Baby Hein 2010: Outside Time

Nick was off work on Friday, and today of course, so we have thoroughly enjoyed a four day weekend.

Friday evening we took Sydney swimming at Grandma and Gampa Hein's house. She LOVED it! I see a lot of pool trips in our future.

She can definitely jump with one leg

Saturday morning Grandpa B and Gampa Hein came over and helped Nick assemble Sydney's birthday gift from Grandpa B...a swing set! After barely three days she is very skilled at climbing on the trampoline on her own. It won't be long before she will be scaling up the ladder to slide on her own too.

Saturday afternoon we enjoyed the Rangers game at the Ballpark in Arlington courtesy of Nick's brother Dan. Sydney claimed the food table almost as soon as we arrived, but she did share her food so I guess she has some manners. :)

Feeding Gampa

Sydney with Uncle Dan

Cousin Charlie and Uncle Nate

Uncle Dan, Aunt Amanda, and Cousin Remi

Uncle Aaron, Aunt Erin, Cousins Brooklyn and Cayleigh

Aunt Erin and Sydney

Once the Rangers scored three home runs in a row, Gampa had to cheer with both girls in his arms

Gampa and Gamma Hein with Brooklyn and Sydney

Another opportunity to hug Charlie

Sunday morning Nick got started early on Sydney's second big birthday gift - a play house! Gampa and Gamma Hein helped us buy it for Sydney's birthday. We had been eyeing it at Sam's Club since the middle of March when they put it out on display. So Sunday Gampa and Gamma Hein came over with Brooklyn and Cayleigh, and Sydney got to play with the girls while Gampa helped Nick put the play house together.

The girls inspecting the progress

Brooklyn and Sydney enjoyed lots of singing at the picnic table

And since yesterday Sydney has thoroughly enjoyed "playing house"

Even has her own cuckoo clock

We also invested in a bench for our front porch this weekend. Lately we have been spending mornings in the backyard, early evenings in the front yard, and late evenings in the backyard (rotating with the shade). Although now with the swing set and play house, the front yard might not get as much attention.

As we recognized Memorial Day today, Nick was treated to a free lunch at Double Dave's Pizza and discounted dinner at Applebee's. That was pretty nice on our wallet! But of course it's a small token of appreciation compared to the sacrifice of the men and women who serve in our military. I still vividly remember Nick leaving for boot camp in August of 1998. It was a tragic day in our teenage love affair (trust me, it was that dramatic)...for we would spend the next four years apart. I thought four years was an eternity, and now it's been almost 14 years since he enlisted, and over nine years since he was discharged.