

We were among the first people to the park on Wednesday and had an awesome parking spot.  We had packed lots of sunscreen and snacks and were ready to make a day of it.

(There was no line for tickets and the bag-checker told me our bag was "expertly packed"...woohoo!)

First we explored the Sesame Street "Bay of Play" a tiny bit and watched a 4D Elmo film...Leo wouldn't wear the glasses but loved it anyway.

(Watching the seals, mommy & baby seal napping, Leo trying to be a big kid, and too cute watching seals!)

Then we visited the seals, otters, and sea lions before their show.  There was a baby taking a nap on its mom that was so cute and Leo loved pointing out which ones were mommies, daddies, and babies...this is a new thing he loves to do.  Pretty much everything is either a mommy, daddy, or baby around here.

It was fun to see Leo interact and copy the older kids too.  He is still my baby but he seems so grown up and it seems like he has such a desire to act like a big kid...slow down already Leo!

(I know it doesn't look like it here, but I promise Leo really loved the penguins...real, stuffed, or costume!)

We watched other shows and visited other animals, like the penguins that Leo apparently loves, before grabbing lunch.  We let Leo play in the small water park for kids and then dashed over to see Shamu...of course Leo fell asleep on the way there so we let him take a catnap in the stroller instead.  I've said it before and I'll say it again- every time we try to go nap free we wish we hadn't.  Period.

(Sesame Street, a wheel, AND playing in water? What could be better?  Perhaps just the merry go round with Dad and Mom a few (dozen) times!)

We had a fun day but it was clearly time to go so we headed back to the resort after grabbing a Happy Meal.  Leo was zonked and I didn't feel so great either- I thought it was just a long day in the sun and such, but later I realized that I had caught Leo's hand/foot/mouth and most likely had a fever that day :(  I crashed pretty early after taking a bath.

(The lazy river/beach combo was great for the whole family and the weather couldn't have been better!)

The next day we spent the morning at the resort and let Leo play at the lazy river after we got in our 4 mile run...even if it is vacation you do not skip exercise! :)  The resort had a regular pool with slides and games and such and also a lazy river that had a beach part.  Leo loved trying to fill up the hole in the sand with water...something he saw older kids doing.  After a quick nap we headed back to SeaWorld to hit up a few faves- merry go round anyone?- and make sure we saw Shamu this time.

(Anxiously awaiting Shamu, seeing him jump with Dad, classic SeaWorld shot)

Leo couldn't get enough of "Grover's round up" merry go round and rode it time and time again...always saying "horse...up, down...yeehaw...up, down" over and over again.

(One last ride on Grover's round up and seeing the dolphins before it was time to go home)

Shamu was well worth the wait and I got the ice cream I had been wishing for :)  Nick got to see the dolphins up close too so we were all happy campers.  We let Leo pick out a souvenir before saying adieu...he only had eyes for this particular stuffed penguin which he calls "peng".  Original, no?

(Peng!  Leo liked him to ride in the stroller with him after we bought him...good thing the gift shop was the last thing on our list, right?  Peng rode in the car seat on the way home and slept in bed that night- Leo was thrilled with him and loved to kiss his beak.  He has always been very loving!)

We grabbed dinner and headed back to the resort.  The next morning it was already time to pack up and we wished we could have stayed many more days.  We took advantage of the lazy river one more time- being there early was great as we had the "beach" to ourselves!

(One last ride around the lazy river!)

Then it was back to the car for the long drive home.  One more stop at Krispy Kreme and a few hours later and our fun was over.  We had so much fun going on our first real family vacation...you know, not visiting family or going with other family or whatnot...and have vowed to do it more often.  It was so much fun and just what we needed to be ready to start Nick's last semester of college- ever!

18 months of bliss...or something like that!

Leo Vernon

18 months old

26 lbs 14 oz (63rd %)

33.5 inches (81st %)

This is the only picture I have from the day Leo turned 18 months - July 26th, 2012.  He was enjoying some "lucky bread" (zucchini bread) and a few bananas with nutella.  He has beautiful blue eyes just like his daddy and blonde hair just like his mommy- what a perfect mix! 

(Side note: I have blue eyes too but they aren't that blue...his are just so stunning!)

This is a picture from today...almost 19 months...yes, mom needs to stay on top of the blog- it is on my to-do list :)  Leo didn't go to church today because he was running a fever...still is actually.  We are hoping he didn't catch his cousin's germs and that this is unrelated!  Anywho, he was watching a little Baby Einstein after dinner tonight and they just looked too precious- I couldn't resist snapping this picture!  And please notice Nick's beard...I convinced him to not shave til school starts next week!

Leo (or should I say Nick) is very into building forts and ramps these days...and I really can't complain!  It keeps them both occupied, lets me do my work, and Nick voluntarily cleaned the couch cushions after seeing up-close how badly they needed it :)  Win-win-win!

