Visit with Aunt Kim and Jason

Aunt Kim and Jason came in town for a quick visit. We hadn’t seen Jason as big and active as he was. He is such a beautiful baby! We decided that a visit to the Lowry Park Zoo would be great fun. The boys had a blast! Skyler enjoyed the water area, but Jason did not. Jason loved the animals, but Skyler did not. Between the two of them, we had a pretty even mix of activities.  We can’t wait to see them again … hopefully a trip to North Carolina will be in the cards soon :) There are lots of great pictures in this album so make sure to check them all out!

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Visit with Uncle James

Uncle James came in town, so we decided  to show him the fun world of MOSI and the Aquarium. We saw some neat fish at the Aquarium (there are lots of pictures in the album so you will have to open it). Skyler loved Uncle James soooo much and warmed up to him rather fast. After Uncle James had to go home, Skyler was still looking for him in his room to play with him! We will have to travel to Tennessee soon for another visit.

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David’s Swearing In

David was sworn in to Florida Bar August 2009. Skyler and Brendan decided to dress alike for the special occasion. Michelle, Patty, Kat, Granmommy, Granddaddy, Skyler, Brendan and me attended the event. Congratulations David!

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Tarpon Springs and Greek Goddesses

We took Rich and Skyler on their first trip to the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks. The three Mitchell girls, AKA Greek Goddesses, showed them all the hot spots to get treats and sponges. We also enjoyed a nice meal at Mykonos, our fav restaurant down there. There was some fabulous fudge and lots of yummy Greek desserts. We were even kind enough to bring some back for Granmommy, Granddaddy and Uncle D! Thanks To Rich for the trip suggestion.

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Utah Vacation 2009

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We went to Utah this year for our Ski Vacation. Our friends Sara and Jared were so kind to put us up in their home. We had lots of fun! We got to go to the Salt Lake Temple, go skiing, go to the aquarium, and even enjoy Jared’s B-Day party. Sara and Jared had lots of fun playing with Skyler, a good preparation for their little bundle of joy that was on the way.  Skyler was just over a year and was in desperate need of his first hair cut. We called in the reserves, Aunt Tiffany, who met us at the airport before we departed to give him a quick cut!

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Christmas Portraits 2008

Here are the pictures that were taken at Christmas. My belief is better later then never …. I guess! Skyler was a miniature Santa. Since he was able to walk around Halloween, he was in full run by Christmas. Every where he went, he ran to it … the joys of toddler hood! This made for an extra special photo shoot. He always takes such great pictures, that it is hard to decide which ones to get! I hope you enjoy the sample from the shoot below.

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Skyler Walking!!

The day has come ... Sklyer has started to walk!!!
It stated after a trip to Jacksonville the day after Halloween. We visited some old friends of mine from college (Erica and Jim) who have a 1 year old. I always love going to people's homes who have children around Skyler's age b/c I get to see what toys he likes that we do not have yet. Well he loved the push walker. I had thought about getting one a little while ago, but decided against it with the thought that it would be outdated after a few weeks. Boy was I wrong ... He LOVED it. He was pushing it around their house and doing a good job with being balanced. Of course mom ran out to get one the day we got back to Tampa :)

Within a few days of pushing himself along, he has started to walk unassisted. On Sunday we went over to Brie and Adam's home and he took about 8 steps unassisted ... of course we forgot the camera for that one! Then yesterday we were at my parents home and he took 12 steps ... I caught some of that on video, but our computer is broken so I can't upload until it gets back from HP.

Now, he is pushing up to a standing position and taking steps randomly throughout our house. I know you guys suggest he is a good picture taker, but videos are another story. Trying to get him to walk on camera is a challenge, but I now have tons of footage of him crawling:) Just thought I would update you on Skyler's new development and as soon as I get the computer back I will upload the video for you!!!

Halloween and Amelia Island 2008

Halloween was crazy this year. Before Halloween we had a crazy pumpkin carving contest with Adam, Patty, Kat, Michelle and David. Adam and Patty won the contest with a crazy looking skeleton pumpkin. We also enjoyed some spooky food and music. Skyler was dressed to impress in his Gator gear and of course we carved a Gator pumpkin (I say we, but Brendan really did all the carving).

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The trunk or treat was the same night as Halloween. Brendan had to be at the church to run the chili cook off, while I got the little vampire ready for some candy collecting action. Grandpa Fletcher came in town from San Francisco to catch the Skyler’s first Halloween. We went Trick or Treating through Granmommy’s neighborhood and then went and home for a late bedtime. After that Grandpa Fletcher watched Skyler so Brendan and I could go out to a Halloween Party. 

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The next morning we headed to Jacksonville for the UF v. GA game. Skyler and I visited O’neil and the crew, Susie and Erica (my old college roommate who has a son Skyler’s age). We had a great time and of course the Gators WON! Instead of heading home so late, Brendan and I decided to make a little vacation out of it and stayed a few days at Amelia Island. It was soooo cold outside we did not get to enjoy the beach. Most of our pictures are limited to the chase the ball game we did in the room. 

