"I Five.... Today

Today Reid would tell you.... "I five!" if you asked him.

Actually we were at the park today with some friends and I told Reid to tell the girls what today was..... I was not sure how he would respond to be honest, but he looked up at them, smiled, and said, "I five!!". When they said Happy Birthday Reid, he responded with a most adorable, "Fanks!!" with again that little smirk on his face. 
If Reid had more words about him he would also say....

"I have the best big brother, EVER!"

"Daddy is my hero!"
"Follow your dreams, there isn't anything you can't accomplish if you put your mind and heart in it!"

"If you have the opportunity to sit out or dance.... DANCE!!"

"Tell someone that you love them.... To Infinity and Beyond!!"

"Laughter is good for the soul!"

"Rudolph isn't the only cute reindeer!"

"Mind your manners and don't forget to say, "Thank you... thank you very much" from time to time!"

"Hug close the ones you love!"

"If you want to hang out in only rain boots and underwear all day... so be it! Blaze your own trail!"

"Five is going to be my best year yet!"
**Top photo taken by Kelle Hampton for the Infantino/Step2 "Everybody plays" Campaign. All photos are property of this blog owner and may not be reproduced without permission.

Summers Are For Dads Too....

Summers are for dads too....

I love that I get to enjoy summer vacation with my boys... as a little girl I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher and knowing that when I had children that my vacation time would be the same as theirs was going to be such a beautiful perk! However, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that that would go a step further and after 6 years in the traditional brick and mortar school and 4 years home with Luke I would then continue to stay home...but also teach from home for the last 5 years in my jammies over the internet...and still get to enjoy the same vacation time as my boys, what a lucky lady I am! ;)

But, what about poor old dad who has to hear of our fun festivities of the day and of the anticipated fun for the coming day? Actually, Toby never complains he is missing out, in fact he has said that he loves summer because he knows we are all home and happy and stress free. But still.....summers should be for dads too, soooo the boys and I mustered up a little surprise. We decided that an impromptu dinner/picnic at the beach once Toby got home from work to enjoy the last of the day's sunlight and enjoy a sunset together would be a perfect way to ensure he felt the joys of summer. To prepare for the "surprise" the boys and I packed a cooler with dinner and nummies, loaded the car with sand toys, buckets, chairs and blankets and even laid out shorts and flip flops by the front door so the moment Toby came home he would know something was brewing....the boys were so excited to surprise him!
Yes.....summers (and Camp Intentional) are for dads too!!