Big Boy Joy - Day 50

 

 

 

Each day this summer we've heard the ice cream truck rolling down the street belting out - of all things - Christmas songs! LOL! We finally chased him down after church recently to get our ice cream fix. The boys picked superhero popsicles: Ironman for Alex and "Infredible" Hulk for Roo.

Big Boy Joy - Day 49

A watercolor masterpiece: "Dolphin Creative." The school of blue fish swimming above the dolphin is intermingled with mud falling through the water down to the sea floor where the mud skippers live. Love it! But my absolute favorite part of this painting is the red anglerfish. Look closely and you will see the yellow lure (light) hanging at the tip of the orange extension from the head. He is all about the details. ;-)

Big Boy Joy - Day 48

They are quite proud to show off their muscles after their meals these days, especially Roo. He likes to say to me, "Look at my muscles, how strong I am! Just like the 'Infredible Hulk!'" Yes, sweet boy, just like that. ;-)

Big Boy Joy - Day 47

I was doing some work around the house the other day when Alex stopped me to ask if this is how you spell Spiderman. Pretty amazing, if you ask me. Especially given that he isn't reading yet. So excited for the new school year and all that it has in store for him.

Big Boy Joy - Day 46

One of our favorite outings in Gulf Shores is Lulu's. Lulu's is a restaurant owned by Jimmy Buffet's sister, and in true Margaritaville Fashion, it screams "5 o'clock somewhere."

There are five foot tall sand hills for the kids to climb and play on...

endless piles of buckets to be filled for sandcastle creation...

hula hoops and water troughs to play in...

My niece Karsyn - sweet little hula queen

live music and just all-around fun for all ages...

My brother - the hula king

Good thing, too, because the wait for being sat down for our dinner was nearly two hours! Yikes!

My nieces Ryleigh and Blayklee with Noni and my brother, Big Daddy =)

By the time our food finally got to the table, the sun had set and so had the good humor of some of our youngest Griswolds. LOL! I'll spare the meltdown pics. ;-)

Big Boy Joy - Day 45

One of the sweetest little fellas I know. ;-)

Big Boy Joy - Day 44

Their Noni enjoys taking her littlest loves out for early treasure hunts on the beach. And they are most happy to oblige.

Big Boy Joy - Day 43

I remember when he used to say "gyor" (sounds like ghee-your) instead of "girl." But these days he's got it down, and you'd never know that he struggled with saying it correctly. And what once was "Ayex" has evolved right into "Alex." I miss those sweet little mispronunciations. Another sure sign that he's growing up. 

Hot Wheels Cars and Monster Trucks Party

While we were at the beach, Alex turned five. He requested a Hot Wheels Cars and Monster Trucks Party.

I enjoy decorating for a party, but I get a little nervous doing it for this one. He has visions, people. He knows exactly what he wants, and I worry about not delivering to his liking for fear he will be disappointed. LOL!

A well-dressed birthday celebration is one of the things he seems to look forward to. It's one of the things that makes him feel special. And, it's one of the things that makes me want to go all out for him because I want him to know that he is special.

Being away from home presented its challenges, but I think it came together nicely, and, most importantly, he seemed to like it. In keeping with our theme, we had "muddy tires" (chocolate donuts) for breakfast and a dirt cake after dinner. =)

I'm not sure that the girl cousins got as revved up about the cars and monster trucks as Alex and his brother did, but they were good sports about the whole thing and helped make the celebration a whole lot of fun. ;-) 

The highlight of his entire day was this little activity right here. My boy loves taking a whack at the piñata! And the girls even got excited about this one. ;-)

We stretched out the birthday fun from morning til night! And it was so great to get to spend it with family. Happy 5th Birthday, Alex! We love you soooooooo big! xoxo

Big Boy Joy - Day 42

We had about 692 pieces of bread/hot dog buns/hamburger buns leftover from a church picnic that needed to be put to good use. Well, our surplus was this flock's good fortune, and they seemed grateful for the bounty.

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap 
or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. 
Are you not much more valuable than they? 
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

Matthew 6:26-27

Grateful for a God who meets every need, whose ways are bigger than our own, and who loves us well beyond anything our minds can comprehend.

