Wordless Wednesday – Mandated afternoon rest time
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Monthly Archives July 2008
Boating and beach fun with family
My aunt and uncle own a house that is on a beautiful lake not far from where we live. Last year with the birth of JSL we were not able to go up there and on the boat. Aunt S decided that she wanted to make some special memories for our boys and invited us for an afternoon/evening of fun Saturday. The four of us and my parents went to meet my aunt, uncle and grandmother at the house.
We slathered ourselves with sun lotion before heading up and JL and NHL had their swim suits on just in case they wanted to go in the water while on the boat. Everyone made their way to the boat, a gorgeous pontoon boat that can have up to eleven passengers. The sun was out and the weather was perfect. It was hot, but not too humid. The boys immediately put on their life jackets before we went out and everyone took a seat in order to get out of the dock.
JSL was not too sure about things. He seemed to like the boat, but was very quiet after we put the life jacket on him. The poor little guy was lost in it and likely very warm from the extra heavy layer, but it was not an option.
After going around for a little while and trying to find a spot for JL and NHL to go into the water we were traveling around again. NHL was even able to go on Uncle M’s lap and drive the boat. He literally was steering the boat and controling the speed. . . more than we had originally thought. NHL loved this and was so thrilled that Uncle M allowed him to try again later on.
Did you know that being captain of the boat makes you hungry? It seemed to do that for NHL as you will see.
We all noticed that JSL was curious about what NHL had done. Uncle M was really nice and allowed JSL to sit on his lap and skipper the boat. Much to our surprise he quickly grabbed the wheel and knew just how to move it on his own. He was so happy he finally started to smile. Uncle M definitely made his day!
To cool off we stopped the boat so NHL could dip his feet and splash in the water at the front of the boat. He had an absolute blast. It was hard to pull him away and move the boat, but we told him we were going to the beach soon.
Here are some random photos from the relaxing and fun outing on the boat.
Of course the trip down memory lane would not be complete without mentioning what we found on the lake. When we were going fast we spotted something and went back to see it. JL thought it really looked like a turtle shell with a fin up. Well, he was dead wrong . . . . pun intended. This was the lovely view that had a smell to go along with it.
Once we docked the boat and closed it back up we went to the nice little beach that is part of the community. It is hard to believe, but this was NHL’s first time in the sand and building sand castles. He had a blast and did not want to stop. We were all quite shocked that he loved the water and went in without complaints.
JSL enjoyed relaxing in the shade for a while with Mimi, looking around the beach with papa and hanging out with me (those are my legs). He was not interested in the sand this time around. Next time we may allow him to explore a little more.
Finally both boys went into the water and had a blast playing with their daddy. None of them wanted to leave, but eventually we had to call it a day and head back to have dinner.
A huge thank you to Aunt S and Uncle M for such a wonderful time on Saturday. NHL continues to tell everyone about his fun in the sun and I know JSL enjoys splashing and swimming even more. Both of you are the best and we love you lots.
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The ABC’s of Me
Thanks to Nancy for this Meme
A = Age: 31
B = Bed size: Queen
C = Chores you hate: Cleaning the bathroom – especially the tub
D = Dessert you love: Chocolate chip cookie dough – with or without the ice cream!
E = Essential start your day item:
F = Favorite actor(s): Harrison Ford, Patrick Dempsey, George Clooney
G = Gold or Silver: White gold
H = Height: 5′3″
I = Instruments you play: Played piano when I was growing up
J= Job title: Domestic Engineer . . . former teacher
K= Kids: 2 boys – NHL almost 5 and JSL just 1
L = Living arrangements: House
M = My name is: The one my parents gave me!
N = Nicknames: TheAngelForever
O = Overnight hospital stay: 1 night when pregnant with NHL for UTI, 2 nights for each of the boys . . . does sleeping with JSL while he was there 4 nights count in February?
P= Pets: None
Q = Favorite quote: “Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands. ” – Anne Frank
R = Right or left handed: Righty
S = Siblings: One younger and much taller brother
T = Time you woke up today: I believe JSL was up at 4-ish and then the alarm went off at 6
U = Unique about you: I went on a driving strike when I was 16-17 because my mother was pressuring me to get my license.
V = Vegetable you hate: cooked peas
W = Worst habit: Indecisiveness
X = X-Rays you’ve had : wrist, chest, teeth, and knee
Y = Yummy food you make: Bon Bon cookies and apple cake (notice I bake not cook really)
Z = Zodiac Sign: Sagitarrius
B = Bed size: Queen
C = Chores you hate: Cleaning the bathroom – especially the tub
D = Dessert you love: Chocolate chip cookie dough – with or without the ice cream!
E = Essential start your day item:
F = Favorite actor(s): Harrison Ford, Patrick Dempsey, George Clooney
G = Gold or Silver: White gold
H = Height: 5′3″
I = Instruments you play: Played piano when I was growing up
J= Job title: Domestic Engineer . . . former teacher
K= Kids: 2 boys – NHL almost 5 and JSL just 1
L = Living arrangements: House
M = My name is: The one my parents gave me!
