Jump, Jump, Jump!

The other night, while Drew sat on the couch, chewing on his little friend (see pics below), Sage came up to play. (Anything Sage does, Drew finds hilarious, including jumping up and down on the couch beside him.) With each bounce, he sank lower and lower. His expressions were priceless... :)

Summer!!

Oh my goodness--where to start? Since summer started, it's hard to keep track of the days. Sometimes yesterday feels like three or four days ago. I have had a blast being home with the kids. Sage runs me ragged most days and Drew keeps me on my toes. Two weeks ago I had both of them napping at the same time every afternoon--it was amazing! I got things done around the house and took naps as necessary. However, since we have been having so much fun together, Sage has decided that she no longer needs to take a nap and throws major tantrums, reminding me that she is only two-and-a-half! We now have "quiet time" in the afternoon. More often than not, it turns into playtime in her room, which is fine... as long as she doesn't wake up Drew!

Pinterest has become my best friend and I've become pretty efficient at making a daily craft out of kitchen ingredients or dollar store items. Sage now has a few sensory tubs that she loves! She "makes pizzas" in her rice tub for close to an hour. She also loves to dig for creatures in her sand tub and build structures in her moon dough. We've painted the driveway and bathtub. We've watched soap explode in the microwave and turned it into bathtub crayons.  She simply cannot get enough cutting, pasting, and coloring. She now has a special project desk in our family room with a file container full of supplies (I am a teacher, you know...). We are working on putting things back where they belong!

I try to work literacy and math into our daily activities, (mostly for my sanity and curiosity) but most of the time she could care less. :) However, I have tricked her into patterning, sorting, classifying, and counting when she gets to use beads or pom-poms! Pipe cleaners have also found multiple uses around our house these days. Thanks to a suggestion by a friend, Sage keeps track of a daily schedule, so nap time and trips to the store become more predictable... we'll see if it lasts!

Drew-man has LOVED spending so much time outdoors--swinging in our backyard, taking trips to the park, and feeding the ducks at Jordan Creek.  He gets hauled around in my Moby carrier most days while we run errands or frequent the zoo.  He seems to be indifferent about the splash park.

All-in-all, it's been a wonderful start to the summer and I feel so blessed to have a profession that allows me this time with my kids!

Bubba's Baptism

I'm not sure why I even started calling Drew, Bubba, but it has stuck. We had our little man baptized. Mollie and Brad made the trip to WDM to sponsor Drew and a few other friends and family made the trip over as well. (THANK YOU!) It was a beautiful weekend and Drew surprisingly cooperated during the service. :)  

 I have never questioned why I have big babies. :)

Grandma, of course, made Drew's adorable sailor outfit. He found the "bow" in front to be quite tasty during the service and it thankfully occupied him most of the time. 

We tried to get a few more pictures of Drew in his little outfit after nap time... Sage wanted to help with the photo shoot as well. It lasted approximately 4.5 minutes, but I think we got a few keepers!

I can't get enough of his bright blue eyes and red hair!! He melts my heart. :)

So sweet, but ready to be done taking pictures!

A Day at the Zoo

We had another great weekend spending time together as a family. We took the kids to the Farmer's Market Saturday morning and Lauren brought her kids over for a visit in the afternoon. Claire stayed to play with Sage in the evening while Lauren hosted a 31 party in WDM. The girls were so excited to see each other and really enjoyed each other's company. They are absolutely hilarious together.

Today (Sunday) we went to the zoo and thoroughly enjoyed spending the day outside in the beautiful weather.  Sage and Drew took naps at the same time both Saturday and Sunday, so we were able to get some yard work done as well. Only seven more days of school and I can spend even more time outside with the kids. I can't wait! :)

Siblings

 Sage and Drew, each at five-months-old. Do you think that they might be related? :)

Oh, Gnome You Didn't!

Yep, that was a really bad joke--that's what you get with sleep deprivation!

After going without hot water for almost five days, I was thrilled to be able to give the kids a warm bath at home again. We had a little extra fun at Drew's expense. :) Poor guy.

His hair is still coming in red! :)

 

 We've also been spending A LOT of time outdoors, since the weather has been so nice! This year I have myself a little helper.

 

 

 

Easter

Sage spent Easter being the center-of-attention in Indianola. She LOVES being one of the big girls and she even showed Aunt Trina a few smiles for the camera as well.

One of the Girls-- with Maly (L) and Audrey (R)

I just love this one!

Drew napped most of the time we were there,
so I will have to post more pictures of our growing little man another day. :)