Summer Shoes

Thought I'd post a pic of my favorite summer shoes...my Keen "sandals". I actually got them last summer, so clearly they were a wise purchase. They are comfortable, waterproof and versatile. Drawback...crazy tan lines.

On the move

Enjoy this video from the weekend capturing William "on the move".

And I thought this one was noteworthy as ever since we can remember, he's been thumping his right leg...well, now that he can sit up, check out his coordination and balance.

WY at 7 months

William continues to be an absolute delight - just like his big brother. He refines his crawling skills daily and is trying ever-so-hard to pull up. While snapping a few pictures this morning, I captured the photo below...yes, he pulled himself to standing all on his own! We can only assume he is anxious to keep up with his big brother.

Date Night

And believe it or not, I'm not talking about us (Avery and Bobby)...but rather Thompson! Tonight marked his first "date". Katie and Anna picked T up in Katie's "taxi Jeep" and then departed for an evening showing of Toy Story 3 with "no mommies". He had a great time and we were reminded once again of the blessing Katie and Anna are to our family. They truly are like big sisters for Thompson (and William).

"It's men's day today, not ladies day"

Just so we're clear....at least that's how Thompson reminded us yesterday was Father's Day. We had another great weekend in Cashiers with our families. William had his first dip in the "hot pool" (I speculate he might well be our family fish) and the "major" milestone was his beginning to crawl!

Bobby and Papere took Thompson fishing along the Chattooga River Saturday morning while Mamere and Avery took William on his first official Lake Trail hike. That afternoon, we headed to Annie and Poppy's house for dinner and a visit with Allison and Glenn, Angela, Tilley & Wyatt. It was fun to watch the cousins interact...and they had a great time playing with the "stomp pocket".

Sunday found us at Summer Chapel where Thompson coined his "Thompson-ism" for the day. Clearly, communion was on his mind as he was eager to spit out his gum prior to exiting the car, and when asked why, he indicated it was because of communion and that we should have know that was the reason. After communion, when asked if it went OK, he replied "Yes, and I even dipped it in the sauce."

Today's Highlights

Today marked William's first time in a swimming pool...and he handled it like a pro! He loves bathtime, so it came as no surprise that this endeavor proved successful. He seemed most comfortable floating on his back (either in his life jacket or in my arms) and splashing his arms.

Thompson, too, enjoyed the pool. With his handy-dandy red life jacket, her is totally at ease in and around the water. This afternoon he attended his first swim lesson of the summer at the YWCA, and while he was a bit apprehensive when he realized he couldn't wear his life jacket, by the end, he was eager to show the instructors he could go down the slide on his own (which meant going completely under water and then surfacing on his own).

And while I'd like to think swimming was T's highlight for the day, I'm pretty sure I'd be wrong...rather it would be helping the garbage man do EVERYTHING associated with dumping our garbage. T got to push the buttons that compact the trash already in the truck, pull (and push!) the levers to lift up our garbage can and dump the refuse into the truck, and finish with a squirt of hand santizer. Yes, he loves garbage day! He can hear the truck once it turns on our street. And I can honestly say I believe T is one of the highlights of our garbage men's Tuesday route.

Atlanta Road Trip

With Bobby in Vancouver (yes...Canada!) on business this past weekend, I loaded the car and headed to Atlanta with the boys, where I got to see Catherine (my college roommate) and Lauren (my dearest friend from camp) and their children. Lauren's boys are now 5 and 2 & Catherine's daughter turns 3 this summer and her son is 3 months younger than William. The boys traveled well and I got some girl-time!

the proud big brother and big sister admiring their little brothers

Benjamin and William "bunking it"

Lauren sitting with our boys at the Children's Museum

(Sam, Thompson and Thomas learning about the food pyramid while William naps in his stroller)Thompson and Anne Bradleya favorite picture of William

AWSC - T's 1st "Camp"

Thompson awoke this morning "so excited" about his first day of summer camp, and I have to tell you, I was excited too! So here's the story of how Ashley Woods Summer Camp (AWSC) came to be.

Several moms in our neighborhood were talking about summer plans and how expensive it can become to participate in the local day camps offered to young children. So we wondered...could we put together a fun summer "camp" experience without breaking the bank? The answer...a resounding "Yes"! We identified 8 days between June, July and August as camp days. Moms volunteer in pairs with one hosting and the other assisting on each given camp day. Together, they decide the theme, associated crafts, activities and stories and provide both snack and lunch. The children are not obligated to attend all camp days (as there is no cost to attend!) but by volunteering children have the opportunity to participate. With their very own t-shirts (thanks to one gracious father for donating them), I surmise we'll find our children (13 in total) won't want to miss camp. I know today's theme was cooking and Thursday's theme is camping and bugs.

PS - oh yes, those are silly bands on T's wrist. He's crazy about the "craze" and was eager to share them with his camp buddies this morning.

Sitting Up

Over the past week, William has made awesome progress when it comes to sitting up on his own. So much so, that we can plop him on the floor and he will rarely topple back. So, after a great 2-hour morning nap, imagine my surprise when I walked into his room and found him sitting up in his crib!

Yesterday's Buzz

Enjoy these two pictures which captured the "buzz" from yesterday...

T's first official summer haircut

(Yep...that's his forehead! His hair has never been this short, so it is quite the change. I've often wonder what he'd look like, and now we know...a much older 4-year old!)

WY's first time in his personal "mini" pool

17 lbs 13.5 ozs & 26.5 in

...William's latest stats after his 6-month well-visit this afternoon. He continues to grow daily and "right on track". William has found the 50th percentile line and appears to be sticking to it in both height and weight. (and for those of you wanting the comparison to Thompson, he was 15 lbs 11 ozs and 26 in at his 6-month check-up...so bigger, but not by much)

We spent Memorial Day weekend in Cashiers with Mamere and Papere and the Freemans where one of the weekend highlights was William attending his first Summer Chapel. WY's other notable milestone was finding him on his hands and knees rocking back and forth. So you know what that means...crawling is in the foreseeable future! I think he is eager to keep up with Thompson, whom we can tell he is absolutely fascinated with. It is awesome to see WY respond to T and T's doting on his younger brother.