Last Swim

We ventured to the pool for one last swimming excursion before we called the summer over.  We lasted 25 minutes.  Jake was tired and my boys were supposedly hungry... I think the swimming bug has just worn off as school has started and we are ready for jeans.  Jeans.  And long sleeve t-shirts and cool mornings seem appropriate for September.  My nifty little iphone weather thing doesn't seem to agree.

I get random tidbits of information about school...
 - He played basketball with some boys one day.  That would have been a sight as his skills are comical and I can only imagine the little five year old kiddos trying to hoist the ball into the hoop.
 - He likes to ride his bike there and then lock it up.  Maybe he feels grown up doing that?
 - He informed me that he doesn't want to eat lunch there.  Ever.
 - They are counting down the days to the 100th day of school.  We are on day 12.
 - There is a fantastic system of sending papers home that involves a folder and a number, and thus far it seems to work amazingly well.  I haven't lost or forgotten anything, yet.
 - He likes it.

Caleb does stuff with me...
 - He tells all of the kind inquirers that he is doing "preschool with Mama"
 - He seems to adore the quiet to do as he pleases but is also excited to see Jonathan.
 - He loves to cut.  Using scissors would be his preferred activity every day.  We have managed to keep the scissors from wandering to and cutting the furniture but a few shirts haven't fared so well.
 - He likes it.

And the questions...

Caleb has been talking much lately, but one of my recent favorites, "those are unpleasant words so don't use those, Mommy."  This was after I told him "no" to one of his requests.  And, he still says, Jonafan.  Jamie wishes that would last for a while as he finds it to be one of the cutest things.  I told him he wouldn't think it so cute in a few years.

Jonathan has been asking hoards of questions lately.  There have been some gems about electricity and how some household items work, but tonight he hit the zinger: "how do those babies get out of the Mom's tummies?"  Awesome.  We were nearly home so I tried to put him off with the excuse of not having enough time to explain.  To which he responded, "Look, we are at a red light so why don't you just get started and give me as much as you can till we get home."  He is five.  I thought the questions that would stump me would be longer in coming.  I did give the baby explanation my best shot without too much information.  Cause he is FIVE.

Beginnings

The biggest little man in this house started Kindergarten a couple of weeks ago.  His teacher is a gem, and there have been some awesome opportunities to be a participant in what is going on in our neighborhood... a very good thing.

 Big C and I have had some funtastic mornings, too.  We have played legos, gone to the park, played more legos, learned some stuff, and so on.  We miss Jonathan, but it occurred to me that it is a very sweet thing that they will learn to love the same neighbors and participate in the same school.  They will get to go together.  Until then, Big C and I get to hang out. 

Self portrait from week one

Sweet Vacation

We love to be outdoors.  This vacation was not "restful" in the way that many would envision "rest", but it was great respite from the everyday sameness.  We enjoyed a crazy amount of outdoor activities, a stop to get some things to finish the boy's room and organize the chaos of the basement, and just quality time together.

We hiked a very long hike for a three and five year old on the first day.  The round trip took three and a half hours and they were both amazing troopers!!  And, they had a great time.

 There were tons of rocks to climb on during this hike, and they loved doing it.

 At the top of the hike, there was a mountain lake... we took a little rest for a snack and some playing in the rocks.

The next day we drove to above tree line and hiked a bit.   Above tree line was a little chilly and windy, but they loved how far we could see...

 See?  Windy.

 We had quite the load on our trusty vehicle: all of our bikes on the back and a full car top carrier.

 The place we stayed was right by Fall River, and we went to sleep each night and woke up each morning to the peaceful sound of water... loved that!  The boys thought throwing pinecones in the river was one of the best parts of the vacation!

 Some things do not change, regardless of geographic location: they still love to dig in mulch, dirt, you name it.  They dig.

On our last full day there, we visited the YMCA of the Rockies.  Fantastic for kiddos.  When we arrived, the boys made the "cake" you see piled below on the bench.  Yummy.

 Jonathan had been begging to go horseback riding since we arrived, and this was the best introduction to the activity we could find.  They both loved their pony rides and are excited to do it, again.

My two sweeties: sitting by the river, in the shade of the tree.

Al's Bumblebee

A wonderful friend of my parents, Al, owns this classic car.  He took my parents for a ride and graciously took three very excited little ones and with their fathers for a little "cruisin'"  A great addition to our trip to Iowa this summer!

New Times

Caleb and Jonathan now share a room.  Jonathan sleeps on the top bunk and Caleb sleeps on the bottom.  And, it is going delightfully well.  They love it, and everyone is sleeping really well.

 J-man starts kindergarten next week.  Next week.  Wow.  Lots more thoughts on that whole ditty but for now, we'll just talk about "meet the teacher" night.  We had an ice cream social at school with a chance to meet Jonathan's teacher.  Jonathan wore this.  He "made" this tie-dye hat with large amounts of tape and a tie-dye t-shirt given to him by his cousin, Drew.  He thinks it looks great.  I asked a couple of questions about his wardrobe attire without making a big deal just to confirm that this was, in fact, what he wanted to wear.  He responded with "I looked in the mirror, Mom, and I look great.  So I'm ready to roll."  We got a fair number of looks but I see it as a very good sign that his teacher didn't even flinch at the interesting attire.

Another One Bites the Dust

Another summer is drawing to a close... 

Here are a few random tidbits:

 Waiting in line for a local outdoor theater production

 J-man waiting to bat during one of his tee-ball games

 During one very hot morning, Carla and her boys joined us in "painting the fence" with water

 As usual, we are on top of the latest fashion trends.  They were a band this morning and decided we needed to march around the block.  Caleb's hat is an Easter basket (now called, hat).  Jonathan's drum is attached with large amounts of packing tape.  And, Jonathan was wearing this stocking hat when it was 100 degrees.

This attire was good, but we really raised the bar when we showed up to meet Jonathan's kindergarten teacher wearing a hat to remember.  Pictures of that delight soon...