This summer sure flew by, as they all do, and probably will continue to do more so with kids, but it felt long and fast, there was so much that happened...but here we are happening upon September, "school" starting, trips and birthdays behind us and maybe cooler temps...eventually at least!
We started out the month with a bang with the boys' birthday party, Grandparents and Uncle Kevin, as well as some Glienke family - Aunt Gloria, Cousin Cari and son Tommy - visiting, a wonderful treat to have them all around to visit, even if for a short time. The boys, as always, love all the attention and special treats and privileges that come around when we have visitors. The boys have enjoyed more games lately, most recently the big hit is Hungry Hungry Hippos - a fun birthday present, as well as Chutes and Ladders (this must be played when Noah is occupied otherwise as you can imagine!). They have also played Simon Says some, and that's pretty cute to watch too!
Drew was able to go on his first school field trip at the beginning of the month. They went to CiCi's, and honestly, I was not really happy about that, but turned out to be a blast for the class...they all got to make their own pizzas and see how they bake, etc. - they had a great time. Drew was SO proud of his pizza left overs he got to bring home...we had to eat them for dinner that night, he insisted! :) The second one Mommy was able to go along too, and take Noah, to the Crowley Splash Pad...they had a BLAST! It was such a great park! Free - so a winner before we even got there! And a great little splash pad, just the right size, and comfortable areas for Moms and the like. So glad we were able to join in on that one! Will have to remember that for next summer too!
I'm pretty sure I mentioned this last month, but Drew's had some difficulty with being brave on going to bed at night - saying he didn't like his room, didn't want to be alone, coming up with all sorts of excuses, etc. but we are starting to see that wane more and more this month, thankfully. There's still lots of back and forth and chatting over the monitor (thank goodness for that feature!) and coming up with lots of excuses to stall us leaving the room, but thanks to an "I am brave" sticker reward chart, we are making progress, getting back to some better nights again...how sad that we want and love and smother our kids so much, but when it comes to bed time, we are DONE! I want MY time! I guess that's not so hard to understand for anyone with kids, but I always feel a little harsh...but not enough to cave! :)
We had one day in particular this month that felt almost like a fall day...so we headed straight to the park to soak it up! And Drew showed off his climbing skills, going up and down everything without any problems or help for the first time, especially the rock wall! It was great! Noah wanted to keep up as much as he could, but Drew was so excited - felt like such a big kid!
Drew's shown some huge improvements in being a helper around the house lately. By no means is it consistent, and I can't think of any specific examples, but know that there have been times where I've been almost knocked over with his ability and willingness to help and listen quickly! Oh, I hope that keeps moving in that direction! What a HUGE difference it makes for all of us!
We took Drew to his first movie theatre experience this month...we went to see Planes. He loved it! No surprise there! And he did great...he was totally glued! We played around with the idea of taking Noah, but in hind sight, I'm really glad we are going to wait...we went to a movie tavern and there were lots of families with young kids, some Noah's age, and they were all over the place! So glad we didn't have to struggle with that...his time will come. Until then, I think we are both looking forward to a few more movie dates with Drew!
Soccer season is just around the corner, so the last 2 weeks of the month, we've had soccer practices. We are all excited about it starting up again, but with having such a mild summer, the last few weeks have been REALLY hot, so 5 pm in the sun for an hour has been a bit rough on us all, and we are praying for a quick turn around with the temps. Noah doesn't seem to mind one bit - I think he's the only one not affected! HA!
School did officially start the last week of August for the boys. Since they moved rooms at the beginning of the summer, we are pretty sure they didn't even notice, so there wasn't any major event or catastrophic drop off, so that was nice. It will be interesting to see how much they learn and pick up this year. So Drew is officially in Pre-K, and Noah in the 2 year old class. Poor Noah's class went through several teacher changes this summer, but we hope we have one that sticks now, and hoping that helps drop off get better! Drew will have a lot more structure on his days at school, but I hope to even that out with still only taking him 3 days/week and playfully learning at home! I hope to be really good about it...being more intentional with them both, so pray for me! :)
We had some decent/pleasant evenings a few times this month, and enjoyed some wagon rides, playing in sprinklers, picnics, playing chase (usually as some animal, cheetah vs elephant, etc.), and soccer and baseball to name a few. Nothing like a good running around to burn some energy, keep the boys happy and bring that "sweaty boy smell" into the house!
The boys had lots of Daddy time this month with Mommy working all her weekend days in before soccer season starts. Drew at some point realized I would be gone again one Saturday and said "Yeah!" Me: "you're happy about being home with Daddy again? D:"I just like Daddy more" Me:"why?" D: "he lets me play video games". Nice! They do have fun while I'm gone...video games, movies, puzzles, Tickle Monster and Hide and Seek...whatever goes when Daddy's in charge! And Daddy knows how to play how the boys like, no doubt!
