AJ tells a story

I asked AJ to tell me a story tonight so I could video him. Typical of a boy, he finds some way to incorporate potty talk into the story!

Rain, rain, and more rain!

We had rain every day last week. We didn't see the sun until Friday afternoon. I finally broke down and let the kids do something I usually never let them do....jump off the furniture. Poor kids needed some exercise! Charlotte had been to gymnastics that morning, hence the outfit. She LOVES her gymnastics outfit and matching scrunchy.

Rivers, streams and ponds were forming all over our yard because there was just so much water and the ground was already saturated. We didn't have any flooding issues or water damage but many people in this area did not fair as well. We got 11" of rain in one day on Thursday. I thought it would never end.

The pond in our backyard.

The small stream running on the side of our house. We had a nice dry weekend and Dave was able the mow the lawn on Sunday. We're looking forward to more sunshine this week.

First Day of Kindergarten

Even though we're doing school at home, we still have to take the obligatory first day of school pictures. Charlotte helped me make this poster so maybe we'll use it every year. We had a great first week despite the constant rain and flooding in the DC area. Our local schools had to close on Friday because of the flooding. We could still have school, of course :)

Charlotte is 5 years old and AJ is 2.5 years. We're looking forward to a great year together especially because their new baby brother will arrive this fall.

Labor Day Weekend

AJ loves to help his Daddy mow the lawn.

And he loves to wear sunglasses!

Nanny and Papa took Charlotte (and her cousin, Kellen) up to Glen Echo, MD to see Charlotte's Web at the Adventure Theatre as her 5th birthday present. She loved the play and told me about every detail. They got to ride in Nanny's new car.

Nanny and Papa got them a signed copy of the new Five Little Monkeys Reading on the Bed book. The author was at the park signing her book.

Thank you, Kellen, for the cute new apron for Charlotte's birthday. We'll get a lot of use out of it because Charlotte loves to cook.

Painting and Playing

I'll be sad when the weather is too cold to paint outside. AJ would be sad if Charlotte was at school all day long this year. As much as they argue sometimes, they do really play well together.

Smith Mountain Lake

We were invited to spend three wonderful days at Smith Mountain Lake (in southern VA) with our friends at the end of August. It was a great way to end the summer. Thank you to Michael, Janae, Ansel, Bob, and Maryanne for hosting us. Here's the house they rented for the week called "The Red Roof Inn". The water was pretty low in the lake but the kids enjoyed wading and playing with rocks. Plus, there was a nice little "beach" area with sand.

AJ and Charlotte floating on the tube near the house.

The view from the house with our little dock and beach area.

AJ (2.5 years), Ansel (3.5 yrs) and Charlotte (5) throwing rocks.

Charlotte reluctantly "rescuing" AJ after he floated too far out from the dock.

Feeding the ducks off the dock - there were up to 5 ducks at one time.

Dave and the kids leaving the dock for a tube ride! They loved it!

Janae, Ansel and Michael on the tube together.

Awwww....

Amazing sunset boat ride our last night at SML.

Just the three of us! Soon to be a family of 5.

Michael and Ansel. Crazy Daddy!

Best buds since high school - Michael and Dave - skiing together. Can they be any cheesier together?

The kids had a blast on the boat!

Super cute picture of Ansel and Charlotte on our sunset ride.

We had a great Summer 2011!

AJ at 2.5 years old - Target Studio

I wanted to get the "T-W-O" pictures taken like Charlotte when she was 2 years old, so we headed back to Target Studio at the beginning of August while Charlotte was in Va Beach. AJ was super cooperative for the photographer and we got some really cute shots.

At 2.5 years old, he's quite the little toddler. He's as sweet as can be most of the time and randomly says, "Mommy, I lub you" throughout the day. It melts my heart. He needs lots of hugs and snuggles which I'll never complain about. I know this won't last forever but I do hope he continues to be an affectionate little boy. AJ and Charlotte adore each other. For the most part, they get along well and play together nicely. Of course, they have their sibling moments. It helps that AJ is extremely verbal. He has the vocabulary of a 5 year old, at least. He uses words such as serious, actually, overwhelmed, frustrated, absorbs, conversation, and many more in the proper context.

He's a normal rambunctious little boy who likes to fight "bad guys", make car and explosion sounds, and run around like a wild child. He does have an excellent attention span and will sit quietly doing crafts, art, and floor play. His fine motor skills are well developed as he can hold a pencil and string small beads on a pipe cleaner one at a time. He always wants to be doing what Charlotte is doing so that helps.

His favorite book at the moment is "Room on the Broom". We checked it out randomly from the library one time and now he checks it out almost everytime we get new books. He also loves "The Monster at the End of this Book" and recites lines from it all the time.

He's looking forward to meeting his new baby brother and says he loves his baby brother frequently. He's ready to move into his new airplane themed big boy room as soon as we get it all set up. I recently bought a second crib because we're not ready to put him in a big bed until he figures out how to climb out of his crib (please pray that doesn't happen anytime soon!).

As of about a week ago, he's fully weaned from nursing. One day he just forgot how to do it. We were only nursing at nap time and some days not at all. He knows that the milk needs to be ready for his new baby brother and I think it was time for both of us. It was a very gentle weaning process and I'll miss our nursing snuggles. But, fortunately, we have a new nursling on the way soon!

My little boy is growing up too fast! I'm thankful for the time I get to spend with him.