All Sorts of Fun

We have been having all sorts of fun this weekend. Kingston has done some serious playing.

Here he is playing with his new puzzle from Mrs. April, while wearing his new Whalebone T-shirt from Pete and Mr. Jim. Thanks for the fun stuff, friends!

And here he is playing with a pair of tongs while licking the spatula from the strawberry cream cheese dessert I made. (The dessert wasn't post-worthy, don't worry. It was good but not that good, you know?)

Here is Kingston playing with Nigel at the beach today.

And here is Nigel taking Kingston deep into the water. He loved it, of course, and only came in because Nigel made him, seeing as how his lips were purple and he was shivering because of the cold water. Crazy kid. I only had to remind myself about 200 times that Nigel was holding him very tight and that he would be fine in the ocean.

We are ready to start another week tomorrow. It is supposed to be really nice tomorrow so we are hoping to hit the beach at some point. Tis the season, right? I need to make my mom tan lines even more severe. You know, tan shoulders and upper back and sunglass line across my nose. Hot.

An Apple A Day. . .

keeps Kingston busy while Mom cooks dinner!

I was holding Kingston in the kitchen this afternoon and he started pointing to the fruit bowl with the apples in it. I picked one up and handed it to him, just to see what he would do with it. He immediately put it in his mouth like he was going to take a big bite, as if he had always eaten apples that way! It cracked me up because I have always cut, cored and even peeled his apples for him. I rinsed it, took the first bite out of it and gave it back to him. I put him on the couch to enjoy his apple while I cooked dinner. At first it looked like he was just sucking on it but when I checked on him in a few minutes he had made some major progress.

Kingston ate the whole darn apple, and would have devoured the core, too, if I hadn't taken it away from him. And believe me, he was not happy to give it up!

Check it out.

Is he lounging, or what?! And is he filthy, or what? When I pick him up from day care he is always dirty and some days really, really dirty. Today was one of those days. I think he wallows in the sand. Oh, well. Nothing the tub and the washing machine can't take care of.

I love discovering new things Kingston can do that I never even thought he would be able to do. Makes those temper tantrums over silly stuff just a little more bearable, sometimes! My little boy is growing up!

Memorial Day Weekend '09!

Just real quick before we get this party started, please feast your eyes upon my sweet little boy who I wrote the last post about.

See what I mean? I think my mom is right. It's the Terrible 2's at 17 months. Luckily, or not, depending on how you want to look at it, he is pretty well behaved in public or at other people's houses. I guess he just saves the nastiness for me. Lucky, huh?

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So Memorial Day weekend. Here it is! So far so good. Tomorrow we plan to spend some time with Nana and Grandpa on their boat in Manteo. Should be a good time.

Yesterday we spent most of the day at the beach with the Breiholz families. It was a gorgeous day and we stayed out there for about 4 hours. Kingston may, or may not, get his physic from his mama. Look at that belly! I wear a tankini to cover mine, thankyouverymuch.

This kid is obsessed with the ocean. I cannot keep him out of it. Nigel surfed for a bit and when he came in, Kingston walked right out to meet him in the water. Nigel sat him on his board and let him float over some waves. Made me a little nervous, I will admit, but I know Nigel had a good hold on him! Kingston was loving it! His eyes were so excited and the grin on his face was priceless. Of course I didn't have the camera handy at that minute, since I had been chasing Kingston around and trying to keep him from going out in the water alone!

I swear he would just walk right out to sea if we let him. I swear it!

After a long day at the beach and then naps for everyone (gotta love that, huh?), we went to dinner at John's Drive-In. Now just let me tell you about John's. It is my all-time favorite place on the planet. It is. For lots of reasons. One of them being the Dolphin Boat, two being the milkshakes and ice cream, and a big one being the nostalgia and good memories John's has for me. When I was really little, my mom used to work there a few nights a week. I remember going to work with her and sitting in the tiny, super tiny, back room coloring in a coloring book until she got off work. Some nights she would bring us home "mistakes", too! We also used to go there a lot as a family, enjoying chocolate dipped cones, malted milkshakes and swirled soft serve ice cream. They post pictures of some families in the windows and there were pictures of us in there for many years.

During the day you can rarely find a parking spot and parking there is pretty much a cluster-funk. That has kept us from going very regularly over the years. That and the fact that they used to close really early but have now started staying open a little later. Last night we went at about 5:45 and it was perfect. We didn't have to jockey for a spot and our food was hot, fresh and ready in a flash. Oh, the sound of some disgruntled teenager, or Mona or Tina (who used to be the disgruntled teenagers who now own their own businesses elsewhere) yelling out your name from the window as you wait patiently at one of the brown painted picnic tables! Heaven.

And then there's the ice cream. Oh, the ice cream.

