It's a bird! It's a plane!

It's Super Underwear Man!

 

Splashtastic!

Today's temperature was a stagnant 90 something that felt like a stagnant 100 something, so we were happy to indulge in an invitation to Discovery Island Water Park in Simpsonville.  We didn't take any pictures, but Henry, Daddy, and I joined our friend Darion and his beautiful daughter Alexis for a day full of different splashing mechanisms and a crowded but lazy river.  My eyes are still burning from the chlorine,  but here's the main thing... Henry went down a HUGE water slide with Daddy today.  He actually liked it!  However, his comments centered around the inner-tube's audacity to land in the pool, causing the water to splash him.  "It got me wet and made me so, so sad.  That wasn't nice!"  He almost agreed to go back down again, but funnel cakes were calling.  Next time!

Cousins!

Henry was beyond excited about yesterday's time with Evan, Anna, and Ryleigh!  As soon as their feet hit our floors, he began dancing, singing, and being all around loud and ecstatic.   Lately, Henry belts out the ABC song when the elation become irrepressible and needs an immediate outlet.  After several rounds, we convinced him to switch to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  You can tell, though, that Ryleigh was over the spaz singing, no matter what the song might be.

From New Videos

No one's spirits were more than temporarily dampered, and we got right down to silly business:

This one's way too beautiful to make an ugly face:

David convinced Henry to do some swimming, and it's not pictured, but Henry eventually let go of us and used just the pool noodle for brief periods of time.  

Those pool noodles were very popular and very helpful, actually.

We all worked up an appetite, and Henry was kind enough to serve everyone their favorite snack food--by hand.  Thank you, Grandjane, for leaving the Cheez-Its behind for us!

We ended the evening at Grandjane and Grandjoe's house for dinner and delicious homemade cherry ice cream on the back deck. 

The kids ran and ran, and even though Henry considers himself to be as fast as Dash from The Incredibles, he fell behind in some of the later laps and prompted Anna to ask, "Henry, why are you too slow?"

Grandjane's back gardens offered lots of opportunity for exploring, and they looked so cute!

The kids and adults were all worn out as we were all up way past our bedtime.  Grandjane gently closed out the evening with a bedtime story that lulled the kids (and Grandjoe) to at least agreeing to part ways. 

It's never enough time, but we are so thankful for this full day together.  And speaking of never enough, here's one more since she's so cute... Ryleigh! 

Pool Postscript

Sunday evening was free for us to take Henry to the pool, and thanks to a hot week, it was of a tolerable temperature and full of Henry's neighborhood friends.  The result?  Lots of splashing and tons of Henry tosses from Mama to Daddy and Daddy to Mama.  The result of the splashes and tosses?  A pool-loving Henry.  Here we come, summer!

Stomping Grounds

Our trip home from Surfside included a stop in Kingstree at "Daddy's old house" where Henry got to run around and check out the really cool sidewalks, or "tracks."

His foot got caught in a vine, and I love this one:

Henry loves to sit in our car and pretend to drive, so there was no resisting this opportunity:

When will Granddad let Henry drive it for real, I wonder?

Henry wasn't interested in trying out the old swing, but Daddy briefly contemplated it:

Henry just kept running around the tracks, and Daddy recalled that he did enjoy riding his bike on the sidewalks when he was a kid.  Next drop by--we're breaking out the tricycle--no matter the owner. 

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I'm thirty-two now, and I love it!  Thanks to everyone who made the day so special and to Cory who made my favorite--sour cream pound cake--during our weekend at Surfside.  I feel like I get to have my cake and eat it, too!

Surfside? More like Sandside!

A long Memorial Day weekend gave us a chance to spend time with family at Surfside, which also means time on the beach.  Cory and I knew that Henry took some time to "warm up" to swimming last summer, but we blamed it on our neighborhood's chilly pool that, truth be told, caused us our own pause before entering.  But, since we spent a recent Saturday swimming in a friend's heated pool, we thought Henry might be ready to splash in the ocean.

We thought wrong, and Henry wasn't ready to splash in the salty water.  He did, however, give it a try and break out a few smiles after a couple of walks in the shallow waves.  Eventually, I would say that he gained an appreciation for the ocean, but it didn't come close to his strong affection for the sand in which he played for about six hours.

Obliging Uncle Joel and Daddy covered Henry over and over with the grainy stuff that found its way into the car, house, and bed. 

Henry also broke out his silly walk for the family.  We love this walk, and I really hope to catch it on video before it finds its way among the other funny things he "used to do."

Pool time was in order for Sunday, and Henry eventually loosened his death grip on me and let Nana swim him around.  And, in the last bit of water play time, he relaxed enough to get some gracefully aided laps around the pool.

We didn't have enough time to make it back down to the beach on Monday but did manage to eat some delicious hot dogs and burgers.  Thanks, Hughes family, for a wonderful weekend.  We love you and miss you!