Who's Been Splashing in My Water?

Dear Jack,

Spring Break is like summer in miniature... and I am determined every year to cram as much in to it as possible. In the end, though, we all need a day of rest, so I know tomorrow we won't do much of anything. For that reason, I had to make sure we did something really fun today.

Our first stop was the Scottish Rite Children's Theatre. I love going there and I love taking you there. I know you are still on the edge of too little but it is quite literally cheaper to buy you a ticket and let you wander the lobby while I watch from the back of the auditorium than it is to hire a sitter to keep you. And every time we come you sit for a little longer.

You had fun before the show coloring with your sister, and really during the show, you stopped and watched for five minutes at a time every ten minutes or so.

After the show, you were willing to take a picture with Baby Bear, but for some reason thought he wanted to know where your eyes and nose were and as much as this picture looks like you are picking your nose, the other one looks like you were poking your own eyes out, so this is the picture I'm going with.

After the theater, which, let's face it, wasn't the most fun for you, we went to the Nature Center like we had planned to do on St. Patrick's Day.

I had so much fun just taking pictures of you when we first got there. I felt like the Valentine's pictures I got of your sister are just wonderful and while the two of you were cute in your Easter pictures, I didn't get just a really excellent one of just you.

So today, I snapped away and got my new "official" Jack picture.

Why do I love this picture so much? Hmmm. Let me see. The setting is beautiful. Your smile is so sweet. Your big blue eyes are looking right at the camera. You are wearing my favorite color. You are wearing a romper, and this is the last summer you will get away with that fashion choice, so I find the romper symbolic of your rapidly ending toddlerhood.

But none of those are the real reason why I love this picture oh so much. Can you tell what is on the romper?

Sneaky little crabs, aren't they? The best part is, this isn't your only crab romper for the summer. Mrs. Ford got you another one for your first birthday and it just now fits!

Not only was I able to get an orange crab picture, but I also found an accidental Jack pun.

Lumberjack!

After I was done taking pictures (and really, I only spent about five minutes forcing you to pose for me yet again), we walked to the water. Given how loudly I protested you getting in the water yesterday, I am not surprised that you really questioned whether or not you could go in this time.

But once you were in, you were so happy!

You entertained yourself in the water in so many different ways. You walked around, you threw rocks, at one point, you found a twig and followed its path in the current for a good two or three minutes.

I took several videos of you in the water and then spliced them all together into one. It was so neat to just be sitting there watching you.

We stayed in that one section of the Nature Center the entire time we were there, over an hour. I'm not sure how long you really would have liked to have stayed. Around the time I was hoping to leave, you stubbed your toe and needed consoling and we took that as our cue to leave.

But don't worry, after seeing how very happy you were today, I can promise we'll go back again several more times between now and the heat of summer.

Love,
Mom