We are half way through the summer already (how?). No time to write much (ever) but I wanted to throw up a few photos to summarize what we've been up to. Stay tuned for part two. Based on my history, it will be up in time for Christmas. =)
James and I kicked off the summer by spending Memorial Day weekend on Block Island (kid free!) with our good friends, Kris and Gina. It was amazing. So nice to get away, even for a night or two.
We've already had many fun days at Nana and Grandpa's lake house. Grandpa got a motor boat so that's been a source of great joy for everyone, especially the kids...especially Sully.
I went to California for a GIS (work) conference in San Diego. This is the same conference I went to two years ago and wound up spending 4 nights in a hospital with kidney stones (while 6 months pregnant with Sully). Fortunately, I didn't get another kidney stone on this trip...well, not until a few days AFTER I got home. But this time it was much, much smaller and more manageable. And also, I'm not pregnant (hallelujah!). But, still...what is in your water, California?!
While I was in San Diego, I finally followed through with a want of mine. I've been thinking of getting a tattoo for a very long time. And so. I did it (not without a lot of planning and forethought, despite what some family members may think!). Behold, my "mama bear". I love her. The kids do, too. James is coming around.
The tattoo caused some minor marital strife but it was short lived. Later that same week James decided to test the waters with his own risky behavior and bought himself a 1970's "road buggy". Tit for tat, I guess. Literally. The kids agree though, at least for now, that their parents are pretty cool.
We spent the Fourth of July weekend at the Lake House with lots of friends and family. Also, DIY fireworks, always fun.
We spent last weekend on the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound on James' boat. It was a beautiful day for boating.
In in between there have been parades, birthday parties, family hikes, play dates, swimming, and summer fun. Next up, we'll be vacationing in Maine and then upstate NY for Labor Day weekend. More fun to come!
Sullivan is 18 20 months old and growing up fast. Faster than I can blog about it, that's for sure. I took photos on my "real" camera, but that was actually a few months ago and sadly, they are still sitting on the SD card. And also, he's grown since then!
Sully is a happy boy. And mischievous. Smart. A good sleeper. A fantastic eater. A blue-eyed, red haired solid mass of energy. And he is very clearly a boy. He is like a magnet to balls, trucks, cars, tractors, sticks, bats, whacking devices. He's tough. He's hefty. He's a "solid" boy, as many are quick to point out. Yes, yes, he is. Durable, as I like to say.
Sullivan talks! A lot. He has so many words I've stopped counting. And he'll repeat any word you offer him, even long, tricky ones. I need to try and get one of those on camera.
He's smart. I know most parents of young toddlers will say this but he seems above average on the inquisitive scale. He's curious in ways I don't recall Cece being at his age. He will watch us do something once and then copy it. He figures things out quickly and intuitively. For example, he watched James plug in a fan and turn it on the other day (it's been hot here!). After we were done using it, we unplugged it from the wall. A few days later, Sully walked up to the unplugged fan, took the cord and managed to plug it into the wall himself and then gleefully turned the fan on (he gets great enjoyment out of making things "work". Later, a large screw on the side of the fan fell off (probably due to kids playing with it) and landed on the floor. I watched Sully walk over and inspect it and then pick it up and try to put it back on the fan where it came from. He didn't manage to screw it back on, but kept putting on the fan until it managed to balance in place. In his little mind he had fixed it. Satisfied, he smiled and walked away. He had no idea I was watching him but it was pretty fun to see. Although, I did make a mental note that most parents would probably do a better job at limiting their toddler's access to open wall sockets and finger snatching fans. Oops.
Sully's first selfie.
He still loves Summit and even though he's gotten bigger and weighs almost as much as Cece does, she tolerates him climbing on her like she's a jungle gym. He loves feeding her, often from him own plate, which is probably why the admiration is mutual on Summit's part. Even though he knows and can say her name, he most often just calls Summit, "doggie" and always greets her in the morning with a big smile and often a hug, too. Boys and their dogs.
He's a dirty kid. Like, always dirty. He is always covered in something. Dirt. Food. Sweat. Boogers. He's that kid. Kind of gross, actually. He needs a bath almost every night, especially now that they spend much of the day outside. And the boy has a special talent for generating ear wax. It runs in the family, actually. Gross, right?
Good thing all that is balanced out by the fact that he's also pretty darn handsome. His hair is still red, though it may be lightening up a little bit. His eyes are blue and bright. His eyelashes are thick and long. He gets a lot of compliments. And he's almost always smiling, which of course is the icing on the cake. He loves to laugh and be silly. He also loves belly buttons.
He loves his big sister. The first thing he asks for when he's the first one up in the morning is Cece. If he can't find her he literally walks around the house saying, "Cece, wheeeere are youuuu?" It is so damn cute. I'll have to try and get that on camera, too. Even though she is clearly his best friend, he can also be pretty hard on her. Lately, he sometimes hits her for no reason. He's even been known to bite. All very normal toddler behavior, but I have a feeling it will get worse. He loves to rough house. Cece does too, but not quite with the same intensity. They wrestle often but usually it ends with Cece in tears. Not always (girlfriend can hold her own), but often.
Let's see, what else? He loves to sleep. Goes to bed on his own, often requesting it, at 7:30 each night and rarely wakes before 6:30 AM. He loves to nap, at least 2 hours a day and we usually have to wake him up. He Loves, yes with a capitol "L" his binkies. It is going to be an undertaking to get him off that habit. But they make him intensely happy so I don't have the heart to do it just yet. I think we waited until Cece was 2 to do it, so we have a little time. It will be rough though, that's for certain.
He loves to eat. He has an affinity for condiments. Loves hot sauce. Yes, hot sauce. Has a special face he busts out for new tastes. It's on display below.
He doesn't watch much TV but he Loves, yes again with the capitol "L" the movie Cars. If the TV is on, or being turned on, he will just stand in front of it and point and say "Cars, Cars, Cars" over and over.
He loves the real thing, too. I think he's going to follow in his dad and grandpa's footsteps and be a real "car" guy. It's easy to tell how happy that makes them both.
The best way to describe Sully I think is that he's easy to love. He's generally very easy going. He is a lot less "intense" than his sister, at least so far. He's almost always happy. He's easy on the eyes, even when he's caked in dirt. He's easy to love because he genuinely loves just about everyone he meets. His happiness is contagious. I hope he never looses that talent.
Sully, Mommy loves you very much. I can't wait to see where we go from here! xxxoo
