St. Patty's Day Parade

 

On Sunday Winter Park had their 32nd Annual St. Patrick's Day parade down Park Ave. It is the only St. Patty's parade in Central Florida. It's a fun excuse to wear green and get your friends together for some fun Irish festivities. St. Timothy (aka Tim) had his 2nd Annual Leprechaun Gathering. Tim really knows how to put together a fun Irish party and makes the best Irish fixins – Corned Beef and Cabbage! We had the best time.

After our Irish lunch we headed to Park Ave to watch the parade. Connor managed to stay awake this year (yep, no nap). You may or may not remember but last year he slept through the first half of the parade, through the sirens and all! After the parade we stayed on Park Ave to enjoy some ice cream and the run around the park a little while. This sounds bad but Connor had so much fun playing on the rail road tracks! The weather couldn't have been better either. It was forecasted to rain all day but we never saw a drop.

Here are more pictures from the parade!

Wedding

Last Saturday we made a day trip to Tampa for a wedding. We've been looking forward to this for awhile now, not just to see (and meet) a lot of family, but we also couldn't wait to see Connor in his cute little wedding outfit! Because I am getting close to my due date, we didn't know for sure if we could even go until a couple of days before hand. I had my doctor's visit, everything looked good, so we got the go ahead to make the trip. 

Some of my closest friends that live in Tampa, and a couple from Orlando, got together and threw me a little shower/luncheon earlier in the day. We met at Wine Exchange, a cute restaurant in Hyde Park. I had the best salmon entree! Thanks to all my friends for putting that together. Not only were they super generous but it was so good to see everyone again. 

After lunch we headed to the wedding. Connor looked so darn cute I just wanted to eat him up. Not sure what it was about the wedding but he was completely out of his element. He was Mr. Outgoing and had so much fun running around, jumping all over the place. He had a blast! The wedding was beautiful, held at the Davis Island Garden Club. After the ceremony when they announced the wedding party, Connor joined in on queue and clapped each time a couple was announced. Cutest thing ever. 

Connor also got a few more birthday presents, from his Aunt Nancy, Dzaidzia and Busia. He is officially a pro at opening gifts and ripped into those first thing Sunday morning. I think this is the end of it though, which he might not like as he's been celebrating his 2nd birthday for about a month now!

Here is a link to some additonal wedding pictures.  

Connor's Birthday

Last weekend my parents came down to Orlando. I've been having some car problems so my daddy came to my rescue. They were supposed to come this weekend for Connor's birthday party but my car issues required immediate attention. I'm so thankful in times like these that my dad is a mechanic...and that they only live 2 hours away. I was a little bummed that they weren't going to be able to make it back down this weekend for Connor's birthday party, but we made the most of it. We made him a special birthday cake so that he could celebrate with Bebe and Grandpa. I don't think Connor minded :) He got to practice saying "two" and blowing out his candles.   



How old are you Connor?

This weekend John's parents came for Connor's party. We started our weekend by going out to breakfast Saturday morning. Connor loves to eat out for breakfast. He's typically a good eater but breakfast foods are definitely his favorite. He wowed our server with how much he packed away. I think she thought he was storing some of his pancakes in his cheeks for later. After breakfast John and I started to get things ready for his party so he got to play with Grandma and Papa. Playing would be an understatement. He rode his new tricycle that he got from them all around the neighborhood. He played with his cars and puzzles. He was wearing himself out! Which is what we wanted....we thought anyway. The idea was for him to wear himself out so that he would nap before his party which was scheduled for 2 pm. Unfortunately, the nap never happened. 2 o'clock rolled around and Connor started to get fussy. He whined on the way to the park and then got super clingy once we got there. Grandma picked him up and not 5 minutes later he was sound asleep. Yep, Connor slept through most of his party. I think all the kids still had fun. We waited for him to wake up to have cupcakes, but Connor wanted nothing to do with them. We didn't even get to sing Happy Birthday, LOL. He eventually had one...and a half...but not till later when he had woken up a bit more. Oh well, maybe next year :)

Ready to open presents!

