A day in the life...

What a day week!  This week I was back to school - a new school.  While this school is definitely more organized than the last one I work at, there is always a little adjustment just because of the new setting, new procedures, new paperwork, etc.  I'm getting an awesome vibe from the staff so far though.  Hoping that good vibe continues.

As most of you know, the boys were supposed to start day care this week (just two days to start with), but Sunday night/Monday morning around 3am, Ellis got sick and was pretty much up until 5am throwing up.  So, no day care for Monday or Tuesday like planned, so technically today was their first day.  And what a great day!  My nerves didn't last too long this morning since I was able to talk to Troy about the drop-off before heading into work.  He said they were good and didn't have any issues when he left (although it probably helped that she turned on a show while other kids showed up before breakfast).  One main reason we switched to a home day care at kind of the last minute was because of how motherly she was with the kids.  When I stopped by a few weeks ago to get some information, we were chatting about some educational and developmental beliefs.  She has a Masters Degree in Psychology and is getting her PhD in Early Child Education, so she bases a lot of her child care on researched practices and has a Montessori-type style, which I like.  She made comments that she likes to take pictures every so often and send them to parents, so of course I was secretly hoping that she would do that today, and she did.

It was awesome - made me feel so happy to get pictures every hour or so on what they were doing.  So,  here is a picture version of "a day in the life" at day care (with the text messages we got along with the pictures):

Happy and doing great!  (8:06am)

Enjoying watching the birds and squirrels (8:12am)

Time for breakfast (8:24am)

Time to play outside (9:30am)

Hi mom, hi dad.  I'm having fun.

Indoor play (10:57am)

Making friends and sharing very well

Lunch time (12:06pm)

Nap time - fell asleep right away (12:40pm)

Ellis slept all the way until 3pm and Logan just before 3pm, which is shocking because I'm lucky Ellis will nap for 1.5 hours at home.  Goes to show when he's busy with other kids in a different setting, it just wore him out!

I picked them up just before 5pm and they were standing at the door (another boy was just leaving) so they saw me before I even got out of the car.  Ellis received a good report and she said he was very mellow, yet social throughout the day (yes, she's talking about Ellis!!).  Logan was also good - a little clingier to her, following her around a bit.  He didn't whine much but did a bit when she was out of his sight for a minute.  Otherwise, they were very good.  Such a proud mama here!  Now, I'm just hoping they repeat this tomorrow, that this isn't just a honeymoon phase.  When we first started speech classes, they were good the first day and then the next time we went (although its only once a week so the frequency isn't as high), they were a mess and didn't want to participate in anything.  Hopefully this is not like that and they have a great day tomorrow!  Having such a good report the first day confirms our decision to change them to the in-home day care versus the bigger day care setting!

Now, I know I was on a bit of a hiatus with blogging.  I was trying to enjoy the last few weeks of summer with the boys and honestly didn't want to spend time blogging about it.  So, just trust me when I say we had lots of fun.

So, I'll end this post with a few shout-outs!  First, a huge thank you to Grandma Bush for coming out and watching the boys Tuesday and Wednesday.  She was originally going to watch them Wednesday-Friday (since we were planning only 2 days of day care this week to work them into it), but because Ellis got sick, she saved us by coming a day earlier.  The boys definitely enjoyed spending time with her and we enjoyed the visit too!

Also, thanks to all of you sending positive thoughts for me and the boys today.  It was greatly appreciated and helped me get through the day easier!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom - the full version

I know, I put up a video earlier in the week of Logan reading this book on his own, but I got a better version of it.  He's not reading it this time (and if you have a hard time listening to someone that can't "sing", you may not want to listen to this video either as I guarantee I'm no singer), but he is doing all the hand motions and is pretty good at pointing to the right letters as I read the story.

Some of you may be thinking "geez, will she lay off the videos?", but guess what?  No I won't!  I know I'm a little repetitive, on them at times, but if you are sick of them, then you don't have to read/listen any further =).  And for those of you brave enough to listen, here you go:

Lovin' life

This past has been so much better than last week.  Last week I was in a bit of a funk, but I'm officially out of it and enjoying each minute I have with the boys before the dreaded day I go back to work.

Last week was the Big Rig Gig in Lake Orion that we checked out.  The boys LOVE trucks, so it just seemed perfect.  Unfortunately, with a lot of trucks comes a lot of horn honking, so aside from Logan covering his ears every so often, they seemed to enjoy it.  

Hard to tell, but he's "driving" a school bus

And Ellis' turn - which he was super excited about.  He just LOVES busses!

And nothing beats a little fun running (and apparently doing UFC moves) in the field that all the trucks were in.

Couldn't leave without checking out the smelly garbage truck.  

Troy, being the smart ass he is, wanted to pose in front of his favorite truck!

Cousins!

Over the weekend, we put a huge dent in the deck restoration.  We put all the railings on, on Saturday, and on Sunday, we did the railings for the steps and put a 2nd coat on everything that needed it.  Before and after pictures (once we stain the steps and the pergola this weekend) will be a post all on it's own.

On Monday we headed to the park and again fed the ducks.  Apparently its just mandatory now to visit and feed the ducks every time we go to the park.

On Tuesday we headed to the library story time.  The boys played at the library beforehand, and despite all the kids playing (I've never seen the kids section so full before!), probably because they all had the same idea of playing before story time, I was impressed at how well the kids played with the other kids around.  No grabbing/stealing toys, no whining, etc.

Yesterday we headed to see Nicole, Morgan and Parker.  After lots of playing inside, in the morning, we headed outside in the afternoon.

Bubble-chasing time

A little impromptu water fun.  No bathing suits = playing in diapers.  It's all good! 

I loved how Ellis stared so intently on what Morgan was doing (dipping her hair in the water then standing up to squeeze it out).  Logan's diaper got way too bloated, so he changed into a pair of underwear so he wouldn't be so uncomfortable.  It is wrong to think your child looks so cute wearing underwear?!?  

Today we met up with Sheila and Luke at the zoo.  We tried something new today - no stroller - and it was a very fun, successful trip.  Earlier in the summer, the boys get out of the stroller when we stop to see an animal and then get back in to travel to the next animal.  Well, the last time we were there, they barely wanted to go in the stroller at all, so when they did get a little out of my reach, it was near impossible to get them both together, and the stroller at the same time.  This mama only has 2 hands, ya know.  Today, we enjoyed ourselves and they did such a good job listening and holding my hand for quite a bit of the time (like they do when we walk around the block since we don't have sidewalks).

Tiger siting!

I was pretty surprised that Ellis let Luke hold his hand - too cute! 

Up close and personal with a gorilla.

At the polar bear/seal exhibit, there is an ice wall.  Usually the boys are in a hurry to get out of there that they never really touch the cold wall.  I asked Logan if the wall was cold and he said "cold".  I did a double-take and looked at Sheila and she heard it too.  Baby steps....

Seeing the polar bear from the outside.  It looks really far away in the picture but it really didn't seem that far away.

And you can't keep this kid off of the rocks, so we took a little break while the boys climbed on rocks and jumped off of them!

Whew!  Looking at that week, it's no surprise I'm a little tired.  Sure we've been a little busy, but the boys have loved every minute of it and I want to make the most of our last 2 weeks.  For tomorrow, we are going to hang low during the day because we are headed to the Chandlers for the evening.  Such fun days = little/no nap and I don't want to risk that tomorrow and have to come home to early from their place.  Hope everyone is enjoying their summer too!

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

Logan has loved this book for as long as I can remember.  Today when we were getting ready for dinner, we found him over by his books "reading" this one.  Of course he did a better job before I got my phone to record it, but I thought it was too cute.  I love, too, how he mimics how I read the book to him (I point to each letter as I read it in the story, then run my fingers up the tree since the letters are climbing up the tree).  In case you can't tell, his favorite letter right now is P.

Time with friends

Tonight we had some friends over for a BBQ (unfortunately held inside due to this unseasonable, rainy weather), and I captured a little video.  Although we see the Chandlers every so often, this is probably one of the first times I've actually seen the boys try really hard to "play" with Delevan and get his attention.  Ellis had Val and I cracking up as we watched this take place:



Poor Delevan had no clue (nor did we) of what Ellis was trying to say, but I do know that we'll have to teach Del how to give high fives soon!

What we've been up to

It's been a while since I've updated on anything more than my scrapbooking, so it's about time to let you all know what the boys have been up to.

First a little recap on our summer bucket list activities so far (activities we've done are highlighted):

• Have a picnic at a park - Just me and the boys having a picnic at a new-to-us park in Troy.

• Story time at the library
• Go to a parade
• Splash Pad
• Detroit Zoo (maybe Toledo Zoo, too?)
• Camping at the Pinery
• Go to a local beach
• Hit up the farmers market
• Go to a new park - Boulan Park in Troy - not too far, but one we haven't been to before

Why must I have boys that LOVE to try to climb on everything?!? Sure, that's what they are meant for, but it's not too easy for me to help both of them when they both want to climb different ones at the same time!

• Attend the Big Rig Gig - FRIDAY - Anyone interested?
• Ride the trains at Starr Jaycee Park - SATURDAY - Anyone interested?
• See fireworks (or at least play with sparklers) - Nope, this one didn't happen...
• Take a walk (sans stroller) on a local trail - Paint Creek Trail in downtown Rochester - connects right to the park we usually go to.

"Hey mom, are you coming?"  

So excited to have the freedom to walk on their own without having to hold my hand (like they have to when we walk around our neighborhood).  I seriously think that after this walk down the trail, Ellis would rather go for walks and explore, than play on the playground at the park!

• Feed the ducks at the park (without Ellis freaking out!) - At the same park that we play at, in downtown Rochester

Ellis was a bit more skeptical at first (which is why he is so far back), but luckily he could throw his bread far enough to make it to the ducks.

