Henry and Grandpa

Susie and Ted

Wade and a boogie board

Wade, Kelly, Annie and Sergio in the ocean

Annie in what could be the coolest surfer picture ever!Wade at surfing lessons He caught on pretty quick

More of Wade surfing
Kelly catching a wave Uncle Ted doing some engineer work on Henry's train The people that made the whole thing possible. Gigi and Grandpa

I hope he never has to wear glasses. Wade has perfect vison (and perfect teeth, no braces) so I am hoping that he takes after him. But if he does then at least we know he will look pretty cute in them :)

* Photo taken with Aunt Kelly's camera phone

Backwards

We have 3 different night-night songs that we sing every night. There is the standard Rock-a-bye with a few tweaks- like instead of “Go to sleep little baby” we sing “Go to sleep baby Hanky”. Then there is a song from Cinderella So This is Love. It’s Henry’s favorite so I usually have to sing it at least 3 times. Normally he sings along, it’s pretty sweet. And then lately he has been asking me to sing Here Comes Santa Claus. Since his bed is set up like a toddler bed now, I can sit on the floor and rub his back while he settles down and we sing our songs. Today he asked for Here Comes Santa Claus first and we sang it over and over again. He was pretty squirmy. He sat up a couple times. Then he rolled onto his tummy and stuck his butt in the air, proudly saying “Yook Mama yook. My bottom is up there.” He spun around on his shoulder/head and twisted onto his back so that his rear was on the pillow and his head was on the bed, his legs sticking straight up into the air. He was singing along to Here Comes Santa Claus as he made this maneuver. At the very end of the song he interrupted me and said “Yook at this Mama. I can sing it backwards.” And he started singing again.

Joy

Henry is getting big. So big that his feet hang over the ledge of his stroller and high chair. So big that he nearly fills up his bed. So big that he talks in paragraphs. So big that his shoe size is nearly double digits. So big that he makes jokes.
So when a moment comes along that reminds me of the little 7 lb.9 oz tiny baby he once was, it makes my heart beat faster. Like tonight when Henry called for me around midnight. He needed a drink. I watched as his big blue eyes closed slowly and then fluttered for a second as he took a two big sucks of water and fell asleep with his cup in his hand. Just like when we were nursing and he would do the same thing right before he would fall asleep. Sometimes I miss that time. When he was just a baby and made those little baby noises or when he would make a sucky face while he was sleeping. Or the first time that he decided that the bath was pretty fun or when peek-a-boo would knock him over with laughter. But then other times I find myself dreaming of what he will be like as a man. What will he believe in. What will he be passionate about. What will he do. And during those daydreams I have to remind myself that some day I will be looking back on these moments right now and wishing for them like I wish for my tiny baby moments and I have to tell myself to slow down. Slow down. Slow down. Enjoy him now because this moment is creating the man he will become.

Henry's new greeting

So Mama, what's the news?

Weekend

Can you believe that we didn't get a single photograph of Henry setting off fireworks for the firs time in his life? If you are familiar with our camera you will believe it.

Friday was a great day. Henry and I got up early and drove out to Bismark Gardens for some freshly picked corn. On the way back in town we picked up a few, mostly legal, fireworks. We decided to set most of the stuff off in the morning so that it wouldn't push back Henry's nap or force us to be outside during dusk. We didn't want to be swatting at mosquito's while holding objects that are on fire. Overall, Henry liked shooting off fireworks. He was mildly amused by the snakes and poppers, seemed to enjoy the parachutes, smoke bombs and the sparklers, and was not a fan of the little cars and made loud squealing sounds. Once we were finished with the fireworks we headed inside to play with Gigi and Grandpa a little bit. After they left Henry and I made chocolate chip cookies, ate lunch and took a nap. That evening we went to the local fireworks display. Henry loved it.

We went to the public pool on Saturday. It was Henry's first time in a pool. And, it was the first time that Wade and I have been to a pool together....after 10 years together I thought that was kind of funny. That is the great thing about kids, they get you to do things that you normally wouldn't do. Henry loved the pool. LOVED IT! I have a feeling that we will be there every weekend until Labor Day, when it closes.

Sunday we took at trip to Topeka to play at Gage Park. We rode on the train and then headed over to the carousel. Henry loved the carousel. He rode on it 3 times and would have gone 3 more times if it wasn't time for lunch.

Next weekend should be quiet. We are hoping to finish painting Henry's room and will probably go to the pool. The following weekend Grandpa and Grandma are coming into town from Western Kansas. Henry is already practicing for their visit. He runs to the door, knocks and says "Hello. Gandpa Benya is here."

