While Mom's Away, the Boys Will Play

I had to work today, so Russ decided he'd take the boys to the Topeka Zoo. We live so close, but have never actually been there (at least not since we went on field trips in Elementary School, and although it probably hasn't changed a whole lot since then, we knew the kids would enjoy it). I thought it was pretty brave of him to venture out by himself with both of them, but he said they did great. Apparently Calvin was a little preoccupied with the "pommus" (hippopotamus) and was calling everything from monkeys to bear a "pommus".

Here, they're ready for their adventure to begin!

And on to see the animals . . . Calvin and the orangutan are having a staring contest.

The turtle in its "seashell" (according to our zoologist, Calvin)
They even got to take a train ride around the park.

Checking out the lions.
Calvin told me this lion is thirsty and it getting a drink (Who knows if he knows the difference between this lion and the one above. . .)
Apparently, there is an elephant at the zoo that has been there since 1966 (not this one, that one is dying of boredom in the back, wondering why his entire life has been wasted at the Topeka Zoo).
Out of all of the fun animals at the zoo, Calvin's absolute favorite were the ducks. Yes, our son has an eye for the unique and unusual.
I'm sad that I missed out on their fun at the zoo, but it was also fun hearing about it from Calvin. I'll definitely have to take them back sometime!

Slam Dunk!

The summer after Calvin was born, Kyle had Russ help him put up a basketball goal in his driveway. After it was up, we took pictures of Calvin with the goal, and this became one of my favorite pictures of him.

I decided to try and duplicate the picture with Oliver (which, by the way, never works out like I plan). This was the best I could do with him holding on to the rim.
He wasn't overly excited about this little photo shoot, but was trying to be a good sport.There's my smiley guy again!
Then Russ thought it would be fun for him to sit on the goal (refer to my previous posting "Why dads are so much cooler than moms"). Before you freak out that I let my 8 month old sit on the basketball goal, please understand that it was on the lowest setting and Russ' hands were 6 inches from him as I took the picture (it really only took a second!).

Can't Beat That Fresh-from-the-Dentist Clean!

We took Calvin to the dentist this morning--He did such a great job! Six months ago when he went, Russ took him without me because I was still at the hospital with Oliver. Russ had told me he did well, but I have to say I was a bit skeptical. Not anymore--I was amazed at how cooperative my typically rowdy child was.

He's got the bib on and the hygienist is explaining what's going to happen.
She let him wear some really cool sunglasses to keep the bright light off of his eyes. She counted 20 teeth before starting to clean! He even let her floss; who'd have thought??

No, this wasn't "sedation dentistry"--but have you ever seen someone look so relaxed in the dentist's chair?
He got to pick out a really cool toothbrush and a toy out of the treasure chest. He thought it was really fun! Hopefully it's always this easy going to the dentist!

8 months Old

Our little guy is 8 months old today! I know I sound like a broken record (will our kids even know what a record is? Should we think about coming up with a new phrase??), but his first year is flying by so fast! I'm pretty sure this will be the last month I get him to sit relatively still for the doggie picture. He gets so excited and starts lunging forward; I have to have a pretty quick trigger finger with the camera. . .

This picture shows off his mohawk really well.
This one looks almost exactly like the past 5 month's worth of pictures have looked (he doesn't change too much from month to month).
He's about as happy as I've ever seen him in this one (I can't help but smile looking at it).
And here he's telling me he's had enough and is ready to play!

Why Dads are so much Cooler than Moms

It's definitely true that God made men and women unique. I never really know what I'm going to discover Russ doing with our boys, but they are always having a blast. The other day he decided Oliver would like to hang from a tree, upside-down. And wouldn't you know, Oliver liked it indeed.


Then yesterday, while I'm in the house cleaning, my phone rings, and it's Russ . . . who I'm pretty sure is outside playing with Calvin. He tells me to look out the back door, and this is what I see:
Let me tell you, Calvin thought he was pretty hot stuff sitting on the roof of the shed with daddy. My mom always said, "Fathers were not meant to be mothers" and I think these two brief experiences prove that. What mom would ever think to hang her baby upside down from a tree or take her toddler on top of the shed?? But I thank God for fathers (and especially for Russ!) that he loves our boys so much and loves to see them smile and loves to spend time with them. He will probably always be their favorite when it comes to play-time, but that's okay. I get to experience some of their less-rowdy moments that touch my heart, like when we went on a walk last week and Calvin had his arm around Oliver while Oliver had his hand on Calvin's leg--too precious!

Oliver's New Tricks

Oliver is getting so much fun! He's started babbling a lot. The other night he was saying "Dadada", then "Bababa"--Calvin said "Oliver's a sheep, mommy!" So far, he hasn't mastered any other animal sounds. . . We tried to get some talking on video, and as you'll see, we were only marginally successful. You have to listen closely to hear him say "dada" one time. Of course, the second we turned it off, he started talking like crazy again. Apparently, he doesn't care for an audience.

