1-UP JJ

JJ is going on 800 days on this Earth! I love this “big boy” so very much. He is silly, adventurous, cute, messy and stubborn. Some fun quirks: His bottom lip is constantly covered in a light covering of toddler drool. His most used statements are, “TV”, “no nap”, “my house”, and “watch dis”. He loves reading and his current favorite book is OOPS by Barney Saltzberg. He is still a fruit addict too so we have learned to have fruit as the dessert of every meal to motivate his eating of the main course. He loves trips and is always ready to hop in the car and play backseat driver, “that way, that way, that way” As a typical two year old, he can be very stubborn and big crybaby at times but as a general rule he’s a superstar. 

In honor of JJ a few weeks ago I got a new tattoo to go with the one I got for Sharry on my right arm. A 1-UP mushroom from Super Mario Brothers and JJ in pixelated letters.

The symbolic meaning is that 800 days ago JJ gave me an extra life and saved his daddy. If not for him I am certain that I would not be around today having found a way to be with Sharry whether that be in the afterlife or oblivion. Thanks to my best little buddy though I am here and sincerely love my current life. On that note, I definitely plan on getting at least one more tattoo on my left arm once I find a good “Katie idea” that sticks around for a while.

Thank you, JJ for bringing light, life and meaning to a life once so desolate and dark and planting the seeds of magic and good things now in my life and yet to come.

The eventful summer of 2018

This summer was amazing! Action packed, eventful and busy. We were away from home for 27 days! This post is going to be picture heavy and word light.

My family planned a week vacation in San Diego which was beautiful and amazing. JJ loved Legoland, the wild animal park, playing with cousins and being at the beach.

On June 27th which was also a beautiful full moon and my Grandparents' anniversary Katie and I were married. I cannot imagine a more beautiful day and ceremony. We were married on the beach in South Carlsbad with our two immediate families joining us for our happy day. Major thanks to Maureen (Katie's sister) for marrying us as well as Maria, Jen, Jane and Mary (among others) for all the work they put in to make the day so special. 

For our honeymoon we wanted to go somewhere cool, unique and adventurous. We ultimately decided on Norway where we had a magical time exploring mountains, lakes, glaciers, rivers and forests. Thanks to amazing grandparents for watching JJ!

There was no better way to end our summer and get off to an amazing beginning with our little family than to go on a National Park road trip! We drove 3500 miles over 12 days and JJ was a freaking road trip all star...we didn't even need technology once to keep him going in the back! (We had a tablet for emergencies but it was not required). We visited Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, Glacier, Katie's family in Sheridan, Wyoming, explored the Denver area and Rocky Mountain National Park.