Weekend

The weather was perfect this weekend. On Sunday morning we opened up all the windows and doors in the house and lay in bed to feel the breeze. We only got a few minutes to relax before the little guy woke up and came in the room. I am still not used to the fact that he can just get out of bed and walk freely around the house. We were just laying in the bed and then all the sudden a little head popped over the side of the bed and there were 3 of us in the room. Henry still sleeps in a blanky sleeper because he is so squirmy at night so he won’t stay under his blanket. So on Sunday morning he walked in wearing his stripped blanky sleeper and dragging his blanket behind him, with lines on his face from his pillow and his hair flat on one side, he was just the cutest little guy. He crawled in bed with us and snuggled for a moment but then it was time for our Sunday morning staple-French toast, fakin bacon, fresh fruit and orange juice. After breakfast Wade and I sat at the table for a little while, drinking coffee and planning out the day. Henry wandered outside and we watched him through the window. That is the great thing about having a tiny house with lots of windows; we can see the yard from almost every room. Henry stood on the front porch, reached his arms up in the air and said “It is a beautiful day.”

We spent the morning outside. I took off Henry’s blanky sleeper and let him run around in his mismatched jammies: robot top and farm animals bottoms. We kicked the ball. Mowed the lawn. Made a train out of string and everything in the front yard with wheels. Spun around in the red swing. Ate popsicles with the neighbor kids. Chased the cat. Rode bikes. And played hide and seek. Our neighbors have really sweet children, which is so nice because most of the kids that Henry has played with in the past 2 years have been mean to him. At one point I spotted Henry and Taylor (the neighbor girl that is 1 month older than Henry) running through the yard holding hands. She was teaching him to hide for hide and seek. Poor kid doesn’t really know how to play with other kids. He needs to be in preschool.

It got hotter in the afternoon. We headed inside and made homemade popsicles. Henry tried to take a nap but it didn’t happen so we walked to the park by our house. Since he was about 18 months old Henry has not been a fan of slides. He will go down the tiny ones but he won’t go near the tube ones or the tall twirling ones. Well, for some reason he had no fear of the slides on this day because he walked right up the stairs and slid down the tallest slide at the park. He is still the slowest slider on the planet. He was so proud of himself that he did it over and over again. Then he tried climbing up it and, well, that was even more fun than sliding down. We are happy for him and his new found confidence, although, after the stitches incident in May, Mama and Papa are both nervous wrecks when we are at the park. I was seriously considering leaving his bike helmet on his while he played. The evening ended with dinner at a local sub shop. It is the only time that Henry is allowed to eat chips and it is, therefore, one of his favorite places to eat. He chooses his resturants based on what he gets to eat there that he doesn't get to eat at home. So his favorite places have either chips or french fries. We picked up the kids menu and worked the word-find puzzle-Henry style. Which means circling all the Henry H’s in pink. The Mama M’s in orange. Papa P’s are green. Gigi G’s are yellow….you get the idea. All in all, a great weekend. Our 4th of July plans are pretty loose. The city of Lawrence won’t let us shoot off our own firecrackers anymore so we will likely get some poppers and snakes and sparklers and then go to the show at the lake. I have a feeling our little Bean is going to love the fireworks.

Here we go again

Henry's 1st second year molar was spotted this week. Today he has a slight fever and a stuffy nose...oh the joys of teething. We made a pretty big deal about his new tooth because, well, that's what you do when you have a two year old and afterwords Henry told me, looking very serious- "Mama, this toose is going to be gigantic. Big as you toose. Maybe big as Bapas. You never know."

Haircut

Maybe it's just me but every time I cut his hair I feel like he looks 3 years older.

Light

Henry and I chased fireflies last night. At first I could tell that he wasn’t sure about the idea of bugs that light up. We stood there for a few minutes just pointing them out to each other. Then Wade caught one and Henry watched silently as it crawled over Wade’s fingers and up his arm and then flew away. Then we chased them for a while, until the mosquitoes got to be too much and we had to go in. As we walked in the door Henry said “Bugs with bottoms that light up. Huh? Let’s get them tomorrow again. I so excited.” And in the bath Henry asked me “Mama, do those light up bugs have batteries?”

The best stuff happens in the rocking chair

Mama, some day when I big and you little I will take care of you. I drive you to the beach and I carry you out to the sand and I hold you in the water and we can feel the splashing.

Strawberries

I want to take Henry to pick strawberries this weekend so we can make some strawberry jam (and a strawberry pie). I know that Bismark Gardens used to have strawberries but I think they have closed. Does anyone know of any farms in the area with strawberries for picking?

