Bouncing Around at Monkey Joe's

On one of our last days with Josh in town, we took Dylan to Monkey Joe’s. We wanted to get there right when it opened, but we were a little too punctual and arrived 15 minutes before the doors opened. So we drove across the street and checked out all the animals at Petco. Dylan loved seeing all the ferrets, fish, lizards, and kitties. It was like little boy heaven over there!

We killed the necessary time and were the first ones in the door at Monkey Joe’s. I was amazed when we walked in. The only other bounce house place I had been was in Georgia and it was nothing compared to this! I immediately sent Katie a text because I wished her and Elleah could’ve been there with us. Elleah would have lost her mind with all the fun there!  

There was even an adult area with couches and a big screen tv (turned onto ESPN, of course). It could've been called "The Daddy Zone." Give the men a beer and they could stay there all night long!

We were ready to play! Dylan was a little apprehensive at first. All the bounce houses were much bigger than the ones he is used to. But the nervousness didn’t last long. He was running around like a wild man in no time. Josh and I took turns going into the different ones with him. I think he had more fun when Daddy was with him because Daddy was being just as silly as he was. My boys are quite a pair!

At one point, Dylan was laughing so hard he was almost crying. He started laughing every time he fell down…that’s almost every other step in a bounce house. He was loving it!

He got really adventurous and wanted to try every one. We wore that kid out. He hit his fun limit in just under an hour. It was getting close to nap time and he just couldn't handle any more fun. But it was $6 well spent. I'll gladly go there again...and so would Dylan!

"I love it here!"

Remembering Easter and Dealing with Roseola

What a week we’ve had! It’s just been crazy, but more about that later. Right now I want to take a quick moment of reminiscing and think about our Easter with Josh. Mom and Bob came over the night before to watch Dylan so Josh and I could go to a River Bandits Game (the local minor league baseball team owned by the St. Louis Cardinals). Even though it was rainy and kind of chilly, we still had a really great time. We were even asked to participate in one of those between-inning games. We did a dizzy bat race against each other! And we got two free tickets to a future game. It was a fun night.

The next morning, Dylan and Josh woke up ready for their Easter Egg Hunt. The Easter Bunny had left over 50 eggs for them to find! Good thing he was kind enough to make it a toddler-level hunt. Dylan picked up quickly on how the game worked. He was a professional egg finder! He was running around the room saying, “More! More!” I think he had fun!

Then he got to open his basket that included a new refrigerator magnet game, space goldfish and some other goodies.

For the rest of the morning, I was busy getting the food ready for our Easter Lunch. We hosted the holiday at our house. It was the first (and maybe only) holiday we could host that included Josh. We had a lovely meal and then visited while Dylan entertained us all with his dancing skills and wild boy-ness.

He was even showing everyone what a bunny does. He scrunches up his nose. This photo doesn’t really give you the full effect of how cute it is though.

It was a really nice day, and we ended it by all three of us cuddling on the couch after everyone else left and watching the end of The Masters.

Now that I’ve gone over a happy recent memory…back to our ridiculous week! Josh has been gone for a week. Not only was it sad to see him go, we have had a heck of a time without him these past several days. Not a day went by where we didn’t have strange bug bites, illnesses, incredibly frustrating phone calls, and more! Absolutely crazy! I’ve been kind of MIA for the past few days because Dylan got sick starting last Thursday.

The beginning of the rash

It started with a mild fever and progressed from there. Just when I was getting excited because his fever finally broke, a rash broke out! It started on his belly and chest and started spreading. After much research and a conversation with one of mom’s Pedicatric Nurse friends, we determined that Dylan has Roseola.

Today, the rash is progressing. It has spread to his head and back, but it’s slowly disappearing from the origin point. So I think it’s just going to run its course. It’s also looking more like splotchy skin now. He’s almost back to his normal self again and his appetite has returned. After several days, my little man's personality has finally returned!

Even though it wasn't a serious illness, it's always scary when you see a rash all over your child's body. I will admit that I caved and let Dylan sleep in bed with me while he had his fever. It got up over 103 degrees in the middle of the night so we had to strip off the PJs and use some cool towels. Neither one of us was having a good time. We were both awake until almost 4:30am that night. He just laid there with his glassy eyes open and I dozed on and off, continually checking his temp. But we're back in our own beds now and both sleeping better. We're almost back to normal!

As soon as this rash is gone we can get back to normal...and we can just keep hoping for one nice, uncomplicated day. My fingers are crossed!

Bumper Bowling

One of the things I really wanted to do while Josh was here was to take Dylan bowling for the first time. We went to Sam’s on an afternoon. The place was deserted, which was pretty nice for us. As soon as we got there and Dylan saw all the open space, he wanted to run around. He was not happy with me not putting him down while we got our shoes and tried to get organized. I’m sure the guy working the counter was thinking, “oh great, these people brought a crier in here and it’s going to be awful!”

But everything calmed down once our shoes were on and the search was on for the perfect ball. We got Dylan the lightest one we could find (the 8 pounder) and headed back to our two lanes. The guy gave us two side-by-side. One with bumpers (for Dylan) and a regular one (for us).

