Standing Girl

Now that Catherine has mastered crawling, she's on to bigger and better things.  Catherine will crawl all over the house and find anything she can to pull herself up- the coffee table, the couch, chairs, boxes, and even walls.  The girl loves to stand!  If we leave her for a minute, as soon as we come back in the room she's standing up.  Every time I go to get her from her bed, there she is standing up with a big smile on her face.  I think we should all brace ourselves for what's bound to come next- little steps.

Cute Twins

Daddy and Peter decided to go as twins to church last week.  Who knew green polo shirts and khaki shorts could be so cute?  In a sea of girls, daddy is thankful all the time he has his special buddy, Peter.

Airplanes!

We have a cool little air plane museum just up the freeway from our house.  I've seen it a million times as I've driven by, and never had the time to visit.  We had a free day recently, and decided to check it out.  It was awesome!  There were tons of models of early planes, and even a huge double-decker plane out back that was open for the kids to run around in and explore.  Of course, they loved the cock pit- especially Peter.  We may have a budding pilot on our hands.  On our way out, we were cleverly shuttled through the gift shop.  We decided to pick up a few simple model planes to take home and try out.  I'm so glad we did!  Oh, what fun we had throwing those planes around outside!  The kids loved them so much, we showed them to all the kids in our neighborhood, and everyone had a great time with them.  Now I'm inspired to learn more about air planes, and to certainly delve a little deeper into model planes.  

Cards, Dancing, and Ice Cream

Summer time is winding down, and that means that our summer concerts will soon be ending.  We've had a fun time this summer listening to music in the park with our friends.  Amy always sets out lots of blankets and her little table, and the kids have been playing long and intense Uno matches.  Lately it's been getting interesting as Catherine tries to climb up the table and grab all the cards, but the big kids don't seem to mind.  Lizzy loves to play hide-and-seek behind the stage among all the tall trees, and Peter loves to dance with Connor and run all over.  Peter and I always share a pizza, and the kids love to get a treat from the ice cream man.  Enjoying time with friends on a warm summer evening is just the best.

A Royal Adventure

Lizzy and Peter play all sorts of imaginary games together.  The fight bad guys, they build boats, houses, and stores, they tell ghost stories, and they play house.  They've been known to be mechanics, teachers, racers, explorers, and detectives.  On this day, they were in a royal sort of mood.  Lizzy decided to bring out all of her old princess dresses, and took turns modeling them.  Peter wore his cape, and even one of Pat's old ties, to look extra spiffy.  They danced together, got married, and then things got really exciting.  As is often the case around here, some bad guys came into the picture.  They had to set up their carriage and fight them.  There's never a dull moment around our house!

Discovery Museum

We visited an old favorite last week, and it was just as great as we remembered.  Even better, in fact, because everything seemed new to the kids, since we hadn't been there in so long.  Peter loved, and I do mean loved, the ambulance and fire truck, especially when he got to take over the driver's seat.  I loved watching him trying to steer and get his foot on the gas- a pretty tricky maneuver.  We played outside in the garden, had a blast splashing in the water area, and loved exploring all the exhibits.  I love when we can hit up these great local museums.  We always have a great time, and the kids love discovering all the fantastic things to do there.

Standing!

Now, when I hear Catherine in her bed, making her little noises and squeals, and I go in to get her, this is the sight that awaits me- a huge smile, bright eyes, and a little body standing, yes standing, at the edge of her crib, just waiting to be picked up and snuggled.  It's perhaps one of the most joyous sights I've ever seen.