Yesterday Connor (finally) got to open his birthday presents. He didn't get around to them on Saturday because once we left the party we went to an early dinner with John's family before his parents had to leave town. He got all kinds of fun things! He had lots of fun ripping off the paper and made sure he got every last piece off. He can be very particular sometimes :)

Our money pit continues to strike so Daddy was busy yesterday with another home improvement project. Seems the back wall of the house is rotten. We're trying to get things like that taken care of before our home inspection...whenever that may be. Connor wanted nothing more than to be out there helping. I was thankful for his birthday gifts to help distract him. He spent a majority of the day playing with his new toys or outside on his new tricycle. Connor even helped Mommy wash her car, which I completely regret doing today. Lesson learned....I do not recommend washing your car when you are almost 9 months pregnant. That along with a very busy weekend makes for one sore back. And no....John had no idea I was washing my car.

We're looking forward to Connor's real birthday on Wednesday. I still can't believe my baby will be 2. His 2 year check-up is scheduled for next week. I'll be sure to let you all know how much he's grown!    

Here is the link to view pictures from Bebe and Grandpa's visit last weekend, Connor's birthday party and a few other pictures from our weekend. Enjoy!

♥ Happy Valentine's Day! ♥

We took Connor to SeaWorld again on Saturday. Our friends John, Kristyn and Kaden joined us as well. So far we have managed to see and do different things each time we go. This trip Connor got to touch the sting rays, visit the Shark Encounter, watch the Dolphin show and ride his very first ride - the Sea Carousel! He had so much fun on the ride and didn't want to get off. So we rode it twice back to back :) The dolphins were especially playful which was really fun to watch. Perhaps it was the cooler weather that made them so frisky?

On Sunday I took Connor with me to Park Avenue to enjoy a free Valentine concert. John was busy at home with the yard but I couldn't resist getting out on such a beautiful day. The weather was perfect for the event. It was big band music...jazzy. I went to meet up with my friends Tim and Erin and Connor actually slept through the first part of it. People were spread out everywhere on their blankets and chairs, drinking wine and snacking on cheese. There were even a few daring couples who stood up to dance. We weren't there long but had fun.

Connor received a special Valentine in the mail from Emma on Friday. It was a cute photo magnet with a picture of little miss cutey. Connor took much pride in putting it up on the fridge...at his level, and when he walks by he likes to say Emma and give her a kiss. It's so cute!! He also got Valentine's from Bebe & Grandpa, Grandma & Papa, and Busia & Dziadzia which he put up next to Emma.

This morning I woke up to roses and special Valentine's from my boys. Connor was so proud of the heart shaped Valentine he made for Mommy, you should have seen his face beaming with a smile...melted my heart.

Click here to see additional pictures from our weekend.

♥ Happy Valentine's Day ♥

Weekend Recap

Saturday we went to a birthday party to help Austin celebrate his 4th birthday. He had all kinds of fun things to do at his party. There was a bounce house, "jump-o-lean", pinata, cake...and a kitty! LOL Connor had the most fun chasing around the friendly neighborhood cat.

 

 

 

 

 

On Sunday Connor got to see his Aunt Nancy and Uncle Mark. Nancy was in town for just a few hours before she had to catch a flight back to Chicago. Connor loved every second of it! He really loves his Aunt Nancy ("Nan-knee"). When we dropped her off at the airport he must have repeated "Nan-knee airplane" at least 10 times, he was sad to see her go.

 

 

Connor is talking up a storm these days, repeating everything we say (the last couple of words anyways). It's like having a little parrot in the house :) He also decided to start calling John and I Mommy and Daddy over the weekend. We've always referred to ourselves as such but he has always said Mama and Dada. He also seems to be getting more excited about Addison, which is good because she will be here before we know it! This morning he put his hand on my belly so I asked him if he wanted to say 'good morning' to baby Addison. He nodded his head yes and said it...too cute! ♥

Tricycle Fun

Connor's tricycle may be a little too big for him as he can't reach the petals yet....but who said you can't still have fun with it?! Our driveway is just steep enough that things will slowly roll down it. Connor loves to sit on it and steer down the driveway - good balance practice, right? He just needs to grow a couple of inches and he'll be good to go!

Joyeux Anniversaire!

This weekend was my birthday. Bebe and Grandpa came down for the day to help us celebrate which Connor thoroughly enjoyed. He showed off his new wagon and slide, and had fun playing with bubbles. But most of all, Connor enjoyed the brownie cupcakes Bebe made me! For dinner we went out to Kobe, a Japanese restaurant where they cook in front of you. Saturday was a busy night so we had to wait over 30 min for our table. You may think that would be a problem with a toddler but not here. They have the biggest Koi 'pond' in the restaurant lobby. Connor had the best time feeding the fish! Dinner was just as entertaining for him. Between the chopsticks, dongs from nearby tables (from the birthday songs) and the hibachi style cooking there was more than enough to keep him happy.

