Baby J's Big Day

What a great day we had for Baby J's birthday party! He looked so cute in his hat and bib...that were his brother's almost two years ago.

You know, this little guy? Yep, he will be turning three very shortly, but in the meantime he enjoyed his brother's birthday. He was the official present opener.

Speaking of presents, here is the birthday boy perched atop a present. He enjoyed crawling on and off of it and eating the ribbon that came on it.

Yummy, yummy ribbons.

Baby Einstein was the theme of the party. When Snug was a baby I bought the hat and bib with plates, cups, napkins, etc. I had the bib and hat preserved (ok, put in a box and clean) and some napkins left over. I bought some cake plates, cups, and another pack of napkins and wahla! the theme was used again. I made his cake and had fun decorating it.

Baby J's cake was the caterpillar's head. When Snug had this theme, his cake was 5 circles lined up like the caterpillar you saw on the cake above. It was really hard to ice, so I switched it up this time. Baby J liked the Twizzler antennas.

Trying to decide...

...if he likes it...

...well...

...no, he doesn't. Not that much.

But the water table gift? Oh yeah! That was a hit!

And then, when it was all over, falling asleep clutching ribbons in Pop Pop's lap topped it all off.

Happy Birthday Baby J!

We are in Michigan at my parent's house tonight. I've been told there is possible internet access at camp this year, but I"m not going to get your my hopes up. Besides, I'll be super busy hiking, swimming, canoeing, shooting, riding, playing, talking, and cuddling my children the first week and too busy teaching, scolding, learning, leading, and lecturing the second and third weeks. Whew! I am getting tired just thinking about the weeks to come!

Busy Much?

Busy doesn't even begin to describe what is going on here. I'll give you the run down of today, and tomorrow...you know, just in case you think I was sitting around eating bon bons and watching soaps.

7:30 breakfast
9:00 chiropractor
10:00 free sitting and 8x10*
11:00 story time at mall
(insert lunch, packing)
12:30 Financial Peace consult (sometimes people come to me with questions)
(insert stories, snuggles, packing, getting ready for a party)
5:00 1st birthday pictures (showed up at 4:45, left at 7:15...not happy)
(insert dinner, clean up)
8:00 bedtime for kids
(insert laundry, dishes, cleaning of the bathroom)

Tomorrow:
7:30 breakfast with a therapist (coming to observe Baby J eat)
9:45 babysitting kids here (once in awhile I still have some)
10:00 Playgroup
1:00 naps
clean, clean, clean
pack, pack, pack
5:00ish my parents come
bake cakes, clean kitchen, marinate chicken
wrap b-day presents, decorate for a party
7:30 bedtime for kids
8:00 pack the van

Busy? Nah.

*want to see the pictures of the kids I had taken today? Well, at least from the morning?
go to http://www.portraitavenue.com/
click Online Ordering
click on "Mall at Fairfield Commons"
Last name: Dray
Password is 6715
A few of them look like repeats in the middle (they might be) but if you keep going through them, you'll see some new ones too.

We "won" a free sitting and 8x10 from them in a drawing. They were FANTASTIC with the kids, and I would have loved to ordered some, but we don't have the money right now. I told them up front I wouldn't be spending a dime, and they were ok with that. Afterwards they invited us to stay for story time, craft and snacktime they hold every Thursday at 11. Nice, huh? If anyone wants to order me some pictures of my cuties, feel free to order one a few and mail them to me :o)

What In Da Wawld?

What in the world da wawld have I been doing? Certainly not blogging. Man, I thought when my Draycare kids were done coming I'd have all this extra time on my hands, and in a sense I do, but I am LOVING being the mommy of two. My two. Besides that, I have a first birthday party to plan along with packing for three weeks at camp! "What in the world" is one of Snug's favorite expressions right now. He is also loving "garden candy" (sugar snap peas), a Little Einstein video, "Five Little Monkeys Jumping On the Bed" book, and Mommy potty time (I'll spare you the details on that).

SO, it has almost been a week since I blogged and maybe I was just prepping myself, and you, for my 3 week hiatus. I will be going to camp for three weeks and I doubt I'll get to blog. For one thing we're lucky to have electricity, let along Internet. Ok, Ok, there is electricity, but really I am not likely to have Internet access/time to blog.

