First of all, we miss Daddy. We really wish he could have been at the beach with us. For one thing, he's much better at making Corbin feel secure out in the ocean. And for second, he looks handsome in swim trunks and makes my heart thump. And third, he's just a fun guy to have at the beach because he likes to relax. In honor of Matty Patty, we made some sand art.










This little guy worked very hard on sifting sand, finding sea shells, and building castles. I was overwhelmingly delighted at how much he loved the beach. It was the perfect temperature- upper 80s with a fantastic breeze. Corbin didn't turn that scary shade of purple that I'm so accustomed to when he's playing outside in Pinehurst. We were able to stay out for about 2.5 hours in the morning and then about another 1.5 hours in the evening. We went for a stroller run this morning on the beach and saw a very big jellyfish stranded on the sand. It was so entertaining to field Corbin's questions. "Mama, is that fish just going to stay there in the sand? Why doesn't he get back in the ocean? Did a wave put him here? Does he have legs?" Though I'm never engaging my brain much in our conversations, I'm totally engaging my heart. It's so amazing to have a little buddy to chat with all day long. It's comical, no doubt, that we speak about potties, electrical boxes, fire hydrants, Chili Cat, and other such shenanigans ALL DAY LONG.

Motivational slump. That is how I'm describing my state of mind lately. I have had NO desire to do any blogging. No desire to follow through with resolutions (by the way, probably the last year I will make any). BUT, I have been taming my inner beast. What I mean is I have been tackling my restless nature over the past few weeks- meditating, doing Yoga practice a little more regularly, giving in to the whims of my heart and mind. For instance, I just did not feel like running today. And so, I didn't. I took a nap instead. I sat on a park bench at the reservoir after Corbin rode his tricycle (TWICE) around the lake. I contemplated the geese. I stared at the water. I enjoyed doing nothing. I enjoyed doing nothing?! For the past decade I have berated myself in my own head for not being/doing more. I should write a book. I should be more musical. I NEED to learn to sew or knit. Wouldn't it be cooler if I could speak Italian? Spanish is boring. I never should have dropped out of pre Med studies. So, for the first time. I am recognizing that we generally, as humans, do exactly what we are inclined to want to do. I enjoy playing with Corbin, running, cooking meals that take a while to prepare, reading, surfing the net, tending to potted plants, stretching, and drinking wine. Yep. That's it. If I feel so inclined any time soon to add anything else to my life, I will. Now THAT, my friends, is progress.
So, for the newest Corbin update- he continues to be so inquisitive. "Why" is his favorite word. I don't mind answering it. I like that he asks questions. He also has a better memory than I do, and he corrects me all the time. I will remember a clip from Sesame Street but ascribe it to some other kids' show, and he'll just look at me and sigh, "you said it wrong , Mama. That was not from Grover. It was Cat in the Hat."
Way to keep me on my toes, buddy. Maybe together we can keep Alzheimer's at bay. He has shown interest lately in my friends' babies. When we had the pleasure of playing with Nathan twice last week, Corbin would help me with the chores. He grabbed the baby wipes when I was changing Nathan and he encouraged Nathan to eat his barbecue chicken so that the two of them could enjoy a strawberry cupcake after dinner. :) So sweet! He also rubbed Micah's feet and gave Micah Chili Cat when we babysat sweet little 3 and a half month old Micah. I love watching Corbin develop compassion and tenderness. He asked me if his transformer was going to scare Micah before he brought it out to play with it. He didn't want the baby to cry. If only Corbin could always be so sweet. There have definitely been days lately where he says hurtful things and I have to remind myself that he's just 3... i.e. - on Mother's Day he told me he was ready to get a new mom that had my hair and my voice, but that was new. I guess I had stuck him in timeout too much that day. He redeemed himself though when I picked him up from "school" Friday and he gave me a hug and said, "I love you mama. Let's go home and play." Melted my heart. Right there.

Is that Corbin on a "carnival" ride? Yes! I had a date with my little man Saturday morning to the Spring Fest street fair in downtown Southern Pines. He had a great time, but kept telling me how hot he was. Poor guy is as heat intolerant as his daddy. I, on the other hand, did not mind the weather at all. Bring on the sunshine! We bought some tickets and rode this generic version of the teacup ride. It was literally called something like Bucket of Fun. I'm not joking. Then Corbin went through a fun house for kiddos. The slide at the end was hilariously fast and his facial expression assured me we would not be having the argument about him wanting to do it again but mama not having enough tickets. I immediately flashed back to Aunt Gaycie and Uncle John tricking me into riding the Grizzly at Kings Dominion one summer. "No problem. Just stand in line with us. You don't want to ride, that's fine. We understand you're scared. When we get up to the roller coaster car, just step on through to the other side." Unfortunately when we got up there the ride attendant told me that I had to ride! I'm still not sure if he was joking or if my aunt and uncle put him up to it?? Either way, I cried most of the ride. So pitiful. I was unwilling to admit at the end that it was actually fun. I rode all roller coasters from that day forth. Hopefully Corbin will go through the next fun house we encounter. Next he wanted to get in the bouncy house. Can I just say that these things totally gross me out?! I swallowed the phobia and allowed him to play on one condition: his socks remained on his feet. After witnessing one kid with toenails caked with dirt and another girl's slimy feet being pulled out of her crocs before entering, I just knew I couldn't let him go in sockless. Imagine the fungus! Imagine the crud! Imagine...No. Don't. ANYWAY, we shared an ice cream and a lemonade in front of the dunking booth. Corbin kept saying, "Why is that lady getting dumped into a fish tank?" He is just the best little companion to have around. So much unintentional comedy. I can't possibly keep up with it all on this blog.
The jumpy house reminded me a lot of the book club book we just finished- Water for Elephants. I found myself staring at the carnival workers. I secretly wondered if they had drama behind the scenes in their caravan of trucks and RVs. It's not quite as intriguing without a train.
Can anybody in the blogger.com world tell me how to insert photos midway through a post? I don't want all the photos to be lumped together before the text. I'm too impatient to fish around for the solution. I just want somebody to tell me what to do. How's that for lazy?
Well, friends, it's Sunday night and to borrow one of my moother-in-law's favorite expressions: I'm turning into a pumpkin.

