August in Review

I know, I know, where have I been? Do I still have any readers? My mental capacity is tapped out these days, so blogging is nearly non-existent. And, completing this blog post has taken nearly four six days! We did have a great summer, and I've included several pictures from our adventures in this list.

1. Hamilton and Grady joined a gymnastics class for July, and the boys seemed to love jumping and playing on all the equipment. Grady's in the orange jumping along the trampoline, and Hamilton's watching from the bench.

Now it's Hamilton's turn.

Collier and I watched and played from the parents' viewing deck above the gym. This mirrored wall looks like the glass doors and windows at my house--full of smudgy fingerprints.

Hamilton needed help each time to complete a backward roll.

He did walk across the balance beam, though he was timid at first--and I'm sure gripping so tightly to his teacher's hand.

2. Though the heat is oppressive or the rain constant, Hamilton asks for walks every day. He loves to pull his wagon, though sometimes after a while he says, "I tired to pull the wagon, Mommy." So in he goes for a few restful seconds (literally) while I pull him. Then he's itching to get out to pull again.

When Collier's up for a walk, we strap him into the stroller and bring him along with us.

3. Grandma Judy came to visit during one of our last weeks of summer, and we took the boys to the Children's Museum one rainy morning--like everyone else in Charleston apparently decided to do based on the crowds. Both boys loved it. Here they're taking a shady break from playing on the fire engine outside.

The giant water tables with multiple bridges, roads, and vehicles entertained both boys.

4. We've spent lots of time in the backyard playing "back-setball," as Hamilton says. I'm teaching Hamilton some lingo like "slam dunk," "shooting," "alley-oop," etc. He and Collier enjoy dropping the ball (which is technically a kids'-sized soccer ball) into the net.

5. All summer we've been gathering with our friends on Friday mornings for playing and learning at different spots. The three-year-olds climbed around this old tree at the fun park across the street from Alhambra Hall in Mount Pleasant. Our crazy threesome is growing up!

One of our Friday morning gatherings involved Olympics-themed crafts and competitive events. What cute Olympians they made!

6. We've spent hotter days at the sprinklers at Wannamaker County Park, and snack time is always a crowd favorite.

Already February

Part of me feels like January was so long, but then I remember it's February already--several days in and no blog post yet. I documented our past week with a mix of Instagram pictures and shots with my big camera.

1. Last Saturday my "real" friend and blog friend came to town for a wedding, so we got to keep their darling boy for the afternoon. Hamilton was super excited for a new friend to play with boss around. (I wonder whom he gets that from?) Though the boys napped for the majority of the time that Judah was here at our house, I did get a few shots of the boys' playing in the backyard.

Hamilton explains how the digger works and carefully makes sure Judah "does it right."

 

2. Monday Mr. Morgan had AAA come to the house to tow our car to the mechanic. Hamilton was in awe of the sweet driver, big truck with a tilting bed, and strong winch that dragged our car from the street onto the truck's bed. For the remainder of the day Hamilton keep repeating, "Man take car to mechanic."

3. Yesterday I took Collier for his nine-month checkup, and he's progressing nicely according to the doctor. Collier did his quick flip from back to belly for her, his pulling up, and his crawling around. He's 18 pounds and 7 ounces, and he's a long boy at 30 inches. He charmed all the nurses with his big smile, and they all remarked how similar he looked to Hamilton (though Hamilton was not with us).

Our sweet boy still wakes up happy, and with only two teeth showing so far, there's lots of drool accompanying his other incoming teeth. Mr. Morgan teases him about having a mullet now, so we'll probably be trimming his hair soon.

I put him in his Exersaucer a lot because, otherwise, I have to keep such a close eye on him--what he's climbing on, putting in his mouth, bumping into, etc. He still enjoys the Exersaucer and for long periods of time usually, so I'm thankful.

Collier opens his mouth all the time, but I love this expression because he seems to be shocked and appalled at what he sees. He's just looking at Hamilton though, and Collier's used to all of Hamilton's antics by now.

Though Collier's been pulling up for several weeks now, he's been trying out the stairs recently but not getting higher than the second step. Well, yesterday I turned my back for just a minute, and he was halfway up. I took out my phone and followed close behind as he went almost all the way up!

