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.

 

I suppose it had to happen eventually...

So Annie and I were enjoying some quality playground time after dinner last night.  Toby, Finn and Sadie had left for home, so it was just the two of us, hanging out at the (fully enclosed by a fence except for one small entrance) Tinkerbell playground.  As is usual, we were playing Dora the Explorer.  And by that I mean that Annie was ordering me around and changing the rules every five minutes. 

Then it happened.  She ordered me to stay up on top of one of the large wooden play structures HERE, while she marched her happy self over to the other large wooden play structure over THERE.  Like down 10 twisty wooden steps and across the mulch and past the big kids pushing one another and up a ramp and over a bridge and past several places where she could fall 10 feet to the ground and into a wooden tunnel where I couldn't see her.  And when I followed her, she ordered me back to the other structure.  So I went back over to the top of the other play structure, and like a hawk I watched the tiptop of her little head as she marched around in the striped top that camoflagued her against the wooden planks, got bumped by the big kids, handled everything herself, happily played her game and generally flexed her independence.  It was kind of heartbreaking, and kind of liberating.  I was so happy for her, and sad for me.  Then happy for me, because I realized I could theoretically be letting her play on a swingset in a backyard while I lounged on a chair with an adult drink in my hand...if only I had a backyard with a swingset. Then I was sad again, and not about the lack of a big backyard and margarita.    

She is so incredibly grown up.  She uses big words and thinks abstractly.  She is michevious and funny and so smart.  And she wants to run around the playground without me hovering.  So I guess I have to let her.  But I promise you one thing - next time I'm putting her in a bright pink shirt.

Wonderful Wife (if it even needs to be said)

Anyone who knows me (this is a guest appearance by Toby, b.t.w.), knows I like to seek adventure.  My latest 'adventure' has required a huge amount of patience and sacrifice, not by me, but by Krista.

Each Tuesday for the last 3 months, I have been leaving my fab wife to look after the home front while I go to class.  In addition, I have been absent on many Saturdays (including a fun snow day), and have had to throw last minute changes to schedules her way on more then a few occasions.

She has done an incredible amount to accommodate me by changing her own plans and figuring out all the logistics involved with looking after our two little adventurers!

Simply put, thank you, Krista, for all that you do for me and the family.  I hope you realize how much you are appreciated by everyone.

Happy Easter!

Okay, ya'll, in case you forgot, I have the cutest kids in the entire world.  See our annual bunny-ear photos for proof.  

Annie initially was totally uninterested in cooperating, but a little funny business from Grandpa, and she perked right up.

Finn took no convincing.  He pulled out his best cool-dude charm and we had our shot after about 3 seconds.

He even had enough smiles left over that I managed to jump in the shot.

Seriously, I don't think it can get any cuter than this.  But stay tuned for next year!

Flashback - Life before kids!

We were one good looking couple!  Thank you, Autumn, for sending this to me today - it brightened my day to see it! 

Stats for this photo, taken at Autumn's wedding: married almost one year, just 2 months before we found out Annie was on the way.  Happy and relaxed.  No idea about how our lives would change in less than year.  Stats now:  Married almost five years.  Happy and exhausted.  I can't remember the last time somebody took our picture without one or both kids.  Maybe it was this one.