Brotherly Love

Yesterday the boys were playing together and Jackson kept putting Connor's play food in his mouth (which Connor hates and gets really upset about). I saw him lean over and whisper something in Jackson's ear and asked him what it was. He told him, "I don't like it when you put that in your mouth, but I still love you."

And if that didn't make my heart melt enough, I told him that soon enough Jackson would get a little older and wouldn't do that anymore. He immediately got very sad and started getting weepy. I gave him a hug and of course asked what was wrong. He said, "I don't want him to grow up. I like him just the way he is."

What a privilege it is to raise these boys! They always remind me to appreciate the moment. Connor lives entirely in the present and there's much I can learn from him!

Growing up and standing up

I guess I haven't mentioned much about Jackson's mobility lately. Well, mobility is really an understatement. He's everywhere. All the time. Crawling at lightning speed, pulling up to standing on everything in sight, cruising around the furniture. He does occasionally let go for a moment and stand alone. And he follows us all around, not wanting to be left alone for a minute. You can imagine what he thought about his big brother being outside playing while he was stuck inside with me (yeah, not too much). Sorry, kiddo, your time will come!

BDE

BDE = Best Dog Ever. A name given to Ty by some of our friends who would really love to steal him from us if given the opportunity. And, why, do you ask, is Ty the BDE? Well, here's just one little example...

J takes Ty's bone directly from his mouth

Ty watches, hopefully, and wags his tail while J laughs

Ty tries to grab a nibble while J is still holding on. What you can't see is that J's hand spends quite a bit of time INSIDE Ty's mouth and Ty never even gets close to putting any pressure on his hand.

In the end they decide to snuggle and share. BDE.

Art & Science - a perfect combo for the big bro

Its Arts Fest time, which means tons of fun for kids and adults. We started things off with Children's Day with Grammy. Connor particularly loved all of the science exhibits since "experiments" are his favorite thing to do around the house these days. And the day was made even more special by seeing Aunt Heather!

Making ice cream with liquid nitrogen

Connor is reeling it in!

Adding his own square to the sidewalk "quilt"

He worked really hard on his square, taking lots of time to get it just right

Me and my boys!

Happy Birthday America!

That what Connor told us today was - American's birthday! We celebrated with a bike parade, some festival fun, and of course fireworks (for Daddy and Connor).

Cooling Off

It has been HOT! We've been to our local pools several times (juggling 2 kids at the pool means I have zero chance to take pics, so just use your imagination), but I needed something a little lower key today. So we filled up a baby pool and turned on the sprinkler and both boys had an awesome time.

Pup Recovering

Ty had major leg surgery last week and will be recovering for the rest of the summer. After a rough first few days, he's now doing really well and even walking around the house a bit. He's not allowed to walk outside for more than a minute or so at a time and he has to wear that horrible cone when we can't keep an eye on him. So even though he must feel miserable, he's still smiling! What a dog he is.

 Our shaved and stitched up boy having a rest

 

Still looking after his boys though

We also have to make sure that he doesn't try to jump up on the furniture, so part of our Ty-proofing was to push two of the sofas together. Instant indoor bounce house!

Balls and bubbles in the bath

Yep, just for fun!

Crawling! (and some other crazy forms of movement too)

We never shy away from good, messy fun

Water table + baking soda + liquid watercolors + dropper of vinegar = hours of fun. We call it the volcano water table. And it all washed away with a hose!

 Daddy and Jackson watching on the sidelines

Happy Father's Day!

We were back to Camp for Father's Day weekend. Along with some other goodies, Daddy got a framed set of photos I took of the boys. These 3 framed side by side:

A Walk in the Woods

A beautiful day with both boys so we hit the woods for a little hike. The ferns were spectacular - Ty and Connor could hardly contain themselves to stay close enough where I could keep an eye on them.

Taking care of his buddies

Connor wrapped a blanket himself to carry his two best buddies, Gingy and Peppermint, around with him. I helped him a bit with getting it fashioned into a sling and he even took them along on our walk that evening. Preschool babywearing!

Memorial Day at "Camp"

Our family has a cottage on a lake in western PA, so the boys are very lucky to have the opportunity to grow up with all of the experiences that go with a special place like this. You know, digging in the sand/mud, catching fish, staying up until all hours to catch lightning bugs. We got to spend Memorial Day weekend with Grammy and Pap during our first visit to "Camp", as well call it, this year.

 A view of the lake house and the lake at the end of the road

 An almost-crawling Jackson contained (but still entertained)

 Fishing with Pap in the twilight

 Allowed to stay up late for bonfire and fireflies

 Feeding the "wildlife" at a local refuge

 My little monkey

 Riding Popcorn - a favorite from lsat year

 Connor asked me to take this picture specifically. He wanted it to be a panorama and for it to include the dock and him sitting at the edge of the lake.

 Playing the game "Camp" at "Camp"

 One of Connor's "jobs" at Camp is to take care of the minnies - which means letting Pappy know when we have floaters. LOL

 Testing out the new peddle boat

 Hitting the beach!

 Lake view for Ty and Jackson

 Pap and Uncle Leo on the dock, Daddy and Connor in the boat, Ty swimming

 This boy loves camp!