Boats and beach

Buddy boy just can't stop talking about our trip to the beach. He climbed on rocks and watched the boats at the yacht harbor. We weren't there very long, but it was a lot of fun. There was a volleyball tournament at the beach that Buddy boy found interesting. So interesting that I had to pull him out of it a couple times. What a nice evening. We like going to the beach in the evening after the crowds have gone and you can park reasonably close to where you want to be.

Lots of fun.

Toe muncher...

She found her toes a little while back and tasty things she thinks they are too.

Arrgh matey

We had a fun little pirate birthday party for Buddy boy. His favorite books lately are How I Became a Pirate and Pirates Don't Change Diapers. He can quote the first page and a half of Pirates Don't Change Diapers. It is pretty funny. Everything is all about pirates and treasure chests (when it isn't dinosaur bones) so a treasure chest cake was perfect for the occasion. No pirate party is complete without digging for treasure so we made a map and hid little chests full of chocolate treasure in the garden. I think they likes the chocolate better than if it had been the real thing.

A Snoofy?

A snoofy, what's a snoofy? Buddy boy kept saying, "Snoofy, a snoofy". I couldn't figure it out. There didn't seem to be any particular pattern to it except it was usually when he wanted to say something to me and he often pointed up while saying it. I didn't know if it was a noun, a verb or what. Well, I finally figured it out. A snuffie is Excuse me. What a polite little boy.

Favorites this week

Favorite foods:

'stacios and Bunny Mi-mallows. These are the favorite foods for the past week or two. What's a mom to do when Buddy Boy wants 'stacios for breakfast, lunch, and suppper, not to mentions snacks in between. Then it's the Bunny Mi-mallows for dessert. I can't blame him. I like them too.

Favorite books:

Do you notice a theme here?

Trucks Trucks Trucks by Peter Sis

Fire Truck by Peter Sis

Pancakes Pancakes by Eric Carle

Running circles

One of Buddy Boys favorite activities lately is "running circles" which is pretty much what it sounds like. We go out into the front yard and chase each other in circles. There are a few rules I have discovered as I play. 1) This is not a 1 player game. It requires at least one other person and preferably a grown up. Little sisters are allowed, but seem to damped the fun a bit. 2) There is no particular objective. You aren't trying to get anywhere. It is more of a process driven activity. Just running in circles, a little chasing and tag, a little spinning around and falling down, but mostly just running in circles. I would feel a little silly playing this game by myself, but we have fun together.

This made me think a little bit about how easy it is to focus on the objective or the purpose of something rather than just enjoy it as it happens. Much of my day is spent doing things that are quickly undone or that are just a part of the daily process of keeping the house and home together. As much as I like to get things done and feel like I have accomplished something it turns out I like running in circles sometimes too.

More baby pics

Here are a couple of the latest photos. She is really starting to smile a lot now. I love it.

We love the park

We just love the park. Buddy Boy's full of "higher, higher, more, faster..." Each Wednesday we meet friends at a different park in the area and play for a few hours even if we have to bring a towel for the slides. Grammie and Granddad also have fun at the park with Buddy Boy. I'm not sure who enjoys it more. Buddy Boy loves the slides and swings and Granddad loves taking pictures of the big smiles. It is great to be outside in the sun and have run around time with friends no matter how old you are.

That's who I am...

Awhile ago one of my favorite songs was "That's who I am" by Sarah Evens. It starts out, I am Rosemary's granddaughter, the spittin' image of my father... I recently read or at least partially read the book Do What You Are. (Check out my GoodReads list!) It is a career planning book based on personality types. Apparently I am an ISFP, an introverted, sensing, feeling, perceiver. Interesting. What is interesting and funny is that some of the things that I do, have done, or would like to do are listed as suggested careers for this personality type (dietitian, interior designer, geneologist). I must have known it all along.

Back to the song... and the geneologist bit. Recently I have really been enjoying studying my husband's family's geneology. I am still compiling what the family knows and combing the census records for siblings and children. I have found an uncle that no one remembered and the names of family members at least one more generation back. I love it. I think it helps to know who you are when you know about the ones that you came from.

Pollyanna

I heard a bit of an interview on the radio the other day where a woman was talking about the story of Pollyanna and how her unreserved optimism is seen as a negative thing. In the story the title character is always seeing the happy side of things and playing the glad game. The person on the radio thought that this attitude was almost delusional. You can't be glad all of the time. I didn't like her side of things, she seemed too pessimistic. I think that there are too many people who are willing to see the doom and gloom around them whether it is on an international, national, or personal scale. It is true there is always something that you can find to complain about if you want to, but why? There is no value in it and you miss the good things that are happening. Acknowledge and accept the good things in life and about yourself and others. It is there if you are willing to see it.