Summer Celebration

In late July, we made a trip to the Mangrum compound in Rosemark, TN to celebrate Nana's birthday. It was a beautiful day, and the great weather was perfect for exploring Greg and Cassie's massive yard. The kids had a great time running and chasing each other, and the adults enjoyed some cold beverages and good conversation. And of course there was cake.

Andrew's favorite thing was Tyler's SUV. It was a hit until the kids wore out the battery. After that, it was a broken record of the same question: "is it charged up yet?" The answer, to his dismay, was always no.

Apparently when it's your birthday, they make you cut your own cake. I guess that's so you can decide who gets a big piece and who gets a small piece. Definitely a position of power.

Andrew and Noah made birthday cards for Nana. And Andrew painted a picture for her. He was very proud to show it off. I would say that his artistic type is definitely abstract. Or whatever it takes to cover the entire paper with paint. If asked, he will probably say this is a picture of the beach. 

Since so many of us were gathered together, it was a great time to get some family photos...

Happy Birthday Nana! We had a great time celebrating with you.

Independence Day and Blueberries

We celebrated the Fourth of July at the annual Central Gardens Independence Day Parade. The neighborhood kids decorate their bicycles, wagons, and strollers. The parade lasts a block or two and then everyone enjoys watermelon, hotdogs, and snowcones. The firemen brought a firetruck for the kids to explore, and the hose cooled everyone down.

Later on, we went to pick blueberries at the Nesbit Blueberry Plantation. Noah started off determined, but it didn't last. About two seconds after I took this picture, he tripped and fell. He was fine physically, but his attitude never fully recovered...

Andrew took to blueberry picking like he does to every job - it was serious business. He really wanted to fill up his entire bucket, even if it meant picking blueberries out of my bucket. I didn't mind.

Noah picked a few blueberries, and that was enough for him. He's starting to lose it right about now...

   

Andrew's haul, sweet and delicious...

T Ball

Andrew played T ball this summer. I'm a little behind on this one: T ball started around the same time school let out in May, and here is it August, and a new school year is only a few weeks away. That's about how it was with T ball. We missed some of the practices and games, due to vacation, and forgot to bring the camera to most of the games. To be honest, I didn't see many of them myself...if Noah made it through half the game, I considered it a success. Overall, Andrew enjoyed it. The first practice was great. The kids had no idea what to do. When told to run to first base, they got to the base and kept on running...not around the bases, but just straight past the base, to the fence. Every kid did the same thing. The coach might disagree, but I thought it was hysterical.

After a few practices and games, the kids got the general idea and it looked a little more organized. 

This picture sums up T Ball perfectly: 

Taylor put in some time as assistance coach. (I think for T ball to be a success, your coach-player ratio needs to be 1:1! )

Andrew says that soccer is still his favorite, but he had fun playing T ball. It was a nice way to start the summer.

Big Three

On July 1st, Noah turned three, and we celebrated Mickey-style. Family and friends came over. Noah knew it was his special day and loved being the center of attention.

He got a little help with the candles from Andrew, who was happy to assist. 

After cake, it was time to dig into the presents. Noah had a great time pulling off wrapping paper and chasing balloons.

 

At three, Noah is full of energy. Here are some of the things he loves:

- Playing on the iPad. At first it was only the Mickey app, but now he's even into Andrew's spelling games.

- Toy kitchens

- Cars, big and little

- Toys that make noise, like Andrew's monster truck or his pirate ship.

- Glow worm is still a favorite, even though he's lost his shape due to too many trips through the washing machine

- Anything on Disney Jr, especially Little Einsteins

- Strawberry kefir, spaghetti, Chick-fil-a, tortilla chips, and ice cream

He's a picky eater at home, but cooperates a little better at school. He walks really well, and almost runs through the house in his little orthotics, slamming doors. He can feed the dogs, and then sits right next to the dog bowls to watch them eat. It makes them nervous. He likes to play in Andrew's room and usually climbs up into Andrew's bed. Hasn't fallen off yet, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time. He likes going to school, but he likes being home more. His favorite spot is on his bean bag in front of the TV, iPad in his lap, and a cup of kefir in his hand. Happiness.

Happy Birthday Noah!!