Bennett Wesley :: Seven Years Old

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I don’t think I will ever get over how handsome he is.  The one who made me a mommy on May 1st, 2015 (5/1/15- went into labor the night before, which was the first night of the NFL draft, husband would not leave the house until the Bucs made their first pick), born at 10:15 a.m., 9lbs 3.5oz, over 13 hours of labor, a fourth degree episiotomy (TMI), NEVER took a bottle (or paci for that matter), ball and chain newborn… my life changed so much that first year of this precious boy’s life… physically, mentally, emotionally… biggest blessing to EVER happen to me!

Looking at him today and watching videos of him as a baby, I sit back and feel beyond fortunate to be his mama.

Bennett,

Today we celebrate you.  As I sit here thinking about all the things that make you who you are, something comes to mind that happened a few weeks ago.  I asked you what you wanted for your birthday, something that normally would not even have to be asked by parents because their child is constantly telling them everything they could possibly want, but with you… you never ask for anything (except candy, lol).  I was recording the exchange on my phone because both grandma’s were asking for birthday present ideas, and I’m so glad I did.  I asked you what you wanted, and you deeply pondered.  You thought and thought about what it was you really wanted.  And then you said, “I don’t know”.  Almost like it didn’t matter to you at all if you got anything or not.  It was not a big priority for you.  And that is one of the million amazing things about you, my sweet child.  I love that you are so content with life the way it is. No need for anything. Just happy.

Also, since it’s your birthday, I have to brag about you a little bit.  This year, you are in first grade, and things are getting a little more serious.  School work is harder, homework every night, lots of reading and comprehension, math, tests, actual grades! and report cards that are for real!  It’s a lot, but you handle it with ease. No problem.  Every report card comes with notes from the teacher about the student, and I so look forward to that portion of it.  Every semester this year, the note got more and more detailed, and lengthy, this last one for Q3 was my favorite by far.  I’m not going to write out the entire thing because most of it was about how smart you are and… well… we all know that already, but I am just so proud of the final few lines from your teacher, she wrote:

“Bennett is a positive role model in the classroom. He arrives every day ready to learn. His assignments are neat and accurate. He works well with his peers and is always positively contributing to the class. He is a joy to have in my class and I am looking forward to a strong 4th quarter finish in 1st grade!”

Wow, it just blew me away knowing that someone so important to your every day life in school recognized these qualities in you and decided to share them with me!

In addition to school, you are still working hard to advance in martial arts, again, this is becoming more challenging because you now have to be invited to test for the next belt, it’s not just given to you anymore if you show up… have to practice more and work harder. I love that work ethic it’s producing in you. You also are in Minor C baseball where the games are becoming a bit more serious, there are outs, score is kept, no more hitting off the tee, understanding the rules a bit more, AND you have started playing on a small basketball league! My goodness you are busy. But you love it all!

Today is all about you my sweet boy. I hope you feel how loved you are by everyone who knows you. You are pure joy for me and I absolutely adore you.

Happy Birthday,

Mom



Eleven Years :: Mallorca, Spain

Last Friday, April 22nd, was our ELEVEN year wedding anniversary. Whoa!

Normally, I spend a lot of time writing up a special blog post just for that day, but this year, we were on a flight to SPAIN! So the post is happening now :)

We have been staying in Mallorca, Spain for the past week and it has been an absolute dream.  Left the kiddos behind with their wonderful grandmothers and have been living with the freedom to do whatever we want, whenever we want for seven whole days!!!  We have been staying at an adults only resort called Cap Rocat which has just blown me away the entire time with everything from the service, cleanliness, food, staff, experiences, spa, etc…. I give it nothing but five stars! There are only thirty rooms on property so at any time of full capacity, there are only sixty guests.  It used to be a fortress for the military to run drills and stuff, but was abandoned by the government many years ago.  A local native ended up buying the property for next to nothing about twelve years ago and transformed the place into a global destination that would please even the most discerning of patrons.

We rented a car for a few days and did some adventuring around the island.  Stopped in places like Valldemossa which is probably one of the most quaint little towns I have ever been to.  The village square is covered with small cafes and restaurants but if you go deeper, the tree lined, cobble stoned roads narrow into nondescript home after home with narrow alley ways and almost every wall is covered in pottery filled with beautiful plants and flowers budding everywhere!  In between alleys you might catch a small glimpse of the beautiful Spanish terrain in the distance- oh it was so dreamy.  Then we moved on to Deià that was equally as charming just more of a trek to get to- one way in and one way out.  The road is extremely narrow and parking is scarce, but wow, it is beautiful to take it all in.  Lemon trees in every eyesight.  We had lunch here, traditional paella along with what  is served at every Mallorcan restaurant- bread, some sort of tomato and garlic sauce, and PLENTY of olives.  After that we moved on to the port village of Sóller where we had some ice cream and people watched.  The water sparkled as people frolicked around the beach side.  For us Floridians, the weather has been pretty chilly, 60’s and 70’s, so not much bathing suit wearing for these two.

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A couple days in, we decided to drive into the capital city, Palma, to tour the gothic Roman Catholic Cathedral.  It was breathtaking.  From every angle on the exterior to the intricate work of stained glass on the inside,  it was stunning and massive!  Once you step inside, you feel as if you are stepping back into a biblical time as you go from chapel to chapel dedicated to saint after saint…  Each displayed with a description of the what you were seeing along with the artist who contributed their work to the church.  It’s a must see if you are in  Palma.  

 

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Husband & I love a boat day any chance we get, so of course we had to take out the Cap Rocat boat and cruise around the island to see all of the terrain from the water.  So many caves, mountains, beautiful homes, and turquoise blue water surrounds.  The captain took us back into some tucked away beaches and hidden gems- it was so fun to see where the locals go on their days off.

We head back to reality tomorrow (Which I’m ready for!  I miss my babies!) but I am going to miss the peaceful calm of this beautiful place we have had the pleasure of experiencing the last week.  Feeling refreshed and happy!  Special thanks to my hard working husband who makes all of these amazing experiences a reality for us.  I feel blessed every day to call you mine and I would never take this life you provide for me and our boys for granted.  I love you.  Happy anniversary.