End of Summer

That's right.  It's over.  The event we've waited for all year long has ended.  On Monday, Molly and I go back to school and Jack goes to cousin Maddie's house.  We need some order and routine, so it is probably a good thing, but it is always hard to actually have it end.

We ended the summer on Monday with a trip to Hires for lunch with our favorite high school boys, Willie and Parker.  Molly wanted "cheese and a sucker" really, really bad.  Willie and Parker couldn't contain their laughter.

Molly and Jack got to hang out with their dad for 2 days and then with Grandma and Grandpa Binggeli (Ba -nelly, according to Molly) for two days while mom went back to work.

Molly had an open house at school on Thursday night.  She was super clingy and shy for about 3 minutes and then jumped out of my arms to play and have some fun.  She'll probably still scream at me for a minute Monday morning, but she'll have lots of fun!

We dropped off a few weeks of supplies at cousin Maddie's house, where Jack will be going during the day.  We're keeping our fingers crossed that Jack is a good boy and everything goes ok with 2 kids in 2 different places.  Maddie will be great!

I took some pictures of our pretty wild flowers that have been growing in our backyard.

Molly has spent many evenings this summer playing outside with the neighbor boys.

Jack likes to come outside, also, though exactly 2 seconds after the first picture was taken, the second picture occurred.  This is just what he does.  Oh well.  We still love him (but, we do need to get him a bigger shirt).

Jason and Alicia

A couple of Wednesday's ago, Jason and Alicia came to visit.  We went to dinner at 5 Guys and then came back to our house to hang out for a while.  Jason is starting a new adventure going to school at Weber State.  Alicia is starting a new adventure and moving to Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico.  It was fun to hang out with them.  Molly and Jason played "Where's Molly?  Where's Jason?" forever with a couple of blankets over their heads and then eventually everyone has to try out the playhouse.

Hogle Zoo!

With summer winding down and coming to a close, we thought we'd actually get some use out of our Hogle Zoo Membership (and pick up the cards that were paid for months ago).  To take full advantage of the zoo, Molly and Jack have been 3 (almost 4) times in the last 2 weeks.  It's been too hot to go before now and honestly, I just don't like taking a tiny baby sweating and being carried all around the zoo.  He'll have the rest of his life to go.  But at almost 3 months, he's a little sturdier and if he can sit outside for a football game, than why not a trip to the zoo?

** Important News Flash . . . The TRAIN at the Zoo is closing on September 13th and will be closed for 2 years during the construction of a new giraffe exhibit.  If you or your children are zoo train enthusiasts, you better go get that last ride in. **

Zoo Experience #1 - Molly was super whiny one morning and instead of getting mad at her and stressing at the possibility of a super unproductive day at home, we decided to load up and go.  It was a fast trip.  We were at the zoo for no more than one hour.  Molly stayed in the stroller the entire time and we just hit the highlights, including the train.  We (I mainly) finally got to see the new polar bear exhibit and it is pretty cool.  It reminds me of the Condor Flats area of California Adventure.  (I don't know why because there are no animals there, but I'm weird like that . . . and maybe just really want to go to Disneyland.)

Zoo Experience #2 - Our dad actually was NOT working on a Saturday.  Those are pretty few and far between it seems these days, so even though we'd been just a few days earlier, we decided to load up again and go to the zoo.  This time it was a bit more crowded, a bit more hot, and a bit less cooperative, but still fun.  Molly started in the stroller and Jack ended in it.  Molly had ice cream.  It was good.  The only bad thing was that the train was closed.  That was sort of another reason we went.  With the train closing in a few weeks, we wanted to ride it again.  Oh well.

Zoo Experience #3 - I went back to school for 4 days this week and James took 2 of those days off of work to tend the chilluns.  I was totally astonished when after not being able to get a hold of him all morning, he finally returned my call and said, "We've been at the zoo!"  James is honestly pretty grumpy when it comes to  . . .  anything . . . but he is a good dad and steps up when he needs to.  He said they had fun and Molly only had a couple of melt-downs.  They had been at the zoo for 3 hours!!  Both kids were asleep and they were driving home. (Oh, and they DID get to ride the train again).

Zoo Experience #4 (almost) - Apparently James had so much fun at the Zoo the first day of Daddy-Day-Care that they planned to go back the second day.  Unfortunately they got a late start and didn't get to the zoo until around nap time.  Molly fell asleep in the car, so instead of going to the zoo, they drove up Emigration Canyon, clear up East Canyon, through Hennefer and Morgan, and then home.  That is a pretty drive and I was a little bit jealous, but glad everyone was having a good day!

Kid #2

My son's name is Jack.  I love him a lot, but he is growing so fast I can hardly believe it.  He is turning into a total rolly polly chubber.  When he is awake he still eats just about every 2 hours.  If he has to go much longer, he cries like I haven't fed him for days.  He is a super good night time sleeper but a weird day time sleeper.  At night, he's been sleeping about 7-8 hours consistently for around 3 weeks now.  That is quite nice!  During the day however, he hasn't gotten on much of a schedule.  Some days he is fussy and wants to be talked to and held all day, with little napping.  Other days he is like a 2-week old again and eats, sleeps, eats, goes back to sleep, etc.  I worry a little about his lack of schedule during the day, but since he's been so good at night, I've just kind of let it all be.