Baby J took a three hour nap today. If you know Baby J, we are lucky to get 45 minutes of a nap out of him many days. THREE HOURS! I actually went in to make sure he was still breathing. He was. I guess an hour and a half of therapy today with three therapists wore him out. I mean, he's always tired after they've been here, but usually a 20 minute power nap later he's up and at'em. We had a nice burnt sacrifice lunch with my friend and her two boys and Baby J missed the entire thing. I burned it, not her...trust me. When #1 came home for a quick lunch and saw, he laughed. He said " you were talking and cooking, huh?" :o)

Baby J is 18 lbs 14.5 oz today. His EIS was surprised he hadn't hit 19 lbs yet and I told her about his "drinking problem" and how he is drenched after taking a sippy cup. He had three therapists here so they all got to watch him take a sippy and agreed that he is not a sippy cup candidate. They were not surprised based on what they already know about him. His suck, swallow, breathe is a bit off. His speech therapist is coming back Friday morning to watch him eat inhale breakfast and try a couple of special cups. Until he is successful at drinking yogurt (yeah, weird, right?) out of a cup he will be back on bottles (ugh). Oh well, I made a valiant effort, let me tell you! Other than some mouth motor things and some sensory issues we are dealing with, they are still so pleased with his development. He is pulling to a stand, getting into everything, saying "mama" and "da". He even was nice enough to exert the effort and "wave" bye bye to them. He does it kinda cute. You hold his arm out and if he feels like it, he'll tap his fingers against his palm. He gets a funny shy smile when he does it and hides his face. Cause he is so shy.

In other news, and not so nice news, if you live in Ohio you will want to take some action if you love your library as much as we do. Dear Gov. Strickland has announced that he will give each of our public libraries in Ohio a huge cut. Our library will get 50% less than they did last year to operate. Either our library fines are going to skyrocket (say, $10/day/book) or we need to take a stand against this. If you live in Greene County we already have had our pools closed and deep cuts have been made/are going to be made soon in our police and fire departments. WE ARE IN TROUBLE HERE FOLKS. If you'd like to contact the dear man who has decided this (his secretary was ticked when I called on Tuesday to hear from another concerned citizen) you may call him at (614) 466-3555 or e-mail him http://governor.ohio.gov and click "contact". If you don't live in Ohio, I'm sure you're wondering "What in da wawld?" but, hey, I gotta get the word out somehow! Libraries are valuable!

Ok, off my political soapbox. On to #1. People have been asking me lately how he is doing in regards to his Graves Disease. He is doing pretty much as the doctors think he would. He gets blood drawn every few weeks and his medication changed often. He feels great in the mornings and afternoons, but by supper he is almost completely burned out. I guess that is how it is going to be most of the time from the sound of it. He is really good at hiding it in public, but when he finally is away from people, he collapses. I got his permission to write about this, don't worry. He was used to living on LOTS of extra energy and now he is kinda 'down' about his lack of energy. Again, very normal, but not very fun.

So I need to go back to packing/cleaning/cooking supper. I just wanted to let you know what was going on. Oh, and I haven't taken any pictures since last Wednesday night that I can think of. That is some sort of a record for me. Busy busy busy! If I haven't left a comment on your blog, I'm sorry. I have read-I read them ALL this afternoon, but didn't have time for comments...that was lots of catching up to do!

Alphabitty Moments

Well it is Thursday believe it or not. I sit typitty type typing at my computer while my exhausted boys sleep in (SHOCK) this morning. They are very tired because of today's post. No, not because I am posting today, they'd be tired all the time if my blogging was cause for exhaustion on their part. Nope, they are still sleeping because they went to bed at 11:00pm...but I'm on a tangent here.

Today's Alphabitty Moments, brought to you by Mama Bear over in the woods, is supposed to be the letter Q. However, I missed the letter P last week due to Snug being quite ill, yet perfectly fine. Besides, I can't think of a good Q for my boys. Quilt? No. Questions? Well, Snug is the only one who can ask them and if he says "why?" one more time I may knock his block off go insane. Quiet? Certainly not! So, while I mull that over for a bit, here is my Alphabitty Moments, letter P.

P is for PLAY BALL!

Take me out to the ball game
Take me out to the crowd (we got there a tad early)Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack (or a soft pretzel is fine)I don't care if I ever get back Let me root, root, root for the DRAGONS

If they don't win it's a shame (but not a surprise)

For it's one, two, three strikes you're out

At the old ball game.

