May is rushing past! Life with a 4 month old tends to make life go by at a faster pace. Charlotte and Forrest continue to do so well. Forrest is almost done with his first year at the Peoria Montessori school. His wonderful teachers, Mrs. Shimmin and Mrs. Toro have been amazing. Forrest has grown so much in the past 9 months.
At the end of April, Grandma Grogg had her 80th Birthday Party. It was a dress up affair in Morton IL. Forrest had a ton of fun playing with his cousin Ava. Those two are fast friends. It has been funny to watch the dynamic change. When Forrest was an infant and then toddler, Ava wouldn't leave him for a second. She always wanted to mother him, hold him, or corral him. Now it seems she has moved on, but it is Forrest always dogging at her heels.
Charlotte got to meet her Great Great uncle Don. She was less than Thrilled, which I suppose isn't surprising. Stranger danger and all that. Still, this picture is precious to me. Don has such a special place in my heart. He is, for me, the eternal symbol of summer - as that was always when he was around. If something needed fixed up North -Don could do it. If you wanted to learn how to ski -Don could help. Don wears an ever present smile, has an amazing faith, and is full of love.
Forrest has also taken to his legos with a new vigor. In this way, at least, he seems to be taking after me. His favorite thing to build are "houses". These large, often rambling structures often more closely resemble towers. But hey, they're his legos he can call it whatever he wants.
I am not home as much as I would like. I would guess that most working Fathers feel that way. Even if I only worked 1 hour a week, I'd probably feel that way. But when I am, I try to make the most of it. Balancing a 3 year old's need for attention with a 4-month old's requirement of attention can be tough. I do my best.
That isn't to say that work is all bad. I have my fun where I can find it. The furry friend over my left shoulder there was a find at a local physician's office. I managed to snap that pic to send to Forrest. Not sure what he thought of that. And on team-day, I took advantage of the opportunity to remember my Grandfather. The white "Prairie State Games" shirt was his when he worked on staff there. The games no longer exist, but the shirt lives on.
The rest of May is looking up. The weather has improved and continues to improve. For the first time this year the forecast for the next 7 days is nothing but 70 degrees or higher. Great walking weather. Even at work I try to get my steps in when I can. Even managed to hike it down to Mike's Place in Lacon one day over lunch.
There are some interesting folks in Lacon IL. Still, it was delicious. How can you say no to a restaurant that has BEEF in it's phone number?
Stay healthy :)
