Heat Wave

Yup. It's official. Summer is here in all it's glory. No school. Longer days. Tired boys from playing outside so they sleep harder. Wading pools. Sun tea. Bike rides. Picnics. Water fountains. Sprinklers. Sun-dried laundry. Thunder. Lightning. While the heat can be a bit much for me at times - and it appears it also affects Drew - we have been enjoying the last couple of weeks - in spite of sickness. Drew was sick for over a week, and a few days after he was better, Ty came down with it. It was a nasty bug, whatever it was. Drew lost two and a half pounds and he didn't have much to lose! Ty seems to be getting over it much more quickly, thank goodness! His teeth have been in for over a month now, and most of you still have yet to see them. So here's a good toothy grin!

Drew helped make cut-out cookies during the rain this morning. I found some cutters that just fit his obsessions lately. Elephants, because he likes the sounds they make; and airplanes since he got to ride in one. Now it is beautiful again outside. And here I am, on the computer. Makes sense. Pete took Drew on a bike ride and Ty is napping. Since this update is long overdue...it does make sense!

Ty is starting to push up, but I think it will be awhile before he's crawling. Still, he IS pretty cute!

Drew was catching bubbles at our picnic in the park. It wasn't too windy so it was good fun. I don't know who had more fun - him chasing them or us laughing at him!

Aunt Ruth joined us and amused Ty.

Drew is really communicating well now. He does have a bit of a problem with profanity - but we're working on enunciation. He also loves to play with his dinosaurs and make them kiss. Yep...all boy right? We hope and pray you all are enjoying your summer as we enjoy ours. Keep in touch! Over and Out

"Niiiiice"

Well, we are back home. It has been a whirlwind of a month going here and there and who knows how long we will be home, but for now, we are! We spent this last weekend visiting my brother Evan and his wife Lydia. We didn't have the greatest weather, but we did have a lot of fun. Pete and Evan took Drew fishing and really spoiled him. They had no sooner thrown one fish back and they were reeling in another. Drew got really good at saying "fishy!!" Uncle Evan also has a motorized scooter that Drew loved to ride on. He tried to teach Drew how to run it, but after a close call Aunt Lydia decided to give him a ride instead. Drew has learned so many words lately it's crazy to keep up with them all. Today, he tried out sarcasm for the first time. A common word from Pete and I both is "nice". I was baking cookies this afternoon and Drew was in his chair at the table. He was attempting to get down and was stretching one foot out behind him and was reaching for the floor. He couldn't feel it so he climbed back up, looked down behind himself and said - in perfect tone "niiiice"! He then tried again and successfully got down. I was laughing so hard, yet he was completely unfazed by my laughter.

Ty is still his happy, growing self. Lately though Pete and I have threatened to make him live in the bathtub. It seems every other diaper is a messy blowout - sorry if that is TMI, but it's life as a parent! So for Ty, it's lots of laundry, lots of baths and lots of lotion!

Pete and I continue to plug along after the boys. We are enjoying our time together now that Pete isn't in classes. On the nights that he works I try to catch up on things that fall behind when he's home. Like this blog, obviously. This last photo is one of my favorites of Pete and I in Montana. Just a sample for those of you who have not yet seen the rest of them! :) We hope you all are doing well...keep in touch over these crazy summer months! Over and Out!

Communication Confusion

Along with Drew's new words comes a new frustration and confusion. This morning at breakfast, the battle was trying to get him to understand the difference between 'say' and 'please'. In our attempt to have him say please without telling him to say it, we often ask him, "what do you say?" Lately he has copied the 'say'. So while asking for his apple, he would say 'say' instead of 'please'. After asking him for 'please' many times, he finally started signing the word 'please', while saying the word 'say'. It took about three minutes before I could get the word 'please' out of him again. It was hard to stick with it when he looks up at me with bright blue eyes and signing please!

Another slight confusion, in trying to get Drew to say Mommy and Daddy instead of Mama and Dada, there is a slight consonant mix-up. Mommy usually comes out Money. Too bad it doesn't come with the real thing!

Trips A, B, C and beyond...

Trip A:
To Michigan over Mother's Day weekend. It was a fast weekend. Pete spent time working on the septic at his parents. His parents watched the boys so we could go four-wheeling. It was great to go for awhile after not going for so long. I hit up several rummage sales with my mom and got a lot of great stuff for the boys...clothes and toys. It was a fun, busy weekend.
Trip B:
To Montana to visit the Bennett family. We were with them for a wonderful eleven days. We saw lots of beautiful sights and made a lot of happy memories. The time flew by quickly, much to our disappointment. Our boys did so well with their four children. It would take too much time and space to relay all the happy events - in story or pictures - so if you want to know more, just ask. Most of our pictures are on Facebook, so if you are not able to view them there, let me know and I will send you a link to view them elsewhere. We got a lot of great pictures and it's too hard to choose which ones to post here! We went on many hikes, rides and explorations. We had good food, good company and met some nice people.
Trip C:
Back to Michigan to celebrate all the Birthdays. While we were in Montana, Pete's dad and my grandpa both turned 80! My brother Zachary also had a birthday while we were gone. Then on the 28th, Drew turned two. My sister-in-law Lydia's birthday is coming up, so we had one big party to celebrate all the birthdays. Drew had his Elmo cake, of course! He was completely spoiled with gifts from everyone.
Adjustment:
So now we are home again, but just for the week. I'm attempting to put our home back in order...just being home for a couple of days here and there is not helpful in maintaining a home! I'm also midway through the daunting task of sorting the boys' clothes and figuring out who fits into what and where it goes. Pete has been making more repairs on our van. Drew is Drew. Very active, very opinionated, yet still so much fun. He is really picking up the words now. He had his two-year check up and is very healthy. 40% for his weight and 60% for his height. Ty is the proud owner of two new teeth. They came in on our trip and he is quick to use them on anything that makes it's way into his mouth.
So a brief update, and again, feel free to ask more questions or for pictures. We are gone again this weekend - yep, it's summer! Even though we are busy, we still love to hear from you and know how you are doing! Over and Out!