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World Series

What a lucky kid … I had never been to the World Series before, but Skyler, less then a year old, got to go to the World Series (it helped that you don’t have to pay for a child under 2). Since the Rays made it to the World Series, and Skyler and Daddy had been going to all the games, it would have been tough to miss it! We went with Patty and Adam and got some really GREAT seats. Skyler was kind of a Rays Icon during those days, and always made it on the Jumbo-Tron. My dad even got a text from one of his old associates saying that he saw Skyler on the Jumbo-Tron. The key was to ensure his ray-hawk was perfect. People kept stopping us at the game and asking if they could get a picture with the “Rays Baby.”  It would have been the perfect night if they had won, but unfortunately luck was not with us for this series! We had a great night and Skyler even ended up with a Rays World Series bat which is proudly displayed in his room.  We tried to introduce Skyler to Raymond (the mascot), but he did not want anything to do with him and cried in my shoulder. To this day, he still does not like creatures in costume like that! He got to go to the Rays touch tank during the game and someone even gave him a baseball that he enjoyed eating.

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October Portraits 2008

We took Skyler for updated pictures today, just two days shy of his 10 month birthday. He was soooo cute and everyone loved him!!! Even the other people that were getting their children's photos taken were staring at Skyler. We had his picture taken with his fall vest, Halloween costume, Gator's outfit, and dress outfit.

Here is a slideshow with some of the pictures that were taken :

Halloween Preparation

So we pulled out Skyler's Halloween stuff in July as a form of Preparation for the big holiday ... I like to get excited :) The disappointment came when we tried Skyler's costume on him and found that it was tight!!! 6-12m outfits are not all created equal!! Anyways, it lets me shop for a new one, so no complaints :) Enjoy an early costume picture ...

Ball Pit

Due to Skyler's clear obsession with the balls at Gymboree, we decided to get him a ball pit. He really is spoiled! We got him a baby frog pool and filled it with balls. He loves it soooo much. He thinks it is hilarious when Aunt Patty gets in and starts throwing balls around. He goes over to her and trys to kick her out.

Here are some pictures and videos of him with his new ball pit. There is one picture of him in the frog pit making a frog face ... it is soooo cute :)

Gymboree

If you were wondering what we have been up to on our Saturdays and some weekday afternoons, the pictures will tell it all. We got Skyler a Gymboree membership and started classes in September. Since I am at work and Brendan has stated that he will not take Skyler to classes on his own, we do a Saturday afternoon class. Usually it is Skyler, Brendan and Me at the classes. We have a lot of fun playing with all the neat toys and watching Skyler learn new things. Brendan didn't think much of it at first, but there are two other regular buddies that come to class with their dads, so he is a lot more willing to come. He has even thought about not going to the home Gator games to stay for Skyler's class (thought would be the key word there).

Skyler's favorite thing about Gymboree are the BALLS!!! When we first started that was the only thing that he wanted to play with. We had to bribe him to go through the tunnels and climb the ramps by putting them at the other end. But, after a few weeks, he goes through them without any incentive! Skyler also likes the bubbles and will go after the tiniest bubble and pop it with his fingertip.

Gymboree favorites - Balls, Bubbles, Gymbo Kisses, Freeze Dancing, Airshapes, Parachute Time and Bouncing on the Tube.

Yesterday we went to Gymboree for open gym with his best friend Kayden. Both of the boys enjoyed themselves and I got some cute shots of both of them. There was a really cute moment when Skyler crawled over to Kayden in a pit of balls and decided that he wanted in. He knows no fear, and usually just throws his body around. Well I got the one, two, three, action shot of him crawling/falling into the pit. Just so you don't think that I am a bad mom, he was laughing the whole time! Plus, Aunt Brie saved him once he fell in.

Here are some videos of Kayden and Skyler at Gymboree -

This one is of Skyler and Kayden playing in the ball pit. As you can see, Kayden is still top dog, but Skyler is starting to hold his own -



This one is of Skyler getting excited b/c he sees the bubbles across the room -



This one is of Skyler actually popping the bubbles -

Bitter Lemons

So we have been trying to introduce Skyler to table food recently ... after the Doc advised at the 9 month check up that the reason Skyler is spitting his jarred food back at us is b/c he wants real food. Let me tell you, this doctor is worth all the money we pay him, b/c apparently we don't have the brains to deduce things ourselves. Regardless, Skyler has refused most of the table foods that we give to him. So our baby who once had some rolls on him, is dwindling away to nothing.

Foods he refuses - diced fruit, diced carrots, peas, most baby food

Food he loves - Yogurt, ground beef, OATMEAL a Plenty, Rice Cereal, cheese, crackers, magic stars, cookies

So when we went out with Patty and Adam to a restaurant, we were shocked to find that the thing Skyler wanted most was LEMONS. He would chew and suck on them and then make the cute bitter face. He kept pulling Patty's hand back to him and doing it all over again. So we can now add Lemon to his like list. Thought you would enjoy the video and pictures. (BTW - you would have thought that by now I would have figured it out that I cannot turn the camera, but no - sorry!)