Man, I love John's. Can't tell, can you?

So today we had a ton of things we wanted to do. First on the list was Curren's 3rd birthday party! Kingston got all spiffed up and we hopped on our bikes and rode to the party.

The party was fun but while we were there it started raining. And didn't stop. For hours. Needless to say, we hitched a ride home instead of riding our bikes. We'll go back and pick those up tomorrow! Since it was pouring and Kingston was exhausted, we came home for naps (all of us, again!) and we cancelled all of our afternoon plans. We enjoyed a delicious dinner at the Red Drum Taphouse and then came home, gave Kingston a bath, put him to bed, ate some Cherry Garcia and now Nigel is asleep in his chair. We are so wild and crazy.

More holiday fun tomorrow, I'm sure.

Can I Be Frank?

Hi, I'm Frank.

Get it? I love that joke.

Anywho. . .

What I really love is my precious little boy. He is the cutest little thing I have ever seen in my whole life. His smile and giggles make my day and I love the way his eyes light up when he sees me after I've been gone for awhile. It makes me so proud when people tell me how cute he is or how well he behaves when we are out to eat. The way he says "pop" when you pull out a popsicle or lollypop is enough to melt anyone's heart!

But sometimes. . . He. Drives. Me. Crazy. Hi, I'm Frank, and I want to strangle my child. There. I said it. How does that 17 month old, 24ish pound child know exactly how to drive me crazy? He hangs on my leg. He whines/cries/fusses for hours (OK, maybe just minutes) on end. He freaks and has a temper tantrum, complete with collapsing on the floor, over every little thing. He refuses to eat or throws his sippy cup on the floor. He won't go to anyone else but me. He wants to stay in the car, stepping all over everything and pushing the hazard lights button over and over, for hours at a time. Which forces me to eventually have to drag him out of the car, literally kicking and screaming.

Basically, he is just a toddler. And, I am only human. But I just wanted to get it off my chest. You know, before I explode. Thanks for listening.

Wilmington Was Wonderful!

We had a really wonderful time in Wilmington this weekend for a wedding. We got there around 3:00 Saturday afternoon and readied ourselves for the wedding quickly. Don't be alarmed or disappointed because I wore the same dress to this wedding as I wore to the one last weekend. (Good thing a few of you liked it!) Luckily only a small child of 17 months and I are the only ones to witness it live and in person! Oh, and all of you know now, too. Just don't tell anyone, OK?

We got to hang out with a bunch of friends that we don't see on a regular basis, and a few that we see frequently. I also got to meet some of the guys that were in Nicaragua with Nigel and can now put a face with a name with a funny story! Some of the friends were more intoxicated than usual and one in particular has been sober now for nearly a year and counting (Super proud of you, friend!). Oh, the laughs we had. I had forgotten how funny and entertaining these boys are!

Nigel, Kingston, Billy, Kyle (the groom), Matt, Jeff

Uncle Billy saying, "Kingston. Do as I say, not as I do." Kingston saying, "Mom, are you sure this isn't just some drunk homeless guy?" Love you Uncle Billy!

Kingston on one of our many jaunts around the reception. You see, kids weren't really invited to this wedding. In fact, other than the 3 kids that were in the wedding, Kingston was the only one who wasn't invited but was there. Oops. I may be a bit biased, but I think he behaved marvelously and hung tight until 10:00. I was quite proud.

Me and my date! I like to think that my arm isn't really that big, it is just the lighting. Or the angle. Or an optical illusion. Whatever. My date was hot.

Kingston and Dad checking out the girls on the dance floor.

Hilarious friends (and identical twins) Jason and John. Or is it John and Jason? Oh, crap. I can never get it right.

On Sunday morning we went to John's house to make sure everyone had survived the night hang out with the boys. When we arrived it was pouring rain. Crazy pouring rain. Nigel had some work to do with the boys on something coming up on the internet about his trip to Nicaragua (more on that at a later date) and Kingston's chirpy voice was not requested in the background of the audio. Since the rain had stopped we went outside. Where there is rain, there are puddles. And where there are puddles, Kingston gets in 'em! I stripped him down and let him have at it!













Later in the afternoon (it was raining AGAIN) we went for a swim in the indoor pool at our hotel. Kingston loved it! He is a little waterbug!

Take 1! Picture of some of the friends out to dinner with us at Tower 7 (yum!). Oh, wait. Two of the boys are making frog faces? And the baby isn't one of them? OK.

Take 2! Much better. Silly boys. Kingston, Nigel, Matt, John (I'm sure this one is John. Er, I think I'm sure. No, I'm definitely sure.), Justin.





This is Kingston after falling asleep in the car, being carried into the hotel, up to the 3rd floor, and plopped on the bed. I managed to fully undress him, put his PJ's on and get him in his Pack n' Play without waking him up. The dude was tired!




