Monday, April 19, 2010

What a Wonderful World

We are absolutely loving the spring weather and the time we spend outside. I tell you, being a mom is the best. If I'm in the "right" (not necessarily the correct) attitude then motherhood really feels like a second childhood. We play outside, slide, dig in the rocks, get dirty, pretend the playground is a spaceship or pirate ship, whatever.
Being a mom is the best.
Read on to see some of the exciting times we're having.


Henry had his first sleepover.
It was with his good friend, Kailey. Kailey's mom went into labor on Kailey's birthday and we were lucky enough to watch Kailey while her mom had the baby. To celebrate her birthday, in a small way, we made crowns and played all day. We also sang "Happy Birthday" like 10 times--it was good practice.
At night they stayed up screaming and giggling for about 45 minutes until they fell asleep. It was hilarious to listen to.
Amazingly enough, Kailey got a little brother on her birthday. Well, he's not exactly little. A whopping 9 lb. 13 oz, and because he was so big he broke his collar bone while being delivered! His tough mom did it all without an epidural. So impressive!!


Henry got his first DUI.
Just kidding.
Here he is after a long day at the park getting his fill of car time. Above you can see him practicing backing up. Only 14 more years to go!!

Henry didn't get a DUI, but I did get pulled over!
Yep, last week. I was late to an appointment and was going about 14 mph over the speed limit and a cop on a motorcycle pulled me over. Ugh, my heart dropped. I was so close to my destination, too!
The officer was actually really nice and said I could call my doctor to let him know I'd be late. Thanks, but I didn't have the number on me. He let me off with a warning after he did a background check and after he asked me what my driving record was like. I told him everything--which wasn't much--and I think he could tell I was an honest gal. Phew! I think my mother-in-law would be proud of me. I got out of a ticket!! *Double phew since I hadn't put my new insurance card in the car yet! (It expired like 2 weeks ago.) I thank my lucky "tars" (as Henry would say).


Henry wore his first pair of underpants while looking out at the first blooming blossoms on his tree.
They are so beautiful! Now the tree in our front yard smells wonderful and provides ample amount of shade for picnics on the front lawn. We love it.

Last week we had a great picnic dinner at the Arboretum. This is where Henry practices his new skill: bird chasing. He loves birds, but he also loves chasing them. He thinks it's so hilarious to chase them and watch then fly away.
It was funny until one day I thought a bird was going to chase Henry down. Henry had found a robin that was eating a worm under a tree. He chased it away from its worm about 3 times and it kept returning--it was a plump worm--and I started to get the feeling that if he didn't stop interrupting this robin's lunchtime then we'd get pecked. The bird was pretty ticked. With Henry kicking and screaming I had to carry him away to safety because I sure know how cranky I get when I'm hungry, and I would not want Henry to experience the wrath of a hungry bird!


We had our first night on the town.
We toured Ten Thousand Villages and saw beautiful jewelry, decor, cards, toys and much more. These goods are made by artisans from more than 38 countries (most developing countries) and are brought to this shop, run by volunteers, and sold at fair prices to provide these artisans with fair trade.
We enjoyed a bit of music from a street performer on her guitar--Henry went crazy for the "tar" and other young people thought he was funny.
And, lastly, we ate at Merry Ann's Diner.
It was a very fine evening.



One of the finer things of my motherhood experience is watching this kid develop an imagination. I love that he can now pretend and come up with funny games or jokes. Recently, everything becomes a tractor: his peaches, cheese, mashed potatoes, milk, fork, spoon, etc. The first few minutes of meal time is actually spent eating and the rest of the time is spent pretending. "Beep beep, brbrbrbrb, vroom, swish!" It's very entertaining.
Although some days are challenging, I would not trade this phase of life for anything.
If there's one think I'm learning, it's that babes grow up too fast and I don't want to miss a beat, especially in these young years.
Louis was right, what a wonderful world.
P.S. I do hope you notice Henry is sticking the carrot up his nose in that last picture.

3 comments:

Katie Parent said...

Thanks for that post. Glad to see you are having so much fun!

danette said...

kids grow up way to fast. I still can't believe Caleb will be 10 in just over a month.

Ashlee said...

Did I tell you when you came over that I loved this post? Because I do love it. :) Can't wait to see Henry tomorrow!