Happy 4th of July!!

Fender's traditional pose by the flag this morning (2009).

(2008)


(2007)


Well, Happy 4th of July to everyone on this side of the pond! We've had the day to ourselves so Fen and I went to the grocery store this morning then came back and I fixed A-1 cheeseburgers and chips for all three of us for lunch. Dee-lish! It is 100 degrees F. outside so we had Popsicles in the heat then came back inside. I have plans to bake apple pie this evening to serve with a bit of ice cream, of course. This has become one of our traditions as well. I don't bake it from scratch mind you. I did once, but once was enough. I figure Mrs. Smith has a pretty awesome recipe, why re-invent the wheel? :) We'll also probably drive down and watch the town fireworks this evening.

I have neglected to update on Fender's growth activities much, but for his book...here goes. In terms of speech, he has always been fairly clear and proper, so it is odd when you ask him a question now, he responds with "cousin I" as in "because I." So I'm currently trying to correct this lazy response. Another improper word in his vocabulary is girl. Instead...we girls are "grills." That one I don't mind so much. I figure he'll perfect that one soon enough. And we've officially hit the fun "why" stage. Everything is "Why this, Why that?" And if you give a response then it is "Why?" all over again. If I ever tell him I don't know the answer, instead of "Why?" he says..."Mamma, you do too know!" And on we continue.

It is also neat to see how he pretends now when he plays. It began a couple of months back when he started to take his toys and talk to them. But now he will take more than one toy and they talk to each other and they talk to him. Plus with his imagination his toys can be and do anything now. Lots of fun to see.

Oh...and I almost forgot to mention...his favorite meal at the moment is an egg, cheese, and jalapeno jelly sandwich. No kidding! He specifically asked for this combination out of the blue and has been eating it for about two weeks now! As for the jalapeno jelly...it is homemade and surprisingly good...a sweet flavor...and this is coming from someone who doesn't care for jalapenos or jelly! Either way...I don't think I'd ever personally try it with an egg and cheese sandwich! To each his own, eh Fender?

Here are a few pics from the first few days of July.

I tried to prepare fresh coconut for Fender's Hawaiian party at school. Never again. Anything that takes a hammer and chisel just to cut in half is not my cup of tea. We had fun trying though.