All Around the Town

Last week, we met friends at Timbertown for a play date. It was a blast! It was also about 95 degrees and humid as can be. Why is it that adults notice the heat and kids generally seem oblivious? I mean, sure they came and got a drink now and then, but they ran and played as if it was a balmy 75. Ahh, to be a kid again.

We didn't stay too long because of the heat, but I just want to recommend this playground to anyone looking for somewhere different to play. It is HUGE! It's also got a little something for everyone. There is a play house and farm for the imaginative ones, monkey bars and climbing grids for the little Spiderman out there, and slides and swings for those who love to fly. Plus, it is fairly easy to see the whole place from one or two locations so you can really just let them be. It's parental bliss.

Enjoy the pics of my sweaty crew!

Mr. Perfect

Those of you who know our children know that there just isn't many negative things we can say about Greyson. It isn't that he's perfect; it's just that he doesn't really ever do anything we can complain about. He sleeps 15-16 hours a day, it takes 30 seconds to put him down for a nap or for bed, he eats VERY well (although out of honesty I suppose I must say that he does yell a bit if he doesn't feel we are feeding him quickly enough), and since learning how to sleep through the night at 3 months, he has never woken up in the middle of the night. Never. Not even when teething. He is serious and kind, and he loves to cuddle. Who can really say anything bad about a kid like that? In fact, his first year went so well that I was beginning to think that my classroom assistant's comment about me getting another naughty little boy was hogwash. I even purchased him a t-shirt at the Gap outlet that said, "Mr. Perfect" because he really is kind of perfect.

Then, Grey began to "explore." I say explore because he moves in slow motion most of the time, and his face is so expressive that you can literally see the trouble he is thinking of causing and dissuade him before he begins. Recently, Grey has begun "exploring" more unique items in our house...his sister's twistable crayons, the faucet in our tub, the box of trash bags under the sink. The other day I left him for a mere thirty seconds. He was playing perfectly quietly with some blocks in the bonus room. When I returned, he was no where to be found. After a moment of searching, I found him in our bathroom, trash can upturned, look of pure glee in his lovely dark little eyes. The ironic twist? The tee I had chosen for him that day.... I love this boy. His perfection is made only more sweet by the fact that at 13 months he knows just the right moment to show his little imperfections.

Happy Birthday, USA!

Due to a summer school class that I taught as part of a class at Grand Valley, I'm a little behind in posting. Sorry! I'll get caught up over the next few days. In the meantime, I thought I would share a few pics of our holiday festivities over the 4th.

As always, we took in the Graafschaap Fire Department Annual Pancake Breakfast, held this year on July 3. This has been a DeWys family tradition for the last several years, and it was great to attend again with Troy's parents and our sister in law, Sami. Unfortunately, both Troy and his brother, Travis, had to work, so we had to eat without them. The kids had a terrific time playing on the fire engines and restocking their collection of plastic firefighting helmets. This year, there was a new addition as well...shooting the fire hose! Kaden was all about it, but Lauryn waited in line a full five minutes and then decided that the boy assisting the kids with their shooting made her nervous. Oh, well.

On the actual fourth, we had a cookout with my parents, my brother, Karl, and his wife, Tracey. We lit off sparklers with the kids and just relaxed. It was very nice, and the kids had a great time there as well! Enjoy the pics! More to come on our busy July activities!