festival

putting these up really really quick...been doing lots this weekend with the grandparents....more to come later

Afternoon Outside

No playdates, no errands, nothing to do but be a kid this afternoon. Picnic outside.














Play in water table.







Find a ladybug.












Finding toy bugs in discovery table filled with grass. Of course, kids aren't really meant to GET IN the table, but apparently Travis did not read the instructions that came with the table.

Neighbor Max Comes to Play

Max, age 2, and his mom Deanne came to play this morning. The fun started out in the ball pit. (We just blew up the ball pit this morning since it is a rainy day.....something new and big to bounce in!) As you can see, it was hard to get photo's since one of the boys was always moving.














Playing the piano.


















Sharing another toy. Travis is now in is undies. He doesn't seem to want to stop playing to get pants back on.












































The piers were contagious. Both moms here are close to completely taking the piers away, but not quite there yet. So when Max had his, Travis thought he needed one and vice versa.
The kids are just starting to learn to share and take turns, and both boys did very well!

Mashed potato toes

Laughs.....laughs........laughs......what great fun to have mashed potato toes! (Mom spilled some mashed potatoes and Travis loved stepping in it.) It is wonderful to see such happiness come from such a little thing.

feeding Jessica

what a kind big brother...

4 Wheeler & chasing birds

At neighbors tonight for dinner. They have a 2 year old also, so new toys to discover! Here Travis is stearing Max's little 4 wheeler all over the yard. He spent a lot of time on it, driving it across the yard. Jessica is sleeping in her carseat in the background. She woke up after a while and delighted everyone.














Wait a minute, I think I see a bird!

















Yep! It's a bird! I'm going to catch it!
I'm going to get it! There is no stopping me now!




Better luck next time Travis.

We also chased birds at the park today, and ran a lot! We ran the length of the soccer field. I think the wide open space was appealing to both of us for running.

George's Helper

Travis helps George install a new garbage disposal.

Bigger Zoo Photos

Grandma O found this wagon for Travis at a garage sale. Worked perfect for the zoo! Travis won't ride in a stroller much anymore - he thinks he is too big. They were in and out of the wagon....mostly out and it was a great place to through water, treats, etc. There is even a little compartment under the seat where we stashed extra wipes, sunscreen, and the necessities.

Travis was intrigued by this.

Looking at monkeys.

Baylie showed Travis how to bawk bawk like a chicken.

Such a cute shot of Baylie - had to put it in here!

Lion - always sleeping at the zoo. About this time Travis was looking pretty tired too. We were pushing past his nap and it was so hot and lots of walking. I was worried I might have pushed too much at this point and thought maybe I'd have to carry him the rest of the way.

Then a pitstop in the airconditioned snack area perked Travis right up. Each kid got their own order of dippin' dots ice cream. However, they both liked to take from each other's cup. Must be a universal thing - kids think other people's food tastes better! Neither of them minded - good sharing. Both kids ran around and played for quite a while in this snack area -- recharged to finish walking the zoo!

Travis loved this spray water bottle Baylie's mom brought. It cooled the kids off. In fact, when we got home, I got ours out and it has occupied Travis for a long time. It's his favorite 'toy' since then. We've had to start enforcing the rule that the water bottle stays outside on the porch though. Also, he doesn't automatically understand that we can't spray Jessie- he thinks she should like it just like him!

Lots of pointing!

Baylie teaches Travis how to say Peewee....the petting zoo area smelled.

Two minutes after we pull out of the zoo, he's fast asleep and had a good long nap. It's great to be a kid!

New sleeping arrangements coming soon...

Kerry and I had this awesome habit of putting Jessie to sleep in the swing. We would buckle her in, turn it on, and it worked like a charm. We could count on it. Then in about 5 -10 minutes, we would move her to the pack-n-play. (outgrew the Amby hammock.) Sometimes though we would fall asleep ourselves and leave her in the swing to sleep.....not exactly recommended in the baby books but great for us to get sleep!
This morning though, Jessie started whimpering like she was awake and ready to get up. I started making a bottle and yelled to her , "Just a minute!", as if she can understand that! I did hear the swing squeak quite a bit, but didn't think anything of it. When I went to get her, she was enjoying some tummy time on the floor. She had hurled herself out of the swing! Dr. Head gave her a full examination and she was all smiles.
Needless to say, no more swing. This means a rough week of sleep for Mom and Dad while we enforce new sleeping rules. We picked out a crib online and Kerry is going to look at it at work today. It will be better for us in the long run, but could use some prayers for Jessie to fall asleep in the crib! If I feel up to it, it might even be the perfect time to start what some of my friends call "sleep training", where you force out the night feedings. Two friends followed the same plan around 3 months old, and after a week both of their babies were sleeping mostly straight through....that should be motivation enough. I think she might be ready - last night at 3:30 it took her 45 minutes to drink 3 oz so I figure she couldn't have been all that hungry. When she is really hungry, she drinks it much more quickly!

Zoo

Travis and I met Heather and Baylie at the zoo. Heather and I were working together and pregnant at the same time. We even shared a shower party together.
It was such a hot day at the zoo, so we cooled the kids off with a spray water bottle, walking through the sprinkler, and of course an ice cream treat. Travis enjoyed the water bottle so much that when we got home, he played for about 20 minutes straight with our water bottle on the porch.
When Dad grilled out dinner for us later in the evening, Travis showed Dad how to spray the bottle!

Watering Plants & Croquet

Watering plants with Daddy.

















Found a bird's nest.



Croquet lessons with Dad.
More croquet lessons.















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Croquet lessons didn't take. Maybe next year!
Cooling off with a smoothie. So hot out tonight!
Jessie was with us for a while in the baby carrier and then in her little outdoor tent.