angel

After Tanner was born and I was supposed to be done having kids, I never really felt 100% DONE. I wanted to feel that way, so there was a slight chance in my mind that we would have another. As time went on it seemed to get harder and harder to think of having another. Three is a lot of kids, right? Especially nowadays... It felt like a lot to me, at the time.

But then I would think of my future self, and my future family. Well, my current family--in the future. I would picture us 15-20 years from now, and picture the kids coming for Christmas. And three just didn't seem like enough then. That little thought bothered me, that three wasn't "it" for us because I felt like there should be one more coming to visit us - me and Spencer - when we are empty nesters someday.

Now that Sadie is here, it just fits. Everything feels as it should. She adds to the family, balances it, and completes it.

This little angel was blessed today. Last night I told Spencer this is the last baby he will be blessing. It is a little bit sad to think about it like that. He did a great job. He doesn't get frazzled like I do when she fusses. And this one fusses a lot.

 

Four years ago we had bought this same dress to bless Macie in. It became her burial dress. How fitting that I got to dress Sadie in the same dress I never got to put Macie in. I was a little emotional about that all weekend. She had her dad, grandpa, uncle, and cousin (second cousin once removed? something like that) hold her and bless her and encourage her to do the great things she is destined to do. Spencer talked about how she is named after 2 great-grandmas. Emma wore her white baptism dress to match her - 2 of my 3 little angel girls.

I love this sweet little baby. She is that final little piece to our family puzzle.

settling in

Sure enough, a certain amount of chaos ensues with the addition of each new child. And...it all becomes manageable with time. For me, being in a lot of pain doesn't mix well with having a new baby, and having 3 others to take care of just adds to the madness. I am so grateful that after 4 weeks I am finally feeling discomfort and soreness, and no more pain. It is a nice feeling to only take Motrin when necessary, and to steer clear from the heavy Vicodin. I've been asked a few times what it's like "with 4 kids." It's hard, for sure, but I think the adjustment from 1 to 2 was the hardest for me.

I still have my moments when I wonder why this is so much harder this time. It's not really, but emotions are heightened and a lack of sleep causes thoughts to go extreme. Then again, having Spencer gone for 5 days after the baby was just 3 weeks old was tricky. I was never so happy to see him asleep in the bed as I was at 2 or 3 a.m. that one night after he had finally arrived home.

I hate being up all night, or even for half the night, but this time I am reminding myself this is the last time I will be doing this. And really, hanging out with a cute baby - just the two of us - in the middle of the night is such a sweet time. Spencer and I have been talking a lot about how we need to enjoy each stage of life, no matter how hard. The words to that country song keep going through my head... "You're gonna miss this, you're gonna want this back. You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast...." I am super bi-polar and feel this at the same time as wishing the time would speed up. But more than wishing it would hurry up, I am really enjoying it. Which, perhaps, is why Sadie is such a bad sleeper...I'm not pushing her to be better, and I'm babying her. And holding her all night does my heart good, though it sure is turning me into a zombie.

Sadie is starting to stare into my eyes and will occasionally smile. Oh happy day when they finally show you a little bit of appreciation!  It helps that she is so cute and cuddly. Tyler is my one child who hasn't been interested in Sadie much - it just isn't his personality. Well, that all changed when he looked down at her last week and she was grinning up at him. Now he is totally wrapped around her finger. She is sweet and I have a feeling will fit the description of the spoiled little sister perfectly.

So, after almost 5 weeks we are all finding our feet and getting comfortable. My life might revolve around 3-hour time segments for a few more months, but adapting isn't too bad. Even Tanner is learning how to wait 20 minutes for something if he needs to.

stockings

My grandma is incredible; she has made personalized stockings for all of her kids and grandkids. I loved mine so much, and she knew it, so my husband and kids have these as well. I treasure them more than almost anything else, and love every Christmas when we get to pull them out. (This year we have a beautiful place to hang them; more on that later.)

Last week a package came from my grandma, and I was giddy as I opened it up. Sure enough, all 6 of us now have these. Mine is older and faded. Ironically, this same grandma's own grandma was nicknamed Sadie (her name was Sarah) - I had no idea when we named her, but it makes me all the more glad that we named her that. I've always felt really close to my grandma, and even more so now.

I decided to put my teeny little girl inside her new stocking, because I could, and got some really cute pictures of her. What a nice way to pass some time while I'm trapped inside. And, I think she is pretty adorable.