We had a lot of fun last night at the Dayton Dragon's game. We had free tickets and each had a $5 food voucher (which doesn't go far, note to self) and went in honor of Father's Day this upcoming weekend. They lost, of course, but Snug had no idea, and we did see some unique things. 3 pitchers were thrown out of the game for hitting batters, the Dragons bunted three times in a row their first three at bats of the game, and we saw a grand slam (for the other team). Quite a lot of excitement!

Below are three more pictures I just had to post, but didn't really fit into the Alphabitty Moments post.

Drinking Problem, VBS, and a Fabulous Park

Yes of course I picked that title to make you look. C'mon, it did get your attention, right? We do have a drinking problem right now, and any of you moms that have gone through this feel free to pipe up.

Baby J is transitioning to sippy cups. His GI didn't really want him to do this, as she felt he wouldn't get enough calories fast enough/I wouldn't be able to keep track of them adequately with a sippy. I, however, have decided it is time to give up bottles (Snug's last was on his first birthday) and we are chugging along towards sippys at a nice clip...except...that when he drinks he tends to drool a bit an ounce or so down his front. He doesn't make a tight enough seal I guess. Any tips?

As for measuring it out (most sippys don't have oz marks) I make up a days worth in a big batch and then pour it into the sippys however it fits best...about 4 sippys and 1 nighttime bottle currently. Except for the 4 oz he is dripping throughout the day, he's doing great! Don't worry though I still weigh him weekly, it is Wednesday, and so he got weighed...18 lbs 13 oz! I bet he'll be 19 lbs by his first birthday!

This is a glimpse into our grocery cart...Parent's Choice at Wal-Mart this week was about 5 cents a 6-pack cheaper than PediaSure with a coupon would have been anywhere else...so it kinda looks like Baby J has a drinking problem :o)

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VBS

Snug started VBS at a local church that we love (hello to those of you from there who might be reading...) He was so excited to go to "Mr. Denny's Class" without mommy...I got a bit teary over that, and how old he looks. In the picture there is an aloe plant on the front porch that is making his hair look a big funky, sorry.
This was something he brought home last night. I'd call it his craft, but I am really doubting he cut the eye holes out, and I've seen his gluing finesse, so I'm gonna guess these were just for re-enacting the story!

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Fabulous Park

With the same church that is having the VBS this week, we attended their playgroup. This park was GREAT! Here is the sprayground area. There are more fountain-y type things, but they weren't squirting at that exact moment.

If you look close you can see one of the 3 large playscapes. They had playground equipment that I swear must have been designed by Disney. Very unique and innovative.

Snug is usually a little unsure of brand new places, and this was no exception. I know the next time we go he will be a little more brave, but he did like it.

Baby J (who BTW now has 8 teeth) loved it too. He is eating lunch in this picture.

They had a large sand play area, definitely Snug's favorite activity. There were tons of toys, but apparently they didn't belong to anyone...just there to use.

Under all of the play equipment was this rubberized surface. Perfect for crawling and falling. Baby J liked the sand too, but took a few hiatuses up by the swings. (For those of you who know this group we went with, behind Baby J you can see a small set of legs belonging to Amelia)

In the sand area was a waterworks thing. When you pushed the button water came down into a basin and then down into more troughs/toys.

A bigger picture of the water and sand area. You can see Baby J, Mother Hen, and Snug playing. I do have Draycare kids a few times this summer, just not everyday.

Whew, lots of pictures and they were all taken with my cell phone...cause my camera cards are FULL and I'm waiting for #1 to show me how to put them on CDs...

I ♥ Faces Sepia Tone

This week's theme at I ♥ Faces is sepia tone pictures. I have been waiting for this one as I have recently begun using it along with standard color pictures. Thank you I ♥ Faces for doing this!

This is a picture of Little Miss E waiting for her mom to pick her up after school one day. She is really easy to photograph and I loved this picture when I uploaded it. I've taken many many sepia pictures of my boys in anticipation of this contest, but in the end, this was my favorite. Thanks for stopping by!

Not Me! Monday

Ok, well this past week has been a horrible, no good, very bad week. So, to de-stress, here are some things I have absolutely NOT been doing as of late...

*I did not have to come back and write that this is all due to MckMama and go to her blog to see other Not Me! Monday accounts. I did not completely forget to write that in this post. MckMama would be so disappointed in me.

I did not forget to do the June budget until the 4th...or the 5th. Dave Ramsey would be so disappointed in me.

We did not eat an entire cookie cake from #1's birthday (with a tiny bit of help from the Draycare kids) within 4 days. Jenny Craig would be so disappointed in me.

