First Fireworks

Yesterday, JD and I went up to one of our city park's to watch the annual fireworks display. Jon was working at the park, managing emergency operations, so we were on our own.

We had planned to go up around 6:00 pm to enjoy the band that was performing and walk around some of the kid activities. But a sudden thunderstorm rolled in and they evacuated the park (thanks to my husband's sensible precautions).

So we rolled out there around 8:00 pm. I know what you are saying to yourselves - What was she thinking bringing a 1 year old out to a park 1 hour after his bedtime?? And you would be right, I was questioning my sanity. But I was told the fireworks were slated to start at 9:15 and I thought I could stretch JD's bedtime a bit.

We sat out on a blanket with a tarp nearby in case it started raining again (which it did) and waited for the band to start performing...8:15 rolled by, so did 8:30 and 8:45...finally at 9:00 the band started to play. We found out that the fireworks would start at 10:00. Yikes!!

But JD enjoyed the band for the most part and hammed it up for the people sitting behind us. He danced and clapped and smiled and really wanted to run around (which I didn't let him since it was way too crowded).

There was a spectacular lightning storm going off to our east, so we almost didn't need any fireworks. But they finally started and JD was just in awe. He pointed his finger up to the sky the whole 25 minute display saying - See, see. He loved it!

We got home around 11:15 (4 hours after his bedtime, for those paying attention), but he really did just great. He went right to sleep and promptly woke up at his normal time of 6:30 am. Blech.

Oh well. He did enjoy his first fireworks, even if it will take a few days to get him back to normal with his sleep schedule!

Organized Chaos

JD is a master of destruction and chaos. He is at that age where he wants to see what is behind every cupboard door and drawer and then tries to remove everything in his sight.

He hears the word "No" and actually repeats it to me and says "No-no" over and over, but he doesn't actually stop what he is doing (okay, sometimes he does, but it is usually just a coincidence). My favorite is when he looks at me, saying no-no and starts walking sideways away from me, like he might still get away with it.

But an interesting thing about this stage is JD's desire to organize amongst the chaos. After he dumps everything out, he starts to place the like items together, over and over again.

He finds all of the stacking cups and moves them one by one to the chair and then to the top of the speaker and then to the top of the fire truck. He does this with the rings, his blocks and any similar items.

JD can occupy himself for hours, organizing the mess around himself. I'm fascinated by this, since I am like this myself.

On any given day, if you stop by our house, you will see a stack of mail, stacks of clean, folded laundry, JD's assorted needs in a pile (diapers, wipes, Motrin, etc), and the stack of bills in the office. I'm a stacker - I think I come by it genetically because my mom is a stacker too and her mother before her.

So JD might naturally be a stacker too.

Two Peas In a Pod

JD started swim lessons this past Saturday. He is doing great on kicking, paddling and floating, but we are still having some challenges with blowing bubbles. I think JD loves to drink water so much that he can't imagine closing his mouth or blowing out when he could be drinking!

I also took my guys out to dinner on Saturday night in honor of Father's Day. JD really did a great job at the restaurant and Jon and I enjoyed ourselves and a nice Italian dinner.

My two boys really like to be around each other...

Happy Father's Day!

JD and I really love and appreciate his daddy - Jon! He is so special to both of us and takes great care of us!

Cousin Time

We have had so much fun with JD's cousin, Miss Kenna recently.

Kenna came over on Sunday for some playtime with JD. He loved "Baby" as he calls her. She was pretty brave considering the giant kid hovering over her.

Then JD and I babysat Kenna yesterday afternoon. We had such a good time. Kenna took a little siesta in the swing...

And it reminded me of a certain picture I had of JD at the exact same age in the same swing!

New Beginnings

This past weekend was full of excitement and emotions for our family. My mom got married to a guy she knew from high school.

My dad passed away almost 5 years ago very suddenly in a car accident, so we all had a tough time dealing with it. Every day JD reminds me how much my dad would have enjoyed his grandkids and how much we still miss him. JD gets his 'D' from my dad - Jonathan Douglas. So we will enjoy telling him all about his namesake.

It is amazing that my mom was able to find someone that will help her be happy in this next phase of her life. So we celebrated that this weekend at her wedding.

Congratulations Mom and Ken.

Summer Fun

We have been having so much fun with JD this summer. Now that he is a little bit older, he can run around and enjoy the great outdoors.

My Baby Boot Camp class had a splash party at the park a few days ago. JD had so much fun (after he got over the initial shock of the cold water) and played with his friends Margaret and Cole. Thanks to Tricia for the great pictures!!

Jon came out to visit us at the park. When JD saw Jon, he ran across the park, yelling Dada, Dada!

On Monday, we took JD to the amphitheatre here in Allen for the outdoor concert series. It was a country music singer (not my favorite), but JD really enjoyed the music and it was nice to relax on the grass.

And this is just a cute picture of him playing with his bucket when it was too hot and we couldn't go outside.

The Birds

In general, I am a fan of birds. I don't go out of my way to mow them down on the street, I always feel bad when one runs into the window and gets hurt, and I think there are some really pretty birds out there. I especially like a little friend of mine who comes in the afternoon on my roof and sings for me. I call him Harry. He has some amazing tunes and changes mid-song!

But my affection for birds is getting thin these days. For about a month now, we have had some early morning visitors who start to chatter around 2:30 AM and build up to a dull roar by 5:15 AM. They chirp and chatter amongst themselves and generally cause a ruckus.

Lately, it seems like they are right outside our window and chirping in our ears. Unfortunately, JD hears them too and has been waking up around 5:30 every morning for about 2 weeks. This really isn't a big deal for him because he still gets plenty of sleep. It is a bigger deal for his parents who still go to bed around 10 or 11 pm.

On Saturday, Jon got fed up with the 5:00 am bird who was loudly and cheerfully chirping right outside our window. He got out of bed and went outside and actually threw rocks at the tree where it was perching. When he came back inside, he said it looked like a scene from the movie "The Birds." There were birds all over the rooftops and lawns up and down our street!

I'm not sure what to do about our "fowl" situation, but I'm already praying for an early fall to send these birds back to Iowa or South Dakota or wherever they migrated from.