And I'm glad I was close behind because once he got three steps from the top, he changed his mind: He turned sideways and started to come back down, i.e., topple down the stairs. Hamilton always had a certain amount of fear and "good sense," but Collier shows no grasp of either at this point.

4. Since Hamilton's now sleeping in a toddler bed that he can crawl out of, I've been getting up several times each morning (in the wee morning hours) to put him back in bed, explaining that it's not time to wake up yet. I kept thinking there had to be some kind of toddler alarm clock with colors instead of numbers to let him know that it's not time to wake up. I hadn't searched yet, but I was reading Brantley's blog post about her similar experience with her two-year-old Roper. I was so excited to discover such a thing exists! I ordered this colored clock for Hamilton, and here's to hoping my own early-morning alarm (though cute and sweet!) can stay quiet in the bed for longer.

5. I'm hoping to potty-train Hamilton soon, so I've ordered this ebook that friends have had good success with. I'll keep you posted on our progress.

Awards, Walks, and Books

Our week as a list:

1. Thursday morning Collier and I went to Claire's school for her awards ceremony for the second nine weeks. Yes, "second" means there was a first, and there will be two more awards ceremonies this school year. The teachers and administrators give out SO many awards, which makes the certificate or button and recognition seem insignificant.

Claire received awards for A/B honor roll, perfect attendance, and highest average in keyboarding. And lots of kids received this many awards. By the time they started handing out perfect attendance awards (for one nine-week period mind you), I was wishing some of the classes weren't sitting right next to me because I would totally have been reading or playing or texting on my phone. Instead, I decided to set a good example for those sixth-graders by trying to pay attention or look like it at least.

I was looking forward to talking to Claire for a few minutes following the ceremony, but the principal dismissed the parents first to avoid confusion and traffic jams. So all we could say was hello and congrats on our way past her. Here's the only shot I took (with my iPhone) at the event when Claire was being recognized for A/B honor roll; she's standing on the far left beside the lectern.

2. Because of the fabulous weather we've had, the boys and I have taken a few walks on days we're able to eat lunch early. Usually I push Collier in the stroller and Hamilton walks on the sidewalk beside me as we go around our neighborhood loop. He stops every few houses to play on the utility boxes or look at some yard art. It's a leisurely stroll for me. Since we don't have a playground within walking distance, he improvises with crawling on and jumping off every utility box in our neighborhood. I also took these shots with my iPhone, and some are improved using Instagram.

Collier waits patiently in his stroller for Hamilton to finish climbing. Hamilton also likes to pick up litter along the way, so the big gulp in our stroller bag is destined for our trash can.

Since I was putting on my sunglasses before we started our walk, finding these sunglasses Hamilton holds was imperative for him. He surprised me and wore them for some of the walk.

On our first walk this week, Hamilton insisted on pushing the baby.

3. Mr. Morgan has given me several early birthday presents. One was the Kindle version of Catching Fire, the second book in The Hunger Games series. I just finished it last night after several late nights of reading this week. Just as good as the first, though now I'm itching to read the third. I'm also excited about the movie based on the first book that's coming out in March. Claire's read the first book too, so she wants to see the movie. However, since it's rated PG-13, I think I'll probably see the movie first to decide if it's appropriate for our 12-year-old.

What I've Learned This Week

1. Don't assume that "NO REFRIGERATION REQUIRED"--printed boldly and proudly on a package--means that no refrigeration is required ever. Mold and gross-looking funk will grow on your nitrate-free pepperonis if you don't refrigerate them after opening.
2. Don't assume when Claire's keyboarding teacher tells her "Mr. Qwerty" invented the keyboard and spelled his name within the key pattern, that he's joking. A quick Google search and two-day discussion/argument with Claire convinced her to set him straight.
3. Leaning over and resting his head on the shopping cart is more comfortable for my crawling-but-not-yet-sitting-up son. Though strapped in, Collier does not sit well for long in shopping carts.
4. Don't assume my son's crying screams during his diaper change are because his big brother head-butted him. Don't automatically fuss at the big brother; the baby's cries might be from having his finger pinched in the wipes container. Oops.
5. A baby who's normally happy while he's being fed might be upset and fussing during mealtime because he's sitting on a small school bus.
6. Claire's enthralled by a boy who sings. Here was our conversation tonight as we rode home:
   "Mama, did you ever have a crush on a boy?"
   "Oh yes."
   "Did you ever watch him sing?"
   "Yes, actually."
   "Didn't it make you like him all the more?"
   "Definitely."

