Castaway Island Preserve 2014

The weather here albeit pretty bipolar, has been beautiful lately!  We are trying to spend as much time as we can outside before it becomes unbearably hot.  We visited this treasured spot about 10 minutes from our house.  It is a hidden gem for sure.  It is a free activity for us, which is always great!  There are a lot of trails, bridges, paths, and overlooks.  The scenery is beautiful.   The three of us had a fantastic time here this past weekend.   Here are some shots from our time there.   Please forgive me, I pretend that I am a seasoned photographer that knows what she is doing.  I like to mess around with color, black and white, and different exposures and saturations.  I love it.  Wish I had more time to practice this hobby.  You have to admit, I have a great model. :)

Pure joy!   He was so excited to be free and be outside.

We ran into a couple of photographers and they asked if we wanted them to take a few pictures of us.  At first we hesitated because we know how hard it is for others to get photos of Grayson, but then we figured it was worth a shot.  I am so glad they offered, these are the first family pictures we have of all of us in months!

It was a great day and we are hoping to go back really soon, before the weather is too brutally warm.

February 2014

 Here is our little "lovasaurus"wishing everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!

 A little Risky Business action...

 It has been beautiful, but chilly, weather here over the last few weeks, so we decided to try bowling.  We went into it like we do all new things these days, with no expectations.  He did great!  The noises, people cheering and clapping, balls flying down the lanes, and pins falling down didn't bother him at all.   He was excited to give it a try!  We got bumpers and this nifty little slide to help him bowl.

 Here is his first frame, bowling with Daddy!

 After each time the bowl rolled down, he would intently watch the ball go down the lane and knock down the pins.  We would get a little smirk and then he would RUN back to the machine to get another ball.  Daddy would get it, grab his hand, and off they went!

 Ahhh the excitement!   Strikkkkkkkkke!

 Claps for good bowling!

 Mommy got to be in a few pictures too!

 Grayson loved doing it over and over again.  He bowled for all three of us for about 4 frames.

 "I am so good at this!"

 Then.....we got a little tired so we sat.

 And leaned back to check the score.

 This bowling thing is exhausting!

 He had some french fries, got some pep back in his step and bowled another frame or two.

 All in all a very successful activity that we are sure to do again.    We have been spending a lot of time outside recently.  If we are dressed appropriately, it is gorgeous.   We have gotten very brave and started to go down the big kid slides at the playground.  His signs are coming along really nicely.  We get to practice "slide" and "swing" a lot!  Below are pictures of him signing for both activities before we start them.

 Happy kid, has loved the swing since he was teeny tiny!

 Great Grandma JoJo and Nonny Andrea came into town last weekend.   They got to go to Chuck E Cheese to play and spend good time with Grayson and Daddy.