4th of July trip to the mountains

Over the 4th of July weekend we ventured up to the mountains in North Georgia to try and get some relief from the 105 degree heat index we've been experiencing in Atlanta. We ended up swimming at Vogel State Park and the waterfall at Helton Creek Falls.

Slides

Another current favorite these days....the playground

I need driving

Hank's catch phrase lately is "I need ____" insert just about anything. Every time we pull into the driveway he immediately starts yelling "I need driving!" He has a fit if I don't let him "drive" before we go inside.

Blog Makeover

So I've had this on my to-do list for a while now, but let's face it..my to-do list never has less than 28 items on it at any given time so "blog makeover" is easily bumped down for those more pressing items. However, this has been a project that I've been excited about for a while. I follow a lot of 365 blogs that I really enjoy (for those unfamiliar, a 365 blog is a picture a day), I feel like you really get a better feel for "real life" on family blogs when you get a look into everyday rather than hitting the high points aka birthday, christmas, mother's day etc. Also, I love photography but can never find the time to work on my photography skills. Lastly, I have this little man in my house that I love to photograph and basically why anyone reads this blog. So, I decided to give my blog a new look, make an effort to get my camera out more often, and document more often. I can't promise that I will provide 365 days of pictures, but so far I've done much better and am really enjoying it!

Grass

I know...I'm a huge blog slacker...I'll catch up eventually, I promise :) In the meantime, take a look! We have grass!! It was certainly a lot of work, but wow does the yard look a lot better. The boys have been busy with their new mowers!

Happy Mother's Day

For mother's day we had a picnic at Piedmont Park and checked out the new fountains. The water was a little chilly for getting wet. Hank kept telling me "not hot mama", but either way he absolutely loves these types of fountains and had a fit when we made him leave because it was getting dark! He stood by the water and signed "more" constantly. What an amazing little boy I have! Thanks for making me a mama, Hank!

A letter to my 18 month old

To my sweet Hank,

You are a year and a half old...to me you are still a baby, but in your mind you are all little boy. Your personality shines everyday, you are much like you mom and dad in that you will hang back and watch the action for a while before you warm up to a crowd. You will be shy with new people, but warm up quickly. You have such a silly side, and really crack yourself up. You are a smart and curious boy, figuring out the world around you so quickly. I see so much of your dad in you-you will inspect something for so long trying to figure out how it works. Always a cautious child, you will turn back and look for my approval every time before trying something new. I can just see the wheels in your head turning as you ponder how something works, and then turn to me and ask for "help mama" when you can't quite figure it out. While you are a wild, active little boy you still love to cuddle with you mama and give the best hugs and kisses.

Talking-wow do you talk a lot for your age. At a year, you had about 50 words already, but now you never stop jabbering and probably have around 150-200 words. You are talking in phrases already, and sometimes I just can't believe what flies out of your mouth. You imitate EVERYTHING we say and do-including spitting off the deck (thanks to Dad for that behavior). You refer to your dad as "Johnny" and at about 5:00 everyday go stand at the front screen door and yell "JOHNNY" until dad shows up (usually about 30 minutes later). You are 110% boy-you love dirt, eating dirt, sand, eating sand, water, rocks, throwing, running, climbing, jumping, and being outside! You have fascination with all things transportation and animal. We point out airplanes, choochoos, wheels, bikes, buses, trucks etc nonstop. I feel like there is not one airplane, bus, or train that goes unnoticed-if I only had a nickel...

You love food as much as you love dirt and Curious George. Some current favorites are strawberries, anything mexican, cookies, cheese, spaghetti, couscous, chicken, and MAC. I think you'd eat macaroni and cheese everyday all day if I let you. You typically eat all day, and bug me for juice or milk constantly.

You are such a well-traveled boy for 18 months old. In your first year and a half you've been to Chicago twice, Charleston, SC, Hilton Head, Alabama, Washington DC, Charlottesville, Vancouver, Mt. Rainer, Seattle, and Dallas. You've been on 3 airplane trips, to 3 weddings, and had your feet in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. You've been through customs in Canada, and have your first stamp in your passport. You've been to the top of the highest peak on the east cost, Mt. Mitchell and driven along the Blue Ridge Parkway from Virginia to North Carolina. Always up for an adventure...again, just like your dad.

You are a big boy, and everytime we go to the doctor your percentiles keep climbing...35 inches long (98th) and 30 lbs (92nd) at 18 months.

What fun it is to watch you grow and become a our little boy!

We love you so much Hankey!