And here is a little video of them feeding the ducks.  In case you are curious, I keep saying "feed the ducky" because I swear Logan said it just before I started the video.  And sorry for the not-so-good footage.  It's not very easy to take video, give them some bread and make sure neither of them go too close to the water!

• Make homemade ice cream - soon, soon!

So, now that I look at our list of things to do for the summer, I feel like we still have a lot more to accomplish in these last few weeks.  Of course I'm not going to push it and force anything to happen, but it kind of reorganizes my thoughts and reminds me of what fun things I thought we could do.

There is quite a bit that we've done, also, that wasn't on the list.  

I'm so proud of Ellis for being willing to try some painting.  Arts and crafts is one thing he was NOT interested in, during the Parent/Tot class we've taken them to as part of their speech classes.  He has actually been much more interested in it than Logan lately!

A visit from Grandma last week.  It was a nice day for the pool so we spend the afternoon in the backyard playing.

These boys love the water (and showing off for Grandma, of course!)

Last week we went to the Bairds, and had a fun day playing in the water.  Cole was so kind to show the boys how to use a slip 'n slide.  Unfortunately for Cole though, once he showed them, they hogged it and wouldn't always give him a turn =( .  We are still working on sharing!  

Here's a little video of the slip 'n slide action.  I think Logan was more excited to sit in the mini "pool" at the end of it, but watching Ellis go down it cracks me up!

Last week we also visited Cari, an old friend from my CMU days, that I haven't seen in way too long.  She has 3 girls (which includes 1 set of twins) and the boys were just in heaven.  Logan just followed them around - hopefully not annoying them too much - and loved watching them play.  Towards the end of our visit the girls put on a show for us and Logan and Ellis got a kick out of joining them in the dance portion of it!  Hopefully we can meet up like that more often! 

Okay, so this picture might not be very appropriate, but I am trying to highlight the fact that Ellis' last two pacifiers are no longer in the house, hence the picture of our garbage.  He hasn't used them (or held them, as he did primarily for comfort after we cut holes in the tips) in quite a long time, so about a month ago, I took them out of his sight altogether to see if he would even notice that they were gone.  NOPE, he hasn't.  So, when I came across them when I was cleaning earlier in the week, I thought it was time to say goodbye.  Bittersweet moment for this mama!  

Aside from our normal pool fun, a lot of time has been spent outside playing on our playground.  The boys usually play on the slide the most, but this week they have been all about the swings.

And thankfully they seem to be done with the throwing sand phase of their life (hopefully).  They actually like to scoop it instead of see how much they can get in their hair!

And last but not least, this picture is a little older, but it cracks me up.  When reading about ways to help kids develop more speech, I read that sometimes kids need to build up their mouth muscles more.  One way to do that is to have them use a straw sippy cup instead of just the basic one.  I frankly never thought of that and never really got them to use a straw one because, well, let's be honest, who wants to clean out straws all the time?  Some of those cups have so many darn parts to them, it's ridiculous!  Well, anyways, I went to the store and bought some trainer straw sippy cups that help you teach a child how to drink from a straw (you push the bottom of the cup and liquid goes up the straw without them sucking - it teaches that they have to do some work to get the liquid up the straw - hence sucking from a straw).  Thankfully, they caught on really quick so I went out and bought some that aren't quite as easy to suck from, to get them used to using those muscles.  What made me laugh about the day I took this picture is that Ellis was having a hard time keeping the cup down so that he could actually suck up water.  They are so used to tipping the cup back to drink from it, but as we all know, if you do that with a straw cup, you won't get much of anything in there, so in this picture, he was trying so hard to keep the cup down so he could get some water to drink.  Too funny, Ellis.

Well, I think that's it for now.  It is way too late and I should be sleeping, but damn this Mt. Dew slurpee hasn't gotten out of my system yet.  

Tomorrow's agenda - continue working on the deck restoration (for as much as the weather will allow us) and have a BBQ with some friends at night.  Once the deck is done I will show before and after pictures, but with the progress we've made so far, I'm very excited to see the finished product.  Good night everyone!

Mission Accomplished!

Yup, I got my last 4 scrapbook pages done and I'm complete with my July goal.  I was actually done a few days ago although we've been so busy with working on redoing/staining the deck that I haven't had any time to post the last few pages.  So, here goes:

Both Logan and Ellis have two "Christmas" pages.  The first page for each of them are really activities in December that lead up to Christmas and the second one is actually Christmas Day.

Logan's first page

Logan's second page

Ellis' first page

Ellis' second page 

For their 2nd birthday, I thought I'd do a 2 page layout but I was actually able to get everything on 1 page!

Ellis' birthday page 

Logan's birthday page

So, there you have it.  I'm pretty pleased with the pages I made and even more pleased to be caught up (with this project!).  I actually do have two more layouts that I could do for each one, but I don't have the pictures for it yet, which is why I didn't include them in this month's challenge.  

Next up, on the scrapbook front, I want to document our camping trip to The Pinery, then of course get caught up again on Project Life.  Let's see how much of this I can get done before, gasp, I go back to work in a few weeks.