The Beach

We did it! We timidly ventured out on our first family vacation. Turns out there was nothing to be timid about because we had a blast!

We made the 6 or so hour drive to Galveston to play amongst the waves and soak up the last few official days of summer. Since having G we hadn't really ventured out, unless it was to visit family, so we weren't really sure what to expect or if we would regret the whole thing.

6 days of vacation later, we have no regrets, tons of memories and far too many pictures to show for it. So many pictures in fact that I am going to have to break this up to share it all.

The Beach:
Introducing G to the beach was fabulous. I have long been a lover of the beach or any place near water and I hoped that he would too. We had been talking it up for weeks and although he had no idea what he was in for her was excited none the less. Upon actually seeing the beach and putting his toes in the sand, well, we was a little timid at first, but he embraced it quickly.

He now loves to build sandcastles, search out seashells, jump over and run from waves, and to just sit and let the water wash over him.





Nolan took to the beach quickly too. He felt so at home there that he spent most of the time sleeping. He did wake up long enough to get his toes wet a couple of times and to join us at the tail end of our last night dinner picnic in the sand.





More of our fun away from the sand to come...

Challenge

I dare you to watch these videos and not smile! Think you can do it?



How this? If you make it through all 3 videos without cracking a grin I'll buy you a coke. Better yet, I 'll buy you a pawscable.



Now that I think about it, if you watched and didn't smile then you certainly have no heart, therefore you have no life to sustain with pawscables or cokes.



Sounds like a win, win since you are most certainly smiling and I won't go broke on cokes or pawscables.

School Days

Our little G started school this year! He has gone for 2 days a week for 3 weeks now and is absolutely loving it, like I knew he would.



He has such a social personality, just like his dad, and I am pretty sure that when I say "school" he actually hears "friends". This kid loves him some friends! To him a friend is anyone even remotely near his age. Including the little girl who was probably 8 at the play ground the other day. As she approached with her mom, G got so excited he exclaimed "Look Mommy a friend!". And no we had never met her before.

He adores his teacher and has even started including her in the things that he is thankful for at night. Melts my heart!

I love our conversations after school and trying to decipher what he learned or did during the day. It is a puzzle to put together and leads to some funny quotes.

Our latest exchange went something like this...
Mom: G, did you color this picture (showing him the picture of Noah and the ark that he colored)
G: Yep
Mom: Who is this? (pointing to Noah)
G: God
Mom: Really? What is he doing?
G: Saying Ho! Ho! Ho!

So we obviously have a long way to go if he thinks that he colors pictures of God and that Noah or God is Santa. Hopefully we can get that sorted out!

It's so sweet to see him continue to develop into his own person. A person that is independent from me. The first day of school was strange. For the past two years I have known what he was doing almost every moment and then he went to school. And he ate lunch at table with other kids. And someone else took him potty. And someone else read him a book. And he made friends. And he sang songs. And I kept checking his daily schedule to try and envision what he was doing at that moment. And he survived. And he thrived with out me.

His teacher must have known about my seperation anxiety because she sent pictures of what they were doing that first day. I was thankful to have the opportunity to see what that fly on the wall was seeing.

What I love so much about the school dynamic is that he is super excited to go on the mornings he goes, leaves me with a kiss good-bye and no tears yet, but as soon as it's time to go he is ready to go home too. He thanks his teacher, waves good-bye and is just as eager to be back at home with mom.

I am so thrilled to see what this year has in store for him, especially his first Christmas pageant!

Silly Side Note: In the picture he was trying on his back pack that I made him. He was super excited about it and loved wearing it around the house before school started. On the first day when it was loaded up with supplies he strapped in on, only to proclaim "Too Heavy!" and take it right back off. He hasn't worn the thing since, although it doesn't house any supplies any more, only a change of clothes and lunch. Maybe he needs some motivation from Dora.

Hiccups

Wait for it....



I feel it coming....



There it is!



HICCUP!




They are so much fun sometimes you have to fake them.

Four

This is going too fast! Didn't I just post a 3 month update?



Like it or not, Smush went and turned 4 months old. He is the same sweet, happy, smushy baby he has always been just gaining new skills everyday.

I adore how he wakes up this happy each and every morning! It's a treat to see him in the morning.



He still isn't rolling quite yet. That blasted broad shoulder just gets in the way. Instead he has opted for baby break dancing, as I like to call it. He just spins on his back, twisting and turning his way across the floor.



He is starting to reach out for things and loving toys like tag blankets and his Texas teether. Speaking of teeth, his bottom gums are getting awfully thin and showing two little bumps. The drool has picked up to a bib wearing pace and he has traded that sweet little thumb for a full fist most of the time.

His stats at 4 months are 16 lbs 10 ounces and 26 inches long. Still hanging out in between the 90th and 100th percentile. Remember how I was going to take a picture of him in the same onesie for his monthly pictures? Yep, thats a 12 month onesie he is wearing! If he keeps up this pace he will outgrow it long before he gets to 12 months.

He still falls asleep holding on and surely loves his momma best of all. He gives us smiles and giggles all the time! I can not get enough!