Salisbury Beach

Yesterday we spent the morning at Salisbury Beach, about an hour's drive north of our house. The day was perfect for the beach--a bit overcast and foggy in the morning and getting warm and sunny just as we were about to leave. That meant the sand was not too hot, and we didn't have to squint too much to see the boats on the horizon and the waves crashing. Davy's just at the right age to begin to have fun at the beach, too. He doesn't put things in his mouth much anymore, knows about sand boxes, and fearless (while holding mom's or dad's hand) about the water.


Getting right down to business with the sand toys.


He did not want to turn around to have a picture taken. The ocean was so distracting and fun.


Building a tunnel with Dad. He was pretty good at patting the sand into place.


Sitting still for two seconds while eating lunch. Wow, I love that cute, pudgy foot!

Jackpot!

We hit several "jackpots" this week after returning home. First, Davy learned how to put train tracks together himself, making more independent play time (=more Mommy work/project/sit on the couch in front of the air conditioner time). I actually helped him put together the oval in the picture above, but he sat inside all by himself. The train tracks he puts together on his own are long, rambling creations.


Second treasure: on trash day we were walking with Collin down to the bus stop when we spotted a toy car and a hose. We rescued them from a sad fate and brought them home for a bath (the car needed it and the hose provided it) and some great play time. Davy thought the car wash was the coolest thing ever and got soaked along with the car. Then he started to soap everything in sight, including his wagon and his hair. Didn't get pictures of those--I was too busy trying to put everything away and dry up. Oh well.

Keeping Cool

To escape the heat (dry heat, thank goodness, but still heat) Davy waded illegally in a reflecting pond at Nielson's Grove Park, just down the street from my parents' house. We brought along a boat and a rubber duck from the bath tub toys, tied strings to them, and tossed them in the water. But it wasn't quite cool enough for Davy, who climbed right into the big "pool."



Davy's funny fish face, about to throw the beach ball.


Nana had to check the sprinkler heads one afternoon, so Davy had fun running in the sprinklers and trying to get a drink from their spray.



Love the Speedo look . . .

Party at the Grandparents'

We had an impromptu party at my grandparents' house to see my cousin, Aubrey and her kids, and my aunt Sarah. Some other bonus guests popped by as well, which was extra nice. We let the kids play in the fantastic toy room and visited mostly uninterrupted. Then we had a great lunch and played some more. Davy and his second cousin, Tyler, both liked the vehicles best--match box cars and Thomas-type trains. This made for pretty compatable "parallel play" as there were plenty of toys to go around. I hope that Davy is giving a gentle pat in the picture below . . .

We also tried out the hot wheels jeep, but the battery was pretty low. So Luke was a great uncle and pushed Davy around the driveway.

As part of our "Dollahite Family Reunion" my mom pulled out the old family videos (actual VHS, if you can imagine! We really need to transfer to DVD!) and watched ourselves as kids. One of my favorites is a video of a play, Cinderella, that I directed (bossed) and my cousin Aubrey was the wicked stepmother in a fancy red dress. It's amazing to think that not long ago we were little girls playing with the same toys (well, not the match box cars) that our little boys are now. Time flies and we all grow up way too fast!

Chips, Cars, and Carts

At our last picnic with the Meyers Davy discovered chips. He carried around that mostly-empty bag for at least ten minutes. I think he had had some fruit before, so his dinner wasn't as unbalanced as you might think!

Our neighbor let Davy borrow this car for the remainder of our stay at my parents' house. He was quite enamored and possessive of it. When my brother Jonathan (a lanky 12 year old) tried to climb into the car for a joke Davy yelled at him, "No, not. My car!" I was so proud of his so-far longest communication (that we can understand).


I just love that toddler squat.

Silly goose. That shopping cart may look familiar to some of you. We've had that since I was little! There are some toys that transcend the generations.

Discovery Museum

Saturday morning of the Meyer's family reunion the big kids (including Collin and his siblings) went up to Snowbird for some high adventure fun. Jessica, Evan, Davy and I went to the Gateway Discovery Museum for some toddler fun. Davy and his cousin were so cute--still not playing together, precisely, but observing each other and enjoying the same toys and games.


Making music. Or just banging.


I'm off to put out the fire!


A little help, please? I wonder if this ever happened to Fred Flinstone . . .


So who's really driving here?


The water area was a big hit with the boys. Davy even wore the bib without complaint, since he was so distracted with the water toys.


The helicopter was so cool! Davy went over all by himself to the place where dress-ups were displayed and chose a vest and hat to wear. Then the boys wanted to press all the buttons in the cockpit.


And the fun didn't stop when we left the museum! We walked over to the splash park in the center of the Gateway mall, and though the fountains made the boys a bit nervous, I at least had fun watching the "show" where all the sprinklers are set to music--kind of like a Disneyland fireworks show. Then the car ride back to the hotel was fun because the cousins had their car seats right next to each other and could entertain one another.

This is the Place

Part of the Meyer's family reunion was spending some time at Heritage Park. We had a great time walking and talking as a family. Davy rode on the new train with his aunts while we admired the beautiful view the pioneers first saw on entering the valley.



Aunt Jenna shared her "play dough" ice cream cone with Davy (as is obvious from those shining eyes) became an instant favorite.



Sorry, Garrett, for the unflattering pictures. But thank you for being the most fun jungle gym ever!

Park and Picnic

Collin's family came up last weekend from California for the Meyer's family reunion. We (the Dollahites and the Massachusetts Lambournes) got to spend the evening with them playing in the park and eating KFC. Here's some of our fun, starring Davy:


My youngest brother Luke is so good with Davy. The crazy thing is that I remember with Luke was Davy's age and I know that in just a few blinks Davy will be as grown up as Luke is now.



We have a watermelon fiend on our hands. I think this baby could eat nothing but watermelon the whole summer and be happy.



What would a party with the Lambourne family be without some V-ball? We used some beach balls to even out the play--so then no one had control of the ball!

At the Barn

Above is my new favorite picture of Davy. We so rarely get a smile--never mind a straight on grin--on camera anymore. He moves too fast and is too busy to hold still for a snapshot these days, so this one is a real treasure!


My brother Spencer is going on a high-adventure scout camp this week and to prepare for the riding portion the scouts wanted to be around some horses. We called up my childhood friend and asked if she could do us a favor in return for the scouts doing some stall mucking. Luckily she was happy to help and we got a fun field trip to the barn!


I loved being at the barn again--seeing my Tess (whom I had to sell when we moved to Boston), seeing an absolute twin of my old horse Abu, smelling the good smell of horses, petting their soft muzzles, driving a tractor, climbing on fences, chasing chickens, etc.


Next time we visit Utah I am not going to be pregnant. Then I can actually ride!