heat wave

This is how we have been spending our mini heat wave: swimming in the front yard! Our neighbor gave us his old kiddie pool, which is much cooler and bigger than the cheap one we had. Oliver has spent as much time as we will allow him to in it, including over three hours yesterday. Elliott is currently in the "I hate being wet/dirty" stage so he hasn't ventured in much

ready to swim!

fixing the hose

so that it sprays water onto the slide

he's so excited as he watches it fill up

taking a trip down the slide

that looks like fun!

but I'll watch from up here

swim lessons

Oliver had his first swim lessons this week without having a parent in the water. This was a big step for him, especially since it's been over a year since the last time he has taken a lesson. We went to a great outdoor pool (which are hard to come by in Seattle) and he had a great week. He made a lot of progress and went from not wanting to get into the water on the first day, to not wanting to get out on the last day. I'm going to sign him up for one more session next month, and I'm hoping I can get Elliott into a class as well.

kicking on the wall

out for a swim with teacher Lewis

reaching for the flags

look at that smile, he loved it!

and he was so proud of his report card he received at the end of the week

preschool

The boys finished up their coop preschool for the summer the first week of June. I didn't take many (or even any) pictures during the year so I figured I better snap some on their last day. They'll both start back up in September and the preschool is moving to a new location about a block from our house. Talk about convenient!

Elliott loves to wash his hands now that he is tall enough to reach the sink

he also loves to rock in the boat

and ride little bikes

Oliver especially loves the tricycles

look at that big smile

He's laughing because he's trying to ride fast enough to get away from me before I can take his picture

One thing they will both miss is walking past the fire station on our way to and from preschool. The firemen are so nice and often invite the boys inside to sit in the trucks.

Oliver holds his beloved Chester the raccoon. He's helping me prepare snack.

play-dough eyes

helping teacher Jennifer build a structure. Oliver is actually just hanging around because he wants to knock it down.

picking up dominoes

snack time

Father's Day 2013

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful fathers out there! We got to spend the day with two of the best, my own Dad and Nick! We had a relaxed morning at home and a little Father's Day party in the evening at our house which included Bapa, Jim and Cynthia, and Gramma!

Oliver helps Daddy open his presents

Nick got this awesome shirt and wore it all day :)

Daddy and the gang

take 2

And here is what the World's Greatest Dad looks like:

It was a beautiful day!

And this is my favorite picture of the day! It pretty much sums up our bedtime routine. And you can tell it is so normal for us because Penny sleeps right through it.

18 months

This little man is 18 months today! He is becoming such a fun little man and we love him more and more each day! Here are 18 facts about Elliott:
1. He weighed in at 25lbs this morning
2. He loves to climb, including up to his brother's bunk bed, yikes!
3. His favorite animals are dogs and horses
4. His favorite book is "Choo Choo" by Virginia Lee Barton
5. His favorite vegetables are brussels sprouts!
6. His favorite snack is pemmican
7. His favorite song is "Little Red Caboose" which he learned at preschool
8. He loves books and almost always has one in his hand
9. He says "mama" for me, but instead of saying "dada" for Nick, he just calls him "Nick"
10. He's a runner, as in he likes to run away from me
11. He loves to play in the water table, or with any water he can get his hands on
12. He would prefer to drink out of Penny's water bowl instead of his cups
13. He loves most food, in general. I think he out-eats his big brother most nights
14. He is still nursing
15. He still sleeps with me, and Oliver usually joins us in bed at some point in the middle of the night
16. He loves to brush his teeth (hopefully this one sticks around for a while :)) If you mention teeth brushing he will drop whatever his is doing and run to the bathroom. I honestly think he just likes to dip his toothbrush into the tooth powder (we don't use paste) and play with the running tap water.
17. He loves grapes and is so happy that the organic ones are back in season. I have a hard time keeping them in stock!
18. We just love him to pieces! He is such a joy and growing and learning so much every day. He and his big brother play so well together (although he is not great at taking directions from Oliver yet) and that is a lot of fun to watch. He's going to be two before we know it!

And just for fun, here is a picture of what Oliver looked like at 18 months: