Hope your 4th is a BLAST!

Father of the Year...

David took Adam swimming during his family's Independence Day celebration (on June 27 this year)... In spite of Adam's love of dirt, his second favorite is going swimming (yes - we watch him like a HAWK around pools and emphasize over and over to him that you CAN NOT get in the pool without a swim suit on...) Anyway, David's Father of the Year nomination quickly came into jeopardy...

Floating along in the kiddie cabana...

Daddy gives Adam a little push... We've done this lots of times... it's fun!
Uh oh...

Oops!
"Steady...Steady!" The look that says it all: "How COULD you?!?"
"Maybe we won't play with this right now..."

Uh...oops!

Because David is the Elders Quorum president at church and has meetings before church, I let him get ready for church while I enjoy a few extra moments of sleep before getting Adam and myself ready.

Yesterday morning I slowly came out of dreamland, awakened by a need to use the restroom. However, I could hear that David had just gone into the bathroom - presumably to take a shower. So, I ignored the urge and tried to eke out a few more moments of sleep. Sure enough, a few moments later, I heard the shower running.

As I lay there trying to ignore an ever-increasingly uncomfortable state, I started to get a little irritated. What is taking him so long?!? After all - he took a shower last night - what does he need with another one this morning, anyway?

Then, JUST when I think he MIGHT be coming out of the bathroom (and wondering what's taking so long to towel off) he starts shaving! Good grief! Of course, all the while, it's now getting PAINFUL waiting for him to emerge.

I'm taking deep breaths, trying to ignore how uncomfortable I've become and am just positively irate as I realize that he's now stopped shaving and begun brushing his teeth! Are you KIDDING me?!?

Very indignantly, I march into the bathroom while trying not to exxacerbate my nearly-bursting bladder.

"Can you please hurry up?!? What is taking so long? I'm dying out here because my bladder is about to explode while you've been in here all morning!"

"What are you talking about? I only just came in here a minute ago to brush my teeth..."

"Okay, okay - quit arguing - it really hurts!"

And as I sat there, I realized that the bathroom wasn't foggy from the shower he'd just taken and that his razor was sitting there bone-dry and untouched.

Apparently, I had dreamed everything except the need to use the restroom!

Adam - melts your heart, not your hand...

Last night I went through the usual bedtime routine with my little darling, but after about 5 minutes, I heard the saddest sobbing coming from his bedroom. After giving him a couple of minutes to calm himself down, I went in there to ask him what was wrong. He reached for me from his crib kind of anxiously. I told him that I would give him a kiss and hug if he wanted, but that it was bedtime and I was not going to pick him up. He seemed to understand and with his little lip quivering in the saddest little way (seriously, I'm about to cry just thinking about it!), he said simply, "yeah." As I reached him, he stretched his little lips up to me as tall as he could and as soon as I gave him a kiss, expressed his happiness and relief and immediately put himself to bed without another peep. Apparently, he thought that I'd forgotten his night-night kiss and just couldn't be happy without it!

Pics from Minnesota...

The cutest fisherman on the lake!

Learning the finer points of sand castle-making from his beloved Aunt "Mana"...

"You can add water to it?!? What a GREAT idea!"

Did I mention he LOVES playing in the dirt?

And his Aunt S'mana...

And SLIDES!

But is not a big fan of being in the boat...
Mommy's li'l landlubber!

Fake smiles...He's sick of the camera at this point. I don't know why - I only took about 400 pictures at this point...
"But I'm not tired!"