Surfing Monkeys and Other Fun Stuff

I bought new socks this week. I'm very excited about my new socks. Perhaps a little disproportionately excited. I got two pairs of monkey socks, one pair of frog socks and one striped pair. I like fun socks. I like that when I look at my feet it makes me smile. It's just a little extra cheer in my day. These are my surfing monkey socks. I thought about flipping the picture upside down so you could see the monkeys right side up, but then I decided that would look strange. I hope you enjoy looking at my monkey socks as much as I do :-)
surfing monkeys


Here is something else that always puts a smile on my face and in my heart.
fun times

I love to watch Jay play with Ryan. It's fun to watch them both laugh and enjoy each other. I love the little squeals of delight when Ryan is getting chased by the tickle monster or when he gets caught. The innocence, the joy and the love are all so evident when the tickling and laughter breaks into hugs and kisses. It's wonderful to watch the man you love love your child so much.
It's funny how when they grow older it's not quite the same. I can still see glimpses of the innocence in Zach sometimes. He still likes the tickle games occasionally, but he is much more into building toys and board games now. It is cool to see Jay teaching Zach about how things work, how to build tanks and strategies for winning checkers. It is great, but it just doesn't have the pure joy that a tickle game has. I love how the father-son relationship has evolved.
I wonder what it will be like when they hit the teen years. I think I will just try to think about now instead of worrying about 6 years from now. I'll drive myself crazy!

Speaking of growing up...
Zach had his first sleep over last night. The Kids Club at our church had a "kids night out" where they stay at the church over night. I think Zach was a little overwhelmed at first. I didn't know what to do. I just encouraged him to find someone he knew and told him that he would make some new friends when they break into small groups. He said he was a little scared at first, but that he had a really fun time. I'm sure he made some friends before too long. It seems like it was a fun time. I think he will want to go next time.