One Week of Dad

As you probably know, Erik has been home this week! It has been a busy but happy week at the Nappier homestead. During his week here, Erik has built me two vegetable trellises, set up his new tool boxes in the garage (very gleefully), and collected all the papers and receipts needed for "the audit". We also are getting a home security system installed some time today, and in the midst of all that, we managed to pick out a puppy. What?! A puppy? That's right, a puppy. Updates on that matter will be forthcoming, but for now, I will share some pictures of fun family time we were so blessed with this week.

Erik surprised us and tricked us into thinking he wasn't going to be there till late that night.  So then we were out for a bike ride, and Elliot, prophet that he is, started saying, "Is daddy at our house?"  I kept telling him no, that daddy wasn't going to be there until after he was asleep in bed, but he kept insisting, "I think daddy's waiting for us at our house.  We better hurry, mom."  What do you know?  He WAS waiting for us, and greeted me with a glass of champagne to toast his return!  Then of course the next thing to do was build a giant castle with the boy.

We had a family outing day and went to Morro Bay.  After a great walk on the beach we went to a really crappy restaurant for lunch, but managed to have fun anyway.  Here you can see that Elliot and Erik were taking turns making funny faces.  Like father like son, eh?

Yesterday we got to hang out with Sean and Monique, and their little son, Sinjin.  Elliot was so thrilled to have a friend to play with, and they both had a blast riding in the wagon, playing trains, and going in the sand area.  Check out Elliot's I'm-a-great-host smile.

It was a great time just relaxing with our friends.  A week is too short, 

but it is way better than nothing at all.

The next step for Erik is a six week Refrigeration class in Piney Point Maryland.  After that, he will be home for real, and will be able to stay with us through the holidays.  Halleluia!  It will be so nice to have him back!

Meanwhile, things are going to be busy here, what with the coming of the puppy (in two more weeks), the ducks (as soon as the duck house, "Featherfield Park" is finished), planting a winter garden, and hopefully lots of crafts!  AMEN is going to be doing some Christmas craft fairs this year, and I am so, so, so excited about it!  It is going to feel so good to create again.  I kind of have that anticipatory feeling like you get when you take the first step onto an escalator or a moving sidewalk.  Like you are about to go on a little bit of a ride.  It's that first step that's the wobbliest, but after that, it's just cruising.  What will you bring me, future?  Let's see, let's see!