10

For several months people have asked us what we were doing for our 10 year anniversary. As coincidences would go...we had a baby! 5 babies in 10 years, in our first 10 years. I wonder what the next 10 years will bring - college, missions, and high school for the first two, elementary school, pre-school, potty training, and sleep training for the younger two. I'll have one foot in the door of raising older children and one in the door of younger children, with 5 years separating the two groups.

The start of "us" goes back to our BYU days. We got married, both graduated (something I will always value and treasure - a college degree), and had our first baby there. Spencer's career has come a long way; he started out making peanuts (though it felt like we were rich!) and has since worked so hard climbing the corporate ladder to get us to a point of financial stability as quickly as possible. He went from staff level to senior management in 7 year, and I am so grateful he works so hard and is so driven...we have big dreams of our future when the kids are grown, when we can travel and serve missions and work in the temple together.

A few thoughts:
*Chaos is normal, especially once kid are thrown into the mix. Accepting that makes life more bearable, and more fun. It's been hard for me to embrace this, but I've come around.
*We are still our individual selves...kinda; Spencer has his strange habits that I just laugh at but have given up at trying to make disappear. We have gelled together in so many other ways that it feels like we grew up together. We've "gotten on the same page" about some parenting things that we have encountered/will encounter. We make a good team. I am happy being the disciplinarian most of the time, and he steps in when he needs to...but we still do it all together. When I've had it and am completely done, he's there to step in and take over, and vice versa.
*We are building something significant - a family. We are also contributing to our kids' characters and personalities. I must remember this...it's more than us nagging and teaching the kids manners - these things will shape who they and who we all become. I am so proud of who my kids are and how good they are.
*I'm glad Spencer was sooo persistent with me. I was young and didn't want to get married (and really didn't know what I wanted) but he swears he knew we were supposed to get married from first sight, and was patient with me while I waffled.
*I am, right now especially, so thankful for Spencer and his support. Not only am I still recovering from a c-section, but before that was on bed rest for 4 weeks. That has meant NO housework by me at all for over 6 weeks, and he has continued to work at his more-than-full-time-job while doing laundry, dishes, shopping, and taking care of me, in addition to taking care of barfing kids in the middle of the night and helping with homework, doing his calling, etc. He has picked up the slack and then some. It's been an emotional 7 weeks but it's been much less so because of him. What a guy.
*I noticed a change in him and in our relationship 4 years ago when we experienced the loss of a child. He is so much more protective of me now, and while it sometimes gets annoying, I know he worries and is that way because he cares. Being married to a righteous father and priesthood holder has blessed me so many times and in so many ways, and is such a huge comfort. I can't wait to help my girls find a guy to marry who is just like their dad.

So, on this, our 10th Anniversary, which also happens to be Thanksgiving day, I am thankful for him and for us and for our family.

a week

Supposed to be posted yesterday...
At 10:16 this morning, I kissed my baby girl all over and thanked her for being born one week ago. I've said it before...there is nothing quite so heavenly as a newborn. This one is especially sweet. She is patient, actually sleeps a lot, and loves to be swaddled.

Her expressions are pretty awesome too. Here she is at 1 week.

reality - life with a newborn

For me, reality sets in after a baby when my mom goes home. There is nothing quite like having your very own mom, the one who raised you since you yourself were a baby, there to push you along and take care of you, and especially just be there. No one knows what you need like she does.

Most of the time Mom was here we were in the hospital. But Tanner was happy and had her full attention. She handled school projects, piano lessons, homework, etc. I cried as I said goodbye this morning...because now it's up to us. Me and Spencer. Left to take care of FOUR kids. And now that I have had my final baby, I am already dreaming of when I get to go visit Emma as she has her first baby (in a long, long time!). I will probably have to beg her to let me stay for 3 weeks. Man, there is nothing quite like holding a newborn, especially when that newborn belongs to you. Indescribable.