Sunday mornings have reached a new level of "chaos control", with some days being great and the boys playing nice and quiet, to the exact opposite. One Sunday Drew was lying on Mommy's lap and Noah told him "Dew, move...now!" and then asked "Hold you?" and y'all hugged...it was the ultimate adorable moment, and could have gone completely the other way! Other Sundays Noah has enjoyed fighting and throwing army men...we've since completely re-vamped the toys that are appropriate for church!
The boys are certainly close to one another, very evident one day when Noah was sick with croup, Mommy was supposed to go to work and Grandma and Papa were available to help out, so Drew went to school and Noah to Grandma's house. Well, my heavens, Drew was SO upset, he wouldn't let go of Mommy, cried and begged for us not to go, and still will talk about it every now and then how he didn't like not being at school with Noah!
Noah continues to bring us laughter and joy as we watch him grow and learn, holding nothing back, willing and ready for just about anything (as long as Mommy is around most of the time! :)). He is still so very physical and adventurous in how he plays. He LOVES to be 'thrown' around, play wrestle, jump, be turned upside down - anything physical and he's as happy as a clam! He is definitely running all over now, and loves to race. His gait pattern is changing and becoming more 'normal', but it's still got a little toddler kick to it - so stinkin' cute!
He's getting much more independent and reliable at playgrounds and parks, climbing up as much as he can. We are still there close by, but not as fearful of him falling I guess now it seems. He does love to climb! And still loves the bounce house...he still asks for it alot, and he goes after it, getting better at the obstacle course ones too...he gets frustrated and cries, but keeps on climbing...quite the conundrum! He can be quite silly - running around with his hands above his head, almost galloping...he's such a hoot! He can pretty much gallop and also can walk on his heels.
He is a very animated little boy, more and more every day it seems. He loves to pretend to be animals, and he really gets into it...the expressions on his face are priceless, and hard to capture with a picture...they change so fast! He loves to pose into what can best be described as a 'fighting' pose, with both hands up in fists, but kinda of on top of each other with his trunk bent to one side...I've got to get a picture...he does it sometimes before he runs, or to greet people (usually the ones that play more physical with him, AKA Uncle Kevin, Grandpa, sometimes Daddy and Drew!). He can really crack you up if you get him to 'play faces' with you...show me your ____ face (sad, happy, angry, etc.)...he is hilarious!
His words are coming right along, and he can be quite 'chatty' at times. He has started to respond to some statements he's told with "No way!" and then proceeds to play the No way/Yes way game with us...so funny! And he has dropped his adorable "Yah" and now says "Yess", also quite cutely if you ask me! He loves to proclaim "I did it!" after accomplishing some task, like putting a puzzle together or some other challenge, usually with an arm thrown up in the air with enthusiasm! :)
Let's see, some random milestones of sorts...he's getting much better at haircuts, just lightly whimpering and flinching, but nothing even close to how Drew was at this age, requiring full body restraint! His L top molar started to poke through. He's been asking to sleep in Drew's bed, and so at the end of the month, Daddy switched Noah's crib into a toddler bed and in complete contradiction to our expectations, he's done great! He doesn't try to get up at all when trying to go to sleep, the few times he's woken up and called out in the night, he goes right back down with a hug and reassurance from Mommy, and stays in bed all night long! It's been amazing! We thought for sure seeing Drew up and down and he himself playing in Drew's bed would mean he realized he could get up and play around, but he's done awesome! We just have to teach him to call for us when he wakes up and wait for us in bed...he's been waking up and just going straight to the door, so the first thing we hear is him knocking on the door to get out...but we are happy to only have that lesson to learn! He can reach the light switches that have the extenders on them (had them for Drew of course, who's now tall enough to not need them anymore!) and is able to click his booster seat belt together, though he often does it before getting into the chair, so not quite helpful yet.
He has enjoyed his school more this month overall I think, and has done really well learning and naming his colors, counting (he can count 1-10 correctly all by himself!) and even recognizing some shapes and letters! He seems to really enjoy music time/playing instruments with the class and I'm sure LOVES that he now gets to participate in Tumblebus! I hope to be able to get up there to see him one day soon to see how he likes it! With as much as he loves to be physical, I can only imagine his delight tumbling, etc.!
Another month gone, more fun ahead...
Wellness check up stats: Drew: 40# (75%), 45" (99%); Noah: 26# (25%), 37" (95%).
