Puppet Show at the Library

Today I decided to take Ristow to the puppet show at the downtown library. He was hesitant and excited all at the same time. Puppets tend to creep him out. I managed to convince him to try it out. We sat by the door just in case. He kept his eyes covered and then as the marionettes came out, he shouts " Hey, they're not scary they're just puppets!" phew, what a relief. We sat throught the whole production and he only wanted to leave once, which quickly passed. I love getting him to experience new things, but then ofcourse I set myself up for it later. All he wants to do then is make puppets and put on puppet shows (non-stop). That's ok, I guess, as long as the puppets and I don't start having conversations while Ristow is down for a nap!

Last day before school starts

Well, school starts tomorrow and our days will be more committed. So today we took it easy, cleaned the house a bit and got out the little swimming pool of Ristows. It has a small inflatable slide and a big giraffe head on the other end. He had so much fun sliding and playing that we were in there for a few hours. Both of our feet were prune toes and his fingertips were almost unrecognizable because they were so shriveled.
Finally it was time to get out and I was bent over letting out the water and plop! sure enough my cell phone dropped into the water. Arrrrrgh! I grabbed it right away and tried to dry it out but to avail. So frustrating, and the fact that I depend so much on it makes me even crazier. Unfortunately, it is important and I will have to replace it. Oh well.
The funny part was that while Ristow was watching me try to dry it he says "mom, you need a Smart Clip!" All I could do is laugh and say " you're right buddy" For those of you who don't know, the Smart Clip is a clip for cell phones that they show on infomercials. That way you can hook it to your purse or belt loop and never drop it. Ristow has seen that infomercial one too many times I think. It comes on in between the cartoons on his favorite channel. Goodness!

Everyday amazes me

Christopher's mom Beth came down to visit this past week and we had a wonderful visit. We did lots of fun stuff. We hit the beach, the zoo, the playground, and played games. Ristow was precious. He cuddled and loved and laughed and was so good all week. It was wonderful family time.

As we were on the way to the airport to drop Beth off, Ristow started singing the song "Awesome God". The words go: Our God is an awesome God. He reigns from heaven above, with wisdom, power and love. Our God is an awesome God."

When Ristow got to "he reigns", he cheered, because of course it was raining outside.

He goes " mom, God is raining!"

All his beautiful little mind grasps is that God rains from heaven above. He was so excited and said " mom, God sure is awesome isn't he?"

I love my son and am so proud of his enthusiasm for life and for the Lord, even at 3yrs old.

Girls Weekend

There is nothing like a weekend with the gals. This past weekend I met up with some of my old roommates from college. Every year there a number of us who get together and just spend time, good quality time together. We talk, we laugh, we talk some more. It is wonderful. This year we met in Ohio near Hocking Hills. There are lots of cabins and some great sights to see. These pictures are of Old Man's Cave and Ash Cave. It was beautiful weather and great scenery.

Getting together with people who have known you for longer than your current life stage can be very refreshing. Not only do they remind of your past but of things that were important to who you have currently become. They know you, and not the you that you pretend to be to people you just meet, but the real you. These girls have seen my joys, my sorrows and real everyday self. I am truly thankful for their friendship in my life and I cherish each of them. I am blessed to have a few other people that know me that well and I try not to take them for granted.

Laugh, Live, Love, Smile oh yeah, and hot tub whenever possible!

Quiet time or Destruction time?

As I turned off the water to the sink, I hear Ristow upstairs crying. He is supposed to be down for his quiet time (he rarely actually sleeps during this time anymore). I run up there and find that he has pulled his mattress off his bed, flung the blinds up and has blankets everywhere. I ask him what happened and see if he is ok. He says he bumped his head when he fell off the mattress. Now I ask if that is what he is supposed to be doing during quiet time. To which he replys "no, the bed was supposed to be a boat mom!" Oh, if only I had know that before.

Earlier today he was in the living room watching a little tv and I hear
"MOM! Its an Emergency!".
I go in there to find that the rabbit ear antenna had fallen off the back of the TV and the tv lost its signal. Goodness! We then had a long talk about what constitutes an emergency. Drama, Drama, Drama.
If these are the big catastrophes for the day, I think we are doing pretty good.

I am headed out of town for the weekend to hang with my girls from college while Christopher and Ristow play,explore and do whatever else they do together this weekend. I am lucky to have a husband that loves spending lots of time with his son. I hope to find them both in one piece when I return on Monday ;)

Rafting

This past weekend we joined Christopher's sister Amy and her husband Todd for a fun weekend of camping and White Water Rafting. We had a great time relaxing by the fire and hanging out. Our rafting trip got started late but once we were there, it rocked. We got to raft down the 1996 Olympic Kayaking course. Sweet! 6 hours later we rafted back to the bus. What a rush.

Todd and Amy then came up to Nashville and stayed with us for a few days. It has been a great visit and Ristow has been a total ham showing off the entire time. He has loved having them around.

Christopher's Birthday

Yesterday was Christopher's Birthday.
Ristow and I got up and decorated the kitchen and wrapped presents, letting Daddy sleep in a little. Ristow was beside himself with excitement. When I finally let him go in and wake up Christopher, Ristow jumped on the bed and sang Happy Birthday about 10 times. I think he wished him Happy Birthday about 100 times. He cheered during presents and says 'Here dad open your new book" He said that for each present, of course telling Christopher what each one was before he opened it. We haven't quite grasped surprises yet.
Ristow then spent the rest of the morning and afternoon with Grammy and Poppy, while I took Christopher out to breakfast and then we rented a canoe and did 7miles down the river. It was a wonderful day.
It was so great to spend that time with my husband, I am so thankful for him and for our relationship. He is such a loving father and husband and I am so proud of him and all that he strives for. He has chosen to make spending quality time with us a priority and for that I am truly grateful.
Happy Birthday Christopher.