I did not drag #1 to a volunteer cookout ON his birthday. He did not have to work late, drive separately, and then sit with a bunch of old seasoned volunteers for the evening. Not Me. The social committee would be so disappointed in me.

I did not spank Snug the other day because he was acting terrible, only to find out a couple of hours later that he was quite sick. SuperNanny would be so disappointed in me.

I did not discover when looking through pictures I had taken over a 2 week period that the SAME laundry baskets with the SAME laundry were sitting in a corner of my living room. Martha Stewart would be so disappointed in me.

I did not have several youth group students get their sticky marshmallows for S'mores on me, and have the ash from the fire burn two tiny holes in my shirt. That was not the nicest shirt I own at the moment. I did not wear it to youth group. Liz Claiborne would be so disappointed in me.

I did not get five loads of laundry folded/put away, spend thirty minutes of one-on-one time with each of the boys, get the floor mopped, go to the library, and visit with one of my Draycare moms today...and I did not manage to get both boys down for a nap simultaneously (a miracle of late). Oh, I am so not disappointed in me!

It's a good thing I don't know MckMama, Dave, Jenny, the social committee, SuperNanny, Martha, or Liz, huh? :o)

Forgive Me

Forgive me for posting just for posting's sake...but the last post about Snug being sick is way out of date now that he has no fever and is running amuck in the house. Ok, at this moment he is sleeping and Baby J is sucking down another bottle while holding a his shoe* in the other hand.

I just couldn't leave that last post up any longer seems how Snug is out of his funk and back on the town! :o)


*Baby J wears a pair of shoes on average, once every 6 weeks. I tried a pair on him today and was shocked how big his feet have grown. So I went and got the next size shoe, but failed to even have him wear them garage saleing today. Snug wore shoes almost from the day he was born. I love baby shoes, I have no time or patience for them at this point in life. Besides, I think there is some research saying they don't need them/shouldn't have them anyway...

Web MD

The last few days have been so much fun around here. Draycare came to an anti-climatic end on Wednesday when I discovered Snug had a temperature of 101.7. That is nice after I had 7 children at my house for the day. His only other symptoms were he was REALLY cranky, didn't have a great appetite, and had mentioned it hurt when he urinated (not uncommon for him as he had an...injury...there three weeks ago and I thought it was just lingering). Other than that he was out playing with the kids and being pretty "normal".

I guess the fact that he laid on the floor during library time and read a book instead of participating in the monkey themed activities should have given me a clue. I just thought he had a weird obsession with the book called "The V Sound Book". At that point I had 6 children in tow so forgive me for not being super investigative of why one of the most energetic was being calm. I thought it was a blessing.

So as the afternoon wore on and his attitude began to get...stinky (and mine is always rosey, so I have room to talk) I finally gave him a spanking. Really you do not get in your friend's face when she gives you tricycle tips and scream and stomp your feet. Not at our house anyway. I don't know why I didn't notice his temperature at that time....I guess the fact that he was so angry he was spitting nails might have thrown my observations off.

Anyway, as soon as all the kids were gone, I sat down with him to give him some much needed mom time. As I pulled him on my lap I was surprised how HOT he was. Yeah, I felt like Mom of the Year at that point.

SO...he woke up Thursday morning with 101.3-101.5 and Tylenol would take it down to 99.1. Our doctor is of course out of town for the week until Monday afternoon. My children only get sick on holidays, weekends, and Dr. vacations. We're good like that. Actually Snug doesn't get sick very often. He was complaining of tummy, leg, and privates pain. I took him to the Urgent Care here in town, but they didn't treat him. They explained that basically they didn't do kids, esp. ones with belly pain and would end up sending him to Children's which would give us 2 co-pays. The doctor even came out and 'looked' at him without it being on the books. I thought that was nice, but notso nice having to wait until 5:00pm to be seen at Children's.

I took him back home where he nibbled toast, took 4 hours or so to eat a popsicle, and watched DVDs all day. He didn't feel like getting off the couch and took a LONG nap. I want to say it was close to 4 hours long, but I don't remember at this moment so don't quote me.

We decided (#1 and I) to wait until he got home to take Snug to Children's so I wasn't stuck there by myself with two kids. He was supposed to get home at 6, which would get us there by about 6:30...but just like my kids only get sick when there are no doctors available, he only gets late and complicated calls on days we have something going on. If we have nothing planned for the evening he is home at 6:03. If we have plans, he is home by 7....or 8.

