Phoenix...Where Are You????

Phoenix hiding is an everyday occurrence! This kid loves to hide and freak me out when I can't find him. Yesterday I put him in his room (with the baby gate up) while I went downstairs to put a load of laundry on. When I came back Phoenix was no where to be found in his room. I hopped over the gate and immediately went to look under the bed, NO PHOENIX!!! Surely this child had not gotten out of the gate...

I continue to look and finally decide to look in the closet. I opened up the closet door and the below picture is what I saw...I quickly went to get the camera while still pretending like I didn't know where he was...I sat down on the floor in front of the closet and started snapping pictures...he thought it was so funny that it took Mommy so long to find him!





He is so silly & always does the funniest things. I am so glad I have the camera near by to capture it all!!!

He has been continuing to do great in his big boy bed. The other night around 3:00AM I heard a thump in his room and figured he probably fell out of his bed, I went in to look and Phoenix was gone, I didn't see him anywhere. Finally I saw a foot emerge from underneath the toddler bed dust ruffle. He had somehow rolled off the bed and then rolled under the bed and gone back to sleep. I had a good laugh and got him out and put him back in the bed...OH WHAT A SILLY BOY!!!

It's a...

Wendy and I went in to see her doctor this morning for another ultrasound. This was the day - the moment we found out if Baby #2 is a boy or a girl. For weeks we polled friends and family to get their predictions and we found out that everyone has their system. Some people asked Wendy what she has been craving. Others (like my mom) looked at her complexion. Some based their prediction on how she seemed to be carrying the baby and a few asked about the growth of her leg hair (don't ask me). I've heard of many different methods for predicting the sex of a baby, but ultimately it's a 50-50 shot. I had been predicting girl for a while. Just a gut feeling.

We arrived at the hospital for our 9:30 appointment. The office was crowded, but they seemed to get us in pretty quickly. The ultrasound tech immediately took us back into one of the exam rooms where she plopped a pile of goo onto Wendy's stomach and then went to work with her magic sonogram wand.

The baby was really moving around today and everything looked healthy and normal. It took a while for the technician to determine the gender, but we were surprised to learn that we are having another boy. A majority of people had guessed girl, but I'm so happy to be the father of two sons. Our family is extremely blessed.

Waterworld

Yesterday marked another incredible afternoon out on Smith Lake. Wendy and I took Phoenix up to my parents lakehouse for skiing, swimming, and boating. My parents drove up on Friday, and two friends (Ashleigh and Kam) also joined us.

We arrived mid-morning and I immediately hopped onto my dad's ski boat for a little wakeboarding. Then, Kam got behind the steering wheel and pulled my dad and me on the kneeboards. Dad had just purchased a new kneeboard and I was excited to try it out. The new board is a little lighter, shorter, and more narrow than the board I'm used to, but jumping the wake felt a lot easier. The board was more stable and the landings were smoother. Meanwhile, mom and Wendy were at the house watching Phoenix as he explored the grounds.

Following lunch, we got Phoenix dressed for an afternoon on the boat. Kam and Ashleigh have a wonderful boat. It seats more people than my dad's old ski boat, and it boasts a canopy that keeps riders in the shade while cruising the water. This was great for Phoenix. He was able to enjoy the ride and stay out of the sun.





Their boat also features bow seating, so Phoenix enjoyed walking back and forth from the stern to the bow (that's back to front for you land-lovers). Some friends from church own a condo at Silverock Cove so we stopped there for a little while to visit. It also gave Phoenix the chance to jump in the water with me and swim. He absolutely loves the water and to see his face light up when he's lowered into the water into my waiting arms is a pretty awesome sight.

We dropped Wendy, Phoenix and Ashleigh back at the house, leaving me, dad, and Kam with an opportunity to ride Big Mable, a large inflatable ride that dad purchased last summer. The riders of this thing are at the mercy of the driver as they try to hang on for dear life while the ride bounces across the water from one side of the wake to the other. When the boat turns sharply, Big Mable is shot out to one side of the boat with centrifugal forces that compete with NASA's astronaut training program.



Dad and I were the poor suckers who fell victim to Big Mable's siren call and decided to put our lives in the hands of Kam, our fearless boat driver. With speeds that easily exceeded 30mph, dad and I hunkered down, gripped the handles, and prayed for daylight. Unfortunately, the water gods were not on our side. As Big Mable slung out hard to the left we flew right into the waves of a boat that had just passed. Dad was the first casualty. The bouncing of the waves threw him clear off the back of the ride. Knowing I could do nothing for my brave comrade, I held on with the tenacity of an action film hero dangling from the top of the San Francisco Bay Bridge. My mere mortal grip was no match, however, for the turbulence of the angry waves. I felt my body shift precariously closer to the water. And in the blink of an eye, I was into the abyss. My memory is foggy for the next few moments, but let's just say my body felt like a beat-up doggy chew toy that had just been slung from the canine's mouth.

When I finally came to rest, I don't know that I could have told you my name. I have never hit the water with so much force in all my life. Plus, the shock of hitting the water with such speed caused me to inhale, which meant that I sucked down a lot of water. I came up hacking and coughing, and my back felt horrible. My entire upper spine had cracked like I had just seen the chiropractor from hell. I thanked God that I could still feel my extremities.

And after about a 20 minute break, I was back in the saddle. It was a great day.