19 Months (August)

Tomorrow I have to go back to work and leave my baby... okay, I know he is 19 months old as of Thursday but still my baby nevertheless.  I am such a mesh of emotions right now.  I am really looking forward to starting out a new school year, at a school I love, and FINALLY being able to use my Master's but.... I feel lost thinking of how much I am going to miss Leo.

Since I got pregnant, Leo and I have only spent the majority of about 14 days away from each other.  He's my heart and I have to leave him, then expect to still be able to do things... like teach. :(   I know this will be a good thing for both of us and for our family but it doesn't make it easier.  It does help that my sister is taking care of him and that he will be surrounded by love.  It just wrenches at my gut to think that the next time I will get to spend all of my time with him hanging around will be next summer.  It seems soooo far away! 

I know I have been blessed in getting to stay home with him for even this long, blessed that I have family nearby to care for him... I'm just having a small (okay maybe a big) pity party for myself tonight but hopefully I'll feel better in a week or so.  One thing about teaching is there isn't much time to think about yourself... it will keep me engaged mentally and physically for sure! 

Hopefully I'll post this on the 21st as I don't know when the next long post will be.  Who knows...it may be next summer!  I will try to update every few months even if it is just a little bit.  The below post will cover the last month which includes our trip to Florida!  Lots of great pictures and fun adventures on this one... 

(I wrote the above in August and just didn't have a chance to finish it until now.)

We started our trip in Tampa, where my mom was VERY happy to have all five grand kids sitting at her table once more.  We got a pretty cute picture of them all too!

Mimi's Table!

Leo wearing my Grandpa Patterson's old hat and pretty happy about it too!

Cousin Tiernan was a big help on this vacation!  He would willingly and VERY responsibly watch out for Leo if I was busy or asked him to keep an eye on him while I ran to do something.  I love watching them hang out together. :)

While there I spent both a kid free night out with my friends and then a kid-friendly play date at one of their houses.  The recent kids are all within 6 months of each other, but we had the 10 year old there too and now... one of my friends just had a new baby girl!  Yay!)  Here are some pictures of the antics of the one year olds...

Diaper Buddies

Leo was wetting down the slide for an extra fast ride...

Our hostesses!

The boys had a ball playing while their hostess slept!

The fun didn't end there in Tampa.... We had dance parties and guitar lessons. 

played some golf,

"enjoyed" the Florida heat, and tried to decide between a bouncy ball and a golf ball.  Decisions, decisions.

We even watched scary movies! (aka The Sandlot, Sara was a little worried about the kids getting the ball from "the monster" so Liam held her hand.  Carol is raising some really sweet boys!)

We also just hung out around the house and enjoyed being with each other. :) Memories in the making. The fun didn't stop in Tampa though.  The whole Patterson clan packed up and headed to Cocoa Beach for a few days of surf, sand, and lots of family.
We got to see my grandparents, cousins, aunt & uncle, as well as the kiddos of the new generation...

Fun with Mimi and Papa! (Leo was thrilled to be sitting next to my dad... he kept on patting his arm, lol)

Leo's dinner amusement...pouring condiments from 1 bowl to another.

Leo's own personal entertainer :) Love these boys!

While in Cocoa/Merritt Island we played some table-tennis, celebrated Carol's birthday,

 
played with our (closest in age) second cousins (and LOVED watching them interact),

and even got to meet the newest addition to the clan. :) 

What a cutie!

Look at these cheeks!

Leo and I even greeted the sun one day...

 It was a beautiful morning and will be with me for a long time...

Our journey doesn't end there though!  From Cocoa we headed to see the other side of the family and spend some time in Deland.  Nana, Pap, and Uncle Seth were anxiously awaiting our arrival and had great activities planned for us....

We quickly got settled in and Leo did his morning chores starting with driving the tractor around.

 Once that was over with, he would visit the neighbor's goats,  collect the paper, dance around in the back of Pap's truck, and sometimes would request a stroll in the wagon.  This was a daily ritual and commenced immediately following breakfast. Everyone involved loved it! :)

Aside from household chores we were treated with a visit to the zoo,

Complete with a Merry-go-round ride

and giant turtle statue!

a pontoon boat ride along the St. John's River,

Feeling the wind in his hair...

Leo got tuckered out and couldn't resist the pull of a steady motor, soft rocking of the boat, and a Mama snuggled close.

Still my baby...

 and a trip to some Florida springs.

Leo wasn't too thrilled with the chilly water...

 We also got to eat at Cracker Barrel,

 revisit the tractor for the umpteenth time,

 and just hanging out around the house making more beautiful memories to last a lifetime. 

 It was a fun and adventure filled trip and we really wish Evan could have come too. :( Everyone really missed him, especially Leo and I.

The trip home was difficult but ended with a very sleepy baby and (thankfully) an empty seat beside me...

I'll try to make it quick but I wanted to share a little of Leo and I's last couple of weeks hanging out full-time...

Mama's eye view...

Yummmm... fresh strawberries (aka buberries by Leo)

Flowers were waiting for me when I returned.  I think somebody missed us as much as we missed him.  : )

Strong man!

We had some gorgeous days for working in our garden, family outings to the library, and we even saw our good friends married! 

Congratulations Toby and Joe!

 We had playdates with friends, tried on new clothes, did lots of swimming.  We were exhausted and happy at night and got lots of snuggle time in...

Dada rocking Leo (it was dark but I used the flash).    

 I took Leo out for a final summer photo shoot and just enjoyed being a Mama to my precious little boy... It has been a summer to remember and a wonderful year and a half of devoting myself to this extremely difficult job of raising a child.  I will miss so much of this but I am so blessed and grateful for the time I have had...

UP MAMA!

We had a temper tantrum mid-photo shoot so I took advantage of the situation...hehehe

What can I say but that I have a little boy who has stolen my heart and everyday he gives me something in return...  a kiss, a hug, a beautiful smile... the returns are endless.