He loves to coo and jabber.  He has a cute little voice.  He definitely knows his mom and dad and especially his sister.  She can always get him to smile.  

He can be rather explosive still and even at church today had to be wrapped up in only his blanket and diaper when I got more than we bargained for with a diaper change.  I had an extra outfit in the bag, but was dumb and didn't take the bag in the bathroom with me.  As soon as we found dad and the diaper bag, Jack was re-clothed.  

He is growing out of all of his clothes.  I just pulled out all his 6 month and 6-9 month items from his stash and washed them.  Some of the 6-9 month things are still way to big, but today I couldn't squish his arms in a 6 month golf shirt he's been wearing to church.  Though he still has a handful of 3 month outfits that fit him, he's not going to be in the 6 month ones for too long.

Jack is also sporting a mullett/tail on the back of his head (I need to take a picture).  Though it kind of looks like a back-of-the-head-goatee, it is actually not what he is growing, but what he hasn't rubbed off.  It's kind of silly  looking and dark with a hint of red.  His new hair coming in is very blonde like his sister's.  I don't think there is any chance for red hair with this little guy either.

He is very wiggly.  Molly never moved much.  I could leave her on her changing table for a moment and know she wasn't going anywhere.  Jack, however, is a wiggle worm.  He can't roll over but tries really hard and likes to jerk himself back and forth when laying on his back.  He wants really bad to sit up on his own.  He loves to be propped up on the couch or on pillows.  He likes to be able to see what is going on.

He spent his first full night in his crib last night, sharing a room with his sister.  Everything seemed fine, so we'll keep our fingers crossed on that one. 

He burps so loud he can wake the neighbors.  He still spits up a lot.  

I love this little squishy boy and hope that he continues growing healthy and strong!

Kid #1

My daughter's name is Molly.  I love her a lot and she can be a really good girl, but boy is she crazy, a live wire, a spitfire, opinionated, a ticking time bomb . .  . you name it.  She has totally grown into a stinker and a terrible 2 this summer.  It's possible that being 2 is reason enough or it could be caused by the addition of her brother, toilet training, lack of routine, unorganized mother . . . again, you name it.

Although I do think I pay attention to her, and yes, I do watch her, here are a few of the messes she's made this summer while I haven't been watching her (usually during the time I am feeding Jack, changing his diaper, or trying to fix dinner, rendering myself temporarily immobile).

• Vicks vapor rubbed her bedroom 
• Orange markered the house (washable, thank goodness)
• Penned the bathroom door (Mr. Clean magic eraser works well)
• Put stickers all over her brother (he was sleeping and I was folding clothes or something in the other room)
• Sun-screened a spot on the carpet
• Lotioned another spot on the carpet
• Put boogers where they shouldn't go
• Emptied all of her brothers clothes out of his dresser
• Finger-nail polished her face
• Emptied out all of the contents of my wallet
• Dumped out all of the neatly folded clothes from the laundry basket
• Walking onto the "carpet" pool cover at my grandpa's house.  She had a slow-motion decent into the swimming pool with several adults within a few feet.  We caught her.  She  was traumatized for a few minutes, but then ok.
• Painting her feet and arms with mud and saying, "I making mess.  I making mess." (ok, so this one was harmless and was also supervised.  It kept her entertained while I pulled some weeds and it was nothing that the hose and then the bathtub couldn't take care of.)
• Insisted on wearing her snow boots around the house

Here are a couple of other funny things about this girl that I wanted to put in writing.

I EAT IT!

On Friday, I lost my debit card.  I knew it had to be in the house, but it wasn't on the computer desk where I had left it.  Though it was dumb of me to just leave it lying around, I didn't know if she had taken it or if I had gone crazy and put it somewhere, then forgot where.  I had asked her periodically where it was.  I even pulled out a similar looking card and showed it to her.  She didn't know where "mama's ticket" was.  Once I asked her where it went and she said, "I eat it. Num, Num, Num, Num, Num."  Once I asked her and she said, "It all gone!"  Then finally she just handed it to me.  I asked her where it had been and she said, "In my pocket." 

KISS GOODBYE

Molly has made pretty good friends this summer with the neighbor kids.  A little boy named Asher is a year older than her and they run around our grass together in the evenings sometime.  The other night I told Molly it was time to go in and she needed to tell Asher goodbye.  She said, "Bye Asher.  Have to get in baff."  I started walking into the garage and thought she was right behind me.  Next thing I here is, "Bye Asher.  Give me kiss."  Oh no . . . . Sure enough I turn around and there is Molly giving poor little Asher a kiss on the lips.  What am I going to do with this girl?!!?  Asher looked stunned.  Molly and I had a nice talk while she was in the bathtub about how it is ok to kiss mom, dad, grandmas, grandpas, and Jack, but we don't need to kiss Asher.  She said ok.

MY EYE IS HURTING

The other day, Molly came to me and said, "My eye is hurting."  I looked all around and didn't see an eyelash or anything in her eye, but she said it a few more times.  I asked her, "Molly what is in your eye?"  She said, "There is yogurt in my eye."  Huh?  She'd had yogurt for breakfast hours earlier, but who knows what she was talking about.  Her eye is fine.

Here is a video of her being herself at the kitchen table the other day (Jack was sleeping).