Music, Sandbox and Table

What can we say, our son loves music! While Tyler was away on a ski trip, I took Hank to a toy store. The very first thing he went to (after the books) was this little red piano. He sat playing it for a while and I was tempted to put out a tip jar. After the piano, he focused on the guitar. He drew quite an audience and everyone thought he was adorable. We love that Hank enjoys exploring his world so much and feel so blessed to live in a kid-friendly town so we can encourage him in his exploration no matter where we are.

Hank really likes the piano

We got Hank a sandbox and he’s asked to play in it almost every day since. He is so focused when he plays in the sandbox… well for a while anyway, then he likes to try throwing the sand, which we, in turn, promptly discourage. We love how his sandbox fits perfectly in his garden and once the honeysuckle takes over the fence again, he’ll have even more shade. We just love how his garden is coming along. Soon we hope to put in a flower bed for him and plant things that will attract hummingbirds and butterflies. All in good time. So many outdoor projects now that the weather is finally turning warmer. I have to say though, how cool is it that we actually had a winter in Texas? A real season of cold weather for more than two days at a time (followed by 80 degree weather). It was actually nice wearing scarves and jackets and I never thought I would say that because I’m not usually one for loads of cold weather. But it does make the spring seem much more like spring rather than merely a few weeks between winter and summer….

with Aunt Traci and Daddy at the NTIF

A few days after Tyler returned from his ski trip (which he said was great fun, by the way), we headed to Dallas for the North Texas Irish Festival. It was so fun and such an honor getting to perform there again. This year’s festival was exceptionally busy for me as it was the first time Hank had been to a big festival and I was also performing with two bands. My band did 3 sets over the course of the weekend and I did 2 sets with the band I started out in this genre with several years ago, Poor Man’s Fortune. It was fun singing with those guys again and of course I just love working with my band mates. Fun times all around!

Hank really seemed to enjoy himself at the festival. He loved seeing all the dogs. Gwen and Walter took some really cute photos of him that weekend but we don’t have any of them yet so I’ll have to post them later. My parents and my best friend, Christiane, and her son, Micah, came out on Saturday along with Tyler’s Aunt, Uncle, sister, brother-in-law, our niece, some cousins, a Great Aunt and his parents. So Saturday was super busy (in a good way) with my shows and all the family. We had a picnic together by  the big fountain in the middle of the festival grounds and it was just so pleasant. The fountain went off (there was a show with music and lights and everything) and Hank and Grandad enjoyed watching it. We never made it over to the kids section of the festival, but Hank had fun meeting all the dogs he could wherever we went.

watching the water show with Grandad

When we returned home, Hank was so happy to see his Cody, he crawled right onto the dog’s bed and gave him the biggest hug. Recently, Hank set his own table. I asked him if he was ready to eat and he went and got a placemat and put it on the (big boy) table, followed by a plate (I got the glass). He’s growing so fast and learning new things all the time and sometimes, its just so surprising what he comes up with or does. We’re having the best time together!