Farm Fun

There's a small farm just over the bridge from where we live.  I've driven by it a million times and always thought it would be a fun place to visit.  Finally, we made a trip there.  That's perhaps one of the most lovely aspects of summertime.  The freedom to just get up and go, on a whim, wherever you'd like.  The feeling that each day is full of possibilities, just waiting for you to explore.  What a hidden gem we discovered!  There were all the typical farm animals to see, but so much more.  We loved walking all through the grounds, visiting the gardens, and having lunch in the gazebo.  It's fantastic to be outside and have such a great time doing, well..........for lack of a better word, nothing!  And by nothing, I mean no bells and whistles, no rides, or games, or shows, or entertainment.  Just the simple pleasure of sunshine on your face, pretty trails to explore, flowers to admire and butterflies to chase.  

Rocket Balloons

Ahhhhh, rocket balloons.  They are a summertime (or rather an anytime) staple for us.  Looking for a way to liven up the park?  Pack a bunch of rocket balloons and get ready for a good time.  Everyone loves them, from tiny babies to old men, and once you break them out, it's like you've transformed into the pied piper.  We hadn't done them for a while, so we decided to get a fresh pack and go to the park.  What fun we had!  We ran into a little girl we recognized from the library, and she joined us in the fun.  How the kids loved watching the balloons fly so high into the air, do loop-de-loops all over, then shoot back down to the ground.  An old man sitting on a nearby bench got such a kick out of the whole thing, and he helped us fish out the lost balloons stuck in trees with a long stick.  Even Catherine got into the excitement.  Any day is a good rocket balloon day in my book.  

Neighborhood Adventures

There is a small nature area near our house that we've walked past for years whenever we've been out on walks or bike rides.  It's just a little patch of ivy and trees really, separating a busy street from a neighborhood.  We noticed some time ago that someone had put some things there- an old little play structure, a home-made swing hung up from a tree branch, a rickety old trampoline, and a shovel that someone took the time to dig quite a big hole with. The jackpot, however, was the zip-line that was rigged between two trees.  It's funny how human nature works (at least for me).  Even though we saw all that stuff, we continued to walk by it for months.  It felt like someone's special space, and we didn't dare trespass into it.  Then, after a while, when we never saw anyone playing there, we would gingerly walk in, and the kids might swing for a while or jump into the hole.  Then, as kids and adults will have it, we slowly, slowly became more daring, and the space felt more and more like our special place.  It wasn't long before the zip-line, which previously looked like a complete death trap and I wouldn't even think about letting the kids get anywhere near, became Lizzy's favorite spot to swing and play from.  Peter started playing all sorts of imaginary games in the big hole, and turned the play structure into a fishing boat.  Now, this secret special spot feels entirely ours, and it's a staple on our walks.  On the rare occasions when we see someone else playing there, we frown and momentarily pause, like they're so presumptuous to barge into our special spot, before we join them.  I still have no idea who made this place, which kid and their dad used their time and imagination to create something so awesome, but if I did know, I'd thank them heartily for the countless hours of fun we've had there.  

Awake! Asleep!

Sometimes it's hard to tell when Catherine needs a rest.  She is such a happy baby, and loves to be with everyone.  She is rarely fussy, and spends most of her time with a huge smile on her face playing with her toys and watching the other kids.  Lately, she's been helping me out by giving me some pretty obvious sleep cues.  One minute I'll see her playing away, then the next, she's flat out on the ground, sucking her thumb with her eyes half closed.  Then it becomes apparent, even to me, that it's time to lay my little baby down and give her a rest.

Hiking Adventures

We love it whenever we get a chance to be outside, enjoying nature and each other's company.  On a simply gorgeous morning, we decided to go for a hike in one of our favorite "hidden" places.  See, last summer we were exploring behind a park we were visiting and stumbled upon the little beach that led us to a great trail up a "mountain."  It felt like a lost paradise- one minute we were at a park, and then the next we were walking amongst gorgeous trees, climbing up big rocks, and having the best time feeling wild and exploring.  This time, we got our great friends Charlie and Nick (and their very pregnant mom, Kelly) to come with us.  What a great day!  All the kids loved looking for cool shells and rocks on the beach, then we had a great hike up the hill and topped it all off with a picnic.  Afterwards, we explored some more.  It worked out perfectly because Lizzy really wanted to hit the museum there, so Pat was able to have some special time just with Lizzy at the museum, and Kelly and I corralled all the boys and took them to the park.  What an absolutely perfect way to spend a day!

