4th of July Kiddie Parade

Every year our town has a 4th of July Kiddie Parade, and all of the kids and their parents get decked out to walk around the square. This was the 71st year of the parade, and Henry's Grandpa actually walked in it himself as a child, many years ago! Neat, right? This morning was Henry's very first time participating. He wasn't too into it- he was hot and cranky (as you can tell in the photos), but overall I think he had a good time looking at all of the neat sights and listening to the band. We walked with our friends, and pulled our little decorated wagon up and around the square. There were so many great floats and we are absolutely inspired to go a little over the top next year and WIN something! After the parade all of the participants met in front of the courthouse for awards and ice cream, and then we headed on home so little Henry could finally take his nap.

Tomorrow morning is the actual 4th of July parade, which is one of my very favorite days ever. I've said it before and I'll say it again- small town living isn't for everyone, but it sure is for me! Today was awesome.

On Being the Mama of a Boy

It's an interesting thing, to think you know what you want, to assume you know exactly what you need, and to then be surprised with something totally different.

Before Henry was even a sparkle in my eye I always thought I wanted a little girl. I'm a girl's girl for sure, and the idea of having a son never crossed my mind, even as a child playing house. But life does as it pleases, and here I am, the proud mama of a little boy, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

While pregnant I just knew I was having a girl. I felt it. And most of my friends thought the same. I was so sure about this that I even had a box full of girl's clothing I started collecting once I became pregnant. Inside the box were vintage dresses, little mary jane shoes, and the prettiest bloomers and hats and sweaters.

So I'm sure you can guess that on our big gender ultrasound day I went into the appointment feeling fairly certain there was indeed a girl in there. I remember arriving at the doctor's office, holding Hank's hand, my 20-week stomach full of butterflies. I remember walking back into the room, so nervous, so hopeful that everything would be okay as they went through the anatomy check. And I remember when the ultrasound technician asked, "Okay guys, do you want to know?" Time stood still for that little moment as we replied, "yes, definitely," all the while both Hank and I silently freaking out.  The technician clicked her mouse a few times, adjusted the probe, and exclaimed "You're having a...BOY!"

I laid there for a second in shock (did she just say boy?!), then started happy-crying as the waves of emotion I'd been holding back hit me all I once. I was happy. Scared. And so, so excited. Our family came into the room and everyone was cheering and shouting and high-fiving each other. I was lost in a sea of eight people's excitement, still stunned and still silently freaking out.

For days I thought about how strange it was to have a boy on the way. How would this even work? A boy? I hadn't planned on this, I had no idea what I'd even do with a boy. But yet there he was, and he was on his way, ready or not.

It's funny to me to look back at the panic I felt thinking about Henry being Henry. It lasted for a few days, and then all of sudden, it became my reality. Of course I was having a boy, of course. I couldn't have imagined anything different.

And now when I hear that sweet "Mamamamamaaaaa!" from across the house, and see my big-little boy come running towards me, full speed ahead, enveloping me into one of his famous bear hugs, I know that this is what my life was meant to be. Trucks and footballs and lots of noise, Star Wars and cut off shorts and Vans sneakers. All boy, all the time.

So for now my box of girls clothing is tucked away, up high on a closet shelf. I'm not sure if I'll ever get a chance to take it down- and really, I'd be totally content if that time never came, much to the surprise of my formerly pregnant self, who couldn't have ever imagined all of these positively "boy" moments that make up my day. In the middle of my tea partying, dressing up dreams, I never thought I'd be playing motorcycles on the ground with a little boy named Henry. And maybe one day he'll want to tea party and dress up too, but for now, motorcycling on the ground is the only place I want to be.