Here are some additional pictures from my birthday, enjoy!

Mr. Mom

John played the part of Mr. Mom this weekend while I was up in Atlanta. One of my college friends, Tracy, is pregnant (only 8 days ahead of me!) and this weekend was her baby shower. I was prepared for the cold weather but I couldn't believe how much snow was still on the ground!

All the girls were able to make it from all over Florida, Alabama and South Carolina. It was so much fun for us all to be together again and I got in some much needed girl time!

Connor was really good for John and even convinced him to buy him a new slide. I'm a little worried now about leaving John alone with Addison if/when the time comes. If Connor can get daddy to buy a slide, can you imagine the power his little girl will have on him? ;)

In other news Connor has moved up to the 2 year old room at daycare. They were going to start a slow transition last week but he did so good they just moved him right up. He's doing great so far and perhaps its coincidence, but it seems like he's already talking more. That is something we were excited about when they told us he would be moving up soon. He was the oldest in his 1 year old room so now he has older kids to learn from. Monkey see monkey do :p

Have a great week!

Playtime

We didn't have any plans this weekend and for the most part just stuck around the house. Connor enjoyed playing in his new playroom and going for wagon rides around the neighborhood. We're just about done with the playroom, it just needs a few finishing touches like things on the wall. It is so nice having all of the toys out of the living room! As you can see in the above picture Connor likes to play under his table. As of now he fits under there perfectly but it won't be too long before he outgrows that space.

For Christmas Connor received M&M's in his stocking and instantly fell in love. He ran out rather quickly and has asked for them ever since. It's so cute, he will point to the pantry and with his head tilted to the side say "M&M?" He hasn't had any since then but I bought him a little pack when I went grocery shopping on Saturday. It is safe to say Connor still loves his M&M's :)

Sunday we checked out the Maitland Farmer's Market for a little bit. We knew Connor would have fun on the playground and I needed some fresh green beans. Not sure if it's the pregnancy or not but I am loving me some green beans lately! I could eat them everyday and suddenly they are hard to come by in the grocery store. Perhaps they are out of season, I have to admit I'm not one to know my fruit and veggies seasons. I got my veggies and Connor had lots of fun on the swings and really enjoyed seeing a train go by (tracks run right by the playground).

For whatever reason Connor has never been one to "smile" for the camera, not on demand anyway. Not the case anymore! If you have a camera in your hands and ask Connor to say "Cheese" - the boy says "Cheese!!!" with the cutest little scrunched up face :)

Additional scenes from the weekend: http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8EcOGzJm3cN8C

Happy New Year!

My boys were finally well enough to venture out of the house today. I can't tell you how excited and happy this made me! We took a family trip to Ikea to look for furniture for Connor's new playroom. We have decided to turn our 'bonus room' where we keep our computer into a play area for Connor and all his toys. We're trying to make room for our little princess and Connor's toys have started to take over the house! Ikea was crazy and not exactly convienient to our house but we managed to find everything we need to get started. Stay tuned for pictures!

After Ikea we made an impromptu trip to SeaWorld! It was already after 5 pm when we got there so we just had enough time to see a couple of shows. The SeaWorld Christmas Celebration ends tomorrow so we actually got to see a couple of the Christmas shows we didn't get to the last time we were there. We managed to squeeze in Shamu's Christmas Miracles show, the penguin exhibit and Clyde and Seamore's Countdown to Christmas show before Connor was worn out. It also snowed at SeaWorld tonight! Ok, not really...but it was a nice attempt and fun for pictures :)

Waiting for Shamu...

The Penguin Exhibit

What's that?!

It's snowing!

Clyde and Seamore (sea lions)

It occurred to me today that Connor is now 22 months old. I just can't believe how fast my baby is growing up. In just two more months he is going to be 2! I can't begin to put into words how much I love him or how much joy he brings to our lives. It just keeps getting better though and I really can't wait to see all that 2011 has in store for the Gumula family. Addison will be here in about 3 months. That in itself gives us so much to look forward to! Happy New Year! :)