Home is where the rush typically is

We're home!  It was an excellent vacation, and, to top it off, it was a marvelous return back to Greenville.  Our flights went smoothly.  Henry made friends on the plane and in the airport then slept through the second leg.  Grandjoe was waiting for us as as soon as we stepped outside the gate.  The house is clean (as I must have it so before leaving for a trip) and so is Penny.  Laundry is going and the fridge is now stocked with next week's groceries.  Daddy grilled a yummy dinner.  Exhausted-but-still-managing-to-be-sweet-Henry was asleep by 6:50.

If every day was this smooth, we wouldn't need to go to Maine to relax!

Mr. Independent

Our little guy is asserting himself quite a lot lately.
The northeast is bringing out the stubborn independence in Henry, and, so far, we are caught between giggling at his constant insistence that "Henry do it" and our own fears of letting go--especially atop the large slides at the nearby park.Henry is loving Maine even though he refuses to try lobster, and we are having a wonderful time here. This second family summer vacation is off to a great start, and I'm sure that Henry will learn to do some new stuff (with and without our help) while we're here.

Getting ready

We head out for our vacation to Maine tomorrow, so we went to the library this morning and then did some last minute shopping.Even though this hat has an SPF of 50 and looks fabulous on Henry, we ended up not buying it. Hope we don't regret it!

School Days of Our Lives

Henry was bitten a couple of time last Friday, and the new director at the YW called us to meet with us that afternoon. She let us know that, based on her classroom observations, she thought it would be best to transition Henry to a classroom containing children closer to the age of two. We agreed, and Henry spent this week making that transition.

I got a chance to observe him in his new classroom this afternoon both with and without him knowing I was watching.  My final observation is that Henry loves it!  He was fitting right in with the new classmates, and, as we were already expecting based on lots of positive feedback from his teachers, we think the transition is a "go."  

• Evan started kindergarten.
• Grandjane started a new school year with a new principal.
• Nana secured a new position and started another school year.
• Elizabeth, Josh, and Caleb started their sophomore year at USC.
  
• Henry is transitioning to the 2 year old class at the YW.

Like sands through the hour glass... so are the school days of our lives.

Tonight...

Henry told me he loves me.  "I'ah you, Mama."

I keep falling in love over and over with this boy.

Bus... Drive

Courtesy of the Ekebergh's, Henry attended his first Greenville Drive game tonight, and while I'm sure the game was exciting for some, he was mainly into the "bus!" (trolley), the trolley wheels, and the slides in the playground.Poor Niklas. I was at the top telling Niklas to "Go, Go!" He would get excited, and then Henry's 5 minute scoot down the slide would cause him to get stuck in the rear. Linsey and Chris would then gently admonish Niklas and instruct him to be careful with Henry. I must say that I was very impressed with Niklas' patience with both Henry's stop-go skids and the conflicting encouragers from the adults.
I'm glad that our boys got to play together, and I can already imagine their future friendships. Perhaps one day, when they are older, I will slip in a suggestion that Niklas will be a good friend to have, and nearby, Linsey will quietly suggest the same to Niklas. And, despite their innate desire to defy their moms, they will find themselves drawn to become the best of friends.

On the count of 2!

Totally safe... no way he'll get hurt.

Reposting for Viewing Pleasure

From More videos

The first video that I posted won't play anymore for some reason, so I'm embedding a link.  It's just that good.  I have to make sure that it's viewable!  

"O" yeah

Forgot to mention that Henry also knows the letter "O" but has been known to call it "circle." I promise not to post 23 more times as he learns each letter, but I just started feeling a little guilty for not giving him the credit for the additional letter in a previous post. Mother guilt knows no end.

Check it out!

H. E.

Ms. Candace asked Cory today if we are teaching Henry to spell his name since, apparently, she said she was going to write his name, and as she began to write, he said "H." She said he followed it with "E" as she wrote the second letter. She doesn't know that all other letters besides "H" are "E" to Henry. Too bad his name isn't Hee!

2.5 Years Later... We did it!

For the first time in Henry's life, I am not a student! Of course, I'm still learning my new field, and I also continue to learn about myself. One thing that's very apparent is that I have an extremely supportive family, and it was made most obvious when Cory didn't even blink when I tearfully explained my desire for a new career, the time I would have to spend in school, and the ultimate slash in my current income and earning potential. He definitely picked up my slack around the house, even whipping up healthy prenatal meals then, after Henry came along, making sure to come home as quickly as possible on nights that I had class. He's a supportive and skillful husband and father.Henry was very accommodating during the entire process. He was a very good newborn, so I only missed one class right after his birth.  He also taught me a few extra things like one handed typing skills, extreme multitasking, and some humility when my studious and philsophical responses ended up as, "Perhaps the theory besttttttt 9hfh v ''''' ;;ffffffff'7 kllqaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" My professors are going to miss Henry's typing.
It was also fitting that Grandjane, Grandjoe, and Elizabeth were there, too, as they were very helpful in making sure that Henry was well-taken care of when I had to be in Columbia some days or when Henry was sick but I had no room to miss internship hours.

I learned a lot in the last 2.5 years, and I am grateful for my family that encouraged me all along. Were it not for them, we might not have this awesome photo:

Ahhhh... Friday

This Friday is special.  I graduate tomorrow morning!  

To celebrate, we stayed up late (around 8:30) with Henry and played lots and lots of "Night Night" in which he arranges pillows on the floor and tells us which one of us can go night night and on which pillow. 

It's a good feeling to be in the moment of "Night Night" and not worry about a paper or project. 

Pool Buddies

Henry is really enjoying the neighborhood pool this summer despite a somewhat timid start. He had some new pool buddies to enjoy the water with him last Saturday. Elizabeth came to hang out Saturday morning through the afternoon. Henry liked having her here to entertain him.Christine joined us later, and Henry ended up doing a little extra entertaining, himself, complete with some ear piercing shrieking that he tends to do when he's having a really, really good time.Note the big beach ball in the pool photo. It belongs to some neighborhood kids, and Henry loves it. We got him a big, red ball but haven't remembered to take it to the pool yet. However, he gets plenty of big bouncing fun in the house.

Videos these days

I thought I better try to get some of Henry's words and phrases on video, but here's what happens when we try to video now...

Not really... but really

Alright, so I fibbed.  Henry can't really spell, write, or even say, "Hendricks Johnson Hughes."  He can, however, recognize the letter "H," pointing it out and sweetly smiling before saying it.