730...

The number of days we have been together.... At church today, it was Youth Sunday, and the message was really great at a lot of levels for where my thoughts are these days.... I love Youth Sunday, mainly because the energy, passion, and message seem to shine even brighter from the youth in our church... Today, their whole them was "Believe"... And a big part of it included how life and society "measure" successes, and that ultimately, comparing to societal measures is not the way to go... It was a really meaningful service... as a first time parent, I find myself so very often wondering "How do I measure up?"... I wonder, "Are we doing this right?"... and as a sweet little boy is "counting" on us -- are we "ante-ing in" all that he needs? The honest answer is, I don't know... I know we are doing the best we can, and we read, watch online links, and talk to other seasoned parents to gain skills and try to do better... and I've been working very very hard in recent months to stop wondering, and just believe that we are following the plan, and doing the best we can along the way.... so today's service really was fitting... A couple months ago, a mom in my mom's club said to me "Just continue to be patient, and look beyond what you see today and Believe in who this little boy is and who he will be"... She as right... 2 years ago today we embarked on this journey officially, together, as a family... And I believe, that day, was the beginning of a beautiful lifetime together with our amazing little man... And I believe our future is so great because of him.. and I know that every day is blessed because we get to be together...

...Then...

...Now...

We went to the "Kingdom for Kids" again this year.... Of course, I need to "uphold the tradition" -- so, we "stormed the gates of the castle"...and yes,it was on opening day!! "Have fun storming the castle, kids" (from a personal fav movie!)... It was a really terrific day, and LM had a great time on all the rides... The bonus this year was that he also really got into the shows... He now plays out many times/day the "The Princess, the Evil Prince and the 3 Frogs" -- whether it's acting out the role of the king, laughing his evil laugh like the evil prince, or jumping into "water" (ie: from any surface he can climb to and jump down) to "break the curse"...And, of course, we become supporting roles in the "show"...

..With Papa on the new FROG Ride!...

...Another year, another sticker, another much needed nap...

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere, May Day 2011

It was also Ashton's birthday that weekend, so we went to the river house to hang out and celebrate our older baby's 7th birthday!!

...What's a Bday without a Bday Burger...
Shared with good friend (aka: Ashton's Girlfriend) Tami

...And, of course, What's a Bday without Bday CupCakes?..

We had a fun week and then it was mother's day -- Jeff was working, and so he and LM were so sweet to celebrate with me on Friday -- I had a playday at work the next day, so we had a fun and muddy hike, and then headed to the hotel I had my volunteers at and went swimming... We then got a rare and yummy treat -- dinner out at a really great mexican restaurant. It was a gorgeous night, so we sat on the patio... For not eating out much, LM was really awesome -- he loved the duck and mango quesadillas, the fried plantains, salmon, and veggies... From all my years living in California and absolutely loving the hispanic/latino influence, I was so very happy to be eating my favorite food of mexican yummies and in an atmosphere that made me feel like I was in Mexico... :) It was a really nice day and I am so thankful to my hubby for his efforts! I also got a slow cooker, so the family may be eating a lot of soups and other slow cooked stuff in the future!! On actual Mother's Day, LM and I headed with the jogger to the river house, had a great jog together on our old trail, then played in the backyard for a while together... Then a yummy dinner at Gamma's with Gamma, Grandad CoCo, and MumMum... A terrific weekend all in all...

...It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere May 2011 Mother's Day!!...

What else do we do in May?
Did someone say Boat Launch?
and we say, "You betchya"

Other "Incidental" things we did this month.... Lots of reading, still -- LM this month is loving Ladybug's Birthday, The Grumpy Morning, The Munching Crunching Caterpillar (in fact, he stunned us at church this morning, passing a butterfly statue, and went into a discussion about what butterflies are -- down to cocoons, crysallis, eggs, and pop Butterflies... we figure he must've learned some of this at school!)... He is getting into playing games, and a lot of "I be so and so, and you be so and so" and then telling us how to play the game.... And, In case you are wondering.. yes, lots of music time and still loving to play the guitar...

...A Random Concert...

He is now able to strum and sing a song without breaking the strumming beat...

May 15 marked our 2 year Gotchya Day... This is, essentially, his "birthday" with our family -- and another one of those days that we will always remember and try to do something extra fun... Gotchya Day started off slow with LM waking me up by getting in my face with his cute little face, saying "good morning mommy" and shoving his woobie in my face.... It was rainy, so we opted for our usual Sunday morning.... We headed to Church where he stood and swayed and moved his arms around to dance to the music, then headed off to play with his buddies. During children's story, his friend James was a main participant, so the rest of the day was him acting out what James did on the altar during children's time! so funny... After church, per LM standards we headed towards papa's hockey!!! We had an hour to kill, and since we couldn't do our usual playground games due to the rain, we went to see Touch a Truck charity event... He got to climb into a big mac, and look up close and touch fire truck and police car things... As goofy as our boy is, he is also very shy with new events/activities, and it takes him a while to warm up... so his "new ness" anxiety made for a quick but still fun trip to Touch a Truck.. Then to watch Papa play hockey... then this afternoon the weather perked up so we went for a "hike" by George Washington's headquarters at a local national park...We figured we should do something "all american" and going to this park and running around was fun to do! Here are my boys clowning around by the iconic general's statue...

1) Pretending to be George 2) Pretending to be George with guitars 3) Practicing "BIG" jumps!

Family Shot of Our Little Star!!

We had a yummy dinner at home then hit Rita's for a celebratory water ice.... and together called it a "fine day"...

...Then...
...Now...

It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere Mid-May 2011

...Believe believe believe...
...Because as it unfolds, it all works out...
A growing toddler, our LM is so smart and challenges us in so many ways...
We may be muddling our way through together, but our LM still amazes me -- he is brave, he pushes through even when anxious, he is silly, he is gorgeous, he has a great smile...
We are all trying to enjoy each day as it comes to us...
In the words of LM's current favorite video, a Bob the Builder "Scrambler" episode...
"It may not be fast, but it was awesome..."