summertime, summertime

After the rains, tornados, and several very chilly weekends, summer has finally arrived in St. Louis (and much of the country, it seems). We've gone from jackets and umbrellas to t-shirts and sandals, and Holden is loving it. I think we've added 3 new favorite activities to Holden's list -- walking on his own (not in the stroller), sitting on the front steps at our house, and playing with water in the backyard.

The first one (walking on his own) is both a blessing and a curse. While it's great that he's able and willing to walk down the sidewalk on his own, it's also a bit nerve-racking and/or frustrating when he doesn't want to go in the direction that mommy and daddy are walking, or if he does not want to follow "the rules" of walking on his own (staying on the sidewalk, and holding mommy or daddy's hand ... simple rules it might seem, but not for a toddler). We've had more than a few battles with Holden over this, especially during our recent visit to a local farm -- Holden desperately wanted to walk on his own, but the farm has electric fences everywhere and there was no way we were letting him down to walk (resulting in a tantrum, and then we all headed to the car for some chill time and the drive home). I know that these battles are all being fought because Holden is increasingly gaining his own sense of independence, but it's a tough spot to be in with a toddler. Yet it's very cool that he's wanting to walk on his own, and it can be very nice when we have those stretches of calm, directional walking with no fussing ... just taking in the sights, and maybe even picking up some sticks or leaves along the way. Now if Holden would just grow a few inches taller, we wouldn't have to keep bending over to hold his hand ; )

Second, Holden seemed to really love just sitting on the front steps of our house recently. I think he's just becoming so observational, and wanting to see every car, bird, truck, and squirrel that pass by (and name them, or ask us what they are). It's kind of nice to sit on the steps with Holden, as I did this morning for a while. I hope this trend continues ... a toddler wanting to sit is always a good thing.
Third, Holden loves playing with water in the backyard. This past Sunday, we got out the hose and filled up a plastic tub with water. We brought out some blocks and toys, and let Holden go crazy. He was soaked through to the diaper within seconds (daddy helped with this, some). What a great way to spend a hot afternoon in the sun. Now we just need to find one of those little inflatable pools -- Holden would REALLY love that!