Dylan helped Daddy put our names on the board while I tried to get the camera out, because we all know how photo obsessed I am! Dylan had no idea what was about to happen, but he knew it looked exciting.

Josh stood with Dylan and had me bowl once to show him what he was supposed to do. Then it was his turn. Josh carried the ball up to the line for him and Dylan followed. Only, I think he was trying to walk up all fancy like I did. What a ham! I can't tell you how happy I am that I got this little movie of his very first attempt at bowling!

We took turns bowling and helping Dylan. He had such a great time. We got him two 8lb balls so that we never had to wait for his ball to travel back up. I think it's a little much for a 1.5 year old to understand why he has to wait for his one ball.

His were the two on the left in the photo. I think he also liked how brightly colored they were.

But he also shared the spotlight. He wanted us to take our turns. When Dylan wanted one of us to take a turn he pointed to our bowling ball - yes, he figured out which one was Mommy's and which one was Daddy's. Then he'd either sit down on the floor or stand there patiently and watch. And he really liked cheering us on.

My parents showed up about halfway through to see Dylan's first time bowling. Dylan really started to show off once they were there (He gets like that when Grandma & Grandpa show up). We got through one whole game for Dylan and were almost done with our game when he hit his limit.

"Go, ball, go!"

In true toddler form, he started to throw a bit of a fit once he decided that he was finished bowling. Grandpa Bob saved the day and took him for a walk. Josh and I finished up our game and turned in our shoes. When the three of us went to find Grandpa & Dylan, we ended up finding them playing the race car game. Dylan was in charge of shifting and Grandpa was steering. I think they make a good team - even if they didn't come anywhere close to winning the race.

My parents took off for home, and Josh, Dylan and I finished our bowling experience with a stop at Clints for pizza. It was an AWESOME afternoon.

Loving the Outdoors

Well, Josh is gone. After many LONG delays, rescheduling, and frustration (due to the crazy storms last night), he finally took off this evening heading to his last training school in California. I’m already sad that he’s gone (again) but at least I can sit here and smile as I continue to write about all the fun we had over the last two weeks.

There was a morning during the first week that Josh was here that I just couldn’t resist going outside. We’ve had some gorgeous weather over the past two weeks and we tried to spend as much of it outside as possible. That morning, we headed down to Ben Butterworth Parkway. For those of you not from the area, it is a walking trail along the Mississippi River that stretches for miles through Moline.

We took a long walk along the river and then let Dylan burn off some energy at the park. The playground is kind of shaped like a ship and there’s a really tall slide that, I think, is supposed to look like the crows nest? Well, Dylan wasn’t intimidated by the height at all. As a matter of fact, he climbed those stairs several times, passing up the smaller slides in favor of the huge spiral one.

He’s quite the adventurer! For being only one and a half, he’s such a rock star! I think he may have been showing off a bit for Daddy. Josh was at the bottom of the slide to pick him up and swing him around in circles every time, so that was probably another big part of why Dylan braved the top of the ship so many times.

On the other hand, he was not really a fan of the swing. For a kid who loves to rough house and be thrown around, he wasn’t all about flying through the air in swing form! Not even with Daddy holding him on the swing. But after clearly telling us he was through with the swings, he was running back to the tall, curvy slide in no time!

Back a home a few days later, Dylan got an early Easter gift from Grandma Linda, Grandpa Bob, Great-Grandpa Ben & Great-Grandma Cathie…his own slide for his backyard! He loved it! It was even better when Daddy gave him an extra push so he flew down extra fast! He also likes to stop himself before reaching the very bottom and then jumping off into the grass. Once again…such a boy!

We also got to celebrate Opening Day! I was happy to see that ESPN was celebrating the day by showing the Cardinals vs. Marlins game. Dylan and I got dressed in our awesome St. Louis gear while Josh wore his Tigers shirt. I am a baseball girl, and getting to watch the first game of the season with my boys made it the perfect evening. We even had my parents over for dinner! One of many great nights.

These two weeks together was so wonderful for Josh & Dylan. Dylan got to spend time with his favorite person (Yes, he’s a Daddy’s boy and I am totally okay with that. It’s easy when he’s got such a great Daddy).

And Josh got to really experience how much Dylan has started talking and communicating. He learns so quickly! Josh taught him a few really funny things while he was here and wouldn’t stop smiling the whole time. I’m sure it was the combination of how fun it was and how proud he was of his little man.

Boys and John Deere

After our big hike at Blawkhawk, we went home to rest for a bit before heading back out for dinner. We went to Friday’s in Downtown Moline so we could walk around after. While Josh was waiting for the world’s slowest waitress to bring our check, Dylan and I wandered outside to explore along the river. Dylan got so excited about all the sights and sounds! So excited, in fact, that he fell twice and banged his knees up really good! (Such a boy)

When Josh was finally able to join us, we wandered over to the John Deere Pavilion. Granted, they were already closed, but we still checked out the stuff outside. I figure that boys and tractors always mix well!

Not only was he interested in the machinery, but he seemed to be amazed by the Deere Statue. He kept walking over and just staring up at it.