So here are a few things I want to remember from the last 5 days:
-Having my feelings of complete terror calmed as Spencer gave me a blessing early on the morning of the birth that my body would be whole and everything would go completely smoothly.
-Feeling relief as I talked to my nurse, doctor, and the same anesthesiologist we had with Tanner.
-Shaking with lots of emotions as my body went numb and we waited for all the different sensations before the baby would be born. Shaking as the memories of past surgeries flooded back - even the smell of having the oxygen tubes in my nose was a little startling.
-Knowing that she was about to be born, and as my mind wandered to what she was doing in that moment - maybe with her big sister about to send her down - I got so emotional. What a wonderful thought to ponder exactly where these little ones are coming from!
-Tears (of fear, relief, gratitude) as she started screaming...quickly. I smiled as they described her as "mad" - I like a girl with attitude.
-Spencer WOULD NOT cut the cord! This is the first time he was even given that option; for me that was reason to do it. For him, a reason not to.
-Having her put on my chest within minutes. This was new to me, and unusual for c-sections. Our hospital is in a "baby-friendly" certification process. I can't say I loved it, but I am glad I got to experience it...once.

-Getting stitched up while staring at my beautiful baby girl just inches away from my face.
-Having my whole little family in our hospital room. Wow - that is overwhelming.
-Finally choosing a name - Sadie - and feeling so good knowing that it is just perfect for her.
-All her hair!

-Listening to her cry almost the whole first night...ironic.

Most of these pictures are repeats - the ones on my real camera are still on my real camera, and I'm finding that I just don't have time to go through pictures yet. Soon.

halloween

Until this morning I didn't catch the irony of my "costume" - I had an ultrasound scheduled (my last one!). Now, Spencer thinks this shirt is "weird" but all the nurses and doctors at the ultrasound place couldn't get enough, for obvious reasons. I was like a walking advertisement for them! The office manager asked to take my picture, took several pictures, and then texted them to me a couple hours later after she had done some creative editing.

And no, the baby is NOT in this position - she has her feet in my right ribs and is curled into a C, but this is much cuter. (My sister has a matching one, courtesy of Kori who has the talent for such things. You have probably seen that pic on FB.)

Tyle was Thor (his big old hammer thing keeps breaking), Tanner was Buzz Lightyear, and Emma was either a 50s girl or a witch, depending on her mood and the occasion. We had a trunk or treat to go to, the kids had a party, and then today they had a parade after school. I am once again grateful for Emma; being on "bed rest" I couldn't do much in terms of helping her with a costume. The day of the trunk or treat, we went out to the costume box and she had only a few options but totally embraced it and wore that poodle skirt with pride.

And with that, there is Halloween. Phew - glad that is over. Now I can pull out Christmas stuff (well, I could if I wasn't on "bed rest") and turn on the music (If you're a hater, please tell me exactly how many good Thanksgiving songs you know.)

And because I think this is cute... we all know Buzz can't really fly, so it's ok to hitch a ride.

Macie's 4th

Honestly, this day (yesterday) was just weird. The night before Tanner had been sick and didn't sleep well so I slept in his twin bed with him (worried about even MORE barf in my bed). He must have the most uncomfortable mattress ever.

I had a doctor's appointment where (hooray!) she told me I don't have to be on bed rest anymore because if the baby does come she will be just fine. So I went from hating life on bed rest to enjoying it much more while on "limited activity."

But I was just missing things yesterday. I was off.  I totally forgot about us carving her "M" pumpkin that we have done all the other years. And we even have about 85 pumpkins on our front porch. Oops. We'll do it this weekend. I couldn't make cupcakes but a dear friend brought some sugar cookie stuff over for us to use. I couldn't find my camera. Tanner was still being SO clingly and lethargic. Emma had piano lessons and a soccer game, and with the cemetery closing at 4:30 we had a very small window of time.

Finally Spencer came home, with cupcakes (love him!) and 4 pink balloons and we were off. He parked off the side of the road, right next to her headstone, because he didn't want me walking far, the cemetery was totally empty, and it was closing in 15 minutes. Well, a worker came over and gave us a hard time for being parked there. He wouldn't let it go and it escalated a little bit (Emma even asked if she needed to go break it up), which resulted in Spencer calling the office at the cemetery today. They felt terrible, but at this point I just have to laugh at the comedy of errors it turned out to be. We still sang happy birthday. The balloons were let go at random and Tanner's got stuck in a tree but at least we had balloons. The store-bought cupcakes were orange and black with spider rings in the top...not quite the pink ones we usually have, but it IS October after all. Some friends had cleaned off her headstone, which was very sweet. 

I'm sure Macie isn't offended that we dropped the ball in so many ways on her birthday. It has been really weird for me these last few weeks to be pregnant with a girl, also due in November, and have all these little hiccups going on. I'm starting to get anxiety about her birth.

