Catching raindrops

We are having a week of rain here in DFW, which is disappointing when you're a 15 month old who loves swimming and playing outside. So today after naptime we went out to catch some raindrops and play in the puddles. Avery stood at the end of the porch with her hand stuck out for the longest time just feeling the rain on it. She then commenced to dance around in the water on the porch saying "hop, hop, hop" and would sit down and say "splash". Nothing like a toddler to help you re-discover the simple pleasures in life.

In other news. . . Scott got his 1st patient booked today! Yea! The office is getting close to being complete-- the paint and stained cement are done, the carpet is in, the cabinets are in, and they should be bringing in equipment Thursday. We plan to go buy furniture for the waiting area and conference room next week- on July 4th. The official 1st day is July 9th, assuming everything stays on track. It's hard to believe that after several setbacks, we are almost there! We are so ready to get all the dental stuff out of the house and garage and for Scott to have an actual workplace. (although I do have to say that it's been nice having him around so much). We'll post some pics of the inside of the office when it's complete, but feel free to stop by and we'll show it to you in person!

"Horse. . . Amy"

This is what Avery has been saying ever since we went out to see the horses last Thursday at the place in Flower Mound, TX where my sister rides. She got to see probably 5-10 different horses, some baby donkeys, and 2 cats and she loved it all. She even got to see her Aunt Amy brush a horse and get it saddled up and ready to ride. Unfortunately we had to leave before Amy actually rode, but that will give us something new to see next time. One of the definite perks of living here is being so close to family. That same day that we went out to see my sister and the horses we got to go to the Coppell Aquatics Center with my sister-in-law. It will almost like a water park and Avery had a blast! After swimming, we spent the rest of the afternoon at my parents house, had a nice dinner with them, and then went out to the stable. Thanks, family, for a great day!

This little piggy. . .

One of the things I like best about staying home with Avery is just watching her play. Kids do the funniest things sometimes that make you wonder, "Where did they pick that up?" or "What made them think of doing that?" Today I was sitting around watching Avery play and she did one of those things. She had one of those stacking ring toys and was busily pushing the button on top over and over again to hear the songs. Then she started trying to push it with her big toe! i don't know what made her think of that-- i guess she was just experimenting. I had kind of a hard time getting good picture of it, but I thought it was kinda funny so I decided to share anyway. She is becomming so perceptive of the world around her- which is both good and bad. We discovered the other day that we really have to watch what we say now. I think it was last week that she repeated the word "toot" and she'll now announce to the world when she has tooted. Not exactly what you want your child saying but I guess it could be worse!

A tribute

About a week and a half ago, my grandfather, who we called Papa, passed away. There are all kinds of grandparents, and all kinds of grandparent-grandchild relationships, running the gamut (spelling?)from kids who see their grandparents weekly to those who never even got the chance to know their grandparents. Mine and my sister's relationship with our Papa and Nana fell somwhere in between. We mostly saw them on holidays since we lived 4-5 hours away, but with that considered, we had (and still have with Nana) a special relationship and many wonderful memories. In honor of my grandfather, here are a few of my favortie memories of him:



The smell of his aftershave/cologne in his bathroom

Him painting my fingernails before church one Sunday

Showing me how to blow my nose

His stories of fishing, military service, growing up, and "courting" my grandmother

His bits of wisdom, often ending with the words, "and so"

Playing cards and dominoes

His little "jigs" he would dance

His carpentry skills- he added on a room to 2 of our houses we had growing up

The dollhouse he built for me

Seeing him hold and interact with his great-granddaughter



I'm sure there are many more I could add if I thought about it long enough. I hope that many of you reading were lucky enough to have a special relationship with a grandparent and that this brought back some good memories for you.