Reflecting on how rich our lives are...

It's been awhile since posting. We've spent a lot of really really good time together as a family. In fact, I was just reflecting on how rich our lives are.... all 3 of our lives.

Since posting, we've attended our annual neighborhood putt-putt golf tournament and had a great time with our friends; luckily, they have children that Mercer adores. It's a win-win for all of us. We spent Memorial day weekend together as a family. Intentionally, we stayed at home so that we could complete a project: build a sandbox for Mercer. We love our back yard... it's a wonderful space for the three of us to play in, to entertain friends, and to relax. Mercer has learned to enjoy the things that we do back there - tinkering in the garden, interacting with the fish in the pond, watching the water move through the stream, and the stone wall (he climbs & jumps off of it). Likewise, we have learned to enjoy the thing that he does back there - playing chase, hide and seek, and kicking a ball around.

But, the sandbox is the first "fixture" that we've incorporated into our back yard specifically for him. He knows that it is HIS space.

And with that in mind, he was thrilled when we suggested that we host a play date in the back yard. For days before hand, he kept saying "friends coming over? to play in my sandbox?" He would go through a list of friends that he wanted to have over. (This list started with some neighborhood kids, then went into a list of kids from daycare, but we "cut it off" at just the neighborhood gang... which he was still really excited about.) The same group of neighborhood friends we played with at the putt-putt golf outing were back at our house in order for Mercer to host & entertain. After several of the kids played in the sandbox, they all cooled off on a water slide we set up in the back yard. Then, they moved onto playing with sidewalk chalk and sidewalk paint (mostly by jumping on the bottle of paint & seeing how far it would squirt out). It was a fun evening for all of us - adults and children alike.

This sandbox is a unique one, of course. It is made of cedar and has a lid that keeps neighborhood cats out, but the lid folds to form benches on either side of the box. We saw one online that was smaller, so decided to build here instead - and make some modifications to the design. Overall, we're very happy with it... and seeing that Mercer has played in it almost every day since we built it last week... he seems happy with it too.

Later Memorial Day weekend, we went to the Chattahoochee Nature Center for some hiking, exploring, and a picnic. I was most fascinated by our happening upon a group of geese eating flowers and leaves off of some tall grassy plants. For awhile, we lurked behind some bushes in order to watch, then Mercer's attention was turned elsewhere, so we moved on. The geese munched from the tops of the flora... and eventually we walked right past them. They did not move. Apparently, they are used to people.

After eating our picnic lunch, we played a little frisbee out in an open field. We thought this was Mercer's favorite part because he got to run and throw something... but when asking him about what the highlight of his day was, he said he liked hiding in the bushes. And eating blueberries (we had just finished some angel food cake and berries).


I think he must really love blueberries. Earlier in the week - we were praying. He goes through his normal "thank you for mommy... daddy... and Mercer" then he names a friend or a family member. One night, he said thank you for blueberries and strawberries. CUTE!

Some other cute things he's doing: he seems to be very concerned with our happiness and pleasing us. We're still working on his potty training... and when / if he goes, he immediately asks "are you happy?" Sometimes randomly he'll ask if we're happy too. When we say yes, and hug him, he smiles really big. LOVE that!

He's been able to count in order to 20 (with a little bit of help around 13, 14, 15, 16). Just like his ABC's... it's memorization of how things go in order. But - he's starting to recognize objects and groups of objects and associate a number with them. There are 4 geese. There are 2 motorcycles. I have no idea if that's normal at this age -- he's moved past rattling off numbers in order, but we're fascinated by his comprehension and development. Seems simple, but I love how he is relating things with others by a similar trait. "Mommy, the sky is blue like your car and daddy's car is the same color as the trees."

It's a cool thing to watch. Yes, indeed, our lives are rich!