Happy 4th of July (belated)

Will loved swimming in the lake on the 4th of July with his dada

(and to clarify- he does wear a life jacket on a boat or the jet ski- that's the law! But, just swimming by the dock, it was so shallow (notice that we are standing) that we let him swim without one- although we were ALWAYS holding him! So he was not swimming as he usually does in a pool- no putting his head down & swimming between people- we were always, always holding him. (Notice that the top of his head isn't wet either -no swimming underwater occurred!) I do have a huge fear of drowning - especially because he is fearless around water & wears prosthetics which are so heavy & could pull him down if he accidently fell in - but that is why we invest so much time & energy in making sure he knows how to hold his breath & swim to safety & pull himself up. I don't let him wear a life vest in a pool for that very reason - I don't want him dependent on something that wouldn't likely be on him if he were to accidently fall in. I want him to have the skills & training to swim to the side or stairs & reach safety. Plus, it keeps me extra dilligent around the water. We take annual CPR classes and have strict rules about water safety with Will (he frequently gets timeouts or spankings at the pool - more often than any other location!) Ultimately, however, I'm having to work on releasing that fear to God. I am sure that next summer, he won't be content to stay in our arms & will therefore be in his life vest. Just wanted to throw a little disclaimer out there- we were being extremely cautious!)

Like Father/Like Son

R & I had fun exploring the lake on the jet ski

Will also had his first jet ski ride but I don't have any pictures

Will loved fishing with Lovie & his cousins

Will enjoyed the fireworks for the most part. He got to help me with a sparkler & R let him "help" light some of the little kid ones - egg laying chickens, parachute guys, train, etc

I took several videos but mostly Will has a blank expression as to why this is supposed to be fun so I'll spare you.

R & Uncle Greg put on a big fireworks show for us over the lake. For some reason (maybe because it was past his bedtime?), Will didn't bother looking up. Cookie kept trying to direct his head up to see the excitement but Will preferred to focus on his dada who was lighting the fireworks.

Will & his Great Mimi

Will is sitting in the back of the photo on his Lovie's lap - the "appetizer" early fireworks show

He tried his first fourth of July popsicle but thought it was rather "COLD!"

Uncle Greg caught a big fish ("nemo" according to Will) which was very exciting! I loved how Will grabbed a net & got on his tummy to try to catch one too! (Of course, he couldn't quite reach the water!)


All week, Will has randomly told me the story of this catch! He'll say:

"Mommy! Uncle Greg got big nemo at lake!" I love that his memory is getting so good & how he tells me stories now! So fun! Of course, he also uses lots of hand motions- it was very exciting for him!

The famous Nemo

I loved swimming in the lake with my Will & my newphews, Hayden & Harper

Me, my Grammy, & my Aunt Lili... & Will



Will & his Lovie watching the boats on the lake (the boy loves his baseball gear!)

Will & I in our "boat" while Daddy played shark Nemo & tickled us

Our little fam



I begged & pleaded & finally convinced R to match Will in his seersucker shorts & red polo! Aren't they so cute?!?!?

(And if you look closely, you can tell that R has never taken those shorts out of the bag they came in!)


During Will's nap time, R got to sleep in the pool

Will turns everything into a bat! Here, he's playing baseball with his Great Aunt Lili using a noodle for a bat


He loves going down the slide but refuses to go on his bottom. Little daredevil prefers going face forward or backwards


Dada played "get off my beach" with Will & our newphews... It was great fun to hear all the squealing & laughter - from all 4 boys!

My Aunt Lili from FL surprised us with a visit! She had never met Will so it was fun to introduce him to her. She is an artist & designed & painted his nursery for me.

On the morning of the 4th, after we went to 2 farmer's markets (glorious- I so wish our town in the frontier had a great farmer's market- we got fresh veggies, homemade soaps & lotions, homemade fresh feta cheese- YUM!- berries, etc.) Anyway, after those errands, we took Will to see Bubby & Gigi (see post below for their story & how to pray for them). Will performed "If You're Happy & You Know It" & was quite adamant that Bubby & Gigi perform with hand motions. Bubby was just watching & then Will yelled "Bubby" & pointed at him to tell him to follow along - so he did. Will doesn't tolerate excuses from anyone - even a 94 yr old very sick man! ;)

(turn off the music at the bottom of the blog to hear the video)

Playing in the lake