Uncle Jay Came to Play!

     First things first: How big does this kid look!? She is getting to be such a big girl!!
(She found the foam curlers in my bathroom and thought for sure they were some kind of game she had to learn how to play.  She was pleasantly surprised when I showed her what they were really used for...and of course she HAD to wear them :)            

Tomorrow Today is Whitney's last day two-year-old Preschool.  Its been a really good school year, allowing Whitney to make new friends, learn how to get along with others, and have fun listening and learning how to follow directions.  Im looking forward to the three-year-old class, where they will do a "Letter of the Week" and break out into small groups for more academic activities.  This year was great for Whitney socially, but Im really excited to see her learn new things academically since she will no longer listen to what I have to teach her :) (Although, I must say, she did make some pretty amazing letters on her chalkboard this morning... :))

To celebrate the last days of school, Whitney and I joined her classmates and their mommies at the community pool in the neighborhood where a few of her classmates live.  The kids had a BLAST and didnt want the day to end, and I think the mommies all agreed that it was fun to get to know each other as more than just "Whitney's mommy" or "Matthew's mommy", etc.  It was also fun to learn that Whitney has two other classmates who were adopted!  Always nice to hear about other families who understand adoption and the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways it can effect our lives.  And I cant help but think that Whitney wont feel any different from any of her classmates when she isnt the only adopted kid in her class.  We talk about how our family "happened", and my pregnancy helped us discuss how Whitney "grew inside Miss T's belly", but I think it will be so nice for her to have friends who grew their families the same way :)

In keeping with tradition, our family went out to eat at some yummy places while Uncle Jay was visiting us from Boston! Whitney couldnt wait to toss pennies into this fountain at Ruth's Chris, so Gramps gave the waitress a $1 and Whitney ended up with PLENTY of coins to toss and make wishes on!

Whitney is always such a good girl when we go out to eat! She isnt the best eater now that she has opinions about things, but she is getting better about trying new things.  We love when she takes a bite expecting to hate something, then her face lights up and she exclaims, "Hey!! I WIKE DISSS!!" So fun.

Grady continues to sleep through most social events these days, but decided to show some eyeballs (of course, right as the hot food was put on the table!) :) 

I think they look soooo alike!

Its always fun to see my big brother chase and play and entertain Whitney, but it was awesome to see him cuddle and talk to Grady.  At this dinner, Jay turned to me and said, "Ya know...I cant get over it...that's just awesome...its amazing really." while pointing to Grady. :) 

And Whitney continues to believe that she is the center of Mac and Gramps' universe, and Im not sure they mind.  She asks to go visit them and I tell her "Mac is golfing" or "Gramps is running errands" or "They are at a computer lesson", and she looks at me in disbelief and says, "No they are not....I want to go see them."  She absolutely LOVES them, and I really dont know what I would do without them!

And more on this guy in an upcoming birthday post, but I wanted to share this pic :) He is the best friend and husband I could ask for and I thank God for him everyday!

....oh, and we embarrass him by having entire wait-staffs sing Happy Birthday to him :)

The best place we ate while Jay was here was down at Universal City Walk.  Emeril's used to be one of our favorite "local" places to celebrate, but we've chosen Disney restaurants or Capital Grill the last several years.  We went back to Emeril's this year, and it was amaaaaazing! I wouldve licked my plate if it was socially acceptable.  Delicious and always a fun dining experience.  

Whitney made friends with a little tourist at the next table, and they had some laughs discussing their favorite apps on the iphones and ipads.  

And Grady, once again, slept through the entire meal, waking only to tackle a meal of his own...

Whitney declares dessert her favorite course, and Uncle Jay did a fantastic job entertaining her throughout the meal :) Not sure who has more fun....

Its like they are old friends catching up and reminiscing :) I hope they are always this close and happy together!

Whitney with two of her favorite boys!

Jay grabbed as many baby cuddles as he could during his visit :)

I love this pic :) Whitney was so happy to share her baby brother with my big brother :)

And since we are AWFUL at taking family pics lately, we tried to snap a few as we walked through City Walk after dinner.  Did I mention that desser was Whitney's favorite course? Yeah, the sugar kicked in and it was difficult to get a tired, sugared-up preschooler to cooperate and look AT the camera while smiling. :) 

We may or may not have begged her.....

....and pleaded....(which she clearly thought was hilarious)

....and then settled for this:

And though Jay says, "I look like Im being held hostage", I love this pic....(and he's not lying...he does look as though he is being held against his will.)  I wish Eric was in the pic, but we will just have to tackle that task when Jay comes back in July!

And of course Whitney "went surfing" on the way out :)

I always love when Jay visits, and REALLY cant wait for our family beach trip this July! Whitney is soooo much fun at the beach, and since Grady wont be mobile yet, I might actually be able to enjoy myself and (gasp!) relax! 

I have MANY blog posts floating around in my head....Whitney's last day of school, Grady's first Disney visit, Eric's birthday is on Monday, and his mom and stepdad are visiting this weekend....so lots of pics and stuff to write about and remember coming up! I also have an entire post about Whitney and one about Grady and what they are each up to, but every time I think, "Oh, I'll have to remember to blog that...", I end up getting busy and/or forgetting what I meant to write.  Sigh....I dont think I will ever be one of those moms who makes motherhood look easy, but at least my kids will have a blog about all their childhood events and adventures :) Im not gonna lie and say this stage of life is easy, but it is definitely funny, fun, and exciting!