I'm sure you've been anxiously waiting for me to get off my derriere (by the way... very funny if you look that up on Wikipedia) and post some pictures from Chicago.

The Booger is at a great age where everything is amazingly interesting and exciting. He just wanted to be a part of, really right up in everything. I have a handful of pictures of him, face to the glass, trying to step into the tanks, puzzled why he couldn't get in there and touch the super cool swimmy things. He was so puzzled by a searay exhibit - the glass tank continues under your feet, so it seems that you're standing on top of the rays. He tried so hard to get them, even jumped up and down trying to make it in there!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

He's got skills..

The Booger's new favorite past-time

Back and forth, up and over, up and down... climbing of any nature brings endless fun!

See some of his other favorite ways to pass time here or here.

Spring breakin' it!

The Booger and I are so happy to be enjoying my first spring break as a teacher!

I realized this is my first spring break. Ever since I started working, I picked up extra time at work. And once I was college and somehow I had two spring breaks (I worked in a school for several years) and still never seemed to get a break! So this feels all that much more like a reward for working hard to get here. By golly, I EARNED my spring break!

It is all the better because I get extra quality time with my boy.

We visited the Kalamazoo Valley Museum earlier in the week and plan to go see the Easter Bunny today, then some quality family time over the weekend.

The museum was craaaaazzzzy! I'm not a big fan of crowds, so we stuck to the room for little tykes. It was hilarious to see him in action with other kiddos. I realized just how much personality that boy has! He made a few friends quite the girly fan base, I might add, scared a few girls, there was a little girl with beads in her hair and he just couldn't contain himself, and tried to hi-jack toy after toy!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Oh what fun!

The Booger's growth spurts have not only changed the size of his clothes, somehow they have affected the size of his messes. Don't recall the original debacle? Refresh your memory.

Hmmm, not quite as good as dinner...

1 drawer down, 3 to go

who says clothes go in drawers- no way man!

still growing

Impressive

Imagine...

I promise to foster the magic of your imagination.

I often wonder what is going on in that sweet little head of yours, you have such an intent to explore things and find out what they look like, feel like, sound like, what they do, how they taste...I promise to give you the freedom and the opportunities to imagine all the imagineable things. I will help you discover what you can do with all that you encounter, and to imagine the world any way you want.




Promise 1
Promise 2
Promise 3

Favorite Florida Fotos!

We had a wonderful time and were terribly unhappy to return to snowy, cold Michigan. Especially when we noticed the snow halfway up our fence and had to literally dig our way in! *Insert sobs here*

I have an exorbitant amount of pictures to share from Florida, so I thought I would start with a few of my favorites. I'll share more after I spend what I am sure will be hours with Smilebox!

Look at those teeth!

This is one of the few happy moments in the sand!

So much to blog about

I have lots of posts roaming around in my head currently. There are tons of sweet little things the Booger is doing that I want to remember. So, I'll start with his newest favorite activity in his room...then a few other fun moments from the past week or so.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Mommy moment Monday

It's Monday. Welcome to the week. Monday isn't so hard after a weekend like we had. It was wonderfully lazy.

The three of us spent all day yesterday in our pj's. We napped and cuddled and ate and played. The Booger was all about cuddling and being cute. It was one big Mommy Moment. Here are some pictures of the fun that's been had lately.

Family fun

We decided a few weeks ago that we needed to do something fun just the three of us. We've done things with family, and lots of work around the house this summer, and some much enjoyed relaxing but hadn't had a chance for a family outing.

We looked into stuff and knew we couldn't stray too far or get too wild and crazy, so we chose John Ball Zoo. Only an hour away, and lots of fun things, even an aquariam and a Treasues of the Tropics building with lots of cool animals up close. This was definitely the Booger's favorite, next to the Spider Monkeys. He has little monkey feet that grip things quite amazingly. He was happy to his friends, and was trying to figure out how to set up some ropes at home so he could swing around like they were.

We enjoyed ourselves and were home in time to nap and eat before anyone was to grouchy. Check out the fun we had

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Rub a dub dub

A while ago, we moved the Booger's bathtub from the counter to the big tub for baths. I mentioned that I was looking forward to playing with toys in the tub and my oh my have we had fun since then!

First off- he loves being naked! He knows when I lay him on the bathroom rug what is about to happen, he gets so excited. He kicks he legs so hard I'm sure he's got to hurt his heels on the floor! I strip him down and let him enjoy his freedom (and his newly discovered jewels...) while I fill his tub and get around all the bathtime fixin's.

As soon as I lift him up to pop him in the tub, he kicks and wiggles and squeals the greatest squeal of joy ever. Followed up with spashes of joy once he lands in the water. This past week he discovered that there is a tub around his tub. He's been quite busy banging his toys and himself on it and thinks it is hi-lar-i-ous!

I always wait to add his toys, because it is so funny to watch him get excited when I put them in. Like he has never seen them before and I am the best mom ever for giving them to him. I took advantage of his newfound knowledge, and lined up his light up duckies along the edge of the tub, then pushed them plop, plop, plop, which he thought was wonderfully funny. I know he's thinking "Gosh, Mom, you're so fun and great, I'll think you're cool forever" Really, he is. I swear.

