Salt Water State Park

Today was the epitome of a perfect Saturday: enjoying the sunshine in the beautiful outdoors and playing with my favorite people in the whole world. We headed out this morning to visit Saltwater State Park and explored the beach, the streams, and the little tide pools.

Once Aaron tipped over a rock and pointed out to Hank all the tiny crabs that scurry around underneath, Hank wanted Aaron (he didn't want to do it himself) to tip over every rock on the beach. He was fascinated with the crabs, bugs, and hermit crabs.

Watching Aaron hold Hank's hand through the streams, squat down on his knees to show something neat to Hank, or try to teach Hank to throw rocks into the ocean made me just fall in love with my sweet husband. What a great Daddy!

I'm worried that I'm raising a bunch of pansies because we hadn't taken two steps onto the sandy beach when Hank promptly sits down, removes his shoes, and begins brushing the sand off of his feet. Max is no better, either. I thought Max might enjoy dipping his feet into the cool water since it was so warm outside. Not so much. I would keep lowering Max's feet into the water and he would keep raising his legs higher and higher to keep them out of the water.

We had such a fun time together at the beach. We can't wait to bring the boys back again next year.

With a Cherry on Top

The other night Liz and I got together and each canned 30 pounds of cherries! I had forgotten how much work is involved in canning, but I think there is something satisfying about the process, and the result makes it well worth it.

4th of July

For the 4th of July we took the boys to a little down-home parade near my parents house. Hank loved watching the firetrucks and the tractors--he especially liked hoarding all the candy that was thrown into the crowds. On the way home we stopped to buy a few fireworks. We let Hank throw the pop-its and I can't wait until tonight to light off a few firecrackers. I love my little firecrackers....

Taking a Ride

When we visit my parents, Hank loves to help mow the lawn.

All Geared Up

Yesterday Hank wanted to practice cruising around on his scooter so we put on all his safety gear, just in case. We strapped on his knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist braces and Hank yelled out, "Superman!" He spent the morning running around the house in his safety gear, thinking he was a super hero. If I could, I would make him wear a helmet everywhere. I wish I could dress him in armor everyday for the rest of his life to keep him safe from all the potential harm and danger lurking in the mean world.

Forget-Me-Not Friday

1. Hank loves his tractor/truck collection. He loves his tractors so much that he has them arranged just so on a shelf above his bed--Hank likes to "park" them backwards in thier own spots. After Hank woke up from his nap one day, he pulled out each tractor, one by one, and told me what kind of tractor it was, where he got it, kissed each one, and placed them each back in their spots.

2. One afternoon Hank and I were working through a stack of puzzles. As we would put each peice in place, we would talk about the object depicted. As we were putting a fruit themed puzzle together, I would ask Hank to name each fruit as he put the peice in place. Well, since Hank mainly eats pureed fruits and vegetables, he doesn't really associate a picture of food with the actual food itself. When I showed him the puzzle peice with a picture of a cherry on it, he says, "cherry Poptart!"

3. Max mastered the skill of waving! He waves "hello" and "goodbye" with a friendly flop on his chubby little wrist.

4. Hank learned to do a sommersault by himself and selected the most clever moment to share his new accomplishment. After an hour of Hank creeping out of his room at bedtime and me threatening to punish him if he came out of his room one more time, Hank throws open his door, plops his head on the floor, pushes his little body into a perfect sommersault and says, "Ta-ta-ta-dah!"

The Miracle of Life

Yesterday I had the honor of witnessing the birth of my brand-new nephew, Jasper True, who was born at 4:35 p.m, weighing 7lbs 2oz and measuring 21 inches long. I had the privilege of keeping Amy company all night in the hospital through her labor, doing my best to coach her through the agonizing delivery process. I got to share in Jasper's first few moments of life, hearing his first cry, and watching his first bath. I even got to cut the cord! I was unbelievably impressed with my sister's strength and stamina during the process and can only say that I was relieved to be in my shoes and not hers. Thank you, Amy, for sharing such a precious experience with me. I will never forget 7/1/09 and I'm already in love with little Jasper. I don't want to steal Amy's thunder, but I couldn't help posting just one picture of cute little Jasper--a sneak peak!