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| Although this fire truck is a hand-me-down from our neighbor, it's been a huge hit with both boys! |
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| Sitting in the shade (Gabe has my cell phone in his hand, which is a big NO-NO!) |
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| Enjoying the sprinkler on our back deck while the weather is still warm |
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| LOVE moments like these cuddling with my boys |
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| Chase posing on Daddy's John Deere |
My, oh my, where did summer go? Although we still have a couple weeks left of
the official summer season, the unofficial season ended after Labor Day as kids
went back to school and pools closed for the year. Chase started K4 at FOEC (Faith Outreach
Education Center)
the week before Labor Day and already has a fun-filled year of learning mapped
out including Bible stories and field trips.
There’s nothing that warms my heart more than turning on K-Love (Christian
radio) in the car and hearing Chase sing along to some of the songs since FOEC
often plays K-Love over their intercom.
On the other hand, Gabriel’s schooling occurs at home with
me constantly telling him a firm “no” when he tests the waters. For instance, he is obsessed with the home
phone and TV remote controls in spite of the many toy phones and gadgets with
buttons we have. Why is it that kids still prefer the real thing over the toys?
And, why do parents and grandparents still get suckered into buying the
toys? Ha. Ha. I have to admit it can be hard being firm
with Gabe at times since he’s always sporting his dimply smile. Needless to say, he’s growing and trying to
figure out boundaries right now. Other
than a few rough nights due to his molars coming in, he’s been content and
healthy all summer. He survived the
rounds of shots like a champ back in July and has his 18-month check up in
October. He’s still eating well and has
been drinking from juice boxes all summer.
I’m impressed he’s not like most toddlers his age who will just squeeze
all the juice out; he actually knows not to squeeze the box and has mastered
drinking out of a straw; but, his challenge is to figure out how to put the straw back in the box when he pulls it out.
Most evenings consist of me coming home from work and not
even being able to change out of my work clothes and bring my bags in the house
since the kids start playing outside as soon as we hit the driveway and get out
of the car. Chase has really enjoyed
riding his Lightning McQueen bike all summer.
Gabe loves pushing around the bubble lawnmower (even though the bubbles
don’t come out anymore) and his fire truck.
I usually have to carry them both inside kicking and screaming so that I
can fix dinner and get them ready for bed.
Gabe still goes to bed pretty early (around 6:30), but Chase has been
able to stay up a little later now (no later than 8 on weeknights).
Summer was a little hectic with my work schedule and other
challenges. We never made it down to OBX
this year, but managed to squeeze in a few trips to Huntington Park. Fortunately, Chase got to do plenty with the
FOEC summer camp. We tried to enjoy
things locally, like going to the pool here in Smithfield, enjoying the park 5
minutes from the house, strolling around the block, playing with the sprinkler
right in the backyard, sliding on the slip-n-slide, etc. The bottom line here is that you don’t have
to go far from home to enjoy a season, especially with children. One thing I enjoy as a mom is how Chase and
Gabe constantly remind me to enjoy the simple things in life with their sweet
innocence. We could all benefit from
viewing life through a child’s eyes.
