Jacob in review

Jake has been a busy boy this summer. Mostly, it's been spent trying to guard his prized posessions from his crazy little brother - but he's also been trying to learn as much as he can. Believe it or not - but this kid LOVES to learn! He got some books from Mercy next door that she had outgrown - dot-to-dots, mazes, numbers and letters - and they've all been done. Every page - completed. And for a kid who did them with no guidance, they were completed almost perfectly! Any chance he got, he'd want to learn - he'd ask me to write words for him, and he'd copy them. We'd count out money into his bank. He'd even come to me, asking for things in Spanish! (Gotta love Dora the Explorer!!) Now that he's back in school, I hope his quest for learning continues. He's had some adjustment to the new schedule (he goes 4 days a week in the afternoons) - but seeing as he's never been one to adapt well to large changes, I think he's dong great. He seems to really like his teacher - and has already made a good friend (also named Jake!)

In any case... Here's Jacob in review!

Typical summer activity - playing outside in the water.

With one of his best friends, Josephine, at his preschool class trip.Testing the waters on Father's Day at Misquamicut (it was pretty chilly!!)Preschool graduation with his friends Ella and Josephine (notice the lovely food stain on the shirt!) Collecting shells at Easton's Beach in Newport - I hope to turn some of them into Christmas presents!
Checking out the flowers at Harkness Park in Waterford.
"Yeah... I'm cool..."
Who says sidewalk paint is only for sidewalks?
Swingin' on the swing at the Navy park in Stonington, CT
Playing with his boat on Nana and Buppa's deckThe summer smile - smiley eyes in the water. He's such a little fishie!"Look Buppa! I can drive better than Mommy!!""I dunno why Buppa thinks this working deal is so hard..."Taking Justin for a stroll in Arbor ParkHelping Mercy with the Optimus Prime pinata at his birthday party (with Ella and Spencer in the background).

Justin in review

So in case ya'll don't know, Justin is a spirited little boy. (That's putting it mildly). Our wee pork chop has been dubbed Evel Kenevel, spider monkey, and wild boy. He is into EVERYTHING he sees - and most of what he can't see as well! But he's doing so well. He's still not speaking a whole heck of a lot, although it is getting better. He manages to get his wants across, so it's not much of a detriment to him yet. We've managed to get him almost completely off the special formula and onto milk - I bet our insurance company is happy for that! And if you thought Jacob was a fearless adventurer, Justin is three times that. His latest feat has been to climb out of his crib - ALL THE TIME. What's worse, is that he does it in such a way that he is almost completely noiseless when he hits the floor. Imagine being greeted by his cute little mug at 4am, tugging your arm, saying, "mama baba mama baba" - and you are dead convinced you did not take him out of the crib!!

Here is Justin... in review...

"Hooray for ribbies!" - his first taste of ribs from BT Lanes - devoured them!

Justin's birthday gift to daddy - his first haircut! Before:

And after! He did SO well - sat in daddy's lap and barely moved!
At Misquamicut with daddy on Father's DayEvel Kenevel - Connecticut edition (climbing at Mohegan Park)Standing on the chair in Buppa's office His favorite hobby - climbing... E V E R Y T H I N G


"OH LOOK! Something shiny! And I bet I'm not supposed to touch it!"
Driving Buppa's lawnmower - wait till he can reach the pedals!

CHOPZILLA!!

"I've heard ladies go for guys with beautiful eyes..."
Despite the red tide, Justin LOVED the water at Easton's Beach in Newport, RI."MOM! Who turned the lights out?!?"Chillin' on a mushroom at Roger Williams Zoo in RI.Enjoying a rocking rocket at the Navy park in Stonington.

My sincere apologies for being so lax in my posting over the past 2 months. To say it's been busy would be a total understatement. But when have you known our lives to be simple and uninteresting? Thankfully, I've managed to take pictures of most everything, so I can review the images to refresh my memory. Mommy-brain has set in BIG TIME.

I debated on the best way to fill you all in - and just like I started this blog, I'll do a review of everyone over the past 2 months. Mostly in pictures - but hey - you know ya'll just wanna see those anyway!

Life in a Nutshell...

Lost water - got water back

In-Laws came for a visit - had a blast

Baby Rachel born - yippee!!

Went to the beach - got some sun

Found water leak - shut off water - fixed leak - got water back

Went to the zoo - had a great time

Lost water - got water back

Life returning to normal...sorta...

Taking a wee break

Seems I've been struck with some sort of summer cold. Which, in my book, and the worst kind of cold. Nothing like feeling feverish when it's 90 and humid. And now Justin is staring at me with a snotty nose - LOVELY! So I'm just letting y'all know there will be more to come soon - once we all get back on track!

Sticky Situation

Here's a simple little math equation:

Coffee + laptop + 3.75 year old throwing an "I don't want Justin touching my stuff" tantrum = one sticky mess.

That's how my Friday started. The boys were playing quietly - or so I thought. So I sat down at the laptop in the dining room, with my coffee, to poke around a bit. Next thing I know, Jake is screaming at the top of his lungs - his backpack of crayons is airborne - and coffee comes crashing all over the laptop. I made the best attempt I could at cleaning it up - but thanks to my love of sugar, the keyboard was all sticky. I called next door in a panic - and to make a long story short, most of the day was spent back and forth on the phone with Lou (my neighbor) and Tom (my new best friend computer guy). The phone calls were sprinkled with bouts of panic and terror - did I mention it's Steve's laptop?! AHH!! Thankfully, Tom was able to get a replacement keyboard from Dell - which will arrive Monday - and after work he'll be over to replace it. It appears that nothing else was damaged. Keep your fingers crossed!

So until that situation is resolved, I'm left working on the desktop - which is slower than molasses in winter. And no pics either. But I've got some good ones to share - - - we've been busy beavers over here! Jake had his end-of-the-year school field trip to the "sand beach", which was followed by his pre-school graduation. And Justin got his first big-boy hair cut! I'm not sure what the summer is going to bring - but I just wrote the first day of school on my calendar - August 27th! So that's only 2 months or so... wish me luck!

Treasure Trove

I just stripped Jake's bed to put on fresh sheets.

In doing so, I found:

25 matchbox cars
5 blankets
10 books
candyland game (yes - the whole game)
a baggie of pretzels
2 sippy cups of water
2 pillows
a comforterand
a $5 bill

And I wonder why he's always ending up in MY bed!