Sunday, May 23, 2021

A Little Buddy weekend and a memorial link...........

 This weekend has been all about Little Buddy.  His social gardening club is over for the summer so that opened up Saturday mornings for us.  I decided to brave the trip to the beach and it went well.  We tried last year but there were so many cars going to the beach we were stuck for an hour and not even close to the park.  We pulled off and made due with a tiny bit of beach and rocks on the causeway, it was not exciting at all.  But with the beaches one of the few places open due to Covid everyone all summer was visiting them.  We did not go back. But we were ready to take the plunge yesterday and it was a super successful trip. 

Little Buddy is much taller and getting him onto the beach is difficult.  He can't use his crutches or his walker because he tips right over in the sand.  I bought him tips for his old crutches that are made for sand, which I had to adapt a bit and thought that would work. But he decided to just help me push our beach wagon from my car to our spot on the beach and that worked out perfectly, slow but perfectly.  We had a wonderful time.  We left as things got crowded.  I am not into crowds yet, and there were too many people getting way to close to us.  Plus Little Buddy has some very pale skin that burns easily even with sunscreen.  We were home by 11:30 and that was a perfect amount of time.  We did lots of digging, trying to get to China of course.  We played in the nice, warm, calm water and I got to see the beauty of the beach which I have missed so much.  Even though we are only 25 minutes away it is hard to get to when you work so much and have a busy little one with school and therapies.  Nothing soothes the soul more than fresh salt air and the sound of waves lapping onto the sand.




And this morning we made a trip to our favorite splash park.  Last year we only made it once because you needed reservations and we only got one slot, all the rest we reserved the entire summer.  I hopped online and booked us for two weeks in a row.  They are booking by a few weeks instead of the whole summer.  I think that allows people not to take advantage of the system and allow more people to get to go, plus they are looking at restrictions and how things are being lifted in the community.  There were about 12 kids there, about as many adults and we were able to go for about 50 minutes.  After your time is up they wipe down things to prepare for the next round of kids.  We had the first time slot when we went it wasn't so hot and humid. Plus in super exciting news Little Buddy walked up the five steps on the little water slide all by himself, got his body lowered and positioned to slide both on his bum and his belly and went down! It is the first year I have not had to help him up, then try to climb down the stairs with little ones on it waiting their turn, and run to the bottom of the slide to retrieve him.  This year I just stood at the bottom of the slide, scooped him up and got him into standing and he walked to the stairs by holding onto the side of the boat, the slide is a shipwreck, and waited patiently until there was a place for him to go up, and did it over and over again.  A huge feat for my boy!




We had a wonderful weekend, well minus a big huge tantrum last night but we are working on those.  Now I think I deserve some time to knit, don't you?

For those of you interested there is a video memorial to Teresa Kasner on YouTube.  Hopefully you can find it right here at  Teresa Kasner Memorial.  Thank you for letting me know it was on YouTube, Tammy. You will be missed my friend.

Have a wonderful week my friends, stay safe. 

33 comments:

Kim in Oregon said...

Sounds like a great time! Those are some big achievements for a Little Buddy!

Ellen D. said...

Summertime fun! Great work, Little Buddy!

Dee said...

Your little buddy is growing so fast. Looks like he had a wonderful time at the beach and water park. Give him a big hug from someone he most definitely doesn't remember, but who loves him to the moon and back!

I watched the memorial video for Teresa. What an amazing, ACTIVE woman. I know her family must be absolutely devastated. It is clear how much she LOVED her family and friends.

Wanderingcatstudio said...

Looks like a fantastic weekend!

wendy said...

A wonderful time with Buddy and thank you for sharing.
Memorial thankyou too I miss her so much

Grandmabeckyl.blogspot said...

That looks like some fun times out and about with Little Buddy. He is getting taller, which is good even though it is a struggle to move him. Thankful he was able to climb the stairs to the slide. I will check out the Youtube Memorial for Teresa. I was looking for her obituary online but didn't find it the last time I checked. I miss her alot. One less good blog to read so I found another one or two! Have a good week! I need to knit a few rows today on my prayer shawl. Take care and hugs to LB!! and you! :'}

Betsy said...

It looks like a wonderful weekend. The beach does good for the soul. Listening to the waves and playing in the sand. I'm so proud of our little guy I could burst. He's growing up and doing so many things on his own now. I remember when he was just a little guy.
I watched the video for Teresa a couple of days ago and was shocked to see that Dayle included photos of Dennis and I. I cried many tears as I watched it. I still can't believe she's gone. It just doesn't seem real to me.
Blessings,
Betsy

Christina said...

This sounds like an amazing weekend for both of you. I think you needed that fun time on the beach and at the splash park as much as Little Buddy did. Reading about his amazing progress makes me so happy. Tantrums can be difficult manage and are tiring to witness because more often than not, there is really not much you can do, except wait it out. My two youngest have plenty of those and I think most are due to tiredness combined with difficulty expressing their jumbled feelings and thoughts. To be honest, I sometimes feel like having a great old tantrum myself! Have a good week my friend xx

CJ said...

It looks as though you had a brilliant time, you have some lovely photos and Little B has definitely grown. I am not a huge fan of beach crowds either. I shall go and have a look at the memorial. I have been thinking about Teresa and missing her lovely posts and comments. I hope you have a good week my friend. CJ xx

Araignee said...

