Two

Dear Little Man Cub,

Today you are two. Or maybe it's tomorrow which is your today? You're a million miles away from us geographically speaking, but never more than a millisecond from our thoughts.

Your mama made a video filled with snippets of your life this past year, and it's fun to see how much you've grown and changed. You're a full-fledged toddler boy now ready to take on the world, a new country, and a baby brother.

You like to lay your head on your mama's belly and say 'Awww'. I pray you and your brother are best buds from day one the same way your mama and auntie are and always have been.

Peas in a pod.
That's my prayer.

While everything about you is my favorite thing here are a few of my most favorite right now-

Grace. This tops the list because it's new and precious and tells me your heart is oh so tender. When a plate of food is put in front of you (definitely one of your favorite things) you stretch your arms out wide and grab the hands of the people beside you and shout GRACE!!

Everyone snaps too and smiles big and tries not to laugh as we bow our heads and say 'God is great God is good....' Then we say Amen and you say Amen, but you raise your hands high above your head when you say it so we all add a great big hallelujah and it just makes my heart beat wild with delight.

The way you love boats, planes, trucks, and trains, particularly one called Thomas. The world can say what it will, but I think loving all things that go is wired into a little boy's DNA.

Your minor obsession with rolling suitcases, backpacks, coolers, anything with wheels you can pull along behind you.

Your major obsession with balls of all sizes, shapes, colors, and sport. Footballs, baseballs, basketballs (or hoop as you like to call it), golf balls, balloons (boons) that look like balls, bubbles that look like balls, balls in books, people playing ball on TV,  the moon when it looks like a ball...just give you all the balls.

Books. Your current favorite is My First Book of Korean Words which I've read approximately 725 times in the last couple of weeks. You like the sing song rhyming and words that make you giggle-echwi (ahchoo!), kkachi (meaning magpie-that double k is fun to say), and especially the part where Nana reads the 'gimchi is so spicy it will make you squeal' and then we squeal.

Other current favorites are Bee-Bim-Bop (can't wait to taste some with you!), Fiddle-I-Fee, and In a People House. 

The way you say Korea when we ask you where you're moving-"Key-ee-ah"
The fact that when we ask you where you're moving you know the answer is Korea.

Doing laundry. Who knew this task could be so much fun? You like to help me put clothes in the washer and later in the dryer, but you especially love pushing all the buttons to make it go. Sometimes too many buttons and sometimes Nana isn't quick enough and you turn the machine off mid-cycle and we have to start over, but you don't mind.

The way you ask me for a 'bite' when I have a drink in my hand.

The way you say crouton, helicopter, gobbledygook, and onomatopoeia

The way you call me Didi. I know you're saying Nana but it comes out as Didi and now I'm loving Didi so maybe that name will stick. Secretly I'm hoping so.

The way you wake up happy and go to bed happy and sleep like a teenager and how you love to sit at the counter with a bowl of cereal like your Daddy and I get a glimpse of the actual teenager you will be one day.

The way you pronounce your Aunt's name. The way you look for her as soon as you wake up. The way she turns an almost melt down into something just the opposite. The way she is your person and how we all need someone to be our person and how lucky you are to know she's yours.

The way you want all the people you love close by.
In this way more than any other you are your mother's son.

Happy birthday my travelin' toddler boy-

You are so very precious and your Nana/Didi loves you deep and wide.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He makes straight your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

Rhythm and Blues

So much to catch up on and write about I don't even know where to start. As we speak my daughter, son-in-law and the mancub are finally on their way to South Korea. They left the lake Sunday and made their way back to Seattle in order to catch an early morning flight today to the Land of Morning Calm.

That sounds nice doesn't it?

Especially after spending seven hours in an airport with an almost two year old waiting on a delayed airplane.

My girl said he was good as gold because he had his trusty suitcase and apparently right now that's all he needs to make him happy. He loves nothing better than a suitcase on wheels so we got him a little backpack of his own to wheel around, which let's be honest could also be more trouble than it's worth, but in this case was a huge win.

Hubs and I are home now, in something like recovery mode which means hosing down the highchair to put away til next time, taking down the port-a-crib and putting it back in storage til next time, although next time they're here the mancub will be in a big boy bed and his soon-to-be-born baby brother will be sleeping in that crib.

