Wordless Wednesday

-Bethany

Golfing

Sometimes small miracles happen.  Like last Tuesday when Rick called at 2:30pm and said he was on his way home.  This never ever happens.  I promptly stopped the project I was working on and picked Palmer up from school so we could all head out to the golf course.

The three of us had an impromptu golf outing on a Tuesday afternoon.  What a fun treat!

First things first.  Do we all have our clubs? Check. We've got dad's set, mom's set and little Palmer's own set:

Off we go:

Where's my ball?

"Dad, have you seen my ball?  P.S. This winter grass is looking pretty rough, don't you think?"

"Son, let's just focus on getting on the green."

-Bethany

Wordless Wednesday

-Bethany

Daylight Saving Time

What a difference one little hour can make.  The evenings this week have been so fun with that one extra hour of daylight.  The weather has been delicious for weeks and we're now able to enjoy the outdoors after dinner.

Playing with an early birthday present, Palmer loves his new water table from Gram and PawPaw.

The next day, I wised up and avoided a completely soaked outfit by putting an apron on Palmer first.  I apologize to my son for the very girly look, but that's the best apron I had from the kitchen! :)

Sippy cup happy hour with Charlie:

And an outing to see trains with Grampi:

Thanks to Daylight Saving Time, Palmer wanted nothing to do with his normal 8pm bedtime on Sunday night.  Does this boy look tired at 8:45pm?

Thankfully, Palmer adjusted pretty quickly.  Here's 8:05pm on Monday night:

Good night, sweet Palmer.
-Bethany

Yard Work

I should be saying welcome to the spring weather, but let's be honest: we never really had winter weather this year.  Nevertheless, the flora got the memo.  Trees are budding and weeds are sprouting.

Palmer and I spent last weekend trying to clean up the yard.  He is such a good helper.

Give a boy his own spade and I had a good half hour of distraction while I pulled weeds.

Couple that spade with the yard guys at work next door and I had another fifteen minutes free.  Palmer sat silently in awe for a really long time while the men were working.  He was so amazed:

Palmer is also a really good sweeper, if anyone is in the market for an 11-month helper, call me.

-Bethany

Wordless Wednesday

-Bethany

Survival Guide

As we approach Palmer's first birthday, I am nostalgic of the past year.  The first year is interesting: it's really tough, really amazing and flies by so fast.  I am shocked by the changes that have happened in a mere 11 months thus far.  Palmer has gone from an 8-pound helpless baby to a very active and already opinionated toddler.  I recently had to answer a survey regarding the healthcare needs of our family and one of the questions was, "Has anyone in your family gained or lost 20 pounds in the last year?"  Palmer nearly has.  That's a crazy amount of growth happening in a short amount of time.

I'm also reflective of the key things that helped me get thru the first year:

1.  DINNER EXCHANGES - Last summer we brainstormed with dear friends and neighbors of ours about the challenges of making a decent dinner when you have little ones in the home.  We decided to try something new: every week I would make a recipe and double it/share it.  In exchange, they would do the same.  It works beautifully because typically I make something on Monday night, eat the leftovers on Tuesday, eat the other family's meal on Wednesday and those leftovers on Thursday.  Seven months later we are still doing the meal exchange on a weekly basis.  This plan has saved so much hassle and headache and sometimes both family even sit down to eat together and socialize mid-week.

2.  PALMER'S EASY DEMEANOR - We are well-aware and fortunate for Palmer's easy-going personality.  He is a laid back kind-of boy and makes life so easy.  We are grateful for his flexibility and adaptability.  His demeanor allows us to still maintain pretty full and busy lives.

3.  HUSBAND - My wonderful husband has helped me get thru this year with his continual support and adoration of Palmer.  I think it's adorable to see the father-son relationship grow, especially as Palmer gets older.  Between "man breakfast" and Rick's high interest in getting Palmer on a golf course, the guys are pretty cute together.  And Palmer just adores Rick.  I love the look on Palmer's face when Rick walks in the door after a day at work.

4.  IN-TOWN FAMILY - We are very fortunate and thankful to have almost all of our family in the area.  Not only are Palmer's grandparents, aunts and uncles able to form close relationship's with Palmer, but we rely heavily on everybody to babysit when we want a night out or when we are in a pinch.  Aunt Samantha was especially a lifesaver last summer when she babysat Palmer for the first two months of my return to work.

5.  PLAYGROUP - My church regularly forms support groups for first-time moms with new babies.  Last summer, I met 12 other moms with babies within a few months of Palmer and we quickly formed a weekly playgroup. These women (and children) have been a godsend for the past year.  We moms call each other to ask advice on anything from medical ailments to sleeping schedules to favorite toy suggestions.  We've grown close and are amazed how quickly our groups have gone from this:

to little toddlers interacting with each other and walking all over the place:

6.  PACK N PLAY - Palmer is really good about going to sleep in a pack n play just about anywhere.  For Rick and my sake, it keeps us sane because we regularly like to socialize at friends' homes for dinner on the weekends.  Palmer joins us for a few hours and then goes right to sleep in the pack n play when it's time for bed.  I can't imagine being cooped up every night and we are so happy that Palmer has been able to adjust well when we visit friends.

It's almost birthday time. Palmer, you look like you can't believe it either!

-Bethany