Rudy - Wordless Wednesday...because no words are needed.

Baby Toto

After the loss of Carli, my Mom was certain she would not get another dog despite the vet's encouragement that she do so as soon as possible.

A little over two months later, my aunt placed this little guy in Mom's life.

His name is Tucker, he is a tiny little Morkie and one of the sweetest puppies - ever.

My Mom got him while we were away on vacation, which meant he had a week to settle into his new home before we met him.

When Addie first saw him, she immediately called him "Toto" and that is all she calls him.

Back at Christmas, Addie was quite attached to Moosletoe, who she lovingly called "Toto".

Tucker must have reminded her of Moosletoe, because she has never seen the horrible, nightmare inducing Wizard of Oz.

At first Addie was a bit nervous around him, but it wasn't long

before she was offering him hugs and kisses.

yuck

~~~

June 7, 2013

Day Eight

She truly is his shadow and wants to follow him everywhere.

The Monkus demanded that Julien stand with her for photo after photo.

He clearly minded...

We made our way into the room which displayed the sleeping arrangements for the soldiers.

I had just finished telling Addie not to touch, when she reached her little hand over and gently placed it right on top of the mattress.

Which meant that as we viewed all other areas of the fort, she proceeded to touch - everything.

However, it wasn't long before we left the fort to soak up the last few hours of our time (in 2013)  in Saint Augustine.

Although we had set aside another half day to go back to the beach or do whatever activity we so desired, everyone was just worn out...and dreading the car ride home.

Monkus was beyond exhausted and upon arriving back at the hotel, she wanted to "Go home"....and after a good night of rest, we did.

Summer Vacation 2013 - That's a wrap!

Fort Navigation

It has been almost a year since I first documented how the Monkus navigates her way independently.

Almost one year later, I am still impressed with how she maneuvers her way through unfamiliar places.

Once we were on the ground floor of the fort, I let Addie out of her stroller and with Julien a few steps in front of her and Chris and Me a few steps behind her, she was free to walk without having to hold our hands.

...and once again, I was in awe of her...

as we walked through each new doorway and over each new surface, Monkus felt her way through with her hands and feet, determining on her own whether or not she needed to hold onto something in order to step over anything or to prevent her from falling.

Watching this moment unfold was pretty amazing to us.

As she approached the threshold and noticed an incline, she held onto the wall and felt her way with her feet until she was steady and comfortable with her footing.

I didn't call out to her or offer any reassurance (and it wasn't easy for me!), she did it all by herself.

It certainly helped that Julien was already inside and she was trying her best to catch up with him as quickly as possible!

~~~

May 31, 2013

Castillo De San Marcos

I love Saint Augustine - absolutely love it - and it had been too many years since my last visit.

From the Bridge of Lions

to the local wildlife

to the Castillo De San Marcos National Monument

to the lighthouse, we couldn't get enough of the beauty and atmosphere.

It was definitely our kind of beach trip.

Julien and Chris neither one were overly excited when I told them that we had to go see Castillo De San Marcos.

I couldn't blame them, how exciting does touring a fort really sound, unless it gets you out of school for a day...

However, once I got them there, we all thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Little Chunkus Monkus was firmly seated in her stroller while we toured the top of the fort.

There was nothing but awareness of boundaries and appropriate depth perception that kept anyone from falling

and it would have been quite the fall.

Absolutely impressive.

Monkus did not appreciate our momentary pause for a picture, she wanted out!

You are welcome Aunt Nonna

My sister had asked that we stop by and take a picture of the lighthouse for her.

and...so we did.

Chris was nauseated by the sight of these kids leaning over the top of the railing to look down.

Yep.

Me too.

We didn't visit the museum or walk the millions of stairs to the top - we got a picture or four and were on our way.

Day at the Beach

It had been almost four full years since our last visit to the beach. 

We've been a little busy and preoccupied with doing other things.

Those four years away meant that by the time we actually got to the beach, Julien and Addie - absolutely loved it.

It was a beautiful day.

We came fully prepared, not forgetting one single thing, including a beach blanket.

The only blanket in sight, was our fuzzy and very warm, snuggle blanket.

It was the perfect magnet for sand, but served the overall purpose quite well.

Upon arriving, nobody was quick to take to the water.

However, after settling in, Julien decided to go and test the water temperature prior to allowing Chunk to follow.

She was slightly less than thrilled about her Julien temporarily leaving her and

later took it out on him by depositing sand all over him as he relaxed and soaked up the sun.

The beach was so nice and peaceful.

With zero crowds!

It was definitely our kind of beach.

Addie absolutely loved being in the water!

She was a complete nut over it and literally could have played in the water all day long had we let her.

Now, every time we see a picture of the beach or the beach on television, Addie laughs and says, "Whoa!", talking about how the waves would knock her down.

When our vacation was over, Julien said that our day at the beach was his favorite part of it all and I know Addie loved it as well, which gives me a whole lot to consider for our next vacation.