Post call Thrift Store find...

On my post call days I'm off by about noon (25-31 hour shift), I go home & try to take care of "stuff", shower, & nap until 2:30pm. I then pick up Ismael from daycare & try to take advantage of the few extra hours with him. Usually we spend the afternoon outside, so Ismael can run, jump, & get tired (so he sleeps through the night!).


On my way home this day, I decided to stop by the Navy Thrift Store on base. I ended up buying this swing for $2 & 2 other toys in great shape for $.50 each!! Hey, like I said before, Ismael doesn't need any toys, but hey, what a deal!!



I'm not sure where he gets it, but Ismael still loves to clean. In the bathtub, he sprays water on the tub & wipes it with the wash cloth over and over. He likes to help load the dishwasher & vaccuum & clean the table tops. Here he is going to town with his vacuum.

Weekend Fun

Did I mention Ismael loves playing in the water? Yes, we only live 15 minutes from the beach, but quite frankly it's such a hassle trying to get everything together & go. Besides, Ismael doesn't care.

Here he is showing off his new haircut while he races through the house. The wood floors makes it easy to go fast & he's mastered all the turns already. He even pops a wheelie (?) on this car.

Here he is showing off his new haircut while he races through the house. The wood floors makes it easy to go fast & he's mastered all the turns already. He even pops a wheelie (?) on this car.

Tools & The Beach

Last Friday was one of my 4 days off this month (yes, I only get a total of 4 days off the whole month), so I took advantage & Ismael & I had a great time. He started off the day playing with his toolbelt. He's still too skinny to wear it, so he has to hold onto it to keep it from falling off. We also managed to play with play dough & not eat any, yeah!
After breakfast, we went to the beach for some fun in the sun. We're about a 15 minute drive from the Oceanside beach, but there's also a great beach on the base & then there's Carlsbad, about 5 minutes south. The water was still a bit cold, but doable. Ismael really just wanted to play in the sand & watch the helicopters overhead & birds flying around.
It definatley wore him out, & on the ride home he insisted on wearing his hat like this, so I couldn't resist another photo.

Waterfull pool

So when the weekend finally rolled around, it was time to put water in the pool. It was a little chilly with the breeze, but Ismael didn't care. He loves pouring things from one container to another & dumping it out again. The problem comes at bathtime, 'cos he throws the water out of the tub!
We spent Saturday & Sunday in the pool. At night I wear him out by having him help me fill up a cup, carry it to the rose plants, dump it out & go back for more. Most of the water ends up on himself before he even makes it to the flowers, but he doesn't care & all I care about is getting him tired for bed!
You may wonder how we got the pool home, since we just have 2 little corrollas. Well, Axel tied it to the top of the car & we drove home with on the roof. Yes, we looked like idiots, but it was for a good cause!