End of Summer Catch Up

It's no secret in my house that I'm not a huge fan of TV. Watching it is rare for me. Instead, one of my favorite ways to occasionally mentally "check out" is to spend time perusing blogs of other creative-types. A favorite of mine is a gal who writes daily with crafts and stories from her home - always accompanied by beautiful photos of everyday life (ashleyannphotography.com/blog). Granted, she's a professional blogger, but she also has FIVE kids!

I, on the other hand, haven't done a blog post in 6 weeks... guess I can't pin it on my TWO ankle-biters, huh?

To spare you long ramblings about our end-of-summer family happenings, these photos shall do (most of) the talking:

Somebody has all but outgrown naps. 

The lucky once-a-week snooze I do get from her usually looks something like this...

Grandma Laurie came and watched both chitlens for a weekend.

My first true overnight (3 nights!) away from Lear went great for me. Grandma, however, was exhausted - in the best way. ***Also, I'm proud to note that this picture is NOT photo-shopped. I actually got all three people looking/smiling at the same time - a small miracle!

 

I'm not sure there is anything more wonderful than a freshly bathed nudie in a monster towel.

Avery has recently mastered the wall headstand. She insisted we do one together!

Chunk-a-saurus has been crawling for a few weeks now. 

He loves being a man on the move (and getting into all his sister's things)! We've also learned he has an affinity for shoes. You cannot leave any footwear within eye shot of this kid or he bee-lines for them and they go straight to the mouth. I gag a little every time I catch him licking on a flipflop lollipop!

Uncle Casey had some use-it-or-lose-it vacation time to burn. What better place to cash that in than with his favorite niece and nephew in San Diego! We packed a lot into 4.5 days - exploring the zoo, little italy, seaport village, the beach, balboa park, a Chargers football game, dinner with the Pettit family, and a round of drinks in the Gaslamp.

 

Daddy's home these days. His return was unexpected, but certainly welcomed! 

He and Avery recently got serious about painting pottery.

 

  

Lear's first carousel ride was a success. I love that slight dimple he got from his Daddy!

We've also had to finally lower the crib mattress after walking in on this the other day... stinker.

 

And a true marker of the end of summer is the start of school. Avery is excited to be attending a half-day preschool program, 3 days a week. It's a great step for all of us, giving me quality time with Lear and allowing her the stimulation she craves while practicing some social graces.

Her teacher, Ms. Young.

October has us looking forward to a 4th birthday celebration, a visit from Oma & Opa, and hopefully a final decision on what costume to wear for trick-or-treating!