Hello, summer!

We thought we'd usher in summer by pulling out all the stops.  Parks, parties, zoos and pools, oh my!  We very nearly added a boat, but decided that we ought to save something for the next three months.

These are in reverse chronological order, but I decided to start with the cutest, in case you lose interest part way along. :)

Here we are poolside!  Annie found an abandoned Barbie doll and much to my chagrin decided to confiscate it for some time.  It looks like she may be trying to teach Barbie to swim at the same time that Toby is trying to teach Annie how to use a pool noodle and a diving stick to create an improvised projectile device.



And then of course we have Finn doing what Finn does best when Grandpa is around - cuddling with Grandpa.  Somebody please tell Finn that I hauled him around for almost 41 weeks, birthed him and nursed him even after he got a mouth full of teeth, so perhaps he could consider sharing some of those cuddles with me.  

 Block party fun!  Finn appears to be a fully grown man, but really he's just 11 months old.   Annie is providing evidence that (1) blue is her very favorite color; (2) cupcakes are her very favorite food; and (3) her parents have failed to instill in her a sense of modesty.

Artificial dye - hooray!

Here we are at the bouncy house birthday party with Annie's old besties - Sofia and Sammy Grace.  Annie was too distracted by her horror that they were serving pizza  to smile.  Have you ever met a kid who would not eat pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers, or any other food typically served at birthday parties?  If you have met Annie, you have indeed met such a child.

Finn and Daddy enjoyed the bouncy house action, too. 

Pileups at the bottom of the big slide are so much fun!

Bouncy house obstacle-course fun or firefighter training?  You decide.

 

 

Tiny little steps

Finn, born on Father's Day, took his first "real" step on Mother's Day.  This kid is going to appreciate meaningful occassions when he grows up.

Go, Finn, go!

Annie was terribly impressed.

Goodbye, April!

 

April was not our best month.  We are all fine, just recovering from the little frustrations, disappointments and bumps in the road that come from, well, living.  The month ended with recovery from a flooded basement, which has been a time-consuming mess to fix.  It turns out that even the best insurance companies are sometimes too busy with major problems to worry about a claim that involves only a hot water heater, A/C unit, washer, dryer and assorted stuff stored in the basement.  But dealing with those things is a pain in the neck, even if I am trying to remember that if the insurance company is busy dealing with the bigger fish, there are other people with much bigger problems than replacing some appliances.  I still wish I could just snap my fingers and be done with it. 

 

Anyway, there was some good news in April - very good news actually.  You may remember that Toby had to perform CPR on a colleague about a year ago.  The accolades continue to pour in for a job well done, and Toby is being honored at work next week and at a fancy-schmancy state-wide EMS function at the end of the month.  He was highlighted in the Franklin Fire Department's annual report (see below).  But most importantly, Toby's colleague finally received a heart and lung transplant late last month, and he is doing amazingly well.  It is absolutely beyond comprehension that a young man who was pretty much dead when he was found by his co-workers received such great treatment from bystanders, EMS staff, and of course the hospitals, that he suffered no neurological impairment and was strong enough to get a heart and lung transplant when a match became available.  The messages his mother sent to his office were so heartwarming.  So that is what I'm going to try to remember about April.  Sh*t happens, but so does really, really good stuff.