Checked into the Urgent Care about 7:20 and left at 10:00. Now, not only did it take forever, Snug freaked out being there. He didn't want to be sick there. He remembers Baby J's stay and was scared to death of what they were going to do to him. Not that he was around for any of Baby J's procedures, but he did see all the tubes and wires and bed with bars. He thought for SURE he was going to be a part of that. So he was screaming and clinging to me. Daddy was the hero and got him to stand on the scale, get his heart listened to, and after an hour of trying, urinate in a cup.

We have a very nice Children's hospital and I've sung its praises before. But the Urgent Care...well...isn't equipped for children to be there for almost 3 hours. We had the one room in the entire hospital (that I've been in) that doesn't have a TV. Even the rooms where Baby J has had blood drawn (think 4x4 here) have TVs. It had 3 toys and about 4 books. We read through them quick. I even went to other rooms and exchanged our books. I guess when you live someplace for a week you feel comfortable making yourself at home. And mom, guess what book was in our room? BAMBI! Remember that? Yeah, I thought #1 would flip when he saw it. Sorry, inside joke from when we were there for a week.

I must also put in that by the time we got to the hospital and Snug got over his hissy fit because the nurse/dr were talking to me he was wired for sound. Gone was the limp little specimen who had moped around the house and refused to eat. He was all over the place, jumping and running and laying on the floor. Really? REALLY????

Although his initial urine sample came back negative for a UTI they are going to let it grow until Saturday because that is what they think he has. Oh, and no fever. Not even a tiny trace.

I had started chaining Tylenol with Children's Advil and it finally broke. Whatever. So this morning he wakes up with PURPLE swollen ears (and hadn't had any new medication yet), a red swollen face, and a rash on his tummy and back. And he's running around like a maniac.

Aren't sick kids just something? I think next time I'll just visit Web MD.

Attention Baby Food Making Moms!

I have a product review for you today! My friend bought me a Reynolds Handi-Vac and gave it to me as a present last night because she knows I make Baby J's baby food and lots of things from scratch. This thing is pretty cool!
So the thing on top sucks the air out of the bags so that things don't get freezer burned or frost on them. Take these carrots for example. They are not freezer burned...yet, but they have a lovely coating of frost on them from each time I open them and then try to re close the bags (yes, double bagged with Ziploc freezer bags) with no air. Before I was using a straw and sucking the air out the best I could.

I rinsed each cube and dried it on a clean towel and then used the Handi-Vac...looks much better and every time I remove some cubes I can just suck the air out in like 5 seconds and move on. I have NO idea if it will really work, but I'll let you know. Getting the air out was a breeze though!

I don't like using lots of plastics because of BPA, but after perusing some BPA sites, they say that hard plastics are the biggest offenders and one researcher from U of Missouri (Vom Saal) said that "heat acid, alcohol, harsh detergents, age and microwaving" are what speed up the release of and release the most BPA. I will hand wash my bags with Melaleuca dish detergent and hopefully not be contaminating too much food!

Moving on...CF Mama had mentioned in a comment recently she'd have to check into my Superporridge. Well, it isn't mine, at least not the concept or the name. Those are from "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron. However, his particular blend is made by me!

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Caution: Do not use unless your doctor thinks you need to. It is about 29% of the calories the average 11-13 month old needs in a day...and only makes 1/2 cup. HOWEVER, if you want to try it use breastmilk or 'regular' formula (instead of PediaSure) The University of Michigan Health System (C.S. Mott Children's Hospital site) says that the average 'regular' formula and the average woman's breastmilk is 20 calories/oz. That would knock this superporridge from 251 cal down to 231 cal. Making it more like 26% of their calories for the day. OR make it with water and that makes it 191 cal (21%).

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Of course your doctor can tell you what your child needs to grow, I have no idea (I only know my kid!). I just know that on average, a child 11-13 months consumes 900 calories/day. Baby J needs 1,250 to grow right now...that will go up when he starts walking. Which is only like 350 more (but our dietitian says kids eat too much in general...so the 900 may be too high) I try to keep him right at 1,250. Anyway, all I am saying is be careful because that is 26% of what most kids would need, even if made with breastmilk and that is only one meal...you have got at least 2 more meals, a snack or so, and bottles/consumption of milk/formula to consider on top of that. Don't forget that kids in this age range need around 24 oz (480 cal) a day. Again, I'm not a doctor, I just have done lots of asking questions of Baby J's dietitian and online. Ok, I shouldn't get sued now that I got all of that out of the way. If you click where your mouse turns into a hand, there were different things above you could click on to see where I got some of my information. Sorry, I can't video tape our dietitian and put her on here...something about privacy...

