Strong Like You....

Actual conversation/negotiation/bamboozlement that just happened:

James (finishing a snack of smiley face fruit chews - thanks Rachel!): Mommy, can I have another package of these fruit chews so I can be big and strong like you?

Me: Sure buddy.

James: I love you mommy....

Me: I love you too.

James: .... because you are good about listening to me all of the time.

Sanibel Island 2009

Aaaah, Sanibel. A 30+ year tradition for Brian's family. I reference this photo of family members on the beach (circa 1981), looking for shells and other sea treasures. Brian's mom is in the rainbow shirt and Brian is the towhead in the white shirt.

And this year, Brian and our little towhead doing the same.

Here's the whole group on a VERY windy day.

This year, Molly met Lilly, her 2nd cousin and future Sanibel BFF. This is just the first of many photos we will make them take together.

Lilly has the BIGGEST blue eyes I have ever seen and apparently, she's quite funny:

Molly got LOTS of attention at Sanibel this year, but winning the award for Most Doting Family Member is cousin Sophie, age 8 (is that too young for babysitting?). This will be very interesting to observe on future Sanibel trips because as much as Molly loved her, James loved her MORE - that cousin crush is still going strong.

I really think Molly is looking at me taking this pic and saying, "this is MY toy, right?"

James' daily ritual at Sanibel was to wake, eat, put on swimsuit and JUMP. IN. THE. POOL. Over and over and over until he couldn't physically do it any longer. He would just move to the next person as we each got too tired to catch him and return him to the side. First daddy, then me, then Oma, and here he is jumping to Opa.

Here is the jumping machine, finally taking a break with Uncle Kevin.

This was another of James' rituals: warp self in towel and sit in the rocks. I haven't even asked him what this was about because I think I am afraid of the answer.

Molly was happy to dip in the pool, smile a little, splash a little, eat her hat and then take a nap.

The after dinner ritual at Sanibel is to slather yourself in bug spray and go search for shells and ocean critters on one of the several sandbars at low tide. James LOVED this. He had about three minutes of patience for looking for shells and then he was neck-deep in the water. On this particular day, carrying a coconut.

Sophie's brothers Crawford and Walton were always game for more water fun and every night ended up with all three of them sploshing back to the house in soaking wet clothes.

Please note: still not letting go of the coconut.

Molly's version of "shelling" involved searching for her thumb and placing it in her mouth.

With all the grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins around, Brian and I got to actually walk for five minutes - ALONE. (!)

Brian and James went on some mini-adventures too. Good daddy/son time.

The pier near the Sanibel lighthouse:

and on a nature walk looking for alligators:

Molly was content to stay at home (in the air conditioning) and EAT. This time she ate holding Oma's hand the entire time. I am telling you, the girl knows when to turn it on.

Brian's Uncle Ernie is THE GREATEST. Just the nicest, most fun guy ever.

He always has a funny joke for the kids, time to read a book, or one of his more "famous" performances, The Ring Trick.

It starts with two "rings" made out of his thumbs and index fingers and then he sings a little song: dah, dah, dah, dah, dah..... as the rings move behind his head and become one (link fingers together for those of you who didn't get that).

and then back behind the head: dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah and bam! two rings again!

He's been mystifying kids for years.

And in between the hours at the pool, the bike rides, the beach, the bird watching,the shelling, the late night game playing and all the food, we got a few hours of sleep.

Well, one of us did.

Molly 6 Months

We've just returned from a week on Sanibel Island and I have LOTS of pics to post, but until then... I give you "Miss Molly Smiles-Like-Her-Face-Will-Fall-Off Coyne @ 6 months (today!):

I am not, by the way, strangling her in this photo.

Agoraphobic

There is a small chance that I may have made James agoraphobic on Thursday... It's a likely story: it all started with good intentions.... we met up with my friend Kit and her son Joshua at the National Air & Space Museum on the mall. They were doing a big Apollo 11 40th Anniversary celebration. The website said there would be hands-on activities for the kids, lectures, a piece of moon rock to touch and a big telescope aimed at the moon.

Even with all that to do, I thought it would be a good idea for James to ignore all that and go see his first movie in a movie theater.

And by "movie theater", I mean an IMAX

and by "movie", I mean it was an enormous moving picture show about the sun...

... in 3-D.

I know, I know - best mom ever.

You don't have 3-D glasses on right now (right?) but here is a part where the frightening ball of fire comes barreling towards you:

and here is James hiding behind my shoulder for the entire 22 minute movie.

All three of us shared a seat... for 22 LONG minutes.

Luckily his friend, Astronaut Joshua was there to guide him through the rest of the day.

Meanwhile Back on the Farm....

Welcome to Oxon Hill Farm or as we refer to it, the weirdest, most desolate farm in the National Park System.

It started out sweet - a long winding road with authentic farm fencing and antique tractors lining the path....

...and then, out of nowhere, this very bright young man POPPED out of a small barn and introduced himself as "Junior Park Ranger Josh" and invited us to come inside the barn and milk a cow. Josh must love being a junior park ranger because it was a HIGH PRESSURE sales pitch. He told the kids (ages 2.5-5) that it is a "once in a lifetime opportunity" and it's "just like squeezing a capri-sun." Seriously, he said that. Anyway, the kids didn't want anything to do with it (much like you would shy away from a used car salesman) and so I tried it out just to warm them up to the idea.

This is my look that means, "wow, Josh, this is NOTHING like squeezing a capri-sun!"

Many abandoned buildings later, we found this little number. A picnic "ramada" of sorts. Six picnic tables and posters that ranged from "the life cycle of a frog..."

to the more inspirational: "First Think, Second Believe, Third Dream, Lastly Dare."

and while your little munchkins are sitting having their picnic lunch and dreaming about being more daring (!)....

... you should keep in mind that they are sitting under THIS:

Seriously.

Hanging in the rafters tied together with a rope, circa 1843.

Then there was this guy:

A turkey with chest hair.

And right after you saw these sweet pigs minding their own business, playing in the mud....

... you were treated to this:

Aaaah, the visitor center. It actually had a great hands-on kids section where they could touch real snake skins, turtle shells, and various furry wildlife. Unfortunately the whole kid's "corner" truly was just a corner so our kids mostly just ended up touching each other.

There wasn't so much somebody here at this desk to help us....

But luckily THIS guy was there to answer any questions.

One bright, bright, shining spot to the weirdest farm ever was that James finally got to see his MOST FAVORITE BUG EVER - the praying mantis. He was just walking along the path - perhaps on his way to take advantage of a "once in a lifetime opportunity."