Life Lately (according to my iPhone)

• Someone's been spending a lot of time at the splash parks and in the front yard with the hose.  Hours of entertainment.  Our yard has never been more lush.  We officially have a water baby!  
• He's now putting food on his spoon and feeding himself.  I think he's a genius.  
• He's really into pushing things around - his wagon, the stroller, his little lawnmower, the high chair, the coffee table, kitchen stools, the water table.  Anything that can move (whether it should or not).
• He can say "ball" plain as day.  Otherwise, not too many words (or at least English words, although there's a ton of jibber jabber).
• He's madly in love with our animals.  He gives them hugs and kisses (until they can't take it and run away).  He lays down on Sage and uses her as a pillow.  
• He's an excellent finger painter, when he's not trying to eat the paint.
• He loves his sunglasses, but won't wear them for more than a few seconds. He takes them off and puts them back on over and over and over. 
• Sticks, rocks, mud and sand are the most fascinating things in the world. I'm pretty sure he pooped out some mulch the other day.  Oops. 
• He's recently discovered jumping on the bed.  We hold hands and jump until we fall down and then crack up.  
• He's obsessed with the little girls that live across the street.  He follows them everywhere they go and just watches them with amazement. 

We love summer.  Life is good.  

Picnic in the Park

Last night after work, I packed up a picnic dinner and Mac and I headed to the Missouri Botanical Gardens for their free concert Wednesday nights (part of the Whitaker Music Festival).  The park is free to the public and has a different band/performer every Wednesday evening in the summer.  Unfortunately, I misread the website and thought the music was going to be from 5 -7 (actually, it starts at 7:30 - doh!), so we were a little early, but still had fun.  

We dined on PB&J sandwiches, fruit and animal crackers on a picnic blanket in the grass.  I had a Schlafly Summer Lager and Mac had a sippy cup of water.  He was less than thrilled about this.  Ryan met us there after work and the three of us explored the park.  The Children's Garden was open until 7, so after dinner Mac got some sliding/splashing/playing in.  

Mac loved pushing the stroller and playing in the sprinklers and dirt.  It was hard keeping him out of the fountains, though.  They're like giant kiddie pools!  Ryan and I loved sipping our beers, listening to the (not live) music playing, catching up on our days and letting Mac explore.  Every now and then Mac would just stop in mid-step and break out into a dance.  It was the greatest thing ever. 

Like I said, unfortunately (stupid me), we had to leave before the real music started to take little man home for bed, but it was a fun night.  The place was packed!  And completely overrun with kids and babies, which was great.  I would have loved to stay for the the music and I know Mac wanted to dance!  

Maybe I'm a wimp when it comes to Mac's sleep schedule, but how to parents do it - keeping their kids up past their bedtimes for these types of things?  Do the kids just fall asleep there in the stroller or on a blanket?  Do they sleep in the car and not take a bath?  Mac will have an absolute fucking meltdown if he gets overtired, which I will do anything possible to avoid.  Do any of you mamas do this kind of thing successfully with little ones?  Tips?  I've got so much to learn about being a "flexible" parent, I guess. 

Mac's Baptism

Back in April (wow, I'm so far behind), our little one became a child of God.  Mac's baptism was so amazing and I'm thrilled to finally share these photos with you.  We were lucky enough to get a private ceremony at our church and had the whole place to ourselves.  We kept it just immediate family - small and simple, but so intimate and incredibly special.  We are beyond blessed to get to call this little guy and this amazing family ours. 

As their gift to Mac (us), his Godparents (Uncle Justin and Aunt Christine) hired a photographer to capture some photos of the ceremony.  One of my best friends from high school is a photographer (Stephanie from Foxfire Photography) and is looking to grow her business in the St. Louis area, so she was the perfect candidate for the job.  Plus, she's currently in seminary school, so this was a very special and meaningful ceremony for her as well.  She did an amazing job capturing the beautiful ceremony, but most importantly, I think she wonderfully captured the love we all have for the incredibly special little boy.  These photos mean the world to me and I get goosebumps just thinking about how important they will be to Mac when he's older and perhaps getting his own child baptized.  

I think the photos are pretty self-explanatory, so without further ado...here they are!  Thank you Justin and Christine for the amazing gift.  Thank you Stephanie for the gorgeous photos.  And thanks to our family members that attended the ceremony and shared Mac's special day with us.  My cup runneth over. 

*All images captured by Foxfire Photography