Bike Time

We had a cooler day a couple weeks ago and were able to get the kids out on their bikes.

Gavin was never overly excited about riding a tricycle or bike.  He rode is trike around the house and on the sidewalk some but he just didn’t master the pedal pushing.  Brandon and I needed to work with him on this particular day with foot placement and pushing of the pedals.

He was focusing so hard. 

Yea, he’s getting it!

He kept pushing backwards and therefore was on the brakes.  I was pushing him along to get him so momentum so he had an easier time mastering the pushing down.  We definitely need to keep practicing.  I told him that when he gets used to it he’ll be so independent and feel like he is flying.  He liked the idea so hopefully we can get some motivation going.

Abby played on the tricycle for a bit. 

She also likes to ride around the house with it.  This particular day I think she pushed herself along more than pedaled. 

Apparently she lost interest quickly and decided to go pick the flowers off of my day lilies while wearing her helmet instead. 

More to come soon so stay tuned!  Have a great weekend!

Camping in the living room

Gavin and Abby wanted to play tent the other day after nap.  I can’t recall for sure but I think it is likely Gavin didn’t nap at all but Abby had at least taken a brief one. 

Apparently they were still tired because their way of playing tent on this particular day was to make little cozy spots to lie down and relax.

They were pretty cute while it lasted.

And it didn’t last long!  Shortly after this they were up and bickering again. 

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Enjoy some Instagram randoms from the last few weeks:

Jax, the attention starved (so he’d have you think), snuggle kitty.

Better move out of the way when you see these two coming!

COSI

Grapes are a refreshing snack on a hot summer day.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Fourth of July

We had a great Fourth of July.  The holiday happened to fall on my days off this year and I was able to go to the parade in the morning. 

We had to arrive before the road was closed.  We set up shop in a shady spot that ended up not being shady by the time we left but allowed us some relief from the sun for most of our time there.  Gav relaxed on the blanket sans shoes, I drank my coffee and browsed the news, and Brandon snapped pictures of us.

Abby kept climbing up into the stroller and did not want to have her picture taken.  Brandon tricked her into looking at him and was able to pull off this photo.  She had been hiding her face with her hands.  She was a bit sluggish on this particular morning and I wondered if she wasn’t feeling well.

Gavin wasn’t hiding from the camera.  In fact, he wanted to pose. 

Gavin and daddy waiting for the parade to start.

I was lucky to get this shot!  I’m so glad I did because they look adorable and this was a fleeting moment of siblings getting along. 

They were too cool in their hats and sunglasses.

Gav and Abby waved at everyone when they passed by.

As the candy was tossed out they would collect it and sit down to eat some.  By some, I mean a bunch of candy.  Abby seemed much more alert after sugar consumption!

The parade was enjoyable and was much longer than I had expected.  Afterwards we went home and spent the day relaxing.  It was over 100 degrees with the heat index and outdoor activities were not on the agenda.

At 8:30 we left for fireworks on the dam.  The dam is nearby and we didn’t want to sit out in the heat and sun for hours so we waited until just over an hour until the fireworks were to start to leave the house.

We found a parking spot in the lower dam area.  We were lucky because there wasn’t much room left.  Then we climbed the 100 stairs to the top of the dam.  As we walked along looking for a spot to sit a couple was packing up.  Brandon asked if they were leaving.  The guy said there was a huge storm coming and they weren’t sticking around.  We took their spot.

The beach is across the lake.  There was a band playing over there and the lake was dotted with boats.

I was desperately trying to get the weather to come up on my phone.  The kids and Brandon were taking in the scenery.  We could see lightning in the distance and I was worried about how on earth all of the people were going to get off of the dam in time if a storm rolled in.  The radar showed the weather rolling across north of us so fingers crossed we wouldn’t have to worry about it.

Thankfully the fireworks started about fifteen minutes early.  We were able to see fireworks from surrounding communities, the fireworks at the dam, and the lightning flashing in the distance.  We decided to pack up when the lightning moved in overhead.  We caught the grand finale just before heading down the stairs.  We made it to the van just as the raindrops started to fall.  We didn’t get much in the way of a storm but areas to the south of us were slammed with a decent one.

We had a fun holiday and hope that everyone else did as well!

   

Summer Fun

Abby went to her first movie last week.  We went to see the new Pixar movie, Brave. 

She was pretty excited about it.  Gavin’s been to two other movies before this one so he knew what the experience was all about.

“Popcorn!”  Abby loves popcorn.  She’s only two and apparently kids aren’t supposed to have popcorn for a couple more years and we did make Gavin wait.  However, we aren’t quite as paranoid as we were the first time around and she seems to be a bit more mature and able to do things than Gav was at two.  Of course, being a girl and having an older brother to learn from and keep up with has been a major key to her earlier maturation.

Gavin loves going to the movies. 

Abby was trying to finish her popcorn after the movie.  She was so engrossed the entire time that she ate her popcorn very slowly.  Gavin on the other hand, chowed down!  

We had a great time and Abby did so well that we would be more inclined to go to the movies with them more often.  The next morning someone came around the neighborhood hanging coupons for the theater on everyone’s door.  We’ll have to take advantage of the freebies offered!

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I wanted to post a picture from Father’s Day of Brandon and the kids:

Unfortunately my choices are 1)super silly kids or 2) are we done with the picture taking yet? kids.

These days I just take what I can get!

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We were preparing dinner a couple weeks ago and things were pretty quiet in the living room.  The kids were watching a movie but usually there is still some chatter during movies and they often get down and play and run around after a bit. I wondered why Abby was so quiet.  When I checked on her she was sound asleep.  She hasn’t been napping consistently lately and I guess after a while she just can’t take it anymore.

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Last week, on a day it wasn’t too oppressively hot, I put the pool out for the kids to play in.  Gavin had his well-child check up earlier that morning and had received his booster shots.  He napped and didn’t want to get up to come play so Abby went out by herself at first.

She had her Barbies and some other fun things to play with.

Abby loves playing in the pool!

Gavin eventually decided to join in the fun after he spent some time waking up.

Things were considerably less peaceful after Gavin came outside but they both exhausted some energy playing in the pool and went to bed more easily.  The hot weather has kept them cooped up and it’s driving them, and us, crazy!

Have a great week!