Running through the Sprinkler

It was hot here yesterday, so we needed a way to cool off. Cue the sprinkler.

At first we were just running through in our tank top and undies. Eventually, though, we changed into our swimming trunks.

Joey had so much fun running through! He hated it at first, but then, I couldn't get him out.

Even Pop-pop put on his swimming trunks and got into the action.

The two of them had a blast!

Sneak Peak: Weekend with Pop-pop

We picked up Pop-pop at the airport around 8:15, stopped at Target, then Costco (for gas) and the bakery, and now the boys are having fun with Joey's train set.

We don't have much planned other than lots of Joey-Pop-pop time. It'll be a great weekend.

A Glimpse into the Future

I'm not saying I condone it, but I wouldn't be surprised if this is what the future looks like:

(Using an old picture from our last trip to PA. This was in the terminal at O'Hare.)

Staying Cool

There's no better way to stay cool than a nice ice cream cone. Since the summer started, Joey has gotten much better at eating them. He definitely takes after  his mom and would eat ice cream all day every day if we let him. He'll even go into the freezer and pull out the half gallon and hand it to me.

It's still a little messy, but at least he loves (and asks for) vanilla, so not as bad as chocolate everywhere.

He's doesn't quite like eating the cone yet. He'll try a few bites, but it's just not his thing. Eventually he'll realize it's just like a cookie. Until then, Mommy gets the leftovers.

Monkey Doodle

When we were at the park today, Joey didn't want to go on his normal equipment. He headed straight for the climbing wall. There was another little boy (who was five) who had to climb the second he saw Joey start. But we managed to get our turn. My little guy didn't waste a second.

He was up that wall faster than I could imagine. To think, not that long ago, he barely wanted to climb on the steps on the toddler equipment. Now he can't wait to go up the wall with the big kids.

I was extremely proud of him. And even though I was the one spotting him, my heart was in my throat the whole time. Lord knows what he'll be trying as he gets older. I think we have a little Jason on our hands.

Kicking in the Pool

Practicing our kicking in the pool. Watch for Ginny in the background!

Pool Time

We have quickly moved up from just getting our piggies wet to almost swimming in our little pool this week. Mommy is pleased.

Joey is clearly having fun.

Did I mention the little squirt gun Daddy got him? He already knows how to fill it in the pool, so we're good.

Two peas in a pod. Or maybe two fishies in a pond is more appropriate.

Hose Time

After our day in the pool on Sunday, and knowing that it's supposed to be in the 90s for the foreseeable future, my wonderful husband inflated our pool and started to fill it up. Joey was definitely in on the action.

The water was absolutely freezing, but Joey had to be in the pool to help make sure it all went according to plan.

He loved pretending (and not pretending) he was going to get Daddy with the hose.

Then we decided to put the nozzle back on so we could water everything, since it hasn't rained here in quite a while.

 He couldn't wait to help sprinkle all the flowers. He also mastered the hose very quickly.

I think he couldn't wait to get himself with the hose, too. He might not like swimming yet, but he loves to play with the water!

(Almost) Swimming

Sunday morning we headed over to Buszi and Grandpa's again to go swimming. Joey kept saying he wanted to go, so I figured I'd see if we had better luck than we did in PA.

After "fighting" with him for the first hour or so, we finally got him to at least sit on the first step with Buszi.

(Just loved the face, so worth repeating.)

This is a very big step for Joey. He really didn't want to sit on the second step, but we convinced him it would be fun. The whole pool was actually only a foot deep, but he just hung on for dear life. So that by the time we were leaving he would walk across while holding my hand was a huge deal.

I'm hoping if we keep this up, he'll be comfortable in the pool by the time we head to the beach. In the meantime, we can at least try to get a little color on his skin.

It's Still Rock and Roll to Me

Busy Child

Saturday was an extremely busy day for us. Early morning, we left to hang out with Buszi and Grandpa. Of course, Joey wanted to head to the park.

He had fun on the swings, and the sliding board, and in the sand box.

After lunch, we had to help clean up the mess we made with milk and Rice Krispies.

That afternoon, we got to head over to Diego's grandparents' house and wish him a Happy Birthday!

And then, the fete accompli, we went to the Blues Bar. Where Joey took the kick drum mike and decided he was going to put on a show.

Seriously. It didn't even need to be wired. If you stood close enough to the stage, you could hear him. It was awesome.

Water Falls in the Upper Peninsula

On Thursday, we decided to take a little excursion to check out the water falls of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. (We were only ten or so miles from the border, so it's not like we were in the car for hours or anything.) Joe had downloaded an app with some National Parks, and it mentioned the Agate Falls, so we headed there first.

It looked like it had potential.

There were some paths to climb on, but not much. Essentially we were only there twenty minutes. The water was beautiful, but there wasn't much there.

We then backtracked to the Bond Falls, which weren't listed on Joe's app but were on the Google maps app in my iPhone. Joey was getting a little anxious and hoped it all worked out for the best.

These certainly delivered. There was a gorgeous path you could hike up either side of the falls. We probably spent a good 45 minutes to an hour there. It would've been more if a certain two-year-old cooperated a little more.

We all got to enjoy the majestic beauty, though. The falls and my boys. It was gorgeous.

More Wisconsin

Here are a few you probably haven't seen before.

Joey had a lot of fun playing with the pinwheel.

And, of course, he had fun with his Buszi.

We also managed to get in a few family pics, although none of them are very flattering. But look how blue the sky is!

Catching Up ... Wisconsin

So I realize it's been a while since I've blogged, so I'm going to try to catch us up over the next week and a half or so. Let's get right to ... our trip to Wisconsin.

This first image is a picture of Joey crashed out at Buszi and Grandpa's house the night before our trip. And this is setting an extremely important precedent ... two weeks later, he still prefers to sleep on the floor rather than his bed.

Joey was so excited to hit the road! Mommy was also excited to have extra help keeping Joey entertained. If we're being honest, I sort of "dumped" him on Buszi for most of the trip up, and I was more than happy to sit up front, help navigate, and read my books.

The house was absolutely gorgeous. There was space inside for all the families to have their own floor, and there was plenty of space for Joey to run around outside.

I had to take a picture of Joey and the bear.

Completely unprompted, the boy wasted no time getting down to work and watering all the flowers on the porch and steps. He really does love to help!

Editor's note: I promise not all the pictures I post over the next week and a half will be repeats. Just bare with me.