When I found out my c-section date I told the baby nurse (for Macie and for Tanner), hoping she could work it out to be there then. It only seems right to have her with us, taking care of my babies in those first few minutes of life. Unfortunately she had shoulder surgery this week and is out for a while, but she let me know that the nurse who will be there that day is great. All the nurses in the hospital know me by now, I have non-stress tests twice a week, I see my doctor at least once a week, and I have ultrasounds all the time. Pretty much every weekday involves some doctors and this baby of mine. We are in the final stretch!

I am vowing to make Macie's 5th birthday much more restful, calm, and meaningful. But with 4 kids, I guess I can't promise anything. As long as I remember the pumpkin.

girls' room

I was a little relieved when I found out this baby was a girl. We have 3 small bedrooms, and this evened it out nicely in terms of children. Also, Emma is my one child who sleeps like a log so I'm pretty sure having a baby in there from the get-go won't affect Emma at all. (That room is also the guest room so they'll both be displaced occasionally but no big deal.)

I was getting sick of Emma's room and the little girl details we had put in there 3 1/2 years ago when we bought the house. So I started racking my brain to come up with ways to make it cute and girly but appropriate for both an 8 year old and a baby. I'm thrilled with how it turned out. And I'm equally, if not more thrilled that I got this done before all the pre-term labor stuff started. Score one for me.

I told Emma I wanted to paint her room gray, and accent with bright colors. She completely turned up her nose, so I took a new approach. I told her we would paint it "silver" and then do a glitter wall. That changed her mind, and she was ok with what I picked. I had a hard time picking the right color; I wanted a light, soft gray that would be silvery but not too bland. I finally found the perfect color - Benjamin Moore's Gray Owl.

I did some research about glitter paint, and after toying with the idea of mixing my own for about 10 seconds (!!), I decided to buy a quart of this stuff. It was expensive, but I liked that it wasn't grainy, and I could easily paint over it. I mean, with how often I paint...

And I love the stuff!

There is an iridescent sparkle when the light hits it, and when the afternoon sun streams in it illuminates the whole wall. But it's subtle enough as well. I'm a big fan.

Some of these fun plaques will end up with cute pictures on them when there is a baby here to photograph, along with her big sister. I'm liking the look.

The crib bedding is what I bought while pregnant with Macie. The pink/white/light green colors are still perfect. Spencer jokes that she will get to wake up every day and see the motorhome outside first thing. Lucky her.

The last little detail was a copycat I made from something I saw on Pinterest (via Etsy). I spray painted the stripes and then found a tutorial for a felt rose - it was so easy but I think it's adorable.

The clothes are washed and hung/put away. Spencer bought her a new blessing dress when he was in Utah a few weeks ago. We toyed with the idea of using my old one, the same one Emma was blessed in, but after what happened with Macie we decided it's nice for her to have her own to keep. Incidentally, he bought the exact same one for this baby as he had bought for Macie and that we buried her in. It's sweet and kinda sad to see it hanging in the closet.

We're almost there! And I'm ready!

incubator

This baby is still cooking, thank goodness. After 3 nights in the hospital with lots of magnesium sulfate pumping through my veins (and through the baby), I was able to come home to feel anxious and count contractions elsewhere.

Spencer said it best: "All you are right now is an incubator." I will disregard the number of ways I could possibly take that statement, and just believe that it's true - this baby needs a couple more weeks to come out as healthy as possible, but really once we get to 34 weeks (a few days) we are pretty much in the clear. I, on the other hand, don't know if I can make it several more weeks on bed rest - 2 days has been hard enough. November was feeling so close until recently...and now I'm just hoping October will fly by.

I'm just going to enjoy Spencer's comments, especially the ones where he admits that taking care of everything for the kids each day is "exhausting." I need to start recording all of this...

(I'm not feeling "focused" enough yet to get into a new series on TV...but if anyone has suggestions for when I get to that point I'd really appreciate it. I'm not much of a TV watcher but might have to become one.)

way long ago

Spencer and I often say that we don't really remember details and specifics about our lives before each other. It just seems like we've been married for so long. He even said, yesterday, "Remember before we had kids?" I said no. I think I had a little boy zooming cars up and down my arms and legs at the time, and truly that seems to be all I know.

