Birthday celebrations!

Yesterday we celebrated Zach's birthday! Steve and I gave Zach his presents in the morning, which consisted mostly of new trucks (the big excavator has been a huge hit) and then he happily spent the morning playing with his new trucks in various places throughout the house.

Later in the day Zach and I met a few friends at the zoo for a picnic lunch and a chance to see the animals. (Mama is starting to "feel" pregnant because the heat and walking through the zoo made me desperate for the nap that Zach and I shared afterward.) Then during more truck play, I attempted to decorate a cake for our family celebration that night. I was pleased with how it turned out and Zach loved seeing two of his favorite things come together... trucks and cake!! (Anyone with a critique of my cake can look at the apple spice cake I made at Christmas and see how far I've come.)

Somehow, despite all of the sugar, Zach managed to fall asleep and probably dreamt of more trucks.

Beach bonfire

This past Saturday we enjoyed an afternoon and evening at the beach with some friends from church. It was a cool day for swimming and sunning so we "allowed" the Timmons children to entertain our son in the water while mama and daddy stayed nice and dry nearby! Zach surprised me by being a little intimidated by the ocean this year. He kept his distance from the surf and spent the first few hours happily playing in the sand instead. However, the older children were eventually able to draw him closer to the water's edge and pretty soon he was headed out to sea! Zach had to be carried to me every 15 mins so that he could warm up again because he would not voluntarily leave the water-- even though he was shivering from being cold. Eventually he spotted the kite that we had brought and that finally lured him from the water up onto dry land! He loved being able to hold onto the kite and fly it himself. He also loved letting go of the string and watching us go running off after it! (He has a very twisted sense of humor that I blame on the Miller side of the family.)

Later in the afternoon we built a campfire and roasted hot dogs and s'mores. For an extra special treat we also steamed some fresh clams (Zach preferred the empty shells)! YUM!! Somewhere late in the evening Zach fell asleep in my lap as we sat around the fire. We brought home a very sandy, tired boy.

Yard work continues....

We've had a busy spring in our yard still clearing out a lot of "eyesores" that have been left in the yard for years (propane tanks and old sheds). We are finally getting to the fun part where we can start to add things that will make it look nicer. Last weekend, on a rare day off for Steve, we borrowed a friend's pickup truck and my men did some heavy hauling! First stop was sand for a new sandbox. Zach was able to go with Steve and he fully enjoyed the experience of riding in a real truck! (He is really interested in trucks and seems to love them all. We can't ride anywhere in town without him pointing out the "motor graders, back-hoe-loaders, cranes, dump trucks, etc." -all things that I took totally for granted before Zach was around to enlighten me!) Once they arrived at the house with the sand, and then later with mulch, Zach was very willing to help unload the truck! Zach's "help" consisted mostly of him launching sand and mulch into the air and it landing many places other than the sandbox and mulch pile (i.e. Steve's boots and face). It was a full day's work for both boys and I enjoyed watching them work together!