Spring Break/19 Months

Last week Steve had the whole week off. We resisted the urge to head off somewhere and instead decided to spend the week at home. The calendar was marked for a stay-cation.

Simple pleasures on a sick day: furry friends, cuddles and stories.
Even the piano bench is a cozy place to rest on a sick day.

Turns out it was a good decision to stay home, since we spent most of the first part of the week sick. The empty out your stomach kind of sick. All of us took a turn and then Peyton went for a second round. Our week began more like a "stay" than a "cation." But, mid-week, with the bug out of our system, things got better.

Sick, but not too sick to hunt for Easter Eggs!

Here are the boys sharing a cuddle and a story after the exhausting egg hunt.

While we do a lot of relaxing, exciting and fun things in our lives, Steve and I often forget how to just relax, be excited and have fun at home. This week was a great reminder that we can indeed have a nice time, right here, in our own home (and garden, too), rain or shine.

Rain.

or

shine.

On a separate note, we also passed Peyton's 19 month milestone last week. Yikes! He's now closer to 2 years of age, than he is to 1. It's as if he transformed overnight. He was a baby last week when he got sick, but seems to have cleared all the baby out of his system in a weeks time. He got healthy. We got a healthy toddler. I haven't reached the "toddler" chapter in my parenting book yet, so I better get reading! He's still that same little dude I've come to know, just trickier. Each day is filled with as much pleasure and joy as always, just a bit more frustration sometimes. I believe Peyton feels the same way. I sure may have my work cut out for me in the coming weeks/months.

The Antics of a 19 Month Old.

Indoors:

The result of walking backwards (a new trick).
You eventually run into things!

Yes, he has the vacuum AND the mop!
The obsession for "bubba" (vacuum and vacuum-like objects) continues...

And Outdoors:

Splashing around in the "wa-wa"

Testing balance (and boundaries)!

Attempting to push the "ga-ga" (stroller) bravely down the stairs.
(Until Mama interrupted this play and diverted Little Dude and stroller elsewhere.)

Pausing, if only for a moment, to sit up in the "bi ga" (big chair).