Final batch of vacation pics

I'm finally through the vacation pics.  Just a few last ones to share...

Gavin and Memaw playing Memory

Gavin with his Great-Grandma

 Checking out the rain at the Chicago airport as we killed time during our delay while heading home on Wednesday.

And, I just a couple things that made this vacation easier -

1. We borrowed this car seat cover from Amy for this trip and it was great!  So much easier for Jarrod to wear this on his back while pulling our other luggage since I'm officially in charge of Gavin while traveling and he handles most of the luggage. 

2. We went the first night and bought a potty ring at Target because we couldn't get Gavin to sit on the potty to poop (sorry...but that's what us moms talk about!)  He was so much more willing to sit on the potty ring than trying to balance his tiny little self on a big potty.  And, added bonus...we cleaned it off, wrapped it in a plastic back and hid it in the car seat cover so we could bring it home with us!  I think it will be traveling with us for a while.

3. These bed rails we bought for Gavin's new bed are amazing!

They are inflatable, and come with a carrying bag and a pump.  We fit them in Jarrod's backpack that he had for his carry-on, as well as the DVD player and DVDs...that's how little room they take up.  And it was nice to know Gavin wouldn't fall off the bed while we were at the hotel.  So easy to use!

Ok - enough about our vacation...we're back to life in Arkansas, so I'll get back to our normal posts now.  :)

Our Beach Boy!

I think my favorite day of our trip was our last full day there.  We were planning to make a 2 hour drive to St. Augustine to take Gavin to the beach and I was so excited!  We've been talking about the beach for a long time and he was so excited.  After our time at the lake on Mother's Day, he thought we'd already seen the beach.  I kept telling him the "big beach" was much different!  He LOVED it!  We only stayed for a couple hours, and we were good about staying lubed up with sunblock and staying under the umbrellas for shade.  I can't wait for our next beach vacation!  :)

Right where we parked for the public beach access, there was a splash park!  Last year, when I took Gavin to the one here, he wasn't a fan at all, but he loved playing in this one.  We let him play for a half hour or so to get all the sand off of him.  He was so sad when we had to leave. 

It was a great day!  Definitely worth the drive.  :)

A break from the sun

After spending all day Sunday outside, we decided to make Monday a low key day and stay indoors.  We headed to the University of Florida campus and walk through the museum.  Gavin loved the exhibits, especially the Butterfly Rainforest.  I got tons of butterfly shots that I'll share another time....here are the ones of Gavin.  

Pool Time!

It's amazing how good it feels to be in the pool while you're pregnant!  I was weightless!  Totally awesome.

Mother's Day

Sunday was Mother's Day, and Jackie brought a little gift for me to open "from Gavin" and had him sign the card, too.  Honestly, that was the best part of the day!  If you look closely, you'll see an A, n, and an i that he wrote himself.  Not in the right order, and not sure with the G and the v are, but talk about making a mom feel good!

Then, we got to spend the rest of Mother's Day at the lake!  Aunt Pat's friend, Dan, took us out on his boat and then we played on the "beach area" of the lake since the water was so low.  Gavin loved the boat ride!  He was a little unsure of going into the water though.  It took forever to convince him to just get his feet wet, but once we did he loved it!  He was actually making me quite nervous with how adventurous he was getting, walking out farther and farther and even sitting down or trying to lay on his belly.  

After we were back to Aunt Pat's for dinner, I realized I didn't get a good Mother's Day pic of me and my favorite little boy...so I grabbed him and snapped one myself and got this.   

It was a great day!  I'm so lucky to have such a loving little boy that calls me Mom.  Next year, our baby girl will be here to celebrate the special day, too.