Can he stack 2 or more blocks?

(At Jake's 2 year dr. checkup)

Nurse- "Can Jake stack 2 or more blocks?"
Me- "Hmm, umm do cans and pots and pans count?"

The Cans

The pots and pans

So proud

I just love general toddler development questions, don't you? And for the record yes he can stack blocks I just need to find what box their in!

Playtime

Some of my favorite memories are from when I was little and I played with my brothers and sisters. They were after all my best friends. On a rainy day there was nothing like getting to play "horse" in the basement or Barbies out on our big front porch. I love watching my kids play together. Austin is short fused when it comes to Jake but then again some days he tests us all. Jake likes to play ball with Austin any chance he gets and now that we have an even bigger family room "hit" as Jake likes to call it has been in full swing since we moved in. Ella on the other hand loves anyone who will pay attention to her but she especially lights up when one of the 3 men in her life come walking anywhere near her. I have taught her well, and we are well on our way to Daddy not being able to tell her no. Here's a few pics of our most recent playtime, unfortunately Austin was at school :-(

First he tries to sit on her

Then roll her

Hmm...what exactly is he thinking?

I know he'll get her a hammer

(Remember when I told you I'd probably end up with a hotdog anyways)..here's my tool loving girlie girl

MOMMA! " No Ella, Uck all wet!"

First the ugly cry

and then the REALLY ugly cry

She''ll teach him to take her hammer away

and then makeup time

There's nothing sweeter

than a little bit of love

A piece of the past...

Our sweet Ellie Bellie got a late 1800's wicker baby carriage. I just love it and can't help but think about all the little girls that may have had a chance to play with it. We are going to put it in her room and let her fill it with all her babies. How neat that my sweet girl gets to have her own little piece of the past. More on my obsession with memories in my next post. In the meantime enjoy...

Is it really over?

*Edited to add that lots of the pics I uploaded did not appear. We are off to football so I will try again later.

I thought I'd begin this post with a few of my favorite pics (out of hundreds I have taken this summer). We made lots of wonderful memories and boy do I have pics to prove it!

Parasailing over the Atlantic

Adventures in sharing... first the ball
then the sippy
then his cars
his beloved mower
and then he shared the unthinkable..his nee nee

Grandpa's fire helmet
Stealing someone else's b-day cake
Sweet Mason
Gotta love handsome Rocket!
Yes I do claim this one

Gimme a kiss momma

Now this takes talent..we get this all day long
Please momma..no more!
A typical Jake morning..
My polka dot princess

More Kee Kee candy please!

My sweet summer girl

Did I tell you I like dresses?
But I wanna play baseball too!

Sweet Macy, Maddie and Nat

Gotta love the Laubert eyes!
My cutie pie
A heartbreaker..watch out ladies
Mason officially on the "short bus"

Yet another dress..go figure

Strike a pose
His new buzz cut
Some of the gang
Now this is just wrong...

Where did it go? I honestly cannot believe that summer is over and school has arrived. I am one of those "wierd moms" that prefers my kids at home. I love the lazy non structured days of summer. Throw the routines out the window is my summer slogan. I let my kids set their own schedules and we do wonderfully. I have never been one to impose a schedule on my kids and have just learned that each one has their own unique routine that works just for them . I certainly cannot make a child sleep if they don't require it. Occasionally it does make my days a bit more hectic but we'll get through it, we always do.

I believe that moving this summer is what has made it fly by. Our days were spent back and forth between two houses. The "new house" as Jake likes to call it doesn't feel like home yet but slowly and surely we are making it our own. It is ALOT more to clean thats for sure and I do miss my 1st floor laundry. Oh well it's not like I couldn't use a few trips up the stairs if ya know what I mean. I do love the house and can't wait to finish up on the inside so I can get outside where I really like to be. There is just something about working outside that makes me feel good. It is a release so to speak. Who knows maybe it is just the memories I have of my childhood that come flooding back as I dig my hands into the dirt. I was blessed to have had a wonderful childhood full of lazy days and lots of playtime. Our imaginations ran wild as we played from sun-up to sundown. Somedays I wish I could turn back the clock. I wish my kids could have played like I got to play. To put it simply we just didn't have to worry about as much as we do now.

Ahh the days!

Oh well even with the move we managed to fit in quite a bit. We had a wonderful vacation to the ocean and extended our trip with a beautiful stop in our beloved Tennessee. I took Austin parasailing and will never forget how tight he held my hand as we soared high above the Atlantic. We spent lots of time at baseball, oh who am I kidding, ALL our free time was at baseball! I love love love watching Austin play. He is just so darn exciting to watch. He is aggresive which is so unlike his day to day demeanor. There is a part of Austin that comes out while he is playing that just makes me smile. He was asked to play this fall in a wood bat league and I reluctantly agreed ( I was looking forward to a break). He loves it and I will support him no matter what it may do to my weekends. Like I said before we'll get through it, we always do. He's also playing football which if you know me you know it is my ALL-TIME favorite sport. I will, before I die, make it to a Superbowl, the Probowl in Hawaii and a Michigan vs. Ohio State game. I know it's alot so obviously I'm not going anywhere anytime soon :)! Austin is the quaterback again and he's not too happy about it. He likes to hit and well when you're the quaterback you are everyones target and YOU are the one always being tackled. The coach and Austin have come to an agreement that he can do a few plays on defense and I think that he's going to have another great year. Please say a prayer for him that his knee stays strong and we have no injuries.

In other news my sweet stubborn Jake turned 2 this summer. He is extremely busy but it's a good busy. He is still having a love affair with his sippy cup of milk but luckily we have been able to curb it ever so slightly. With all the changes going on around him I was hesitant to take away any of his comfort items. Potty training is well how do I put it..not easy. He knows EXACTLY what he is doing each and everytime but is so stubborn and relentless that I fear I may still be changing him when he turns 10! Just kidding, in all seriousness I do have a goal with him and will be working hard-core very soon. I just need to put my thinking cap on and see what exactly is going to work for Jake. My tactics I used on Austin have been thrown out the window. He is just as I like him...Uniquely Jake!

Much to my dismay Ella is not listening to her momma and she is growing and growing and growing. She is an absolute delight. I know it is not the most humane thing to say but I could just EAT HER UP! I try to just soak her up everytime she is in my arms. I could hold her ALL day and most days that's exactly what I do. I could care less what anyone else thinks..she's all mine. I rarely if ever part with her for even a short period of time. It's probably not the healthiest thing in the world but she's my last and I don't want to miss a second. She is an exceptionally happy baby. She has the cutest darn laugh and a precious smile. Her hair is finally coming in and it stands straight up. When I dry her hair after her bath she lookes just like a chicken. Her eyes have turned brown just like her Daddy's and he's loving every minute of it. She just started on cereal and loves it. She would devour her spoon if she could. She is a great sleeper. We are so lucky to have her and she rounds out our family just perfectly.

So here we are. The lazy days of summer are gone and we're back to the grind. My miracles are growing, so exciting and yet it's so sad. The excitement of a new school year beckons and the smell of Fall in the air is just around the corner yet I pray that I never ever forget these sweet summer memories.

Happy 4th of July!

Nothing quite says summer like the Fourth of July!