Our big boy

We have been reluctant to move Henry into a toddler bed mainly because the idea of him running around the house when he should be sleeping made us a little nervous. We have several friends who moved their toddlers out of their cribs at 18 months old and now all of them have their toddlers in bed with them from midnight on. Henry is too much of a bed hog to let that happen. But, after sleeping on his mattress on the floor for the past two weeks while on vacation and only getting out of bed once (at least he only got caught once) we decided to give his toddler bed a try. His crib is convertible so we just took the front piece off of the crib and added a support beam along the bottom and we were set. Henry has slept in his "big boy bed" for the past two nights with only one escape attempt. On Tuesday night I laid him down and came back into the back bedroom to talk to Wade. We heard the patter of footsteps in the living room and peaked around the corner to find Henry standing in the middle of the living room with the biggest grin on his face. I think he might have even been giggling. Quiet little giggles of freedom. We all had a little chuckle and then sent him back to bed. He made it both nights without falling out and then this morning I went in to wake him up, I opened the blinds and turned off his fan and moved all the pillows I had lined up around his bed to soften his fall. I had just walked out of his room when I heard a thump and "I am all right" from Henry's room. I put the pillows back down tonight.

Thursday: Charleston SC

We hit Jacks Cosmic Dogs on our way back from the fountains.  They had the best veggie dogs we have ever had.  Henry also got french fries, root beer and a lollypop.  Ah, vacation....

Thursday: Charleston SC

We went to the fountains in downtown Charleston today.  Henry didn't venture in too far, they were a little too spashy for his taste, but he enjoyed walking in the shallow parts with Aunt Annie.  They also have bench swings along the water that fit about 4 people at a time.  They are great because they are in the shade and the breeze feels really good after walking in the hot South Carolina sun.  

Wednesday: Folly Beach

We decided to relax and bum around the house today. We all slept in, ate a big breakfast and then hit the sand or rocking chairs respectively. I am sunburned to a crisp so it is rocking chairs for me. Henry and Wade headed down to the beach to make sandcastles and play in the waves. After a day of boogie boarding and a little shopping on the main street of Folly Beach we headed out for dinner. We went to the Crab Shack. It was great, just what you would imagine a crab shack at a surfing beach would be.  We sat outside on wood benches and ate WAY too much.  It was great. About half way through the meal Henry looked over at me and said "I so happy Mama.  I am always smiling."  We took pictures...I will post them as soon as I get copies. 

Tuesday: Folly Beach

We had a busy day yesterday. Unfortunately, the batteries for our camera died in the morning so I don't have any pictures of it. Fortunately, my sisters are as crazy about taking pictures as I am so we have plenty of pictures, it will just be a few days before I can post them.


So...
Wade took a surfing lesson yesterday. He got up really quickly and then hurt his back. But he is feeling better today so we are going to go rent some boards. He has been doing a lot of boogie boarding and LOVES it. We actually have several people here who are good at and enjoy boogie boarding but no one can seem to keep up with Aunt Kelly :)


Henry is having a ball on the beach. I am pretty sure that if we lived by a beach we would be at the beach every weekend. He loves playing in the sand, building and destroying sand castles, jumping in the waves, and running along the beach with Annie's dog, Archie. He even loves it in the water which surprised us a little because he generally doesn't like water in his face. We went to the Aquarium yesterday thinking that Henry might enjoy an outing, but he didn't really. He likes interactive things so looking at fish didn't really keep his attention for long. They had a touch area where he got to touch a sea urchin and a crab, which he enjoyed. He liked trying to hear the ocean in the big shells and he liked playing on the shipwreck play gym, but that was about it. Nothing quite compares to where we are staying. You just can't beat the beach :)


Me.... well, I will just put it this way. Right now I am sitting in a rocking chair on a porch overlooking the ocean, drinking a cold beer, listening to the waves, watching my son and husband play out in the sand under a blue umbrella. My feet are in the sun but the rest of my body is in the shade of the second floor balcony. The air is hot but the wind from the ocean is cold so it feels like I am sitting outside on a hot day with my own personal air conditioner. All the people that I love the most in this world are playing on the beach or inside the house talking politics (something my family just can't seem to avoid) and I can hear them laughing through the sliding doors. Honestly, I can't think of any place in the world I would rather be. I think I will sign off and just close my eyes for a while and enjoy the moment. I hope all is well for our blog friends. See you soon.

Folly Beach

These are some highlights of the past 3 days. I will try to post more pictures on our Flickr site soon.

Day 4 :: Folly Beach SC

We made it! The house is amazing. The ocean is incredible and we are having a great time. Henry loves playing in the sand.

Day 3 :: Asheville NC, part 2

After dinner we headed out to the pool. Can you believe this was Henry's first time in a real pool? We couldn't wait to experience it with him and he was excited too...I could barely get his suit on with all the squirms and attempted escapes. It was a hot day today but the water was too cold. Henry only made it in up to his waist before he was ready to get out. We checked out the hot-tub and it was perfect. It was huge and the temperature was more like a luke-warm tub than a hot-tub. And there were bubbles...what more could a little guy ask for. We are hoping for a good rest tonight and then tomorrow it's beach time!!!