What a lovely weekend! We are watching them get the beach and the water park ready to open this Saturday after being closed all last year. They are restricting everything to just city residents and are having a reservation system like the one you described. The scaled down farmers market is not on Friday night now but only early on Saturday morning. I will miss that weekly boardwalk party but right now our area has had 0 new cases in two weeks and I hope it stays that way.

linda said...

It sounds like you had a great time Meredith and the look on Little Buddies face says it all, have a great week. xx

karen said...

oh how I miss the beach and with little kids! Those were good memories for me. He is a darling and thank you for sharing him with us.

Nance said...

The expressions on your son's face say it all: Those were some terrific outings you had together. He's really developing and growing and becoming more independent, which is frustrating for you sometimes (those tantrums!), but shows he is making strides.

The sand and water look inviting even to me, and I'm NOT a beachy girl.

Have a good week.

Babajeza said...

The weather here is far from beach time. :-) The water of the lake should be about 12 degrees Celsius, far from swim time also. I don't even know where my swim suit is ...

However, spring is nice anyway and some day soon it will be summer. Enjoy the beach whenever you can.

All the best! Regula

Delighted Hands said...

By the look of his smiles-you made the right call for the beach and water park visits!

Jeanie said...

Knit away! Yes, you deserve it but oh, how wonderful. I love seeing those photos of happy smiles. And it looks like the splash park has a good system in place. Early at the beach makes a lot of sense -- maybe fewer people and better sun. Big smiles here on your great weekend!

kathy b said...

Lil Buddy looks happy in each of these photos. Surely his profession will involve water : oceans or lakes, boats or some other thing that lets him shine in his element!
Thank you for posting the memorial to Teresa. I will go see it in a bit.

Sandy said...

Reading this post and seeing his pictures made me smile head to toe. Actually gave me goosebumps. So thrilled for you both that you got to the beach and to the water park. What a wonderful exciting thing he was able to do the steps by himself. You must have wanted to jump in the air with glee. I hope all of this summers is better for you both than last summer. We may be getting through this after all.

Anonymous said...

I seldom use the word 'precious.' but that's just what I thought when looking at these precious pictures of his childhood that seems to be fleeting faster and faster!
I love his independence!
the sheer joy in that little face is total inspiration for all of us. he accepts LIFE. and the tantrum ... yes. when you're little and Tired and can't express it any other way... they sometimes happen.
and now going to watch the wonderful memorial video that the other Tammy told you about.
Teresa was just totally KIND. how often are there people like Her? but look how many lives she touched! we will not forget her. XO

Anonymous said...

Looks like a really lovely time you both had at the beach and splash park.
Thank you for the you tube link for Teresa's memorial video, I was very much hoping there would be something like that to help us remember an amazing lady.
Alison (Wales) xx

Anonymous said...

Buddy pics are amazing! Yes thanks for the Teresa memorial link. I had to watch it in parts, very touching♥

Janice Smith said...

So glad you and Little Buddy had a wonderful weekend. What an achievement for him to make it up the steps of the slide without help. Awesome!!!

Fiona said...

Love the pics of Little Buddy, he looks so happy. Thank you for the Teresa memorial link, I miss her a great deal, she was so loved.

Crafty in the Med said...

Beach and Splash park fun! More than obvious that LB thoroughly enjoyed himself. It is good to see him enjoying himself. Early to the beach is the best! We always pack up at midday and leave the beach to the latecomers and the tourists. The sun can be really fierce from midday onwards. Very good to read he is coming along in leaps and bounds and becoming that bit more independent. Wonderful! keep well Amanda x

Melanie said...

Hooray for getting to the beach and Little Buddy's accomplishment at the water park! Glad you had such a nice weekend.

TheAwakenedSoul said...

Fantastic! It really is worth it to get out there and enjoy the sunshine and water. Buddy is getting so big! The beach looks glorious, but I would be worried about the crowds, too. I am spoiled with the lake. I go when I am the only one there and kayak. Can't wait to return to the beach, though.

Neighborhood Watch said...

Oh my! Little Buddy has grown so much. You are so lucky to have him and he is so lucky to have you.

Gracie Saylor said...

Thanks, Meredith for sharing the wonderful times you had with Little Buddy at the beach and water park. I rejoice with you about his progress and the fun and beauty you were able to enjoy. Thanks also for sharing the link celebrating the life of our dear Teresa. ((hugs))

Jo said...

Wow! some super special moments there. He is making some great physical progress. Just breathe through the tantrums!

Karen said...

Some of the best times with my kids have been at the beach. It's just good for everyone's spirits. Such a beautiful tribute to Teresa. The joy in which she lived her life came through with every picture.

Happy Summer to you!

Rajani Rehana said...

Beautiful blog

Needles and Wool said...

Looks like such a fun beach day for Buddy! Looks like the splash pad was also a great time. I am so sorry for the loss of your friend. Hope you had a good weekend and great week ahead.

handmade by amalia said...

LB is growing up! You know, I love the idea of gardening for children, it is a wonderful outdoor activity and a skill for life. We used to have a veg garden in my school when I was a girl and it still holds great memories for me.
Amalia
xo