Flurries

Our last few weeks have been a flurry of activity. You know, I wouldn't mind a flurry outside. One cold winter day of snow right in the middle of this disgusting heat would be perfect . . .

But the weather rarely behaves when you want it to. Like when we went to the beach. I think I last mentioned we were going to Myrtle. Well we did. And it was fun. But MAN was it HOT! The first day we were there we walked around on the boardwalk a bit but it felt cruel. Poor Nathan's little red face said it all. We took a quick dip in the water - just our feet - to get a feel for it. Nathan was so excited he would have run right in if we let him. We were excited to go the next day. That night we went to Broadway by the Beach, a really big complex of restaurants, shops and entertainment. I had a fantastic steak and we tried some craft beers - Leo always seeks these places out. As long as I get a steak it's cool. We had fun walking around and wearing Nathan out big time. The next morning we were exited to get up early and hit the sand before it got excruciating again. No such luck. It was raining!!! The cool break did feel good and we were able to make the most of it anyway (we went to an IMAX movie that Nathan slept through), but it was disappointing that the weather was being stubborn.

We stopped at a few other places to see more of Myrtle but soon we were back in the Wilmington area to see Nonni and Poppi for a day. We decided we would take a chance and see how the next day worked out weather wise and we finally hit the jack pot. It was a little overcast, the water was a nice temperature and we had a great spot (in the parking lot and the beach) to enjoy the company for a few hours.  We had a nice visit as always.

The following week Truck and Babci came down from NY bearing many gifts. A few stems of Casablanca lilies (that lasted for a week and a half), cucumbers, green beans and tomatoes, all from the garden. Bagels and bread overflowed the counter tops as well as some other goodies from the bakery. Ah - NY Treats! We had some people over that night for a little poker game. The rest of the time was passed enjoying Nathan run around and show off his tricks. The Kokers came up for a day too so the little boys could play with the new toys Grandpa Truck spoiled them with. (It was supposed to be a pool day but of course the rains came!) We made a trip downtown to Marbles for the kiddies as well. I think everyone enjoys watching, and even acting, like a little kid once in a while.

Even when company left, we were still shuffling back and forth to people's houses for a dinner here, a brunch there and, most recently, a bowling night just for the grown ups. Our neighbors made the plans and it turned out all 14 of us are on the same street. Leo and I had no idea there was a large cluster of fun people right down the road. We ended up there after bowling to play flip cup. Another game I'm not that good at and probably shouldn't have played. I at least should have had a proper meal. Beer on an empty stomach is not smart and I wasted the next day being sick. Thankfully Nathan spent the night with Gigi and Grandpa Ed so I could sheepishly deal with being hungover. Oh well, who can complain about a good time, discovering new friends and having a night off from being mommy.

Now we are back to the just us three enjoying life. Someone's birthday is around the corner as well as the annual "bonanza" to celebrate the old fart. I also have a trip coming up for NY - just me and Nathan again. I wonder how we will do on the plane this time as he is bigger and more curious everyday. My mom said he sat still for an hour in church. Perhaps I should bring along some gospel on the plane.

Smart Cookie

That Nathan is a smart cookie. I don't know when it is that kids really start to pay attention but never underestimate how much they know and what they are taking in. I think they absorb it all. A few weeks ago I marveled at how Nathan went to put his sippy cup on the table and automatically put it on a coaster, just like we do. He will grab Daddy's deodorant, take the top off and attempt to put it in his pits. He gets his side at best, and all over his clothes - but hey, he smells good and he's learning about hygiene. Yesterday he wanted to look at Leo's watch so he took it and slipped it over his left hand to his wrist. No, he wasn't able to report the time. We asked but we're only up to one; two on a good day. Nathan liked to help me clean so he often takes the broom or duster from me and goes on his merry way through the house "cleaning". He takes one utensil at a time out of the dishwasher and hands it to me to put it away. He's trying to put his shoes on now. He likes to click the clips together on his highchair, car seat or store carts. He likes to brush his teeth. He takes a pen and finds a piece of paper to write on (Let's hope he keeps believing pens simply don't work on other surfaces like the walls). He will throw things in the garbage by himself - even if we're in an unfamiliar setting; he finds it. The goal of course is to get him to do all this at some point but it's always amazing to see him figure it out for himself. We just can't get over that Nathan really is a smart cookie.