New Blogs

Here's to you Mitzi .... I know it has been some time since my last blog! We have been pretty busy recently, and believe it or not, my picture taking has slacked a little. On top of that it is a pain in the butt to upload pictures onto this computer. But, for thos of you like Mitzi, who check the site frequently, holding on to hope that you might catch a picture of Skyler crawling ... or better yet biting with his new teeth, I will be trying to blog some recent events in the next few days. Love to all :)

P.S. Look through the past few months too, b/c I will be posting his first crawling, first trip to Chuck E Cheese, etc.

Brendan's Swearing In Ceremony!

After passing the Bar, the final step before being an official attorney is being sworn into the Florida Bar. They typically have mass swearing in ceremonies throughout Florida right after the bar results are published. Lucky for Brendan, he has an inside connection! My dad got him a private swearing in ceremony with the Chief Judge of the 13th Judicial Circuit, Manny Menendez, today!! We got to go into his private office and have a very personal exchange! Brendan looked handsome as ever and the Judge even brought him into his personal chambers to see his Gators stuff. When they walked back in, the Judge said that Brendan passed the Gator test (I am sure he did no realize what a big fan Brendan was until after Brendan was able to rattle off all of his sports trivia knowledge). Skyler was a big hit at the ceremony. The Judge asked him what his name was and Skyler said "Jo,Jo." So for the rest of the time we were there, the Judge continued to call him Jo, Jo. Amazingly Skyler responded to it every time. They had two photographers taking pictures of the ceremony and they already sent us the pictures (such a nice touch). Unfortunately we all had difficulty trying to determine who was taking the picture! Now that Brendan is an official Attorney, we thought we might have a nice lunch. But NO! Straight to work for him ... He is going to be starring in a trial next week (crazy!) and has a lot of work to do!!! Hope you enjoy these pictures :)

Universal Studios

They gave all the employees free passes to Universal Studios in August that were good through September. We kept meaning to go, but we never could get everything lined up right, between work, church, and babysitters. So, at the end of September we decided that we would just bring the baby with us. This is a big step b/c Skyler hates car rides. We finally found something that helps, Baby Einstein Old MacDonald CD!!! We listened to the CD 4 times on the way there and were quiet glad to get out of the car once we made it to Orlando.

To be honest, I thought he would get overwhelmed and overtired while we were there, but amazingly he loved it. We took him to the Curious George land and of course there was a ball area (his fav). Then we took him to a Barney sing a long. To be honest that purple dinosaur scares me, but he loved it. We went with Patty, Adam and my friend Karen. They have a baby swap program at the park so that you can wait in a air conditioned area when part of your group is on the ride and then go to the front of the line once they are off of the ride.

The only bad part of the trip was the last 20 minutes of the ride home (straight screaming) and the entire next day (we were tired and he was off of his schedule).

Enjoy the pics :)

Chuck E Cheese

So Patty was babysitting one weekend and suggested that we take Skyler with them to Chuck E Cheese. Brendan and I were not so sure how he would like it, but we decided to go along for the adventure. We were seriously disappointed to find that there was no ball pit (although it probably would have been infested with germs). The place was packed with children and we were shocked that there are not more law suits against them. I don't know how anyone can keep up with their child in all of those tubes and things!! But Skyler had fun none-the-less. He loved all the loud noises, flashing lights and children running around. Brendan found a basketball game and impressed all the children with his B-Ball skills. We took an etch a sketch picture with Skyler and he has the most serious face on ... we joke that he was thinking how weird it was for a rat to be drawing a picture of him. We took a picture of it and have posted it below.

Crawling

Right before Brendan took the bar, While Grandma Fletcher was visiting, Skyler decided that he was going to Crawl. This was the first of many phone calls from Brendan letting me know new tricks that Skyler picked up while I was at work. It took all of my energy not to go home immediately to see the big trick. The next morning I tried to get him to recreate it for the camera. So he was 6, just shy of 7 months ... and crawling :) I look back now and wonder what it was like to be in the days when he could not move!!! After crawling came pulling up and cruising (within the next week)! Grandma was lucky to catch the event, and we could not have been more excited to host her at our house, while she helped care for Skyler as Brendan did his last minute studying and I was at work.

Bath Time and Diaper Time

Skyler loves his baths in the big boy tub! The only problem currently is getting him to stay seated. From the moment he started to crawl (at 6 months) he started to pull up and then a few days later he started to cruise. Since that time he has been a little wiggle worm and it is impossible to bath and diaper him. My mom has started to call him skouliki (which is Greek for worm). Apparently my Grandparents gave the same nickname to my brother David when he was a baby.







Here is a video of Bath Time -



Here is a slide show of Diaper Time -