Big Boy Joy - Day 41

It appears as though they are ready for a change of season. They are sporting previous years' Halloween costumes and announced to us that these will be their costumes for this year. $$$ Sweet!

Big Boy Joy - Day 40

His beverage of choice? Fresh regular milk. And that is exactly how he asks for it.

Not "milk."

Not "regular milk."

But "fesh reg-yer malk." (With the click of the tongue on that "k" sound.)

Alex's first loose tooth

For weeks now, Alex has been asking when he would have his first loose tooth, as if I could magically predict that for him. He's been eager to join the ranks of his friends who are toothless.

About a month ago, he complained about some sensitivity behind his front bottom teeth when I was helping him brush. I didn't think much of it; I just thought his gums were a little tender. Then, a couple of weeks ago I thought I noticed one of his bottom teeth shifting. Upon further inspection, that "tender spot" was actually his first permanent tooth breaking through, and the "shift" was the baby tooth loosening up and being pushed out of the way by his permanent tooth.

He has been on cloud nine! And I keep having to come to grips with the reality that he's growing up more quickly than I'm ready for him to. 

Big Boy Joy - Day 39

Ask him to smile for a picture by himself...maybe or maybe not, depending on the mood. Ask him to smile for a picture while holding a favorite toy...why, sure. Whatever. I'll take it. =)

Big Boy Joy - Day 38

Two of my loves.

Big Boy Joy - Day 37

A more subdued bedtime moment.

Big Boy Joy - Day 36

A couple of other favorite Disney memories...

The boys' favorite attraction was the Buzz Lightyear ride. Needless to say, we couldn't pass up a photo-op with Zurg.

It led us to one of the two lines we stood in to meet characters. (The other was Tinkerbell for Roo in case you're wondering.)

Another favorite event of ours was the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue. I wasn't sure how the kids would do with a dinner show that lasted for an hour and a half, but they loved it. I'm pretty sure Alex laughed the hardest of our whole crew. In fact, at one point the kid in front of us turned around and said that Alex's laughing was funnier than the show!

Big Boy Joy - Day 35

This summer, we signed Alex up for soccer camp. The day before camp started, I told Roo that we would be dropping Alex off, and that he would have to come with me because he wasn't old enough to go to this camp with Alex. His chin and lip quivered, tears formed in his eyes, and he simply said, "Ok." He was trying to be so composed about the whole thing. No fit. No whining. Just heartbreak. His heartbreak made my heart break. That one has loved kicking a soccer ball for as long as I can remember. 

The first day of camp, we get Alex situated, and I am talking to one of the other moms before things get going. I look up and notice that the coach has called all the kids together. Roo is taking one stealthy step at a time towards the group which is sitting on the field. He very discretely situates himself at the back of the group and sits down to join them. He thought he was in!

He did not handle it well when I told him it was time to leave.

I decided that I would ask if they had any programs for younger kids, and, while they didn't, they allowed him to join them for the remaining days of camp that week. He had great heart, but, boy, the difference a year makes between ages three and four. He tried hard, but he struggled to keep up physically. He was worn out by the end of the week.

As for Alex, he really seemed to have fun with it, and he liked having Roo there. Their favorite part of camp was playing Sharks and Minnows and Tiger Tails. Since they enjoyed themselves, we've found a couple of soccer programs that start up in the fall, so we're going to give those a go as well.

Big Boy Joy - Day 34

Don't mind the dinosaur on aisle 3 at the Dollar Tree. His roar is louder than his chomp.

Big Boy Joy - Day 33

These boys could be beat-down, dog tired, but once they get a bath, it's like they have a surge of power and energy that would make you think it's ten o'clock in the morning. Full throttle. I don't understand it, but I do love their giggles as they crack each other up.

Big Boy Joy - Day 32

We are busy checking items off of our summer fun to-do list these days.

Summer just isn't complete for the boys without a trip to the creek. I say, "creek"; it's actually the Roanoke River, and it is a favorite spot of ours.



They worked hard...dragging sticks and collecting small shells...

...and gathering very large (for their size) rocks to throw into the water. They were fans of the big splash.

That water was FREEZING, but neither one cared.

We topped it all off with a picnic lunch and some playtime on the playground nearby.

Creek play? Check. Picnic lunch? Check. Now, on to the next thing!