10 things i couldn't live without this week:

1. the boy is obsessed with lizards. he calls them "dino lizards". living in the tropics for the past year has introduced me to all kinds of strange lizards. some so big they would make the average person jump out of their skin. it's no wonder he thinks they are dinosaurs. the other day, on a walk that the boy tricked me into, we caught ourselves a lizard (with a butterfly net...i won't bare hand it). not a biggie, just your run of the mill yard lizard. this was the first time i showed the boy how to catch a lizard. he was pretty excited about it. later that same day he caught his own lizard. we were in the back yard and he came running towards me with a fist full of lizard. by the time i realized what he had in his hand he had squished it so hard that it's guts were bulging out of it's side. he had no idea that he had just killed the poor thing. he was so excited and proud of his "dino lizard" catching skills, then i had to go and crush it all my telling him he killed it. ugh. but at least he now knows that he has the skills to capture and the strength to kill.

2. dark chocolate elvis cupcakes! yum! but more importantly lets talk about the beauty/danger or homemade peanut butter frosting. not only is it delicious on cupcakes, we had it on waffles, pretzels, gram crackers, you name it...i put frosting on it.

3. swim lessons started this week, and although it's nothing like last years lessons, they are still fun. my standards were set very high last year with the boys old teacher. she had been teaching swim lessons for some 30+ years, and she was awesome, by the end of last summer my one year old could practically swim on his own. our local pool has since been shut down due to budget cuts/renovations. so i was forced to find lessons else where. well the girls that are teaching him are good and fun, but i feel like his skills are digressing a bit. at least we get to be in the pool 4 days a week...it's some relief from all the heat.

4. the boy climbed a ladder at the park this week that i was scared to let him climb. but i figure i was the only one holding him back and to let him try it. it was very tall...taller than i could reach. but he did it. he's growing up so fast.

5. i had a fantastic time with brad and randi serey at their maternity photo session. these two were a great sport in the blazing sun and heat. the pictures came out beautifully and we got them done just in time, because the serey's had that baby 4 days later. congrats to you two and welcome to the world ellie....can't wait to meet you!

6. while doing the above photo shoot, i got to go on the lake worth pier for the first time. i am not really sure why i have never done this before. i think that the fact that they charge a fee to get on the pier was deterring me, but now that i know it's only $1...i can't wait to take the boy out there. we saw so many different kinds of fish, and let me stress the SO MANY. it's crazy to think that all those fish were right there where people swim. fearless. it was great being out there with someone who knows so much about fish too....i was like a little kid. "brad, what's that one? what's that? oh...look at that!"

7. the boy and the hubs had a daddy/son beach day. i love it when they go do stuff without me. don't get me wrong, i miss the fun, but i think that it's really good for the boy...and the hubs. the boy is so used to being with me ALL THE TIME, i think its a fun change of pace for him to spend alone time with daddy.

8. the boys first trip to the fire station. we stopped by the other day to just see what would happen, and the fire chief ended up giving us a personal tour. the boy got to climb up in all the fire trucks and he learned all the names and functions of the different trucks. i think he was a little confused as to why it took me so long to take him there. he loved every minute of it. he even got his very own helmet...but due to his mega-head it doesn't fit. so i have started planning out a felt fire hat for the boy...i am having a little trouble committing to starting, i am afraid i am going to mess it up. i've never made a hat before.

9. my new favorite band...boom chick! we were introduced to this band when the hubs old high school buddy called him up to make a skateboard deck for this band. we instantly fell in love with the old school surf rock feel and come on....who doesn't love a girl drummer?!?!?

10. i finally decided on a design for some floor pillows that i have been wanting to make for the play room. i have been crunching numbers and converting measurements (because inevitably the tutorial i found is in german). now the fun part starts...deciding on fabric.