A Sunday Well Spent

Coffee and a book.
Small home improvement projects complete with instant gratification.
Sunshine and a run with my husband.
Playing in the grass with our son.
Beers and burgers on the deck with Nana and Baba.
A good shift at work.
Today I am remembering to be grateful for the little things.

Boldly Going Where a Big Boy Goes

I know these aren't the highest quality images. Sorry about that. But all I had at the park was my phone, so they will have to do. Because it was too cute not to share.
My son was in an adventuring sort of mood during our park outing the other afternoon. He went in and on and through everything he could reach, and surprised Mommy a few times with just how far that could take him.
I looked down at my phone for just a moment, and looked up to find that my son had climbed up the metal stairs on the big kid playground equipment. Whoa. I didn't know he could - or would - do that. This is the kid that still wants to hold my hand when we walk down the front steps. Needless to say, I kept my eyes peeled on him from then on. I try hard to adopt the motto of "letting boys be boys." Or letting kids be kids, for that matter. Yes, he will fall sometimes. Yes, he will get hurt. But that's life. That's how we learn. But that doesn't mean I don't have a natural tendency to panic. So I talked to him about how big and strong he was and smiled at him and clapped for him, every bit as much to calm myself as to encourage him. He managed to catch me by surprise one more time when he quickly and confidently walked over to the big boy slide and slid down. My heart jumped into my throat as my arms instinctively reached toward him. I pictured him face planting into the gravel at the bottom, but thankfully there were no injuries. I was sure he was gonna be freaked out by how fast and how far he went, but there were no tears. He loved it. He laughed and ran straight back to those big, metal stairs. These pictures are from round two. There was also a round three, and four, and five...
After he finally tired of the slide, he decided to explore the park a bit more. I ran around after him as he discovered hidden corners behind bushes and under picnic tables. And then we found the big puddle. My little boy lit up as he stomped through that thing, soaking his jeans with his big splashes. What glorious fun.
We ended our outing on the swings, a nice lazy way to round out a neighborhood adventure. Don't you just love his relaxed and calm manor in this picture? Such a big boy, just gazing at the sky...
I'm such a sucker for this kid.

Everybody Needs a Break

My brother got married two weeks ago today. Crazy.
But that's not really what this post is about. (Though I should tell you about it! It was epic.) It's about the break we took on our drive out to Oregon for the wedding.
My son really did a fabulous job on our 13 hour road trip. Very few complaints. But at one point in the afternoon, you could tell how desperately he wanted out of that chair and to move around. Honestly, don't we all on road trips? We adults just suffer through, but a baby in the car means everyone gets what they want because the baby was smart enough to insist on it.
We spotted a park along the river in Kennewick, WA and it seemed like a good place to stop and stretch our legs. In fact, it was the perfect place to stop. It had one of those little water parks intended for smaller kids. A pad of concrete and a few fountains is all it takes to entertain a toddler.
I wasn't sure if Drake would be interested - he's been a little wary of water at times, and it did take him a while to warm up to it - but it wasn't long before he was sopping wet and happy.
Baba was the only one who could convince him to leave. He sure loves his Baba.
Afterwards, Drake decided it was his turn to drive.

Drake in Motion

I realized the other day as I tried to show a co-worker some pictures of my son that I have so few recent pictures. I used to take ten a day! Now there were only one or two from the past month that you could really see his smiling face. So over the past week, I've made a conscious effort to try to capture a few more shots of my handsome Little Man. And that's when I remembered that I didn't stop taking pictures of Drake, he stopped holding still for them. Seriously, this kid never stops! He has so much energy and even more curiosity about the world around him. I'm lucky if I get a few moments of sleepy boy cuddles first thing in the morning, and then he wants down and he wants to run. He will stop to play with a toy for a moment, but the instant I reach for my phone to take a picture, he's off and running again. Yarg. I guess I just need a better camera. ;)
I thought I'd share a few "action" shots with you, since they are the most accurate representation of his life right now.

Keeping His Cool

I haven't posted in forever - literally forever - and I should probably apologize for that or try to catch up on everything I've missed or write some long winded post about how much Drake has grown in the past six months.... but forget all that. I just want to show you these pictures.
These are the various ways we have tried to ward of the heat this summer with a crazy active toddler. Isn't he the coolest?

playing dirty

There are literally a dozen other posts I should be writing - ones I've been intending to write for weeks, or even months. But right now I can't resist the urge to show you these pictures and to tell you about my son's first experience playing in his very own back yard.
Yes, last summer I laid him on blankets in the grass and he rolled around, but this toddler of mine is a whole different human. He's really experiencing things now.
So far this Spring, our adventures had been limited to the front yard, which is unfenced and small. Mostly I corral him in and away from the road and he gets angry and the whole thing lasts about ten minutes. We've been doing this because - and this is embarrassing - there was dog poop littering every square inch of the back yard. It was a mine field of varying levels of decaying shit. Yuck.
Today I spent nearly three hours in the back yard during Drake's first nap picking up poop, trash, and sticks and then raking the entire thing (I am going to be so sore tomorrow!). All so that Drake could play in his back yard (and so that I wouldn't gag when I looked out my back window). It was so worth it.
I mean, do you see that kid's smile? He played hard. Running after balls and throwing rocks and digging in the dirt and splashing in the dog's water bucket. He got good and dirty in his brand new 'clean' back yard.
He had his very first strip-before-you-go-inside experience.
Welcome to your childhood, Son. Soon enough we will be hosing you off in the back yard from the messes you make on your outdoor adventures. But I promise to be right there with you. Anyone who knows your Momma well knows that she's always loved to play in the mud.