Hunting or "Gathering"

One of our outings in Michigan was morel hunting.

What are morels, you ask???

Upon entering the Hillary family, I asked the same thing.

Morels are mushrooms, and "hunting" is more like "gathering."

(Thanks Mike M. for that new description.)

Since I didn't grow up in a family of hunters, and I detested mushrooms until college, the idea of hunting for mushrooms was about as foreign as the idea of marrying a guy from my hometown...who happened to have giant lizards, snakes, and tarantulas as PETS.

 Well...here I am...

hunting for mushrooms with the man of my dreams

(who graciously traded in those pets for his adoring wife).

 Clare was more excited about the trees and flowers (and the Lifesaver that Mommy hid along the path) than the elusive mushrooms.

 Grandma and Clare looked for trolls under the bridge.

 After a while, we left the "gathering" up to Daddy and Isaac.

.

So, the question is...

Can I now say that I've been hunting?

6-Month Update...Just a Little Late!

My handsome little man turned 6-months-old while we were in Michigan.

My handsome little man melts my heart...

EVERY DAY!

 My handsome little man humored his grandma by trying on the hat that my grandfather (his great-grandpa) wore as a Naval Captain.

 My handsome little man makes funny faces while he eats.

At six months, he is enjoying sweet potatoes, carrots, applesauce, and BANANAS.  He loves banana baby food (Thanks Gerber!). 
He's not so fond of green beans or rice.

 My handsome little man is sitting, rolling, laughing, "talking", 

and bringing joy to our days.

 My handsome little man just had his six month appointment:

Weight = 19 lbs. and 15 oz. (75th%)

Length = 28.75 inches (Off the chart)

Head = 18 inches (90th)

Did I mention that I think he's handsome???

Baby (Girl) Boom!!!

In the last couple of weeks, we got to meet THREE special babies...

ALL of them GIRLS!

 Sarah and Tory Allen, our dear friends in Florida, had a baby girl at the very end of April.  Sweet Grace already feels like a niece to us, a cousin to Clare, and a potential girlfriend to Isaac.  :)

 We are SO EXCITED to watch her grow up with our little ones.  :)

 Kassidy is the daughter of my college roommate and very close friend, Kim.

Isaac certainly had his eyes on her.

 And she had her hands on him...

 ...and he liked it!  :)

 I LOVED seeing Kim as a new Mommy, 

and I really enjoyed meeting her sweet little peanut.

 One of the highlights of my trip home was spending an evening with some of my college friends.  The picture is included for a few reasons: 

1. I promised to post it.  2. I love these girls, and I truly miss connecting with them.  3. Two of the girls (Kathi and Jessica who needs to update her blog) are pregnant and adding to the baby boom.

Marissa was the third little one that I got to meet.

She is the daughter of my cousin, Kelly, 

and she was born at the beginning of April.

 Isaac definitely seemed like a BIG BOY next to her.

 They were only compliant for so long.  :)

I loved spending time with all of these special little ones, and it reminded me of just how quickly time passes. 

To Michigan and Back...

I've been on a blogging hiatus for the past two weeks because we were away from home, away from our computer, and away from Florida's heat and humidity.  Here's a peak at the beginning of our trip...

 I flew up to Michigan a week before Phil...

which meant that I tackled the airport and flight with the two peanuts...

ALL BY MYSELF.

 Even though it looks like Clare was running off into the abyss...

 ...she did VERY WELL during the trip!!!

 She LOVED watching the planes 

and playing with all of the special travel toys.

 Here's a tiny glimpse of my loves:

 All fun and games, huh?!

 CHEESE!!!

 We were in the very back row...

 ...and it felt like we owned that plane!

 Here's my weak attempt at capturing the three of us.

 We arrived in Chicago on the 8th so that we could celebrate my cousin Ben's college graduation.  Congrats Ben!

More pictures and posts to come...

Phil on Leno

Last night was Phil's debut on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno.  He carried the croc monitor onto the stage and then got a shout-out from Julie Scardina as he carried it back off the stage.  My hubby's pretty handsome, don't you think?? 

He appears at the beginning and end of the clip:

CLICK HERE TO VIEW!

Same and Different

Same beach.

Same mommy.

Same swimsuit.

 

Different year.

Different babies.

Different hair.

Sandcastles for Dinner and Snowstorms Inside

Florida weather makes it challenging to do certain things.

Playing in the outdoor sandbox, in the middle of the afternoon, is nearly OUT OF THE QUESTION due to the upper-90-degree heat and humidity.

Therefore, we created an indoor "sandbox."

 Clare used my remaining dinner ingredients (bread crumbs) as a sandbox.

 It was fun while it lasted...

 ...until Daddy came home and got stuck with the clean-up.

 Naked Buns thought that was part of the fun.

Here's a tiny glimpse:

The following pictures do not reflect an intentional play experience.

 Clare dumped out the garbage full of shredded paper in effort to create a snowstorm.  Like I said, it's hot down here!

What do you find more strange...

The fact that she is half-naked AGAIN...

OR

That she is stuffing shredded paper (a.k.a. "snow") in her socks.

What does this girl have with putting things in her socks?

She past post "Blocks in Her Socks"

Here's a snippet of Clare's fun in the snow.

There's Something About...

There's something about...

The Beach

(We had an awesome day at Anna Maria Island on Friday,

and we enjoyed connecting with The Clacks...our friends from MI.)

There's Something About...

A Daddy with His Daughter

  (These two peas in a pod could play in the water ALL DAY!)

There's Something About...

A Mommy with Her Little Boy

 (I could sit and snuggle with my peanut ALL DAY!)

There's Something About...

Finding Sand Dollars at the Beach

The kids thought they were finding "money."

Don't we wish!  :)

Even after driving home with tired kids, a van full of sand, and sunburn on our shoulders, it was an awesome day.  You would think that living in Florida equaled unlimited beach time, but that's just the thing...we "live" in Florida.  It takes having friends who "vacation" in Florida to get us out to the beach.  Thanks for a great day, Clacks!  :)  Can't wait until next year!