blessed art thou

as we've now decided to record our travels, we can't help but feel a little regret that we didn't start this journal-of-sorts earlier. after all, it has been a whirlwind of growth and change since december 29th, 2006. so here is a brief photographic synopsis of where we have been and how we have lived........

catskill mountains, connecticut

honeymoon, january 2007

lawrence, kansas

summer 2007

ozark mountains, arkansas

fourth of july weekend 2007

clarksville, tennessee

august 2007 - december 2007

big lake, minnesota

forever

a wild goose who flys with the moon on his wings

teddy had a week of merriment and adventure on his first extended trip away from home! when we sing about our favorite things tonight there will be a few additions... :)

ryan works for a company that is based in appleton, wisconsin and although he works primarily in the field, once in awhile he goes to appleton for training, certifications, or simply to help out in the fabrication shop. last week teddy and i decided to fly out and stay with him while he did a little work there. although it is always easier to simply stay home with our little bear cub, sometimes it is nice to leave the old toys behind and create a new playroom. appleton was great because we were able to stay at a big resort. we appreciated its ability accommodate our desire for two separate bedroom spaces. a seven month old has distinct needs and having a quiet place for him to sleep is top priority. rest was particularly important during this week of many firsts. first time on a airplane, first time in a pool, first week eating out regularly...he did wonderfully. he is such a studious little guy who loves people. content much of the time to simply sit back and take in all that is around him.

our favorite part of the week was watching teddy play in the kiddie pool! he was completely giddy by all the water...nearly hyperventilating as he tried to get in as quickly as possible! ryan and i had said a few days earlier that we needed to get him a big ol' bouncy ball! you know the plastic ones you tried to knock out of the tall, wire cage at kmart when you were a kid. every baby needs a ball...what if "ball" is destined to be his first word, what if it is the secret to creating a crawler...anyway i'm getting off track... so we were so excited to see a whole basket full of balls at the pool. perfect! teddy loved them and although he didn't leave the pool and crawl back to our suite, the floating balls did encourage enough flapping arms and kicking legs that i swear it looked an awful lot like swimming!


the week was great for so many reasons. i like that i can now picture ryan's company a little clearer, it is nice that we found a great place to stay if teddy and i ever decide to tag along again, i am now reassured that teddy could make the aviation adventure required to go see a godmother in seattle or fantastic auntie in tennessee, but most importantly it was great because teddy liked it. he liked the pool. he liked his colorful bedroom. he liked being with his daddy. and at the end of the day that is all that matters.