Really Nice Sunday Morning.

Please see Ron's hiking blog for way more pics of our morning together. We started out with a heavy fog and a slight chill (as you'll see), and ended with warm sunshine and crystal clear blue skies. It was so fun to watch Sam explore and learn about geese and their "honking," dew-covered spider webs, hollow-knotted trees and throwing different sized rocks into the pond. Only more to come.

Who's That Rap-rap-rapping at My Window?

I heard a clicking sound coming from the kitchen, almost like very large rain drops directly hitting the window... except that it's sunny outside. So i walked slowly into the kitchen and glanced over - there is a small, rather non-descript bird (can you tell what it is from the picture?) tapping on our window. Is he trying to get in? Is he tapping something in Morse code and i'm missing it all? He's been at it now, as i type, for nearly 10 min. I'll have to ask Ron if our lil' visitor was here earlier.

The Beginning of "Sam-isms"

I've been teaching Sam that "Mommy has a baby in her belly." He caught on quickly.

So quickly, in fact, that now Sam has a "Baby mouse" in HIS belly. He pulls his shirt up, points to his belly, and says, "My baby mouse." "Sam - you have a mouse in your belly?" "Yes... MY baby mouse."

In fact, this 'mouse' is making several appearances around the house. Sometimes it is a Baby (as in, small - as in, in his belly), sometimes it is a DADDY Mouse (usually in the corner of the living room or bedroom). Sometimes he says night-night to the mouse.

I'm not really sure WHERE this mouse comes from, but it really makes me smile.

Gorgeous Saturday OFF!

Ron and i are pretty good at predicting awesome weather in conjunction with a requested day off. We've gotten VERY LUCKY recently. This Saturday was no exception. Super warm (upper 80s), super sunny and just really nice. We visited our friends Tim and Heather.
They have a daughter who is 6 yrs older than Sam, and the two of them got along really well. The kids were able to play together, and the adults had a little 'free kid' time to chat and catch up; Tim and Ron have been friends since childhood. Tim and Heather fixed an awesome summer supper which stuffed our bellies nicely. Thanks for a really fun day, guys!

Mini Trip to New Hartford

The three of us took off to visit Ellie's gang for a couple days. T'was a nice visit. It's good that Sammy is getting to know his cousins, considering soon Shaun and Sarah will be adults before Sam's even outta grade school! Sam had fun at the playground with Ellie and Sarah while Ron, Shaun and i checked out the local Sal Val. Shaun just got his driver's permit (!), so 'Uncle Chip' (Ron) took him out to warm up his drivin' feet! Ellie outdid herself with big dishes of baked goodness! Thanks for having us, guys!