Summer is Here

Summer has begun. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, summer arrived a little early and brought with it extreme heat. The heat broke for about a week and it was fantastic. We were even able to open the windows for a little while to get some fresh breezes. But by Sunday the heat returned and we are looking at another couple days of 100 degrees. Ick. At least we made the most of it while it was decent out.

I spent time in the front yard pulling weeds and making the front nice. It wasn't really the plan but I got a $20 coupon for plants so I figured why let it go to waste? (Yes, $20. We keep getting "Welcome to the neighborhood" deals in the mail. Yipee!) So I pulled some ugly old things and replaced them with blooming yellow laternas. Yeah, I never heard of 'em either but they are nice. Nathan was clearly happy to be outside too. He played with a kickball, his car, buckets, sidewalk chalk and whatever else he could to entertain himself for a long time until I had to bribe him with a popsicle to get just a few more minutes out of him. He loves the "pops".

Over the weekend, my godparents, Kate & Larry were in town. We joined them with Mom and Ed to see some fireworks in Butner. You know, Butner - where Madoff is in prison. That's the only reason people have heard of this town. That's because there isn't much there but at least they put in on a good fireworks show. We sat on the grass in front of a lake, had a picnic dinner and chased Nathan around for hours. The chasing part was exhausting but this is the norm. He likes to explore everything around him, especially the people. He will just walk into a group of people and be part of their little circle like he knows them. Of course he is always welcome. Smiles and hellos are given in return for his forwardness and curiosity. By nightfall I hoped he would settle a bit but he wanted to keep running, even if he couldn't see a thing. When the fireworks started he was in awe. For about a minute. He enjoyed them like we knew he would but the kid doesn't slow down. At least he sleeps well at the end of the day.

Saturday we had out first big shindig at our new place. It was a great turnout. I gave the tour a million times and my favorite part is seeing the reaction to the "blue room". Our bonus room is really something and everyone's jaw drops when they see it. "This is enormous!" I know!

Food was good. Company was good. We used every part of the house. We threw the big kids upstairs, we used the deck, the front yard and even the very back yard. Leo wanted to have a little bon fire where the old owners clearly had their own fire going. It's a perfectly cleared spot for a swing set or a fire pit. The fire pit option wins for now. The fire was a success that we shared with the few friends that lingered and Nathan fell asleep on my lap - something he hasn't done in a long time.

Sunday was another day of partying as we were invited to our neighbors in the afternoon. There were tons of little kids. I'm so glad Nathan gets to play more regularly with kids his age. There is an abundance of them around here!

Yesterday we had another visit to the pool (we also went last week when Kerri, Rob and Logan joined us) and visited with some other kids as well. And today is a day of packing. We are off to Wilmington/ Myrtle Beach for a few days. We will stop at Nonni & Poppi's for a night, Myrtle the next, then back at Nonni's again. They are at a great stopping over point! And it looks like super hot weather here which means perfect beach days by the water. I would say we are off to a great start of summer!

Non-Stop Fun

A quick update while I have a minute. Not much going on here - just the day to day stuff. Seems boring on the outside. But if you take a step back and see what has changed it adds up to big progress - Nathan particularly. Everyday he seems to master a new word or task. He knows and says "cookie", he can point to most major body parts and he loves to wake up Leo with a daily "Dada!" and friendly tap about the head. Tonight he did thumbs up! It was priceless! And his kisses are perfected. Not as many open-mouthed wet ones. He's even got "mwah!" down. And when he sees a phone (or any item really) he will put it to his ear as if to talk. But ask him to say hi to whomever is on the other end and he will wave. The kid is non-stop fun.

On the home front, I am slowly pulling the yucky bushes and weeds in the back yard. The heat has settled here (to stay I'm afraid?!) and so only a little at a time gets done. But by the end of summer we will be looking at a fresh new canvas for autumn/ spring planting. And the inside (b/c you know I can't just do one thing at a time) I painted half the hallway and have a new and exciting project underway for the entry. When creativity hits me just try to get in the way!

