Andrewisms

Two quick Andrew stories:

First, when I was picking up Andrew at school last week, one of his teachers told me that she'd seen him off by himself on the playground. Since this wasn't normal for him, she went up and asked if he was doing ok, to which he replied (insert sigh and exasperated tone) "yeah, I just needed a little peace and quiet". She laughed...and completely understood.

Second, we had a lady from the Montgomery County Infant and Toddlers Program come and do preliminary intake and assessment for Will last week (the official evaluation is on 10/4). When Andrew arrived home from school, he was excited to find that we had a visitor. He eagerly ran back to the kitchen, and very politely and sweetly introduced himself. I introduced her as Ms. Carol - he instantly started calling her Auntie Carol. We laughed...I got to explain that we're privlidged to have many visitors in our home, and they're all family ;).

Will, 9 months

9 months old! At his check-up last week, he weighed in at 19 pounds, 2 ounces (50th percentile) and I think 37 inches (60th percentile)...we'll double check before it goes in the "yet to be purchased" baby book. He continues to bring us so much joy, and truly lights up the room with his HUGE smile and gleaming blue eyes.

Socially, he is off the charts. He loves to laugh, interact, and has even started giving hugs and kisses on command. We haven't, however, made a ton of progress with his physical development these past few months (no interest in crawling, getting his belly off the floor, putting food in his mouth...he's very laid back and content). Our wonderful nurse practitioner spent a lot of time with us at his appointment, and determined that his minor delays are caused by low muscle tone. SOO, he'll be meeting some new friends from the Montgomery County Infant and Toddlers program this week - they will be coming to our house regularly for physical therapy. He HAS finally started rolling from back to front, standing on his legs (not balancing...just standing), eating some small pieces of food when I put them in his mouth - but not with much vigor, and very recently making some consonant sounds (mama is of course my favorite). He also cut his first two teeth!

All in all, he's an incredibly happy little guy. And it's honestly been nice for me to have a slow mover (who is still content to sit on the floor with a bucket of toys!), especially over a busy summer. And now that the older two are back in school, we have time to work on it ;). We love you precious boy!

Caden's 1st day of Preschool!

On Monday, Caden had his very first day of school ever. It was such a sweet/surreal moment watching him leave with daddy - he was so excited and happy! Dave was the co-oper (parent helper) in his class that day, which was super fun.

Obviously I hadn't had my coffee yet, but I love how this captures Caden's excitement.

Outside school, ready to go in!

Playing in his classroom - he dove right in.

Snack time.

Being goofy with the fish after class - he loved his first day!

Running in the courtyard outside. Last year it was Andrew's school, now it's all his :).

Starbucks date with daddy afterwards.

A few fun/silly shots that afternoon. A GREAT first day!!

How do they do it?

I can't properly document this season in our lives without giving due credit to diapers.com. I discovered it several years ago, and it never ceases to amaze me. This past Thursday we were getting dangerously low on diapers for Will. I placed an order that evening. Friday afternoon, these two boxes arrived. It BLOWS MY MIND. Shipping is free (we always spend at least $50...we stock up), I have NO IDEA how they get it to us so quickly, AND we got 15% cash back on diapers for the next 6 months for placing an order with soap.com.

I stocked up on items I needed anyway (bulk TP, soap, etc) - everything was very competitively priced. LOVE it.

Soup

Just some random pictures of the boys making "soup". They helped me pick tomatoes from the backyard for a tomato/cucumber salad, and wanted to be chefs. I have to admit that I cringed at the idea, but in thinking about it further, realized they'd just be getting a particularly thorough washing. I did nix the addition of crackers, and was able to disguise the dents/punctures by cutting the tomatoes in half ;).

School Begins

Andrew started pre-K at the Fourth Presbyterian School on Monday. He was a bit tentative the first day (transitions can be hard for him...and the poor kid was still a bit jet lagged), but since day 2 he's been LOVING it. When he got home today, he drew a picture of his school with a frown face because he was sad to leave today. I didn't realize until he was heading up to bed tonight that he thought he was done with pre-k. Why not? VBS was a week ;). I take for granted that he doesn't have the years of experience to understand the concept of a school year. AND, we didn't talk as much about starting school over the summer because the build up last year was really stressful for him. Anyway, when we explained how long the year would last, he was super excited.

