A Day Trip

On an impulse yesterday we took a long day trip to see some friends who we haven't seen for a year! Their son Josiah is Zach's age (only 3.5 months older, although with his language skills the gap still seems wider) and they are expecting their second son two days after our due date!

Yesterday was the first time we really got to enjoy the boys being so close in age and for us it was the first time we have really seen Zach 'play' with a peer. Most of the children that we are with are much older than Zach and he loves to be entertained by them, but yesterday we got to eavesdrop on little not-quite-three-year-old conversations as they played together. Steve's favorite was at the end of the day when both boys were well past normal bedtimes and we heard them saying, "No, stop it!" "No, you stop it!" "Stop it." "No, you stop it". It was stimulating conversation!

I preferred the running game they played together, which is apparently a reoccurring favorite at Josiah's house. Zach would say, "Come on Josiah, run!" and then he would take off around the kitchen, living room and foyer loop with Josiah hard on his heels, ending with big crashes into their respective daddies. The boys were delighted and repeated this game for quite some time while I was thrilled to not have to participate in all that running!

We had a very enjoyable day filled with simple everyday things; baseball, bubbles, trains, football, shucking corn and Settlers (for the adults)! I was hoping that Zach might take more of an interest in Josiah going to the potty but he eluded my strategy by following Josiah into the bathroom and then saying, "Oh" and walking out again as if that had nothing what-so-ever to do with him!

Waterpark

Over a week ago now we celebrated Steve's birthday and his having a day off with a family trip to a water-park!! (You can tell by how many pictures of Steve that I took where the real center of attention was!) The park was wonderful because most of it was geared for kids Zach's age and a little older. There was a Zach size pool and slides and then also a lazy river. (Thankfully I was spared from having any picture or video footage of a very pregnant me climbing into and out of those inner tubes. Not my most graceful moment...more like a large floundering fish.)

Our picnic lunch of sandwiches and grapes was supplemented with some delicious boardwalk fries (another highlight for Zach). Then after lunch we played eighteen holes of miniature golf. Zach swung his putter like he was hitting a baseball and when we tried to help him we got our shins whacked with his bat! Despite the bruises we all enjoyed Steve's birthday!

More baseball

One of the reasons that Zach plays so much baseball is because that is exactly what his daddy likes to do in the backyard. Steve has had an easy time investing a lot into this activity because Zach has preferred to be all-time pitcher and Steve prefers to be all-time hitter (a mutually pleasing deal for both boys). Monday night that all changed because for the first time Zach began hitting a pitched ball! Up until now he has mostly held his bat still and it was up to the pitcher to hit his bat. I'm not exactly sure what made the overnight change but last night he was tracking the ball and swinging AND making contact! Zach took this new combination of skill in stride as if he always expected to hit the ball but Steve and I were shocked and delighted (except for a brief moment when Steve realized that he was now going to be all-time pitcher) and obviously I had to run and get the video camera! I thought I would share this BIG moment with all of you and coincide it with my first attempt to put a video on the blog. (Unfortunately I could not get the video to upload onto the blog so you will have to just enjoy this new skill with your imagination-sorry! If anyone can help me upload videos, let me know!)

To the beach

This year our week at the beach was filled with baseball, baseball, baseball and a little singing/piano playing mixed in once in a while. Zach was the center of attention for one more big family get together before his little brother's birth, and he was determined to make the most of it! He continued to be a little intimidated by the ocean and preferred to spend his time playing ball and digging with his trucks in the sand. During the course of the week he developed his "game" a bit more! He now runs the bases after he hits (the running pattern is always interesting and sometimes he manages to score more than one run per hit!) and he also started turning his back to you like a real pitchers wind-up when he is pitching to you (which really throws his aim off--look out!). Although all the pictures I took were outside, Zach also began playing imaginary baseball while in the house. He used a long railroad piece as a bat and then would either pitch with or have us pitch to him with a pretend ball. If he was pitching he would then run to the kitchen to field the ball! Steve and I have honestly not been teaching him any of these little baseball nuances but I think he picked it up from the Redsox games we were able to watch while we were there!

Steve was only able to be with us for half of the week but we managed to pull through and still enjoy the beautiful sunny beach and pool. Thankfully I had plenty of willing family members available to help pitch, field and hit while trying to relax at the beach! My 80-year-old grandmother was even caught playing a few times, although I think it wore her out pretty quickly.

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!

Memorial Day Weekend Adventures

(warning: this is a long blog) This past weekend we went to the White Mountains of New Hampshire for a camping and hiking trip with Steve's sister Carri and her family. We camped two nights and hiked the "Falling Water" trail on Saturday. Our day hike, with 4 children and 1 5-month pregnant lady, took us 11 hours!!!! (By the way...we found out on Wednesday before leaving for our trip that Zach is expecting a little BROTHER at the end of September, he is beside himself with joy!-not really he still has no clue what is happening to mommy's belly) The kids were held back by the slow adults and they didn't complain the entire day. We were very impressed! Zach spent the day in the child carrier eating snacks, singing and napping. Every time Steve stopped to wait for others, Zach would tell him to keep hiking up the mountain! Steve said that he has never had such a wiggly and kicky backpack for a hiking trip.

These pictures are in chronological order of our trip. Please note that the mountain in the background of the first photo is the mountain that we all climbed! The trail was only 3.2 miles to the summit of 4,700 feet but it was a grueling hike and I still can't believe that we all made it to the top! It was too cold on the summit to stay and enjoy the view for very long, but we made it none-the-less, and then began the climb back down to camp...

at the trail head (before)

crossing the streams

YES! That's snow once we got close to alpine zone!

The summit!

That's how far we hiked.

Zach hiked the last little bit.

At the trail head (after)