Our 1st Day of Summer

I'm an Autumn girl through and through, but there is something about summer that really gets me excited. Here in Arizona, even up here in Northern Arizona, June 20th doesn't feel like the first day of summer at all- it kind of hits somewhere in early May. But it's still a day to celebrate because really, why not? It's funny because when I was a student and later a teacher, summer always had such a feeling of freedom and always held such promise of adventure. I can still remember that excited feeling of signing yearbooks, teachers letting us act a little crazier than normal, and then that glorious, final bell at the end of the last school day. And even when I was a teacher myself, I can recall finishing my grades, closing up my room, and getting in my car, driving away with the windows down, looking ahead to a wide open summer. Well, that's kind of a romanticized version. In reality no matter how much I had loved the past year, I'd rush to turn my grades in as quickly as possible, literally run out of the school, throw off my confining, tattoo-covering cardigan, breathe out a huge sigh of relief I didn't have to deal with the occasional annoying student anymore, and get the hell out of there. And my windows were actually probably rolled up so no one would want to talk and slow me down. Truth.

But really, besides thinking back to that sweet post-school freedom, to me summer is about family and friends. We always seem to slow down a little more, want to take the long way home, make time for downtown walks and try to eat outside as much as possible. I love it. And since Wednesday was the first day of summer Henry and I decided to enjoy it with a little picnic with friends and ended the night downtown with Hank, eating Mexican food on a park bench and people watching for awhile. Perfect.

Happy summer!

The Best Kind of Saturday

This past weekend was wonderful. And it wasn't just Father's Day that made it so great- Saturday we had another fun family day that still has me smiling. It was our town's annual Tsunami on the Square, which is an all-ages, outdoor performing arts and culture festival. It's always so much fun and there is a ton to look at, which was great for Henry. There were people on stilts, people in costume, fire eaters, hula hoopers, and live music everywhere you turned. It was truly a visual treat for Henry, and he spent most of the day eyes wide, staring at everything around him. 

It's days like this that make me fall in love with this town all over again. When I was younger I always imagined myself living in a big city, people and culture and things to do at every turn. But I somehow ended up here, in this small town, and I couldn't imagine a better place to raise a family. It's not for everyone, but small town living is definitely for me.

Here are some photos from our day. And for those who asked on the last post and via Twitter, I use a Nikon D60 and almost always use my 35mm lens. I also tried out a friend's Photoshop action set on these images that I'll share more about later in the week. I might say this for awhile, but again, I am SO happy I'm been bringing my camera out and about. It makes me so much more excited to blog, and so much more inspired to stop and notice all the pretty little moments in life that are so easy to skim over. 

Here are some bits and pieces from our Saturday:
 

Father's Day in Flagstaff

This year for Father's Day I decided it would be fun to take Hank and Henry on a mini-road trip up to Flagstaff, to enjoy some of our favorite foods and a change of scenery. Flag will always hold a super special place in my heart, as I went to all four years of college there (and graduate school too!), so no matter when we go, it's always a great experience. Some of the best times of my life were spent in that little town, and every time I find myself making my way up that way on the I-17 my stomach flips a little, in the most excited way. Flagstaff is definitely my happy place, and I love that Hank adores it just as much as I do.

We got up bright and early this morning and arrived in Flagstaff around 9:30am. Our first stop was Hank's favorite coffee shop, Macy's. He got a coffee and we split a "birdseed" treat, which is really just a whole lot of nuts and seeds pressed into a peanut butter base. Delicious. We spent the rest of the day walking around, enjoying the crisp mountain air that is so similar to ours but yet somehow so different, and eating lots of yummy food. Our favorite Thai restaurant Dara Thai was closed today so we decided to eat at an old favorite, Pita Jungle. Henry loves hummus so we knew it was pretty foolproof, and we had a great meal.  We arrived home later in the evening, exhausted but so, so happy to have spent such a fun day together as a family.

Here are some photos, mainly from my regular camera and a couple little collages from my iPhone. And on a side/related note- it's only been two days of taking my camera out more places with us and I couldn't be happier. Nothing's better than pretty photos to capture such special memories!

Happy Father's Day!