N = Nicknames: TheAngelForever
O = Overnight hospital stay: 1 night when pregnant with NHL for UTI, 2 nights for each of the boys . . . does sleeping with JSL while he was there 4 nights count in February?
P= Pets: None
Q = Favorite quote: “Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person’s character lies in their own hands. ” – Anne Frank
R = Right or left handed: Righty
S = Siblings: One younger and much taller brother
T = Time you woke up today: I believe JSL was up at 4-ish and then the alarm went off at 6
U = Unique about you: I went on a driving strike when I was 16-17 because my mother was pressuring me to get my license.
V = Vegetable you hate: cooked peas
W = Worst habit: Indecisiveness
X = X-Rays you’ve had : wrist, chest, teeth, and knee
Y = Yummy food you make: Bon Bon cookies and apple cake (notice I bake not cook really)
Z = Zodiac Sign: Sagitarrius
Now I know my ABCs…..
Feel free to play along and leave a link to your ABC’s in my comments.
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Lions, and Tigers and Bears . . . Oh My!
On the 4th of July we were visiting my brother, sister-in-law and niece for the long weekend. Uncle I had to work in the morning, so we decided to head to the zoo later in the day when he was done. We had a quick lunch at Moe’s and then went to the zoo.
When we arrived nearby the zoo and parked, NHL decided to lead the way. He has been to this zoo two other times (just a year ago when we went to Aunt M’s baby shower), so he knew the way. The stroller brigade followed with Cousin S sleeping for the start of her first time to the zoo. JSL was awake and curious about all of the fuss.
NHL was on a mission. He wanted to see the lions and tigers. He was a little upset that we missed the last giraffe feeding, but was fine with just going to view them. We made our way all around the zoo and saw a lot of animals. Here is a sampling of the photos that were taken by JL.
It was a very warm day, so many of the animals were resting in the shade, hanging out in their watering holes, or hiding completely out of view by this point in the afternoon. We did have an "interesting" educational moment. The bear area is a crowd favorite. First there were the grizzly bears that were lounging. They could have cared less that we were there watching them. Next the polar bear was pacing. He/she definitely seemed to be sizing up lunch on the other side of the barrier. I have to say it was a little unnerving. Then we saw the Spectacled Bear. This bear was smaller than the rest and was quite active. The spectacled bear put on quite a show of nature. He came over to the edge of the enclosure and proceded to empty his bladder and then do the rest of his business. No, no pictures of that. However, here is a picture when he was done and NHL’s priceless reaction to the event.
At the end of the visit JL asked NHL what his favorite animal was. Without missing a beat he quickly replied it was the spectacled bear. When asked why he immediately replied "Because he peed!" Yes, he is a boy of almost 5 you know so not a shocking response.
Eventually Cousin S woke up to see some of the animals. I believe she may have enjoyed her first bomb pop at the zoo more than the actual zoo itself. Of course it is always fun watching my little brother as a daddy. My question to you, who looks better in the pink hat?
NHL also enjoyed going on the merry-go-round and the zoo’s playground. I have to say the playground is rather impressive. They did an amazing job making it follow a zoo theme.
Just before JSL fell asleep from the heat and lack of napping all day, I asked to have a picture of both of the boys. Of course try to get them to look at the camera. Nope, that did not happen. Instead each looked in a completely different direction!
Just before the zoo closed at 5:00 JSL was sleeping and everyone else went to look at the sea lions underwater. JL captured my little niece with her daddy watching them. Too cute!
A fun trip to the zoo. The only part missing was the elephants because their home was being redone and will not be open until August.
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Mission Impossible – the photo shoots
Last week before we left to visit my brother and his family my mother gave us a mission.
Cue the Mission Impossible Music please. . .
"Your mission, should you decide to accept it is to capture a photograph of our three grandchildren together. Do not attempt to return home unless you accomplish this task!"
No recorder self destructed in five seconds, but our attempts to get photos of the three kids last weekend quickly did.
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Attempt #1 – Friday morning while all of the kids were still in their pajamas and playing nicely. The resulting photos may be seen here:
Please note no children were hurt in any of the photo taking events shown.
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Attempt #2 – Friday afternoon before heading out to the zoo. The natives quickly got quite restless. A certain one year old dear too me was not cooperative, to say the least.
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Attempt #3 – Saturday early afternoon before heading out to lunch and cherry picking. The kids were all in a good mood so we thought it would be the perfect time. Unfortunately, they had other plans.
The results from this photo shoot were the best in that the kids were quite cute with one another. Unfortunately, there is no photo with all faces visible.
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Attempt #4 – Saturday evening post tub (another "interesting" experience for another day) we gathered the kids in the room NHL was sleeping in for one last attempt at a group grandchild/cousin photo.
So there you have it, another no-go on the photo for Nana and Papa. The problem this time around was the little kids, JSL and Cousin S were just too busy and wanted to be on the move and play all the time.
We technically did accomplish our mission though. We have lots of photos of the three kids together, so we did travel back home. A few of the ones above are ok and should satisfy the mission – whew!
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