And It Happens!

"Patience is a virtue,"

So true.  And yet there were some moments this week where I was virtue-less.  But...

"Good things come to those who wait."

Indeed.  My boy were saving up for today.  We tried the whole beach trip to get Taffe to blow bubbles in the pool.  And then today while Kingston and I were watching Taffe splash around... it happened. 

Spontaneous Act of Bravery

"I blow bubbles! Now you do it Mommy!"

We all squealed with delight and I stuck my head in and we took turns blowing bubbles. Big stuff for my not-so-little man! 

Now the REALLY big news (oh please don't let me jinx this!) is with Kingston.  He has been really tough the past week with naps and settling for bed. I was panicking with the sudden sleep regression.  But he was just saving up. After waking multiple times last night, we kept finding him like this:

Our tummy sleeper

It's a whole new world.  I can't say anything else in fear of it being a fluke, but I think the good things have come!

The Great Outdoors

 Somtimes, I feel like we moved out to Gainesville or Lancaster. I mean the difference in wildlife here from Arlington is ridiculous.  Just yesterday I kicked over racoon poop (yes, I am now certain!) as I thought it was a fungus... I found tick on my bum in the early spring...it's like our very own National Geographic out there!

Butterfly by the kitchen window

Taffe was THRILLED to go chase after the butterfly!  Until he saw the rocks... then he threw rocks while yelling, "BUTTERFLY!  I SEE YOU!"  I don't think butterflies have good hearing cause he didn't fly away...

While I am not exactly thrilled with raccoons and foxes (see below!), I am loving our flowers. Taffe and planted some zinnia seeds in the late spring... and they actually bloomed!  By planting, I mean throwing seeds in the ground and kicking some dirt over them.  Zinnias, you will be planted again next year!

Our zinnias!

Oh foxy loxy.... you creep me out!  Pictures from May of our dear fox.  He loves to sun himself in our yard... I guess I should be grateful as he keeps out the rodents??? 

When it Rains, it Pours!

We are hitting some big ol' milestones over here! As I am typing, Kingston is wailing upstairs as he keeps rolling over in his crib, and then he gets quite mad about it. Wouldn't it be nice if I could just remind him, "Honey, roll back over if you don't like it."

Sigh. Here's a picture of the typically happy baby with our hibiscus plant. Oh sweet boy... I think he is finally asleep up there!
Our other big event... Taffe went poop on the potty! What?! I know!!!! We have been letting him sit on the potty as he wants to, and tonight, he made it happen! Christopher and I were quite surprised and pleased at this big milestone. After celebrating with a lollipop, Taffe insisted upon wearing his Thomas underwear over his diaper instead of pajamas.

After we venture up to NY, we will be full steam-ahead on the potty training!

Riding the Train Obsession

Taffe is still 100% obsessed with trains. We decided to indulge his obsession once again as we headed over to Burke Lake for a ride on the train.
Taffe was very concerned about handing his ticket to the conductor. So concerned he couldn't smile for a picture.

This was also Kingston's first ride on the BL train, and he loved it! He kicked his feet the whole ride!

We treated Taffe to a carousel ride, a picnic and ice cream. Perfect summer day!

"When Kingston gets bigger, he'll go swimming!"

One of the favorite topics at our house is "When Kingston gets bigger, he'll do it!" Yes, Taffe he will! And lately, Kingston is big enough to join in the fun! Taffe loves having little brother in the pool with him.

Kingston wasn't all that impressed with the pool, but he cooled off for a bit. Until Taffe started splashing. Definitely not okay with Kingston!

Nonetheless, happy as a clam on dry land!

A few Lessons Learned at the Beach

How do you sum up 10 days of fun at the beach? Well, we learned many lessons while we were away.

Lesson 1: Taffe LOVES the beach. His initial wariness wore off and he is back to his running full steam ahead into the ocean!

Lesson 2: Kingston LOVES the porch swing. He spent hours out there, and even took a nap outside too!

Lesson 3: Taffe has been listening! After months of music classes and singing to him, he has broken out of his shell and sings quite well! We spent lots of time swinging and singing. My favorite Taffe song is a medley of ABC, Trot to Grandma's with an ending of "all through the toooownnnnnnn!" Wheels on the Bus finds it's way into every song.

Lesson 4: Besides the obvious reason of a safe jumping place, the trampoline is a great tool for learning to count! Taffe would count to get Kingston off the trampoline, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 1, 2, 3... Kingston's turn all done! MY turn!!"

He also loved when we would count his jumps. My favorite: "One, two, three, chicken nuggets, JUMP!"

Lesson 5: Grandma and Grandpa never say no to Taffe... especially when it comes to treats! He made cookies with blue icing and red sprinkles.

...and he had ice cream. Strawberry and vanilla were the favorites!

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for a great week! We had a blast!!!!

Happy Birthday America!

My 3 favorite American boys! Tired from a great weekend filled with patriotic events. Vienna has quite the 4th celebration with bands, food, and the joy of the moon bounce shown later.
What's a birthday without a cake? Taffe and I agreed upon a "flag-train" cake. Really he just insisted upon sprinkles and eating it.

We also checked out the zoo with cousins RT and Kelly. Best zoo trip to date! Taffe was way into the elephants and the flamingos. (And he is hiding his mouth, "no cheese!!!")

We grilled out with Baby Brooks who is quite the charmer. He entertained Kingston for the entirety of dinner. Thanks buddy!

The Moon Bounce. Pure joy.

Happy 235th!