The story of one little family, three little boys, and our many adventures in DC and beyond.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Jersey Shore 2011: The Boardwalk!
When I was a teenager, the Boardwalk at the Jersey Shore was the place to be. Turns out that it's equally awesome when you HAVE a kid. Luckily there are many boardwalks in NJ and we were able to go to one that is great for younger kids (and not quite as crazy as the one on the show Jersey Shore).
First up was the Dumbo ride. Chase wasn't so sure what to make of it. 
Then Mama and Daddy joined him on the carousel. Mama held on tightly to make sure he didn't fall!
We had some boardwalk food for dinner. Chase mostly had baby food, but enjoyed his part of the boardwalk food- the bun!
We had a sweet dinner view of the beach.
Afterward, Chase took in the boardwalk and all the interesting looking people. We also finally convinced him to wear his sunglasses, but like his Mama, he doesn't have much of a bridge to his nose so they kept falling down. 
Next we rode the train. Chase is just learning to make the choo-choo sound and liked riding the train with Grampy! 
We played some games. The only prize Chase wanted to win was "the ball," so Daddy won one. Daddy also won two monkeys for our little monkey.
One thing you can get on the boardwalk that you can't almost anywhere else is a orange swirl ice cream cone. Grammy and Daddy were enjoying their cones when Daddy decided to give Chase a taste. He wasn't so sure at first...
...but a few bites later...
...he was in love! 
Next up...Early mornings and Hawaiian shirts!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Missing Madison: One Year Later
It's so hard to believe that Madison has been gone for a year. While the grief has gotten better, every couple of weeks it hits me like a ton of bricks, sucking the breathe out of my lungs and doubling me over in pain for the loss. Madison was a significant part of my life and an important member of our family. A lot has changed over the year, yet it still feels like she should be waiting at the top of the stairs (even at our new house) when I get home or sleeping in my pile of laundry. I still move my legs at night as if she's sleeping by or between my feet. I can't even begin to describe how much I miss her and how much it hurts to no longer have her in my life.
It's hard to list all of the roles Madison held in my life. She was my family. She was my roommate, kept me busy and got me out of my apartment when I first moved to Tampa. She was the best judge of potential boyfriends. She would eventually meet Stephen and greet him with jumps and kisses. She consoled me when I had a bad day or was crying. She reminded me to greet everyone with a smile because she was always smiling. She was generous with kisses. No one will ever be as happy to see me every time I get home as Madison. She was my confidant and often my dinner partner. She was protective of me and eventually of my growing belly and then of Chase. She was there as I grew from a college kid to an adult and a mother.
I can't believe her life was cut so short. I had plans for us- Our family with children (she always loved children and they loved her) running around with her in the backyard grass. Evening walks, leisurely weekend mornings all together. By now Chase would have harassing her, but she still would have taken every opportunity to give him a kiss on the face. Madison would have cleaned up the mess Chase leaves on the floor after meals. He would have been saying "Mad-dy". She would have loved our new house. I can just imagine her sitting in the front door, watching the squirrels and the few neighbors who walk by. Madison would have loved the sweet grass in the backyard and would have watched us from the deck as we played in the pool.
Madison traveled with me a lot. She and I were always on the move. Madison sat on my lap on the entire move to Tampa, flew in a bag by my feet during countless trips home, and rode on my lap on car trips across Florida, during our move up to DC, and on many trips from there to the northeast. In our 8 years together, we lived in 5 different houses together.
I hate that she passed away while we were traveling because she wasn't at home or at peace. But Stephen pointed out that she was always happy traveling with us. As long as she was with us, she was happy.
Madison's ashes are in an urn on my bedside table. There's a drawing of her hanging in our entryway. We think about her often and fondly. She's still with us...and I can only believe that she's happy and at peace. I know she's smiling.
It's hard to list all of the roles Madison held in my life. She was my family. She was my roommate, kept me busy and got me out of my apartment when I first moved to Tampa. She was the best judge of potential boyfriends. She would eventually meet Stephen and greet him with jumps and kisses. She consoled me when I had a bad day or was crying. She reminded me to greet everyone with a smile because she was always smiling. She was generous with kisses. No one will ever be as happy to see me every time I get home as Madison. She was my confidant and often my dinner partner. She was protective of me and eventually of my growing belly and then of Chase. She was there as I grew from a college kid to an adult and a mother.
I can't believe her life was cut so short. I had plans for us- Our family with children (she always loved children and they loved her) running around with her in the backyard grass. Evening walks, leisurely weekend mornings all together. By now Chase would have harassing her, but she still would have taken every opportunity to give him a kiss on the face. Madison would have cleaned up the mess Chase leaves on the floor after meals. He would have been saying "Mad-dy". She would have loved our new house. I can just imagine her sitting in the front door, watching the squirrels and the few neighbors who walk by. Madison would have loved the sweet grass in the backyard and would have watched us from the deck as we played in the pool.
Madison traveled with me a lot. She and I were always on the move. Madison sat on my lap on the entire move to Tampa, flew in a bag by my feet during countless trips home, and rode on my lap on car trips across Florida, during our move up to DC, and on many trips from there to the northeast. In our 8 years together, we lived in 5 different houses together.
I hate that she passed away while we were traveling because she wasn't at home or at peace. But Stephen pointed out that she was always happy traveling with us. As long as she was with us, she was happy.
Madison's ashes are in an urn on my bedside table. There's a drawing of her hanging in our entryway. We think about her often and fondly. She's still with us...and I can only believe that she's happy and at peace. I know she's smiling.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)