I couldn't help but have John Mayer's song on my brain as I thought about what I wanted to write in this special Father's Day post. When I think about what an amazing, selfless, giving and incredibly generous man I looked up to while growing up all I can be is humbled and thankful. This weekend Hallie and I were ready to give lots of love to all of the fathers in our lives. First things first: crafting and scrapbooking!
Well we turn a shortcut when it came to the scrapbooking part and made one online. GASP! Gman had been wanting a picture book of his favorite little munchkin so we (and I use the term very loosely) designed a very special book for him to be delivered to his house....
After we crossed that task off our list we got to work on a much more difficult task: painting. Hal brought her experience from last year to the table though.....
"This may come in handy someday...."
Before things got messy....
Such an innocent little shirt-maker, right??
Then the fun began and the toes turned green....
Paint was a flying as she scrunched up her hands and feet after we dipped them in the paint. We had a lot of washing to do before Riley got home that evening...
The shirt was less than desirable but we rolled with it and made it work.....
Riley had been in Tulsa for a recruiting conference Thursday and Friday and made his way back home to us Friday evening after we got home from a trip to the waterpark. We snuck back to the closet and grabbed the shirt that had been drying all day. I handed it to Hal and told her to go surprise him. She took the job very seriously and did just that. She waddled/ran into the room flinging the shirt around and ran over to the arm of the chair and tossed it on him....
See what I mean about less than desirable????
He was enthusiastic and made Hallie feel special. She made sure to point out where her handprints were located. How cute!
"Right der is where I smeared the paint daddy"
Miss Toodles and I had a busy morning on Saturday. My tiny alarm clock has been fired for not going off at her normal time. I used to be able to count on her for an early wake up call but lately she's been sleeping in like a teenager. Not that I'm complaining or anything. It's been a Godsend actually. So our well-rested selves rolled out of bed around 9:00 and scurried around to get ready. Riley headed out the door first thing to go to his office (imagine that?!) and catch up on some work that had piled up last week. Lil red and I loaded up with enough stuff to last a day in Enid and we were off.
She was my coworker as we stopped by the nursing home in Mooreland on our way through to sign some papers. Ok, more like I signed some papers and she swung like a monkey on the bars and flew up and down the stairs....
I know it sounds like I'm jumping the gun a little bit but I loved growing up in the therapy gym with my mom and it looks as though she feels the same. Wouldn't it be a treat to continue the therapist tradition?! I'll be pleased as punch no matter what she chooses to do but I think she's got a head start already! By back was to her while she explored the room and I laughed as she kept shouting "momma! momma! ning!" as she was swinging back and forth with a huge smile on her face. I convinced her that we had to leave and and say bye bye to all the residents sitting up front. After all, Elmo was still playing in the car and she never says no to Elmo. ;)
We made it to Enid without so much as a peep from lil red. Well except for a couple of drink requests but I had that covered. Can I just take a moment to mention how much more stable my blood pressure is now that she has decided that the car isn't such a bad place to be. We listened to Elmo teach her how to use the big girl potty and sang some songs and danced our hearts out.....and then it was finally time to hop out of the car at Gman's. I knew what was waiting for Hallie in the backyard....but she didn't have a clue about all the fun surprises that awaited her. Gman had transformed the backyard into an official Hallie Playland.
I was in paparazzi mode as he took her outside to show her around the backyard....
"You say the fun is right around the corner, huh?"
She was unsure as she spotted the turtle sandbox as she rounded the corner. His shell was on and I don't think she knew quite what it was....
"Hmmm, that looks like those creatures in my front yard that scare me..."
"I'm diggin' it Gman"
She quietly filled her bucket with the sand scoop and shared some sand with Gman....
I'd say she's a little bit too much like her momma in the fact that she wouldn't sit in the sandbox to play. And I can't say that I was disappointed because she had her new cute outfit on. Just call me Adventure Mom. Hehe ;)
The duo did some swinging....
Not only did she swing on the big girl but she did some hanging on the bars with a little help...
.....and without help. Slightly terrified.
She seesawed...or doo-dah as she called it....and then bailed off and fell on the ground. She swung a little more...and then bailed off and fell on the ground. You can see the trend here. ;) I forgot to mention that it was scorching hot outside and neither dad nor I had the option of running around in our diaper like Hallie did. She hopped in the pool for a minute or two while dad baked on the porch while watching her play. We came in to eat which curbed the disappoint of having to get out of the pool....