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MOVING ON! For those of you who made it through that rambling, here is the recipe for the 251 calorie Superporridge.

1/8 c. instant rice cereal (I make it also...but a friend gave me 3-4 boxes of organic rice cereal and I'm not complaining!)

2 Tbs avocado, pureed

1/2 tsp. moringa (if you don't have this, don't worry about it...great stuff though!)

1 Tbs. tahini

1/4 c. PediaSure (strawberry flavored takes the edge off the tahini)

1 tsp. ground flaxseed (grind fresh daily or grind and freeze)

1 tsp. wheat germ

liquid vitamins

Mix well

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You can make 2 days worth at a time, just make sure it is covered and refrigerated. The second day it may have some brown streaks in it because avocado turns brown when exposed to air (normal). When you make avocado puree, keep the extra covered tightly and either freeze or refrigerate and use within a few days. It gets nasty if you try to make more than 2 servings...turns all brown and runny and smelly. Trust me :o)

Let me know if it works for you!

Did You Ever Think...?

Did you ever think back in early March when Baby J was losing weight, waiting for a diagnosis miracle, and on a liquid diet that you'd be seeing this picture of him digging in to a plate of lasagna three months later?

His dietitian's goal (and mine too, cause I'm the mama) was that he would get to eat solids and not gag (as it is hard to go from eating solids to a liquid diet and back again) by his first birthday. My goal was birthday cake! Well, we are 18 days from his birthday and he eats solids like a champ.

His physical therapist's goal was to be creeping by his birthday...he is creeping AND pulling to a stand quite nicely. :o)

His GI doctor's goal was that he'd continue to gain weight once transitioned to solids-not a problem! For breakfast this morning he ate:

One handful of Cheerios
1/2 c. Superporridge (251 calories!)
Several fresh blueberries
A WHOLE banana
4 oz bottle

He cried when it was time to get out of the highchair. He weighs close to 19 lbs now. I think he's continuing to gain, don't you?

Oh, and we think we have heard his first word too-"mama" It isn't FOR SURE, but we think he is using it right :o) He usually says it while pulling on my shorts in the kitchen as I try to move around and get dinner ready. Since he doesn't take any steps (even hanging on to our hands) yet him hanging from my shorts as I walk around the kitchen isn't too fun for him (or me for that matter!). But he says "mama, mama, mamamamama!!!!" all the while. Love it.

Here is a recent video from when my cousin Melissa (& children) and Aunt Kim/Uncle Rick came to visit!

2 Cute 2 Not Post

This is an assortment of pictures taken in the last week...no real post, just some fun pictures!
My cousin Melissa and her parents and her boys "dropped by" on Wednesday afternoon to see us! By dropped by I mean were driving within a half hour of our house on their way back to MI from camping. I love the look on Grayson's face as Baby J tries to climb on him.

I think this might be his revenge look...watch out Baby J!

Jayce and Snug got to sit in #1's cruiser, always a good time.

This one is from #1's birthday celebration with my parents. I like how he is looking at Snug in anticipation of him spitting all over the cake helping to blow out the candles candle.

I took this while feeding my sepia fetish this week of Little Miss E's hair. She has great hair!

Yesterday was #1's actual birthday (not to be confused with celebrating with my parents on Wednesday, the Daycare and our family on Thursday, and going out to eat with his parents tonight). We didn't actually do anything for his birthday ON his birthday, but enjoyed a cookout at a park as part of a Greene County Parks volunteer appreciation event. #1 was amused to see that (of the people who attended) I was at least 30 years younger than any other volunteer. I didn't see the humor in it, but he got a good chuckle.

Snug enjoying the sunset over the pond.

Ok, I have 2 more possibilities for I ♥ Faces sepia theme. I thought it was this week, but now I have discovered I was wrong and it starts June 15th. More time for me to get that perfect picture I guess! I like this one...

...and this one. Decisions, decisions.

This little guy is not participating in photo sessions so nicely as of late, but I got one shot of him that I kept. His hair is getting long in the back and I hope to keep it. He also loved the park where we were.

Ok, back to doing the budget! What? It's June 6th? Oops.