NY Pix

Holy Guacamole

Did you know? Nathan LOVES Guacamole! I thought I would get a sour face out of him when I gave him the spoon to try it but he ate it up and signed for "more". And more and more. He's got a spice palate just like his mama. He's also enjoying watermelon. Truck sent us home from NY with a big watermelon we are all enjoying. Thanks Truck!

Our NY trip went well and fast, as usual. We were very busy seeing grandparents and great grandparents! We also got to meet Liza & Danny's little one, CC. What a cutie. And so tiny at only six weeks or so. Oh how fast they grow! We also got to congratulate Christine Roberts who is tying the knot this year. And of course Tim & Jen! They told us last week they too are getting hitched. Another Jen Kepler. Can the world handle two?! We got to give hugs to parents-to-be Greg and Danielle too. There are many babies and weddings happening in the family. We are so blessed to have so much to celebrate.

Other events in NY: a Mets game (with a long rain delay - cool to see Citi Field Though). Dinner with the family including the Martins (see Nathan walking across the table). Seeing my Arbonne friend Christie who was visiting NY for the first time from MO.

The event we planned this particular trip around was a birthday party. Though my Dad turned 60 in January, we decided to throw him a surprise now. One word: Clueless. The excuse for the tent, food, drink and extra chores on his part was a party for his niece's graduation. Seeing as he was only expecting a bunch of teenage girls, and it wasn't his party, Dad was hard to keep track of. My Dad is a wanderer. He is off to the store, then the dump, then someone's house, then at the river. You never know where he's going to be. Try surprising a guy like that! When it came down to the time when people were arriving and gathering in the living room, it was only a few minutes after Dad finally got home and was forced to take a shower. When he came down stairs all clean and ready for someone else's party he didn't immediately get that it was all actually for him. His brother from Colorado emerged from the crowd, we sang happy birthday and it all started to click. Gotcha! Tons of family was there, the food was great and the weather behaved.

Nathan had a ball running around the yard during the party. He was filthy at the end of the day, exhausted and simply didn't want to miss a thing. It's hard to be the center of attention all day long! As you know, he loves to dance. So when Uncle Matt got his Sax out and played for everyone, Nathan got right out there in front of him and danced his little heart out. He's too cute. I'll have to get that video from my Dad to show you all (the Flip video camera is awesome!). The two complimented each other and were perfect family entertainment.

Since we are just hanging out all day, we also had some friends come by. Geraldine and Keiran brought little Liam by (4 months old -the dimples on that kid!). Joanne was ready to steal him away. He was very happy in her arms. Kristin and Eric brought Aiden over (1 year old - Nathan and Aiden would get along very well I think). Later in the day Mario came over too. This was like a play date for Leo - those two could cause some trouble!

I was sad to leave the day after the party. It was a beautiful day, the Martin's pool was open and everyone was just hanging around. Oh how I would have loved to chill by the pool! Next time perhaps. There will be many next times this year as there are many good things to go back and celebrate. I could really use a high-speed train going up the East Coast, or a hover car, or better yet, a teleporting device. Somebody, let me know when we can appear there in the blink of an eye. I just want to have both NY and NC at once!

As much as I hate to leave, it is also wonderful to be home. Monday was a day of catch up but also relaxing since it was a holiday. Nathan and I went to the pool for the first time this year. He loved it! This week has flown by and now we are looking at a weekend of possible productivity. I'm thinking about hanging the rest of our pictures and tackling another bigger project (clearing the yard or painting the bathroom?), as well as plans for the rest of summer. A beach trip or two is in order and we are both itching to get to Vegas soon. So much we want to do. In the meantime, we are here and waiting for visitors. Leo and I were just saying how even though this place feels more complete everyday, we really need our friends and family over to make it feel like home. I guess a party is in order. Reservations at the Trendler Palace are available. Call now for details.

Nate's Room & Packing

Nathan's room is complete. Cute, isn't it? I was able to save what I used the first time from the other house. And now it's even better.

Today the boy is 14 months. Wow! I feel like I should pick another place to do monthly (or quarterly) pics as he grows. It's fun to have a reference point to compare to. Suggestions?

We are excited and getting ready for NY. Nathan's all packed and ready to go!