Outside his school the first day. He really wanted his hands in his pockets for this picture ;).
A quick shot of his classroom.

Later that afternoon, Dave took the boys to a park around the corner to explore.

Love this face.

Checking out the stream.

Bamboo!

Taking a break.

The next day Caden's new preschool teacher, Mrs. Mischkin, came for a home visit. He starts on the 13th, and is very excited. He'll be attending M,W,F mornings - Andrew all 5 mornings. We're looking forward to a fun year!

Northwest Respite, Week 2

Week 2 gave us more time to soak up the beauty which is August in Seattle. Dave was able to take some "study leave", so spent a good deal of time in coffee shops and libraries. It's perfect really - he gets a jump start on teaching prep (which tends to be encouraging and refreshing as well), and I have built-in babysitting and support while catching up with dear family and friends.

We spent Thursday morning at Remlinger farm with the cousins. To our boys, it may just have well been Disneyland ;).
Very excited to be on a train ride.

One of many "rides" - this was the tamest. We also enjoyed a barrel ride (think teacups, but barrels instead...Caden didn't like them), and another flying up and down ride (think dumbo).

Riding a canoe - just before Caden's arm went in ;).

Climbing around an antique fire truck.

Our trip wouldn't be complete without a Friday run to the farmer's market. It's packed, it's beautiful, the salt water air breezes through, unique street vendors perform everywhere, post alley buzzes in all it's charm, and delicious coffee is yours on every corner (location of the original Starbucks). It's so Seattle - I love this place.

We found a WEEDLE in post alley!! The character of one of my favorite children's book 'The Weedle on the Needle", now a favorite for my boys as well.

Andrew playing in Grandpa and Grandma's woods - they've made several paths, it's a dream world for little boys.

Meeting up with my roommate Sarah at the supermall. This just happened to be behind us....we thought we were hilarious.

Her precious family.

A Saturday evening picnic at Beaver lake, just 5 minutes from my parents house. There was a wedding taking place in the pavilion right behind us.

My brother Chris and his gorgeously pregnant JA.

Happy with gramps.

Caden feeding the ducks.

Sunday night we celebrated my dad's new job with a dinner out at the Rainforest Cafe. Our boys LOVED this frog, but did not love the thunderstorms that came every 30 minutes.

He just couldn't resist.

Somehow, they all ended up on Grandma's lap.

The volcano for dessert - it was enough for all of us.

Monday morning we ventured out to Rattlesnake lake for a picnic lunch. Another of our favorite spots, nestled in the foothills of the Cascades.

My friend Amy and our pack of boys!

BOYS! By next year, they'll be 8 standing there (between myself, Amy, and JA).

P helping Will - LOVE his tongue.

My cousin Barb and her husband Greg stopped by that afternoon - we loved getting to see them since they were out of town when we stayed at their house in Desert Aire.

Barb is amaaaazing with kids. She was one of my favorite people growing up, so it was fun to watch my boys enjoy her so much.

Dinner in Freemont that night with some of our old Wash U college students who now live in Seattle. We stopped into this fun coffee shop on Queen Anne for dessert and amazing coffee.

Tuesday we drove up North, and stopped to see Great Grandma Dot. She was doing well this particular day, so it was a sweet sweet visit. I was so thankful Will got to meet her...and he was especially cuddly with her (and he has her chin!)

Stopping for lunch in La Conner.

And then we arrived at Deception Pass - one of my favorite spots to camp and play as a child.

Throwing rocks - the Olympic mountains hovering in the background.

Playing in the waves with Grandpa and Grandma.

Grandpa's hand.

Happy boy.

Discovering tide pools.

Climbing the same rocks I climbed 25 years ago.

We took the boys exploring in the woods, and came out to this beautiful overlook.

Heading home, driving on the ferry.

Andrew taking it in.

A lighthouse as we docked.

Wednesday, one last picnic in the woods.

Our dear old friends, Nora and Tim stopped by.

Our last night there, we enjoyed a beautiful evening along the banks of the Snoqualmie river with my family. The boys swam with their uncles and cousins, we ate good food, and we soaked up the Northwest beauty one last time. Our time there was such a tremendous blessing. We were so grateful for the opporutunity the rest and be refreshed before jumping back into the craziness which is this season of our lives.