As a reward for being such a good boy, I actually put money in the truck in the mall this morning. He got his first real ride on one of the kiddie rides! From here on out I'm sure they will be "Out of Order" (right, Mom?) but I thought he deserved some fun!

So we are home now, safe and sound. Kingston was such a good traveller. He didn't even fuss a bit the entire ride home this afternoon. We made a pit stop at a Burger King and let him play in the indoor play area, which may have been his favorite part of the entire trip! We arrived home about 7:00, ate a quick dinner, gave Kingston a bath and put him to bed. Nige and I aren't too far behind! What is it about travelling that takes it out of you?

Back to work tomorrow. Good times with good friends. Really, really, really funny friends. Thanks for the laughs! (Who am I kidding! None of them read my blog!)

Oh, and congratulations Kyle and Lisa Jordan! Your wedding was beautiful and were are so glad we got to be a part of it. Good times, good times!

See Ya Later!

The Family Haynes is taking this show on the road! We are going to Wilmington for the weekend to a friend's wedding. We are leaving tomorrow morning and staying until Monday. It should be a good time if we can get our act together before 9 tomorrow morning, which is our estimated departure time. Wish us luck. There is still a ton to do before we go.

Make phone calls. . . .

Stop and smell the flowers. . .

And just look really cute in general.

See ya when we see ya!

Pasta. It's What's for Dinner

I made a yummy pasta for dinner tonight. It was similar to the one I whipped up for my friends while I was in Charlotte, but with one small addition, and one thing I forgot. Bacon. And goat cheese. Respectively.

Sound good so far?

Here's how it goes: Boil penne pasta (preferably whole wheat or mulitgrain) until al dente. Toast pine nuts in a little bit of butter. Cook diced pancetta (Italian bacon) in large pan. Remove and drain. Saute garlic and spinach in olive oil in same pan. Add pine nuts, bacon, pasta and one jar of julienned sundried tomatoes and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Top with goat cheese. Done.

Yum. No pictures. Sorry. And this from the girl who loves to read cookbooks, but only if they have lots of pictures!

That's what we had for dinner. Minus the goat cheese. I forgot it, which is really OK, since Nigel doesn't like it anyway. We used Parmesan cheese instead. It was a good substitute.

Crazy Kid

Kingston and I just got in from a visit with my friend Nicole. She has been practicing her cappuccino-making skills and wanted to make one for me. Yum! I think she is doing a great job. I'm all about sampling some experimental cooking. Keep that in mind, folks. I'm not too cool to be a food/drink guinea pig!


I had a great time chatting with Nicole while Kingston roamed the living room, watched the Backyardigans and played with Nicole's nieces' toys. Oh, and he tried to drink from the dog's bowl. Face first. What? That's a new one. He would get on his hands and knees and just barely put his lips in the water before I would drag him away from it, literally kicking and screaming.

Strange kid.

Happy Mother's Day!

To my mom, Happy Mother's Day. You are the best. For your present, I will post a bunch of new pictures of Kingston. That's a good gift, right? I knew you would love it.




Mom got Kingston new shoes to wear to the wedding on Saturday. He tried them on sans pants and they fit just right! Well, maybe they were a bit big but he only ended up tripping over them a few hundred times.




Before we left for the wedding (Amber, Nigel's cousin got married), Kingston looked really spiffy.





After the hour and a half in the car he was a bit rumpled but still lookin' good! His shirt only stayed tucked in long enough to get into the church but that was OK, too!





Not the best picture of us, but the only one we took. Or had taken. However you want to look at it.






The reception was tons of fun. Kingston was such a good boy. He especially liked Nigel's cousin, Jessica's little girl, Leah. She could crack him up like no one else!




We didn't get home until 11:45 last night but we had a good time. I was almost still up when Nigel got home from his trip. Well, not exactly almost, since he got in at 4 a.m., but I was up later than I have been in a long time!



We are so happy to have Dad home! He is pretty worn out from his travels but he did manage to take us to the beach for a bit this afternoon. Our first family beach day of the year! The water was cold but Kingston really doesn't care. He walks right to the water and would walk right out to sea if you would let him.







We discovered a new trick that Kingston has added to his bag of tricks. He has figured out how to get into the bath tub all by himself. Sounds pretty harmless except for when he climbs in right after you have put him in his clean jammies, which you have put on him right after he has gotten out of the tub. The tub is still wet, you know? Oh, well. It's just water. And another pair of jammies.




Overall, a good weekend. And a great Mother's Day, thanks to my sweet family.

Did you like your pictures, Mom? Happy Mother's Day to the most Motherly Mom on the planet. Now, try to keep the sappy comment to a minimum ;) !