Back to the Boat

Last week we made the move back onto the boat after being landlubbers since John was 11 months old. When we left John had just taken his first few steps, and now he is running full speed ahead! The transition went smoother than I thought possible, the first day he refused to nap until about 4PM, and then we only let him sleep about 45 minutes because we didn't want bedtime ruined. Since then, every nap and night sleep have been pretty much on schedule! He LOVES the dingy still, but now gets angry if Jeff or I touch the tiller, he wants to drive- except he doesn't really understand the concept of looking forward and steering! Jeff has been dong a lot of projects on deck as well, and John, being the 'mini-me' that he is with Daddy, he puts on his life jacket and follows Jeff around the deck helping him with projects! We have the netting to put around the lifelines but haven't put it up yet, and miraculously John hasn't fallen in yet! Today I did catch him climbing the stern pulpit- he was trying to get into the dingy! Overall, this transition has been great- its so nice to have our own space again, and we are getting into our routine fairly well. We haven't sailed yet- that could mix everything up again. The plan is to sail for Key West Saturday if the weather cooperates and spend Christmas there with friends and other cruisers, we'll keep you posted!

Boat Boy!!!


Helping Daddy


Mr. Cute- what is a day without a bathing suit on your head! We actually keep this one around just for a hat- its the favorite!!


Cozy Bed


Showing off his Cozy Bed (the best part is his OWN lightswitch-which he is kindly showing off- its actually the only one on the whole boat!)

Another round of CatchUp

Things have been so busy since John and I flew back to Florida, I really have not had a chance to update at all! I'll try to do a better job, but I can't promise anything because tomorrow we are moving back onto the boat! Friday is the low tide that we need to get under the low bridge (see previous post) and that means we have to get a move on! We are really excited about being in our OWN space again- its been a wonderful few months with family and friends, but there really is no place like home.

Here are a few photos to catch you all up on John's busy life.


John had a great time eating Gamma's spaghetti, and then Maddie had a great time chasing him around trying to lick it off- John didn't seem to mind!






Admiring the Christmas tree...





Yes... He is lounging in a magazine rack.

Up North

John and Owen all bundled up- in their matching coats!






Playing trains with PopPop, the real highlight of being at the "real house"





Unfortunately John has not been feeling well this week, on top of the bark he has had for a month he now has a bad cold with a runny nose. Uncle D and Erin got here last night and this morning was full of fun with their little puppy Mattie. John was so tired that he fell asleep in his highchair during lunch! Poor little guy.

A Weekend with the Cousins

STEWIE!!

Since John was really little people have been telling us he looks like Stewie from "Family Guy" the adult cartoon. You really can't deny the resemblance! I'll try to get some more pictures next time he wears the outfit :) Miss you Daddy!

Surfer Dude

John has 1 rash guard shirt already, the red long-sleeved Billabong one he is wearing in many of the beach photos. We knew we wanted to get a few more because they are such great sun protection. I started researching them online, only to find out the the price was high- about $40-60 for toddler shirts!!! I checked the West Marine website, just to see what their price was, and they were on CLEARANCE!!! For only $9.44 each we got John 2 suits the red one for now and a blue one to grow into- doesn't he look like a mini surfer?

Dancing!

Its short- but here is a sample of John's latest boogy! He is a bit like his PopPop- all over the place!

Watching.......

Itsy Bitsy Owen!!!

John watches Owen's movies on the computer just about every day, smiling and waving back at Owen. Its truly one of the sweetest things ever, I can't wait to get the boys back together next week for some fun!

A day at the beach...

Fountain Fun!

Yesterday we were on our way to play at the park after John's nap when we passed by another park with a fountain! I saw a child in a swimsuit playing in the water so we decided to stop. Luckily we had swimmy diapers in the car- John had a blast!!!

While the cats away...

Jeff was out at the boat for a few days, so John and I had some fun! Well, at least John did....
We went through all of John's clothes to see what still fits and what is too small- hes had a growth spurt these past few weeks and a few of the one-piece outfits are WAY too short! He likes my winter hat, and hes been carrying his mittens around all week- ready for the snow in Michigan! (I know that he looks like he is in pain here, but truly this really is his smile these days!!!)



The other day I noticed little hand prints all over the dishwasher and oven door. John is such a big helper, he cleaned them all off (with a little help!)





I was getting a migraine one morning and being the great little guy that he is, John played in the tub- fully clothed, including shoes- for at least 30 minutes! He got in on his own and when he was done he got out. It was such a nice quiet break for me! All I did was take a few pictures and then sit on the floor with my eyes closed!

Knit Cap

***UPDATE***
I added some photos of John in the sweater too! It is so cute- but a little hot for Florida! Poor guy was so sweaty after he was done modeling!

This beautiful Irish Wool hat was made by a friend of Grandma and Grandpa Goff especially for John. It has a matching sweater which I will have to try on him soon! I was afraid the hat would be too small this winter, but it fits! Guess I'll have to bring it up to MI for Thanksgiving and add it to John's pile of winter stuff!

Park

Yesterday was a beautiful day here in SW Florida so after John's nap we went to one of the local parks to play. Sadly we were the only ones there, but John had a blast anyways! They had a "Tot Lot" that had baby swings, small slides and a car on springs and the whole ground was soft sand- nice!