Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy...

Boys will be boys, this, I know. So, when it came time for Tyler's first fishing trip, there was no doubt in my mind that it would be an interesting one.

Last weekend, while up in Lake Wales, I discovered that I had 2 bags of old hamburger buns in the freezer that I needed to throw out. I had an even better idea: "Why don't we go feed the fish?" Our neighbor has a pond that he stocks with local fish, so why not go spoil the fish with a little extra breakfast? And so we did. But what started as just a fish feeding trip, turned into Tyler's first fishing trip. As we were feeding the fish, Todd (the Neighbor) yells, "go get a pole". OK! This was not your typical fishing hole, since the fish are used to being fed on a daily basis. All it took was to drop the hook in with a bread ball on it and out came a fish. It somewhat takes the fun out of it, but for a 13 month old, it was just enough action to keep him interested for a good 20 minutes.

The best part of all was not the actual catching of the fish, but Tyler's reaction to the fish once they were on the dock. Most kids would be frightened by a fish frolicking around on a dock. Not Tyler. He actually took a swat at the fish as if he were trying to gain control of them and tell them to calm down. He's too much. After about 5 catch and releases, Tyler was ready to move on to bigger and better things. One thing's for sure, I know where we'll be taking him when he can actually fish on his own. To him, it will be a great day on the water!!!! And so it goes...

Pumpkin Patch

It's that time of year again. Time to set out for the Pumpkin Patch and take oodles of pictures and eventually, walk out with a pumpkin in hand. Amazingly, this time has come a lot quicker than I thought it would. A few things have changed since our visit to the Pumpkin Patch last year. Tyler was only 1-1/2 months old last year at the Pumpkin Patch (PP) and the weather was MUCH cooler. In fact, I recall freezing my rear end off last year. Since this blog was non-existent at this time last year, below are some pictures that we took.




As we drove to the PP this year, David and I were reminiscing about a little boy that was there last year. The boy had to be close to 2-years-old and was running around like a mad man, all over the place. We recalled telling each other that that would be us this year. What do you know, here we are! Tyler is not yet running like a mad man, but he will certainly out-crawl any speed walker! We let him have at it since we were there early and there wasn't too much of a crowd. We got our photo shoot in and then let him pick out a pumpkin. He chose one certain pumpkin that was just his size and naturally, we bought it. He didn't let it out of his hands until we got in the truck to go home. Another year, another Pumpkin Patch, another bunch of memories! And so it goes...

Oh Lolly, Lolly, Lolly...

Last week, Tyler experienced his first encounter with a lollipop. Or, should I rephrase that to read: He experienced his first encounter with a lollipop that I am aware of? I know there are some of you out there saying that's more like it. Anyhow, WHAT A MESS!

He was rewarded with this lollipop after his haircut from Rhonda. She asked if she could give it to him and I hesitated, but eventually gave in. I sometimes underestimate the knowledge of a 13 month old, because as she handed it to him, he knew exactly what to do with it. He even tried chewing through the wrapper to get to it. Daddy unwrapped it for him and as soon as he got his first lick in, his eyes lit up and it was like he was in baby heaven. He even switched it from hand to hand like he had been awaiting this moment for the past 13 months. Needless to say, I was not about to put him in his car seat with it so that he could touch everything in sight and get it sticky, so the ride home was a very loud one. As soon as we got home, we put him in his high chair and let him back at it. Again, as if his addiction were satisfied. The only downside was that his usual 8:30 bedtime came and went that night. No more lollipops for Mr. Tyler anytime soon! And so it goes...

Four-Wheelin' Fool

But, of course Tyler already has his own ATV. Could it be any other way? Ha! Not in this family!

For his first birthday, Grammy & Pops got Tyler his very own four wheeler. It is one that is not motorized (thank goodness) and he has to pedal himself along. He is just now getting the hang of sitting on it and moving, only he goes in REVERSE! It is the funniest thing. Mostly, he likes to just push it around and walk with it, although he does like to sit on it and push all of the buttons so it will talk. We'll keep working with him on it until he is full speed ahead, which I'm sure will be before we know it!!! (PS: Notice he's all trimmed up. He just had haircut #3 last night) And so it goes...

Just Call Me......Paparazzi

Obsessed. That is the best way to describe how I feel about my new toy. We broke down and FINALLY bought a real camera, a digital SLR. Yes, that's correct, WE bought it, but it is MINE, all MINE! No offense to anyone who swears by a point-and-shoot, that was once me. But really, the picture quality doesn't even compare. This is a whole new world of photography. I still plan on purchasing another point-and-shoot to throw in my bag and take everywhere, but to capture all of those most unforgettable moments, I will rely on Mr. SLR.

My most recent digital camera turned up missing about two weeks ago. We went to the airport to watch airplanes (Tyler is ga-ga over airplanes) and no one has seen it since. We went back to the location only to find no sign of it. As my Mom would say, it grew legs and walked off. That two weeks without a camera felt like an eternity. I was so lost. I would run to go get my camera to capture something cute or funny that Tyler was doing and half way there, would realize that I didn't have a camera. That was enough of that! Last Sunday we went to look at a few models that were referred to me, and walked out with a new camera in tow! SWEET! I couldn't wait to put it together and snap away! Forget about reading the manual!

Needless to say, I still haven't read the entire manual, so I've only gotten familiar with about 50% of the functions, but I'm working on it. There are so many buttons, and not being a photography student, it is a little overwhelming to me. To test the 50% that I was familiar with, we went to the beach last night just before sunset and did a little Mommy-style photo shoot. Of course, the primary focus was who else, but Tyler! Daddy made his way into a few of them too. It was a lot of fun and I can't wait to go back and do it again. Only, next time I will be a little more educated with the camera and hope to get better shots! Below is a slide show of some of the pictures I took. Enjoy! And so it goes...