Reading Time

Every good reader needs a good audience.  Lizzy is becoming a great reader, and she is always looking for someone to read to.  Lately, she's decided Catherine is a perfect audience, and she'll pick out some "baby" books and read them with Catherine.  Sometimes, Catherine is a great listener, but other times Catherine remembers she's a baby, and will crawl away, or pull at the book or get distracted.  When the literary stars align, these two are the perfect pair.    

Clapping!

One of Catherine's very adorable new tricks is clapping.  When she hears clapping, or even the sound of something exciting, her face lights up, like she's thinking, "Oh, that's right!  I'm supposed to do something here, right?!"  Then she excitedly begins clapping her hands together and she joyfully squeals in delight.  So with a reaction like that, you can see why we all love to clap a lot now.  First one person will clap, then another, then pretty soon everyone is joining in the fun.  

Parktime is Funtime

No matter how many times I learn this lesson, I'm reminded over and over how much joy children find in simplicity.  I'm always ready to drive 100 miles to the coolest museum ever, and those days are wonderful, but very often, my kids love just going down the street to a neighborhood park.  The other day we decided to hit an old favorite we hadn't visited in months.  It was a gorgeous day, so we packed a picnic and our scooters.  The kids loved playing on the play structure, and everyone was able to swing together- so fun!  We went on a long scooter ride all around the park, and had a wonderful picnic lunch under a shady oak tree.  Afterward, we played and played until we were all exhausted, and then we went home.  I can't tell you how many times I've been asked what we're doing this summer.  Each time, the person asking has this hopeful, expectant look on their face like I'm going to blurt out some earth-shaking, awesome answer like traveling around Europe or going to Hawaii.  I know the secret to an awesome summer: throw out your agenda, slow way down, explore, and play, play, play.  That's what we're busy doing, and what's made this summer so special.

Playtime with Grandma and Papa

Our daddy has been busy with work the last few Saturdays, so rather than sit at home by ourselves, we decided to visit Grandma and Papa.  We've had such a great time playing with them!  We did lots of our old favorite things- we had lunch (egg salad and chips, of course) outside and then played with all the toys inside (especially the kitchen toys- our favorites!).  One day it was super hot, so I brought some of our water toys over.  The kids had so much fun playing around in the water- even Catherine!  She loved sitting there splashing and playing with cups, and Lizzy and Peter loved running all around trying to soak me.  Thank goodness for Grandma.  Just as everyone was reaching their breaking points, Grandma pulled out some of her classic stories and read to the kids.  Suddenly everyone was calmed down and happy again- yay!  Thank goodness for fun days with Grandma and Papa.

Left-Behind-Campers

While Lizzy (and her equally big peers) are away at camp, there are a whole bunch of little guys left at home.  You might think they're feeling left-out and sad.  You would be wrong- seriously wrong.  These little guys are living it up with lots of play-dates and park time with their buddies.  In fact, they're ruling the roost, and having a great time at it.  Connor came over to our house the other day for a play-date with Peter.  They played cars, rode scooters, helped in the garden, and topped it all off with a picnic.  Sounds like a pretty great day to me.

Camper

This summer, Lizzy is such a big girl, she has gone to a couple of week-long day camps.  My how things have changed, and how time progresses.  I remember last summer I could barely stand sending her to one camp for a couple of hours a day, and this summer, she is a full-fledged camper.  She's had such fun, and I'm so happy for her.  It just seems like a rite of passage to build memories at camp when you're a kid.  I love hearing about the projects they do, the songs they sing, the activities everyone gets so excited about.  It's darling to see her ready for the day in her camp shirt, holding her lunch and all her gear.  What a fun way for her to spend her summer!