Sprinkler Time

When is a baby old enough to run through the sprinklers on a hot summers day? How about at 5 months, and what if it's merely a warm spring day with a mild breeze blowing? Yep, you guessed it. Josh had his first sprinkler experience this week, and it wasn't exactly what I had planned. I was taking Josh outside in this stroller for a walk when I decided I should probably water the grass. It was a really nice day outside, mid 70's with a gentle breeze. I parked him in the middle of the driveway facing the grass and then tested the corner sprinkler with a small amount of water pressure to see which direction it would go. Sure enough it was headed straight towards Josh. So I turned the water off, and moved the sprinkler 180 degrees. Now it was perfect. This time I turned the water on full pressure and then turned to say hello to my brother and sister in law who were working in their yard. As I turned back to face Josh I was just in time to see that our state of the art sprinkler can do 360's and was headed straight for him. I hollered out his name and like any good mother threw myself in front of the sprinkler to save her baby's life! It was too late. I was soaked, the stroller was soaked, and Joshua was definitely soaked! Amazingly enough he never let out a peak, but the look of confusion on his face was priceless!

Happy Easter

Josh got his first Easter basket this year from his Grandma (or as she refers to herself-Grammo). It was fun watching him attack the candy. Of course he tried to put it in his mouth, but currently he is doing that with everything he comes in contact with: my cell phone, Maggie's tail, and the sale advertisements that come in the mail. This year because Josh is so young we didn't really have to worry so much about the focus of Easter on a big bunny and colored eggs. However, it really got me thinking about the years to come. The Resurrection is the key to our faith. As parents what a great responsibility to teach and show our son the blessed truth that our Savior lives.

Mini Vacation

I titled this post "Mini Vacation" because we were only gone one night, however, if you could have seen our car you would have thought we were leaving for a month. I guess that's what happens when you travel with a baby and all his extremely important belongings. On Friday we headed down to San Antonio to spend the night with Kevin's family and meet my family on the Riverwalk. The drive usually takes around 3 1/2 hours but of course we managed to stretch it into a six hour trip. Around the half way mark Joshua woke up and encouraged us to stop and eat. So we grabbed some sandwiches and headed off the highway to ----- State Park. We had lunch at the picnic tables and then Josh went on his first swing ride, to which he responded with a big emotionless expression. Kevin also took him down the slide, to which he had the same response. I guess our son is just too mature and advanced to enjoy such childish games... or he is just too young to have any clue as to what was happening!

Afterwards we went down to the river and took a nature walk through the trails. We stayed at the park for over 2 hours before hitting the road again. It definitely made me realize we need to take more advantage of the parks in Texas and start our camping time once again.

That night in San Antonio we stayed with Kevin's Great Aunt and Uncle, who pampered us like crazy. They took us to dinner, then took care of Josh while Kevin and I went out to the movies. Their daughter and granddaughter came over to help watch Josh as well, and it was so much fun spending time with them. For five years since joining the Kennedy family I've seen and met so many people but this little trip was such a great opportunity to actually spend some time getting to know them.

On Saturday we met my cousins, who are from Arizona, down at the Riverwalk. I'm not sure Josh appreciated the Alamo or the informative River boat tour as much as we did, but he had a great time hanging out in cousin Rob's arms! It really was a marvelous mini-vacation!

Attraction

Oh sweet potatoes I love you so much. There could never be another vegetable for me!

So far Josh has enjoyed every new food we've introduced him to, but none as much as the sweet potato! Tomorrow we try carrots. Yummy.

Baby Punk Rock

Josh asked us if he could join a punk rock band. Sorry son, you're just too young. Learn how to potty by yourself and we'll talk about it.

Rodeo Time

Last week Kevin and I had two special nights out to the Rodeo. On Monday we went with his youngest brother Kenneth and his girlfriend to see Sugarland and on Friday night we went to see Clay Walker (uh huh!) with Kevin's middle brother Keith and his wife Jen. The rodeo is one of my favorite times of year for two reasons: 1) I'm sure in another life I was meant to be a cowgirl, and the barrel races remind me of it and 2) Seven years ago Kevin and I went on our first date to the Rodeo to see Brooks-n-Dunn. There are of course other reasons to love the rodeo which include the salted peanuts, boys riding bulls, and an excuse to wear my cowboy boots!

80 Years...Wow!

This weekend we celebrated Papa's 80th birthday with a surprise party at the church. It was a great day and a lot of fun catching up with family. It was also exciting to watch Josh as he is getting old enough to interact with some of his cousins. Kevin's family does a wonderful job of getting together throughout the year, which of course is made easier by the fact that most of us live within a four hour radius of eachother. However, we are the lucky ones who actually get to see Papa and Granny every week. You see, Granny is the dictionary definition of what a Granny should be. Each Sunday she makes a big home cooked meal and we gather at her home after church. She is always welcoming of friends and never has a shortage of good food and sweet desserts. Papa greets us at the door with a hug each week, and really enjoys his new great grandchildren! Peepaw! On Tuesdays Granny teaches a quilting class that I attend, and she has been so patient to teach me again and again (I still haven't quite got my brain back after the pregnancy). While I sew she usually takes Josh around and entertains him. I could be wrong, but I have a feeling not very many Americans families enjoy this closeness. What an incredible blessing that Josh gets to spend so much time with his Great Grandparents. It makes me thankful and sad at the same time, as he doesn't get to see my side as often. It also makes me think of our time overseas where we saw that most cultures other than our own are extremely family orientated, and usually live together for most of their lives. Living together may be a little extreme for me, but it sure is nice to see them as often as we do! Happy 80 Years Papa!