Monday, June 30, 2008

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.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

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."

Friday, June 27, 2008

Haircut

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

Thursday, June 26, 2008

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?”

Sunday, June 22, 2008

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.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

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?

Thursday, June 12, 2008

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, June 05, 2008

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. 

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

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.

Monday, June 02, 2008

Folly Beach




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








Saturday, May 31, 2008

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.


Friday, May 30, 2008

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.

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

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 :)

Sunday, May 25, 2008

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.

Friday, May 23, 2008

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?