Family fun, flip-flops, and fellowship

I had a really good day today. Largely because I am blessed with a wonderful husband. Kenton is such a good husband to me and a wonderful father to Griffin. This morning he and Griffin went on a little field trip while I had brunch with some of the ladies from Journey. I enjoyed my morning getting to know this great group of gals a little better! I returned home to an empty and SPOTLESS house. I honestly do not know how Kenton took care of the house AND the little guy. I secretly think he hired someone to do a "momma-cleaning" of the house. ;) After lunch and a little play time we all took an afternoon nap. Napping is such a guilty pleasure of mine. I am not ashamed to say that I steal a nap any chance that I get! After we woke up we went to the pool for a bit. We met a few new neighbors while out there. We are so lucky to have a community meeting place where we can get to know our neighbors. Tomorrow Kenton and I are going to the Beau Rivage on the Gulf Coast for a couple of days. We are really looking forward to spending a little "uninterrupted" adult time together. I am looking forward to getting a little sun and spending lazy afternoons reading at the pool with my good looking husband. Griffin will be in good hands with MiMi and Poppa back at home. A little something for everyone. I am blessed with such a rich life....

Fun in the sun...

This afternoon we took Griffin to the Ashton neighborhood pool. We are very lucky to have this amenity available for our use. We have use of the pool without having to deal with the upkeep and maintenance. The pool is really nice and pretty and not usually very crowded. We did not use the pool as much as we would have liked to this summer because of Griffin's constant ear infections. Griffin is not totally crazy about the pool. This is usually how it goes: everyone in the pool= Griffin running on the pool deck. Everyone on the pool deck= Griffin jumping into the pool. This afternoon I dug deep to recall some of my old swimming lesson instructor techniques. Once we had him in the water I got him to relax and he floated around on his back and belly. I think he really liked it. We planned to enroll him in lessons this year, but held off due to the ears. Next summer he will be swimming like a little fishie!!

My Pal Al....

Monkey see...Monkey do!





I have been thinking a lot about Alex (Al-Dog) this week. He has been my faithful companion since December 1997. He has been with me through some really good and some really bad times. Regardless of what I do or say he loves me in such an unconditional way. We should all take cues from our pets on unconditional love. He was top dog for 11 years before the little guy came. Since Griffin has entered our lives Al was forced to take a seat in the very back of the bus so to say. Despite knowing that he is no longer the "favored" child he still loves me just the same. I really noticed certain things that he does for me that ordinarily go unnoticed. For example we went on a walk. We all left the house together. I forgot something so I turned around to get it. Kenton stayed ahead with Griffin in the stroller. Al just didn't know what to do because he simply could not let me go back home unescorted. Just like the faithful companion that he is he walked home along side me. Another example, I was taking a bubble bath with the bathroom door closed. I could hear him laying on the other side of the door guarding me in the bathroom. I am Al's first detail and Griffin takes a very close second. He guards the little guy too. It has taken a little time for Al to warm up to Griffin. Recently I have noticed how patient Al is with Griffin. They have some sort of unspoken respect for each other. Al puts up with all of Griffin's torment knowing that he will be rewarded with scraps from Griffin's meals. Al is very serious about his tennis balls and even lets Griff take the ball from him. Once I saw this I realized that Al has finally accepted Griffin into the family.

Man on the move...

Who... Me?!?

We are no longer safe in the house. Griffin has mastered opening doors. The madness began last week. Sometimes he could open it sometimes he couldn't. Then he started to frequent the door more and more often. All of a sudden something clicked and he is a man on the loose. Now when he is ready to go he waves bye-bye and just walks out the door. I honestly never realized the massive implications of a toddler being able to come and go as he pleases. Since he has been born I have been fixated on one particular door. This would be the door in the keeping room that opens to the back yard. We do not have a fence yet and there is a large lake within eyesight. Well I now realize that ALL doors have their potential pit-falls. We now have to be extra careful to keep him out of the bathrooms so he stays out of the toilets and also out of the laundry room where he loves to eat Al's food and splash in his water. I kind of freaked out last week and bought all kinds of "child proof" door handles. We have "operation kick it up a notch" on hold for a bit in hopes that his new found freedom will wear off soon....

Big shoes to fill...

SHOES!!!!

Decisions, decisions!?!?!

Daddy's shoes
Running in Mommy's shoes

Camo boots on his "throne"

Griffin trying on MiMi's crocs.

Griffin trying on Daddy's shoes

Griffin has a shoe fetish. I mean the boy really loves shoes~ ALL SHOES! It is a good thing because he has A LOT of 'em. He always brings shoes over to me and lifts his foot so I can put them on. He does not discriminate and size does not matter. My shoes, Kenton's shoes, his shoes he tries them all on just the same. I occasionally hear him clomping around the house in a big pair of shoes. One of his favorite things to do is sit in his closet on a chair or little "throne" and hands me shoes to try on. Just for dramatic effect I am including a picture of all of Griffin's shoes. He really has MORE than enough~ don't say that I didn't warn you!!!

Sneaky leaker

Okay so of course Griffin lives in a diaper. I am talking 24/7~ always on! I had the bright idea that maybe he needed a little time to "air out." Last night I gave him free reign to roam in his birthday suit. You know just to dry out parts where the sun never shines. What is it with naked little boys and a sudden burst of energy? He was like a naked flash darting to and fro. He was streakin' all over the house! I knew to watch him very closely, but had no idea how much he actually pee-pees. Within about 15 minutes he managed to pee-pee in his closet, in the dishwasher while I was trying to load dishes, and on the floor in his bathroom. I really think that he enjoyed his few minutes of freedom!

Stop.... Hold up..... Wait a minute.....

Where did my baby go? Griffin and I really had a moment today. I picked him up from day care and it was just the two of us in the car. As usual I was driving and he was in his car seat. All of a sudden he began to tell me about his day. I mean the child was REALLY telling me ALL ABOUT IT! He was babbling run on sentences with big hand gestures. He would even pause as if to think of just the right word that he wanted to use. I encouraged the conversation and he and I had quite a few really good laughs together...

Once we got home he went and found the DVD cover for the Wiggles. I followed him to his play room and turned on Wiggly Party. He then brought me the remote control to fast forward through the previews. He danced along with his friends for a little bit. Once he had enough he came over to me and grabbed my hand and led me to the door. Everyday he is improving on his language skills both verbally and with actions. I am so proud of Griffin for all of the milestones that he is achieving. Gooooo Griffin!!!