We met 11 years ago this week. I remember him telling me about all his "dates" to General Conference that weekend, and I remember thinking he was either a total player or strangely (and surprisingly) cool. I remember acting cool myself and telling him that my very own dad could get me tickets and I would be there too (so ha!). I even remember thinking that I had gotten into BYU on my own merits and not because of family connections - wasn't I a brat?? Little did I know just how smart he was/is, but it sure didn't take me long to find out.

Spencer claims he remembers seeing me for the first time, in Econ 110 in the auditorium of the SWKT. I always wonder what kind of bewildered/confused look I had on my face when he first saw me. That class wasn't my favorite, and the principles and concepts were quite foreign to my brain. But I'm sure glad I took it! Even if I had to get a C. The sacrifices we make for each other sometimes...

Happy Conference weekend.

disney

Truly, this place is the mother of all amusement parks. I can almost see how people spend so much money here. Almost. It's been 3 years since our last visit.  It was time. Yes, I am 7 months pregnant, but it was time. I decided it would be easier to go while pregnant than with a newborn...but I'm not sure now that the logic made as much sense as I originally thought.

We had enough in gift cards to pay for all of us to get in. Thank goodness kids are free until 3 years old! Thank goodness my parents came for most of the first day (also getting in for free)...that was such a help. Thank goodness Disneyland is such a magical place!

Now, because I have a free shutterfly book if I order in the next two days (seriously! The things I will do for a free shutterfly book! I don't know if it's worth it!), I have been quickly scrapbooking our entire year, and especially our trip....and will post the "pages" below.

Some highlights:
*The utter joy on Tanner's face when we walked "into" Cars Land. And, conversely, the utter terror on his face when we saw Mater, DeeJay, Lightning McQueen, and Red... Tanner is used to the die-cast cars, and the fact that these ones were large and talked was a little much for him.
*Going on Heimlich's chew-chew train tons of times, and not even having to get off.
*The light crowds on our first day. We never even had to get fastpasses...all the lines were under 10 minutes. (The second day was substantially more crowded. I would get fastpasses while they were on one ride, so even the long lines didn't slow us down much.)
*Seeing the shuttle Endeavor fly overhead while at California Adventure.
*Being pushed around in a wheelchair the first day. That was nice since it was 91 degrees (both days).
*Playing "spot the Mormons" and realizing just how easy that game is.
*Watching the parade on Main Street. Well, watching Tanner was way more entertaining.
*The irony of everything breaking down. World of Color malfunctioned so we only saw the first 5 minutes. Toy Story Mania broke down twice, once while we waited and once while we were on it. Screamin' broke down with Emma and Spencer on it. Splash Mountain broke down while they waited to get on, and finally decided to try again the next day.
*The Halloween decor. It is amazing! And they have a petting zoo set up there right now. Tanner thought watching the sheep "go potty" was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen.
*Spencer got his FIRST EVER blister. That's not really a highlight, but I think it's amazing enough that he made it 33 years without a blister on his foot, that I had to document it.

We went to the beach in the morning before driving home. Emma was out past the waves with Papa and with Spencer, and Tanner played in the sand like a champ. Those beaches where I grew up are so beautiful and fun, and I love to see my kids have the kind of fun I remember.

Until next time.

the end

Our summer revved up quite a bit at the end, leaving this 6/7+ month pregnant body a bit tired but oh so glad I could still participate.  And now we're in the full swing of school, of fall, and of soccer. Here's a little bit about the final days of summer.

We went to this fun amusement park and did the $11 unlimited-ride wristband for the 3 kids. I think the big kids did about 30 rides each, and Tanner about 15. Considering that each ride is on average $4 if you pay individually...we saved hundreds! I'm grateful I had friends help with my kids at different points during the night, and I'm glad I had a friend to drive home with at 10:30 at night to keep me awake - I was pretty dead on my feet.

(They had big/scary-ish rides too, but I couldn't get pics of my big kids on those ones...)

Another friend organized a last-minute camping trip at a beautiful place only 30 miles from home. It's almost harder to camp for just one night as opposed to 2 or more because you're either unpacking/setting up or loading/packing to go home. But 6 families made the little trip and it was fabulous. One highlight was all the men cooking breakfast - enough for an army - and another was staying up late talking about kids and parenting and other things we all have in common. Good times.

We managed to squeeze in a 1.5+ mile (steep steep steep) hike with all the kids. Even saw a tarantula! I had no idea they lived here...

