We haven't been up to too much around here lately. Just enjoying our last days as a family of four. The little boys and I have been passing around a cold or suffering from allergies, I haven't figured out which, but we're on the mend. Miles has been doing so well at school; I've been hearing consistently high praises from his teachers. And he's been a big help around here, too. I hope that continues. John is starting to be a little helper around here, too. Although he alternates between that and a little tornado. He goes to school on Mondays and Thursdays so I have a couple of hours of alone time with Miles between when he gets home and when we have to pick John up. I love this time with him. We've spent the last couple of weeks feeding ducks, having picnics, watching the clouds, and taking walks around the neighborhood. What a treat this has been for me (and I hope for him!).

We're making progress on the baby's room and should have that finished by this weekend. I hope, anyway. Baby will have a double duty room since we didn't want to remove the guest bed. Funny how with the first child we did all kinds of painting and had the room ready to go months before he was here. This time around, no painting, no real sign (yet) that this is a nursery except for the crib in the corner. This set up is temporary, though, until we determine that Miles and John can handle the responsibility of sharing a room. Who am I kidding? That might not happen for years!

Lazy mornings and trips to Target...

Back home after our nature walk...

Firsts and Last

We've had a couple of firsts and a last around here. Last week Miles rode the bus to school for the first time. We are easing him, I mean me, into the bus riding routine since he'll ride everyday (for awhile) after baby comes. After telling me that he didn't want to ride, he hopped right on with a big smile on his face. Such a big boy!

And John started his PDO program on Monday. I was told that he cried until the morning snack and then was fine. Note to teachers: food makes John happy. No matter what. And as a side note, he had his 20 month appointment today. John weighs 29 lbs, 6 oz (jumped to the 80th %) and was 34.5" long (85th%). Obviously he likes to eat.

And our (likely) last play in the water table for the year. This has been the best investment toy ever! Add water balloons and those boys think it's the greatest thing.

The Weekend

courtesy of Instagram. I finally got a big girl phone on Friday, and I of course had to play around with it this weekend. And since I had heard so many good things about Instagram, it was my first downloaded app. We spent Saturday and Sunday in Fort Thomas with my family. A few pics of our weekend...

John is obsessed with my mom's fake coffee table apples. They wind up all over the house. And oh my gosh, he looks just like Lucie here!

Taking a break from cornhole.

My parents hosted a family reunion for my dad's side, and it was nice to catch up with some of his cousins and some of mine. One of the lovely flower arrangements.

We made a trip to the zoo. Miles' favorite of the day was the elephant exhibit. And the peacock was a pretty surprise.

And Miles' favorite place. Right next to Poppy's truck. He kept asking over and over when he could take a ride in Poppy's truck. Not this trip.

This was our last Fort T trip for awhile. It's time to stay put.

Stuckey Farms, Take One

One of my favorite fall things to do is go apple picking at Stuckey Farms. We've done this every fall since Miles arrived. {Oops, this should be 2008 and 2009}.

We made our first of two trips today with the Stormers. A picnic lunch followed by lots of apple picking. Can't wait to come up with some apple desserts!

Labor Day Weekend

We spent a very low key, relaxing Labor Day weekend doing very little labor around here (I should speak for myself. I put Josh to work rearranging some furniture in preparation for putting together baby's room). Aside from the moving, we spent the weekend swimming, feeding ducks, celebrating our friend's 3rd birthday, and watching movies. A very relaxing weekend, indeed. Ironically the boys were exhausted by last night.

One of our last hurrahs at the pool. Miles showed off his swimming skills for us.

There was a bounce house next door all weekend. Miles thought this was the greatest thing ever and would check out his bedroom window each morning and afternoon to see if the bounce house was up or down. By the end of the weekend, even John was pretty intrigued (he was terrified to even look at it Friday night).

Summer 2011

As Labor Day weekend begins, I tend to reflect on all of the things we did and moments we had over the course of our summer. It is, after all, my favorite season. While I'm always amazed at how quickly it flies by and sad to see summer end, I'm also ready for cooler fall temps and some of the big things that are coming up this fall (starting with some clothes that fit and then new BABY!).

A few of our highlights:

We spent lots of time in and around water. Both Miles and John adore anything that has to do with it. So there was lots of pool time (John became much more comfortable around the pool, especially swimming in the big pool, and Miles learned to swim independently this summer. We still have a ways to go before swim team days, but I'm not so nervous about him being in the big pool anymore). There were sandy tushes and big waves, beautiful sunsets and examining of shoreline rocks. And lots of water balloons. Perfect!

We did other things, too. Things like playing a lot in the sandbox and on the swing set; eating summer staples like homemade ice cream, popsicles, and corn on the cob; checking out tractors and trucks and feeding those ducks; wrestling; trips to the park; and of course, heading back to school.

A perfect way to spend the summer.

Uh-Oh

John is starting to show interest in his own YaYa here at home. A gift from the same sweet friends of my parents who gave Miles YaYa. I say uh-oh because Miles is in love with his YaYa which can sometimes present problems around this house. I hope that John's interest in this blue guy doesn't get too deep!

On a side note, I say that Mother Goose rhyme to John everyday: Diddle diddle dumpling my son John, went to bed with his stockings on. With one shoe off and one shoe on, diddle diddle dumpling my son John. I've done this since he was a baby. Now he is constantly on the move with one shoe off and one shoe on. What have I done?