Making Mischief

I swear, I turned around for just one second....



Yes, take a close look.
We must have gotten a stamp pad and a bear stamp in a birthday goody bag sometime back. Jason found it somewhere, and used Michael as his piece of paper. I guess he liked the effect so much, he tried to duplicate it on himself.

Do you know how hard it is to get that stuff off? The next day, you could still see the blue-green hue on their skin. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by the kids' fascination with scissors, either. They get the job done. We have to hide every last pair, but, if we forget, Jason and Michael are right on top of it. I'm just happy I got to the two before Michael started cutting up his clothes again. That was last month.

Pool Party!

Our neighbor, Natalie, got a backyard pool. We never realized how much of a bonus that would be for all us!!! She might have to start charging us a toll.




It felt like 150 degrees last weekend, but none of us cared. The cool pool water helped us beat the heat. And, Jason, he is getting more and more confident in the water. We couldn't be more thrilled.

Big Boy

He's growing so fast! We had to take down the rail on Michael's crib the other day. It just seemed right. He wasn't clamoring to get out, he wasn't whining that he had no freedom. He just looked too big to be sleeping inside a baby crib.

We thought he would put up a fight, would try to climb down and head downstairs at midnight, hunting for the potato chips. Nope. So far, he stays in his bed, and talks to himself until someone tells him it's o.k. to emerge.



And, yes, the boy has another new 'do. The girl I have come to depend on was not available today, but his hair was really mushrooming out of control. There was no need to shave his head today, but, well....I really need to follow Michael's hairdresser's schedule more closely.

Our Little Daredevil

We visited Busch Gardens on what felt like the hottest day of the year.



Jason perked up once he passed all those old "villages" at the park and took a gander at the rollercoasters. Who knew he had this wild side? He dragged Doug on all the rides his little body was allowed to ride.




Look at this one. Doug and Jason sat on one end of a big boat that rocked, and rocked, and rocked. It took unsuspecting passengers high up into the sky, and back down, all in a swinging motion. The smile I saw when Jason got buckled in was not the same look I witnessed when he slowly stepped off. I asked him if he enjoyed himself, he said, "NO!" But, Doug looked worse. Still, Jason continued his quest to ride the crazy rides, the ones that swing fast and spin around. He also wanted to ride a ROLLERCOASTER. We thought we found one, a junior one, that would have allowed him on. When Doug and Jason got to the head of the line, turns out, Jason was half an inch too short. Jason was disappointed. Doug was not.



And look at Michael. Just happy to be allowed out of his stroller. He truly enjoyed the bumper cars. Just went around and around and around.



This ride? This one is more our speed.

The Joys of Summer

We had the pleasure of seeing our friends Lisa, Mike, and Austin last weekend. They stopped by on the way to the beach. It really has been too long!!!

The boys really enjoyed entertaining a new friend. Jason gave little Austin a view of our fence. Hey, they're kids.




Then Jason invited Austin over to the porch for some frozen treats. Even Michael was allowed to take part. Nobody talked for a good ten minutes while every last drop was devoured.





You could tell that Michael was a little smitten with Lisa. He allowed us to move him, pose him, then snap a picture, all during treat time. See that charming smile? Come back very soon, Lisa, for another visit!!!

Little Fish

Jason has participated in swimming lessons off and on since before he could walk. And, most of the time, it felt like I spent the lessons at the side of the pool, urging him to get back inside.

This time is different.




Jason and his pal, Bennet, are tearing up the water. Together, they do "bobs." At the request of the teacher, they jump up and down in the water, and intentionally get the tops of their heads wet. And they do it willingly!!!




It's not to say he will be cutting through the water like any sort of Olympian, but, this is certainly a start. He's told me before, "Mommy, I was scared in the water, today, when I had to swim to the teacher, but I did it anyway." I think we're watching the effects of positive peer pressure here. Yippee!!!