We had lots of swimming/water time...

Spencer and my friends organized a fun surprise bday for me. Perhaps the biggest surprise was getting there and seeing my kids there...I didn't know it was possible for Tyler to even be awake at 9 pm! The treats were great, and Ashley was a perfect hostess as usual. I was at YW before, so lots of the girls came too. Crazy, fun day.

Emma hiding before I got there... And I can't find any of the other pictures.

We finally got to go to Les Mis! It took a lot of planning, and a lot of money in order to get last-minute tickets, but I'm glad we went. We're missing two of our group here. My kids had the best baby-sitter in the world; they may have had a better night than we did.

Definitely one of our most fun summers ever. Add in our two weeks in Utah and the excitement of Spencer's dislocated/torn ligament shoulder and it will be hard to top this in the future!

Now for a bit of a slower pace...well, probably not.

my normal

I have been thinking a lot about this post lately.  I truly don't know why, as I wrote it 3 1/2 years ago, other than the fact that I once again find our normal changing. Don't get me wrong; I still have train tracks running all over my house. In fact, I find my house just getting more and more cluttered, with toys spilling out of the "toy room" every second of the day. I really do remember writing it though...sitting on the corner of my bed, feeling the change that we anticipated while we waited the 4 long months to close on our first house and send our oldest to school for the first time.

I think back fondly (or not so fondly) to when I had one, or two, little babies. How getting out was a chore, how everything was so far away (in Massachusetts), how I was so physically tired, how Spencer worked all the time... Hmm, maybe things really aren't that different now, except that Costco is a whopping 6 miles away and everything else is within 2 miles. But now we have no choice but to get out, to be busy. Now I have at least one thing to take the kids to every single day of the week, besides school, lots of games/practices, busier callings, homework, piano, a house to maintain, and barely any free time. It's just a new season of life.

School started today. Remember this, from June?

I miss that feeling we all had. Especially as one of my kids was in tears with anxiety last night.

I have been thinking about how to make this school year even better. I want all of us to be our best selves when we are actually together. The kids get wiped out at school and when they get home it's often a mad dash. I am really hoping to not be the crazy, busy, nagging mom when they get home...to have things under control--including dinner--so that our few hours together each day are as chaos-free as possible. I think if I am happy and am not a stress case, they will be the same. They feed off me more than I care to admit.

Here we go. I'd better not get too comfortable here, as THIS normal is quite temporary.

old

I know I'm not really that old, but hitting a new decade is kind of a big deal...

Spencer was quite mortified as he heard me talk to his mom last week. She had asked me how I magnify sound on my phone when I play music. I told her that I don't really use my phone to play music but that when I do, I put it in a glass cup or bowl and that makes the sound a little bit louder. Spencer picked his jaw up off the floor and looked at me like I was a complete embarrassment.

So no, I am not surprised with what he got me for my birthday. You can welcome me to the century/decade/whatever else. I am still behind the times in a lot of ways, but now we can rock out to Kidz Bop in style. Kitchens are the best place for dancing anyway.

tradition?

Spencer wants a boat. He grew up with one, and loved having that time when even though his dad was busy and worked a lot, he was out on the lake with the family and there were no other distractions. Spencer works a lot, and he finally had a Saturday off. {I'm hoping we are done with 80-hour weeks for a few months.} Tyler was having a birthday and it's been a while since we took the motorhome out, so we put it all together for a fun little expedition.

I think a lot about traditions, and especially having some in our family that are our very own. I haven't been good at keeping them up so far but I have a feeling that will change as the kids grow up a little and remember them, and remind me constantly.

We don't have any lakes or bodies of water close enough to be worth it (according to me), but maybe it will be a fun tradition to camp and rent a boat for a few hours once a year. My kids sure loved it (minus the life jackets).

Spencer was a natural behind the wheel. Even though it was a "slow fishing boat."

Tanner really was having fun...but was mad I was taking his picture.

Mom, can you edit out my life jacket?

This easy child of mine was so satisfied with just being on a boat that after 30 minutes he told us we could be done and go back if we wanted, and that he had had such a fun time. Easy to please, this one.

Ahhh, my cute, happy birthday boy. I'm kinda sad he has teeth growing into those huge gaps.

If this fun activity turns into a tradition, I'm definitely ok with that. Especially if that means we never have to actually buy a boat.