In the Backyard

Our current house is not my dream home. It's old, stuff breaks, and the kitchen is tiny. But it really is perfect for our family right now. It's all one level...no stairs to block off or monitor all day long to make sure Garrett doesn't fling himself down a whole flight. There's a nice long hallway and an easy "loop" for Garrett to make while running laps inside the house. The backyard is fenced, full of green grass (plus those wild onions!), and is well-shaded which is necessary on hot, sunny North Texas days like today. Honestly, the backyard is my favorite part of the house these days. It's Garrett's favorite place too! So here are some pictures that prove that God knew exactly what we needed for this phase in our lives. Strange guest bathroom and all.

Just running around

And around one tree...and another...

Gotta dig a little.

Taking a quick break.

Playing with some water (I didn't get the water ready in time for us to do the pool thing. It would have been FREEZING!)

"Watering" my plants with his dinosaur watering can. It'll be amazing if more than a couple of the herbs actually grow (that's cilantro that you can see growing in the middle tier).

Whew...I'm getting tired. What should I do next?

This is what happens if you ask "Where's Garrett's nose?" He does it right the first few times, then he thinks it's funny to shove that finger as far up his schnoz as it'll go.

His pre-smoochy face. He was blowing kisses as he ran but I couldn't catch the actual kiss on camera.

A little bit of everything

Garrett is such a trip right now and does such funny things all the time. He's in love with his belly button. He loves to throw things in the garbage can. He throws a fit when you close the door to a room that he wants to go into. He's chatting up a storm--but no real words that I can understand yet. He's into EVERYTHING. He's also figured out that it's funny to stick his fingers up his nose but every time I try to snap a picture he grins and won't do it anymore. Here are a few snapshots of this last week. We had a good time having his Grammy and Grandad over for a little while when they were nearby house-hunting. And we especially loved having a night out alone for the first time in a long time. :-) Thanks Grammy!

Garrett had fun emptying a bookshelf in Russ's office, stopping to check a score on ESPN, then running away to create messes elsewhere.

I think that his belly button is not only his newest favorite toy but also some kind of security object. Instead of a blankie...a belly button. (PS: Be careful when in front of him because he loves to find OUR belly buttons too!)

Introducing Grammy to the 2010 Sesame Street season.

If you're happy and you know it...

He LOVES to go shirtless. Everything is more fun when you can drool on your bare chest apparently.

I was trying to organize a giant tote bag that was full of baby shower cards, random teaching things and other pre-move items that have never been sorted through. Garrett had to help. The stickers on his face were actually little decorations from a baby shower card that Garrett completely dismantled. Believe it or not, I did finish the organizing--after he went down for a nap.

And last but not least, here he is helping me take his stinky diapers out to the garbage can. He dragged them all the way to the garage from his bedroom! I'm thankful that the diaper pail liners are tough.

Fun in the pool!

I'm taking advantage of Garrett's naptime and adding these pictures from a little bit ago. It's a beautiful 80 degree day here in Texas and a perfect day to dust off the baby pool and jump in. :-) The water was a bit chilly but it warmed up enough for Garrett to enjoy splashing around. Lucy even got in on the pool action!

All slicked up with sunblock

Getting used to the pool

Taking a quick break

Garrett and Lucy

Reading in the pool

He loved our first pool day of the year!!

Heritage Village

Russ is friends with a guy named Aaron who is an international student at SMU and had never been to downtown Dallas. So on Saturday we took him through the city and a bit south to a place called Heritage Village. It's a historical village with buildings from Dallas or near-Dallas that were originally built and used in the 1800s. They have some characters who dress the part and answer questions. It was really neat! (The teacher in me couldn't help but think about what a fun and educational field trip destination this would be!) Garrett enjoyed getting to walk/run around all morning but he was pooped by the time we left and fell asleep about 30 seconds after we started driving away. Fun times!

Checking out a tipi

Relaxing on a bench swing

Russ, Aaron and Garrett in front of the old farmstead

In the schoolhouse I could have taught in had I been born a hundred years earlier

Garrett isn't quite ready for school yet--but he looks so cute!

Potty training has begun...old school style. Ha!

Cooling off in the fountain

Garrett was so not impressed by the donkey smell