Vacation!

We vacationed in Florida--courtesy of my mom, Kim, and my stepdad, Stu. We spent two nights in Orlando and three nights in Ft. Lauderdale. We had a great time, but no one had more fun than Garrett! He loved the adventure and watching all the interesting people. One of his favorite things to do is wave, at everyone and at anything that generally pleases him, like ceiling fans. He has the adorable open and close hand wave and what Brendan likes to call the vote-for-me wave, open hand, arm extended in an arch motion--very adorable. Garrett's a charmer, what can we say.










We went to the Kennedy Space Center, which fascinating and surprisingly very family oriented. It's hard to describe how impressive it all was; let's just say it's hard to fathom that there are people that smart.











We also went to Pompano Beach in Ft. Lauderdale. It's a pretty beach. Garrett had a good time, except for the wave that got him in the face. He was really interested in the sea shells Daddy found for him.







We took an airboat ride in the Everglades. We saw three alligators! One alligator swam right up to the edge of the boat, where I was sitting! It was sorchin' hot.









We went to many tasty restaurants, including Joe's Crab Shack, which Garrett loved. We ate at a intimate French restaurant, and then went and saw Ratatouille--very cute. We highly recommend it.










Garrett has reached a new plateau. He's more animated and active. He's all over the place. He can pull up and is learning to cruise. Garrett jabbers all the time, and is becoming very communicative. One of his favorite new games is the gravity game-- dropping things for fun.









We had a great time on our first family vacation! Garrett was a real trooper.

Graduation Day!

Yay for Graduation Day! Yes, I made it! No more class, no more homework. I now have my college degree, and I am a mom, and I looked good on grad day! I don't know about my hair, though-- oh well. Four long years are over. The North Carolina School of the Arts graduations are unique. There are no cap and gowns, and the sight of large beach balls and silly string flying through the graduating class, on stage are common. It's not boring, that's for sure. Who likes boring graduations anyway?










The composer Danny Elfman was the key speaker and honorary degree receipent. He was an awesome speaker, very inspirational. His message included: life is a journey, and all your experinces are valuable. That's the truth. I wouldn't be who I am today without all of my life experiences that led up to this moment, and I like who I am today.









It was great to have my parents and my sisters there. My parents enabled me to attend school and supported me throughout my experience. It was also great to see some of my best buddies there-- the punks who graduated last year.

I wouldn't have been able to finish my last year without the love and support of Brendan (and lil' Bean, too).

I AM DONE! Boy does it feel nice.

And they lived happily ever after...

We're married! I graduated! Can you believe it? I don't know if I can, but I did it, we did it. The wedding was gorgeous and fun and went by entirely too fast. We had an amazing time! It was great looking around and seeing all our friends and family enjoying themselves. There were many faces of loved ones we missed, but we were blessed to have so many special people in our lives with us on our important day.

Garrett stole the show-- no surprise there. He had perfect timing, as usual, and waved during our vows to him. He is so cute and sweet; it's ridiculous! We were very impressed at what a charming trooper he was during the wedding. On a side note, Garrett has said his first words! He can say mama, hi, dada, uh-oh. During his bath yesterday, I think he said quack-quack at his rubber ducky-- so cute!

Husband and wife! We still get used to our impressive new titles, but married life feels great. We are going to Florida at the end of the month--all three of us! We're excited to take Garrett to the beach. Vacation will be awesome. We also plan to take Garrett camping soon (car campin', of course).

Little Man's New Skills

Over the last couple months, Garrett has blossomed into the older baby world. He is animated and charming and full of beans.

Just the other day he clapped his hands together for the first time. I have been playing patty-cake with him for a quite a while, and before he clapped, Garrett would push my hands together to make them clap. He has recently started waving, not always at the appropriate times. It is so darling! He waved to himself in the mirror--so cute.

Garrett makes a wide array of sounds, some very word-like and others sound like precious goblin sounds. Brendan and I call him our little monster. Garrett will grab at and tackle us, playfully. I am trying to teach him the word gentle, because that kiddo can pull your hair hard.

He isn't completely crawling, but he can get around. He can crawl backwards, roll in every direction, and squirm. Garrett has made his way under the couch and coffee table.

Brendan and I always say that we have the sweetest man. There's nothing more precious than Garrett's smile.