It's the Little Things... like summer breaks!

It's been a good little while since I've posted a Matamoros family adventure. Please note: the lack of posting does not signify a lull in our adventuring. Oh no, what I think has happened is this: denial. 

Denial that these two extra-ordinary months are coming to a close. Now, coming from someone who has had some really awesome summers in my lifetime, it should say a LOT that this summer surpasses them all. Below is a BIG reason why:

My biggest reason for an amazing summer: MAX

The reason our summer was so spectacular wasn't because we took a plane to a far-away destination...

(A cardboard box plane ride in sweet Max's bedroom)

Or a train to a distant land...

(A couch cushion train ride with Max's best pals)

The real reason that this summer takes the cake is because of who I spent my days with:

On one of our "swimming adventures" this summer, we encouraged our Max to jump into the water from the side of the pool.

It took him just a few seconds to decide that he would go for it. And...

He LOVED it and jumped again and again! (I knew he would!)

Later that day, Yakko and I talked about what an amazing feeling it was to know that our Max had enough faith in us to believe and know that we would be there to catch him in the water every single time. In fact, Max jumped because he knew we would be there for him. 

Being a parent has been the biggest gift Yakko or I have ever received. Although we are far from the most perfect parents, we feel SO blessed and humbled to know that God had faith in US to be Max's parents... faith in us to be Max's two biggest cheerleaders in all of his life adventures, from the swimming pool.. to the happiest summer days... to the hardest dark moments.

And speaking of faith and hard moments, we have officially (for the first time ever) put our faith in someone else to take care of our sweet baby as he grows into becoming his own person:

Could you look a little sadder to be leaving, please?!

Max's new Elmo backpack. He was SO proud!

Mama & Max... on the first day of "school"

Daddy & Max... on the first day of "school"

That's right, our 2 1/2 year old big boy happily took his new Elmo backpack and Cars lunchbox to "school" (Parents Day Out) for the first time last week. He had a blast, while Mama and Daddy worried and thought of him all day. Some leaps of faith are just easier than others!

Summer may be coming to an end, but how blessed are we to have this happy summer image in our hearts as we step out into the next season of adventures...

 

"The best way to make children good is to make them happy." -Oscar Wilde

It's the Little Things... like a giraffe with a long long neck!

We were so excited when the "heat wave" broke for a bit this week! So excited that we planned for Friday to be our day to finally go to the zoo (a trip we've been looking forward to all summer long)! Finally some cooler temps to enjoy a day at the zoo... hooray! We daily followed the rain-soaked forecast: Friday- 40% chance of rain. Ok, great, 60% chance of no rain. 

So, Friday finally came... We woke up, charged and ready, for our day at the zoo... to the sound of... raindrops dancing on the roof. Doggone it! After scratching our heads, crossing our fingers, whispering prayers, counting our lucky stars, and answering Max's, "Wanna go to zoo?!" for the billionth time, we just got in the car- through the steady rain- and drove to Memphis. We decided we'd make lemonade out of our lemons. Gosh darn-it, we were going to the zoo.

Max has really been geared for the zoo all summer. The Kindermusik class that Max and I have attended for the past several weeks has had a "zoo" theme, we've checked out "zoo" library books, and let's face it, Max has pretended to be just about every animal at the zoo... from the lions to the zebras to the seals. Nothing was going to "rain" on our zoo parade...

Now, would you believe that right as we turned into that zoo parking lot (no joke), it was just like God turned off the faucet... not a drop of rain throughout our whole day!!

Finally at the zoo... and riding in STYLE!

Very high on our zoo priority list this year was a visit to the giraffes (with the "long, long necks"), which just so happen to be Max's favorite animals (at the moment). And did we ever get a visit with the giraffes this year, thanks to the zoo's new "feed the giraffes" exhibit (soooo cool):

Worth every penny!!! :)

We didn't leave the other animals lonely, though...

Elephants!! (My personal fave!)

The hilarious gorilla!! ("Are you talkin' to me?!")

Gators!! (Glad to view from a distance!)

Flamingos!!

Penguins!! (We were doing the "Happy Feet" dance!)

Pelicans!!

Sea lions!!

...And panda bears, oh my!!

We were regular zoo-experts by the end of the day:

...As we were walking out the gate on the way back to the car, the rain started coming down! We couldn't have had a better zoo-day!!

And the zoo animals were still on the loose this morning. Check out this "elephant" (with the "big big trunk"): 

Rubber boot front legs and a tshirt trunk... 2 1/2 year old cleverness (at its very best)! 

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." -Albert Einstein

It's the Little Things... like living room campouts!

3 more weeks... can that really be all that's left of my summer?! This summer has truly been the best EVER for us. I count my blessings every single day that I have a job that allows me to spend my summer days with my family. And since summer is quickly coming to an end, we are soaking in every second of these magic summer moments.