We're climbing trees, folks! He is growing at such a rapid rate now. I want to tell the universe to put the brakes on. Matt leaves again very soon and I am sorry to report that I believe he is still in a lot of pain with his back. We have enjoyed having him here, but I wish he could have found more relief. The giant needle used to inject steroids into his back yesterday has left him very tender. Tension always amps up right before a separation. You'd think after YEARS of this that we'd be pros at taming those emotions. Anyway, back to the boy. A few hilarious comments to share. Among this week's best-
1. As we were driving to Corbin's "school" Monday morning I was listening to Frank Sinatra on satellite radio. Corbin yelled from the backseat, "is that Santa Claus on your radio?!"
2.When C invited me into the bathroom to inspect his poop yesterday, he declared while flushing- "that brown poop goes down the sewer pipe manhole, mama"
3.Tucking him into bed tonight he said, referring to himself as a robot,: " This robot sure does miss his mommy when she goes to work, but he gets happy when she comes home."

It's perfect to be in love. I don't say it enough- my two boys are pretty awesome. Matt does so many responsible, caring, loving things for me that I often overlook. I'd say finding this new rental house and doing the majority of the move details (rental truck, planting a few shrubs, dumping off trash and recycling boxes) tops his recent list. It's good to stop and be thankful. For an unknown reason (hormones?) I am grumpy today. Absolutely unacceptable. I'm blogging this to document what a stinker I can be and to remind myself that I am blessed. I have a precious preschooler and a charming man in my house.

This captures the intensity of Corbin Weeks on the beach. He would dive into the sand where the beach meets the water and come up with every body part totally covered in sand. Sand was in his ear, it was definitely in his butt crack, and he even tried a couple of tastes here and there. He had SO much fun at Seagrove. He met some lady friends (retired women) who just adored him and wanted to play all afternoon. One day we even coaxed him into a nap on the beach under the umbrella. It was such a nice getaway for both of us. Joi and Chip have a super sweet beach house within walking distance of the gulf. It was even warm enough one day for me to swim! Minus the occasional idiot college kid littering the beach with Corona bottles, it was gorgeous. The white sand and green water are unlike the gritty gray sand of the east coast beaches. I certainly enjoyed the lack of rough waves. On Monday we rode bikes fifteen miles on the paved trail that runs parallel to the shoreline; Corbin had the best time riding in the trailer. He and Chili Cat just enjoyed the ride while I pedaled so happily (haven't been on a bicycle in a long time). It was awesome. Going to have to invest in a trailer to hook up to my bike! We stopped for ice cream along the path too. That's the kind of ride I like. For sure.
Highlights include: daily beach walks, digging in the sand with Corbin, eating a gourmet grilled cheese at Seaside, drinking a delicious mojito, splitting my ONLY pair of nice jeans so completely that they had to be thrown away. Can we say "hello butt cheeks?!" I had a minor rip in them when Joi and I hopped in the truck to go to the grocery store the first night. The next morning when we went to rent a bicycle for Corbin, I test drove a beach cruiser. As I lifted my leg up to get on the bicycle I felt and heard the distinct sound of my Joe's Jeans splitting apart at the crotch seam. Oh well. They lived a happy and short (for their price!) life. Because those were the only pants I packed besides running spandex, I had to go shopping for a new pair at Ann Taylor Loft. They were decidedly much cheaper replacements, but very comfortable ;)
Yes, I violated the spending pact of the Weeks household. We have very much enjoyed our spring break.

Corbin was striking a pose on the white sand at Seagrove Beach in Florida. We survived two flights and a five hour drive. He was awesome! He did, however, have a massive meltdown at 4pm today begging for a nap! Sooooo, what is a mom to do? I let him nap and now here we are at 8pm with him totally wired! Ah, well, we're on vacation. Guess it doesn't matter that much about bed time. It's beautiful here. Joi and Chip's beach house is absolutely beautiful. I did a nice four mile run on the bike path and walked on the beach with Joi. Corbin and I played on the beach for a bit. He told uncle Chip that he wanted to take off his blue jeans and get in the water. It's obviously too cold, so, Chip told Corbin there were jelly fish in the water. Corbin didn't mention getting in the water again.