bubbles.

a YOLO getaway

This past week the Welte clan (minus the 4 legged members) piled into our van and headed 7 hours Northwest to the panhandle of Florida.  Brody had a work event at the YOLO Board headquarters in Destin, FL.  YOLO is the board company we are associated with.  I spend a lot of time on the phone with them, so for me, it was a nice treat to put faces with names.

We were very blessed to stay in an oceanside condo for the weekend thanks to the YOLO crew and Jonah and I relaxed by the pool and strolled the beach while Brody worked. 

Destin Snapshots

Jonah is ready for the trip!  We are all smiles behind the wheel.  Unfortunately the carseat didn't bring as much joy.

Here is the kitchen in the amazing condo we had for the weekend.

It was really nice, looked like something right out of Coastal Living Magazine

Jonah at the YOLO Summer Race Series.  He was crusing around the docks hamming it up with everyone.

Seaside, FL.  If you have never been - GO!!  It is beautiful!

They have a very supportive paddle community there.  Here is everyone on the bridge watching the race.

Jonah at the YOLO Headquarters in Santa Rosa Beach.  He loved this golf cart!

YOLO Warehouse

Enough said - Gorgeous!

Jonah enjoying his breakfast on the beach.

life is good



life is good when you have a sweet ride,



 Mom is the driver,



you have sun-kissed sand dunes to cruise through,

 

and the beach is your destination.

east coast.

Even though we live on the East Coast we are considered west coasters in Florida.  My good friend Tracy's family has an oceanfront condo in New Symrna Beach (on the East Coast) of Florida.  She invited Jonah and I for a visit and we loaded up our bathing suits, beach towels and ridiculous amounts of diapers, snacks, sippy cups, blankets, toys....last minute getaways aren't what they used to be.....and hit the road!

Jonah did OK in the car.  I left at naptime praying for a sleeping baby for all, or most, of the way.  Jonah had other plans and convenietly woke up around Disney World.  I almost pulled over and booked a night at the Magic Kingdom, but we pressed on and made it to the Atlantic with only a few tears.

What a relaxing few days we had!  It was nice to get away from St. Pete and the business, take walks on the boardwalk, sit in the sun and swim in the pool!  Tracy's kids even got me to go surfing!

Jonah is such a big boy now and insists on walking everywhere, he especially liked walking on all the sidewalks all by himself.



Walking in the sand was a little more difficult



Low tide provided yards of pristine beach





No fear, Jonah ran to the surf and splashed without a care!  The only thing he didn't like was leaving.

Jonah with Tracy's boys, Christian and Matthew. 

He loves them.  Makes me so happy to see him playing with friends, even if they are quite a bit older :)

These turtles were all over the place!  One of my favorite parts about New Symrna.

We had a wonderful time and hopefully the Grahams will invite us back later this summer.  It was definetly a treat!

sweet summer



There's nothing like a sweet slice of watermelon on a hot summer's day.



Especially with your toes in the sand.

And your face in the sun.

Jonah enjoying a slice on New Symrna Beach, FL

Every juicy bit of it.



He enjoyed his slice so much......



He had two.

What's for Lunch?

What do you feed a 15 month old who turns his nose at everything?

Hummus Anyone?

Children's Museum.

Yesterday, Jonah and I ventured over to the new Children's Museum in Tampa.

He was really into the water part of the museum (surprise, surprise) and splashed around, played with boats and managed to soak his clothes within the first 5 minutes of our arrival.

His next favorite was the tunnel!  He goes through tunnels at our open gym time too.  I may need to buy one of these soon, cause he loves loves to go through them, especially if mommy is waving on the other end.

Ball in hand.  We didn't let go of that ALL day.  I had to practically rip it out of his hands before we left to avoid theft :)

We also had a doctor's appointment yesterday afternoon.  Jonah is gaining weight despite his lack of interest in eating, so that is good.  He is doing great!  Growing, hitting all his milestones and then some and is healthy as a horse!  We are very blessed indeed!

man's (or boy's) best friend.

outdoor fun.

The seasons have changed.  The humidity is back, the air is thick, and the sun is strong.  The hot Florida summer has officially arrived in St. Pete and while business is picking up, I long for hawaiian breezes and milder temperatures!

Jonah doesn't seem to notice the climb in temperatures, I guess he is a true "Floridian" because it doesn't seem to bother him as he pretty much begs to be outside 24/7. 

My little man is FULL of energy these days and I spend a lot of my time running about trying to entertain the poor guy!  We joined the YMCA and have spent some afternoons at the pool recently - it's indoors!!!  One of the reasons I joined, since Jonah does seem to worship the sun, he doesn't like hats or sunglasses (not good for a fair skinned baby!).  I figured an indoor pool would be best for him - he'll thank me one day!  We may not be tan at the end of the summer, but we'll hopefully avoid some skin cancer :).  I also signed up Jonah for swim lessons!  We have only had one class so we will see how it goes.  He wasn't really into it the first time, he much rather prefered playing in the water than "reaching and kicking".  He may be a little too young, but I really want him to learn to swim ASAP or at least float...the number one death for children under the age of 5 in Florida is drownings.

I have also started taking him to an open gym at a local gymnastics place.  He loves it!  He runs on the trampolines, takes dives in the foam pit and army crawls through the tunnels!  There is no flash photography there so I haven't taken any pictures, but maybe I'll try to sneak our smaller digital camera in next week - it's too cute!

Ok lots of talking talking.  Here are some recent pictures from this weekend. 

Our backyard - we love it!  Jonah spends a lot of time out here getting dirty and I mean dirty!  Bath time is now a multi-daily occurance in our house.

I just loved his face here.

Finally getting some hair!  I tried to give him a baby mohawk.

We went to our first birthday party today, my friend Tracy's son Matthew.  He had it at a putt-putt course.  And of course only in Florida, there were live gators!!  Here Jonah is taking a peek.

You could buy hotdogs and feed them to the gators via a fishing pole.  Yes, only in Florida.

We are pretty much OBSESSED with balls lately so the many golf balls around the course more than entertained him.  He loved it, not sure the kids loved it when the ball bandit kept stealing their holes in one!