Day 3 :: Asheville NC, part 1

Wow. The Smoky Mountains are beautiful. The drive was fun too, a nice change of pace from the sort of straight shot-highway driving up to that point. I sat in the back with Henry and we played and played and played (a Henry quote from a phone call he had this evening with my friend Emily. Emily- What did you do today Henry? Henry- I sat in the back with Mama and we played and played and played. ) We enjoyed the occasional stomach drop as the car took a curve or went down a hill unexpectedly. Although other than that Henry really wasn't too interested in the drive. He was focused on the playing.

Tonight is our first night in a hotel. We got a room with two beds so that we could set Henry up in the middle. We put all those extra pillows to good use.
And....got a little creative with the pointy corners. You never can be too safe with an accident prone little Bean like ours.

Day 2 :: Louisville KY

We arrived in Louisville a little before 7:00. The time change and the fact that we hung around the zoo about a half hour too long, had us there a little later than we planned but we should have known better than to worry because Fannie took great care of us. She made a fantastic vegetarian lasagna, bread, salad and a grape desert that I forgot to get to the recipe for, but I will on the way back because it was great. It was really nice to have a home cooked meal after eating out the past 3 meals. We were both commenting on how much we missed eating home cooked meals and then, sure enough, Fannie delivered. After dinner we visited for a while on her back porch and enjoyed the sunset. Kentucky is so beautiful...so many hills and trees for us Kansas folks.

Day 1 :: Saint Louis MO

We got a late start today (big surprise) but ended up in Saint Louis by 6:30. We headed out to dinner with my Aunt Peggy and cousins Megan and Kyle. Henry did not take a nap in the car but he did pretty well other than that. He colored a lot, watched Blue's Clues, listened to The Wheels on the Bus, read books and even played with blocks. After we survived the long drive our only other concern was bed time. Considering that this was his first overnight in a new place we thought he did great and it helped that Peggy was very understanding and gracious so we were very comfortable. Overall a good, confidence building first leg of the journey. There are a lot of cool things for kids to do in Saint Louis, we had a hard time narrowing it down but when we heard there was a train at the zoo our minds were made up. The wait was long but Henry did great. He jumped up and down in line yelling "I'm so excited. I'm so excited."
We didn't have much time after the train so we only got to check out a few animals before we hand to hit the road. Off to Louisville.

Vacation

We have checked out library books about it. We have driven over the lake to talk about boats and bodies of water. We have packed our favorite toys and bought new swim shorts and flip-flops. We have coloring books and car games and Henry’s favorite music on cd. We even practiced using our bucket and shovels for sandcastles in the bath. Now it is time to take our little man on his first vacation. Now it is time to go go go… So a special “Thank you!” to our house sitters-don’t worry if you set off the alarm, we did it 4 times when we first bought the house- the cops are used to it. And a “Thank you” to Fananna and Aunt Peggy for putting us up for two nights and taking a chance with an untraveled 2 year old house guest. And finally a “Thank you” to my parents for a million-zillion things that I couldn’t even begin to list out in this post- we’ll send you guys an itemized thank you note when we get back :)

Little Artist

I think Henry has discovered the joy of creating something with his hands. We spend most of yesterday doing creative work. We painted, played with playdough, and colored all over Gigi and Grandpa's back porch with pink chalk. His favorite activity was painting. He was so focused that plane could have landed on our yard and he wouldn't have noticed. It was a great way to use our old pizza boxes that were sitting in the recycling bin. I posted more pictures of his painting adventures here.

A new world

Henry's imagination is blossoming. In fact, it is growing so fast we can barely keep up with it. Yesterday morning as he galloped around the room, he told me "I'm a cowboy riding over the choo-choo tracks." "Where are you going Henry?" I asked. "I'm going to the beach. Bye." and he galloped into the dining room. After a few trips around the table he headed back to me. "Oh hi" I said "Are you back from the beach?" He squinted one eye and looked up at me "No Mama. Arrrrrrrrrr matey. I'm a pirate." And he was off again.
In addition to the multiple personalities (smile) Henry also likes to converse with everyone and everything. Trees, cars, flowers, shoes, food...you name it. He will walk up to a car headlight in the parking lot and say "Hello light. How you?" Last night we potted some geraniums for the front porch and Henry was friendly with each plant. "Hello white flower. How you? Good. I smell you flower."

In other news we are gearing up for our vacation. This weekend we are doing all the last minute stuff, which means pretty much everything because in our house we don't plan ahead very well. We need swim trunks and stuff to do in the car. Anyone know any fun car games for kiddos?