An Overdue List

As cute as my little banana is, I need to update.

1. I traveled to the farm earlier this week for a quick trip with just the little boys. I attended the memorial service for a friend (and close relative of my good friends from home) who died last week. The service was sweet with his mother, sister, and brother all sharing some memories. The friendly reception that followed was appropriate for Mountville, and I got to see lots of friends. And someone always remarks, "We never seem to all get together except at weddings and funerals."
2. We enjoyed curried butternut squash soup tonight--so "gish-shish-shish" as Hamilton likes to say. Claire wasn't a huge fan, but I think it was the curry that might have been offensive to her. Perhaps I overdid it.
3. Hamilton and I enjoyed our new moms and kids group at church this morning. Usually I just drop him in the nursery, but today we started a new program where we'll be doing activities together. We played with Play-Doh and mixed colors with a paintbrush. Hamilton was far more interested in mixing the paints together rather than using brush strokes to apply the paint to paper. After about 45 minutes of my staying and playing in the room with him, he was enjoying bubbles with the other kids. With no prompting, he came up behind me three different times to quickly hug my back before running back to the bubbles. It's like he was so excited that I was playing in his nursery with him, though he never said anything--just the quick touch.
4. Last week I took Collier for his six-month checkup. He's 16 pounds and over 27 inches long. He's starting to go up on all-fours and rock back and forth. He'll probably be crawling soon, though his rolling, scooting, and reaching are propelling him well for now. Sometimes it's so hard to keep him on his quilt.
5. Claire has taken to wearing Halloween-costume cat ears whenever she's not at school. If her dress code allowed it, I'm sure she'd wear the furry things during class. She's a little cat-obsessed in this season of her life.

Catch-Up List

Yes, we're still sad about Phoebe; but contrary to the blog's previous front-page post, life continues. I have much to share from the last two weeks. And I have pictures, especially for those wonderful grandparents.

1. My women's conference over two weeks ago was fabulous--no kids, no cooking, no chores! We heard awesome teaching, and I got to hang out with some cool chickies! We ran into lots of friends from other churches, despite nearly 2000 women in attendance. I was surprised and delighted to see my high school chum one morning at breakfast.

2. I've weaned Collier, so he's now fully drinking formula. I was eager to wean because--to me--breast-feeding gets old. I was ready to have my body (and time) back to myself. As I type, I think this all sounds selfish, but I was really ready to be finished with pumping. I weaned Hamilton between five and six months, too.

3. Hamilton does lots of new things now, like saying, "I wuv you!" He loves giving and asking for "high fives." He sings many of his familiar songs in distinguishable words and tunes; I'm really hoping for a video of his rendition of "ABC" soon.

4. We celebrated Mr. Morgan's birthday with Claire on Thursday night. She made him a brightly colored card, and because she had extra clay on hand from social studies class, created a sculpture of herself for him. What father wouldn't love a clay figurine of his daughter? Nevermind that Hamilton points and says, "poop" every time he sees it.

I thought it improved from far away. Something about the tilt of the head and ponytail, I think, is what I like.

5. My blogging has been so light this month, and my other writing is non-existent. I'm not sure why I'm feeling so uninspired these days, but not meeting with my writers' group every few weeks has not helped. Our coffee-fueled discussions helped hold me accountable to writing and blogging, inspiring me with ideas and reaffirming my purpose. Christy and Patty, I miss you! I know there were excellent reasons why we took a break from writers' group, but let's start again soon.

6. Mr. Morgan and I started a cleanse this morning. I'll probably post about our three days without solid food once we're closer to the end.

7. I found a fantastic food blog last week with delicious sounding recipes. I tried the pumpkin spice bars and cookies. The bars were delicious but crumbly because I added raisins and pecans. Sadly, I burned the cookies, but they would have been great without the scald.

Since this post is already long, I'll create another with pictures of the boys from our weekend in the mountains.