He's also been "starting to crawl" for about 3 weeks now. He can get from point A to point B fine; his method just isn't all that conventional. He's growing up so fast!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

My attempt at an online scrapbook (more Bull Shoals)

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Friends Along the Way

Another reason we look forward to going to the lake is that we have several friends who live in southwest Missouri who we get to visit on the way. This time we visited our friends, Kevin & Brandi, who I went to pharmacy school with, and now live in Eldorado Springs. We played at their house in the afternoon and then headed over to their pharmacy for a tour before we hit the road again. Their pharmacy is HUGE, and is doing just fabulous. Calvin was excited because he got to take a sucker with him, while I got a frozen cappucino, and Russ got a box of gourmet chocolates. We'll definitely have to visit again soon! (and not just for the free goodies!)

Brandi and me with each others' babies. Her baby girl, Sage, was 3 months old the day we visited.

Kevin and Brandi also have 2 boys, Blayze (just turned 4) & Rees (almost 3). Together, they made quite the crew!

Their house sits on 3 acres and Calvin had SO much fun playing outside with the boys. I'm pretty sure he would have stayed and let us leave without him!

We can't wait to go back for another, longer visit sometime!

Then on the way home, we stopped and visited Molly & Eli in Springfield again (See "Two of a Kind" from June). The boys were much more interactive than they were last time and it was great to see them. Her husband, Shan, was out of town doing official "horse business",but hopefully we'll catch him next time.

Fourth of July

While at the lake, we got to celebrate Independence Day (and Grandma Jo's birthday a few days later). Here's our family on Oliver's first 4th of July.

And Joy & Scott's family got a picture, too.

It seemed like half of Wellsville made it over to Jo & Denny's for a 4th of July cook-out. We made quite the circle in their carport that spilled over into the driveway.

The kids had fun with the smoke bombs, first blue. . .

. . . then white.

Calvin and Jackson waiting not-so-patiently for the homemade ice cream to be done.

And of course the fireworks--usually a HUGE display is set off over the lake, but with the flooding this year, it was canceled. We didn't let it bother us, though--we just shot off our own!

Vacation at Bull Shoals

We just got back from a wonderful and relaxing week at the Lake. The days were spent swimming, tubing, skiing, cliff jumping, and relaxing. The nights were spent playing, cooking, visiting and, of course, relaxing. The kids and adults alike have a great time on our lake vacations!

The kids are hinting here that they are ready to hit the water!

Without further ado, the kids are up on their skis! Here's Jackson strutting his stuff.

And here's Sydney showing off a bit as she waves while skiing.

Next comes the tubing!

We've about lost them here!

And there goes Sydney! You'd be amazed at the rough ride you can give the kids, even when pulling them with a pontoon!

Calvin wanted to tube, too, but had one request: "No fall". So Uncle Scott gave him a nice smooth ride.

The kids jumped from Goat's Bluff, and this time brought their friend Bryson with them.

The best part of the days are when we all just find a quiet spot (which is pretty much anywhere on this lake) and float. There were usually 5-6 boats with our crew at any given time.

We girls (and Calvin) enjoying the nice water.

It took a couple of days, but by the end of the week, Calvin was doing a great job of swimming by himself. Once he realized how much fun it was, there was no stopping him!

Oliver had fun splashing, too.

This picture was taken last year at the lake--
I can't believe how much more grown up he looks this year!Russ is so good with the boys, and they have a great time with him. (I just love this picture with Oliver--could they look any happier??)




Okay, let's play a game of guess the baby's backside. . . One is Calvin when he was 6 months old and the other is Oliver this week. (Hint: Oliver has the really cool rat-tail.)


We were so excited that Dana, Russell, and Ella could come this year.
I think Russell was pretty excited to be here, too!

The boys in their Sunday best ready for church.
After coming off the water, we'd shower, get dinner ready and hang out. It's so nice having a cousin (who's more like a brother) to read bedtime stories with.

Aunt Jannie (and Wolfie and Lance) would come over and play, too.

The babies just hanging out with Uncle Scott and Papa Denny.
Grandma Jo and Oliver have had enough. (Sydney was quite impressed that Grandma could sleep and feed the baby at the same time!)
Of course we had to get our "bathtub picture" in the oh-so-fun whirlpool tub. Ella wasn't so sure what to think about the whole thing. This bathtub is getting pretty full (and it will be even fuller next summer when Dana's baby BOY joins the crew!)

We're so glad we get to spend time with the family at the Lake and Grandma Jo & PaPa Denny's Lake House. Thanks for a great week, Grandma & PaPa--we love you!

By the way, I was able to do some reading while on vacation, and I started the "Redemption" series by Karen Kingsbury and Gary Smalley. These are fiction books, but teach a lot about relationships, both with our loved ones and with God. I read the first 3 books this past week (Once I got started, it was hard to put them down!). Anyway, I'd highly recommend these books to anyone looking for entertaining, yet thought-provoking, books.