A little boy's work is never done...

For a while now, Dominic has had a bit of a fascination with the vacuum cleaner. First, he just started following us around whenever we would take it out. Then, he graduated to taking one of his push toys and wheeling that around and making the back and forth motion that you would with a vacuum, doing his fair share while we took care of the real thing. Finally, I decided to buy a toy one for him. I found this Dirt Devil one that actually turns on and make a vacuum noise and apparently also does actually do some sucking. There's even a dust buster that pops in and out. Dominic now happily cleans the house every day. You'll see by the pictures that even gets the tough spots like under the couch. He also moves the kitchen chairs at both the table and the island to make sure he can get everything all clean. Of course, when Vinny took the real one out yesterday morning, Dominic went running for his yelling, "Dominic too, Dominic too" and got right to work! Now, if only he was big enough to maneuver the real one for us! I guess we'll see how long before he realizes that it's more work than it is fun...

The Walking Crew

This picture was actually taken about two months ago, but it's still very relevant. Our little walking crew has been together for quite a while now - well over a year, possibly almost two. We try to walk about two times a week together to get a little bit of exercise and fresh air in the evenings. It's fun how it has all evolved since the inception and the different stages we go through. Morgan is the newest member of the group. Dominic and Ella now have little mini-conversations and mimic each other throughout the ride, as opposed to when we started and Dominic was just an infant. We're always gauging whether it's too hot, too cold or too rainy to walk, but luckily, I don't think we've ever gone more than a week without squeezing a walk in. Thanks, Colleen and Laurie, for adding some fun to the week for Dominic and I!

Fun with Treyton

Dominic has been playing with a new friend named Treyton for a while now. They are just a couple of days apart and get along really well. Plus, us Moms have a great time chatting it up when we get them together. It's been a lot of fun to see the progression of their friendship as they get older and how they are starting to play together instead of just two kids playing in the same room but separately. This weekend Dominic and I were over the McMahon's house for a visit and over lunch the two boys were actually talking to each other and even made up their own little game in their "conversation." It was really fun to watch! Here's a picture of the two little cuties.

Car Shopping

We took advantage of the fact that Vinny got rained out from work yesterday afternoon to start doing some car shopping as we've decided that it's time to replace our little car with a more family friendly version. As you can see, Dominic made himself right at home at the dealership. He was SO proud of himself for figuring out how to open the automatic doors. He thought it was even better when the salesman showed exactly where the sensor was so he could really work it exactly how he wanted. He liked it so much, it was actually a bit difficult trying to leave and tear him away from all of the fun. Lucky for him, we didn't buy anything yet, so he'll probably have a chance to do it all over again.

Our little Chef

This past weekend, we finally bought Dominic some "kitchen" toys of his own. No matter where we go, if there is a play kitchen or toy food, he always gravitates towards them. We had to make a stop at the toy store this weekend, so it was a great excuse to get some play food for him to take home. He was very polite in cooking Mommy some delicious meals and putting ketchup on Daddy's hot dog for him. He made all the right yummy noises after sampling his own creations. He was also very careful about putting the correct lid on each pot and being sure to check on the food as it was cooking to see if it was ready yet. Seeing Dominic use his imagination is just so much fun and I can't drink up enough of it! Maybe for his birthday he'll get a new kitchen to play with his food in...

Noah's Landing

It's taken me a little while to get these pictures up, but, a few weekends ago, Dominic and I got to visit Noah's Landing with Uncle Vinny, Aunt Maria and Vincent. I guess I would call it an animal preserve. They had all different kinds of animals, some pretty exotic. Similar to what you would see at a zoo, but it was much smaller than a zoo. And, as you can see, we were able to get very close up to most of the animals. It was a super hot day, but the boys still seemed to really enjoy themselves. There was even a monkey who took a liking to Uncle Vinny and a pig who most definitely enjoyed the Goldfish crackers that Dominic left on the ground for him.

A Message from Grandpa

When Grandpa learned about Dominic's fascination with his shadow, he sent me this poem. His Mom used to read it to him when he was a little boy and had the same interest. We'll be adding it to Dominic's bedtime reading....So, I guess in this case we can say, "like Grandfather, like Grandson."

MY SHADOW

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow--
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometimes shoots up taller like an india-rubber ball,
And he sometimes goes so little that there's none of him at all.

He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way.
He stays so close behind me, he's a coward you can see;
I'd think shame to stick to nursie as that shadow sticks to me!

One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.

Robert Lewis Stevenson

A little piece of home...

I just could not resist putting this great shot that Vinny got of Dominic this morning up here. I'm in Boston for work and missing my two guys back home. Vinny sent me this photo and of course, I melted! My handsome little guy...

Changes...

Dear Dominic,
Starting tomorrow, things are going to be changing around here. Please know that I always have you in mind and in heart with everything that I do. I will miss you terribly when I am not with you and know that what seemed to be a terrible situation six months ago turned out to be a wonderful gift. I enjoyed being home with you very much. We made a lot of memories and had even more fun. You have become such an amazing little boy and I will cherish the fact that I was able to be right there for so much of it. I know that you will adjust to our new schedule much faster than Mommy and will go on growing and taking in everything that life has to offer you each day. I know that I'll never love being apart from you, but over time, I'm sure I will adjust too. I am lucky to be able to leave you with the best person of all, your Daddy. Together, you two will make great memories and have even more fun!

I love you as much as any Mommy can love their Son and am hopeful that this new adventure will make our family even better and stronger!
Mommy

Tucker Lake

Our last destination of the week was Benson, NC. Tucker Lake is a place that Vinny and I had passed numerous times, but never had the chance to visit. We originally thought about going to the beach yesterday, but since the drive was shorter and we thought Dominic might enjoy being in the water without the crashing waves, we decided to give Tucker Lake a shot. It was definitely a great decision. The water was warm and Dominic ran right in all by himself. There was plenty to do there for all three of us. Dominic had fun swimming and building sand castles with Daddy. Vinny and I got to try out the high jump over the water and Vinny also went on a very big water slide. There was even a mini polar bear slide for kids Dominic's size. We are definitely looking forward to going back again soon!

Play Nation!

Today, with the forecast of rain, we stayed local at an indoor playground called Play Nation. Dominic was able to get plenty of energy out playing, climbing and sliding. I had taken him here in February and it was so amazing to see the difference between now and then. He was able to do so much on his own and I will tell you that this little boy is FEARLESS! He definitely has no issues with heights of any kind. All three of us really enjoyed it and finished off the outing with some lunch and a little shopping before we all came home and took naps to recover. Another family fun day!

North Carolina Zoo

With this being my last week home before I start my new job, we decided to have a little "stay-cation" and do some day trips throughout the week. On Monday, we spent the day at the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. It was a hot day, but with the shaded areas and indoor exhibits, we did just fine. It's a pretty big zoo, but we were able to do the whole thing in one day thanks to our trusty tour-guide, Daddy, who kept us on course. We saw plenty of animals from both North America and Africa. Dominic even got a special treat of a 3D adventure movie with Dora and Diego, two of his favorite TV characters. There was also a really neat playground that looked like you were visiting someone's vegetable garden and felt like a scene from "Honey, I shrunk the Kids." It made for a perfect break towards the end of the day. We were so glad that the zoo is only about an hour and half away so that we can continue to go back year after year.