soccer player in training

hendrix watched his uncles play soccer in the iowa games this weekend and he was a loyal and supportive fan!  he liked cheering for them and of course, we were all thrilled with their hard earned gold medals!

invasion of the big bugs

Just another fun afternoon at Reiman Gardens.

It was a pretty hot afternoon, and Hendrix was really interested in the water pond.  There were a couple of other little boys playing over there and he just invited himself to join them. :)

He likes riding around on daddy's shoulders, and I love this unstaged photo of the two of them. 

what's not to love about bugs?!?

another bath?

I don't know when exactly it happened, but Hendrix has definitely traded the days of baby bi-weekly bathing in for the toddler daily dip.  Some days I even wonder if he could use more than one bath. 

There are a combination of factors at play here which include sunscreen, bug spray, chlorinated swimming pools and, of course, being a messy eater.  

I think the winner of them all, however, is that Hendrix loves playing in the dirt.  I don't know where he gets this fascination.  Is this just a natural part of raising boys?

He likes to be barefoot...

...playing with twigs, leaves, rocks, etc...

...while sitting on the grass or cement (forget spreading a blanket out, he won't stay on it! )

I adore this messy face, but would someone please remind me not to buy him anymore white shirts?!?

wordless wednesday

city farmers

This little farmer boy wants to watch and help us in the garden.  I imagine if we let him loose in there he would gobble everything up, including the dirt and weeds.  Instead we make him sit (and now stand) on the other side of the fence while we do our 'tending'.  :)

Check out the huge progress our garden has made in just a few short months!  It is so amazing to watch the transformation.

Being a born and bred "Iowa girl" I find it kind of humorous to call myself a 'city girl', but that really is the truth.  

I tried to pass myself off as a 'farm girl' when as a child I told people I lived on a farm.  This was an honest mistake as there were cornfields right behind my backyard and I thought that made our house a farm.  In my defense I had also been for a ride on a combine before, so I really thought I was living the role.  When those people asked me what animals we raised and my response was beta fish and hamsters, I think they doubted my honesty.

I have since come to understand that I know nothing about farming and remain in awe of those who do.  I have, however, enjoyed working my own little piece of land in the backyard and am overjoyed that we are actually harvesting fresh produce right now!  How rewarding!

Hendrix is such a big helper and he especially enjoys eating our bounty.  Rhubarb and raspberries have been some recent favorites. 

yum!

safety installation

guess how daddy spent his sunday afternoon?

we installed one at the top of the stairs and the bottom and i feel so much better about hendrix and our hard wooden staircase.  i really like this particular gate too, as it has a door that swings open and shut - i am too short to climb over those other kind of gates. :)  and my hubby encouraged us to invest in gates that are actually kind of good looking since they will be a permanent fixture in our house for a while.....

hendrix tried them out right away of course to make sure they are sturdy enough.  they passed his test!  :)

adventureland park

we spent a fun day in the sun at adventureland today.  my hubby and i hadn't been there in several years so it was really fun to go and see it all through fresh eyes with our little guy.  it was a perfect day, with lots of sunshine and breeze, and we enjoyed wandering around the park pushing along our stroller.

he was really easy going throughout the day and seemed fascinated by all the people to watch.   

we met my brother and his fiance there, and it was fun to spend some time relaxing with them before we celebrate their big wedding day later on this month!  ;)  hendrix is getting very excited about his upcoming role as ring bearer!

he talked to the fishies...

...went on his first amusement park ride with his daddy.....

...napped for a couple hours in the stroller....

....and then was ready to run all over the place at the water park!

he went blasting through the fountains getting water in his face and not caring at all!  the cool water was so refreshing and he wore us out having so much fun!

then of course, we had to take a lil' break for snacks.

and we ended the day with a little spin on the carousel.  

what a perfect saturday!