We ate the lunch I'd picked up on my way into town and watched Gman open his gift. We got him some camping gear that he needs since he's recently started taking bike trips to and fro with his friends.
As I mentioned earlier, Hallie made a special picture book of her first two years and even signed the card she gave him.....
Hal was looking pretty sweepy (our baby talk word) but it didn't stop her from fueling up for some more swim time in the pool....
Our delirious lunch partner
She perked up after her belly was full and so did dad and I. We sat on the porch and watched her have a hay day in the water.....
For a girl who swims quite often she was acting like it was the first time she'd ever splashed around in a pool. I think she liked the cushy sides of the pool because she was flipping and flopping around like crazy which is something she usually never does in her little pool at home. Somewhere in the middle of her nonstop activity I managed to catch a priceless shot of dad drenching Hal with a bucket full o' water....
They put her new squirty turtles to good use by spraying her in the face with them....
...which she LOVED!
She was soon a fish out of water when it came time to get dried up for a nap. Man she had a blast. Come to think of it, I do believe that the warm water my dad mixed in with the hose water may have had something to do with Hallie loving the pool. Can we say "spoiled"?
"How bout I just nap in here? Get me a floatie. STAT."
Naptime was upon us. Well, it was upon Hallie but I think all three of us were tired enough to sleep as long as she did. While she snoozed for over two hours I went on a mission to pick out a dad's day gift for Hal's daddy. I was also on a hunt for another bathing suit. We won't talk about the details of that but I will say I much preferred picking out clothes for Riley compared to trying on bikinis in front of a mirror. Eeek! By the time I got done it was getting late in the afternoon since Hal had gone down for a nap after 2:00. Dad and I relaxed and chatted a bit until we decided it was time to head over to the Father's Day cookout at David and Lisa's. That meant I had to go in and coax Hallie out of the bed. It didn't take long because the minute she heard me open the door she popped on up and gave me a huge smile as if to say "mommy, I'm so glad you're here." We were excited to show her the remaining surprises in the living room. Gman dug through the attic while she was sleeping and pulled out my old piano, Grammy's antique potty chair and a wooden bench that my grandpa made for Bailey and I. It was really neat to see all those special keepsakes again and even neater to see my baby girl enjoy them so much......
She hopped right on the piano and showed off her new skills before heading over to do a little potty training on the old chair. With the look on her face you'd think she was really in the process of using the potty but twas not the case, lol.....
Lisa had suggested we have a cookout for the dads and I was, of course, a huge fan of the idea. We had a fun and relaxing time as usual just sitting on the back porch, getting dinner ready, chasing Hal around, swimming and playing.....
Hal continued to show her disdain for the floaties but she became quickly attached to this device....
"Floaties schmoaties!"
Most of us hopped in the pool because the water was so mild. Hal floated in her tube and kicked her feet...
David was surprised by his family with a new dual grill that was hiding under his old grill cover. We made him pose by it of course!
Garrett showed off his dramatic side by doing his best impression of a model throwing his hair back and flinging water through the air. This was take #3 and I found his enthusiasm quite amusing....
You can tell by the look on her face how happy she was when Dara came home from a day of work at the golf course. Swimming buddies for life!
Hal made her last splashes in the pool and got out to dry off. We all watched from the pool as she took off waddling toward the swingset which has a big drop off in front of it. She was stopped dead in her tracks by about five voices hollering "Hallie, wait!!" So she did just that. She stopped. And stood there. And stared. And wouldn't move. For a long time.
And we all laughed of course ;)
Here's another dude who wouldn't move either....
Aunt Lisa was the cool one who took Hal down to the swings while we kept swimming...
She had her first trip up to the top of the playhouse with a little help from Gman and Lisa. Man, she thought she was hot stuff....
I LOVE this picture....
I could tell it was going to take some convincing to get her out of the playhouse. She just had that look in her eyes.....
"I think I could live up here...."
"....well, on second thought I'd need a bathtub...and maybe some food."
We spent the rest of the night on the patio eating and laughing....
"What's this thing used for???"
"Well, of course, now I see"
Goofball
Good smells coming from the grill
Spencer and his ammo
The target
Safety first for Slugger
"mmmmmm, ice cream"
Trouble.
