Friends come and friends go...and they come back!

A friend of mine from church has a couple of kids who have come over to play several times, and G just adores them. A week ago, I thought we had seen them for the last time as my friend was planning on moving away that weekend.

As we were preparing to go to church yesterday morning, G started talking about him friends and how he was excited to see them. I had to explain to him that his friends and their mom had moved and we wouldn't be seeing them again. This greatly distressed him and he started to dry and wail, "But I love them!" It was so sweet and heart-wrenching. I comforted him as best I could.

When we got to church, G practically jumped up and down with excitement, "Look! It's B and E!" I looked, and sure enough, there they were! Came to find out that they were not leaving town after all, but my friend had just decided to move her family into town rather than stay where she was up in the mountains.

Anyway, I'm happy to have a friend sticking around (so many have moved throughout my lifetime). And G is just thrilled, of course. I am happy for him :)

Wipeout!

We went to the lake last night and spent some time on the boat with my father-in-law. I took my niece tubing, and she had fun at first until the water got too choppy. Then G joined me. He was a little apprehensive, but brave.

We started out and he didn't like how fast it was going. I started to slip, and I couldn't let go of the handle to signal my father-in-law to slow down or stop. G and I started yelling "stop!" and finally got stopped. I climbed more forward on the tube, but apparently a little [i]too far[/i] forward. The boat started up again, and within seconds, the tube tipped forward, and G and I fell off head-first into the water. Thank goodness for lifejackets! And that G had just finished two weeks of swim lessons and so was probably a little more prepared for going underwater than he would have been otherwise. He didn't stay unerwater long, in any case, according to Nick who could see it all better than I could.

He was not at all happy about it, though I did my best to be cheerful and humorous. He recovered all right, but I don't think we'll be able to convince him to ride the tube again anytime soon. After we got him back on the boat, I took another turn on the tube because I wanted to show him that it was still okay. I got thrown again. And then I took one more short ride. I hope at least that G can understand that, while getting thrown was not pleasant, he's still alive and okay, and that it won't deter him too much from taking those small risks in the future (though I by no means expect or want him to be a complete daredevil, haha).

Pictures from our Massachusetts Trip-- Third Installment

Taken from the deck of the ferry on the way to Martha's Vineyard:

 There were lots of seagulls; I had fun trying to capture them on film.

 G looking out over the water:

 And Z:

 Taking a ride on the Flying Horses Carousel:

 He looks like a regular equestrian...

 Gingerbread Houses, this pic and the rest following. A lot of these would make good puzzles :)

 All the men, in front of the Pink House:

 The Pink House:

 Just a really cool-looking tree we came across on our walk through the Gingerbread Houses:

 I think this one was my favorite...

Pictures from our Massachusetts Trip-- Second Installment

The boys and I met a lot of Nick's mother's family for the first time. G enjoyed spending a good deal of time with Nick's cousin, O.

 Lobster Night:

 Z kept leaning forward to take bites of his corn, rather than picking it up with his hands; I thought it was funny, so I got a pic:

 My Mother-in-Law watched the kids while the rest of us took a bike tour of Boston. It was fun. Our tour guide:

 My Father-in-Law, and Nick:

 Brother-in-Law and Wife:

 Sister-in-Law and Husband:

 And Me!

 If I'm remembering right, that tall structure is the supports for a new interstate bridge. Or something of the sort.

 Sailboats:

 A duck in the reflecting pool. The sign says "no swimming."

 Misty moorings...

 And seagulls!

Pictures from our Massachusetts Trip-- First Installment

Videos will have to come later, as they have to be uploaded to YouTube first so my parents can view them on their iMac.

The boys at the airport, watching the airplanes through the window:

 Here's G, ready to Fly! He really enjoyed looking out the window to "see the world."

 Z was happy enough starting out, until take-off time...poor kid was miserable every time we took off or landed, which happened a total of eight times the entire trip.

 Taking the shuttle to pick up our rental car (Nick's dad was also traveling with us). Z was so snuggly, I had to get a picture:

 The first night, the boys shared a Queen bed. In the morning, they looked like this:
Thankfully, the rest of the nights they each had their own beds.

 Our first day playing on the beach. It was raining a little and Z got cold, so he spent most of the time inside the beach hut:

 G spotted a "fish" out in the water. It turned out to be a horseshoe crab...

 Here's G, excited with his discovery:

 The underside of a horseshoe crab:

 The back, barnacles and all:

 That black spot in the middle is an eye...

 Here, my sons' hands touching the crab, shown here for scale. My mother-in-law said this was actually small for a horseshoe crab.

 Bye-bye horseshoe crab! Thanks for posing!

Trip to Massachusetts

Just got back yesterday from a week-long trip to Massachusetts. Pictures and videos will come later. But for now, our trip in a nutshell, in the form of a bullet point list of thoughts-- some of which may be expounded upon later.

1. My toddler hates flying. I have probably scarred him for life.
2. My four-year-old refuses to accept that mountains seen from an altitude of 3,000 feet are still mountains.
3. I still sunburn, even at age 26. My husband still sunburns at age 33.
4. I was reminded again how much I love Boston.
5. I missed the smell of fresh mountain air. Sea air smell is not unpleasant, but it's so different from what I'm used to.
6. My hair gets wavy in high humidity.
7. My sister-in-law's husband is a riot when playing tabletop games.
8. Jigsaw puzzles are so much more enjoyable when I have someone else to do them with, and when I just don't concern myself with finishing the sky.
9. My four-year-old cried and cried about wanting to go home, and then when it was finally time to go, he cried and cried that he didn't want to leave!
10. If I lived in a major East Coast city, I would always use the public transit. And I would love it.
11. My husband is GREAT :)
12. I like food waaaay too much.
13. I hate how my voice sounds when it's hoarse; I feel like I'm yelling all the time just to be heard.
14. Sleeping on an airplane is not recommended. Neither is getting up at 3 AM to catch a 6 AM flight.
15. My toddler slept from 7:00 PM to 6 AM last night. ALL IN HIS OWN BED. He was so exhausted, though, I don't expect it will become a habit, sadly.
16. Knock-knock jokes get really annoying after a while, especially when they're being told by a four-year-old.
17. I wish I had noticed that solitary piece of Shredded Wheat on the kitchen floor before we left for the week; now I've come home to a sugar ant invasion.
18. Seat Belt Bags!
19. I like rain. And overcast days.
20. The ocean is nice, but I love my Mountains!

With Love From Spain

My brother got married in Spain recently. We were not able to go, but my parents went. They bought these T-Shirts for the boys. :)

I also like this picture because Z is looking up at his big brother. He really does look up to G in so many ways (sometimes to G's frustration).

I love my boys.