Strawberry Picking

Mike and I hadn't been strawberry picking together since "Round 1" when we were visiting friends in Seattle back in 2007. We'd talked about going earlier in the week, but the field was closed when we arrived so we had a "redo" and went on Saturday while my sweet aunt watched Isaac.

Isaac and his babysitter

The weather was beautiful and the berries were ripe for the picking. At $8 a bucket, they couldn't get much cheaper, either. We went to a local strawberry farm and soaked in the sun while we plucked the berries from their plants.

There's something so satisfying about hearing the sound of a perfectly ripe strawberry as it pops off the stem.

Pop, pop, pop...

Holding his empty bucket and ready to get started!

It was SO bright!

Getting there...

A perfect strawberry and really handsome guy!

Posing with our full buckets.

Couch Time with Isaac

This was taken after our morning routine of reading some books. Isaac was being silly with the camera as he watched himself. Be prepared for giggles, lip smacking (that's his new "thing"), talking, giggles and more giggles.

Our Meteor Shower Experience

Isaac woke me at 3:15 this morning and when he was done eating it was then I read about the meteor shower supposedly peaking at that time (2-4 AM EST). Isaac was back in bed so I walked outside to check out the shower. It was brilliant!! There were meteors falling all over in shorts bursts and they were as bright as planes. It was like no shower I had seen before. I watched for about thirty seconds and decided it was a show that Mike needed to see. I went back in the house and woke him.

"Mike!! There is a meteor shower outside and it's awesome. You should come see it. The meteors are like planes they are so bright and they are falling all around us!" 

Groggily he woke and he came outside with me. We sat in chairs on the porch and looked to the sky. Immediately, they were flashing.

"Look!" I pointed in the direction I saw one. "Did you see that one!?" I was so excited. How lucky were we to wake up and see this?

Mike paused. "That was a lightning bug."

Psh. I countered. "No, it was a meteor." 

We sat another thirty seconds and I saw another one. "How about that one? Did you see it?!"

"That was another lightning bug." 

It was then I realized two things. I really need new glasses and I had just woken my husband from a dead sleep to come watch bugs.

We sat there another 15 minutes staring into space and actually saw a really big meteor and two smaller ones (and tons more lightning bugs!). So, it wasn't for nothing. Additionally, it gave us something silly to laugh about.

On another plus side, regardless of cloud coverage, if I want to see another shower, I just have to put on my glasses and go outside again tonight!

 

Blow Your Block Off: An Isaac Video

When my sister and I were little, our dad would play a game dubbed "Knock Your Block Off" with us. It involved us as babies sitting up and dad taking the palm of his hand and gently pushing on our foreheads just enough to push us over until we fell backwards. As babies, my sister and I liked the game so much that we even started to anticipate when dad would put his palm on our heads. We'd beat him to it as we'd fall backwards on our own accord when he was an inch or two from our heads. This was a fun game for us as babies that was captured on video and played later for us as adults.

Mike has done something very similar to "Knock Your Block Off" and I present it below. It's called "Blow Your Block Off."

Adventures in Miami

Isaac had tackled road trips in previous months, going to DC and SC a few times. But this month, we leveled up (literally) and Isaac went on his first plane ride(s)! He took a total of four flights as he traveled from Raleigh, NC, to Miami, FL. For the most part, he did really well, especially considering he had a cold and his ears were likely giving him trouble. He was a trooper, however, and didn't seem too bothered by them and, therefore, neither did the passengers around us.
On three of the four of his flights, he had googly-eyed men surrounding him that would turn in their seats to make faces and silly noises at Isaac in order to make him laugh. I don't know who was more entertained by their antics: Isaac or me. Isaac responded with his usual pleasantness and in full giggles at one point for a guy making farting noises at him (insert joke about men never being too old or young to enjoy farting noises).

Isaac with all of the luggage

At the airport and waiting to check-in

With the Captain and getting his set of wings

We traveled with Mike's parents and my mom and the six of us stayed at a condo owned by Mike's bosses. It is a beautiful place with one amenity that Isaac and I took full advantage of: a pool! Isaac swam in a pool for the first time and really seemed to enjoy it.

Here are some pictures of the family enjoying the view from inside the 35th-floor condo.

We also went to the beach one day. We took in the views of the waves and also the lighthouse that was on the shore.

It was an incredible trip full of "firsts" for Isaac and others of us on the adventure. It was nice to get away, but also wonderful to come home.