Was that on your melon?

I was in the living having a talk with Alex yesterday morning about a decorative mask that Stefan and I bought in Spain. I mentioned the trip was before he was born--so it was "just Daddy and I".

Alex thought of a second and then said, "Oh, so was that on your melon?"

My what?

"Your Melon, Mom. You know, that trip you take after you get married."

Ohhhh..... you mean a honeymoon?

"Yes, that's it. The trip that Mike and Jurate are going to take."

(I am still smiling when I think of it... I guess in his mind honeymoon became honeydew which became melon!)

So as you can tell from the pictures we now have a SANDBOX. This has been a lot of fun for both the boys, although in different ways. Luckily Alex was generous enough to share with Jameson and to not mind too much when he got in the way or tried to take his toys.

And, as much as I tried to watch him, Jameson did get a few good fist-fulls of sand in his mouth. Oh well. (note: he slept in more than usual after that... could sand be a new baby sleep-inducing treatment?)

Some of you may know the struggle we have with Alex and new clothes. He never, ever wants to wear anything new. Well, we now have a fix. A few weeks ago, I bought two pairs matching shirts for the boys. An instant hit. In fact, I was doing extra laundry so that they would be clean more often. Yesterday I took the boys shopping and I got them five more matching shirts and 3 matching shorts! Apparently, in Alex's mind, it is "okay" to wear new clothes as long as he matches his brother. He even got dressed this morning without being asked--he was so excited to get into his new things. Cool.

Alex, my little explorer... he is probably going to end up being a National Geographic photographer or an extreme sport competitor. Of course, he's also declared at times that a) he will never move away from me and b) that he'll live in a different house but in the same city as me. We'll see how long that lasts! Anyhow, in the last week, he has asked to go to the rainforests of Costa Rica, as well as a couple different European countries. He has requested that our next move be to an island so we can be close to the ocean. In addition, he has asked for a surf board, a racing bicycle with those special shoes that clip into the pedals, a skate-board (to take to a skating park), a climbing harness (so he can start to go to the climbing gym), a few new baseballs and basketballs, a new swim-suit, and a wet-suit, among other things. One week. I'm trying to have some talks with him about saving up for what he truly wants and working towards it... so he says (as of yesterday) that he wants a surfing board the most and will start to save "his" money for it. We'll see how it goes. There's got to be a good balance between encouraging his interests and satisfying every little whim.

We were fortunate enough this weekend to have two parties to go to. We had a great time catching up with old friends and meeting new friends. Stefan even ran one of the parties---Sylvie had her 6th birthday at the Science Center! Jameson and I got in a good hike while Stefan and Alex took the kids on a tour of the woods and the Black Pond.

Here are some pictures from our neighbor Jaden's 2nd birthday.

Alex and Dalin had a great time playing on the mats together!


We are busy getting ready for our trip to Lithuania. Less than a week away! I'm curious to see how Alex's adventuresome spirit holds up during an actual trip, especially while going through jet-lag and being offered interesting Lithuanian foods such as pig's ears and chicken jello.

I've started our packing lists and we're buying new toys and new clothes. We're making copies of our passports, I bought trip insurance, and I had a Marine lawyer from work help me with a power of attorney for Jameson. I'm trying not to panic about leaving Jameson for so long! For those that don't know, he will be with my absolutely wonderful in-laws, Jim and Gustie, for the week that we're gone. The biological Mama reaction is causing me to have thoughts such as "what if he feels deserted?" and "what if something goes wrong?" or "What if we miss him too much?". But I keep reminding myself that we'll all be fine, and the whole trip will be over before I know it so I should just enjoy it.

While I'm thinking about it, that's a good thought to apply to life and to motherhood... especially during the more challenging moments... this whole thing will be over before I know it, so I need to remind myself to hold on and enjoy the little moments. Like a new sandbox!