I’m pretty sure my son is convinced that everything is a ride or a slide…

After tearing him (literally) away from the Pavilion, we ended our night at Grandma Linda & Grandpa Bob’s house with Whitey’s Ice Cream. It was a really fun day. And, needless to say, we all slept really well that night!

Blackhawk State Park

Only a couple days later, we had gorgeous weather again. So we decided to make the most of our afternoon and hike the trails at Blackhawk State Park. I hadn’t been there in years, but remembered loving it when I was younger.

We took some stairs down into the woods and we were off! Dylan wasted no time taking the lead and remained there for the entire hike. I was a little nervous about how our extremely independent 20 month old would do. For not even being two years old yet, he really loves getting out there and doing stuff! He was a champ.

There were only a couple tumbles (including the bottom 6 steps on this wooden staircase) but he hopped right up…after a few magic kisses from Mommy & Daddy, of course!

Josh was really proud of Dylan for putting him arms out while falling down the stairs so he didn’t roll as fast. “That was a good fall, Dylan!” I think Moms and Dads get proud over different kinds of things.

Dylan is all boy and loves to be outdoors. This hike was perfect for him! He loved being our leader and picking which trail to chose when there was a fork in the road. We never even had the option to lead. Heck, if he didn’t look back once in a while to make sure we were keeping up, he might not have even noticed if we were gone.

Don’t you just love the dirt stains covering the butt of his jeans? I think that it’s a successful day for a little boy if you have dirt all over your butt! Success!

The park is alongside the Rock River and you can see it from the paths. Dylan kept pointing to the river and saying “Waa-waa.” “Yes, Dylan. That’s water…that’s the river.” Either he wanted to make sure we saw it, or he wanted us to notice that he knows the word. This Mama was proud.

After a while we started making him take a break whenever we’d come across a bench or a log so he could take a drink (and pose for a photo).

Pretty soon he started stopping on his own, sitting down, and then patting the bench next to him for Josh to sit. Once Josh was there Dylan pointed to me and would flash me his fake smile. So I would then pull the camera out and take a photo. I’m not sure if I have him trained, or if he has us trained! Either way, it adds up to a lot of photographs!

No obstacle was too big for our fearless leader. Whether it was a downed tree, an incline, a hole, or a big rock…he conquered them all!

And he stopped at every tree along the trail to touch it and say, “TEE!” “Yes, Dylan, that’s a tree.”

As a special treat, he even stopped at a mile marker to play a drum solo for all the forest creatures. I’m not sure the animals enjoyed it as much as Josh and I did. The drum solo also came with some singing and dancing.

And apparently, once was not enough. After he finished he walked about 8 steps, turned around, and came back for an encore. Kids are just awesome!

We made a giant loop around and were ready to head back to the car. But Dylan wouldn’t let any photo opportunities pass us up. He made Josh sit down on the rocks with him before we left the trail so we could get this photo. I’m glad he did, it’s a cute one!

Dylan also make us take one more before going to the car. He just wouldn’t leave until we captured this moment of them with a road blocker. Ah, the memories…

Easter Egg Scramble

Obviously, being a “single” mom when you have a husband is quite difficult. And moving halfway across the country without him was something I don’t ever want to do again! But after a few weeks of getting settled into our new home, and trying to get into our new routine, we got a temporary break from our separation. Between his training schools, we get Josh for 2.5 weeks! He got here late on Mar 28 and is staying until this coming Sunday morning.

We’ve been keeping busy while he’s here. Our first big event was going to an Easter Egg Hunt on his first Sunday here. The City of Moline was putting on an Egg Hunt for different age groups so we decided to go for the 2-yrs & under scramble. After a week of gorgeous weather, it had cooled off a bit, but we threw on our jackets and went looking for some eggs!

When we were all lined up, waiting for the whistle to blow, Dylan was really excited about the eggs! And he was awfully mad at his Mommy & Daddy for not letting him run out and grab them all before the other kids! By the time the whistle blew and there were people running all over the place, he was more interested in why everyone was rushing around. So there was more aimless running around than picking up eggs. Josh did manage to get Dylan to grab a few eggs. Josh did not, however, resort to what I saw some parents doing...shoveling as many eggs as they could into their kids baskets while the kids watched. Really? You need the one peppermint per egg so bad that you'll snatch eggs away from 1 year olds? Wow! But Dylan had fun...so that's all that matters. (Notice the cracker in his hand while egg hunting? I swear, we moms will do anything to keep our kids occupied!)

After carefully placing 9 eggs in his basket, Dylan was ready to meet the Easter Bunny. He spotted him from across the field and really wanted to go check him out. Lucky for us, Dylan wasn’t afraid of the bunny at all! He gave him high fives and posed for his photo.

I, on the other hand, was a little concerned that it was probably the worse Easter Bunny costume in the history of costumes! I’m glad Josh has a smile on his face and not the expression that I’m sure I was wearing while taking the photo.

After our photo with the scary Easter Bunny, we went over to check out the fire trucks. They were letting kids climb in them and sit in the front seat.

Overall, it was a pretty simple morning and we were back in our car in less than 45 minutes. But we had a good time and made some memories. That was the plan for the next two weeks…fill it full of memories.