Leo is getting very smart; I am sure every parent thinks their child is a genius but ours really is! ;)  He knows all his numbers 0-10 and can mostly count them in order all by himself.  He has started on letters lately too and has the better part of the alphabet down...the others are hit or miss still.  He loves to identify numbers and letters (not to mention shapes and a few colors) everywhere we go.  Often times it is me who is searching for a letter or number because Leo said it...and I usually find it, super far away or really small or something equally amazing.

 Speaking of identifying things, he is super verbal.  He talks ALL the time and more and more words are becoming clear enough that it isn't just us who understands him.  He repeats every little thing we say and thinks it is funny to call Nick "Nick" like I do.  He loves animals and now calls them by their names instead of just the sounds they make.

He is even starting to put two words together already...the first time he did it I didn't want to believe it because his two words were "no mama".  Great.  Since then though he says things like "Amy house" and "berry blue" and stuff like that.  Today's conversation with Nick (while he was playing with his train that comes apart and needs our help putting it back together ALL the time) went like this..."Train...uh oh...help...train...please...thanks"  Amazing, right?  And so cute!

He isn't an amazing eater- he is really hit or miss.  I am kind of getting the idea that this is part of his personality- love it or hate it.  Some days I can't get him to eat one thing, the next day he will eat more of it than I do.  You really can't go wrong with a Goldfish cracker, yogurt covered raisin, or fruit snack though. And as much as I try he isn't completely sold on meat yet...but really how much can you really enjoy it before you have some good chompers...speaking of...

True to his feast-or-famine personality, Leo gets lots of his teeth at one big miserable time.  His first round came about 9 months-ish when he got 6.  Then he had another round where he got 8 more.  Now he has all 4 molars, 2 of his canine teeth (top), and all 8 of his front teeth.  I am starting to see his bottom canine teeth get close so hopefully they cut through quickly and then we are done for another few months before those other molars are due!

Leo loves being outdoors and his fascination with the wheel is ongoing, thus this little beauty (below) has been one of our best purchases so far.  He loves riding in his wagon and pulling it too...and has only had one major spill out of it so far.  He is really great too to get in his jogging stroller almost every morning and go 3 or 4 miles with me...with plenty of snacks and entertainment of course...it is a workout for sure!  

We can't seem to get enough Elmo around here; some days I wish I had thought of a little red monster to make me millions but most days I am just grateful for him because it means a few minutes of peace and quiet for me to shower after a sweaty run.  So what if I read the same book 30 times in a day and hear cries for "Almo" all day long...at least I am clean!

Leo loves to groom himself- brushing his hair, pretending to clip his nails or letting me do it for real, making Nick hang his head in shame when he tries to put on my makeup...I for one think it is cute when he gets a brush and tries to imitate me, however I don't love the eyelash curler being jammed in my eye when Leo is pretending to do my makeup.  He doesn't love me cutting his hair, which I swear I have to do all the time (I can't stand it when the hair is over his ears or collar!)  He likes washing his hands with soap and rubbing lotion on them too.

He is getting the hang of coloring and LOVES stickers.  I am pretty sure he and I both wear at least one sticker every day.  His coloring is just scribbling but he does try to color certain parts of the picture certain colors which I of course think is amazing.  His favorite crayon is purple and I can not get him to change his mind.  He likes to play with pens too...especially if he can click the end of it.  I am not so much a fan of pens as you can see by my cheek in the picture below :(

 Little Leo was so excited for nursery at church- we had been going for quite awhile for a little bit of play time so he knew they were keeping all the toys in there.  I went with him a couple weeks for the whole time and then subbed in there a time or two as well...so when he actually turned 18 months and could officially be in there alone he had no hesitation.  He literally grabs my hand and pulls me all the way down the hall each week after the closing prayer in Sacrament meeting.  Then he goes right in and finds himself a chair to do puzzles- I tell him if he needs me that he can come get me and he says "deal" and then pays me no attention.  He is always excited to see me when I pick him up and VERY excited to go find Dad, but so far he really likes playing with other germy kids!  

(I was in there long enough to know that he is not good at sitting through the lesson, however not many of the boys in the younger group are.  He only eats the grain of the snack, loves singing and bubble time, and plays with just about every single car in there.)

He loves to try and be like Daddy- here he is wearing one of Nick's shoes.  Whenever we get him dressed for church in a button-up shirt he smiles and says "dada".  And when my sister Tara sent him some plaid shorts he called them "dada shorts".  

 Leo LOVES to read and gladly welcomes anyone who will read to him.  He was onto Clifford books for a bit, but now Elmo reigns supreme! (As well as anything with a car, truck, train, or animals- especially farm ones)

I'm sure there are SO many other things I would love to remember about Leo at this stage, but it is late and I'm tired and can't...so this will have to do for now!  He is so fun right now and such a grown up little guy.  I love him being my buddy!

WE ARE DONE!

Hallelujah!  We made it through this crazy summer internship and I am happy to report Nicholas will be glued to Leo and me for the next two whole weeks before school starts.  To be honest this summer wasn't as bad as I was anticipating, however I am really glad to not have to sleep in a different bed every couple of nights...comfy as they were :)