Happy birthday to John!!!

Since we're going to the beach so much, we decided to get Joan a bathing suit, so other parents don't giggle at her swollen diaper. Isn't she cute? I love the cabbage patch doll face.

John's favourite pastime - digging at the beach

John, running away from us, when we announced it was time to head home.

These photos were taken Saturday, at Valens, the ickyist beach we've ever been to. It was crazy hot yesterday, so Mike wanted to cool off in the lake. We didn't want to drive to Long Point, so we tried one of the Lake Ontario beaches. The water was c-c-c-c-c-c-c-cold!!!!!! Too cold for swimming, anyway. So we headed to one of the conservation areas that rents canoes to check out the scenery while we cooled off in the water. Well, it was a bigger lake, so we're going to go canoeing there next time, but never again for swimming! Blech! It's actually a swamp, so they have a walled-off section for swimming, with a man-made beach. Inside the wall is apparently chlorinated. But the place was teeming with...something. I don't even want to think about what was scuttling across my feet and nipping my legs. And I couldn't even say anything, because John is finally getting over his fear of crabs. Mike thinks it was fish, because they were bumping him, too. But fish don't scuttle along feet. Or do they?

Regardless, John had a blast, and that's all that counts. We had gotten him a little inflatable boat last year, where he can stick his legs out the bottom, to help him overcome his fear of the water. He wound up developing a fear of the boat as well. We brought it out again recently for Joan, but she's too small for it. But John thinks it's awesome to have his own little boat, so we let him use it yesterday. I wish I had a picture, but I didn't want to bring out a camera, then leave it unattended in the bag while I swam, and once I'm out, John will follow me in if I head back to shore, and never go out again. He was having way too much fun, so I stayed out until Joan turned blue. He managed to figure out how to steer and drive the boat by kicking, and could really boot it, when he wanted to. Dad pretended he was a swamp creature, grabbing his legs from underneath, and John squealed with delight every time.

He's getting pretty good with the water. We went to Long point a while ago, where the waves are huge. If you go in chest deep and stand still, they'll go right over your head and sweep you off your feet. But there are lots of sandbars, where the water is only waist deep, and the waves crash against them. Mike put John on his shoulders, and kneeled down on a sandbar, so the waves were crashing against John, and he laughed like a loon every time. He's still talking about playing in the big waves with dad.

Oh, and the splash pad! I didn't tell you about that. I took both kids to the park one day, and the splash pad was running. I didn't bother dressing John in trunks, because traditionally, he doesn't like water, or getting wet, or being splashed. But as we were leaving, he stopped by the edge of the splash pad to watch the other kids. Next think I know he's stripping! I managed to convince him to keep his diaper on (no, he's not potty trained yet), and he tore off into the sprinklers! I haven't heard him laugh so much in ages! He kept runing back and forth, sqealing "I wet! I wet!" I just wish Mike was there to see it, because it was hillarious (he was at work.)

Today is John's birthday! He's 3! But he doesn't know it yet. We're actually postponing the actual celebration by a week, to next Saturday or Sunday, so we can make it really special for him. Today, Mike is working, and he has his second essay due on Wednesday, and his final on Friday night, so it's a big, stressful week for him. But after 10 Friday night, he can relax, and has two days off. We were planning to go camping, but there's not enough time - we'd only be there one night. It's too much work for one night. Mike's talked about following Vic to Ohio, but I can't tell how serious he's being. If we stay here, we'll do the canoeing thing, which John enjoys. We'll go swimming, Maybe take him to a movie, if Rattatoullie is still at the drive-in. (Jer and his boyfriend went this weekend, and gave it good reviews.) we'll do the cake and candles and balloons, too, which he's been talking about for weeks. Two parcels have arrived for him, but they're still at the post office. He saw the mail truck arrive, and was running around all excited, because "mail truck bring me big box of toys!!!" I didn't want to deal with the tempation and tantrums, so I'll pick them up discreetly closer to the day.

Anyway, better go!