A 'first' at Damon Pond

 Matt took last Wednesday off so we could get in some family time.  Because of how difficult the end of the pregnancy was with the boys, Matt used a ton of days when I could not get up out of the bed anymore or do much else for that matter.  Lots of time was used up doing this so we did not take a vacation this year. We are making it up by taking a day here and there to do fun activities.  Its been just as fun.  A staycation...one random afternoon at a time.

 This was the boys first real visit to a body of water.   We went to Damon Pond in Ashby, Massachusetts.  We packed a bag and spent a few hours testing the waters.

 Both boys loved it and the water was actually quite cold.  The beach was practically vacant so we had the place to ourselves.

 We couldn't put the boys down because they insisted on grabbing handfuls of sand and trying to eat it.  Disgusting.  George got in quite a bit.  When he first sat down and started to go at it, I was getting such a kick out of the site that I was too slow in reaction and some of it was not retrievable.  Matt was not down with the sand eating, although I have caught him allowing the boys to chow down on clover in the backyard like a bunch of grazing animals.

 The gross and gritty taste of dirty, germy pond sand did not deter him.   Luckily Andrew was with Daddy and was carefully watched in the sand exploration.  Sorry George....my fault

 Addy was super stoked.  The whole day with all of us.  She ruled the beach and swam confidently in the water.  The swim lessons really paid off because she is a little fish.

 Looking for fish and exploring the depths.  She found out, with the help of Daddy, that she could walk completely across the pond to the other side.  Not me.  If I cant see the bottom, I want nothing to do with it.  My aging has caused me to avoid things I typically would have gotten a kick out of.

 Not sure what she was doing here but it looks like a lot of fun.  With her imagination she could have been doing just about anything.  Looks like she is on the run from something. Wild animal? Daddy antics? Who knows.  Nothing would surprise me these days.

 ...and across the pond they go.  Have fun.  This Mom is enjoying the alone time, even if its for three and a half minutes.

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 They had a great time checking out the water, the sand and the woods.  We are looking forward to doing this next summer when the boys are a bit bigger.  I cant believe they will be 18 months this time next year! Time does fly when your having fun.

 Daddy and Addy went out to play and Mom my sat with the boys.  I tried every tactic to try and keep them happy on the blanket and away from the sand.  It was nearly impossible and it wasn't long before I had to tag in the Dad.

 Food helps to keep them occupied.  They love to try and pick up finger foods and they are getting pretty good at it.  Most  of the time they enjoy cheerios and puffs but today they got some Pepperidge farm fishy crackers.  A bit hit.

 A joy to watch and listen to.  George makes delightful sounds when eating. This is something from my side of the family. He loves nothing more than eating and its like a song.  So adorable.  Andrew just gets down to business and quick.  He's no fool....he knows you gotta be quick around here to get what you want.

The best part of the day was seeing the happiness on Addy's face.  This 'first' was super for the boys but more importantly Addy had Mom and Dad back to our normal ways of doing fun stuff.  This winter , the pregnancy and the arrival of the boys sucked a lot of time that would have been hers away.  Now that we have 'figured things out' ( or at least have a handle on it) we are able to give back the time she deserves and the attention that we yearn to give her.  She is such a resilient little being and its my hearts desire that she knows we love her more now than ever.

Oh how we love our Addison Lee.

In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had.
 Philippians 2:5