Friday Thanks

5 things I'm grateful for this week:

1.  Afternoon off to celebrate my hubbie's 33rd birthday.  Chillin' in the afternoon, dinner as a family, ice cream to top it off.  Happy birthday love!!!

2.  Supportive co-workers. I was out of the office for a good portion of the month and a few very supportive co-workers helped make that time enjoyable by providing back-up coverage while I was away.

3.  BBQ.  I love that the weather is consistently dry these days because BBQ is on the menu multiple nights a week.  I have fallen in love with New Season's kabobs.  Little Man likes them too!

4.  Baby food in a pouch.  As many of you know, I take great pride in the fact I nursed Henry for an entire year and made all his baby food (except baby snacks, like Mum Mums). Recently though, as Henry has grown a bit more picky, he has developed a GREAT fondness for baby food in a pouch.  I think he really just likes sucking the puree through the built-in straw.  It is just fun to eat.  Like a smoothie.  It all started about 2 weeks ago when Grandma Sherry brought over some applesauce in a pouch.  He devoured it in less than 30 seconds.  So, we've branched out to other flavors, in particular because applesauce can back up the little one.  He equally loves the other flavors.  As much as I cringe at the waste of the packaging, I like the fact he's getting more fruits and veggies in his diet without much effort on my part.  I continue to offer lots of "real" big boy food, but it brings a smile to my face at how excited he gets when he sees the baby food in a pouch.  Who would have guessed!?!

5.  Sleeping in my own bed.  As grateful as I am for the wonderful time off on vacation, I definitely prefer to sleep in my own bed.  I sleep sounder, more comfortably.  Sleep does a body good!

The Fantasy Continues - Sunriver

Last week we spent another glorious week of vacation together as a family.  We traveled to Sunriver with our dear friends the Ripleys for a week of sun and recreation.  Below are some snapshots of some of the sweet memories we made.

Henry on his first hike in our new backpack.  He thought it was pretty cool until he was lulled to sleep and there was nowhere for his head to rest.  We remembered a rolled up towel on our next hike.  The river views were spectacular on this hike. 

Henry and Daddy checked out the pool together.  Henry loves swimming, especially now that he isn't forced to sing songs in a circle with other kids (a.k.a. swim class). 

I see you Mama!!!

Ohhhhhh, so chilly, yet so much fun!

Henry's FAVORITE part of the aquatic center was the fountains.  I am sure he would stayed there for hours if Mama and Daddy weren't freezing (because we of course ran through the fountains with him).  Funny how kids don't ever seem to get cold when they are splashing in the water.

This is a favorite pastime for the Ripley boys.  One of the boys gets rolled up like a mummy and then the other boy play kicks/punches the mummy boy.  Henry enjoyed participating in this game. 

"Daboo, Daboo, Daboo!!!"  Henry LOVES, LOVES, LOVES garbage cans of all sizes, shapes and colors, indoor and outdoors.  This one had a lid, which made it even more fun.  For whatever reason, Henry calls garbage "daboo."  He really enjoys finding garbage and throwing it away. 

Sweet baby boy playing independently with his cow.

Henry likes to color now.  First kid's menu ever.

Henry spotted this train one afternoon and got super excited every time it passed by.  So, we had to take a ride the next afternoon.  He did NOT want the train ride to end though.  He still really likes all things with wheels, especially if they make noise and play music like this train did.

Peek-a-boo!

Nothing like teaching a boy early how to shoot a pistol!  Generally speaking, I'm not that excited about letting Henry play with guns, but what are you to do when you travel with 11 and 14 year old boys who want to share their toys with Little Man.  Henry soooooo wanted to be just like the big boys.  So, I gave in, for at least this weekend.  The pistols did bring him much joy.

Goodness this is a big book!!!

Mr. Smiles.  His smile NEVER gets old to me.

By way of other updates, Henry is developing into quite a little boy now.  His favorite game is to go around a room and point to things as you ask him where the things are.  For example, if you ask him where the couch is, he'll run over and pat the seat of the couch.  If you ask him where the fan is he will point to the fan and say "uh, uh, uh."  Henry still doesn't have many words, but he will say "oooof, ooooof" if you ask him what a dog says.  So freaking cute.  He also has learned approximately 8 different body parts. 

Recently he got two more teeth (13 total now) and a couple of weeks ago he suffered through a rash, which is yet to be determined if it was a heat rash or roseola (which one of his buddies suffered from recently and may have shared with Henry).  Henry's feeling much better so it really doesn't matter. 

Henry has become a bit more picky on the food front, but last week he was a great eater on vacation.  His favorite food last week was roasted, salted peanuts.  The Ripleys brought a jar of them and every time Henry saw the jar of peanuts he would demand to eat a handful.  It was comical by the end of the week.  Good thing he's not allergic. 

Henry still loves to read.  His favorite books are ones that feature cars, trucks and and trains.  He also likes to look through magazines and point to various items that he recognizes, in particular cars, trucks and trains...oh, and dogs.

Henry is still very mechanical, he loves to figure out how things work. I recently purchased a baby laptop for our car trip and he loves pushing all the buttons and flipping the on/off switch.  He likes to put toys in containers just to remove them and start again.  Some of his favorite toys include his Mega Blocks, pull toys, race cars, wind-up toy and bubble bucket.  It is so fun to watch him explore his world.

Nine Days in Fantasyland

I am nearing the end of nine glorious days of simply being a mom, a wife, a daughter, a friend...and not a lawyer.  I didn't spend a single minute working the last nine days.  I feel refreshed.  I feel blessed. I wish it would never end.  Below are some precious moments from the past week.

We spent a good portion of the last week at the coast.  Ryan spent the first few days of the trip building a fire pit in the backyard (which I must say is AWESOME).  Henry enjoyed watching Daddy through the window, standing in Soph's food bowl.

Henry LOVES his dog!  He now runs up to her and gives her hugs.  She obliges most of the time. 

Henry enjoys the view from up high. 

My sweet baby boy is growing up TOOOOOOOOOO fast!!!!!

We hosted a BBQ for the 4th and Henry was the life of the party as usual...and a ham.

Daddy showed Henry how Pop-Its work and he had a blast.  He didn't even care if they popped in his hand or under his feet.  Quite the dare devil.

Peek-a-boo.  I see you.  Grandpa Keith knows how to show Little Man a good time.

I know I have mentioned this before, but Henry LOVES, LOVES, LOVES water.  On one of our MANY trips outside this past week I gave Henry a couple of bowls to play with and he enjoyed filling them up and dumping them over his head.  Silly man!

Henry loves giving his Grandma Sherry kisses. 

Summer is here!  The weather was finally warm enough to move the water table outside.  Henry played with the water table and hose for at least an hour straight.  Keeping a toddler's attention for more than a few minutes is an achievement, keeping a toddler entertained for an hour is a miracle.

Playing with water results in a very wet face and shirt and shorts and shoes...and anything that is sitting within a 10 foot radius of Henry. 

Henry and I visited our next door neighbor this afternoon and the kids ran through the spinklers. Henry wasn't too sure at first, but after he got the hang of it, he thought it was great fun.  The squirt bottle had to be in tow of course.

Slurp, slurp, slurp.  Like Dog, like Man's Best Friend.