It means stacking books and shelving puzzles and putting Thomas the train with the basket of toys that gets carried downstairs 'til next time'. 

It means changing sheets, washing a million towels, and sipping coffee quietly on the porch with nobody popping up the stairs in adorable pjs, big smile, eyes a-twinkle, shouting HI!

It means everyday ordinary life with a little less life and a little more ordinary.

Ordinary is okay too you know.

This morning we sat on the porch and listened as a soft summer rain fell on the lake. The birds sang and we talked about our plans for the day and how I'm not cooking dinner but we still have to eat. About the car that needs another repair, the dog we've gained, the people we love.

And just like that we let ourselves fall, ever so gently, into this new old normal and the familiar rhythm of everyday life.

A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words

Or 7,116 miles.

AKA the distance from here to there, with 'there' being South Korea and the mancub's soon to be new home.

My friend and neighbor (local peeps-Casual Moments Photography) is a fabulous photographer and since we'll be living 7,116 miles from the mister and his mom and dad too, we asked her to come snap a few pics of hubs and I with our grandson.

Be still my heart.

Baby boy's daddy was holed up in the library studying for his Boards, but his mama and aunt were in the house so they got in on the fun too.

Be still my heart.

Our little man turns two years old at the end of the month, and this time next year will have a baby brother to share life, adventure, and his mama's arms with. These shots with her are extra extra special-

There's a teeny tiny window of willingness to sit for a photo on a warm summer's day when you're almost two years old, but we persevered and are so glad we did.

 Be still my heart.

Easy Peasy

Summertime and the livin' is easy. 

Or easy peasy as the mancub likes to say. 

He and his mama have been at the lake with us for the past week, but he's gone to his other grandparents house this week. Sometimes people ask us if we dislike having to share our time with him when the kids are in town, but we don't mind. 

We might need a nap y'all. 

We're having the time of our lives with this sunny, chatty, busy boy in the house, and we're not thinking at all about the big move happening soon. 

               

Well maybe just a little teensy tiny bit, but mostly we're enjoying this time with our girl and her boy to the nth degree. Soaking up every ounce of sweetness there is and putting it in our pockets to pull out later when they're half a world away and we're missing them. We know how to do this and we are so excited for the incredible opportunity they have before them. 

Besides the mancub and his mama and his aunt we've had extended family coming and going and going and coming starting with hubs family at the end of June. Most of that weekend was spent in one of two places...here-

and here-

That's my mother-in-law in her happy place. Surrounded by all of her grown children which doesn't happen as often as she'd like. They're spread hither and yon so getting them all together requires planning and logistics. 

Or I guess you could just have a granddaughter/niece moving to South Korea. That works too. 

My neighbor has a backyard full of blueberry bushes and since she was going to be away she invited us to come over and pick. 

We've had blueberry waffles, blueberry cobbler, blueberries in our fruit salad, and blueberries by the 

handful. Yum!

Hubs family left on Monday and I did laundry and a quick grocery run before collecting my mom at the airport on Tuesday. 

She spent a couple of days with us at the lake then went on to my sister's for a few days there.

(shirts by Elly and Grace)

We hung out lakeside on the 4th of July and some friends and neighbors came by boat to watch the fireworks from our dock. Our across the cove neighbor puts on the most awesome display and boaters come from all around to see it.

I snapped this picture just as it was getting dark, but more boats made their way over as night fell. It's so much fun!

Boat hair. Don't care.

Actually that's a lie. I do kind of care but I also like the wind in my hair and you can't have it both ways. Baby boy likes the wind in his hair too so it's all good.

We had a couple of low key days swimming and boating and playing in the water which was grand, and then my sister and brother-in-law along with my niece and my mom trekked back to the lake for more family fun and a birthday dinner.

My mom and my brother-in-law share the same birth month and day so daughter2 worked her magic and made two fantabulous desserts to mark the occasion.

Carrot cake cupcakes for my brother-in-law and this super rich chocolate cake with a raspberry filling, chocolate ganache, and fudgy chocolate icing over all which was too scrumptious for words.

The Mister helped his great grandma read her cards and open her presents.

Par-tay!

And now about that nap...