pothead

Today is a nice, rainy day in the cities. After the hot summer, it's nice for a change of pace, although the rain renders the outdoors off-limits (anathema to toddlers, I know). We had our first ECFE class today, and I think we're going to have a good time. ECFE is early childhood and family education, a public education resource unique to Minnesota. It's basically preschool for toddlers with the parents involved. I think it's going to be good for Isaac to learn to share (yet again), learn some new songs, and be exposed to some new age-appropriate activities. I'm enjoying being in the room with him because it gives me a new perspective on how Isaac relates to other kids. He's got some learning to do...he seemed like the bully of the class today, pushing other kids out of the way to get to the toys he wanted, grabbing stuff out of the other little people's hands. I love his energy and enthusiasm for play, but I can see we need to work on sef-discipline and sharing!

I thought I would show you some pictures of the days we spent with my family in NC...again, these are mostly of Isaac. But we were all there!

AJ doesn't think Isaac makes enough noise yet...teaching him how to use the pot as a drum. Thanks, bro. :)

Hopefully as close as my son ever gets to being a pothead.

Allie and Julie enjoying Zack's dancing. It may not look like much, but I guaruntee you he's going to be a force to be reckoned with on the dance floor in a few decades. :) This is his signature, "The Squat Dance".

AJ is teaching Zack how to be cool like him.

I had to document an actual "sitting still" moment. Isaac's about as active as they come, but he looooves to read (I wonder where he got that from?), and his favorite book right now is "Where Is My Mother?" That was actually Vance's favorite book at this age, which is too cute. Here he is in Granny's old chair, getting a little time to chill out and read.

family holdings

One very important event happened when we were down in NC for vacation: I got to see the family cabin. You see, The Cabin is a revered place in Whitaker lore...a century-old retreat near Swansboro that has housed the fishing/vacationing/swimming family for years. It is a family fixture. And yet I, supposedly a sworn-in member of the family for over 3 years now, had never seen it. You can understand why I began to doubt my inclusion in the Whitaker family. Maybe they didn't really see me as one of them. It was an issue of concern. (I'm sure living 22 hours away had nothing to do with it)

But now, at long last, I have been inducted into the secret circle. We took a daytrip from Topsail to see the cabin, and I fell in love with it. It's cute, well-kept (thanks to Dad's hard work), and down-home. I hope I get to spend more time in it someday.

The long-awaited view of the cabin...a thing of beauty and a joy forever.

Isaac with his cousin Seth and aunt Ellen. Isn't the cabin vintage? Fantastic.

Isaac gets a shower after his escapades in the sound...I'm probably not supposed to post pictures like this, but no one's going to tell him in 15 years, now are they?!?

Isaac playing in the sound, where Vance used to swim when he was little

Isaac's First Beach Trip

My handsome boys.

Isaac loved to be tossed back and forth in the water. Ever since we started playing this way at the lakes around here, he loves to say "doo, doo, dee, wheee!!" (translation: "two, two, three, whee!") and "jump" excitedly, trying to recreate the adrenaline rush. This was all he wanted to do in the water.

He is probably chasing after a dog in this picture (he often was), barking at it all the way... :)

For a boy who loves sand, the beach is a little slice of heaven...

Isaac had a little trouble learning how to keep his balance in the surf...it was actually quite funny to watch him stagger around like a drunken sailor when the waves were coming in and the sand was coming out from under his feet. By the end of the week he was getting better at it, but I had a lot of laughs watching him.

We were vacationing with the Whitakers, but my dad came up for the afternoon to play with Isaac in the ocean. They had a lot of fun together! My family loves the beach, so it was fun to see my dad and my son there (something you don't get much of here in the midwest).

awol...

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted anything. We were in NC for a week and a half, and when we got back, we hit the whirlwind that is September. School starting, piano lessons starting, book projects, small group, ministry calendars, and our annual end-of-summer picnic kept us all hopping.

Now, a week after we get back, I'm finally able to sit down and show you our pictures. We had a fantastic time, and it was so good to get to see so many people. We usually come at Christmas, which is hectic (as you can imagine), so it was nice to come in the summer when most everyone was around.

We're enjoying being back home, though, despite the flurry of activity. The weather has become invitingly cool, and we're enjoying that every chance we get. Two other momentous changes have occured in my life this week: 1) I strapped on my tennies. Now I have been working out (some) this summer, but mostly in the form of long walks, which I can do in my athletic sandal things. But that is just not the same as a good old sweat-inducing workout at the gym. With school started and people on campus again, I went to an aerobics class. Let me just say, it feels a little strange to be the only bulbous pregnant woman waddling through a workout alongside a roomful of undergrads. And of course there was only room for me in the front row :). But I did it, and I feel better.

The other change: 2) I finally gave in and pulled out my honest-to-goodness maternity clothes. For those of you who are short, you probably can't believe that I made it this long without them. But with bigger shirts, belly bands, and (most importantly) wide hips, you can. But comfort won out this morning, and I'm afraid there won't be much going back until January. You would think a whole tubful of clothes would make a girl excited....but somehow, I'm not :/

Well, I'll post some pictures and quit talking. Have a great day, everyone.