Tonight, we celebrated summer NIGHTS with a surprise campout in the living room. Max was SO thrilled. We didn't even need the open skies to have stars; Max's twinkly, excited eyes lit up our whole night. You can spend pockets full of moola on toys and gadgets and spoils galore, but nothing would beat the complete and utter glee that Max found in a few blankets thrown on the floor and over the living room furniture to create the coolest tent ever.

More moments that I wish I could just bottle up and keep forever. <3

" 'Sometimes,' said Pooh, 'the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.' "-A.A. Milne 

    

It's the Little Things... like green feet and caterpillars!

Max is certainly NOT a big fan of bedtime these days, but there is at least one thing that he does love that's associated with bedtime: bedtime stories. (I've mentioned before... this is one of my favorite points in the day, as well. I just love snuggling up with that little body and picking out his story to read.)

The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of our Max's very, very favorite bedtime stories lately. He pretty much has every single page memorized, which I just love because it means that he does a lot of the story-telling- which (as I'm sure you can imagine) is just about the most precious thing you've ever witnessed.

In honor of his favorite book (for this month at least), we did a little "hands-on" craft project this weekend:

We created our own hungry caterpillar with some precious handprints! 

Oh how our Max loves to paint:

Ahem, yes, your eyes do not deceive you... he loves to paint, but lately, that's painting himself, not paper, but hey... it's ART (and washable paint, thank goodness)! :)

 "Any kid will run any errand for you, if you ask at bedtime." -Red Skelton

It's the Little Things... like crayon-smell and COOL air!

While Max was napping today, I got a little "Chelsea-art time" to work on a project that's been itching to happen all summer. When I first saw this idea on Pinterest, I knew this art project was going to have to happen because not only am I a fan of using the WHOLE crayon box, but I'm also a proponent of coloring way outside the lines:

"I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address." (You've Got Mail, anyone?!)

If you caught my You've Got Mail reference, you'd probably also understand that I'd be perfectly happy with Tom Hanks sending me a bouquet of freshly opened crayons instead! 

Don't you just love the smell of a box of crayons? :)

This project was truly all about COLOR, which I happen to love.

Step 1: I lined up those fragrant crayons.

Step 2: I added a colorful quote to my blank canvas.

Step 3: I hot-glued the crayons onto the canvas.

Step 4: I got the hair-dryer ready.

Step 5: Point, shoot, and MELT.

And yes, I will be fully prepared to explain Max's artwork to his Kindergarten teacher. :) 

It did occur to me that this project could have been completed without a hair-dryer this week- maybe by putting the canvas in the 100 degree sunshine, but that, of course, would not have been nearly as fun. :)

Speaking of the hot weather, in case you are looking for fun ways to beat the heat, take advice from Max & Yakko (Daddy was the brains of this operation... and the next!):

Air conditioner vents: BORING
Air conditioner vents with dancing balloons: That's something exciting!

Maybe it's the summer heat getting to us... but did you know air vents could do this?! (Wow!)

"We could learn a lot from crayons; some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, while others bright, some have weird names, but they all have learned to live together in the same box." -Robert Fulghum

It's the Little Things... like little critters!

Max adores his walks (and lately tricycle rides) around Sunset Circle. On his neighborhood rounds, he especially loves the critters we encounter (squirrels scampering up trees, birds, worms, other creepy-crawly bugs, barking dogs, an occasional frog, and cats). Now, the smartest and sharpest of these critters runs the other way when our sweet, energetic, tail-pulling, squeezing, lovable 2 1/2 year old comes around. I'm pretty certain word has gotten around to most neighborhood animals to RUN when you hear ball-of-energy Max coming... but then there are a few animals who just don't seem to have gotten the memo:

Meet: newest-critter-friend

Oh yes, as we were making the neighborhood loop yesterday, we gained a new furry little buddy, much to Max's complete delight.

At first, sure, she was adorable.

She was a beautiful color, rubbed on and around our legs, purred with that irresistible cuteness. She even let Max pet her, touch her tail, and squeeze and hug her (I told you, she must not have gotten the neighborhood memo yet). 

But then, it was time to walk back to the house.

And you probably guessed it... our new little friend decided to follow.

And follow.

And follow some more.

At this point, we instructed Max to put a little pep in his step.

"No, don't look back at the kitty, Max."

"Don't you dare turn around."

"Avoid all eye contact with the kitty, Max."

"Ok, let's run, Max."

And, you can guess what happened:

Max fell in love with that little fur ball... We went to bed hoping that the cat would go home during the night. And yeah, we woke up this morning, looked out the door, and she was asleep in one of Yakko's tennis shoes.

Max and the kitty even shared a cold drink together on this hot day!

We did return the kitten to its place of residence before turning in for the night, but I have no doubt that Max will wake up asking about that little kitten.

Now, I wonder where he could have gotten that love for kittens??

Familiar memories... :)

As if the feline critter wasn't enough for the weekend, Max was also completely elated to find a baby bird that had fallen out of a nest:

Here's to hoping the cat (and friends) stays away from our bird friend.

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." -Anatole France