I could just kick myself for not getting a picture of my dad and I. He suggested I photoshop myself into a picture with him. Lol. I'll get to work on that daddio. It was a peaceful, relaxing day with family. It always is in Enid. I think Hal wanted to stay just as much as I did because she went through three diapers as we kept trying to get loaded and out the door. Head to the door....wet diaper. Head to the door again...wet diaper. Head to the door for good....wet diaper. ;) You see the trend. But we finally hit the road and rode peacefully the entire way home. I wish Riley could've joined us for the cookout but he was busy back at home. I'm thinking maybe sometime in the next century I can drag him along with me. Hubby or not, we had a nice day spent celebrating a couple of great dads and men I am lucky to look up to.
Sunday. We all slept in which was Hal's first and most important Father's Day gift....sleep. ;) Hal "helped" me in the kitchen as I made breakfast for her special guy. Coffee, eggs, hashbrowns and buscuits out on the back porch on our new patio furniture made for a nice, relaxing start to the day.....
Hal had written some very heartfelt words in her daddy's card that she was excited to show him....
...such touching words....;)
"Open it already daddy!"
Reading mommy's card to daddy
We hooked him up with a new wardrobe and some new swim shorts. Hal thought that one of her bows would finish off his ensemble as he tried on some of his new clothes....
We took a few pics of this pretty pair on the back porch after church. The goofballs couldn't manage to get serious so this is what I ended up with.....
I'm guessing that rubbing their tummies was coming next...
"They call me Hallie G"
There was mention of a certain cookie with cream in the middle (ahem, Oreo, ahem) so it led to this very rapid meltdown based on hunger and sleepyness...and desire to get her hands on a COOKIE!!! But I was bound and determined to get a picture with my mini....
"Dear Lord, please rain cookies from heaven!"
Pink and green gals
Nothin' better than an apple juice box on a hot day
That's a handful!
Snooping under the hood
Carmen cooling off under the shade tree
The girls
She may or may not have been trying to undress herself...
Fatigue had set in....
Cute lil fam
Dada and Papa
Dads and daughters/grandaughters
Play heaven
Our favorite dude with is second place trophy
The heat had us beat. A meltdown began. And I darted for the car. Missy was asleep before we got home and I carried the sweet sack of potatoes to her bed. Riley came home not too long after and we both made an easy decision to take a nap. We had no intentions to sleep as long as we did but our only wake up call was in the form of calls and texts and ultimately a ring at the doorbell. We were late to Father's Day dinner that night and didn't even know it! Oops! We hurried and got ready, woke up a still sleepy baby and headed over to Nanny and Papa's house. But not before she checked out the mini hardware her dad had won that afternoon....
"I've got the perfect place for this in my room"
We watched as Papa opened his gifts. Hal's favorite was this special gift with her and Carmen's handprints and footprints on it that we had made on Friday. We made sure to use his favorite orange and black just for him...
The pocket says "Papa's Girls"
We had a yummy lasagna and some strawberry pretzel dessert. Nanny had set up a special seat for Hallie Grace and she made me proud by sitting with us for the entire meal eating like a big girl....
"I was wondering when you guys were gonna let me eat with ya..."
There was a splash pool waiting on the back porch so Hal and Carmen stripped down to their diapers and hopped in. Carmen was a hoot as she slapped the water and squealed with delight....
Baby butts were running rampant and I was chasing them with my camera because lets face it...they are so darn cute!!
Miss Gracie the kitty was basking in the sun/shade by the door and made for a beautiful subject to photograph. Look at that face!!!!!
Hallie insisted on Papa's presence in the pool by hollering "Papa, get in!!!" So he did.
The girls gave Gracie some love pats before heading inside to get their baths for the night with Nanny....
One of Papa's empty boxes turned out to be quite the hit of the evening with Hal. She surprised us about 20,758 times by popping out of the top. Free entertainment! We will take that box home please!! ;)
Nanny's lovin' her some Hallie time
We ended the special day at home with some family time on the back porch. In the hustle and bustle of everyday life it can be easy to forgot how sweet life is. The weekend was both fast-paced and laid-back all at the same time. The men in our lives got some extra LOVE this weekend which was our mission. Mission accomplished. My dad means to world to me and I feel more thankful to have him as each day passes. Riley's second Father's day was in the books and I think he was pleased as punch. I have a feeling these puppies may have had something to do with the smile on his face.......
Forgot to mention this little gift! Vegas here we come!!!
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