He precedes to splash and dunk the duckies, then he plucks them out of the water in attempts to eat their heads. For some reason, he has to stick their heads in his mouth, very tasty, I imagine. This could of course go on for hours. He's very easy to please. (I thank my lucky stars every day!)

Check out the fun...

This how you're supposed to eat duck, I'm quite sophisticated, I know.

Look, Mom, it's a kazoo!

It's a Zoo out there

We spent a fun-filled weekend with my sister, my brother-in-law, and their twins (plus their cupcake that's still in the oven). Living in the Zoo (Kalamazoo, that is) we are pretty lucky to have lots a cool things to do of all varities, so it was hard to decide what to do when they talked about coming to visit. They decided the zoo was a must see- Binder Park is only about 20 minutes from our house, and I suggested our fun, free museum downtown, and a fun park that is just down the street.

Barb already posted some zoo pictures, which was very fun. The Booger slept through a lot of his first trip to the zoo, ....and didn't pay attention to the rest of it! Here are a few of the things he actually did pay attention to.

The camera

His feet

He did help feed the giraffe- after he tried to taste test the merchandise

The giraffe really wanted some more

We were posing with the giraffe...

Stay tuned for more weekend fun!

Lesser known milestone # 3

The Booger is learning new things... like always! One- we're pretty sure he really is cutting teeth (he's psyched us out a few times), but when I can wrestle his mouth open and have the luck to get his tongue out of the way, I see two little bitty white dots. So- we may have some cute tooth pictures soon.

Now for the lesser known milestone # 3. Scooting around in circles! Every night, he seems to end up at the opposite end of his crib, on the opposite side of his body from where he started. When I check on him during naps, I can usually count at least 3 different positions. We were playing today, and I got it on tape.

This video is great- it 'features' a ton of super cute stuff he's doing now. He is starting to rock on his knees (mental note- double check baby proofing!), squealing and gurgling, and he spends a good minute or two flirtin it up with the camera. You'd think he was a model- he combines his come hither look with a purr, then throws in some great smiles. Enjoy!

Fishy Fun

The Booger loves the snap in toys on his highchair. I often have to take off at least one of them when he eats because he is so enthralled with them. Last week he discovered he could pound on his tray with his hands. He even tried pounding on my chest while he was eating- I wasn't quite as fun, but it was worth a try.



Now, he discovered, he can combine his beloved toys and the fun noise pounding makes. Oh, the simple joys!

Be sure to watch his face...he keeps surprising himself!

Rasberries

The Booger figured out how to blow rasberries a while ago, but gave it up when he discovered he could put his feet in his mouth. Pretty impressive skills...

This weekend he rediscovered his rasberry blowing abilities. He has since logged hours of rasberry blowing fun. He is figuring out how to take turns with us, and if one of us waits too long to blow one at him, he reaches out and grabs our mouths or chins to make us do it again.

He puts his whole baby self into this terrific fun- he jumps up and down, opens his mouth reeallly wide, sticks out his tongue and blows all the air his little lungs can hold (along with all the drool in his mouth) at us.

We spent at least half an hour playing last night when we woke him up for his last feeding, and when he ate this morning, he tried to get me to play again, even after I put him back down and left the room. When I wouldn't play, he blew rasberries at the ceiling until he tired himself out enough to fall asleep again. Silly boy!

No luck catching it on video yet, but stay posted- I'll keep trying!

Back to life...back to reality

We are lucky enough to have some wonderful friends, Emily and Andrew, who invited us to their family cottage on Big Lake for the holiday. We left Saturday at nap time and came back Sunday at bed time. The time in between was wonderfully relaxing and fun!

The Booger's daddy was very happy to be out on the water, and the Booger and I enjoyed soaking up the sun and sitting next to the lake. I even attempted to conquer my fear of jet ski's- not so successfully, but it was an honest effort! And best of all, we spent time with lots of fun people, eating, drinking, and relaxing. That's what vacation is for after all.

So don't be disappointed in me- not too disappointed at least. I have blown my daily committment- but not all of it was my fault. We've had some internet troubles, and life was suddenly very busy after we came back to it.

Check out the fun!

Uhh.. Mom, what am I wearing?

Hanging on for dear life

The Booger on a jet ski for the first time...starting him young!

Mommy on the water... only minutes before she ended up in the water

Double fistin' it next to the lake... does it get any better?

What did you do for the holiday? Hope it was as fun and relaxing as ours!

Shaken, not stirred

The Booger loves to move. We lay him down and two minutes later he's wiggled two feet away from where he started. He jumps like a kangaroo in his jumperooo, I'm amazed he hasn't given himself whiplash. He's a dancing machine, kicks his legs like a maniac, and when he is tired or just waking up he wiggles himself into your shoulder like he has always belonged there.



Recently, we discovered he loves to be shaken! He just laughs and smiles and squeals. It is the sweetest thing ever. But he always stops the minute I pick up the camera. We were playing last night, and I was finally able to catch him- until he realized he was being filmed and was suddenly camera shy, but was living it up until then. Just watch the video and try not to smile! (Ignore my creepy laugh in the background...)