My life with Lane

Alternative post title: A letter to papa with pictures of the things we have done while he has been out of town.

Dear Papa,
First and foremost, we miss you. We love you. Life just isn't the same on Allison Drive without you.

Yesterday was hard. I know you did not want to leave. Lane did not feel well. I tried to make things better after his nap by letting him enjoy his lunch - NAKED.

It worked. You know how much our babe loves to be naked. Then, I insisted he get dressed in warm clothes. (Because, I could no longer take the heat in the house, which was turned way up while he was naked.)

So, we dressed in our jammies and favorite sweatshirt and played with the toys that make all kinds of noises for the rest of the day. Things went well last night. We ate a yummy dinner, shared a tubbie and went right to bed.

This morning, we woke up refreshed, recharged and ready for a new day - park time. On the way to our usual park, I decided we would go to the creepy park instead. Lane dug it.

He did his usual thing - lots of climbing.

And lots of sliding.

Oh, and he climbed up this thing, which should have made me nervous but did not because our son has super strength and is not scared of anything.

Here is a full photo so you can see exactly what our almost 16 month old was taking on.

Oh, and there was lots of this too - looking so stinking cute.


Back at home, we decided we needed to play some more, to make up for lost time yesterday, so we spent some time in the backyard.

We blew bubbles for the shorthair to pop.

Played with the deflated ball. (Thanks shorthair.)

And watched Mar argh-argh. Even old black dog couldn't resist the day's sunshine.

Tonight, we enjoyed our favorite papa is out of town dinner - creamy chicken and rice - then played with the noisy toys again. We took our tubbie, tumbled around on the bed and then the Bird went right down to enjoy his peaceful slumbers.

I'm a few minutes late for Lost - it won't be the same without you here.

Talk to you in the morning my love.


Kisses,
Mama
(Marley sends her kisses too.)

P.S. I watered your grass.

Under the sea

An aquarium adventure - that's right, we got up early and took the babes to see the fish yesterday.

Our favorite sights: The sea turtle, penguins and giant vicious hermit crab. (Stef, did you get the text?)

Our least favorite sights: The sign indicating parking costs $10, the other sign indicating entrance to the aquarium is $27, and all the signs for the overly priced food. (Total rip off!)

Besties under the sea.

"One day fish, my papa is going to teach me how to catch you."

Some scenes from under the sea.

Lane's new friend Jarod.

I think mama likes the penguins more than Hoo.

It will only hurt

for a second. Or at least that is what I will be telling myself for the next 17 years. That's a bloody nose - and all the way down to his muddy toes - my babe is all boy.

The bloody nose occurred after yesterday's play date as Lane and Andrea threw a ball around the driveway. Both mamas heard him go down. We raced to his side in a split second.

He cried for a minute or so. My heart hurt all night.

Papa told me as we rest in bed after the babe went down, "Get used to it. There will be dozens more bloody noses."

And so I've decided if I'm to make it through this whole mama loves her baby boy way too much life of mine, this will have to be my mama mantra:

"It will only hurt for a second."

Because this is what a babe looks like after a long, hard day playing - hair and clothes soaked from his sprinkler adventure, shoes covered in mud from the backyard pit, and some oh-so-sleepy eyes.

I've got to let him do it. Remember, it only hurts for a second.

Go ahead. Walk right in to the mud in your cute camos. Let your shoes get filthy. Both can be washed.

Stick your hands in the water. Splash your face. I'll be there with a towel to dry you off and warm you.

I can enjoy dainty little girl curls, white shirts and shoes, butterfly hair clips, and sparkly jeans when your bestie come by to play with you at the park.





You two sure are cute together but I'll take my boy any day of the week.

My loves to wear this hat on his head while walking around the house banging in to corners and cabinet doors boy.



Oh you make me laugh my little man. You make me want to snatch you up and snuggle you close and beg you to just stop growing because your changing so much and it is all happening so fast.

Too fast.

Reminding myself - it will only hurt for a second.

Our dear friend spring

How did you and your loves celebrate the beginning of spring?

We soaked up every sunshine filled second of it beginning with a before-the-first-day of spring picnic with some of our besties. The anticipation of getting to that playground filled our little babes' bodies so that they could not even sit down to eat their lunches. And Andrea and Lane experienced the joy of food swapping - insisting they eat each others' strawberries and cheese because cheese and strawberries taste better if someone else's mama packs them in a picnic basket.

There was a lot of sliding, swinging and smiling. So much that it makes it hard for a mama to choose just a few photos. Welcome photo collage.





Life just seems better when the sun shines down on your little body. Food tastes better. The air smells cleaner and it is easy to convince your papa to let you play outside after dinner.

This weekend was all about family. After we tucked our Hoo in to his covers Friday night, papa and I snuggled together to watch our new favorite show, "Who do You Think You Are." Intrigued, we decided to begin researching our family trees and stayed up way too late connecting the dots and wondering what life was like for our very unique -and very different - relatives.

Creating this beautiful babe.



Oh, this time of the year is good. So very good.

Good enough for pigtails, and visiting two parks in one day, and looking up to your papa with hope you will soon be big enough to do everything he does.

Good enough you eat your Saturday morning toast with a fork and enjoy your first root beer float.

Good enough that old Marley even joined us for some backyard fun.

Good enough to share your bubbles with the shorthair.




Spring, we will take all your sunshine and soak it up. And, if you need to send us a few more rainy cold days that is just fine. Because, (almost) April showers bring May flowers.

Won't you join us

I'm back at the park. Not literally. (Although we will be joining some friends for a picnic and more playing after Hoo's morning nap today.) No, I'm still at yesterday's park. I have so much to tell you about my babe at the park, however, last night my fingers were just too tired to type. In fact, my whole body was just too tired. And, with papa already snuggled in bed next to me, I posted those pictures, turned off the computer and wiggled my buns right up next to him so we could fall asleep.

Before drifting to sleep, we decided I best just fill a bag with sunscreen, snacks and some books for me and prepare to spend hours getting to know the many different parks in our county.

Because, yesterday, someone stole my babe and replaced him with a toddler who looks just like my babe. A watching, thinking, task mastering, loving the outside toddler.

Have you seen enough of those hard working, intent faces my babe made during that hour we played? No. Good, here's some more.





There was a lot of thought and determination put in to yesterday's play. I witnessed all of it. The comprehending of how to slide down the slide, walk to the right, up the first step to a platform, then up a next step, which leads to another, which leads to the slide. Push, 1, 2, 3. Do it all over again.

My assistance was needed twice, maybe three times, before Lane comprehended how to make it all work and was able to take on the process without me.

I'm not the only one showing him the way. I watched as he watched older kids jump across the weebly woobly bridge. Oh, his little mind was moving at light speed as he waited for them to exit so he could try - first crawling across, then walking, then trying to make the bridge move up and down as the older kids did. He crossed that bridge repeatidly until he was able to make it across without falling down.

That's how this boy takes on life - he does not give up until he has it down pat.

I watched those little red shoes go up and down all afternoon. His goal - to be able to step up on to each platform without needing to bend over and use his hands.

He succeeded.



This stage in his life has to be just as amazing for him as it is me. Can you imagine what it must feel like to have an abundance of freedom and abilities you never had before. To see the world in a whole new light every day. To realize what your body is capable of doing and push it to the limits to do so until you get it just where you want it to be.



And there it is again. My babe showing me. Teaching me. Opening my eyes to the world.

My inspiration to try out something new and not give up until I succeed. I think I'll do just that.

Park faces

Those red shoes took us to the park this afternoon to play in the sun.
You know what is as much fun as playing in the park?
Watching Lane play in the park.