Sunday Picnic in the Park

My husband is brilliant! He suggested having a picnic lunch in the park today. What a fantastic way to enjoy a sunny Sunday. We enjoyed a simple, but delicious lunch of cool drinks, sandwiches, chips and salsa, and apples on a blanket in the shade. After a long walk this morning and mowing the lawn or cleaning, we were famished. After eating, Mike and I sang and played guitar, while Joshua picked grass and clover. Joshua liked wearing a clover crown I made him and pretending he was Caeasar. What a special day!

Seventh Month Photos

I brought Joshua for his seventh month photos this week. Don't you love those photo package coupons! The hard part is holding strong and really only getting the package deal, not the Whole Shabang the photographer will try to sell you after there are a half dozen (or more) amazing photos. But, as Mike says, it's more fun to have a few professional photos more often than a giant expensive package only once.

After a lap around the mall for window shopping, Joshua did such a great job! So smiley and good-natured. I've attached a few thumbnails from the photos taken, but we bought the one with the super big smile showing his two bottom teeth. In case you're wondering, he's barefooted in that one shot because I used my secret weapon for getting a big smile: telling him his socks were "stinky baby socks". That joke never gets old.

Lemons!

I only wish I had the camera with me during our dinner last night... Joshua is in a phase that he LOVES playing with paper. He crinkles it with his hands, he waves it it the air, and then he mouths it until it gets all soggy. Mike gave him his own clothlike napkin at Logan's Steakhouse last night and Joshua was very happily occupied for a while.

The real show started when Mike let Joshua taste the lemon slice he was reached out to get. He clearly thought the lemon tasted sour because his face scrunched up dramatically, but he kept reaching for more anyway! He must have sucked all the juice from that lemon wedge, intermittently making sour faces. It was so cute!

Fun with Ethan

One of the fun parts of being a mom is seeing your child enjoy playdates. I like meeting with my friend Holly to take our boys walking and talk the whole time. She's a terrific person and a good friend. Joshua likes her son Ethan a lot already. He "talks" to him excitedly and smiles a lot. This time, the two of them even laughed a bunch, speaking their own language. It was so precious!

First Camping Trip

Last weekend, Mike & I brought Joshua on his first camping trip. What a wonderful time! Joshua was grinning in anticipation even before he enjoyed the first step: watching us set up camp. He is able to sit up unassisted to play now, so he joyfully played with his stacked rings (a current favorite toy) on a blanket while we worked. Then, a marvelous thing happened: Joshua discovered grass. Throughout the weekend, Joshua would pull aside the blanket on which he was sitting to pick grass, meditate on it, and thoughfully place a blade or two into his mouth. He didn't eat the grass, he just tasted it.

We all enjoyed the hiking and wildlife during the day. I am amazed at Mike's ability to carry Joshua in the backpack carrier for a two hour hike without any seeming effort. We saw lots of wildlife, including deer, bunnies, cardinals, bluebirds, a giant brazen racoon, and big tadpoles. I hadn't seen tadpoles since I was little. At night, we loved watching the campfire and making music. The stars were extra plentiful above our heads.

This trip we even went on a guided hike to learn about the history of Clifty Falls. It was so well done. Mike was particularly good at reading the landscape for evidence of the historical use of each site: he even spotted evidence of an old fenceline near the ancient railroad bed that the ranger hadn't noticed before!

First Mother's Day

This was a fantastic day! I woke up, as usual, first. I spent a few minutes reading and doing Bible study, then heard Joshua talking to himself in his crib. He gave me a tight head-hug when I picked him up to hug him and bring him into the living room. After he ate, we played quietly until Mike woke up. (This is our daily routine, by the way.)

When Mike came in, he said that they had some surprises for me, so I needed to sit on the couch. Mike handed Joshua an envelop to hand me. It contained my first Mommy card- complete with red palm print signature! It was so moving. Next came another envelop from Mike that Joshua handed to me. That one contained a beautiful, sentimental card with a very thoughtful gift certificate for a fancy manicure/pedicure! I've never done that before, so having a spa day of pampering was a superb idea. My husband is the sweetest man.

We had a wonderful day, filled with my favorite activities: walking outside together, gardening, singing and playing guitar, going out to eat, reading together, playing on the floor with Joshua, and snuggling. I feel so blessed to be Mike's wife and Joshua's mommy!

Welcoming the Warm Weather

We love walking outside, especially when the weather is so warm and beautiful! Usually, Mike carries Joshua in this backpack carrier. He is so strong! I tried it last week for a short walk and my back complained after only twenty minutes!

Notice the big grins in anticipation? Joshua enjoys the walks as much as Mike and me. By the end of a 90-minute walk excitement, though, Joshua is asleep and tipped forward...

Baptised!

What a special day we had today at church! I was baptised! I had been getting the urge to follow Jesus' example since studying the book of John this year, although I have been Christian for many years. Mike and Joshua stood up with me, which made the event even more meaningful for me. Also, I was the only person who got baptised at the early service, at a church where usually there is a long line of people.