Easter Egg Hunt

A friend of mine decided to host her own Easter Egg Hunt this past Saturday. Well, more specifically host one for her 18th month old daughter Reagan and all her little friends (most of which ended up being 2 and under). We went to a local park. Parents provided coffee, bagels and treats, and soon the kids were off. Duke had the best time. Unfortunately, (although totally adorable too!) I spent most of the time coaching Duke on 1) how not to take other kids baskets of goodies and 2) how the point was to collect Easter eggs rather than just stop and eat the chocolate he found in each one. Too cute!

Here are some pictures from the event. My friend Courtney Milam who planned the event had her friend Kirsten Zarek (who is a photographer) come and take photos of the hunt. Enjoy! You can check out more of Kirsten's work at kirstenzarekphotography.com.

Gettin' geared up for the egg hunt!

And everyone's off! Duke finds his first egg and immediately tears into the chocolate goody he found inside!
Duke's friend Reagan (cutie that's in front of him on the right.)
Yummy chocolate!
You want some?
Mommy stealin' some of Duke's sugar :)


Classic pic of Duke's running stance.
You guys coming or what?


I love this little boy!!!

Made My Day!

Thank you Sara. And Megan.

Thursdays are great. Duke and I have begun making it a tradition to hang at my friend Megan's house with her two kids, Sadie (age 3) and Silas (age 1). They live in College Park and therefore are within walking distance of our house.

This particular Thursday I decided to walk over with Duke. I opted for the stroller but Duke, who is asserting himself a lot more lately, sat down in his blue push car (it's exactly what it sounds like - a car Duke's size that he can sit in and which has a long handle attached on the back that I push him with.) Anyway, Duke and I set out on our walk while it was slightly drizzling. And, you guessed it, that slight drizzle turned into a torrential downpour midwalk.

In an attempt to "save" Duke from the rain, I covered him in my own jacket. Seeing that even that wouldn't suffice, we took cover under a large oak tree. Within the minute, the door of the house we were standing next to swung open - a sweet woman poked her head out inviting us to take cover in her house. Feeling the rain starting to fight through the leaves of the oak tree, I grabbed Duke and rushed inside.

Meet Sara. The sweet woman who must've taken a glance outside her window midmorning only to be met with the sight of a half soaked mom and her son standing in the rain. She welcomed us in, handed me a towel and kindly offered us a seat. Shortly after entering and drying off, the rain completely died down (typical of Florida rain -- and something I've come to love have grown up here). So off we went again - but Sara wouldn't let us leave without providing Duke a rain jacket (which she said we could keep) and a shower cap to cover Duke's head. I was dying laughing looking at Duke as we finally approached Megan's house. He kept the shower cap on the rest of the walk and he was wearing a rain jacket 2 times his size.

And finally to be met by lovely, and joy radiating Megan -- who was (and is) equally as generous as Sara. I walked in her house to a beyond warm welcome where I was almost immediately treated with a delicious egg, turkey, and cheese sandwich - paired with a hot cup of coffee. (Megan is pregnant too! Only two weeks ahead of me and each of us strongly believe in a second breakfast around 10:30 am). For those of you who know my love of breakfast, you can understand what a wonderful treat that is!

Once again, thank you Sara and Megan. Today you made my day!!!

Back to School

There are a couple days in my week where the schedule is set. Generally being a very unscheduled person, I find comfort in those days that are, well scheduled. Like today. Like every Monday. For Duke and I, every first day of the week signifies going Back to School. Here's the breakdown.

Monday morning comes. I wake up, make my breakfast and savor the quietness. Then I undoubtedly wake Duke up because the adorable thing normally sleeps till 8:30 am or later and his school starts at 9. Once awake though, he's immediately demanding, requesting breakfast or better yet "juuuice." Breakfast these days (every day actually) consists of oatmeal, yogurt and chocolate milk. As he eats, I pack his lunch and back pack for school. Always rushed toward the end, Duke gets buckled up in the car as mommy adds her own book bag and snacks, and then we're off!

Today, on the way to Duke's school - a Mother's Day Out program he attends once a week - we got stopped by the train. In previous days, I would have waited impatiently, hoping for a "short" train so I could go on with my day. But seeing as Duke is in awe of trains lately, I found myself saddened when only 8 train cars past and before I knew it, the train had past. Meanwhile, Duke kept straining his little neck to see more of the "choo choo." Yet even in the aftermath, his brightened smile remained. The train sighting had made his morning.

After the train, I walked Duke to his classroom. By chance, he's in a class with only boys, all super cute. Dropping Duke off at school has gotten easier for me as he's warmed to Mrs. Jennifer and rarely cries when I leave. This morning, however, I related to a mother who brought her son in for the first time. She broke into tears as she left, hearing her little one cry out for her. She looked away to hide her tears (and perhaps would later think to herself that she was overreacting and that he'd be fine.) I didn't say anything but understood. It's in those little moments that I feel indescribably connected to all the mothers in the world and the deep vulnerability of the heart that accompanies having a child....

Anyway, back in my car and with Duke settled, I left for the library on campus. In my second year of pursuing a Masters in Mental Health Counseling, I always require more homework time than there is available. In the beginning of entering this program, I made a goal not to have school interfere in my hang out times with Darrell and Duke. Therefore, it gets squeezed into my free Monday mornings. Well, today I bit off more than I could chew. Did I mention I am not the most scheduled person in the world?? Anyway, I had a paper to complete and realized shortly after arriving at the library that I would be unable to finish what I needed to do. So after a little panicking, I got a Chai tea latte, slowed my pace and decided to be realistic. (Darrell is always much better than me at this....) The paper would not get done, and would have to be turned in late with a couple points docked (but as my BS girls know, this is a much better option than lying to the professor.) Anyway, suffice to say the paper did not get completed but I did get some work done and was able to enjoy my time at the library. After the library, I was off to class from 4 pm till 9:30 pm. If you ever want to know about the content of my classes, just ask. I feel a little bit bad (well, not really) that Darrell has to hear everything I learn, so he'd probably be glad if you asked.

While I was in the library and then off to class, the little Dukester got picked up from school by my mom around 2 pm. He hung with Yia Yia and Pops (where he's always completely entertained) till I got back around 9:45 pm.

And finally, at the end of the long day, (which is probably unfortunate for Duke, but something I love) is getting to wake Duke up, plop him in my car and close out the night with a quiet 15 minute car ride home. During the drive home, I reach my hand out behind me and near to Duke (who has glazed over eyes, and a far off sleepy look) and just wait until his little fingers curl around my own. Though no words are exchanged, to me its our little way of communicating - "So how was your day, mom/son? Good? Mine too."