snippets of summer

The month of July has flown for us. Looking back, it's hard to say what's kept us so busy. Unpacking the boxes for the basement, keeping up with two kids, weekly playdates, errands, a trip to visit family... not one major thing, but an abundance of living life. Here are a handful of moments from the last month.

The Great Shoe Search
Morgan and I spent several minutes Thursday morning combing the house for my flip-flops. I was certain I left them under the table next to the couch. She watched me go out back, to my bedroom, by the coat closet and out to the living room again. Where could they be?

"Mommy! I hided them under your bed so Andrew wouldn't get them!"

How very thoughtful. Note to self: when looking for a misplaced item, be sure to check with Morgan first. She is the master of playing keep-away from Andrew these days. The biggest toy stash can usually be found under her bed, behind the closed door of her room.

When she's not busy hoarding toys, Morgan loves to play with Andrew. Of course, it all happens on her terms, but you can definitely feel the love. Strangely she is most welcoming of him when first waking from her nap. I'll open the door to greet her with Andrew in my arms and she pops right up as Andrew starts grinning and kicking to get down on her bed. They adore each other.

Part Kid, Part Canine
Andrew's curiosity for putting things in his mouth hasn't really subsided. Lately it feels as if he's part boy, part dog: chewing on foam balls, biting us, practically shredding our clothes. At the park last week, he was delighted by the taste and texture of woodchips. Lovely. His six pearly whites are getting a workout. And his love affair with chomping has put us on full-time watch of what goes in and out of his mouth. We're on guard!

From Crawling to Climbing

After figuring out the logistics of crawling, it didn't take long for Andrew to conquer other feats. First up? Standing in his crib. I was surprised to open his door at the end of nap time and see him vertical, greeting me with a smile. Later in the same afternoon, he figured out the step between our kitchen and living room. He hasn't mastered the descent, but is working on it every day. It won't be long before the flight of stairs to the basement becomes Andrew's newest obsession.

Backyard Buddies

We are spending many evenings after dinner playing in our mosquito-free backyard bubble (Scott has sprayed the yard with this awesome stuff to help us do more playing and less swatting). Morgan lives for her time on the swing. Andrew, like his uncle, is fascinated with grass.

Hard to believe tomorrow is the first of August. Summer is slipping away so quickly! Soon we'll be celebrating Andrew's first birthday, enjoying Labor Day weekend and sending Morgan off to her first day of preschool.  And blogging, I'm sure, each and every event.

tears for fears

Today was the annual "family day" at Scott's work. It's quite a large affair held at a local community center with both indoor and outdoor activities. In addition to the many sponsor and vendor booths, there were inflatables, farm animals to feed, access to the indoor water park and pool, plus lots of other things for adults, like a Euchre tournament, volleyball, billiards and bingo.

We started the morning with Morgan near the bounce houses. Despite her recent happiness on Aunt Becky's trampoline, she declined to ever set foot inside one. Instead she thought the slide looked like fun. So together Morgan and I waited, and when it was our turn to climb up, she panicked. I ignored her, picked her up and hauled her up the incline. Down we went.
 















And it wasn't so bad. So she made a couple more attempts with Daddy and actually enjoyed the ride.

Andrew also had a chance in the spotlight - we entered him in the baby crawl contest.

Thinking Andrew might be a shoe-in to win, we were excited. And then it became all too overwhelming. Frozen by the shouting parents, unable to locate his own, Andrew started crying big alligator tears. He came in last place, and never even crossed the finish line.

Comforted by Daddy

Refueling after such a tough race

Why not make it three for three? While Andrew napped in the stroller, we took our chances and headed over to the pool. He slept. Morgan wept. But we forged ahead anyways. Given this opportunity for free access to the water park and pool, we wanted to see if we could help Morgan overcome her fear of water.

The playscape in the water park was set in only 6 inches of water. But the splashing, dumping water and loud noises sent Morgan into hysterics. She wouldn't even set her feet on the ground. So instead, we sat on the edge of the big community pool away from the activity where we coaxed her feet into the water. Just before leaving, I was able to walk around the pool with her in my arms. Through tears, she also walked back to Scott in water up to her waist. Baby steps.

Despite the fear, I think we all had an enjoyable morning. No regrets. But instead a chance to experience new opportunities.

hiatus

Blogging, I'm realizing, is definitely not an ideal summer hobby. While we are not short on updates, we do lack the time to share. Stay tuned. Hopefully more show and tell later this week.

care for a tour?

The time has finally come - the basement is finished! In our excitement last night, we started loading in some things. And tonight Scott installed the faux-wood blinds. Here are some shots of the main living space.

The walk-in storage closet

The half-bath

Laundry room with storage

Organizing all the new cupboards and closets has been more than fun for me, and I've only just started! It feels good to have our basement back, although it will be strange without Basement Guy around. He became a part of our everyday routine. Over the course of the project, we got to know him quite well, and are so thankful for all of his amazing work.

Morgan and Andrew have really enjoyed the open space and the carpeted stairs.

We are so thankful for all this extra square-footage!

hold up

The basement is nearly finished with the exception of one major component: flooring. Because Basement Guy is using an external source for the carpet and vinyl flooring, and because the external source is completely unreliable when it comes to showing up, we are all in limbo. I am certain Basement guy is just as antsy to get paid as I am to do some laundry!

In the meantime, here are some pictures showing the nearly finished project. We are more than ready to move in and start enjoying our new living space.

jump!

During our holiday visit to the west side, we had an opportunity to use Aunt Becky and Uncle Dave's trampoline. Surprisingly Morgan loved it. And Sarah and Joel put on quite the show as well. (click the pictures to zoom)