A creek runs through it...

So there's a creek that runs between our neighborhood and Noble Woods Park, and this time of year is a great time to play in it. In the winter, it's about 8 feet deeper. Jim had previously taken Henry down there and they had so much fun they brought me along yesterday. Our activities included throwing rocks, tossing in leaves and waving bye-bye to them as the floated down the stream, searching for clams and splashing with big sticks. Henry didn't want to leave. What a little boy!

Here are a few pics, adding to Jim's:

My boys (ssshh don't tell, Jim's not wearing Nike's)



Happy!

Oh yeah, we also jumped off rocks! This is how I got all wet.

On another note, I have a big boy announcement!! Henry is drinking his milk from a big boy cup! He does it with no spills and only a little dribble here and there if he takes too big a sip. It's one of those things the doctor says to start trying and you say yeah right and then lo and behold, he can do it!

Anyhow. I found it exciting. :)

Henry 2.0!!!

Several hours old

TWO!

So people aren't kidding when they tell you time flies with kids. Our baby turned 2 yesterday! I'm just so flabbergasted at how much he has changed since that hot, hot day in July 2006 when he made his way into the world. Happy Birthday baby boy! We love you so much! Also, thank you to everyone who made Henry's birthday so special and fun for him (and us!). WE ARE SO BLESSED!

One Word

My friend Michele did this and it looked like fun! Join in!

So here’s the rules: All of the answers must be just one word.

1. Where is your cell phone? bag
2. Your significant other? hot
3. Your hair? up
4. Your mother? amazing
5. Your father? energetic
6. Your favorite thing? books
7. Your dream last night? weird
8. Your favorite drink? dietcoke :)
9. Your dream/goal? holiness
10. The room you’re in? bonus
11. Your church? awesome
12. Your fear? failure
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
14. Where were you last night? home
15. What you’re not? shy
16. Muffins? bran!
17. One of your wish list items? massage!
18. Where you grew up? Orlando
19. The last thing you did? bills
20. What are you wearing? stuff
21. Your TV? HD
22. Your pets? kitty
23. Your computer? fast
24. Your life? fun!
25. Your mood? sleepy
26. Missing someone? mommy
27. Your car? comfy
28. Something you’re not wearing? shoes
29. Favorite store? Target
30. Your summer? busy
31. Like(love) someone? Jim!
32. Your favorite color? green
33. Last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? yesterday
35. Who will re post this? Jen!

I just feel like I have to say regarding the crying bit...it's because of a movie!! I cry at movies all the time!

Voices of Liberty

I happened to come across this video on YouTube and I had to post it! There are over 800 Voices of Liberty videos on YouTube with so many amazing comments - makes my heart swell with pride! So anyhow, back to this video... It's O Come All Ye Faithful - solo by my beautiful mother. Some of you BCC folk will be surprised at how low she is singing, which is funny to me, but then again, I grew up knowing the depth of her talent. :) Enjoy!



In case you didn't know, Voices of Liberty is an 8 part acapella group that my mom has sung in at Epcot since I was a wee girl of 4. My stepdad, aka P.D., arranged all the music. See? Pride!

A Day at the Beach

On Sunday, we headed back to the coast to spend a day with some of my extended family who are vacationing in Lincoln City. It was so much fun and I was so glad we could do it, since I only see these family members about once a year. It included my aunts (3 of my mom's 5 sisters) and uncles and cousins from Walla Walla, Boston area and Germany! Now you see why we never see them. :)

Anyhow, as mothers do, I was a teeny bit worried that Henry might not have as much fun as we'd like him to. Well, there was NO NEED. He had a blast! He pretty much wanted to do whatever my cousin Samantha (who is 4) was doing and so followed her around. Samantha's older brother, Alex, was such a good helper with Henry and held his hand on the beach, pointing things out to him like jellyfish (ACK!) and rocks (boys!), and read Henry lots of stories. It is so fun to see Alex grow up - he was just about 6 months old when Jim and I got married! Henry took a great nap and was ready for more.

We arrived at the beach at about 9:30 am and left around 7:30 pm. No, Henry did not sleep in the car on the way home but that was okay - we had a full, fun day. I am so blessed to have such a close, wonderful (large) family! We love you all!

Here are some pictures:

Henry is using his hands a lot to express himself while talking. Wonder where he gets that from?...

Henry and Samantha coloring (isn't she gorgeous?)

Henry excited about the hermit crabs Lila and Alex caught

Lunch with a view!

Story time! Aren't they cute?

Henry 1.99

Can you believe he's almost Henry 2.0? We can't! I just wanted to post a few pics of Henry being...Henry. We can FINALLY get him to pose for pictures and he will pause for a nanosecond to say "CHEEEEESE!" to his mother's delight.

Who does he look like? I don't know.



At the "s" part of "cheese"

Baby smakeroos! The best!

Henry and his BFF, Sam.

Seriously, this cat puts up with a lot. One of Henry's favorite pasttimes is to wrestle with Sam and he just lets him! No clawings yet, but I'm on the lookout...

Our fun family weekend

Last weekend we took a mini-vacation and headed to the beach. We camped for two nights at Beverly Beach and Henry was so excited he couldn't stand it. He was running around oohing and awhing at every little thing. What more could you ask for?

To add to Jim's pics:

Our campsite...Henry cared more about the flower he had just picked



Loving watching all the kites

You can't even see his face, but I love this pic

FIRE! YEAH!

Jack

We stayed in Florence with Mike, Becky and Jack on Friday through Sunday and had a blast together. It was lots of fun to hang out with Jack and enjoy his eating adventures. He is quite aggressive in his approach to eating, whether it be bottle or peas. Aggressive meaning, give it to me already! Reminds me of another tot I know...

Run, Mike, Run!

On Saturday, we supported Mike as he ran in the Cape Mountain Trail Run. We spent most of the time trying to keep Henry busy. His favorite thing was to get right in the way of the runners at the finish line. :)



Nothing.



Almost there!



Great job, babe! Don't touch me!

What a terrific weekend, which had the perfect ending - getting to see sweet baby Sydney for the first time!

Newport Aquarium

On Thursday, we went to the Newport Aquarium and had such a fun time. Henry was so enthralled by all the fish. Adding to the fun, daddy bought him his own stuffed otter, which he hugged and carried the rest of the day. Now isn't that the perfect day?

Peek-a-boo!



Admiring the sting rays - he loved them!

Remember when you were a kid and you always wanted to walk on the ledge or the curb? If something higher exists, Henry would like to walk on that.



Henry wasn't sure about the big sharks swimming over our head.

What a fun day!