T minus 2

The baby loves to sing a song from daycare that goes "(Name! Name!) Jump around! Jump around! (Name! Name!) Jump around! Jump around! Sit back down."

It's really cute, but kind of tiring when you keep hearing "Mommy! Mommy! Jump around!" Plus, she'll yell at you if you don't participate.

I tried to get her to change it to "clap around" tonight, which makes no sense but lets you keep sitting down.

I was briefly successful.

T minus 3

Thankfully the little dude is coming back Friday evening. The baby woke up this morning and just cried because he wasn't here. It's heartbreaking! We thought she'd enjoy being an 'only' child, but she misses him and is a bit jealous that she's not away with him.

She did have a nice time playing store/restaurant tonight with her little cash register and without any interference.

First Full Day

This was the first full day that the little dude was gone... and I made a dinner that he hates! The baby ate three servings, and then we went for a lovely walk.

I can't wait for him to come back, but I'm glad he's having such a good time.

Cupcakes!

The little guy is spending a week with his oldest cousin and his Nana and Pops. We are REALLY going to miss him, but are taking advantage of the opportunity to let the baby be the big girl. I asked her if she wanted anything special from the grocery store, and she said she wanted to decorate cupcakes.

Her wish is our command (limited time offer, some restrictions may apply).

The thunder rolls...

We had yet another severe thunderstorm warning tonight, and the kids were glued to the window. It was a pretty impressive storm!

Thankfully the house and cars survived this one with no damage.

Gone, but not forgotten...

Well, our camera is missing. It was last seen on Sunday (we think? possibly Saturday?). You'll be getting iPhone photos until it either reappears or we give up hope and buy a new one. Sorry!

Here's a blurry picture of the little dude carting his sister around the house. She loves it, he loves it, and (miraculously) nobody got hurt (this time)!

Little Helper

I did some serious cleaning, sorting, and organizing this morning while Eric and the little dude were at swimming lessons. The baby had a blast rediscovering her old baby toys.

She even 'slept' in her Moses basket!

Nosy Neighbors

I'm not criticizing any of our neighbors for being nosy-- we're actually the nosy ones. We took a walk after dinner to check out the big construction zone up the street. It's pretty cool. The city is replacing some pipes under the street.

And, what kind of walk would it be without a spyglass? Good thing the baby had hers...

 ... but too bad she turns it the wrong way and jams it into her eyeball.

Big Plans

We got big plans (literally) from our architect the other day... plans for an addition! We went over them with the architect this afternoon, and then with the kids after dinner. The little guy was fascinated by the furniture in the floor plans.

The baby participated a bit, too, but didn't have much helpful feedback.

We're pretty excited!

Angry Birds

The little guy loves Angry Birds. He tried teaching the baby how to play, but then got distracted and drew an angry bird on the iPad.

She thought it was pretty awesome.

One Problem

The trouble with pretending to be asleep...

... is that you might end up taking an hour and a half long nap in the middle of the living room floor. What a goober.

To the playground!!

I've been on my own with the kids since Friday evening (and will be through tomorrow), and we've been doing pretty well. We went to the playground before dinner tonight. The little guy rode his bike there.

And the baby had a blast on the swings, as usual.

She's so funny. (And we're definitely ready for Eric to return!)

Firetruck!

I didn't take any pictures tonight, but here's one of the baby looking SO BIG in a firetruck on July 4th.

Zzzzzzzz

I stuck my head into the kids' room to see how bedtime was progressing, and I found everyone "asleep" on the floor.

They are all absurd.

Roll Selfie

This is what the little guy called a "roll selfie." It's called that because both kids had mouths full of bread.

Say "Cheese!" "Bread!"

Bedtime?

The little guy used the couch cushions to make the baby a bed at the bottom of the stairs. He put two chairs around it so he and I could both sit and watch her sleep.

How sweet? She's a good sport, at least.

Backwards

The baby is following her older brother's footsteps and taking an interest in the camera. Unfortunately, she has a hard time remembering which side takes the pictures and which side she's supposed to look through. See?

Happy 4th of July!

Our neighborhood has an annual 'parade' where kids follow a firetruck around the block. We proudly brought up the rear this year. After the parade, we all got ices, sat in a firetruck, and then walked or rode home.

Tonight the fireworks will probably come from the heavens-- there are tons of storms in the forecast. Happy Independence Day!

Keeping Score

The little guy kept score (sort of) during the softball game tonight. Who stole my toddler and replaced him with this kid?

We'll have to get him a real score-keeping book.